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Inflammation and L-carnitine therapy in hemodialysis patients: a review

Khalatbari-Soltani S, Tabibi H

Clin Exp Nephrol, 2015 Jun;19(3):331-5.
PMID: 25446285 DOI: 10.1007/s10157-014-1061-3

Inflammation is a common complication in hemodialysis (HD) patients with no valid treatment strategy. In addition, carnitine deficiency occurs frequently in HD patients because of intradialytic loss of carnitine, impaired de novo carnitine renal synthesis, and reduced dietary intake. It appears that carnitine deficiency is related to inflammation in HD patients. A few clinical trials have investigated the effect of L-carnitine supplement on inflammatory markers in HD patients. All studies in this field, except one, showed that L-carnitine could significantly reduce C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A, as two systemic inflammation markers, in HD patients. Therefore, considering high prevalence of inflammation and carnitine deficiency in HD patients, L-carnitine therapy is a reasonable approach for reducing systemic inflammation and its complications in these patients.
Fulltext Synthesis of a new biocomposite for fertiliser coating: assessment of biodegradability and thermal stability

Ketabchi MR, Masoudi Soltani S, Chan A

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Sep;30(41):93722-93730.
PMID: 37515618 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28892-0

The bio- and thermal degradation as well as the water absorption properties of a novel biocomposite comprising cellulose nanoparticles, natural rubber and polylactic acid have been investigated. The biodegradation process was studied through an assembled condition based on the soil collected from the central Malaysian palm oil forests located in the University of Nottingham Malaysia. The effects of the presence of the cellulose nanoparticles and natural rubber on the biodegradation of polylactic acid were investigated. The biodegradation process was studied via thermal gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was understood that the reinforcement of polylactic acid with cellulose nanoparticles and natural rubber increases the thermal stability by ~ 20 °C. Limited amorphous regions on the surface of the cellulose nanoparticles accelerated the biodegradation and water absorption processes. Based on the obtained results, it is predicted that complete biodegradation of the synthesised biocomposites can take place in 3062 h, highlighting promising agricultural applications for this biocomposite.
Fulltext Release Mechanisms and Kinetic Models of Gypsum-Sulfur-Zeolite-Coated Urea Sealed with Microcrystalline Wax for Regulated Dissolution

Eghbali Babadi F, Yunus R, Masoudi Soltani S, Shotipruk A

ACS Omega, 2021 May 04;6(17):11144-11154.
PMID: 34056270 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04353

In this study, a mineral-based coated urea was fabricated in a rotary pan coater using a mixture of gypsum/sulfur/zeolite (G25S25Z50) as an effective and low-cost coating material. The effects of different coating compositions on the dissolution rate of urea and the crushing strength and morphology of the coated urea were investigated. A 25:25:50 (wt %) mixture of gypsum/sulfur/zeolite (G25S25Z50) increased the coating effectiveness to 34.1% with the highest crushing strength (31.06 N). The effectiveness of coated urea was further improved to 46.6% with the addition of a microcrystalline wax (3%) as a sealant. Furthermore, the release mechanisms of various urea fertilizers were determined by fitting the release profiles with six mathematical models, namely, the zeroth-order, first-order, second-order, Higuchi, Ritger & Peppas, and Kopcha models. The results showed that the release mechanism of the uncoated urea and all other coated urea followed the Ritger & Peppas model, suggesting the diffusional release from nonswellable delivery systems. In addition, due to the increased mass-transfer resistance, the kinetic constant was decreased from 0.2233 for uncoated urea to 0.1338 for G25S25Z50-coated urea and was further decreased to 0.0985 when 3% Witcovar 146 sealant was applied.
Effects of flaxseed consumption on systemic inflammation and serum lipid profile in hemodialysis patients with lipid abnormalities

Khalatbari Soltani S, Jamaluddin R, Tabibi H, Mohd Yusof BN, Atabak S, Loh SP, et al.

Hemodial Int, 2013 Apr;17(2):275-81.
PMID: 22998533 DOI: 10.1111/j.1542-4758.2012.00754.x

Inflammation and lipid abnormalities are two important risk factors for cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of flaxseed consumption on systemic inflammation and serum lipid profile in HD patients with lipid abnormalities. This was an unblinded, randomized clinical trial. Thirty HD patients with dyslipidemia (triglyceride >200 mg/dL and/or high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) <40 mg/dL) were randomly assigned to either a flaxseed or control group. Patients in the flaxseed group received 40 g/day ground flaxseed for 8 weeks, whereas patients in the control group received their usual diet, without any flaxseed. At baseline and at the end of week 8, 7 mL of blood was collected after a 12- to 14-hour fast and serum concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Serum concentrations of triglyceride (P < 0.01), total cholesterol (P < 0.01), LDL-C (P < 0.01), and CRP (P < 0.05) decreased significantly in the flaxseed group at the end of week 8 compared with baseline, whereas serum HDL-C showed a significant increase (P < 0.01). These changes in the flaxseed group were significant in comparison with the control group. The study indicates that flaxseed consumption improves lipid abnormalities and reduces systemic inflammation in HD patients with lipid abnormalities.
Fulltext Study the effect of various wash-coated metal oxides over synthesized carbon nanofibers coated monolith substrates

Malekbala MR, Soltani S, Abdul Rashid S, Abdullah LC, Choong TSY

PLoS One, 2019;14(7):e0219936.
PMID: 31365558 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219936

In this research work, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were synthesized on honeycomb monolith substrates using injection chemical vapor deposition (ICVD) technique. The effect of various wash-coated materials and catalyst promoter on the growth rate of CNFs on monolith substrates were examined. The characteristics of the synthesized CNFs-coated monolith composites were examined using Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. According to the textural characterization study, the specific surface area and pore volume of CNFs-coated monolith composites were significantly improved as compared to bare monolith which might be attributed to the growth of highly pure and aligned CNFs over monolith substrate. Besides that, the synthesized CNFs-coated monolith possessed extremely well thermal stability up to the temperature of 550 °C which was corresponded to the strong attachment of highly graphitized CNFs over monolith substrates.
Fulltext Optimization the Process of Chemically Modified Carbon Nanofiber Coated Monolith via Response Surface Methodology for CO2 Capture

Malekbala MR, Soltani S, Abdul Rashid S, Abdullah LC, Rashid U, Nehdi IA, et al.

Materials (Basel), 2020 Apr 10;13(7).
PMID: 32290065 DOI: 10.3390/ma13071775

In the present study, a sequence of experiments was performed to assess the influence of the key process parameters on the formation of a carbon nanofiber-coated monolith (CNFCM), using a four-level factorial design in response surface methodology (RSM). The effect of reaction temperature, hydrocarbon flow rate, catalyst and catalyst promoter were examined using RSM to enhance the formation yield of CNFs on a monolith substrate. To calculate carbon yield, a quadratic polynomial model was modified through multiple regression analysis and the best possible reaction conditions were found as follows: a reaction temperature of 800 °C, furfuryl alcohol flow of 0.08525 mL/min, ferrocene catalyst concentration of 2.21 g. According to the characterization study, the synthesized CNFs showed a high graphitization which were uniformly distributed on a monolith substrate. Besides this, the feasibility of carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption from the gaseous mixture (N2/CO2) under a range of experimental conditions was investigated at monolithic column. To get the most out of the CO2 capture, an as-prepared sample was post-modified using ammonia. Furthermore, a deactivation model (DM) was introduced for the purpose of studying the breakthrough curves. The CO2 adsorption onto CNFCM was experimentally examined under following operating conditions: a temperature of 30-50 °C, pressure of 1-2 bar, flow rate of 50-90 mL/min, and CO2 feed amount of 10-40 vol.%. A lower adsorption capacity and shorter breakthrough time were detected by escalating the temperature. On the other hand, the capacity for CO2 adsorption increased by raising the CO2 feed amount, feed flow rate, and operating pressure. The comparative evaluation of CO2 uptake over unmodified and modified CNFCM adsorbents confirmed that the introduced modification procedure caused a substantial improvement in CO2 adsorption.
Fulltext Predicting the environmental suitability for onchocerciasis in Africa as an aid to elimination planning

Cromwell EA, Osborne JCP, Unnasch TR, Basáñez MG, Gass KM, Barbre KA, et al.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2021 07;15(7):e0008824.
PMID: 34319976 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008824

Recent evidence suggests that, in some foci, elimination of onchocerciasis from Africa may be feasible with mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin. To achieve continental elimination of transmission, mapping surveys will need to be conducted across all implementation units (IUs) for which endemicity status is currently unknown. Using boosted regression tree models with optimised hyperparameter selection, we estimated environmental suitability for onchocerciasis at the 5 × 5-km resolution across Africa. In order to classify IUs that include locations that are environmentally suitable, we used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify an optimal threshold for suitability concordant with locations where onchocerciasis has been previously detected. This threshold value was then used to classify IUs (more suitable or less suitable) based on the location within the IU with the largest mean prediction. Mean estimates of environmental suitability suggest large areas across West and Central Africa, as well as focal areas of East Africa, are suitable for onchocerciasis transmission, consistent with the presence of current control and elimination of transmission efforts. The ROC analysis identified a mean environmental suitability index of 0·71 as a threshold to classify based on the location with the largest mean prediction within the IU. Of the IUs considered for mapping surveys, 50·2% exceed this threshold for suitability in at least one 5 × 5-km location. The formidable scale of data collection required to map onchocerciasis endemicity across the African continent presents an opportunity to use spatial data to identify areas likely to be suitable for onchocerciasis transmission. National onchocerciasis elimination programmes may wish to consider prioritising these IUs for mapping surveys as human resources, laboratory capacity, and programmatic schedules may constrain survey implementation, and possibly delaying MDA initiation in areas that would ultimately qualify.
Fulltext Mapping age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence in adults in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000-2018

Haeuser E, Serfes AL, Cork MA, Yang M, Abbastabar H, Abhilash ES, et al.

BMC Med, 2022 Dec 19;20(1):488.
PMID: 36529768 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02639-z

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still among the leading causes of disease burden and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the world is not on track to meet targets set for ending the epidemic by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Precise HIV burden information is critical for effective geographic and epidemiological targeting of prevention and treatment interventions. Age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence estimates are widely available at the national level, and region-wide local estimates were recently published for adults overall. We add further dimensionality to previous analyses by estimating HIV prevalence at local scales, stratified into sex-specific 5-year age groups for adults ages 15-59 years across SSA.
METHODS: We analyzed data from 91 seroprevalence surveys and sentinel surveillance among antenatal care clinic (ANC) attendees using model-based geostatistical methods to produce estimates of HIV prevalence across 43 countries in SSA, from years 2000 to 2018, at a 5 × 5-km resolution and presented among second administrative level (typically districts or counties) units.
RESULTS: We found substantial variation in HIV prevalence across localities, ages, and sexes that have been masked in earlier analyses. Within-country variation in prevalence in 2018 was a median 3.5 times greater across ages and sexes, compared to for all adults combined. We note large within-district prevalence differences between age groups: for men, 50% of districts displayed at least a 14-fold difference between age groups with the highest and lowest prevalence, and at least a 9-fold difference for women. Prevalence trends also varied over time; between 2000 and 2018, 70% of all districts saw a reduction in prevalence greater than five percentage points in at least one sex and age group. Meanwhile, over 30% of all districts saw at least a five percentage point prevalence increase in one or more sex and age group.
CONCLUSIONS: As the HIV epidemic persists and evolves in SSA, geographic and demographic shifts in prevention and treatment efforts are necessary. These estimates offer epidemiologically informative detail to better guide more targeted interventions, vital for combating HIV in SSA.