Month: April 2021

The specialists of the Medical Chemistry Center at Togliatti State University (TSU) in collaboration with colleagues from Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU) and the University of Florence have developed new carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, pharmaceuticals that can inhibit the growth of cancer. The results of the research will be published in the scientific journal European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (Q1).

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) is an important class of enzymes in the human body that regulate the level of carbon dioxide (CO2), bicarbonate anion, and protons. There are 16 carbonic anhydrase isoforms that function in regulating various physiological processes maintaining equilibrium within the cell by the concentrations of CO2 and pH – acid-base balance. Unlike a normal cell, a cancer cell has different mechanisms for survival. One of these mechanisms is provided by the increased expression of carbonic anhydrase. CAs can be localized in any part of the cell but scientists are interested in those that are located on the cell surface.

“The tumour behaves like a parasite in our body. It kills everything normal around and frees up space for its own growth. While in an unfavourable environment, the cancer cell intensively expresses (synthesizes) carbonic anhydrase on the surface which acidifies the tumour microenvironment killing healthy cells and creating conditions for tumour growth. At the same time, the cell is still able to multiply in the preserved healthy environment. So, can this mechanism be used to fight the tumour? Our task was to find a chemical compound that can suppress the carbonic anhydrase activity,” explains Professor Mikhail Krasavin, the head of New Synthetic Methods and Chemical Pharmacology Laboratory (Institute of Chemistry, Saint Petersburg State University).

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are successfully used by doctors to control eye pressure in glaucoma. Now scientists from all around the world are working on a hypothesis according to which it is possible to suppress cancerous tumour growth by inhibiting the carbonic anhydrase activity.

The world leader in this field is Claudiu Supuran, a professor at the University of Florence (Italy). He is the creator of a unique laboratory where in vitro studies on the carbonic anhydrase activity can be taken. And it was the place where SPbU scientists sent a new set of sulfonamides (potential CAs inhibitors that they created).

“The anti-cancer effect can be achieved by inhibiting two carbonic anhydrase isoforms -CAs IX and CAs XII. Claudiu Supuran’s laboratory confirmed the presence of an inhibitory effect of CAs IX, and it was a great joy for us,” said Mikhail Krasavin. “But it is almost impossible to create an inhibitor of any particular carbonic anhydrase isoform, the search is always conducted by screening*, and this has already become the field of activity of TSU Medical Chemistry Center.”

The OpenHTS project implemented at TSU Medical Chemistry Center is an open platform for high-throughput screening which allowed us to test new sulfonamides on cell lines and select those that showed the desired effect.

“Our task in this research was to study the possibility of translating the inhibitory activity on the protein, which was shown by professor Supuran, to both cancer and healthy cells. After all, making sure that the protein is inhibited in vitro is one thing, and showing the presence of the desired effect on the cell which contains thousands of different proteins is a whole different situation,” says the director of TSU Medical Chemistry Center Alexander Bunev.

“We conducted an extended screening and found that two compounds provided by Professor Krasavin’s group demonstrated the selectivity** on cell lines and high level of activity.”

“The fact that there is such a well-equipped and modern centre providing complex high-throughput screening of chemical compounds for anti-cancer activity in TSU allows us to expect a substantive breakthrough in the development of anticancer agents based on the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase,” claims Mikhail Krasavin. “We should study all sulfonamides as the monoagents and as a combination with known antitumor drugs on a large number of cell lines. Now it is all possible thanks to TSU Medical Chemistry Center.”

TSU Medical Chemistry Center and SPbU are planning to sign a long-term cooperation agreement at the end of April.

The results of the joint work of Togliatti, Saint Petersburg and Florence scientists will be presented in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry which publishes research on medical chemistry sections and original research papers.

Chulalongkorn University researchers answered the needs of small-scale dairy farmers by expanding the window of the delivery time for raw milk without refrigeration while reducing costs and preserving the product quality for consumers.

Transportation costs of fresh cow’s milk from the farms to raw milk collection centres have always been a burden on dairy farmers. In a tropical country like Thailand, microorganisms grow quickly and milk spoils easily, so, farmers must work against the clock, and shoulder refrigeration costs in transport as well.

“Cow’s milk spoils so easily.  It has to be refrigerated right after being milked, and on the way to raw milk collection centres; otherwise, it goes to waste along the way, and the raw milk centres will not buy it because it is too risky.  The only common solution now is refrigeration.  Chillers and refrigerators are very pricey, and they add costs for dairy farmers.  As a result, consumers have to pay a higher milk price.  This is the major question in our research,” explained David Makarapong, a researcher in the Technopreneurship and Innovation Management Program (CUTIP), Chulalongkorn University Graduate School, about the origins of the inventive project PASS+.

“This innovation helps slow down the growth of microorganisms in cow’s milk by ultraviolet irradiation. We found that PASS+ reduced the number of microorganisms by up to 90% keeping milk from going bad even when not refrigerated while retaining the full benefits of milk.”

David further elaborated that once the cow’s milk is processed with the PASS+ machine, farmers will have an additional 30 minutes to 2 hours for delivery, which is enough to preserve the milk quality during transport.

“Once we can prolong milk freshness without refrigeration, we drastically reduce the transportation costs.  Farmers no longer have to buy chillers, and consumers will also receive fresh, great quality cow’s milk at a lower price.”

PASS+ has already been patented as an innovation of Thailand.  Many small dairy farmers affiliated with the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand who tried PASS+ are satisfied with it.

“PASS+ innovation will significantly transform the dairy farming industry, by not only yielding small farmers higher profit but also providing an alternative to the development of milk quality from farms, while reducing milk price for consumers,” concluded David.

A series of studies led by researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have revealed that hyocholic acid and its derivatives (collectively known as HCAs), a component of bile acids that facilitate fat digestion, are a promising risk indicator of type 2 diabetes. The strong efficacy of HCAs in regulating blood glucose levels and protecting against diabetes has also been uncovered. The findings open a window for the development of HCA-based predictive markers as well as anti-diabetic drugs.

The research results have been published in the international scientific journals Cell Metabolism and Nature Communications.

 High concentration of HCAs protects pigs from diabetes

Inspired by the traditional Chinese medical book Compendium of Materia Medica, which recorded the use of pig bile to treat excessive thirst, a condition known today as diabetes, Professor Jia Wei, Chair Professor of the School of Chinese Medicine at HKBU, led research teams to conduct a series of studies on the role of HCAs in glucose homeostasis and diabetes prevention.

Diabetes is characterised by high blood glucose levels. Through a series of tests conducted on 55 humans, 32 mice and 12 pigs, Professor Jia’s team confirmed that fasting blood glucose levels in pigs are significantly lower than that of humans and mice. As HCAs constitute nearly 80% of bile acids in pigs, while the proportions in humans and mice are only about 2% and 3% respectively, a negative correlation between HCAs and blood glucose levels was observed.

The result indicates the potential role of HCAs in the maintenance of stable glucose levels. This may explain why pigs, unlike humans, seldom suffer from diabetes despite their low physical activity levels and consumption of a calorie-rich diet.

HCAs correlate with diabetes and metabolic health

To analyse the correlation between the levels of HCAs and the occurrence of diabetes in humans, data was collected from two large-scale cohort studies, namely the Shanghai Obesity Study and the Shanghai Diabetes Study. The researchers examined the serum bile acid profiles of 1,107 participants of the Shanghai Obesity Study, which was published in 2013. The participants were divided into three groups: healthy lean, healthy obese and obese with type 2 diabetes. It was discovered that the levels of serum HCAs were significantly lower in the healthy obese and obese with type 2 diabetes groups.

In another study, the serum bile acids of 132 participants of the Shanghai Diabetes Study were investigated. They were all healthy (at baseline) when they were enrolled in the study between 1998 and 2001. Ten years later, 86 of them had become metabolically unhealthy, while 46 remained healthy. Analysis showed that, compared with those who remained healthy ten years later, those who had become metabolically unhealthy had significantly lower baseline levels of serum HCAs, illustrating that levels of HCAs are a strong predictor of metabolic syndromes such as diabetes.

HCAs regulate blood glucose levels in animal models

Through a series of laboratory experiments, the researchers looked further into the mechanisms that underpin the key role that HCAs play in regulating blood glucose levels. In an animal model experiment, the researchers suppressed the synthesis of HCAs in the livers of a group of pigs by around 30%, and they found that their blood glucose levels increased by 30% when compared with the control group. HCAs were then given to the pigs, after which their blood glucose levels eased off.

Another experiment conducted by the researchers focused on the effect of HCAs on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is a hormone produced by L-cells, a type of enteroendocrine cell that enhances insulin secretion and decreases blood glucose. In a laboratory setting, different kinds of bile acids, including HCAs, were applied to L-cells, at varying levels of concentration. Results showed that at a high concentration of 50 micromolar, HCAs were the most effective at stimulating GLP-1 secretion when compared with other types of bile acids. The findings also revealed that HCAs regulate blood glucose levels by stimulating the secretion of GLP-1 and thus insulin production.

Potential for diabetes prediction and treatment

“The results of our studies provide evidence of how HCAs help to regulate blood glucose levels, and they have revealed the mechanism of how it is achieved at a cellular level. HCAs demonstrate promising potential, and they could be developed into an agent for the prediction and treatment of type 2 diabetes,” said Professor Jia.

“As gut microbiota can regulate the metabolism of HCAs, targeting the intestines instead of the pancreas could be a prospective novel strategy for treating diabetes. We will further investigate how to increase the secretion levels of HCAs in diabetic patients by regulating the intestinal bacteria,” he added.

Researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Peking University, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China Agricultural University, Sichuan University and the University of Hawaii were also involved in the studies.

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University have developed a manufacturing technology of coal pellets for the benefit of a customer from Kemerovo. The work of shift to industrial manufacturing is in progress. The technology is planned to be introduced.

The feature of the technology lies in the ratio of additive binders in the form of bran and coal dust. The development received a patent for invention, the results are confirmed by an independent laboratory and certified. The main feature of the obtained pellets is high physical strength that allows shipping them for long distances.

“European countries are refusing a coal-fired power industry, the same process is beginning in Russia too, however, not so rapid. Due to these factors, the price is declining and there is a need to manufacture products and not to sell raw material. Pellets are very convenient for domestic and automatic boilers in this respect,” Roman Tabakaev, Research Fellow of the TPU Butakov Research Center, says.

The main task of the researchers lay in obtaining solid pellets resistant to failure during shipping, at the same time, an additive binder would not afflict environmental damage during combustion and would not considerably increase the cost of a finished product. The pellets are manufactured by a briquetting plant. Capacity is 1 t per hour. Scientists are currently adjusting the technology for industrial manufacturing. The major challenge lies in a complete shift of laboratory to industrial conditions with the preservation of capacity and volumes.

“We adjust our technology to already existing plants. As a result, we could preserve the volumes in the manufacturing, however, one more stage was added — deliquefaction of a finished product. The pellets are simultaneously heated and moulded in laboratory conditions. The process takes 5 minutes per 1 pellet on average. The processing time reduces in the industrial conditions and the finished product has not enough time to dry.

We managed to find such a manufacturing algorithm, applying that the processing time does not increase and the volume remains the same. According to the preliminary calculations, the capacity of an industrial plant might be 10 t per hour,” Roman Tabakaev explains.

The scientists passed the obtained results to the customer, who will select equipment and design a manufacturing line.

Large-scale environmental disasters, both caused by manufacturing enterprises and brought by natural calamities, happen each year. Such incidents take place in Russia, too. What can be done to prevent them, though? This is what Svetlana Lemanova, St. Petersburg Mining University’s graduate, is working on. 

Svetlana, now heading the Department of Environmental Protection at Polymetal Group, notes that in Russia, ecology-related matters had not interested the authorities and public for long. Universities had not offered specialised programmes; organisations had neither established corresponding departments nor offered respective positions. 

“When I entered Mining University (then St. Petersburg Mining Institute) in 1997, I chose the Mining Environmental Studies programme taught at the Faculty of Mining Engineering. I did not quite understand what I would do once I graduate; it was a new study field, opened only a year before. I guess no one knew then how relevant the speciality would become. Twenty years ago, at least in Russia, environmental responsibility was something only rare activists would care for. Nowadays, it is a global issue of concern for everyone – from schoolchildren to Hollywood celebrities and international corporations. At school, children are taught the rules of waste sorting and told about energy-saving technologies. Ecological surveys are as much in demand as geodetic ones,” says Svetlana.

According to her, no university had advanced field-specific laboratories at the time, not even the Mining Institute until opening its first one in the early 00s. Therefore the main focus of studies was on field trips and activities. Teachers gave lectures and then went on with their students to quarries, mine sites, sewage works. Therein they were provided with in-depth explanations of potential environmental impacts and told what could trigger them.

New environmental policies, new mentality are being shaped now. To be an environmental engineer has become unprecedentedly prestigious, and there is a catch in it. The topic is so much spoken about that people with neither knowledge of nor experience in it start discussing environmental issues. Ecology is used as a tool for political and economic leverage on the global stage.

“Climate campaigners demand humanity completely abandon oil & gas extraction. But what would happen if we shut down all factories, mines, and power plants? How can we ensure our development? Who will supply us with water, what will we eat, and how will we keep ourselves warm?” asks Mining University’s graduate.

There are still places where giving up on nuclear energy, coal, or diesel fuel is impossible. 

“For instance, we have facilities in the Far East, and we are building solar plants there. Yet, they can’t generate as much energy as is required. Their capabilities are limited,” explains Polymetal’s environmental expert.

Svetlana earned a Specialist’s degree at the first higher technical university in Russia, continuing with PhD studies. After graduating, she was offered the position of an environmental engineer at Polymetal. The company was commissioning a new facility back then – the Khakanjinskoye gold-silver deposit in Okhotsky District.

“When I started working, we had no ecology department; hence, I was admitted to the technical engineering department. But now, each of our mine sites and each of our regional branches has its own environmental department. And in St. Petersburg, we have the Department of Environmental Protection, which I headed in 2015 and have been working at ever since. I am functionally responsible for the operational activities of our facilities in terms of their environmental impact. I am also in charge of the work done by all of the company’s ecologists,” says Svetlana.

Mining companies are starting to pay more attention to the quality of specialists they hire. I am inclined to choose graduates of Mining University. Unlike graduates of other universities, mostly studying urban ecology, they receive a field-oriented education. They are familiar with work processes. They know what corporate economics is and are aware of the market situation,” sums up Svetlana.

As Malaysia continues to control the spread of Covid-19 cases, UiTM Perlis Branch earned pride and wowed the nation by setting the Malaysian Book of Records as the most number of handmade face shields produced over the course of 24 hours.

The two-day event “Face shield for Front liners 2.0” began on 27^th November 2020 at Dewan Cengal, UiTM Perlis Branch. This community-driven project was organized by Division of Research, Industry, Community, Alumni and Entrepreneurship (RICAEN), UiTM Perlis Branch, Students Representative Council and College Representative Council.

Over 12,000 face shields were made by a proactive team consisting of 354 volunteers including 143 staffs and 211 students of UiTM Perlis Branch. This effort was made possible with donations worth RM 11,000 raised from UiTM Perlis Branch employees and many helping hands such as Islamic Religious Council and Perlis Malay Custom Council (MAIPs), Malaysian Surveyors Association, Ancom Corp. Care Sdn. Bhd, Geomatics Alumni Association of UiTM Perlis Branch, Semenza Alumni Association, Alumni Association of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai, Academic Staff Club (KKA) UiTM Perlis Branch, and Badan Integrasi Anak-anak Kelantan Perlis (BIAAK).

This event also receives co-operation from the Malaysian Air Force (Air Operations Command) and Malaysian Navy (30^th Bridged Infantry) whom were responsible to distribute the face shields to the Health Department of Sabah. This endeavor highlights the corporate social responsibility for the welfare of the health personnel and front liners.

The Rector of UiTM Perlis Branch, Prof. Dr. Hj Khudzir Bin Hj Ismail in his speech, said that this community program is in line UiTM’s concern for the front liners whom are battling the pandemic.

“We never intended to break the record, however, we are extremely proud with the achievements and are delighted to serve more to our community,” he added.

The rector addressed his special token of appreciation to Sr. Gs. Dr. Fazly Amri Mohd, the Coordinator of Industry, Community, Alumni and Network (ICAN), UiTM Perlis branch, who led the project and to all UiTM Perlis staffs and students, for their moral support and contributions towards the front liners.

He believes UiTM Perlis branch will organize more community-driven projects in the future that benefits the front liners and health personnel.

“Ozone Sterilizer” has been created by a team of student and professors of Thammasat School of Engineering (TSE). This innovation is another alternative way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The innovation is a collaborative work of Mr Sorawit Likhitpruekpisan and Mr Itthikorn Prakaisak, who are both 3rd-year students at the Mechanical Engineering Department. Asst.Prof.Dr. Pradya Prempaneerach from Mechanical Engineering Department is the project’s advisor.

Ozone Sterilizer can inactivate Coronavirus 2019 and bacteria by sterilizing these in a sealed room. Ozone gas will be produced from Corona Discharge until it has enough concentration for sterilization.

The sterilizer machine is equipped with a blower fan to circulate the produced Ozone across the sealed room, including hidden spots, such as under the table, small corner, or blind spot.

After ozone sterilization for a specified period of time, the machine will stop autonomically and ozone gas will naturally dissipate in 50-60 minutes at room temperature. However, it is recommended to open the room for air circulation for at least 30 minutes before entering the room safely.

To utilize Ozone Sterilizer, the users have to choose wind speed on the machine which has 3 levels: low, medium, and high, respectively to obtain the desired air strength to be dispersed for each size of the room. After that, turn on the switch next to wind speed to set the countdown timer and the machine will produce ozone. After the countdown timer is on, we then turn on the middle switch button on the machine to start the countdown timer before Ozone Sterilizer starting to produce ozone gas for 50 minutes.

It takes 4-5 months to produce 6 Ozone Sterilizers. The process includes the study from national and international reliable sources. We built 2 versions of Ozone Sterilizers with different fans. We explored the production of ozone gas in different room sizes. We determined the amount of produced ozone gas and the distance that ozone can travel in each location effectively to produce the prototype of 6 Ozone Sterilizers (third version).

According to the study from national and international source and various types of experiment, the average amount of ozone gas used in inactivating the virus is 0.5-1.5 ppm for more than 4 minutes.

From the experiment that Ozone Sterilizer was on for 50 minutes, the average Ozone concentration that can be measured in the sealed classroom was 0.75 – 1.4 ppm depending on the location and size of the classroom. It means that the value was within the standard that can potentially kill the virus. Therefore, the innovation assures us of its effectiveness.

In the future, virus and bacteria inactivation experiment will be conducted in collaboration with the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, in order to get more reliable sterilization proof.

There will definitely be further development of this Ozone Sterilizer as it can inactivate the virus and other bacteria accumulated in the classroom. More functions will be added to Ozone Sterilizer such as filtration of small dust particle and bad odour in the air. Moreover, work will be done to add a function that can get rid of Ozone gas after sterilization in order to be to make it possible to use the classroom or meeting room earlier than 60 minutes.

The 2nd International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Control (CPS&C’2021) will be held on June 29 – July 2, 2021, by the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) together with its strategic partners.

The Conference is planned to be held both in online virtual and in-person modes and the participants will be able to choose their preference at the point of registration. The working language of the conference is English.

CPS&C’2021 is co-organized by SPbPU strategic partners from Great Britain and Germany: City, University of London, and Leibniz University Hannover. The conference will bring together university professors, scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, managers, and specialists of enterprises working in the field of cyber-physical systems and related disciplines.

“The International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Control is a unique event that brings together researchers and practitioners from all over the world and contributes to establishing new and strengthening existing partnerships in relevant and in-demand areas,” said Professor Dmitry ARSENIEV, Vice Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU.

Authors are invited to submit papers under the three main thematic areas (theoretical fundamentals, technologies and applications of CPS and Control), including but not limited to the following topics: Control Theory, System Analysis, Paradigms, Models and Architectures, Methods and Algorithms, Components and Structures, Knowledge Base and Knowledge Management, Engineering, Industrial Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Neural Network Modeling, Cognitive Systems, Real-Time Systems, Safety and Security Systems, Smart Manufacturing, Mechatronics and Robotics, Human-Digital Interfaces, Networking and Telecommunications, Metrology of CPS, Transport and Logistics, Energy and Smart Grid.

The CPS&C’2021 Conference will include keynote and plenary talks, sessions, and discussions. All accepted full papers will be published in a Scopus-indexed book of Conference Proceedings.

Chulalongkorn University‘s Department of Pharmaceutical Science, in collaboration with leading an Austrian institute, came up with a special intensive longan extract formula (P80) for throat and nasal spray that can reduce the number of viruses that attach to the mucous membranes that may enter the body. Helps safely prevent all kinds of viral infections including the COVID-19 virus, with no side effects.

Prof. Dr. Pornanong Aramwit, who developed this herbal nasal and throat spray from longan extract with a special treatment to prevent COVID-19 infection enumerated the reasons for her interest in using longan extract to develop such herbal formulas.  Since longan is an edible fruit, it is very safe.  And traditional medicine textbooks state that longan does have the capacity to kill the virus. Therefore, we pinpointed the study on longan extract and it was found to reduce viral adhesion and is effective against almost all types of viruses that we tested, including flu and herpes viruses.

For the research process, Prof. Dr. Pornanong explained that it started with choosing longan extract that has high active ingredients of polyphenols, derived by low-temperature process under high pressure, and filtered several times until a concentrated extract was obtained.

It was then formulated for nasal and throat spray at optimum viscosity and surface tension so that when sprayed into the nasal cavity and throat, it won’t cause irritation. More importantly, the spray particles must be just right and able to reach the targeted spots.

For example, nasal spray droplets should be enough to coat the nasal cavity but not too small that they enter the lungs, while throat spray should reach the Larynx without sticking to the lips, tongue, or teeth.  Once satisfied, the sprays are put on a clinical trial to test their effectiveness in real patients.

Prof. Dr. Pornanong added that only a small amount of longan extract is needed, and can be used for both throat and nasal passages twice a day, morning and evening. The extract works immediately by physically preventing the virus from adhering to the epithelium, and bioactive blocking the inflammatory chemical mediators.

People who travel to high-risk areas such as crowded places, can use the nasal or throat spray before entering the areas and then wear a mask.

“We have been doing this research for about a year and a half even before the COVID-19 outbreak, by testing with other viruses.  When COVID-19 came about, we started testing with it.  Currently, we are in the clinical trial process on 62 volunteers, in collaboration with Vibharam Chaiprakarn Hospital.  The product is expected to be in the market in the next three months”, Prof. Dr. Pornanong concluded.