Evaluation of the combined therapeutic effect of methylprednisolone and cerebrolysin in traumatic medullar lesion

Objectives: The pharmacological effects of Methylprednisolone and Cerebrolysin have been extensively debated, but from our knowledge there are no studies to evaluate the association of these two drugs in spinal cord injury (SCI).Methods: Twenty-four Wistar rats underwent traumatic spinal cord injury by using clip-compression model. The animals were divided into four groups: group I received Methylprednisolone (MP); group II was injected with Cerebrolysin (C); group III received Methylprednisolone together with Cerebrolysin (MP+C); in the control group we have performed only decompression. The motor recovery of the animals was evaluated using the Ferguson et al. modification of the BBB scale. After ten days the rats were sacrificed. Results: The study demonstrated that the MP + C group presented the most notable recovery of the motor function, but no statistically significant (p>0,05). The first and the second group also presented better results than the fourth group, but the enhanced recovery of those group relative to control group was not statistically significant (p>0,05) Conclusion: The combination of MP and Cerebrolysin in experimental conditions seems to have promising results, but more experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the real benefit for SCI patients

Investigations concerning the influence of sports trainings carried out in a protected area (Natura 2000 site) on various physiological and biological parameters for athletes

The study propose a comparative analysis of biochemical and physiological parameters and their dynamics in athletes training in two different locations: the campus stadium in the Oradea University and a protected area- Valea Roşie Natura 2000 site. The research was conducted between 31st of May 2016 –9th of June 2016 on the players of a female volleyball team of Oradea’s University Sport Club, aged between 18 and 24. We used Polar RC3 heart rate monitor, monitoring: distance travelled in each exercise, duration, calories consumed, heart rate, minimum and maximum altitude. After the effort, biological samples were taken, analysing the following indices: Creatine kinase (CK), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Sideremia; the data interpretation and the results highlighted that organizing outdoor trainings in sites like Natura 2000 has a favourable influence on the biochemical parameters, had a contribution to "breaking" the routine and being a motivating factor for athletes in their activity

DFT Study of Binding and Electron Transfer from a Metal-Free Dye with Carboxyl, Hydroxyl, and Sulfonic Anchors to a Titanium Dioxide Nanocluster

We report results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations of a metal-free dye, 5-(4-sulfophenylazo)salicylic acid disodium salt, known as Mordant Yellow 10 (MY-10), used as sensitizer for TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Given the need to better understand the behavior of the dyes adsorbed on the TiO2 nanoparticle, we studied various single and double deprotonated forms of the dye bound to a TiO2 cluster, taking advantage of the presence of the carboxyl, hydroxyl, and sulfonic groups as possible anchors. We discuss various binding configurations to the TiO2 substrate and the charge transfer from the pigment to the oxide by means of DFT calculations. In agreement with other reports, we find that the carboxyl group tends to bind in bidentate bridging configurations. The salicylate uses both the carboxyl and hydroxyl substituent groups for either a tridentate binding to adjacent Ti(IV) ions or a bidentate Ti-O binding together with an O-H-O binding, due to the rotation of the carboxyl group out of the plane of the dye. The sulfonic group prefers a tridentate binding. We analyze the propensity for electron transfer of the various dyes and find that for MY-10, as a function of the anchor group, the DSSC performance decreases in the order hydroxyl + carboxyl > carboxyl > sulfonate

Impact of the Liquid Crystal Order of Poly(azomethine-sulfone)s on the Semiconducting Properties

Organic semiconductors are an attractive class of materials with large application in various fields, from optoelectronics to biomedicine. Usually, organic semiconductors have low electrical conductivity, and different routes towards improving said conductivity are being investigated. One such method is to increase their ordering degree, which not only improves electrical conduction but promotes cell growth, adhesion, and proliferation at the polymer–tissue interface. The current paper proposes a mathematical model for understanding the influence of the ordering state on the electrical properties of the organic semiconductors. To this end, a series of aromatic poly(azomethine)s were prepared as thin films in both amorphous and ordered states, and their supramolecular and electrical properties were analyzed by polarized light microscopy and surface type cells, respectively. Furthermore, the film surface characteristics were investigated by atomic force microscopy. It was established that the manufacture of thin films from mesophase state induced an electrical conductivity improvement of one order of magnitude. A mathematical model was developed in the framework of a multifractal theory of motion in its Schrodinger representation. The model used the order degree of the thin films as a fractality measure of the physical system’s representation in the multifractal space. It proposed two types of conductivity, which manifest at different ranges of fractalization degrees. The mathematical predictions were found to be in line with the empirical data