The effects of valsartan on cardiac function and pro-oxidative parameters in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat heart

© 2020, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, while cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The renin–angiotensin– aldosterone system controls renal, cardiovascular, adrenal function and regulates fluid and electrolyte balance as well as blood pressure. Because of his role, inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system is another therapy approach that reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In this study, our goal was to evaluate effect of valsartan,as inhibitor of angiotensin II receptor type 1, on cardiac tissue and function, with focus on cardiodynamic and oxidative stress. The present study was carried out on 20 adult male Wistar albino rats (8 week old and with body masses of 180-200 g). Rats were divided randomly into 2 groups (10 animals per group). Healthy animals treated with 1 μM of valsartan and streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals perfused with 1 μM of valsartan 4 weeks after the induction of diabetes. Our results demonstrated that acute application of valsartan has different effect on cardiodynamics in rat heart of diabetic and healthy animals but did not improve cardiac function in hy-perglycemia-induced changes. A challenge for further investi-gations are studies with chronic or acute administration, alone or in combination with other angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor in various models of diabetes

Short communication: Pepino mosaic virus, a new threat for Serbia’s tomatoes

Aim of study: To report the occurrence of Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) on tomato in Serbia and to genetically characterize Serbian PepMV isolates.Area of study: Tomato samples showing virus-like symptoms were collected in the Bogojevce locality (Jablanica District, Serbia).Material and methods: Collected tomato samples were assayed by DAS-ELISA using antisera against eight economically important or quarantine tomato viruses. Three selected isolates of naturally infected tomato plants were mechanically transmitted to tomato ‘Novosadski jabučar’ seedlings. For confirmation of PepMV infection, RT-PCR was performed using specific primers PepMV TGB F/PepMV UTR R. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed with 47 complete CP gene sequences of PepMV to determine the genetic relationship of Serbian PepMV isolates with those from other parts of the world.Main results: The results of DAS-ELISA indicated the presence of PepMV in all tested samples. Mechanically inoculated ‘Novosadski jabučar’ seedlings expressed yellow spots and light and dark green patches, bubbling, and curled leaves. All tested tomato plants were RT-PCR positive for the presence of PepMV. The CP sequence analysis revealed that the Serbian PepMV isolates were completely identical among themselves and shared the highest nucleotide identity of 95.1% (99.2% aa identity) with isolate from Spain (FJ263341). Phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of the Serbian PepMV isolates into CH2 strain, but they formed separate subgroup within CH2 strain.Research highlights: This is the first data of the presence of PepMV in protected tomato production in Serbia. Considering increased incidence and rapid spread in Europe, the presence of PepMV on tomato could therefore represent serious threat to this valuable crop in Serbia

"Blue-green" corridors as a tool for erosion and stream control in highly urbanized areas - case study of Belgrade city

Highly urbanized areas constantly need new surfaces for building of commercial, residential or infrastructure objects. Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, is a large regional centre with a population of 2 000 000 dwellers, covering a territory of 3500 km2. The territory of Belgrade is intersected by 187 streams, with watersheds mostly rural in higher parts, urbanized and highly urbanized in lower parts. Torrential floods that once occurred rarely during pre-development period have now become more frequent and destructive due to the transformation of the watershed from rural to urban land uses. Authorities of Belgrade defined a strategy for erosion control and protection from torrential floods, based on the restoration of “blue-green” corridors (residuals of open streams and fragments of forest vegetation). The restoration of “blue-green” corridors helps the establishment of new recreational areas, the preservation of biodiversity and the mitigation of effects of climate change

Carbon ions of different linear energy transfer (LET) values induce apoptosis & G2 cell cycle arrest in radio-resistant melanoma cells

© 2016, Indian Council of Medical Research. All rights reserved. Background & objectives: The main goal when treating malignancies with radiation is to deprive tumour cells of their reproductive potential. One approach is to induce tumour cell apoptosis. This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of carbon ions (12C) to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human HTB140 melanoma cells. Methods: In this in vitro study, human melanoma HTB140 cells were irradiated with the 62 MeV/n carbon (12C) ion beam, having two different linear energy transfer (LET) values: 197 and 382 keV/μm. The dose range was 2 to 16 Gy. Cell viability was estimated by the sulforhodamine B assay seven days after irradiation. The cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated 48 h after irradiation using flow cytometry. At the same time point, protein and gene expression of apoptotic regulators were estimated using the Western blot and q-PCR methods, respectively. Results: Cell viability experiments indicated strong anti-tumour effects of12C ions. The analysis of cell cycle showed that12C ions blocked HTB140 cells in G2 phase and induced the dose dependent increase of apoptosis. The maximum value of 21.8 per cent was attained after irradiation with LET of 197 keV/μm at the dose level of 16 Gy. Pro-apoptotic effects of12C ions were confirmed by changes of key apoptotic molecules: the p53, Bax, Bcl-2, poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) as well as nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). At the level of protein expression, the results indicated significant increases of p53, NFκB and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and PARP cleavage. The Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA ratio was also increased, while no change was detected in the level of NFκB mRNA. Interpretation & conclusions: The present results indicated that anti-tumour effects of12C ions in human melanoma HTB140 cells were accomplished through induction of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway as well as G2 arrest

Proučavanje mogućnosti mikrotalasne polimerizacije monomera na osnovu obnovljivih sirovina

Polylactide belongs to the biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, and degrade to harmless component, lactic acid, which allows their use in various areas. The development of new methods for the synthesis of polylactide can further extend the application of this polymer and makes its use more economical. The use of microwaves in the synthesis of the polymer can reduce the polymerization time of only 10 to 30 minutes and save a large amount of energy. In this paper, polylactide is synthesized in a microwave reactor, using a frequency of 2,45 GHz and a power of 150 W. FITR analysis confirmed the structure of the resulting polylactide and the thermal properties were studied using differential scanning calorimetry.Polilaktid spada u grupu biorazgradivih i biokompatibilnih polimera i može se razložiti na neškodljivu komponentu, mlečnu kiselinu, što omogućava njegovu primenu u najrazličitijim oblastima. Razvoj novih metoda sinteze polilaktida može proširiti područje primene ovog polimera i učiniti njegovu upotrebu ekonomičnijom. Upotreba mikrotalasa u sintezi polimera može skratiti vreme polimerizacije na svega 10 do 30 minuta štedeći veliku količinu energiju. U ovom radu polilaktid je sintetisan u mikrotalasnom reaktoru, koristeći frekvenciju od 2.45 GHz i snagu od 150 W. FTIC analiza je potvrdila strukturu dobijenog polilaktida, a toplotna svojstva su proučavana metodom diferencijalne skenirajuće kalorimetrije.Vrednost temperatura prelaska u staklasto stanje i temperatura kristalizacije dobijenog polimera zavise od molskog odnosa monomera (L-laktida) i katalizatora (kalaj-oktoata)

Dynamics of the photoinduced insulator-to-metal transition in a nickelate film

The control of materials properties with light is a promising approach towards the realization of faster and smaller electronic devices. With phases that can be controlled via strain, pressure, chemical composition or dimensionality, nickelates are good candidates for the development of a new generation of high performance and low consumption devices. Here we analyze the photoinduced dynamics in a single crystalline NdNiO$_3$ film upon excitation across the electronic gap. Using time-resolved reflectivity and resonant x-ray diffraction, we show that the pump pulse induces an insulator-to-metal transition, accompanied by the melting of the charge order. Finally we compare our results to similar studies in manganites and show that the same model can be used to describe the dynamics in nickelates, hinting towards a unified description of these photoinduced phase transitions.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Metode uklanjanja fenola iz otpadne vode

Phenol is a major pollutant in the wastewater because of its presence in the effluent of major processing and refining plants. It has severe effect on human being, both short term and long term. Various methods are used for removal of the phenol from wastewater such as adsorption, photodecomposition, volatilization and other various biological and non-biological methods. In the present study attempt is done to present the survey of the research on the phenol removal by various methods. The methods such as polymerization, electrocoagulation, extraction, photodecomposition, advanced oxidation and ion exchange were used effectively by various investigators. These methods are reported to be efficient for the phenol removal. Suitable method for phenol removal can be selected based on availability of the material, extent of separation required and properties of phenolic effluent.Fenol je jedan od glavnih polutanata u otpadnoj industrijskoj vodi. Utiče na zdravlje ljidi i taj uticaj se ispoljava kako posle kraćeg tako i posle dužeg prisustva. Za uklanjanje fenola iz otpadne vode koriste se metode kao što su adsorpcija, fotorazgradnja, isparavanje (volatilizacija) kao i biološke i nebiološke metode. U ovom radu daje se prikaz istraživanja o uklanjanju fenola različitim metodama kao što su polimerizacija, elektrokoagulacija, fotorazgradnja, unapređena oksidacija i jonska izmena. Izbor metode za uklanjanje fenola može biti učinjen na osnovu raspoloživog materijala, zahtevanog intenziteta prečišćavanja i osobina fenolnog efluenta

Polilaktid kao komponenta ekološki prihvatljivih kompozitnih materijala

The biodegradable linear aliphatic thermoplastic polyester poly(L-lactide) (PLA) is producible from agricultural products, such as corn. This polymer has been widely used as a biocompatible material for applications in surgical suture, medical implants and controlled drug delivery. Owing to its good mechanical properties and versatile fabrication processes the PLA has tremendous potential in traditional applications such as food packages, industrial devices, fibers, and green composites The goal of this work was to modify the mechanical properties of composite materials based on different PLA types and silica nanoparticles using thermoplastic elastomer.Biodegradabli linearni alifatični termoplastični poliestar poli(L-laktid) (PLA) se dobija iz poljoprivrednih proizvoda kao što su kukuruz ili šećerna repa. Ovaj polimer se intenzivno upotrebljava kao biokompatibilni materijal za primene kao što su hirurški konci, medicinski implantati i sistemi za kontrolisano otpuštanje lekova. Zahvaljujući dobrim mehanickim svojstvima i mogućnostima različitih postupaka prerade, PLA ima ogroman potencijal u tradicionalnim primenama kao sto su ambalaža za hranu, industrijska oprema, vlakna i zeleni kompoziti. Cilj ovog rada je bio da se primenom termoplastičnog elastomera modifikuju mehanička svojstva kompozitnih materijala na osnovu različitih tipova PLA (za ekstruziju, za duvane filmove, za biaksijalno orijentisane filmove) i nano čestica silicijum dioksida

Different levels of humoral immunoreactivity to different wheat cultivars gliadin are present in patients with celiac disease and in patients with multiple myeloma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Immunity to food antigens (gliadin, cow's milk proteins) is in the centre of the attention of modern medicine focused on the prevention of diseases, prevention which is based on the use of appropriate restriction diet. Detection of the enhanced levels of the immune reactions to antigen(s) present in food is from this point of view of great importance because there are reports that some of health disturbances, like celiac disease (CD) and some premalignant conditions, like monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), were vanished after the appropriate restriction diets.</p> <p>It is well known that gliadin is toxic to small bowel mucosa of relatively small population of genetically predisposed individuals, who under this toxic action develop celiac disease (CD). As the quantity of immunogenic gliadin could vary between different wheat species, the first aim of this work was to determine the percentage of immunogenic gliadin in ten bread wheat cultivars and in three commercially grown durum wheat cultivars. The second part of the study was initiated by results of previous publication, reporting that sera of some of multiple myeloma (MM) patients showed the presence of elevated levels of anti-gliadin IgA, without the enhanced levels of anti-gliadin IgG antibodies, determined with commercial ELISA test. It was designed to assess is it possible to reveal is there any hidden, especially anti-gliadin IgG immunoreactivity, in serum of mentioned group of patients. For this purpose we tested MM patients sera, as well as celiac disease (CD) patients sera for the immunoreaction with the native gliadin isolated from wheat species used for bread and pasta making in corresponding geographic region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Gliadin was isolated from wheat flour by two step 60% ehanolic extraction. Its content was determined by commercial R5 Mendez Elisa using PWG gliadin as the standard. Results obtained showed that immunogenic gliadin content varies between 50.4 and 65.4 mg/g in bread wheat cultivars and between 20 and 25.6 mg/g in durum wheat cultivars.</p> <p>Anti-gliadin IgA and IgG immunoreactivity of patients' sera in (IU/ml) was firstly determined by commercial diagnostic Binding Site ELISA test, and then additionally by non-commercial ELISA tests, using standardized ethanol wheat extracts -gliadin as the antigen.</p> <p>In both patients groups IgA immunoreactivity to gliadin from different cultivars was almost homogenous and in correlation with results from commercial test (except for one patient with IgA(λ) myeloma, they were more then five times higher). But, results for IgG immunoreactivity were more frequently inhomogeneous, and especially for few MM patients, they were more then five times higher and did not correlate with results obtained using Binding Site test.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results obtained showed different content of immunogenic gliadin epitopes in various species of wheat.</p> <p>They also point for new effort to elucidate is there a need to develop new standard antigen, the representative mixture of gliadin isolated from local wheat species used for bread production in corresponding geographic region for ELISA diagnostic tests.</p