Generation of pcdna 3.1+-gh as a recombinant expression vector of ostrich growth hormone cdna in saccharomyces cerevisiae

Growth hormone is essential hormone for vertebrates like the ostrich (Struthio camelus) for growth stimulation, carbohydrate metabolism, protein assimilation etc. Growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland and expressed in many cells and tissues. The purpose of this study was generation of pcDNA 3.1+-GH recombinant expression vector in order to sub-clone ostrich growth hormone cDNA into Escherichia coli. In brief, total RNA was extracted from the pituitary gland tissue and cDNA sample was synthesised. The cDNA was amplified by PCR and revealed a 672 bp fragment on 2% agarose gel electrophoresis. Then, the ostrich growth hormone cDNA was extracted from the gel and was cloned into pCR8/GW/TOPO vector by T/A cloning technique to produce pCR8/GW/TOPO-GH. After obtaining the sequence of cDNA of the ostrich in Iran, it was submitted in GenBank (Accession number: JN559394). Finally, the GH cDNA was sub-cloned using pcDNA 3.1+ into Saccharomyces cerevisiae and pcDNA 3.1+-GH recombinant expression vector was generated. The results of present study were showed that ostrich growth hormone cDNA was successfully sub-cloned into Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Therefore, the pcDNA 3.1+-GH recombinant expression vector generated in this study could be useful to express the ostrich growth hormone in yeast cells as a simple and affordable way to produce this hormone at a large scale

Spectrally narrow polarisation conversion in a slow-light photonic crystal waveguide

A narrow-band (3dB bandpass < 2 nm) transmission notch based on polarisation conversion within a SOI photonic crystal waveguide is demonstrated. Signal contrast between quasi- TE and TM eigenstates exceeding 40 dB is achieved. Further, multiple resonant wavelength coupling between the two eigenstates is also observed

Cardioprotective effects of deferoxamine in acute and subacute cardiotoxicities of doxorubicin: a randomized clinical trial

Background: Cardiotoxicity is a major concern following doxorubicin (DOX) use in the treatment of malignancies. We aimed to investigate whether deferoxamine (DFO) can prevent acute cardiotoxicity in children with cancer who were treated with DOX as part of their chemotherapy. Results: Sixty-two newly-diagnosed pediatric cancer patients aged 2–18 years with DOX as part of their treatment regimens were assigned to three groups: group 1 (no intervention, n = 21), group II (Deferoxamine (DFO) 10 times DOX dose, n = 20), and group III (DFO 50 mg/kg, n = 21). Patients in the intervention groups were pretreated with DFO 8-h intravenous infusion in each chemotherapy course during and after completion of DOX infusion. Conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography, serum concentrations of human brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were checked after the last course of chemotherapy. Sixty patients were analyzed. The level of cTnI was < 0.01 in all patients. Serum BNP was significantly lower in group 3 compared to control subjects (P = 0.036). No significant differences were observed in the parameters of Doppler echocardiography. Significant lower values of tissue Doppler late diastolic velocity at the lateral annulus of the tricuspid valve were noticed in group 3 in comparison with controls. By using Pearson analysis, tissue Doppler systolic velocity of the septum showed a marginally significant negative correlation with DOX dose (P = 0.05, r = − 0.308). No adverse effect was reported in the intervention groups. Conclusions: High-dose DFO (50 mg/kg) may serve as a promising cardioprotective agent at least at the molecular level in cancer patients treated with DOX. Further multicenter trials with longer follow-ups are needed to investigate its protective role in delayed DOX-induced cardiac damage. Trial registration IRCT, IRCT2016080615666N5. Registered 6 September 2016

Vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers and quantum dot lasers

The use of cavity to manipulate photon emission of quantum dots (QDs) has been opening unprecedented opportunities for realizing quantum functional nanophotonic devices and also quantum information devices. In particular, in the field of semiconductor lasers, QDs were introduced as a superior alternative to quantum wells to suppress the temperature dependence of the threshold current in vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs). In this work, a review of properties and development of semiconductor VECSEL devices and QD laser devices is given. Based on the features of VECSEL devices, the main emphasis is put on the recent development of technological approach on semiconductor QD VECSELs. Then, from the viewpoint of both single QD nanolaser and cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), a single-QD-cavity system resulting from the strong coupling of QD cavity is presented. A difference of this review from the other existing works on semiconductor VECSEL devices is that we will cover both the fundamental aspects and technological approaches of QD VECSEL devices. And lastly, the presented review here has provided a deep insight into useful guideline for the development of QD VECSEL technology and future quantum functional nanophotonic devices and monolithic photonic integrated circuits (MPhICs).Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0904.369

Improved ground-state modulation characteristics in 1.3 μm InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers by rapid thermal annealing

We investigated the ground-state (GS) modulation characteristics of 1.3 μm InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) lasers that consist of either as-grown or annealed QDs. The choice of annealing conditions was determined from our recently reported results. With reference to the as-grown QD lasers, one obtains approximately 18% improvement in the modulation bandwidth from the annealed QD lasers. In addition, the modulation efficiency of the annealed QD lasers improves by approximately 45% as compared to the as-grown ones. The observed improvements are due to (1) the removal of defects which act as nonradiative recombination centers in the QD structure and (2) the reduction in the Auger-related recombination processes upon annealing

A Comparative Study of Cervical Composite Restorations Microleakage Using Dental Universal Bonding and Two-step Self-etch Adhesive

© 2021. The Author(s). Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and non-commercial reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Aim: The aim of this study is to compare microleakage of cervical restorations using universal bonding and two-step self-etch adhesive with or without enamel etching through a dye penetration testing method. Materials and methods: In this in vitro experimental study, 70 maxillary premolar teeth with no anomaly or decay were randomly divided into five groups of 14. Conventional cervical cavities were prepared with diamond bur on the facial surface of the teeth. The teeth were prepared using G-Premio Bond/self-etch technique, G-Premio Bond/total-etch technique, G-Premio Bond/selective-etch technique, Clearfil SE Bond/ self-etch technique, and Clearfil SE Bond/selective-etch technique in Groups I to V, respectively, and restored with composite. Microleakage at the occlusal enamel margin and the cervical dentinal margin was ranked from 0 to 4 based on dye penetration using stereomicroscope (×32). Statistical analysis was carried out using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests at a significance level of α = 0.05. Results: The mean occlusal microleakage in the five study groups was 1.07, 0.57, 0.57, 1.28, and 0.78, respectively. The mean cervical microleakage was 0.97, 0.85, 0.64, 1.35, and 1.14, respectively. Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant difference between the microleakage scores of different groups in enamel (p = 0.022) and dentin (p = 0.01). Clearfil SE Bond/self-etch technique group showed the highest mean score of microleakage in enamel margins, and G-Premio Bond/total-etch technique and G-Premio Bond/selective-etch technique groups showed lowest enamel microleakage mean. Clearfil SE Bond/self-etch group showed the highest mean score of microleakage in dentin margins, while G-Premio Bond/ selective-etch technique group showed the lowest mean score of dentin microleakage. Conclusion: Selective etching of enamel will decrease enamel microleakage. G-Premio Bond shows better microleakage results in comparison to Clearfil SE Bond in dentinal margins. Clinical significance: A major problem in cervical composite restorations is the presence of microleakage in the cervical wall. Different adhesive systems have been designed to overcome this problem

Effect of Silver nanoparticles and hydroalcholic extract of Ginger and Camphor on liver tissue and enzymes

Background: Active metabolites are formed during the metabolism of toxins that can damage the liver. Using plants in treatment of the liver diseases has a long history. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Camphor have antioxidant and disinfectant properties that in combination with nano-silver can be more effective in the prevention and treatment of the diseases. Materials and Methods: In this study, the effects of Ginger, Camphor and Silver nanoparticles on the liver toxicity of thioacetamide was examined. Rats were divided into six groups (n=10), then the control group was treated with saline and the treatment groups with Ginger and Camphor extracts, 3000ppm dose of Silver nanoparticles and the combination of the three materials. Five mice in each group were sampled from the heart and their liver tissues isolated. The thioacetamide 50mg / kg was injected for the remaining 5 mice in each group during the two consecutive days. Blood samples were taken 48 hours after the last injection and then the liver tissues isolated. Finally, SGPT and SGOT enzymes were measured. Results: The combination of the three materials significantly decreased the SGOT enzyme after the liver toxicity. Hepatocytes and liver tissue in this group had suffered less damage than other groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: Ginger can have a protective effect on liver, but combination of the substances can have more protective effect

Nandrolone Plus Moderate Exercise Increases the Susceptibility to Lethal Arrhythmias

BACKGROUND: Until now, no experimental study has directly assessed the arrhythmogenesis of chronic consumption of anabolic androgenic steroids along with moderate-intensity endurance exercise. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the influence of integration of anabolic androgenic steroids along with moderate-intensity endurance exercise on susceptibility to lethal ventricular arrhythmias in rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The animal groups were as follows: control group (CTL); exercise group (EX) which were under 6 weeks of treadmill exercise; nandrolone group (Nan) which received 5 mg/kg of nandrolone decanoate twice a week; vehicle group (Arach) which received Arachis oil (solvent of nandrolone); trained vehicle group (Arach + Ex); and trained nandrolone group (Nan + Ex). One day after ending of the intervention period, arrhythmia was inducted by intravenous infusion of aconitine and ventricular arrhythmias were recorded. Then malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) of heart tissue were measured. RESULTS: Nandrolone, exercise, and their combination were associated with heart hypertrophy. Exercise could prevent the incremental effect of nandrolone on MDA/GPX ratio. Chronic administration of nandrolone with moderate-intensity endurance exercise had no significant effect on blood pressure, heart rate, and basal electrocardiographic parameters. Combination of nandrolone and exercise significantly increased the incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and reduced the VF latency (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that chronic coadministration of nandrolone with moderate-intensity endurance exercise facilitates the VF occurrence in rat. Complementary studies are needed to elucidate the involved mechanisms of this abnormality

Feasibility and Therapeutic Potential of Combined Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy with Intensive Chemotherapy for Pediatric Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Metastatic Neuroblastoma

Background Recent evidence has demonstrated high expression of somatostatin receptors in neuroblastoma (NB) cells. Because of this, we endeavored to evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical efficacy of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) using 177Lu-DOTATATE combined with chemotherapy in pediatric NB patients. Patients and Methods In total, 14 pediatric patients with histopathologically confirmed NB underwent 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT. Among them, the patients who were refractory or relapsed after therapy with 131I-MIBG and had intensive uptake of 68Ga-DOTATATE were referred for PRRT using 177Lu-DOTATATE. Treatment response based on follow-up imaging was classified into complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease. After each cycle of PRRT, laboratory tests were performed for evaluation of hematological, renal, and hepatic toxicities. The CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events; version 4.03) was used for grading adverse event. Curie score and International Society of Pediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma score were used for semiquantitative analysis of scans of patients who underwent PRRT. In addition, overall survival was calculated as the time interval between the date of the first cycle and the end of follow-up or death. Results Overall, 14 refractory NB children including 7 boys and 7 girls with a median age of 5.5 years (ranged from 4 to 9) underwent 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT. PET/CT was positive in 10/14 patients (71.4%), and the median number of detected lesions in positive patients was 2 (range, 1-13). Of 14 patients, 5 patients underwent PRRT, including 3 boys and 2 girls. A total of 19 PRRT cycles and 66.4 GBq 177Lu-DOTATATE were given. Among these 5 patients, 2 showed an initial complete response, which relapsed a few months later, 1 showed a partial response, and 2 showed progressive disease. According to the Kaplan-Meier test, the overall survival was estimated at 14.5 months (95% confidence interval, 8.9-20.1). In evaluation of PRRT-related toxicity according to the CTCAE, 4 patients showed grade 1, and 1 showed grade 2 leukopenia. Two patients showed grade 1, and 2 others showed grade 2 anemia. Two patients showed grade 1, and 3 patients showed grade 2 thrombocytopenia. Serum creatinine in 1 patient increased to grade 1. Conclusions Combination of 177Lu-DOTATATE with chemotherapeutic agents might achieve worthwhile responses with low toxicity, encouraging survival in NB patients who have relapsed or are refractory to conventional therapy, including 131I-MIBG therapy. Imaging with 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in such patients has a relatively high detection efficacy, demonstrating its potential use as an alternative imaging tool to conventional modalities such as 123I/131I-MIBG. However, further well-designed trials are highly warranted