by Danae M. Maes  , August Finke  , Chuck R. Smallwood  , J. Bryce Ricken  , Jerilyn A. Timlin  and Anne M. Ruffing

Received: 11 April 2022;  Published: 14 June 2022;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2202025

Expanded industrial globalization has resulted in the release of high concentrations of heavy metals into environmental water sources and soils. Phytoremediation may help to remove these heavy metals from contaminated soils. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) exhibits phytoremediation potential due to its endurance and high stress tolerances. Here, we report photochemical and structural responses in tall fescue to acute and chronic doses of heavy metals, copper (Cu) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Visual si [...]

by Marek Łożyński  , Iwona Mądrzak-Litwa  and Aleksandra Borowiak-Resterna

Received: 29 June 2020;  Published: 27 August 2020;  doi: 10.21926/acr.2003007

1-Decylbenzimidazole (dbim) copper(II) complexes formed during solvent extraction were thoroughly studied, and their structures were predicted. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of their structures and Time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations of their spectra indicated that 1-decylbenzimidazole forms both mono- and binuclear complexes with copper(II), with coordination numbers of 4 or 5. At the molar ratio of [Cu(II)]aq/[dbim]org ≥ 1 and at [Cl-]aq ≥ 0.9 mol dm-3 in the extraction media, a binuclear 1:1 [...]

by Michel Z. Fidelis  , Elaine Trojan de Paula  , Eduardo Abreu  , Maria E.K. Fuziki  , Onelia A. A. dos Santos  , Rodrigo Brackmann  and Giane G. Lenzi

Received: 18 September 2023;  Published: 22 September 2023;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2303023

Due to its similar characteristics to titanium, niobium has become an attractive alternative in photocatalytic processes. Research indicates that titania has an optimal percentage of phases resulting in a commercial catalyst, P25, that contains more than 70% anatase with a minor amount of rutile and a small amount of amorphous phase. On the other hand, for Nb2O5, percentage optimization was little explored in the literature, which consists of studying the phases obtained via heat treatment individually and in diffe [...]

by Rezarta Lalo  , Fatjona Kamberi  and Vjollca Ndreu

Received: 06 January 2023;  Published: 15 May 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2302169

Pregnancy and postpartum periods are known as sensitive periods in women’s life and COVID-19 pandemic seems to be worsening their mental health with major impacts on exclusive breastfeeding duration. Therefore, the present study aims to fill the gap in the literature by assessing the links between postpartum anxiety and depression symptoms and breastfeeding duration as well as the associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal prospective observational study was conducted between November and [...]

by Joni Indah Sari  , Nydia Rena Benita Sihombing  , Nani Maharani  , Tri Indah Winarni  and Agustini Utari

Received: 30 December 2024;  Published: 14 February 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2501285

DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) or 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the most common genetic microdeletion in humans, with an incidence rate of 1:3000 to 6000 live births. Early detection and diagnosis of DiGeorge syndrome are challenging to clinicians due to its phenotype variability. We report two cases of DiGeorge syndrome, each demonstrating a different combination of clinical phenotypes. Two girls (2 years-3 months old and 2 years-2 months old) were diagnosed with 22q11.2DS following chromosomal microarray anal [...]

by Upasana Ramphal  , Derek Tshiabuila  , Yajna Ramphal  , Jennifer Giandhari  , Carel van Heerden  , Cheryl Baxter  , Stephanie van Wyk  , Sureshnee Pillay  , Oluwakemi Laguda-Akingba  , Eduan Wilkinson  , Richard Lessells  and Tulio de Oliveira

Received: 01 March 2024;  Published: 30 May 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2402239

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies like the Ion Torrent S5 and Illumina MiSeq, alongside advanced software, improved genomic surveillance in South Africa. This study analysed anonymized samples from the Eastern Cape using Genome Detective and NextClade, showing Ion Torrent S5 and Illumina MiSeq success rates of 96% and 94%, respectively. The study focused on genomic coverage (above 80%) and mutation detection (below 100), with the Ion Torrent S5 achieving 99% coverage comp [...]

by Faten Dhawi

Received: 20 February 2024;  Published: 20 May 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2402235

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), a vital cereal crop renowned for its drought tolerance, is a cornerstone for smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid regions, ranking as the fifth most significant cereal globally. Despite its resilience, the molecular mechanisms underlying its tolerance to heat stress remained elusive. To address this knowledge gap, we subjected ten-day-old pearl millet seedlings to an unprecedented temperature of 50°C for 60 seconds. Subsequent next-generation RNA sequencing aimed to unrav [...]

by Maria Lúcia dos Santos  , Ana Cristina Monteiro  , Andréa Nascimento  , Sívia Barbosa  , Artur Delgado  and Patrícia Zamberlan

Received: 11 April 2024;  Published: 17 July 2024;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2403010

Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by fragile skin that blisters and tears easily, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Depending on the specific genetic mutations and the proteins involved, EB can be classified into several subtypes whose molecular complexity is compounded by the variability in mutation types (missense, nonsense, insertions, deletions), their locations within the genes, and the resultant effects on protein function. This systematic review aimed to identi [...]

by Daniel Thiel

Received: 21 February 2023;  Published: 15 May 2023;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2302031

This research aims to model and compare two strategies for locating new hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) in a context of high uncertainty on H2 demand and on the spatial distribution of demand points. The first strategy S1 represented by an agent-based model integrating a particle swarm optimization metaheuristic consists of finding the best HRS locations by adapting to the real evolution of the demand. A second strategy S2 consists in solving a classical capacitated p-median problem based on H2 consumption foreca [...]

by Ken Sato  , Atsushi Naganuma  , Shuichi Saito  , Yuichi Yamazaki  , Takeshi Kobayashi  , Hiroki Tojima  , Norio Horiguchi  , Satoru Kakizaki  , Toshio Uraoka  , Hiroshi Ohnishi  and Hiroaki Okamoto

Received: 29 September 2019;  Published: 17 December 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1904041

Background: Daclatasvir/asunaprevir/beclabuvir (DCV/ASV/BCV) combination therapy had been available for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 1 (CHG1) in Japan. Our aim was to report the efficacy and safety of DCV/ASV/BCV in patients experiencing treatment failure with interferon (IFN)-free direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA)-based therapies, which have not been fully evaluated. Methods: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of 12-week DCV/ASV/BCV combination therapy for CHG1 patients experien [...]