Cellulose Acetate-g-Polycaprolactone Copolymerization Using Diisocyanate Intermediates and the Effect of Polymer Chain Length on Surface, Thermal, and Antibacterial Properties.

The need for biodegradable and biocompatible polymers is growing quickly, particularly in the biomedical and environmental industries. Cellulose acetate, a natural polysaccharide, can be taken from plants and modified with polycaprolactone to improve its characteristics for a number of uses, including biomedical applications and food packaging. Cellulose acetate-g-polycaprolactone was prepared by a three-step reaction: First, polymerization of ε-caprolactone via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) reaction using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and functionalization of polycaprolactone(PCL) by introducing NCO on the hydroxyl end of the HEMA-PCL using hexamethyl lenediisocyanate(HDI) were carried out. Then, the NCO-HEMA-PCL was grafted onto cellulose acetate (using the "grafting to" method). The polycaprolactone grafted cellulose acetate was confirmed by FTIR, the thermal characteristics of the copolymers were investigated by DSC and TGA, and the hydrophobicity was analyzed via water CA measurement. Introducing NCO-PCL to cellulose acetate increased the thermal stability. The contact angle of the unreacted PCL was higher than that of cellulose acetate-g-PCL, and it increased when the chain length increased. The CA-g-PCL50, CA-g-PCL100, and CA-g-PCL200 showed very high inhibition zones for all three bacteria tested (E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa).

New quaternized cellulose based on hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) grafted EDTA: Synthesis, characterization and application for Pb (II) and Cu (II) removal.

In this paper, new quaternized cellulose derivative based on Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is successfully prepared in homogeneous medium. The resulted product is characterized using spectroscopy techniques (FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR). At the supramolecular level, the x-ray patterns show that a high hydrogen bond density occurs by grafting EDTA on the HEC fibers. The new adsorbent (HEC-EDTA) shows a high adsorption capacity of heavy metals (Pb (II) and Cu (II)) from aqueous metals solutions. The adsorption of the both metal ions follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, while the adsorption isotherms are well described by the Langmuir model. The qm values are determined for Pb (II) and Cu (II), respectively. For each metal, the equilibrium adsorption time is found to be 30min. Moreover, the HEC-EDTA adsorption capacity is strongly dependent on the pH value; and the adsorption is favorable for pH values ​​between 4 and 6. Moreover, the results show a high affinity toward Cu (II) than Pb (II).

Cost of Pediatric Visceral Leishmaniasis Care in Morocco.

BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected parasitic disease that is fatal if left untreated. VL is endemic in Morocco and other countries in North Africa were it mainly affects children from rural areas. In Morocco, the direct observation of Leishmania parasites in bone marrow aspirates and serological tests are used to diagnose VL. Glucantime is the first line of treatment. The objective of this study was to report the costs associated to standard clinical management of pediatric VL from the provider perspective in Morocco. As a secondary objective we described the current clinical practices and the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric VL patients. METHODS: From March to June 2014 we conducted a survey in eight hospitals treating pediatric VL patients in Morocco. A pro-forma was used to collect demographic, clinical and management data from medical records. We specifically collected data on VL diagnosis and treatment. We also estimated the days of hospitalization and the time to start VL treatment. Costs were estimated by multiplying the use of resources in terms of number of days in hospital, tests performed and drugs provided by the official prices. For patients receiving part of their treatment at Primary Health Centers (PHC) we estimated the cost of administering the Glucantime as outpatient. We calculated the median cost per VL patient. We also estimated the cost of managing a VL case when different treatment strategies were applied: inpatient and outpatient. RESULTS: We obtained data from 127 VL patients. The median total cost per pediatric VL case in Morocco is 520 US$. The cost in hospitals applying an outpatient strategy is significantly lower (307 US$) than hospitals keeping the patients for the whole treatment (636 US$). However the outpatient strategy is not yet recommended as VL treatment for children in the Moroccan guidelines. VL diagnosis and treatment regimens should be standardized following the current guidelines in Morocco.

Detection and molecular typing of Leishmania tropica from Phlebotomus sergenti and lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an emerging focus of Morocco.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by flagellate protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In Morocco, anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania tropica is considered as a public health problem, but its epidemiology has not been fully elucidated. The main objective of this study was to detect Leishmania infection in the vector, Phlebotomus sergenti and in human skin samples, in the El Hanchane locality, an emerging focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in central Morocco. METHODS: A total of 643 sand flies were collected using CDC miniature light traps and identified morphologically. Leishmania species were characterized by ITS1 PCR-RFLP and ITS1-5.8S rRNA gene nested-PCR of samples from 123 females of Phlebotomus sergenti and 7 cutaneous leishmaniasis patients. RESULTS: The sand flies collected consisted of 9 species, 7 of which belonged to the genus Phlebotomus and two to the genus Sergentomyia. Phlebotomus sergenti was the most predominant (76.67%).By ITS1 PCR-RFLP Leishmania tropica was found in three Phlebotomus sergenti females and four patients (4/7). Using nested PCR Leishmania tropica was identified in the same three Phlebotomus sergenti females and all the 7 patients. The sequencing of the nested PCR products recognized 7 haplotypes, of which 6 have never been described. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first molecular detection and identification of Leishmania tropica in human skin samples and Phlebotomus sergenti in support of its vector status in El Hanchane. The finding of seven Leishmania tropica haplotypes underscores heterogeneity of this species at a high level in Morocco.