The role of loading-induced convection versus diffusion on the transport of small molecules into the intervertebral disc

Purpose: Limited nutrient transport is hypothesized to be involved in intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. It is widely recognized that the dominant mode of transport of small molecules such as glucose is via diffusion, rather than convection. However, recent findings suggest a role for convection-induced by fast (motion-related) and slow (diurnal) dynamic loading in molecular transport of even such small solutes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fluid exchange induced by simulated physiological loading (composed of both fast cyclic or slower diurnal loading) can influence the molecular transport of a small molecule through the cartilage endplate (CEP) into the nucleus pulposus (NP) of IVDs. Methods: The molecular transport of fluorescein through the CEP and into the NP was studied in a bovine CEP/NP explant model and loading was applied by an axial compression bioreactor. The loaded explants (convection and diffusion) were compared to unloaded explants (diffusion alone). Results: In the initial 24 h, there were no differences between loaded and unloaded explants, indicating that convection did not enhance molecular transport of small solutes over diffusion alone. Notably, after 48 h which corresponds to two complete diurnal cycles of tissue compression, fluid exudation/imbibing and redistribution, the fluorescein concentration was significantly increased in the top and bottom layer of the explant, when compared to the unloaded explant. Conclusions: Slower diurnal cyclic compression of the IVD might enhance the transport of small molecules into the IVD although it could not be discerned whether this was due to diffusion/convection or a combination.</p

The combined effects of resistance and endurance training with ursolic acid supplementation on some Alzheimer's disease-related biomarkers in a rat model of type 2 diabetes

Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased inflammation and a risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to assess the impact of exercise with ursolic acid (UA) on some protein levels in the brains of aged male Wistar rats with diet-induced Type 2. We investigated the effects of exercise with UA on protein levels in rats with type 2 diabetes. The rats were divided into seven groups and underwent different exercise or UA protocols. Results The results showed that type 2 diabetes led to increased levels of tau, IL-1β, TNF-α, and c-Jun, and decreased levels of IRS2 protein. Endurance training improved tau, Jun, and IRS2 levels. UA reduced increased levels of tau, IL-1β, TNF-α, and c-Jun, and increased IRS2 levels. Combining the supplement with training led to further improvements. Conclusions These findings suggest that combining training and UA partially reversed the inflammation in the Type 2 diabetes model. However, further research is needed to understand how UA consumption with or without training protocols can reduce the risk of AD in type 2 diabetes

Design and manufacturing a microcontroller based measurement device for honey adulteration detection

The aim of this study is the detection of adulteration in honey by a microcontroller measurement device. For this purpose, 18 pure honey samples from Sidr, Locoweed and Citrus honey were prepared, whose physicochemical characteristics, including moisture content and degrees Brix, pH, color and ash content were measured. To detect impurities in honey, electrical conductivity and light refraction were used as inputs of an artificial neural network (ANN) classifier. This allowed fraud detection in honey by a portable instrument developed by enclosing the electrical conductivity and light sensors connected to a smartphone application. The results revealed that increasing impurities caused a decrease in degrees Brix and an increase in the pH of honey. The highest value of moisture was 17.5% (for Locoweed) and the highest value of pH was 4.69 (for Sidr) at 75% impurity concentration. Citrus showed the highest value of ash and electrical conductivity of 0.36 and 415 ppm, respectively. The lowest error of training the ANN classifier of 13% was obtained with 14 neurons as the optimal number of neurons in the hidden layer. The honey samples with fructose concentrations of 0% (pure honey), 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (pure fructose) were successfully classified, with correct classification rates of 100%, 83.3%, 80%, 87.5%, 100% and 100%, respectively. This reveals the acceptable performance of the designed device in detecting honey adulteration

Association of ANRIL gene single- nucleotide polymorphisms with Allergic rhinitis in Kurdish population from Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common inflammatory disorder of the upper airway caused by aberrant immune responses to allergens in genetically predisposed individuals. Recently, the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) has been identified as a novel genetic factor associated with increased AR risk. This study aimed to evaluate the potential correlation of ANRIL gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with AR risk in the kurdish population of Kermanshah, Iran.Methods: In this case-control study, 130 AR patients and 130 healthy controls were recruited to genotype for two SNPs of the ANRIL gene (rs1333048, rs10757278) using the Tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR (T-ARMS-PCR) method.Results: Our results showed no significant difference for the alleles and genotypes frequency distribution of lncRNA ANRIL SNPs (rs1333048, rs10757278) between AR patients and healthy controls (p&gt; 0.05). Additionally, the dominant, additive, and recessive genetic models of both SNPs were not associated with altered susceptibility to AR risk (p&gt; 0.05).Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the ANRIL gene rs1333048 and rs10757278 polymorphisms might not be associated with susceptibility to AR in the kurdish population of Kermanshah, Iran </jats:p