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Heliyon Aug 2023With the rapid development of industry, the increasing discharge of sewage causes the detection of water quality to be of increasing importance. Potassium dichromate...
With the rapid development of industry, the increasing discharge of sewage causes the detection of water quality to be of increasing importance. Potassium dichromate titration is one of the most important testing methods in water quality detection; the ability to accurately identify the titration end-point of potassium dichromate is currently a research challenge. To identify titration end-point quickly and accurately, this study proposes a ResNet14Attention network, which utilizes residual modules that focus on original image information and an attention mechanism that focuses highly on classification targets. The proposed ResNet14Attention network is compared with 12 convolutional neural networks such as ResNet series networks, VGG, and GoogLeNet. The results of comparison experiments reveal that only the proposed ResNet14Attention network has the highest training and testing accuracy of 100% among all convolutional neural networks in the comparison experiment; the proposed ResNet14Attention network has the highest training speed compared to all the networks that over 90% accuracy.
PubMed: 37609400
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18992 -
Annals of Dermatology Aug 2023There has been debate regarding whether patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have an altered frequency of contact allergen sensitization. Increased exposure to topical...
BACKGROUND
There has been debate regarding whether patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have an altered frequency of contact allergen sensitization. Increased exposure to topical medications and moisturizers as well as impaired skin barrier function increase the risk of contact sensitization, whereas the Th2-skewed inflammatory pathway of AD is associated with a reduced risk.
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study was performed to determine the characteristics of contact sensitization in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) patients with a current or past history of AD.
METHODS
A clinical record review was conducted for patients referred to Ewha Womans University Medical Center, for patch tests between March 2017 and March 2021. We compared the rates of contact sensitization between ACD patients with and without AD.
RESULTS
In total, 515 patch test results were reviewed and divided into the AD group (n=53) and non-AD group (n=462). The AD group showed decreased any-allergen positivity (1+, 2+, or 3+) (56.6%) compared to the non-AD group (72.9%) (=0.013). The positivity rate for budesonide was significantly higher in the AD group (=0.011), while the prevalence of a positive result for balsam of Peru was higher in the non-AD group (=0.036). Nickel sulfate, cobalt chloride, and potassium dichromate were the most common sensitized allergens in both groups.
CONCLUSION
Our study shows a decreased prevalence of contact sensitization in AD patients compared to non-AD patients. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of corticosteroid allergies in ACD patients with history of AD.
PubMed: 37550231
DOI: 10.5021/ad.23.001 -
Comparative Biochemistry and... Nov 2023In fish, the skin is directly exposed to multiple environmental stressors and provides the first line of defense against harmful external factors. It turned out that...
In fish, the skin is directly exposed to multiple environmental stressors and provides the first line of defense against harmful external factors. It turned out that cortisol and melatonin (Mel) are involved in fish cutaneous stress response system (CSRS) similar to mammalian. This study investigates the mode of action of CSRS in two teleost species of different biology and skin characteristics, the three-spined stickleback and the European flounder, after exposure to oxidative stress induced by a potassium dichromate solution. The cutaneous stress response system presents different ways of action in two studied species: Mel concentration increases in the skin of both species, but cortisol concentration increases in the skin only in sticklebacks. Data suggest that stickleback skin cells can produce cortisol. However, cortisol is not involved in the response to oxidative stress in flounders. In stickleback skin, two genes encoding AANAT and ASMT/HIOMT (enzymes involved in Mel synthesis), aanat1a and asmt2, are expressed, but in flounder skin, only one, asmtl. Because gene expression does not change in stickleback skin after exposure to stress, the source of increased Mel is probably outside the skin. A lack of expression of the gene encoding AANAT in flounder skin strongly suggests that Mel is transported to the skin by the bloodstream from other sites of synthesis. Pigment dispersion in the skin after exposure to oxidative stress is found only in sticklebacks.
Topics: Animals; Flounder; Hydrocortisone; Melatonin; Smegmamorpha; Fishes; Oxidative Stress; Arylalkylamine N-Acetyltransferase; Mammals
PubMed: 37541323
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111493 -
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2023Converting more CO absorbed by plant photosynthesis into biomass-activated carbon effectively reduces carbon emissions. In this study, we used a one-step preparation of...
Converting more CO absorbed by plant photosynthesis into biomass-activated carbon effectively reduces carbon emissions. In this study, we used a one-step preparation of biomass-activated carbon loaded with MgO nanoparticles to investigate the effect of Mg loading on the catalytic pyrolysis process. The influences of magnesium loading on biochar yield and fixed carbon production were assessed. The addition of 1% Mg weakened the carbonyl C=O, inhibited the dehydroxylation reaction, enhanced the C-H signal strength, and the formation of MgO inhibited the weaker- bound substituent breakage. Additionally, the addition of magnesium altered the morphological features and chemical composition of the biochar material. It also increased the activated carbon mesoporosity by 3.94%, biochar yield by 5.55%, and fixed carbon yield by 12.14%. The addition of 1% Mg increased the adsorption capacity of the activated carbon to potassium dichromate, acid magenta, methylene blue, and tetracycline effluents by 8.71 mg, 37.15 mg, 117.68 mg, and 3.53 mg, respectively. The results showed that MgCl played a significant role in promoting the thermal degradation of biomass and improving the solid yield and adsorption performance of activated carbon.
PubMed: 37508863
DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070836 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023Coccidiosis caused by the spp., an Apicomplexan protozoon, is a major intestinal disease that affects the poultry industry. Although most cases of coccidiosis are...
INTRODUCTION
Coccidiosis caused by the spp., an Apicomplexan protozoon, is a major intestinal disease that affects the poultry industry. Although most cases of coccidiosis are subclinical, infections impair bird health and decrease overall performance, which can result in compromised welfare and major economic losses. Viable sporulated oocysts are required for challenge studies and live coccidiosis vaccines. Potassium dichromate (PDC) is typically used as a preservative for these stocks during storage. Although effective and inexpensive, PDC is also toxic and carcinogenic. Chlorhexidine (CHX) salts may be a possible alternative, as this is a widely used disinfectant with less toxicity and no known carcinogenic associations.
METHODS
testing of CHX gluconate and CHX digluconate exhibited comparable oocyst integrity and viability maintenance with equivalent bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity to PDC. Subsequent use of CHX gluconate or digluconate-preserved Eimeria oocysts, cold-stored at 4°C for 5 months, as the inoculum also resulted in similar oocyst shedding and recovery rates when compared to PDC-preserved oocysts.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
These data show that using 0.20% CHX gluconate could be a suitable replacement for PDC. Additionally, autofluorescence was used as a method to evaluate oocyst viability. Administration of artificially aged oocysts exhibiting >99% autofluorescence from each preserved treatment resulted in no oocyst output for CHX salt groups.
PubMed: 37496751
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1226298 -
Biological Trace Element Research Nov 2023Lactoferrin (LCF), a potent naturally occurring antioxidant, is a crucial component in preventing potassium dichromate (PDC) toxicity. The goal of the current work was...
Lactoferrin (LCF), a potent naturally occurring antioxidant, is a crucial component in preventing potassium dichromate (PDC) toxicity. The goal of the current work was to study the potential efficacy of LCF in preventing PDC(CrVI)-induced testicular toxicity and oxidative injury in rats. Six groups of male rats of Wistar stain were randomly categorized into: group 1, which served as the control; group 2 and 3 received LCF (200 and 300 mg/kg orally, respectively); group 4 received PDC (2 mg/kg i.p.); group 5 and 6 pretreated with LCF, followed by PDC as in group 4 with 90 min apart for 28 days. PDC-intoxicated rats showed a significantly altered spermogram with abnormal sperm morphology. PDC significantly upregulated serum FSH and downregulated testosterone levels. Additionally, PDC decreased the levels of testicular key antioxidant biomarkers (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH)) with elevated lipid peroxidation marker (TBARS) and testicular chromium content. Moreover, it upregulated testicular proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α, induced histopathological changes in testes with significant immunohistochemical expression of FasL and moderate expression of Nrf2. Pretreatment with LCF significantly mitigated PDC-induced testicular toxicity by enhancing spermogram, improving hormonal levels, restoring testicular oxidant/antioxidant balance, and decreasing testicular IL-1, IL6, IL-10, and TNFα levels, and amending both FasL and Nrf2 immunohistochemical-expression. Additionally, LCF improved testicular histopathological picture and spermatogenesis. Our results highlight the importance of LCF as a superior protective modulator of PDC-induced testicular injury.
Topics: Rats; Male; Animals; Testis; Antioxidants; Lactoferrin; Interleukin-10; Chromium; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Rats, Wistar; Semen; Oxidative Stress; Glutathione; Potassium Dichromate; Interleukin-1
PubMed: 36877398
DOI: 10.1007/s12011-023-03605-3