LIPID PEROXIDATION AND ANTIOXIDANT STATUS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN MIDDLE AGED AND ELDERLY POPULATION

Objective : In recent years a large body of experimental research indicates that oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses are related to processes  such as aging and several diseases.Vitamins and antioxidant enzymes have a fundamental role in defending organisms from oxidative stress.The objective of present study was to compare age related oxidative stress in middle aged and older subjects. Design: The present hospital based nonintervention cross sectional study was designed to evaluate age related oxidative stress and its impact in 40 middle aged (35-55y) and 40 older subjects (60y)  by measuring Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive substances (TBARs) for lipid  peroxidation vis-à-vis antioxidant defense with estimatimation of plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) and serum alpha-tocopherol concentration . Intervention: none Results: On the basis of the data obtained from our study it was evident that concentration of Thiobarbituric Acid reactive substances were significantly higher in older subjects, whereas enzymatic antioxidant serum superoxide dismutase and free radical scavenging alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) were significantly lower in elderly age group than middle aged subjects. Conclusion :The present study provides some important information regarding age related oxidative stress in elderly population compared to middle aged subjects. Lipid peroxidation which refers to oxidative degradation of lipids and acts as an oxidative  stressor in the organism is significantly higher in elderly subjects but in so far as antioxidants are concerned we observe that they are significantly lower in elderly than middle aged subjects. Keywords: aging, antioxidant ,lipid peroxidation, oxidative stres

EFFECT OF SUB MAXIMAL EXERCISE ON ENDOTHELIUM-DERIVED NITRIC OXIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN HEALTHY YOUNG SUBJECTS.

Objective: To determine any possible contribution of 10 minutes single session sub maximal exercise on Nitric oxide level in healthy young population.Design: A descriptive observational study on forty healthy volunteers (20 male & 20 female) of 20-30 years designed to evaluate the level of nitric oxide after 10 minutes cycling.Intervention:  Young populations are allowed to exercise in a bicycle ergo meter for 10 minutes regular exercise under protocol YMCA Sub maximal Cycle Ergo meter Testing against a constant workload.  Main outcome measures: Serum Creatine Phosphokinase  and  Nitrate-Nitrite ratio (Surrogate marker of nitric oxide)  measured. Continuous heart rate monitoring is done from ECG system. Vo2 max calculated and energy expenditure for physical activity obtained from prediction equation after adjusting age, gender & body mass.Results: Comparison of Activity Energy Expenditure (AEE) before and after exercise done, (p value<0.0001)(n = 40).  Significant amount of  work done in this exercise. Increase in the serum creatine phosphokinase level (p value<0.0001). Serum Nitrate-Nitrite ratio (nitric oxide level) showed increase (p value 0.1113) in post exercise level.Conclusion: As far as energy expenditure concerned, significant muscular activity in both male & female showed insignificant endothelium derived Nitric oxide production. On the basis of the data obtained it is evident that in a single session sub maximal exercise beneficial effect of vasodilator Nitric oxide was not observed in studied  young population.Keywords: sub maximal exercise, activity energy expenditure, nitrate-nitrite ratio

Hygrothermal simulation-informed design of mesoporous desiccants for optimised energy efficiency of mixed mode air conditioning systems

This paper describes an optimization technique using hygrothermal numerical modelling to determine an ideal and unknown isotherm in order to inform the design of optimised mesoporous desiccants. Their suitability for passive humidity buffering as well as their impact on energy efficiency was assessed when assisting a mixed mode air-conditioning (AC) system. Three clear stages of water vapour adsorption were found that strongly correspond to the Dw gradient when assessing the kinetics of adsorption and exchange rates for periodic moisture loads. Consistent agreement was found between the latent heat of dehumidification used by the AC system and the desiccant decay time after successive sorption loop cycles. This confirmed the material's suitability for specific applications and was found to be highly sensitive to the portion of the isotherm between φi,L - φi,U (Dw gradient), compared with full adsorption capacity (total w) when assessing total energy consumption. The experimental results of sorption kinetics appeared to be slightly underestimated between the Dw gradient and the response time to reach equilibrium moisture content (EMC). The major underestimations were found to be consistent with the kinetics of adsorption/desorption when analysing their significance based on w differences. These were largely attributed to a combination of adsorption kinetics (time-response) and adsorption/desorption hysteresis. However, this was not evident when comparing long-term experimental data and numerical estimations for water vapour sorption isotherms, since numerical model accurately predicted them. This suggests that both adsorption kinetics and the scanning curve prediction, within a hysteresis loop, are not accurately represented by current hygrothermal models and are hence a priority for future research

Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Surface Functionalization Strategies

Surface functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are a kind of novel functional materials, which have been widely used in the biotechnology and catalysis. This review focuses on the recent development and various strategies in preparation, structure, and magnetic properties of naked and surface functionalized iron oxide NPs and their corresponding application briefly. In order to implement the practical application, the particles must have combined properties of high magnetic saturation, stability, biocompatibility, and interactive functions at the surface. Moreover, the surface of iron oxide NPs could be modified by organic materials or inorganic materials, such as polymers, biomolecules, silica, metals, etc. The problems and major challenges, along with the directions for the synthesis and surface functionalization of iron oxide NPs, are considered. Finally, some future trends and prospective in these research areas are also discussed