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Integrated Nutrient Management
Published in Brian D. Fath, Sven E. Jørgensen, Megan Cole, Managing Soils and Terrestrial Systems, 2020
Along with atmospheric deposition, phosphate fertilizers (both chemically produced ones and PRs) can be a major source of metal addition, especially Cd, to agricultural soils.[32] PRs are the basic raw materials for the production of phosphate fertilizers and PR can contain hazardous elements including undesired heavy metals (e.g., Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb) and radioactive elements (e.g., U) that are considered to be toxic to human and animal health.[15] Undesirable heavy metals can also originate from finished fertilizers and organic manures (Table 6). In addition to P fertilizers, sewage sludge and animal manure may also contain high amount of metals (Table 6).[33] Repeated application of such wastes is reported to increase crop uptake of metals.[34] Soils from fertilized fields and especially in Europe and Northern America have shown accumulation of Cd. Cadmium ingested by animals and humans accumulates in the kidneys and can lead to organ dysfunction. Therefore, in many countries, the regulatory limits for food, so-called “maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs),” have been worked out. Some countries have also introduced voluntary or mandated concentrations of Cd in fertilizers. Such limits are under constant review, and efforts are also being made to reduce the Cd content of the chemically produced fertilizers.
Paediatrics
Published in David A Lisle, Imaging for Students, 2012
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) describes a spectrum of disorders, the common feature being histiocytic infiltration of tissues and aggressive bone lesions. LCH may be subclassified as restricted or extensive LDH. Extensive LDH refers to visceral organ involvement with or without bone lesions. Visceral involvement may produce organ dysfunction and failure. Skin rash and diabetes insipidus are common. Restricted LCH refers to monostotic bone or polyostotic bone lesions, or isolated skin lesions. The monostotic bone lesion of LCH occurs in children with a peak age of incidence of five to ten years, though may also be seen in older patients. Clinical presentation may be with local pain or pathological fracture (see Fig. 8.9). Radiographically, LCH produces focal well-defined lytic skeletal lesions in the skull, spine and long bones.
Role of Nanotechnology in Selective Targeting of Cancer
Published in Megh R. Goyal, Santosh K. Mishra, Lohith Kumar Dasarahalli-Huligowda, Nanotechnology Applications in Agricultural and Bioprocess Engineering, 2021
Chemotherapy agents actively attack the rapidly dividing cells, which is the characteristic property of cancer cells. This is the major reason that these agents also hinder the normal body cells that generally have high dividing rate, such as, digestive tract, macrophages, bone marrow and hair follicles [62]. The major anomaly of conventional chemotherapy techniques is non-selective action resulting in severe side-effects of using chemotherapy agents. For instance, the side effects include: mucositis, myelosuppression, organ dysfunction, anemia, and alopecia. These may cause treatment delay, dosage variation and therapy discontinuance [8].
Hydroxychloroquine improves high-fat-diet-induced obesity and organ dysfunction via modulation of lipid level, oxidative stress, and inflammation
Published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2023
Mohamed A Hasan, Omar A. Ammar, Maher A Amer, Azza I Othman, Fawzia Zigheber, Mohamed A El-Missiry
Numerous studies have revealed a link among obesity, chronic inflammation, organ pathology, and immunological activation [33,34]. Organ dysfunction results from inflammation in people with obesity or T2 diabetes [35]. Obesity-related inflammation is an important risk for many diseases, including T2 diabetes [36]. Rats fed a HFD for 18 months exhibited severe inflammation with a marked shift of redox balance toward oxidative stress. In addition, an increase in pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-a, IL-6, and leptin) and marked decrease in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and adiponectin) were observed. These findings are consistent with previous results, that is, HFD increased IL-6, which activates hepatic synthesis and C-reactive protein secretion and enhances fibrinogen production [37]. In the current study, HCQ prevented the elevation of inflammatory cytokines. Meanwhile, an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokine level indicated an anti-inflammatory effect in HFD-fed rats. These findings are consistent with previous study results, that is, HCQ reduced the hepatic level of macrophage-specific genes and pro-inflammatory genes of IL-1β, TNF-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in obese mice [16,38]. These findings indicate that the improvement of oxidative stress, production of inflammatory adipokines, and decrease in fat accumulation result from HCQ intervention.
A multi-attribute utility framework for patients to determine childbirth method considering uncertainties, patient preferences, risk attitudes, and pregnancy complications
Published in IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 2022
Another layer of uncertainty is added due to maternal and neonatal mortality probability. This uncertainty is, in turn, linked with pregnancy complications which we define based on the presence of malpresentation, anemia, eclampsia, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Malpresentations are abnormal positions of the vertex of the fetal head (with the occiput as the reference point) relative to the maternal pelvis. So malpresentation is all presentations of the fetus other than the vertex. Eclampsia is the onset of convulsions or coma during pregnancy or postpartum in a patient with signs and symptoms of preeclampsia (Sibai, 1990). Preeclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy in which there is high blood pressure and either large amounts of protein in the urine or other organ dysfunction. Preeclampsia and eclampsia affect about 1.4% and 5% of deliveries worldwide respectively. The pregnancy complication state plays a vital role in deciding the delivery method. If the mother has a hemoglobin concentration of less than 110 gm/liter, she is considered to have anemia. If the mother without diabetes develops high blood sugar levels during pregnancy, this is known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or gestational diabetes. If patients have conditions like malpresentation, anemia, eclampsia, and gestational diabetes, the survival rate in a specific delivery method is likely to change, and so is the optimal choice. So, these different complexities turn a seemingly simple decision into a pretty challenging one and thus a good candidate for decision analysis.
Novel electrospun conduit based on polyurethane/collagen enhanced by nanobioglass for peripheral nerve tissue engineering
Published in Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 2022
Somayeh Tofighi Nasab, Nasim Hayati Roodbari, Vahabodin Goodarzi, Hossein Ali Khonakdar, Kourosh Mansoori, Mohammad Reza Nourani
Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a clinical issue that leads to long-term organ dysfunction. The main therapeutic goal for the severed peripheral nerves is to reconstruct the extension of the damaged nerve to regenerate and establish physiological communication. The use of autograft (a gold-standard method) is considered an effective method for repairing injured nerves, nevertheless, due to some limitations, the use of this approach is limited, and the long waiting time for organ and tissue transplantations as well as disease transmission urges a need for a new method to overcome these limitations [1]. Besides, recipients of this type of transplant must receive immunosuppressive agents for the entire life span, regardless of the high risk of infection, tumor formation, and adverse side effects [2]. As one of the leading methods in modern medicine, tissue engineering is a rapidly growing field of research. In order to accomplish tissue regeneration, three key factors must be taken into account, namely cells, scaffolds, and biomolecules, such as growth factors and genes [3]. In tissue engineering, there is a permanent solution for the treatment of impaired tissues, so there is no need for complementary therapies, and as a result, treatment costs are greatly reduced [4]. Although much research has been performed over the past century to seek new strategies to repair peripheral nerves, there is currently no satisfactory method to meet the desired criteria for peripheral nerve recovery.