Peculiarities of the comparative metallograms of the uroconcrements having urates as dominant component and phosphates as dominant component

Investigations were made on uroconcrements collected from two groups of subjects (patients) with kidney stones and admitted in the hospital. In the first step, using Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) the types of uroconcrements were defined. Further on, a limited number of uroconcrements were analyzed by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) in order to determine the concentration of the some alkaline (Na, K) and alkaline-earth (Ca, Mg) metals in their composition. From the first group only the uroconcrements having urates as dominant components and from the second group only the uroconcrements having phosphates as dominant components were selected. The comparison of the obtained metallograms revealed aspects about the types of lithiasis and their specificity

Aspects of the homeostasis changes induced by the gallium complex C(24) in experiments on rats

The action of the Ga complex C(24) on some serum biochemical parameters in rats was studied in two different day times, i.e. morning and evening. There were analyzed : total serum proteins (PRO); serum albumin (ALB); serum non-protein nitrogenous compounds, i.e. uric acid (UA), creatinine (CRE), blood ureea nitrogen (BUN); calcemia and magnesiemia. The obtained values and calculation of differences made possible to evidence homeostasis changes occurring in two direction: conditioned by time (choronobiochemistry) and conditioned by the administered xenobiotic (i.e. the studied Ga complex)

Assessment of serum metallograms in patients with purine urolithiasis before and after treatment

Investigations on the homeostasis of the hydroelectrolytic metabolism is important in the assessment of the uroconcrements’ biogenesis and of the therapeutic effects (based on diverse procedures). Our investigations have been performed on patients with purine urolithiasis included in two groups, according to the applied treatment for the removal of the uroconcrements. A group included 23 patients who underwent surgical treatment and the other group included 18 patients treated with Extracorporeal Shock-Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL). Before and after the therapeutic procedure the serum metallograms of the main alkaline (Na, K) and alkaline-earth (Ca, Mg) metals were determined by using spectrophotometry. The obtained results revealed post-treatment changes in the serum metallogram as follows: increase of natriemia and calcemia; decrease of kaliemia and magnesiemia in both groups. The find data show the dyshomeostasis of the main alkaline and alkaline-earth metals after the treatment underlying their implication in urolithogenesis

Chronobiological changes induced by the gallium complex C(24) in some hematological parameters in rats

In the present research the authors proposed to monitor possible chronobiological changes in some hematological parameters (erythrocytes, leukocytes and thrombocytes) of Wistar strain rats induced by the novel gallium complex - C(24). For this purpose a morning (m) and an evening (e) animal series were designed, each including a control (Cp) and an experimental (E) group. Animals of the control groups (Cp-m, Cp-e) were injected intraperitoneally with polyethylene glycol and those from the experimental groups (E-m, E-e) with the novel gallium complex in the morning and in the evening. At 48 hours after the administration of substances the animals were anesthetized and blood samples were collected for biochemical and hematological analysis. Erythrocytes, leukocytes and thrombocytes parameters were determined. The resulted values showed an increase in most of erythrocytes parameters in E-m group and a slight decrease of all parameters in E-e group. As to leukocytes parameters an increase of most values both in E-m and E-e groups was recorded. Platelets parameters indicated decrease both in E-m and E-e groups, being more evident in case of platelets number

Electrophoresis - Life Sciences Practical Applications

Electrophoresis is a widely used method in the field of life sciences, having multiple practical applications in physical, chemical, biochemical, and molecular biology domains. This book contains 8 chapters depicting various applications of this technique in biochemistry, molecular biology, and physical chemistry. This book presents the link between the exposed method and its applications in a very explicit manner and offers a wide range of practical examples. The book provides not only a vision of actual methods but also their necessary further improvements and suggested developments. Therefore, a particular attention was given to the described techniques as true guidelines in the fields where electrophoresis is recommended, being useful for not only the scientists but also the laboratory clinicians

Xenobiochemic specificity of the deoxyribonucleic acid interaction with some cytostatic chemotherapeutics

The mostly recommended methods in oncotherapy are the surgical intervention, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination between them. The chemotherapy consists in the use of various drugs among which the most important are : the alkylating agents, antimetabolites, steroid hormones, antibiotics, phyto alkaloids, metal based drugs. In this review there are discussed the molecular mechanisms of the interaction of an alkylating cytostatic, i.e. cyclophosphamide (2 bis( -chloroethyl) amino-1-oxa-3-aza-2-phosphocyclohexan-2-oxide) – Cp and of a metal based cytostatic, i.e. cis-platinumum (cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum) - cDDP with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Cyclophosphamide and cis-platinum present similar mechanism of interaction with DNA. Interacting with DNA these cytostatics give rise to mono- and bidentate adducts. The topics are of interest for comparative medicine (veterinary and human medicine). A particular importance arising from the appearance of the DNA-chemotherapeutic adducts is that these compounds can be detected analytically and can provide information on the consequences of the biochemical injury. Detection of DNA adducts is useful not only for the diagnosis of neoplastic diseases, but also for biomonitoring the evolution during chemotherapy

Silk ProteinsEnriched Nanocomposite Hydrogels Based on Modified MMT Clay and Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane Sulfonic Acid) Display Favorable Properties for Soft Tissue Engineering

Due to their remarkable structures and properties, three-dimensional hydrogels and nanostructured clay particles have been extensively studied and have shown a high potential for tissue engineering as solutions for tissue defects. In this study, four types of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid/montmorillonite (HEMA/AMPSA/MMT) hydrogels enriched with sericin, and fibroin were prepared and studied in the context of regenerative medicine for soft tissue regenerative medicine. Our aim was to obtain crosslinked hydrogel structures using modified montmorillonite clay as a crosslinking agent. In order to improve the in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility, silk proteins were further incorporated within the hydrogel matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) were performed to prove the chemical structures of the modified MMT and nanocomposite hydrogels. Swelling and rheological measurements showed the good elastic behavior of the hydrogels due to this unique network structure in which modified MMT acts as a crosslinking agent. Hydrogel biocompatibility was assessed by MTT, LDH and LIVE/DEAD assays. The hydrogels were evaluated for their potential to support adipogenesis in vitro and human stem cells isolated from adipose tissue were seeded in them and induced to differentiate. The progress was assessed by evaluation of expression of adipogenic markers (ppar-γ2, perilipin) evaluated by qPCR. The potential of the materials to support tissue regeneration was further evaluated on animal models in vivo. All materials proved to be biocompatible, with better results on the 95% HEMA 5% AMPSA enriched with sericin and fibroin material. This composition promoted a better development of adipogenesis compared to the other compositions studied, due the addition of sericin and fibroin. The results were confirmed in vivo as well, with a better progress of soft tissue regeneration after implantation in mice. Therefore, hydrogel 95% HEMA 5% AMPSA enriched with sericin as well as fibroin showed the best results that recommend it for future soft tissue engineering application

Electrospun Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanofibers Loaded with Silver Nanoparticles: Novel Approach in Anti-Infective Therapy

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a major pollutant polymer, due to its wide use in food packaging and fiber production industries worldwide. Currently, there is great interest for recycling the huge amount of PET-based materials, derived especially from the food and textile industries. In this study, we applied the electrospinning technique to obtain nanostructured fibrillary membranes based on PET materials. Subsequently, the recycled PET networks were decorated with silver nanoparticles through the chemical reduction method for antimicrobial applications. After the characterization of the materials in terms of crystallinity, chemical bonding, and morphology, the effect against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungal strains, was investigated. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility tests were performed in order to open up potential biomedical applications, such as wound dressings or implant coatings. Silver-decorated fibers showed lower cytotoxicity and inflammatory effects and increased antibiofilm activity, thus highlighting the potential of these systems for antimicrobial purposes