Green Synthesis of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles and its Application in the Degradation of Methyl Red

Environmental pollution is a threat to human health, with methyl red dye used in printing and textile dyeing being a notable pollutant that can cause eye, skin, and digestive system irritation. This study investigates the degradation of methyl red dye using nanoparticles of Nickel Oxide (NiO NPs) as photocatalysts. NiO NPs were synthesised at room temperature through thermal decomposition using antioxidant-rich extracts from strawberries (Fragaria ananassa), grapes (Vitis vinifera), and grapefruits (Citrus paradisi). Characterisation of the NiO NPs was performed using FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and SEM. FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of NiO NPs with peaks between 577 – 585 cm–1. UV-Vis spectroscopy showed absorption wavelengths between 322-326 nm for the synthesised NiO NPs and a blue shift to 422-470 nm during methyl red degradation. This study presents a sustainable method for  synthesising NiO nanoparticles and demonstrates their effectiveness in environmental remediation, specifically for the removal of  pollutant dyes. 

IMMU-31. TUMOR-SPECIFIC ALTERNATIVE SPLICING GENERATES SPATIALLY-CONSERVED HLA-BINDING NEOANTIGEN TARGETS DETECTED THROUGH INTEGRATIVE TRANSCRIPTOMIC AND PROTEOMIC ANALYSES

Abstract BACKGROUND While immunotherapy is profoundly efficacious in certain cancers, its success is limited in cancers with lower mutational burden, such as gliomas. Therefore, investigating neoantigens beyond those from somatic mutations can expand the repertoire of immunotherapy targets. Recent studies detected alternative-splicing (AS) events in various cancer types that could potentially translate into tumor-specific proteins. Our study investigates AS within glioma to identify novel MHC-I-presented neoantigen targets through an integrative transcriptomic and proteomic computational pipeline, complemented by an extensive spatiotemporal analysis of the AS candidates. METHODS Bulk RNA-seq of high tumor purity TCGA-GBM/LGG (n=429) were analyzed through a novel systematic pipeline, and tumor-specific splicing junctions (neojunctions) were identified in silico by cross-referencing with bulk RNA-seq of GTEx normal tissue (n=9,166). Two HLA-binding prediction algorithms were subsequently incorporated to predict peptide sequences with high likelihood for HLA-presentation. Investigation of the tumor-wide clonality and temporal stability of the candidates was performed on extensive RNA-seq data from our spatially mapped intratumoral samples and longitudinally collected tumor tissue RNA-seq. Proteomic validation was conducted through mass-spec analysis of the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC)-GBM repository (n=99). RESULTS Our analysis of TCGA-GBM/LGG bulk RNA-seq identified 249 putative neojunctions that translate into 222 cancer-specific peptide sequences which confer 21,489 tumor-specific n-mers (8-11 amino acids in length). Both prediction algorithms concurrently identified 271 n-mers likely to bind and be presented by HLA*A0101, HLA*A0201, HLA*A0301, HLA*A1101, or HLA*A2402. We confirmed the expression of 15 out of 58 HLA*A0201-binding candidates in HLA*A0201+ patient-derived glioma cell line RNA-seq with a subset of candidates conserved spatially. Analysis of CPTAC-GBM mass-spec data detected 23 tumor-specific peptides with 5 containing detected n-mers highly predicted to be HLA-presented. CONCLUSION Tumor-specific neojunctions identified in our unique integrative pipeline present novel candidate immunotherapy targets for gliomas and offer a new avenue in neoantigen discovery across cancer types

Liver transplantation as a multidisciplinary strategy for undergraduate education

O programa de transplante de fígado presta-se, no dia a dia, de forma excelente, ao ensino de graduação, especialmente na forma de iniciação científica com trabalhos de investigação experimental em laboratórios ou na forma de monitoria formal em investigação experimental ou clínica. Nesta segunda modalidade, o aluno auxilia o professor orientador em atividades mais ligadas à enfermaria e centro cirúrgico, com trabalhos de acompanhamento clínico dos doentes, ou estudos de casos em investigações tanto prospectivas como retrospectivas. Cabe ao orientador, atribuir atividades balanceadas, cujos horários de execução não colidam com os formais da graduação. Da mesma forma, cabe ao aluno estruturar suas horas livres para dedicar parte delas ao exercício da atividade científica. Assim, o aluno de graduação, terá a oportunidade de vivenciar as mais variadas facetas do transplante, tendo dele a necessária visão sistêmica, à medida que seu conhecimento se amplia. A importância do transplante é exatamente esta, com o contato diário, ao longo do tempo, formar a idéia plena do todo a partir das complexas partes que o constituem, propiciando ao graduando participar de situações e discussões que não são freqüentemente abordadas durante a graduação.The program of liver transplantation can contribute in an excellent manner to undergraduate education on a daily basis, especially in the form of scientific initiation with studies of experimental investigation in the laboratory or as formal monitoring in experimental or clinical investigation. In the latter modality, the student helps his tutoring professor in activities more related to the ward and to the Surgical Center, with studies on the clinical follow-up of patients, or with case studies in both prospective and retrospective investigations. It is the task of the adviser to attribute balanced activities whose time of execution will not interfere with formal graduation hours. Similarly, it is the responsibility of the student to structure his free time in order to devote part of it to the exercise of scientific activity. On this basis, the medical student will have the opportunity to experience the most varied facets of transplantation, acquiring the necessary systemic view of the procedure as his knowledge expands. The importance of liver transplant is exactly this, i.e., to obtain a complete idea of the whole with daily contact along time starting from the complex parts that constitute the procedure, exposes the student to diverse clinical situations rarely encountered together in other specialties, permitting him to participate in situations and discussions that are not often addressed during the medical course

Lessons from Post-Immunotherapy Tumor Tissues in Clinical Trials: How Can We Fuel the Tumor Microenvironment in Gliomas?

Despite recent advancements in cancer immunotherapy, many patients with gliomas and glioblastomas have yet to experience substantial therapeutic benefits. Modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) of gliomas, which is typically "cold", is crucial for improving treatment outcomes. Clinical tumor specimens obtained post-immunotherapy provide invaluable insights. However, access to such post-immunotherapy samples remains limited, even in clinical trials, as tumor tissues are often collected only at tumor relapse. Recent studies of neoadjuvant immunotherapy provided important insights by incorporating surgical resections of post-treatment tumors. Moreover, pre-surgical immunotherapies are increasingly integrated into clinical trial designs to evaluate treatment efficacy. These investigations reveal critical information, particularly regarding the delivery success of therapeutic agents, the expansion and persistence of immune products, and the cellular and molecular changes induced in the TME. In this review, we assess the findings on post-treatment tumor specimens obtained from recent immunotherapy clinical trials on gliomas, highlight the importance of these samples for understanding therapeutic impacts, and discuss proactive investigation approaches for future clinical trials

COVID-19 INFODEMIC: PERCEPTION OF FAKE NEWS AMONG RESIDENTS OF IKEJA, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Infodemic is an admixture of accurate and inaccurate information that makes the solution to a problem more difficult to solve. The impact of the covid-19 pandemic cannot be overlooked due to the influx of false information relating to the virus which has the tendency to create panic and cause the people to make uninformed decisions as a result of the emergence of the internet that has opened up a whole new space that is accessible as day via the social media platforms. The aim of this study is to examine the level of media literacy and the perception of fake news among Ikeja residents of Lagos, State. The descriptive survey research design was adopted involving the use of questionnaire. The sample size for this study was 378 respondents selected from the total number of population in Ikeja residents of Lagos state which was sectioned into wards and thereafter, streets adopting the multi-stage sampling technique. To arrive at a sample selection, Taro Yamane formula was adopted to calculate it while in answering the hypothesis, Chi-square was adopted. In order to proceed in filling of the questionnaire, firsthand question on their understanding regarding fake news was sought purposively. Study shows that WhatsApp and Facebook were the most source of fake news. Also, the respondents negatively perceive fake news relating to the Covid-19 pandemic as it is viewed as alarming and shouldn‘t be overlooked. The study recommends that the respondents should discourage others from relying solely on social media for news on important issues as Covid-19

Synthesis of organically capped and water soluble metal sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles

A thesis in the Department of Chemistry submitted to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013.Well-defined faceted shaped organically and water soluble metal sulfide nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized using a hybrid solution based high temperature colloidal route in the presence of organic surfactants as both stabilizers and crystal growth modifiers. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared metal sulfide nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectrophotometry. By varying important parameters such as the metal precursors, reaction temperature, reaction time and organic surfactants, various nanomaterials with a range of morphologies and sizes were obtained. The morphologies of the organically soluble PbS nanoparticles was influenced by the variation in lead sources and organic surfactant. By varying the lead source HDA capped particles with morphologies ranging from close to spheres, elongated particles and perfect cubes were formed. When the capping group was changed to TOPO, predominantly rod shaped particles were obtained. The growth mechanism for the anisotropic HDA capped PbS is mostly likely due an oriented attachment mechanism. The formation of the rod shaped TOPO capped PbS is due to the impurities in TOPO. The X-ray diffraction and high resolution electron microscopy studies show that the particles are crystalline

Metal(ii) schiff base complexes and the insulin-mimetic Studies on the oxovanadium(iv) complexes

A thesis in the Department of Chemistry submitted to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Zululand, 2009.Sixteen symmetrical and four unsymmetrical tetradentate Schiff bases with the N2O2 chromophore were isolated in pure form and fully characterized by elemental analyses, melting point, IR and 1H NMR. The appearance of two different peaks for each of the azomethine protons and phenolic protons confirm the asymmetry nature of the unsymmetrical Schiff bases. All the Schiff bases were successfully coordinated to oxovanadium (IV) ion to form the corresponding complexes. The unsymmetrical Schiff bases were also successfully coordinated to cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) ions to form their corresponding complexes. In all thirty-two metal(II) Schiff bases complexes were isolated. These complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, melting point, IR, EPR, cyclic voltammetry, magnetic susceptibility measurements, differential scanning calorimetry and electronic spectra. The isolation of the unsymmetrical tetradentate Schiff bases and their complexes as well as some of the symmetrical tetradentate Schiff bases and their complexes are considered to be novel. The purity and composition of both the Schiff bases and the metal (II) complexes were established by elemental analyses. The comparison of the IR spectra of the Schiff-bases and their metal complexes indicated that the Schiff bases acted as tetradentate ligands. The observed shifts in the stretching frequencies of (C=N) and (C¯O) are indicative of the formation of these complexes. Further conclusive evidence of the coordination of these Schiff-bases with the metal ions was shown by the appearance of new bands due to (M¯N) and (M¯O) in the metal complexes. Most of the oxovanadium (IV) complexes exhibit a strong band in the range 959−989 cm−1, which have been assigned to (V=O) in a monomeric square pyramidal coordination environme oxovanadium (IV) complexes with trimethylene bridge, in which their (V=O) appeared at 848−860 cm.1, have been assigned polymeric structure with [V=O∙∙∙•V=O] interactions, which afforded distorted octahedral coordination geometry. The electronic spectral and magnetic susceptibility measurements were used for assigning the stereochemistry of each metal complex. Electronic spectra indicate a square-planar geometry for all the cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes. This was also corroborated by the effective magnetic moment of the complexes. The electronic spectra of the oxovanadium ( IV) complexes suggest a diversity of geometries. The electronic spectra indicate a square-pyramidal geometry for the fivecoordinate species and distorted octahedral geometry for the six-coordinate species. The room temperature magnetic moments of 1.6.1.8 BM are normal for V(IV) d1 configuration. The solution EPR spectra of the oxovanadium ( IV) are consistent with square pyramidal geometry. The cyclic voltammetry of the oxovanadium ( IV) complexes revealed only one quasi-reversible wave for each complex and they all showed redox couples with peak- to peak separation values ( Ep) ranging from 74 to 83 mV, indicating a single step one electron transfer process. In vitro glucose uptake was carried out on all the oxovanadium (IV) complexes using C2C12 cell line. All the complexes tested increased glucose utilization in C2C12 cells over basal values except two of the complexes whose percentage glucose uptake was lower than the basal glucose uptake (DMSO). Eighteen of the complexes significantly increased glucose uptake when compared to the basal glucose uptake of the solvent vehicle (DMSO). Cytotoxic test carried out on all the complexes using M at both low and high concentrations. Two of the complexes showed activities comparable or greater than that of insulin. Four unsymmetrical and five symmetrical Schiff base complexes of oxovanadium(IV) have been tested in vivo for their insulin mimetic activities. An acute oral administration of the four unsymmetrical Schiff base complexes of oxovanadium (IV) elicited a progressive reduction in plasma glucose over 6 h in STZ rats. Two of the unsymmetrical Schiff base complexes of oxovanadium( IV) induced a significant reduction in plasma glucose over a 6 h period. Oral administration of the five symmetrical complexes also elicited a progressive reduction in plasma glucose over 6hrs. Two of these complexes induced a significant reduction in plasma glucose during the 6 hour period.TT assay showed that the complexes were not toxic to the cells.National Research Foundation (NRF

Green synthesis of nickel oxide nanoparticles and its application in the degradation of methyl red

Environmental pollution is a threat to human health, with methyl red dye used in printing and textile dyeing being a notable pollutant that can cause eye, skin, and digestive system irritation. This study investigates the degradation of methyl red dye using nanoparticles of Nickel Oxide (NiO NPs) as photocatalysts. NiO NPs were synthesised at room temperature through thermal decomposition using antioxidant-rich extracts from strawberries (Fragaria ananassa), grapes (Vitis vinifera), and grapefruits (Citrus paradisi). Characterisation of the NiO NPs was performed using FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and SEM. FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of NiO NPs with peaks between 577 – 585 cm–1. UV-Vis spectroscopy showed absorption wavelengths between 322-326 nm for the synthesised NiO NPs and a blue shift to 422-470 nm during methyl red degradation. This study presents a sustainable method for synthesising NiO nanoparticles and demonstrates their effectiveness in environmental remediation, specifically for the removal of pollutant dyes

EPCO-10. CHANGES IN ALTERNATIVE SPLICING AND ASSOCIATED NEOANTIGENS DUE TO THERAPY

Abstract Recent studies have identified alternative splicing (AS) as a novel source of neoantigens for immunotherapy. Surprisingly little is known about the AS milieu in recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), despite this being the venue for most clinical trials. We profiled 29 primary-recurrent paired human GBM specimens via RNA sequencing and re-analyzed RNA-sequencing data from non-malignant human brain tissues. From these data, we reconstructed the landscape of AS in GBM through recurrence and contrasted that to isoforms observed in non-malignant brain. The AS events we identified were cross-referenced with single-cell GBM atlases to determine cell-type specific splicing patterns. From this we identified novel splicing events in cell-surface proteins that are suitable targets for engineered T-cell therapies. We found recurrent-specific isoforms of mitogen-activated kinase pathway genes which are expressed exclusively by GBM stem-like cells that enhance invasiveness. These studies shed light on the effect of therapy on AS and identify novel targets for emerging immunotherapies