Novel additive for sperm cryopreservation media: Holotheria parva coelomic cavity extract protects human spermatozoa against oxidative stress—A pilot study

Cryopreservation is the most effective method for preserving semen for a long period of time. However, during the freeze–thaw process, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to a steep reduction in sperm fertility indices. In this study, we tested the effects of the extract of the coelomic cavity of five Holotheria parva, a marine organism rich in antioxidants, for its ROS-scavenging activity and cryoprotective effects on oxidative stress. Using a total of 50 semen samples, our results demonstrated that doses of 250 and 500 µg/ml of H. parva coelomic cavity extract significantly increased sperm vitality as compared to the control (p <.05). The addition of 250 µg/ml of the extract exerted a significant positive effect on sperm motility. Moreover, sperm DNA damage and ROS production were significantly reduced at extract concentrations of 250 and 500 µg/ml (p <.05). To the best of our knowledge, the results of this study represent the first demonstration of the possibility of improving sperm parameters and reducing ROS production and DNA damage by supplementing sperm freezing media with H. parva coelomic extract. Our results suggested that H. parva coelomic extract could be useful for improving the fertilising ability of frozen-thawed human semen

Path analysis of the relationship between optimism, humor, affectivity, and marital satisfaction among infertile couples

Marital satisfaction is an important factor for establishing a family relationship, feeling satisfied, and living happily together. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between optimism, humor, positive and negative affect, and marital satisfaction among infertile couples. The sample comprised 80 infertile Iranian couples (n = 160) who visited infertility clinics. Participants completed a series of Persian versions of psychometric scales related to optimism (Attributional Style Questionnaire), humor (Humor Styles Questionnaire), marital satisfaction (Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire), positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). The obtained result of Smart PLS statistical analysis confirmed the significant positive correlation between optimism and humor with marital satisfaction and high PA and low NA. Moreover, the findings also provided an adequate fit of the model. The findings demonstrated that infertile couples high in optimism and humor have higher levels of marital satisfaction and high PA and low PA. Based on the study’s findings, interventions for facilitating optimism and humor among infertile couples are discussed

Purification and immobilization of engineered glucose dehydrogenase: A new approach to producing gluconic acid from breadwaste

Background Platform chemicals are essential to industrial processes. Used as starting materials for the manufacture of diverse products, their cheap availability and efficient sourcing are an industrial requirement. Increasing concerns about the depletion of natural resources and growing environmental consciousness have led to a focus on the economics and ecological viability of bio-based platform chemical production. Contemporary approaches include the use of immobilized enzymes that can be harnessed to produce high-value chemicals from waste. Results In this study, an engineered glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) was optimized for gluconic acid (GA) production. Sulfolobus solfataricus GDH was expressed in Escherichia coli. The Km and Vmax values for recombinant GDH were calculated as 0.87 mM and 5.91 U/mg, respectively. Recombinant GDH was immobilized on a hierarchically porous silica support (MM-SBA-15) and its activity was compared with GDH immobilized on three commercially available supports. MM-SBA-15 showed significantly higher immobilization efficiency (> 98%) than the commercial supports. After 5 cycles, GDH activity was at least 14% greater than the remaining activity on commercial supports. Glucose in bread waste hydrolysate was converted to GA by free-state and immobilized GDH. After the 10th reuse cycle on MM-SBA-15, a 22% conversion yield was observed, generating 25 gGA/gGDH. The highest GA production efficiency was 47 gGA/gGDH using free-state GDH. Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility of enzymatically converting BWH to GA: immobilizing GDH on MM-SBA-15 renders the enzyme more stable and permits its multiple reuse

Fatigue resistance of CAD/CAM crowns restored on premolars

The Congress was held in conjunction with 68th Meeing of the Japanese Society for Dental Materials and Devices, and 2016 Annual Meeting of the Indonesian Society for Dental Materials Science and TechnologyOral Presentation V: Clinical Application - paper no. O-2

The reliability and fatigue behaviour of three dental CAD/CAM ceramics

OBJECTIVES New CAD/CAM ceramic-based dental prosthesis has become a popular choice for their advantages, e.g. more materials availability, more aesthetics, higher strength and biocompatibility, and saving processing time, in comparison to other kinds of restorations. Measuring their static and dynamic mechanical properties could help dentists to choose and evaluate the appropriate material for specific applications, since the long-term clinical data might not be available when the materials had been launched. Thus, in this study, the reliability and fatigue behaviour of three CAD/CAM dental ceramics were evaluated, and envisaged to reduce the clinical risk of damage for CAD/CAM restorations. METHODS Three CAD/CAM blocks, i.e. zirconia (Cercon, DeguDent, Germany), hybrid ceramics (Enamic, Vita Zahnfabrik, Germany) and lithium disilicate (e.maxCAD, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein), were cut, sintered (if necessary according to manufacturers’ instruction), and surface polished (Ra<0.2microns). The final sizes of bar specimens were ~4.0×1.2×12.0mm and subjected to three-point bending. For flexural strength test (n=15, cross-head speed 1mm/min), Weibull statistics were used to analyse and characterize the strength. For cyclic fatigue loading test, sinusoidal loading (8 Hz, minimal load 3N) was applied to the specimen (n=15). S-N fatigue diagram was used to predict and fitted with basquin curve on fatigue data points. Microstructural analysis was conducted using SEM on the fracture surfaces. RESULTS The hybrid ceramics showed the highest Weibull modulus (18.90) whilst lithium disilicate the lowest (7.01). For one million cycles, zirconia showed the highest fatigue limit (247.07MPa) than lithium disilicate (81.20MPa) and hybrid ceramics (33.90MPa). However, the lithium disilicate showed the lowest S-N slope (-0.012) than others. The SEM revealed that all tested CAD/CAM ceramics under fatigue loading gave a smoother fracture surface than monotonic loading. CONCLUSIONS Hybrid ceramics deemed to be the most reliable material under static loading. All the tested ceramics seems able to withstand certain fatigue failure

Fixed Points of Nonlinear and Asymptotic Contractions in the Modular Space

A fixed point theorem for nonlinear contraction in the modular space is proved. Moreover, a fixed point theorem for asymptotic contraction in this space is studied