Protective properties of Rydingia persica in reproductive complications induced by diabetes in male rats: An experimental study

Background: In Iranian traditional medicine, Rydingia persica (R.P) is commonly used to treat diabetes mellitus (DM). Objective: We assessed the protective effects of R.P against testis and epididymis oxidative stress and the hormonal changes induced by DM. Materials and Methods: Forty male Wistar rats (12 wk old) weighing 230-270 gr were divided into five groups (n = 8/each): 1. Control (C); 2. diabetic (D); 3. diabetic + R.P200 (D+R200); 4. diabetic + R.P400 (D+R400); and 5. diabetic + R.P600 (D+R600). Groups C and D received 2 ml of normal saline orally daily for two wk and groups D+R200, D+R400, and D+R600 received 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg body weight of R.P powder, respectively, orally daily for two wk. DM was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at 60 mg/kg body weight. We assessed malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione in both the testis and epididymis and also the histological changes of the testis. Results: Diabetic rats showed a significantly increased and decreased level of oxidant and antioxidant factors, respectively, and a significantly lower level of serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone than the control group. In the histological study of the testis, deteriorations were observed. Treatment with R.P reversed these changes toward the state of the control group with the highest effectiveness shown by group D+R600. Conclusion: The data obtained suggest that R.P powder has antioxidant effects on testis and epididymis tissues in diabetic rats and that it improves histological testicular structure in diabetics. It can also correct testosterone and luteinizing hormone changes induced by DM. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Rydingia persica, Oxidative stress, Reproductive, Testosterone

Stretching Micro Metal Particles into Uniformly Dispersed and Sized Nanoparticles in Polymer.

There is a longstanding challenge to disperse metal nanoparticles uniformly in bulk polymers for widespread applications. Conventional scale-down techniques often are only able to shrink larger elements (such as microparticles and microfibers) into micro/nano-elements (i.e. nanoparticles and nanofibers) without much altering their relative spatial and size distributions. Here we show an unusual phenomenon that tin (Sn) microparticles with both poor size distribution and spatial dispersion were stretched into uniformly dispersed and sized Sn nanoparticles in polyethersulfone (PES) through a stack and draw technique in thermal drawing. It is believed that the capillary instability plays a crucial role during thermal drawing. This novel, inexpensive, and scalable method overcomes the longstanding challenge to produce bulk polymer-metal nanocomposites (PMNCs) with a uniform dispersion of metallic nano-elements

Evaluation of the Concordance of Cytological Findings Based on the Milan System with Histopathological Findings in Salivary Gland Tumors

Background: The goal of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) is to standardize the reporting of salivary gland cytology and guide treatment decisions. Considering the newness of this system and the need for more studies in this regard, the aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance of cytological findings based on the Milan system with histological findings in salivary gland masses. Aim: evaluating salivary gland tumors’ cytological findings of Milan system with histopathological findings. Methods: This diagnostic study was conducted on 94 patients with salivary gland masses were referred to the pathology department of Imam Hossein hospital in 2022. FNA was performed for all patients and cytological classification was done based on the latest classification of the Milan system. Cytological findings were compared with histological findings. Results: In this study 10.6% were diagnosed as non-neoplastic, 18.1% with AUS, 37.2% benign neoplasm, 20.2% with SUMP, 5.3% suspicious for malignancy, and 8.5% were diagnosed as malignant. In the pathology results, 18.1% of patients were non-neoplastic, 56.4% had benign neoplasm, and 25.5% had malignant mass. The agreement coefficient between the two methods based on the Kappa coefficient was 40%, which indicates a relatively good agreement. The correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.70. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a relatively good agreement between the Milan system in the cytology of salivary gland neoplasms with pathology findings

Scalable Platform for Batch Fabrication of Micro/Nano Devices on Engineering Substrates of Arbitrary Shapes and Sizes

AbstractSilicon wafers with standard sizes and shapes have served as the batch fabrication platform for microfabrication of micro/nano devices for decades. However, there is a strong demand to batch fabricate micro/nano devices on other engineering materials (e.g. titanium, stainless steel, diamond, and ceramics) of complicate shapes and sizes designed for important applications. Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to meet the demand due to various challenges involved during microfabrication. Here we present a novel batch fabrication platform which can be used to facilitate the batch fabrication of thin film devices on substrates with arbitrary shapes and sizes. This platform will eliminate photolithography related defects such as edge bead formation, which will enable fabrication of thin film devices at the edges/corners of arbitrary shaped and sized substrates. At the same time it will enable uniform and bulk polishing of these substrates. As a proof of concept, parallel/batch fabrication process was successfully applied and proved by fabricating thin film piezoelectric force sensors on polygonal shaped stainless steel plates

Radioprotective effect of a combination of melatonin and metformin on mice spermatogenesis: A histological study

Background: The spermatogenesis system includes highly radiosensitive cells. Hence, this system is a potential target for toxic effects of ionizing radiation during radiotherapy of abdomen and pelvis cancers, as well as after accidental radiation events. Accordingly, metformin and melatonin are two important radioprotectors that have shown an ability to prevent cell death through neutralization of free radicals and stimulating DNA damage responses. Objective: To evaluate the radioprotective effects of melatonin and metformin on mice spermatogenesis when administered alone or as a combination. Materials and Methods: In this histological Study, 40 (6-8 wk, 30 gr) NMRI mice were divided into 8 groups (n = 5/each) as control, metformin, melatonin, melatonin + metformin, radiation, radiation + melatonin, radiation + metformin, and radiation + melatonin + metformin. 37 days after the irradiation, the testicular tissues were collected for histological evaluation. Results: Single administration of melatonin could ameliorate effectively radiation toxicity in mice testis. Metformin showed radioprotective effects on some parameters such as the numbers of spermatogonia and mature sperms. Interestingly, the melatonin and metformin combination reversed the reduced number of sperms rather than single drug administration. Conclusion: The combination of melatonin with metformin can protect mice spermatogenesis against ionizing radiation more effectively compared to the single forms of these drugs. Key words: Radiation, Testis, Leydig cells, Melatonin, Metformin, Spermatogenesis

Bulk ultrafine grained/nanocrystalline metals via slow cooling.

Cooling, nucleation, and phase growth are ubiquitous processes in nature. Effective control of nucleation and phase growth is of significance to yield refined microstructures with enhanced performance for materials. Recent studies reveal that ultrafine grained (UFG)/nanocrystalline metals exhibit extraordinary properties. However, conventional microstructure refinement methods, such as fast cooling and inoculation, have reached certain fundamental limits. It has been considered impossible to fabricate bulk UFG/nanocrystalline metals via slow cooling. Here, we report a new discovery that nanoparticles can refine metal grains to ultrafine/nanoscale by instilling a continuous nucleation and growth control mechanism during slow cooling. The bulk UFG/nanocrystalline metal with nanoparticles also reveals an unprecedented thermal stability. This method overcomes the grain refinement limits and may be extended to any other processes that involve cooling, nucleation, and phase growth for widespread applications

Scalable Nano-Manufacturing of Metal-Based Nanocomposites

The objective of this study is to significantly advance the fundamental knowledge to enable scalable nano-manufacturing of metal-based nanocomposites by overcoming the grand challenges that exist in both fundamental and manufacturing levels. It especially seeks to manufacture bulk aluminum nanocomposite electrical conductors (ANECs) with uniform dispersion and distribution of nanoparticles that offer excellent mechanical and electrical properties. Polymer-metal nanocomposite is an emerging class of hybrid materials which can offer significantly improved functional properties (e.g. electrical conductivity). Incorporating proper nanoscale metallic elements into polymer matrices can enhance the electrical conductivity of the polymers. To achieve such polymer nanocomposites, the longstanding challenge of uniform dispersion of metal nanoparticles in polymers must be addressed. Conventional scale-down techniques often are only able to shrink larger elements (e.g. microparticles and microfibers) into micro/nano-elements (i.e. nanoparticles and nanofibers) without significant modification in their relative spatial and size distributions. This study uncovers an unusual phenomenon that tin (Sn) microparticles with both poor size distribution and spatial dispersion were stretched into uniformly dispersed and sized nanoparticles in polyethersulfone (PES) using thermal drawing method. It is believed that the capillary instability plays a crucial role during thermal drawing. This novel, inexpensive, and scalable method overcomes the longstanding challenge to produce bulk polymer-metal nanocomposites (PMNCs) with a uniform dispersion of metallic nano-elements (Chapter 3). Nano-elements (e.g. nanoparticles) are one of the most important constituent of the nanocomposite materials. Since titanium diboride (TiB2) nanoparticles is of a crucial factor in this study, and more importantly is not commercially available, we synthesized these reinforcements to ensure high purity and size uniformity. Our preliminary results show that TiB2 nanoparticles with a uniform size can be produced. Further characterization confirmed the presence of crystalline TiB2 nanoparticles with average size of 8.1�0.4 nm. The in-house synthesized TiB2 nanoparticles were used to reinforce both aluminum and magnesium matrices. Successful incorporation of TiB2 nanoparticles in the aforementioned matrices was another indirection indication of high purity and surface-clean TiB2 nanoparticles (Chapter 4). Lightweight metallic systems (e.g. Al) have promising potentials for applications in metal-based laser additive manufacturing. Lightweight metals exhibit moderate mechanical properties compare to high density metals (e.g. steel). However, lightweight metal matrix nanocomposites (LMMNCs) offer excellent mechanical properties desirable to improve energy efficiency and system performance for widespread applications including, but not limited to, aerospace, transportation, electronics, automotive, and defense. It has been a longstanding challenge to realize a scalable manufacturing method to produce metal nanocomposite microparticles. This study demonstrates high volume manufacturing of Al and magnesiuim (Mg) nanocomposite microparticles. In-house synthesized TiB2 and commercial titanium carbide (TiC) nanoparticles were chosen as nano-scale reinforcements. Using a flux-assisted solidification processing method, up to 30% volume fraction nanoparticles were efficiently incorporated and dispersed into Al and Mg microparticles. Theoretical study on nanoparticle interactions in molten metals revealed that TiC and TiB2 nanoparticles can be self-dispersed and self-stabilized in molten Al and Mg matrices. Metal-based additive manufacturing and thermal spraying coating can significantly benefit from these novel Al and Mg nanocomposite microparticles. This simple yet scalable approach can broaden the applications of such nanocomposite in additive manufacturing of the functional parts. Moreover, the metal nanocomposite microparticles can be applied in conventional manufacturing processing. For example, bulk Al-30 volume percent (vol. %) nanocomposites were produced by cold compaction of Al-30 vol. % TiB2 nanocomposite microparticles followed by melting. Al-30 vol. % TiB2 nanocomposites with average Vickers hardness of 458 HV was successfully produced (Chapter 5). Magnesium is the lightest structure metal applied in broad range of applications in various industries such as biomedical, transportation, construction, naval and electronic. Strengthening Mg is of significance for energy efficiency of numerous transportation systems. Traditional metal strengthening approaches such as elemental alloying have reached their fundamental limits in offering high strength metals functioning at elevated temperature. Adding nanoparticle reinforcements can effectively promote the mechanical properties of Mg nanocomposites. However, manufacturing of bulk magnesium nanocomposites with populous and dispersed nanoparticles remains as a great challenge. Here we report a novel flux-assisted liquid state processing of bulk Mg nanocomposites with TiC as the nanoscale reinforcements. TiC nanoparticles with high hardness and high elastic modulus is well-distributed and uniformly dispersed in the Mg matrix, resulting in a significantly improved Vickers hardness of 143.5�11.5 HV (pure Mg Vickers hardness is about 35 HV). Further theoretical study suggested that TiC nanoparticles can be self-dispersed and self-stabilized in Mg matrix (Chapter 6).Aluminum is one of the most abundant lightweight metal on Earth with a wide range of practical applications such as electrical wire. However, traditional aluminum manufacturing processing approaches such as elemental alloying, deformation and thermomechanical cannot offer further property improvement due to fundamental limitations. Successful incorporation of ceramic nanoparticles into aluminum have shown unusual property improvements. Adding metal-like ceramic nanoparticles into aluminum matrix can be a promising alternative to produce high performance aluminum electrical wires. Here we show a new class of aluminum nanocomposite electrical conductors (ANECs), with significantly improved average Vickers hardness (130 HV) and good electrical conductivity (41% IACS). The as-cast Al-3 vol. % TiB2 nanocomposites exhibit yield strength of 206.6 MPa, UTS of 219.6 MPa, tensile strain of 4.3% and electrical conductivity of 57.5% IACS (pure Al has yield strength of 35 MPa, UTS of 90 MPa, tensile strain of 12% and electrical conductivity of 62.5% IACS). We also observed an unusual ultra-fine grain (UFG) size, as small as 300 nm, in the ANEC samples under slow cooling. We believe that the significant mechanical property enhancements can be partially attributed to the existence of the UFG. Further investigations demonstrated that UFG can be achieved when nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed and distributed in the aluminum matrix (Chapter 7).In summary, analytical, numerical and experimental approaches have been established to significantly advance fundamental understanding of polymeric and metallic matrix nanocomposites, in particular the effect of metal-like ceramics on mechanical and electrical properties of lightweight metals. This study has demonstrated scalable production of multi-functional metal and polymer matrix nanocomposites. Metal-like ceramic nanoparticles can significantly enhance the mechanical properties of metal matrix while retaining good electrical properties

High Strength and High Electrical Conductivity Al Nanocomposites for DC Transmission Cable Applications

Aluminum is one of the most abundant lightweight metals on Earth with broad practical applications, such as in electrical wires. Although traditional aluminum manufacturing by alloying, deformation and thermomechanical means addresses the balance between high strength and high conductivity, adding metallic ceramic nanoparticles into the aluminum matrix can be an exciting alternative approach to mass produce aluminum electrical wires. Here, we show a new class of aluminum nanocomposite electrical conductors (ANECs), with significantly higher hardness (130 HV) and good electrical conductivity (41% IACS). This ANEC is composed of Al and dispersed TiB2 nanoparticles, as confirmed by XRD scanning and SEM imaging. We further observed an unusual ultra-fine grain (UFG) size when slow cooling ANEC samples, as a grain as small as 300 nm was clearly captured in FIB images. We believe that the significant hardness enhancement can be partially attributed to the UFG. Our investigation and theoretical analysis further validated that UFG can be achieved when nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed and distributed in the aluminum matrix, and this understanding is important for the development of Al nanocomposite wires with high strength and high electrical conductivity

Protective Properties of Rydingia Persica in Reproductive Complications Induced by Diabetes in Male Rats: an Experimental Study

Background: In Iranian traditional medicine, Rydingia persica (R.P) is commonly used to treat diabetes mellitus (DM). Objective: We assessed the protective effects of R.P against testis and epididymis oxidative stress and the hormonal changes induced by DM. Materials and Methods: Forty male Wistar rats (12 wk old) weighing 230-270 gr were divided into five groups (n = 8/each): 1. Control (C); 2. diabetic (D); 3. diabetic + R.P200 (D+R200); 4. diabetic + R.P400 (D+R400); and 5. diabetic + R.P600 (D+R600). Groups C and D received 2 ml of normal saline orally daily for two wk and groups D+R200, D+R400, and D+R600 received 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg body weight of R.P powder, respectively, orally daily for two wk. DM was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at 60 mg/kg body weight. We assessed malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione in both the testis and epididymis and also the histological changes of the testis. Results: Diabetic rats showed a significantly increased and decreased level of oxidant and antioxidant factors, respectively, and a significantly lower level of serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone than the control group. In the histological study of the testis, deteriorations were observed. Treatment with R.P reversed these changes toward the state of the control group with the highest effectiveness shown by group D+R600. Conclusion: The data obtained suggest that R.P powder has antioxidant effects on testis and epididymis tissues in diabetic rats and that it improves histological testicular structure in diabetics. It can also correct testosterone and luteinizing hormone changes induced by DM. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Rydingia persica, Oxidative stress, Reproductive, Testosterone