Effects of Curcumin on Iron Overload in Rats

Background: Iron overload, common in patients with hematological disorders, is a key target in drug development. This study investigated the effects of curcumin on iron overload in rats. Methods: Forty male Wistar rats weighing 139.78 ± 11.95 gm (Mean ± SD) were divided into three equal groups: (i) controls; (ii) iron overload group that received six doses of iron dextran 1000 mg/kg–1 by intraperitoneal injections (i.p.); and (iii) iron overload curcumin group that received six doses of curcumin (1000 mg/kg BW by i.p.).  In addition to six doses of iron dextran 1000 mg/kg–1 by i.p., we studied the effects of curcumin on liver function enzymes (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]); antioxidant enzymes (malondialdehyde [MDA], total oxidant status [TOS], total antioxidant status [TAS]); hematological parameters (hemoglobin [Hb], hematocrit [Hct], red blood cells [RBC], white blood cells [WBC], mean corpus volume [MCV], mean corpuscular hemoglobin [MCH], mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration [MCHC]); and iron parameters (serum iron profile, transferrin, total iron-binding capacity [TIBC], ferritin, and transferrin saturation [TS%]). Results: Curcumin caused a significant decrease in the Hct and Hb concentrations in Group III (P < 0.05). It also significantly reduced the serum levels of ALT (52.45 ± 4.51 vs 89.58 ± 4.65 U/L) and AST (148.03 ± 6.47 vs 265.27 ± 13.02 U/L) at the end of the study (P < 0.05). The TIBC, transferrin levels, and TS significantly decreased when the rats were administered curcumin serum iron (P < 0.05). The TAS level significantly increased in Group III in comparison to Group I (the control group) (P < 0.05). At the end of the study, curcumin significantly reduced the serum levels of TOS (12.03 ± 2.8 vs 16.95 ± 5.05 mmol H2O2/L) while the TAS (1.98 ± 0.42 vs 1.06 ± 0.33 mmol Trolox equiv./L) was increased. Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest the therapeutic potential of curcumin against iron overload

Condensed mode cooling for PE: Importance of thermodynamics in reactor and particle modelling

Heterogeneously-catalyzed gas-phase polymerization of ethylene in fluidized bed reactors (FBRs) is the single type of reactor used for polyethylene (PE) production. Due to an ever-increasing demand for PE, it is possible to substantially improve the heat removal efficiency, and consequently increase the production capacity of an FBR by exploiting the so-called condensed mode cooling method. In this method, compounds referred to as induced condensing agents (ICAs), typically C3-C8 alkanes, are added to the reactor recycle stream, (partially) liquefied in an external heat exchanger and then injected into the reactor in the form of small droplets along with the gaseous components. The fast evaporation of the liquid phase inside the reactor absorbs additional polymerization heat and thus enhances the production capacity of the unit. ICAs are chemically inert in the sense that they do not have any influence on the behavior of the active sites. Nonetheless, recent papers from our group have clearly demonstrated that the rate of ethylene polymerization (Rp) increases in the presence of ICAs. As the partial pressure of the ICA in the gas phase increases, Rp also increases. The normalized rates of polymerization with the one without any n-hexane reveals that the increase in the Rp is more pronounced at the beginning of reaction and decreases as the reaction progresses, approaching a steady-state value at the later steps. A new process model is developed based on the thermodynamics of sorption coupled with the dynamics of mass and heat transfer in a growing polymer particle. The thermodynamic simulations, performed by employing the Sanchez-Lacombe EoS, show that by increasing the partial pressure of n-hexane in the gas phase, the equilibrium concentration of ethylene in the amorphous phase of PE increases (cosolubility effect). However, at the beginning of the reaction, Rp is promoted much more strongly than would be expected from the cosolubility effect alone. According to the free-volume theory, in addition to the solubility, the diffusivity of ethylene in PE is also expected to increase by increasing the partial pressure of n-hexane (codiffusion effect). The simulations of polymer flow model (PFM), adapted to describe the dynamics of mass and heat transfer in a single growing particle, indicate that it is possible to appropriately describe the observed influence of n-hexane on Rp by taking into account the both cosolubility and codiffusion effects; during the early stages of the reaction, a specific magnitude of the enhancement in the ethylene diffusivity due to the codiffusion effect of n-hexane causes a more significant impact on the ethylene concentration gradient and therefore the efficiency (η) and overall rate of polymerization. Furthermore, the PFM simulations suggest that the addition of n-hexane has a negligible effect on the thermal behavior of the growing particles under the operating conditions used in the experiments. The presented process model is a new development in the field of modeling the process of gas phase ethylene polymerization on supported catalysts. This framework not only enables us to describe the observed polymerization rates, but also serves as a useful intellectual tool to develop improved understanding about the dynamics of the polymerization reaction in the presence of n-hexane as the ICA compound

Effects of Postbiotics from Food Probiotic and Protective Cultures on Proliferation and Apoptosis in HCT-116 Colorectal Cancer Cells

Background and Objective: Postbiotics are microbial-derived soluble products, which are released during the growth and fermentation process of beneficial microorganisms in gastrointestinal tract, food and complex microbiological culture systems (cell-free supernatant or extracellular extract) or after cell lysis (intracellular extract). Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers within the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide, which can be associated with a defeated gastrointestinal barrier. In this study, potential functionality of the extracellular and intracellular extracts of probiotics (Latilactobacillus sakei, LS) and protective culture (FreshQ®, FQ) on proliferation and cell survival of HCT-116 colon cancer epithelial cells was investigated. Material and Methods: Probiotic bacteria were cultivated in de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe broth and then postbiotics was isolated by centrifugation and sonication. The achieved solutions were lyophilized and stored until use. Moreover, HCT-116 cells were exposed to various concentrations of Latilactobacillus sakei and FreshQ® extracts (1.25-40 mg ml-1) for 24 h and then effects of these products on cell cytotoxicity, proliferation and apoptosis were investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, wound healing and AO/EB assays. Results and Conclusion: Extracellular and intracellular extracts of Latilactobacillus sakei and FreshQ the decreased in cell viability based on the postbiotic concentrations (p≤0.05), while cell proliferation was inhibited by extracellular and intracellular extracts of Latilactobacillus sakei and FreshQ® in wound healing assay. Results showed that postbiotics could induce apoptosis evidenced by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. In summary, Latilactobacillus sakei and FreshQ® postbiotics are able to decrease cell viability and proliferation and enhance apoptosis in HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells. In addition, FreshQ® postbiotics seemed more potent than that Latilactobacillus sakei postbiotics did. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

The Effect of Teaching Practical Physical Modalities on the Ordering Skills of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residents

Introduction: Physical modalities are performed by physiotherapists based on physiatrists’ orders, so the residents pay less attention to the need and importance of learning the practical modalities. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of teaching the practical aspects of modalities to residents of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in order to improve their skills and attitudes toward ordering and doing physical modalities. Methods: In an interventional, before after study, all residents of physical medicine and rehabilitation, took the medical history of the patients willingly participatedand performed physical examinationand ordered physical modalities. They were also assessed by performing the modalities on the patient. Following the primary assessment, an experienced physiotherapist taught the residents how to do physical modalities. After the practical education, residents were assessed by ordering the modalities and performing them on simulated patients. Their satisfaction of the educational program was evaluated after the intervention. Results: The mean scores of using modalities before and after the education were 23.08± 5.50 and 52±10.18 respectively (p=0.0001). The mean scores of ordering the modalities before and after the education were 1 and 1.66 (p=0.038). The mean score of satisfaction was 91.66±8.74 out of 100. Conclusion: Since physical medicine and rehabilitation residents and specialists who order physical modalities for patients do not perform it on their own patients, teaching the practical physical modalities can improve their skills. The satisfaction rate of residents with the course was very high

Introducing a New Hybrid Method to Reduce BLDC Motor Torque Ripple, Based on Predictive Control and Quasi Z-Source Converter

The commutation torque ripple adversely affects the performance of the six-phase inverter of the BLDC motor with trapezoidal back EMF and creates vibration and noise for industrial applications. In this paper, the motor model is obtained in non-commutation times and during the commutation period, and according to that, a suitable method to reduce the torque ripple, by equalizing the slope of the current disconnected from the motor and the slope of the current connected to the motor during commutation, is presented. At low speeds, torque ripple is reduced using predictive pulse width modulation technique. With this method, the duty cycle of the switch involved in the commutation is predicted and applied to the switch during the commutation intervals. At high speeds, this reduction is done using quasi z-source converter and selector circuit. The quasi z-source converter and the selector circuit increase the input voltage of the inverter during commutation intervals and increase its value to four times the back EMF voltage of the motor, thus reducing the torque ripple at high speeds. The theoretical and analytical results are verified using the simulations performed in the PLECS software

Estimation of Electrical Parameters of the Induction Machine Steady State Model Using Nameplate Data and Hunger Game Search Algorithm

In this paper, the Hunger Games Search (HGS) optimization algorithm is used to estimate the electrical parameters of the induction machine steady state model. Induction machine nameplate data is used as input to the proposed algorithm. The performance of the proposed method is confirmed by comparing the output characteristics obtained by estimating the motor parameters including torque, current and power factor in the steady state model of the induction machine with the values provided by the manufacturer. In addition, by evaluating and comparing the results of the proposed method with the results of previous research, it is shown that the proposed algorithm is a very effective and accurate method for the acceptable estimation of induction machine parameters

Anthropogenic and natural fragmentations shape the spatial distribution and genetic diversity of roe deer in the marginal area of its geographic range

Habitat destruction and fragmentation are major factors in the destruction of genetic diversity and affect the movement behavior of the Roe deer population in the remaining habitats. Here, we study the population and landscape genetics of Capreolus capreolus (roe deer) in northern and northwestern Iran using twelve polymorphism microsatellite markers. From 111 total specimens, 63 had successful extraction (6 feces, 35 tissues, 9 bones, and 13 antlers). We considered 30 microsatellite polymorphic loci, of which only 12 were amplified for our further analysis. For genetic diversity analysis, the Weir-Cockerham method was applied to measure the inbreeding coefficient (FIS) and fixation index (FST) for each locus as well as for each population. For landscape genetics, the susceptibility patterns of genetic variations were assessed using three hypotheses including isolation by distance (IBD), isolation by environment (IBE), isolation by resistance (IBR), and individual landscape genetic analysis. A habitat suitability map as an indicator of landscape resistance was constructed from several species distribution models (SDMs) algorithms including Generalized Boosting Models (GBM), Maximum Entropy (Maxent), Random Forest (RF), Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) and artificial neural networks (ANN) and an ensemble model. Our estimated FIs index showed that the Golestan, Arasbaran, and Guilan populations had the highest and lowest genetic diversity among roe deer populations. According to the Fst criterion, our results showed that Golestan and East Azarbaijan (Arasbaran) had the highest and Mazandaran had the lowest genetic distance patterns. Our results do not suggest that there is high genetic differentiation for roe deer in the region, with high levels of gene flow between study areas. We found that geographic distance has no significant relationship with genetic distance and that there is no significant relationship between the ecological niche non-similarity matrix and the genetic distance matrix. The most influential factors affecting gene flow in roe deer were aspect and elevation variables. The analysis suggests that the landscape has no significant influence on the structuring of the studied population and shows little genetic differentiation