Electrostatic Collection of Viable Airborne Coronavirus and Influenza Virus via an α-Tocopherol-based Antioxidant-sampling Solution

Amin Piri,정지우,Milad Massoudifarid,황정호 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

The current pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) as well as previous outbreaks of influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV represent global concerns. Bio-aerosol sampling is essential for monitoring airborne pathogens. Electrostatic precipitation (EP), which is an efficient sampling method to collect particles as hydrosols, inevitably generates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) that can be dissolved in the sampling liquid and damage the collected bio-aerosols. Previously, ascorbic acid mixed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, was reported to be beneficial to counteract the deleterious effect of ROS during sampling process. In this study, a water-soluble α-Tocopherol (Vitamin E), is added to the sampling solution of an ATH EP sampler to preserve the viability of virus under EP sampling. α-Tocopherol, a powerful antioxidant counteracts the RNS and ROS generation, resulting in higher viability of samples. The corona discharge exposure tests with Influenza H1N1 revealed that samples containing α-Tocopherol had lower Ct values than samples without α-Tocopherol, indicating that α-Tocopherol significantly increased the viability of the sampled bio-aerosols by preventing the damage caused by corona discharge-generated RNS and ROS.

Removal of NO<SUB>x</SUB> Emission from Air via Ascorbic Acid Based Bio-reactor for a Fossil Fuel Powerplant

Amin Piri,유기현,Milad Massoudifarid,Ali Mohammadi Nasrabadi,황정호 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

Fossil fuel-based powerplants are vastly used for electricity generation. However, through fossil fuel combustion, high concentration of harmful gases such as Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) are produced and released to the environment. Several techniques are available to control NOx emissions: selective catalytic reduction, selective non-catalytic reduction, adsorption, scrubbing, flue-gas desulfurization, wet scrubber, electrostatic precipitation and biological methods. Although, few of these methods have shown great potential for NOx removal, there is still the need for more effective methodologies with high reduction rates and low costs. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a powerful antioxidant that acts as a scavenger for ROS and RNS. Thus, It can reduce NOx concentrations in solutions. On the other hand, NOx such as NO and NO₂ can react with bacterial cell components. Bacteria suspensions can be used to react with NOx and therefore, reduce their concentration in solutions. In this study, for the first time, an effective and low-cost methodology is introduced for removal of NOx emission from air via ascorbic acid based bio-reactor for a fossil fuel powerplant. Various liquid solutions and bacterial suspensions were tested to chose the optimal conditions and the results indicate that our methodology is effective in removing NOx emissions from air.

Real-time Electrostatic Aerosol-to-hydrosol Sampling and Enrichment via ConA-coated Biochip for Coronavirus and Influenza Virus Detection

Amin Piri,현경아,정효일,황정호 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

Recent outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-19) in 2019 have triggered global concern and emphasized the importance of virus monitoring. Rapid monitoring and detection of these pathogenic particles are achieved via various bio-aerosol samplers and biological detection methodologies involving microfluidic chip technology, which provides an excellent toolbox for the handling and manipulation of bio-fluidic samples. In this study, in response to the urgent need for rapid detection of airborne pathogens, an electrostatic Aerosol-to-hydrosol (ATH) sampler is combined with a concanavalin A (ConA)-coated high-throughput microfluidic chip for enrichment of sampled coronavirus and influenza virus particles. After simultaneous sampling and enrichment, the samples were used for PCR detection. The results showed that the ATH enrichment capacity (ECATH) of our sampler was 30,000-fold for both viruses while the enrichment capacity provided by the ConA-coated microfluidic chip (ECmicrofluidic chip) was 16-fold and 32-fold for influenza virus and coronavirus, respectively. Thus, the total enrichment capacity (ECT) of our combined ATH and ConA-coated microfluidic chip was 4.8×10<SUP>5</SUP>-fold and 9.6×10<SUP>5</SUP>-fold for influenza virus and coronavirus, respectively. This methodology greatly improves the detection limit of current PCR devices by providing higher concentration of viable samples.

금 나노로드 기반 플라즈모닉 PCR을 통한 공기 중 인플루엔자 바이러스 신속 검출

남강식,Piri Amin,최상수,정지우,황정호 대한기계학회 2023 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2023 No.11

The Association of Oxidative Stress and Reactive Oxygen Species Modulator 1 (ROMO1) with Infertility: A Mini Review

Mohammad Amin Amini,Masoud Karimi,Seyed Saman Talebi,Hossein Piri,Jamshid Karimi 전남대학교 의과학연구소 2022 전남의대학술지 Vol.58 No.3

Infertility is one of the disorders that worries many couples around the world, although novel and molecular methods can be used to cure this disease in different stages. One of the factors that causes infertility in men and women is the increased oxidative stress within the cells, which can lead to damage in zygote formation. ROMO1 is one of the most important proteins in the production of reactive oxygen species. This protein can enhance oxidative stress in the cells and body through cellular pathways, such as TNF-a and NF-kB routes, which will eventually lead to many diseases, especially infertility. We engage several international databases by using keywords; ROMO1, Infertility, and Reactive Oxygen Species, and gained a great quantity of information about ROMO1, Infertility, and Oxidative Stress. Although not proven, it is hypothesized that ROMO1 might elevate oxidative stress by activating NF-kB pathway in the cells, furthermore, TNF-a can arouse ROMO1 that can end up with apoptosis and cell death, which consequently can have a lot of disturbing effects on the body, especially the reproductive system. To sum up, revealing the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms of ROMO1-dependent TNF-a and NF-kB pathways in the pathogenesis of infertility might find interesting therapeutic and management strategies for this disorder.

The Association of COVID-19 and Reactive Oxygen Species Modulator 1 (ROMO1) with Oxidative Stress

Mohammad Amin Amini,Jamshid Karimi,Seyed Saman Talebi,Hosein Piri 전남대학교 의과학연구소 2022 전남의대학술지 Vol.58 No.1

There is no denying that the massive spread of COVID-19 around the world has worried everyone. The virus can cause mild to severe symptoms in various organs, especially the lungs. The virus affects oxidative stress in the cells. Reactive Oxygen Species modulator 1 (ROMO1) is one of the most important mitochondrial proteins that plays a critical regulatory role in the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). According to the studies, COVID-19 can promote oxidative stress through some important pathways, for instance, TNF-a and NF-kB routes. Furthermore, ROMO1 is closely related to these pathways and its dysfunction may affect these routes, then promote oxidative stress, and ultimately cause tissue damage, especially in the lungs. Another factor to consider is that the TNF-a and NF-kB pathways are associated with ROMO1, COVID-19, and oxidative stress. To summarize, it is hypothesized that COVID-19 may increase oxidative stress by affecting ROMO1. Understanding the exact molecular mechanisms of ROMO1 in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 can pave the way to find better therapeutic strategies.

Nano-dry-salt Deposition on Electret Nonwoven Confers Anticoronaviral Effect while Retaining Aerosol Filtration Performance

박대훈,최지수,Amin Piri,황정호,변정훈 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

Nearly a year after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2, the spread of COVID-19 is still ongoing strong. Nevertheless, social distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks as non-pharmaceutical interventions have been validated worldwide during the pandemic, and this has allowed some continuation of socioeconomic activities. Consistent wearing of masks can provide a strong barrier against the inflow of airborne coronaviruses into the respiratory system, whereas it can be a fomite of infection via touching of the coronavirus-laden nonwoven material during wear. The issues faced in developing antiviral and exothermic nanomaterial coatings on nonwovens include the need for rapid implementation, scalability, affordability, and biosafety. To resolve these difficulties, we developed a technique of dry nanoparticle deposition of sodium chloride, which is generally regarded as safe, onto surfaces of nonwovens to inactivate coronaviruses collected on the surfaces while retaining filtration performance. We also propose a realizable platform for the integration of the nano-dry-salt (NDS) deposition and conventional nonwoven production for timely application of the NDS deposited surfaces to combat the pandemic.

Investigation on the Effects of Water Droplet Generation on Number Concentration Measurement of Nano-size Aerosol Particles in using a Collison-type Atomizer

Milad Massoudifarid,Amin Piri,황정호 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

The development of efficient virus aerosols monitoring and removal devices requires aerosolization of test particles. Size and number concentration measurements of aerosolized virus particles are crucial to evaluate the performance of these devices. Water droplets that are inevitably generated using the atomizers are supposed to be eliminated with diffusion dryers. However, failure in the elimination of these water droplets might affect number concentration measurements. The SMPS can falsely consider the water droplets as particles, impacting the overall performance evaluation. In this study, the effects of insufficient drying on the number concentration of the aerosolized virus particles were investigated using SMPS and plaque assays. Increasing the residence time of flow in the diffusion dryers decreased the number concentration of the aerosolized particles. However, after a residence time of 7.16 s, the number concentration of the aerosolized particles remained constant, suggesting a sufficient diffusion drying time that maximizes droplet removal. While the total number concentration varied with residence time, the plaque assay results remained constant with an average of 272±2.5% PFU per agar plate for each case. The difference in the actual number concentration and the total number of aerosolized particles measured is presented as a percentage of error.

Determination of Air Filter Anti-Viral Efficiency against an Airborne Infectious Virus

박대훈,조윤행,Amin Piri,안상권,황정호 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

Recently, various studies have reported the prevention and treatment of respiratory infection outbreaks caused by lethal viruses. Consequently, a variety of air filters coated with antimicrobial agents have been developed to capture and inactivate virus particles in continuous airflow conditions. However, since aerosolized infectious viral-testing is inadvisable due to safety concerns, their anti-viral capability has only been tested by inserting the filters into liquid media, where infectious virus particles disperse. In this study a novel method of determining anti-viral performance of an air filter against airborne infectious viruses is presented. Initially, anti-viral air filtertests were conducted. Firstly, by an air-media test, in which the air filter was placed against an aerosolized non-infectious virus. Secondly, by a liquid-media test, in which the filter was inserted into a liquid medium con-taining a non-infectious virus. Subsequently, a correlation was established by comparing the susceptibility constants obtained between the two medium tests and an association was found for the air medium test with infectious virus. After ensuring the relationship did not depend on the virus species, the correlation was used to derive the results of the air-medium test from the results of the liquid-medium test.

Investigation on the Optimal Sampling Conditions for Aerosol-to-hydrosol Electrostatic Pin-plate Sampler

Milad Massoudifarid,Amin Piri,유기현,황정호 한국대기환경학회 2021 한국대기환경학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

Since bio-aerosols differ in biological properties and characteristics, their detection and quantification remain critical, active, and yet challenging research area. Among the several bio-aerosol sampling methodologies, electrostatic precipitation (EP) is an efficient sampling method for capturing bio-aerosols due to having lower pressure drop and ensuing less damage to sensitive bio-aerosols. EP sampling provides higher relative recovery-rate and is the most suitable option for aerosol-to-hydrosol (ATH) sampling. Performance of ATH EP samplers is influenced by a variety of parameters such as polarity and intensity of applied voltage, air temperature, air relative humidity, temperature and type of the sampling liquid used, etc. Thus, it is essential to identify the optimal sampling condition in which the ATH EP sampler has the highest collection efficiency, as well as, having the lowest impact on viability of sampled bio-particles. In this study, H1N1 influenza virus was used to investigate various sampling conditions and the findings provides great contribution to ATH EP sampling field.