396 research outputs found
A new drug triggering mechanism in thermosensitive nanoparticles using a low-melting-point polymer / Ali Dabbagh
No full textThermosensitive nanocarriers are increasingly used to allow time and site-specific drug release with minimized systemic toxicity. Thermal-triggered drug release is often governed by coil-globule, membrane disruption, and micellization mechanisms. However, premature and slow drug release, low stability, and insufficient bioavailability remain challenging in most nanocarriers which utilize these triggering mechanisms.
This work aimed to introduce a new triggering mechanism using polymers with gel-liquid phase transition at hyperthermia and thermal ablation temperatures. This phase transition could generate structural defects in nanocarriers and thus facilitate drug release. In addition, for accurate assessment of the heated region during in vitro evaluation of nanocarriers, a novel thermosensitive phantom was developed.
Nanocarriers were synthesized using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) as drug reservoir and two polymer formulations including polyacrylamide (PAA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the protective nanoshells. The graft-from and graft-to techniques were respectively employed to prepare PAA-MSNs and PEG-MSNs. The phase transition behaviours as well as various chemical, morphological, and thermal properties of these nanocarriers were characterized and their drug loading and release potentials were investigated using doxorubicin as a hydrophilic model drug. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) was also employed as a typical thermal modality to evaluate the drug release rates in short-term treatment intervals. The required phantom for MRgFUS experiments was developed using a thermochromic dye with reversible discolouration at hyperthermia range. Various physical, thermal, and acoustic properties of this phantom were measured to ensure their proximity to those of human
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soft tissues. The thermosensitive behaviour of this phantom was evaluated using radiofrequency (RF) and MRgFUS experiments. The aqueous solutions containing drug-loaded nanocarriers were further embedded within the phantom and sonicated by MRgFUS to determine their efficacy as adjuvants to this thermal modality.
Spectrophotometry analysis of the phantom showed a threshold temperature of 50±3°C with a 6°C difference between the onset and ending discolouration temperatures. The contrast change at focal point during sonication also allowed visualization of the thermal lesion in magnetic resonance images. The onset transition temperatures of PAA-MSNs and PEG-MSNs were 45.1±3.4°C and 40.4±1.8°C, respectively. The peak transition temperature of PEG-MSNs was also 20°C lower than that of PAA-MSNs, resulting in significantly sharper phase transitions. Drug release measurements for PAA-MSNs showed 11.5±2.4% leakage at 37°C after 30 minutes, while this value was significantly increased to 20.2±4.3% in PEG-MSNs. However, the maximum release ratio in PEG-MSNs (68.2±3.7%) was obtained at 50°C which was 10°C lower than that of PAA-MSNs (67.6±2.5% at 60°C). The drug release ratio from PEG-MSNs (45.5±3.1%) under MRgFUS exposure was also significantly higher than PAA-MSNs (39.2±2.2%).
Melting of polymer shells at hyperthermia and thermal ablation temperature ranges could provide thermal-triggered drug release from the core-shell nanocarriers with relatively low undesired release at physiological temperature. The drug release ratio from PEG-MSNs at physiological temperatures was higher than PAA-MSNs. However, the maximum drug release in these nanocarriers was obtained in significantly lower temperatures. Both PAA-MSNs and PEG-MSNs exhibited high loading efficiencies and rapid drug release rates at increased temperatures which make them promising for application as adjuvants to thermal modalities
A conversation with Selma Dabbagh
No full textThis is an interview with British-Palestinian writer, lawyer and activist Selma Dabbagh, who is the author of a novel, Out of It (2011), a number of short stories and a radio play produced by the BBC, as well as numerous reviews and blogs. Out of It is set in Gaza, the Gulf and London and will be published in Arabic translation in 2014. In this conversation, which began at Lancaster University in November 2013 and extended via email over the next two months, Dabbagh discusses her motivations for, and the challenges of, setting her fiction in parts of the Middle East, in particular Palestine. She comments on her “British-Palestinian” identity and the increasing visibility of Palestinian writing in English and explores the relationship between literary writing, in particular the novel, history and politics
Iraq : searching for stability in an unstable region / Ali Al-Dabbagh; Toby Dodge; Emma Sky
No full textAzinphos-methyl and chlorfenvinphos pesticides determination using fabric phase sorptive extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector
No full textA reliable and efficient fabric phase sorptive extraction method was developed for the rapid analysis of azinphos-methyl and chlorfenvinphos pesticide residues in wastewater and fruit juice samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector. The influences of major experimental parameters were evaluated and optimized. Relative standard deviation values at two different concentrations (50 and 100 μg L–1) for intra–day (n = 6) and inter–day (n = 4) precisions were less than 8%. Limits of detection for azinphos-methyl and chlorfenvinphos were calculated as 0.96 μg L–1 and 2.5 μg L–1, respectively. The calculated values of the enrichment factors for azinphos-methyl and chlorfenvinphos were calculated as 71 and 73, respectively. The superior performances and operational simplicity of fabric phase sorptive extraction method have been demonstrated by analyzing the selected pesticide residues in wastewater as well as in carrot, apple, peach, apricot, and orange juice samples
Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis in a young lebanese girl
No full textAnti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis is a recently recognized autoimmune neurologic disorder that presents with severe neuropsychiatric symptoms in previously healthy children. A 4-year-old Lebanese girl presented with new-onset behavioral changes, orofacial dyskinesias, fluctuation in consciousness, inability to walk, and mutism. Antibodies directed against NMDA receptors were detected in the patient's serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Prompt treatment with a single course of intravenous immunoglobulin resulted in early complete recovery. This is the first case report of a Middle Eastern child affected with this condition. © The Author(s) 2012.Braakman HMH, 2010, NEUROLOGY, V75, pE44, DOI 10.1212-WNL.0b013e3181f11dc1; Chapman MR, 2011, AM J PSYCHIAT, V168, P245, DOI 10.1176-appi.ajp.2010.10020181; Dalmau J, 2011, LANCET NEUROL, V10, P63, DOI 10.1016-S1474-4422(10)70253-2; Dalmau J, 2008, LANCET NEUROL, V7, P1091, DOI 10.1016-S1474-4422(08)70224-2; Dalmau J, 2007, ANN NEUROL, V61, P25, DOI 10.1002-ana.21050; Domingues RB, 1998, J CLIN MICROBIOL, V36, P2229; Florance NR, 2009, ANN NEUROL, V66, P11, DOI 10.1002-ana.21756; Gable MS, 2009, EUR J CLIN MICROBIOL, V28, P1421, DOI 10.1007-s10096-009-0799-0; Irani SR, 2010, BRAIN, V133, P1655, DOI 10.1093-brain-awq113; Luca N, 2011, ARTHRITIS RHEUM-US, V63, P2516, DOI 10.1002-art.30437; Poloni C, 2010, DEV MED CHILD NEUROL, V52, pe78, DOI 10.1111-j.1469-8749.2009.03542.x; Tyler Kenneth L, 2004, Rev Neurol Dis, V1, P169; Verhelst H, 2011, EUR J PAEDIATR NEURO, V15, P163, DOI 10.1016-j.ejpn.2010.07.004; Wandinger KP, 2011, J NEUROIMMUNOL, V231, P86, DOI 10.1016-j.jneuroim.2010.09.0120
The Effect of Dialogue Journal Writing on EFL Learners' Descriptive Writing Performance: A Quantitative Study
No full textThis study sought to evaluate the effect of dialogue journal writing on writing performance as well as its different sub-components, namely content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics (Following Polio, 2013). Participants were 84 EFL intermediate learners who were selected based on their performance on Oxford Quick Placement Test (2004) and divided randomly into experimental and control groups. While the participants in the control group took part in descriptive writing pre and post-tests only, their counterparts in experimental group were asked to write 3 journals a week for about 6 months in the period between the pre- and post-tests. The instructor of the experimental group provided feedback to each journal entry mostly on its content and message to which the participants replied in a dialogic manner. Results of independent sample t-test located a significant difference between the experimental and control group regarding the overall writing performance, as well as the sub-components of content, organization, and vocabulary in the post-test. However, the obtained results did not reveal a significant effect of dialogue journal writing on language use and mechanics of writing performance. The results which promise implications for writing instructors, curriculum developers, and material designers are fully discussed. </jats:p
خواب، مرگ، بیهوشی حین عمل جراحی و کمای طبی
No full textخواب یکی از مهمترین فرایندهای فیزیولوژیک در انسان به حساب میآید و مطالعات بسیار زیادی دربارۀ این فرایند پیچیده و حیاتی صورت گرفته است. هر نوع اختلال در خواب اعم از زمان خواب یا الگوی خواب و یا مدت زمان آن، به مشکلات مهمی در سلامت جسمی و روحی انسان منجر میگردد
La fonction réformatrice du droit comparé : essai de conceptualisation à la lumière du droit civil iranien
No full textCette recherche est axée sur deux sujets principaux. Premièrement, dans l’objectif de réforme du droit et d’amélioration des systèmes juridiques, nous nous intéresserons à l’étude des formes d’application du droit comparé. La première partie portera sur la fonction réformatrice du droit comparé, notamment au travers d’analyse de la méthodologie et des évolutions contemporaines de la science du droit comparé. De plus, le concept de réforme et les conditions préliminaires nécessaires à l’opération de réforme seront étudiés ici et nous permettrons de démontrer comment cette opération impose davantage de complexité que la seule révision législative via la transplantation des règles et des institutions étrangères. Ces difficultés rendent nécessaire une mobilisation de différentes méthodes fonctionnelle et culturelle pour augmenter la chance de prise de la greffe juridique du droit des pays plus développés vers les pays en voie de développement. Une étude interdisciplinaire du contexte des ordres juridiques variés pourrait nous aider à prendre en compte les diverses circonstances de chaque nation.
Dans une seconde partie, nous tenterons d’appliquer ou de conceptualiser ce modèle concernant la réforme sur un cas concret : le droit civil iranien. Ce droit est en effet un bon exemple de métissage des règles traditionnelles du droit musulman (Charia ou plus précisément feqh) chiite avec la tradition civiliste romano-germanique. Nous tenterons de présenter une perspective historique de la modernisation du droit iranien et du contexte dans lequel ce droit a évolué et s’est transformé. Tout au long du siècle suivant la Révolution constitutionnelle (Mashrouteh) et visant la modernisation de la structure politique et juridique, l’Iran a connu différentes époques, parfois favorisants les valeurs traditionnelles et d’autres fois, donnant avantage aux valeurs modernes. Un mouvement de modernisation inspiré des pays européens est amorcé, mais le manque d’institutionnalisation de la modernité en Iran et la Révolution islamique ont fait reculer la majorité des fruits du Mashrouteh vers une idéologie traditionnelle-islamique. La méthode comparative nous aide donc à concrétiser la phase de diagnostic juridique et social en Iran, notamment à la lumière de la comparaison avec les systèmes juridiques québécois et français. Finalement, nous essaierons de présenter certaines solutions par le biais de la comparaison internormative (avec d’autres interprétations du feqh) et législative (avec l’observation d’autres droits positifs étrangers) pour bâtir un nouvel ordre juridique iranien en harmonie avec les évolutions contemporaines en Iran.This research focuses on two main topics. First, with the aim of reforming the law and
improving legal systems, we will study various forms of applying the science of comparative
law. At the first part, we will focus on the reforming function of comparative law through an
analysis of the methodology and contemporary developments in this discipline. Moreover, the
concept of reform and the preliminary conditions necessary for the reform operation will be
studied, and we will demonstrate how this operation imposes more complexity than merely
legislative revision through the transplantation of foreign rules and institutions. These
difficulties make it necessary to mobilize different functional and cultural methods to increase
the chance of taking legal transplant from the more developed countries to the developing
countries. An interdisciplinary study of the context of various legal orders could help us to take
into account the varying circumstances of each nation.
In a second part, we will try to apply or conceptualize this model concerning the reform on a
concrete case: the Iranian civil law. This law is a good example of the interbreeding of the
traditional rules of Shiite Muslim law (Sharia or more precisely feqh) with the RomanoGermanic civil law tradition. We will present a historical perspective of the modernization of
Iranian law and the context in which it has evolved and transformed. Throughout the century
following the Constitutional Revolution (Mashrouteh) and aimed at modernizing the political
and legal structure, Iran went through different eras, sometimes favoring traditional values and
other times giving advantage to modern values. A movement of modernization inspired by
European countries was initiated, but the lack of institutionalization of modernity in Iran and
the Islamic Revolution have pushed the majority of the fruits of the Mashrouteh towards a
traditional-Islamic ideology. The comparative method therefore helps us to concretize the phase
of legal and social diagnosis in Iran, particularly in the light of the comparison with the Quebec
and French legal systems. Finally, we will try to present some solutions through the
internormative (with other interpretations of the feqh) and legislative (with the observation of
other positive foreign laws) comparisons to build a new Iranian legal order in harmony with the
contemporary evolutions in Ira
sj-docx-1-jicm-10.1177_08850666211053548 - Supplemental material for The Role of Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: A Multicenter, Cohort Study
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-jicm-10.1177_08850666211053548 for The Role of Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: A Multicenter, Cohort Study by Khalid Al Sulaiman, Ohoud Aljuhani, Kholoud Al Aamer, Omar Al Shaya, Abdulrahman Al Shaya, Alawi S. Alsaeedi, Alaa Alhubaishi, Ali F. Altebainawi, Alaa Al Harthi, Shorouq Albelwi, Rahaf Almutairi, Norah Alsubaie, Alanoud Alsallum, Ghazwa B. Korayem, Amjaad Alfahed, Raed Kensara, Elaf F. Altebainawi, Raghdah S. Alenezi, Thamer Alsulaiman, Huda Al Enazi, Ramesh Vishwakarma, Tarek Al Dabbagh, Umar Bakhsh and Ghassan Al Ghamdi in Journal of Intensive Care Medicine</p
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