Coping with suicide' burning scar's disfigurement among Kurdish women in Iraq (Kurdistan).

BACKGROUND: Suicide is one of the most important causes of death in the world. A critical problem that Iraqi women in Kurdistan are facing is self-immolation. Deformity caused by burn can have many psychological effects on the individuals, including self-image disorder, loss of quality of life, low self-confidence, and disturbances in social interactions. METHODS: A qualitative research method with a grounded theory approach was used to achieve the research objectives. Sampling started purposefully and continued with theoretical sampling until access to sufficient knowledge about the phenomenon under investigation. In this study, 22 in-depth interviews were carried out with 19 women participants who had committed self-immolation. FINDINGS: After the data analysis, six main categories were formed, including; 1- Facing the inevitable harsh reality. 2- Experiencing negative reactions from others 3- Drowning in the vicious cycle of hopelessness and regret. 4- A bitter journey into the whirlpool of fear and uncertainty. 5- Germination of the hope buds. 6- Re-building weakened self-esteem. "Stepping on the rugged path of distorted image reconstruction" was the core variable in the study. CONCLUSION: Although people take some steps to adapt to the situation and deformity, they do not achieve full acceptance of the present circumstances. In this process, the person hopes to regain the lost beauty and does not effortlessly accept the deformity. Instead, she will try everything to get rid of deformity and restore the lost beauty. During the adaptation process, nurses and health care providers, the family and the community have a unique role in accelerating or slowing the process of adaptation.

Determination of lead ions in fish and oyster samples using a nano-adsorbent of functionalized magnetic graphene oxide nanosheets-humic acid and the flame atomic absorption technique.

This study aims at the functionalization of magnetic graphene oxide nanosheets and the binding of humic acid as a lead complex ligand. Graphene oxide nanosheets possess a large surface area and various carboxylic acid groups which can be activated easily by activating agents. Therefore, they are suitable to be used for the extraction of heavy metals. To have a better process of extracting lead ions, magnetic graphene oxide was used in this research. Humic acid, as a lead metal complex agent, has an amine functional group which can be bound to modified graphene oxide from one side. The process of constructing the nano-adsorbent proposed for the preconcentration of lead ions as well as its characterization was studied by infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-visible), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The designed nano-adsorbent was tested to measure lead ions in simulated and real samples of sea water, fish, and oysters. The detection limit obtained in the simulated samples was 0.07 µg/L, and the linear range was 0.2-12 µg/L. The apparatus used to measure the ions was a flame atomic absorption device. In the analysis of the real samples, the values obtained through flame atomic absorption were compared with those obtained through furnace atomic absorption. The proposed technique is advantageous due to being cheap, precise, and sensitive for the trace measurement of lead ions.

The extraction and measurement of nickel metal ion in crab, shellfish and rice samples using magnetic silk fibroin - EDTA ligand and furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

The main aim of the present study was the measurement of nickel metal ion in the real samples of crab, oyster and rice by the designed magnetic nano adsorbent silk fibroin-EDTA ligand (SF-Fe3O4-EDTA). Due to the structure of silk fibroin (possessing lots of functional groups which are suitable for attachment of ligands and high surface area), it was used in the structure of fabricated nano-adsorbent. To follow the fabrication processes of the magnetic nano-adsorbent, different techniques of fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Visible), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used. The optimization processes were performed with the chemometric method of response surface modeling with sufficient accuracy and precision. Using this chemometric method, the optimum values of pH, absorption time, the concentration of nano-adsorbent and temperature were calculated to be 6, 21 min, 4 mg L-1 and 28 °C, respectively. Due to the magnetic nature of the constructed nano-adsorbent, a magnet bar was used to separate the nano-adsorbent from the solution and then inject to the furnace atomic absorption device. Using the magnetic nano-adsorbent of silk fibroin-EDTA ligand and furnace atomic absorption a detection limit of 0.0017 µg L-1 and a linear range of 0.0030-5.0 µg L-1 for determination of nickel metal ion were obtained. The determination of nickel metal ion in the crab tissue, oyster tissue and rice samples were performed and the obtained results revealed the successful applicability of the designed method for determination of nickel metal ion in the real samples.

A Highly Selective DNA Sensor Based on Graphene Oxide-Silk Fibroin Composite and AuNPs as a Probe Oligonucleotide Immobilization Platform3667.

In this study, a simple and novel electrochemical biosensor based on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a composite of graphene oxide (GO) - silk fibroin nanofibers (SF) and gold nanoparticles (MCH/ssDNA/AuNPs/SF/GO/GCE) was developed for detection of DNA sequences. The fabrication processes of electrochemical biosensor were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FT-IR and electrochemical methods. Some experimental conditions such as immobilization time of probe DNA and MCH incubation time, time and temperature of hybridization were optimized. The designed biosensor revealed a wide linear range of 1.0 × 10-16 - 1.0 × 10-8 mol L-1 and a low detection limit (3.3 × 10-17 mol L-1) for detection of BRCA1 5382 mutation by EIS technique. The designed biosensor revealed high selectivity for discrimination of the complementary (P1C) sequences from various non-complementary sequences of (P1nC1, P1nC2 and P1nC3). Also, the biosensor revealed a high reproducibility (RSD of 7.5% (n=4)) and high stability (92% of its initial response after 8 days). So, the fabricated biosensor has a suitable potential to be applied for detection of breast cancer sequences in the initial stages of the cancer.

Developing an electrochemical sensor based on a carbon paste electrode modified with nano-composite of reduced graphene oxide and CuFe2O4 nanoparticles for determination of hydrogen peroxide.

In this paper, a highly sensitive voltammetric sensor based on a carbon paste electrode with CuFe2O4 nanoparticle (RGO/CuFe2O4/CPE) was designed for determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The electrocatalytic reduction of H2O2 was examined using various techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry, amperometry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). CuFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. Then, a high conductive platform based on a carbon paste electrode modified with RGO and CuFe2O4 nanoparticles was prepared as a suitable platform for determination of hydrogen peroxide. Under the optimum conditions (pH5), the modified electrode indicated a fast amperometric response of <2s, good linear range of 2 to 200µM, low detection limit of 0.52µM for determination of hydrogen peroxide. Also, the peak current of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) of hydrogen peroxide is increased linearly with its concentration in the ranges of 2 to 10µM and 10 to 1000µM. The obtained detection limit for hydrogen peroxide was evaluated to be 0.064µM by DPV. The designed sensor was successfully applied for the assay of hydrogen peroxide in biological and pharmaceutical samples such as milk, green tea, and hair dye cream and mouthwash solution.

Impedimetric PSA aptasensor based on the use of a glassy carbon electrode modified with titanium oxide nanoparticles and silk fibroin nanofibers.

This article describes an impedimetric aptasensor for the prostate specific antigen (PSA), a widely accepted prostate cancer biomarker. A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2) and silk fibroin nanofiber (SF) composite. The aptasensor was obtained by immobilizing a PSA-binding aptamer on the AuNP-modified with 6-mercapto-1-hexanol. The single fabrication steps were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The assay has two linear response ranges (from 2.5 fg.mL-1 to 25 pg.mL-1, and from 25 pg.mL-1 to 25 ng.mL-1) and a 0.8 fg.mL -1 detection limit. After optimization of experimental conditions, the sensor is highly selective for PSA over bovine serum albumin and lysozyme. It was successfully applied to the detection of PSA in spiked serum samples. Graphical abstract Schematic of the fabrication of an aptasensor for the prostate specific antigen (PSA). It is based on the use of a glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and titanium oxide-silk fibroin. The immobilization process of aptamer and interaction with PSA were followed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique.

A novel electrochemical DNA biosensor based on a modified magnetic bar carbon paste electrode with Fe3O4NPs-reduced graphene oxide/PANHS nanocomposite.

In this study, we have designed a label free DNA biosensor based on a magnetic bar carbon paste electrode (MBCPE) modified with nanomaterial of Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide (Fe3O4NP-RGO) as a composite and 1- pyrenebutyric acid-N- hydroxysuccinimide ester (PANHS) as a linker for detection of DNA sequences. Probe (BRCA1 5382 insC mutation detection) strands were immobilized on the MBCPE/Fe3O4-RGO/PANHS electrode for the exact incubation time. The characterization of the modified electrode was studied using different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry methods. Some experimental parameters such as immobilization time of probe DNA, time and temperature of hybridization process were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the immobilization of the probe and its hybridization with the target DNA (Complementary DNA) were tested. This DNA biosensor revealed a good linear relationship between ∆Rct and logarithm of the complementary target DNA concentration ranging from 1.0×10(-18)molL(-1) to 1.0×10(-8)molL(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9935 and a detection limit of 2.8×10(-19)molL(-1). In addition, the mentioned biosensor was satisfactorily applied for discriminating of complementary sequences from non-complementary sequences. The constructed biosensor (MBCPE/Fe3O4-RGO/PANHS/ssDNA) with high sensitivity, selectivity, stability, reproducibility and low cost can be used for detection of BRCA1 5382 insC mutation.

Comparison of two fabricated aptasensors based on modified carbon paste/oleic acid and magnetic bar carbon paste/Fe3O4@oleic acid nanoparticle electrodes for tetracycline detection.

In this research, we have improved two aptasensors based on a modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) with oleic acid (OA), and a magnetic bar carbon paste electrode (MBCPE) with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles and oleic acid (OA). After the immobilization process of anti-TET at the electrode surfaces, the aptasensors were named CPE/OA/anti-TET and MBCPE/Fe3O4NPs/OA/anti-TET respectively. In this paper, the detection of tetracycline is compared using CPE/OA/anti-TET and MBCPE/Fe3O4NPs/OA/anti-TET aptasensors. These modified electrodes were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), UV-vis spectroscopy, and voltammetric methods. The linear range and the detection limit for TET with the CPE/OA/anti-TET aptasensor were found to be 1.0×10(-12)-1.0×10(-7)M and 3.0×10(-13)M respectively by EIS method. The linear range and the detection limit for TET with the CPE/OA/anti-TET aptasensor were found to be 1.0×10(-10)-1.0×10(-7)M with a limit of detection of 2.9×10(-11)M using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique. The MBCPE/Fe3O4NPs/OA/anti-TET aptasensor was used for determination of TET, and a liner range of 1.0×10(-14)-1.0×10(-6)M with a detection limit of 3.8×10(-15)M was obtained by EIS method. Also, the linear range and detection limit of 1.0×10(-12)-1.0×10(-6)M and 3.1×10(-13)M respectively, were obtained for MBCPE/Fe3O4NPs/OA/anti-TET aptasensor using DPV. The proposed aptasensors were applied for determination of tetracycline in some real samples such as drug, milk, honey and blood serum samples.

Comparison of impedimetric detection of DNA hybridization on the various biosensors based on modified glassy carbon electrodes with PANHS and nanomaterials of RGO and MWCNTs.

In this research, we have developed lable free DNA biosensors based on modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for detection of DNA sequences. This paper compares the detection of BRCA1 5382insC mutation using independent glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) modified with RGO and MWCNTs. A probe (BRCA1 5382insC mutation detection (ssDNA)) was then immobilized on the modified electrodes for a specific time. The immobilization of the probe and its hybridization with the target DNA (Complementary DNA) were performed under optimum conditions using different electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The proposed biosensors were used for determination of complementary DNA sequences. The non-modified DNA biosensor (1-pyrenebutyric acid-N- hydroxysuccinimide ester (PANHS)/GCE), revealed a linear relationship between ∆Rct and logarithm of the complementary target DNA concentration ranging from 1.0×10(-16)molL(-1) to 1.0×10(-10)mol L(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.992, for DNA biosensors modified with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) wider linear range and lower detection limit were obtained. For ssDNA/PANHS/MWCNTs/GCE a linear range 1.0×10(-17)mol L(-1)-1.0×10(-10)mol L(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.993 and for ssDNA/PANHS/RGO/GCE a linear range from 1.0×10(-18)mol L(-1) to 1.0×10(-10)mol L(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.985 were obtained. In addition, the mentioned biosensors were satisfactorily applied for discriminating of complementary sequences from noncomplementary sequences, so the mentioned biosensors can be used for the detection of BRCA1-associated breast cancer.