Imaging and visualising nanometre scale surface geometry of a crystalline mineral (SiO2) in monochromatic spectra

Digital microphotography and image analysis is considered as an important tool in sedimentology and mineralogy for the assessment of physical characteristics at micro and nano level. In this paper the present authors attempted to apply digital imaging technique to visualise the surface geometry of Quartz at nanometre scale. For that purpose a quartz specimen was picked up from microphotography of a thick section of sediment layer and 1?m X 1 ?m base image was prepared for digital operation with sophisticated software. Reflectance capacity of the particle has been considered to measure the surface condition. An automated contour plotting was done from the base image. Surface condition was also analysed by reflective radiance measurement. Four images based on greyscale, black body law, pseudo colour composition and landscape were prepared for detailed assessment of quartz nanomorphology. A 3D image was also consulted for understanding the geometry of the surface of quartz

Geo-electrical mapping and groundwater potential zoning in some selected pockets of Baromura hill of Tripura (India)

Baromura hill of Tripura is characterised by complex geology and very rugged landform. Water scarcity is a very general problem for the remote hilly villages of this area. Thus groundwater is considered as one of the most valuable natural resources in hilly villages of Baromura hill. The present study aims to prepare small area survey based geo-electrical mapping for understanding groundwater condition in some selected pockets of the study area. For that purpose one hill slope and one trough shaped low land (locally known as lunga) was selected. Soil resistivity meter was used for electrical survey. A circle plot was prepared for geo-electrical survey on the basis of which geo-electrical maps were drawn. In the studied hill slope morphology four sectors of ground water conditions were observed according to their electrical resistivity character namely shallowest zone, medium zone, deep zone and very deep zone. The trough shaped low land (lunga) is characterised by comparatively shallower condition of groundwater and it was divided into five classes namely near surface water, very shallow zone, shallow zone, medium shallow zone and medium zone. Though the depth of the water bearing strata cannot be detected by this method it is very suitable for understanding the groundwater potential zones in remote places like present study area

Dopamine Regulates Angiogenesis in Normal Dermal Wound Tissues

Cutaneous wound healing is a normal physiological process and comprises different phases. Among these phases, angiogenesis or new blood vessel formation in wound tissue plays an important role. Skin is richly supplied by sympathetic nerves and evidences indicate the significant role of the sympathetic nervous system in cutaneous wound healing. Dopamine (DA) is an important catecholamine neurotransmitter released by the sympathetic nerve endings and recent studies have demonstrated the potent anti-angiogenic action of DA, which is mediated through its D2 DA receptors. We therefore postulate that this endogenous catecholamine neurotransmitter may have a role in the neovascularization of dermal wound tissues and subsequently in the process of wound healing. In the present study, the therapeutic efficacy of D2 DA receptor antagonist has been investigated for faster wound healing in a murine model of full thickness dermal wound. Our results indicate that treatment with specific D2 DA receptor antagonist significantly expedites the process of full thickness normal dermal wound healing in mice by inducing angiogenesis in wound tissues. The underlined mechanisms have been attributed to the up-regulation of homeobox transcription factor HoxD3 and its target α5β1 integrin, which play a pivotal role in wound angiogenesis. Since D2 DA receptor antagonists are already in clinical use for other disorders, these results have significant translational value from the bench to the bedside for efficient wound management along with other conventional treatment modalities

Geo-electrical mapping and groundwater potential zoning in some selected pockets of Baromura hill of Tripura (India)

Baromura hill of Tripura is characterised by complex geology and very rugged landform. Water scarcity is a very general problem for the remote hilly villages of this area. Thus groundwater is considered as one of the most valuable natural resources in hilly villages of Baromura hill. The present study aims to prepare small area survey based geo-electrical mapping for understanding groundwater condition in some selected pockets of the study area. For that purpose one hill slope and one trough shaped low land (locally known as lunga) was selected. Soil resistivity meter was used for electrical survey. A circle plot was prepared for geo-electrical survey on the basis of which geo-electrical maps were drawn. In the studied hill slope morphology four sectors of ground water conditions were observed according to their electrical resistivity character namely shallowest zone, medium zone, deep zone and very deep zone. The trough shaped low land (lunga) is characterised by comparatively shallower condition of groundwater and it was divided into five classes namely near surface water, very shallow zone, shallow zone, medium shallow zone and medium zone. Though the depth of the water bearing strata cannot be detected by this method it is very suitable for understanding the groundwater potential zones in remote places like present study area

One pot method to synthesize three-dimensional porous hydroxyapatite nanocomposite for bone tissue engineering

A three-dimensional porous hydroxyapatite nanocomposite has been synthesized by a simple, less energy consuming and cost effective one-pot method. In this study, gelatin foam has been used as pore forming agent and incorporated in carboxymethyl cellulose-hydroxyapatite system in composite formation stage. A three-dimensional porous polymers-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite has been formed as a final product. The synthesized porous nanocomposite has been thoroughly characterized by different techniques. It was found that the nanocomposite is highly porous with almost 80% porosity, and has multi-scale pores from 2.5 to 900 mu m in size. Furthermore, the synthesized porous composite has compressive strength \~ 11.8 +/- 1.5 MPa and modulus \~ 0.243 +/- 0.031 GPa, in the range of cancellous bone. Moreover, the nanocomposite provides favorable environment to cells for proliferation, high alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and extracellular mineralization. In vitro degradation of synthesized nanocomposites was tested in simulated body fluid. Results ascertained that the synthesized porous hydroxyapatite nanocomposite would be a promising scaffold for bone tissue engineeri

Tumor Microenvironment and Its Role in Racial Disparities Observed in Prostate Cancer

Disparities in cancer are common among the racial and ethnical minorities in the United States and are of significant social and clinical concern. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous malignancy in American men and exhibits substantial racial disparities with African American men bearing the highest burden in terms of incidence and mortality. A multitude of factors, including socioeconomic, behavioral, and access to healthcare, have been implicated as the underlying causes of such disparities. More recent data also suggest that there are inherent genetic and biological differences in prostate tumors of patients having distinct racial backgrounds. Tumor microenvironment has tremendous impact on the course of cancer progression and clinical outcome and may also contribute to the racial disparities observed in prostate cancer. A better understanding of critical differences in the tumor microenvironment components will provide newer directions to study the biological causes of prostate cancer health disparities and may identify novel therapeutic targets. This review discusses the findings related to the tumor microenvironment differences between the of African American and Caucasian American prostate cancer patients to suggest their potential significance in prostate cancer disparities

Facile synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced polymer-hydroxyapatite ternary composite: A mechanically strong bioactive bone graft

Carbon fiber reinforced carboxymethyl cellulose-hydroxyapatite ternary composites have been synthesized by a simple wet precipitation method for weight bearing orthopedic application. Composites were synthesized with the incorporation of chemically functionalized carbon fibers. The functional groups onto the surface of fibers induced the formation of hydroxyapatite at the bridging position through which fibers were effectively bound with matrix. Consequently, the flexural strength and compressive strength of composite have reached to 140 MPa and 118 MPa, respectively. The flexural modulus of the composite is in the range of 9-22 GPa. In-vitro cell study showed that the composite possesses excellent cell proliferation and differentiation ability. With these excellent mechanical and biological properties, synthesized composite exhibits potential to be used as a mechanically compatible bioactive bone graft

Three-dimensional cellulose-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite enriched with dexamethasone loaded metal-organic framework: a local drug delivery system for bone tissue engineering

Three-dimensional cellulose-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite integrated with dexamethasone loaded metal organic framework (HA/DMOF) has been synthesized as a local drug delivery system for bone tissue engineering. Initially, in situ dexamethasone encapsulated metal-organic frameworks (DMOFs) were developed and characterized. The synthesized DMOFs are 60-80nm in size with rhombohedral morphology. Results showed that nearly 16% dexamethasone (Dex) was loaded in DMOFs. These synthesized DMOF nanoparticles were efficiently integrated with carboxymethyl cellulose-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite for the development of three dimensional localized drug delivery system, namely, HA/DMOF. The synthesized HA/DMOF nanocomposite was structurally characterized using various techniques. The mechanical properties of HA/DMOFs were also measured by means of compression test. It was found that the compressive strength and compressive modulus of HA/DMOF nanocomposite are 16.31.57MPa and 0.54 +/- 0.073GPa respectively, which are in the range of cancellous bone. In-vitro release behaviour of Dex from both DMOFs and HA/DMOFs was examined in phosphate buffered solution. It was found that Dex molecules have been released very slowly from HA/DMOF nanocomposite compared to DMOF nanoparticles, and it was sustained for 4weeks. Cytocompatibility of HA/DMOF nanocomposite was evaluated against pre-osteoblast MC3T3 cells. It was found that the synthesized HA/DMOF nanocomposite is compatible to MC3T3 cells. Moreover, the ALP activity and extracellular mineralization capability of cells were enhanced when cultured with HA/DMOF nanocomposite. Results showed that the synthesized HA/DMOF nanocomposite is a promising material for possible therapeutic as well as load-bearing orthopedic applications. GRAPHICS]

Cardiovascular Complications in Patients with Prostate Cancer: Potential Molecular Connections

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and complications are often seen in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and affect their clinical management. Despite acceptable safety profiles and patient compliance, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), the mainstay of PCa treatment and chemotherapy, has increased cardiovascular risks and metabolic syndromes in patients. A growing body of evidence also suggests that patients with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions show an increased incidence of PCa and present with fatal forms of the disease. Therefore, it is possible that a molecular link exists between the two diseases, which has not yet been unraveled. This article provides insight into the connection between PCa and CVDs. In this context, we present our findings linking PCa progression with patients’ cardiovascular health by performing a comprehensive gene expression study, gene set enrichment (GSEA) and biological pathway analysis using publicly available data extracted from patients with advanced metastatic PCa. We also discuss the common androgen deprivation strategies and CVDs most frequently reported in PCa patients and present evidence from various clinical trials that suggest that therapy induces CVD in PCa patients

Development of lignocellulosic biomass derived Cu and Zn doped highly porous activated carbon and its utilization in the anti-microbial treatment

A detailed study has been carried out to develop a process which can yield highly porous activated carbons from lignocellulosic biomasses and check the antimicrobial properties by doping with metals such as Cu and Zn. According to the availability of the waste biomasses in the Indian subcontinent especially in the North-Eastern region which is considered a biomass hotpot, activated carbon samples were prepared using rubber wood sawdust, ramie fibre and areca husk as they are available in plenty. The activated carbons were prepared using a modified thermo-chemical treatment at different temperatures and activation time to increase the surface area of the activated carbon samples which was found to be in the range of 346–1998 m2/g. The activated carbon samples were found to have thereby exhibited good antimicrobial activity against E.coli on the incorporation of suitable metals such as Cu and Zn into the highly porous carbon matrix. The activated carbon samples which were prepared at 700 °C using rubber wood sawdust and areca fibres reported a better bactericidal effect ranging between 75 and 93.5% against the carbon dosages ranging between 10 and 20 g/L of water samples containing E. coli. The antimicrobial killings were confirmed through the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) process by using UV Visible Spectroscopy. Various analytical methods such as DSC, FTIR, BET and FESEM-EDX etc. were applied to describe the properties of the samples. This study will give more information about the utilization of activated carbons for drinking water purification purposes