Protective effect of crocin and voluntary exercise against oxidative stress in the heart of high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetic rats

Background: Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of type 2 diabetes and diabetic-associated cardiovascular complications. This study investigated the impact of crocin combined with voluntary exercise on heart oxidative stress indicator in high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Materials and methods Rats were divided into four groups: diabetes, diabetic-crocin, diabetic-voluntary exercise, diabetic-crocin-voluntary exercise. Type 2 diabetes was induced by high-fat diet (4 weeks) and injection of streptozotocin (intraperitoneally, 35 mg/kg). Animals received crocin orally (50 mg/kg); voluntary exercise was performed alone or combined with crocin treatment for 8 weeks. Finally, malondialdehyde (MDA), activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) were measured spectrophotometrically. Results Treatment of diabetic rats with crocin and exercise significantly decreased the levels of MDA (p  Conclusion We suggest that a combination of crocin with voluntary exercise treatment may cause more beneficial effects in antioxidant defense system of heart tissues than the use of crocin or voluntary exercise alone

Structural feature based computational approach of toxicity prediction of ionic liquids: Cationic and anionic effects on ionic liquids toxicity

yesThe density functional theory (DFT) based a unique model has been developed to predict the toxicity of ionic liquids using structural-feature based quantum chemical reactivity descriptors. Electrophilic indices (ω), the energy of highest occupied (EHOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, (ELUMO) and energy gap (∆ E) were selected as the best toxicity descriptors of ILs via Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. The principle components analysis (PCA) demonstrated the distribution and inter-relation of descriptors of the model. A multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis on selected descriptors derived the model equation for toxicity prediction of ionic liquids. The model predicted toxicity values and mechanism are very consistent with observed toxicity. Cationic and side chains length effect are pronounced to the toxicity of ILs. The model will provide an economic screening method to predict the toxicity of a wide range of ionic liquids and their toxicity mechanism

Molecular identification and phylogenetic classification of Leishmania spp. isolated from human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran: A cross-sectional study

Background: In Iran, both forms of cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been reported; so the accurate species identification of the parasite(s) and the analysis of genetic diversity are necessary. Methods: The smears were collected from lesions samples of 654 patients with CL, who attended local health centers in 12 provinces of Iran during 2013-2015. The smears were checked for the presence of amastigotes by light microscopy. DNA of 648 Leishmania isolates, amplified by targeting a partial sequence of ITS (18S rRNA�ITS1�5.8S rRNA�ITS2) gene. Twenty-five of all the amplicons were sequenced and analyzed with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using the Taq1 enzyme. Results: All the smears were positive microscopically. The PCR-RFLP analysis revealed that 176 (27) CL patients were infected with L. tropica and, 478 (73) with L. major. The dominant species in all over Iran is L. major. The sequencing results of all CL patients and RFLP analysis confirmed each other. Based on our phylogenetic tree, 25 ITS DNA sequences were grouped into two clusters representing L. major and L. tropica species. Phylogenetic tree derived from the ITS sequences supports a clear divergence between L. major from the other species. Conclusion: Discrimination of Iranian Leishmania isolates using ITS gene gives us this opportunity to detect, identify, and construct the phylogenetic relationship of Iranian isolates. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved

Применение технологии набрызгбетонирования в Новоавстрийском Методе Туннелирования (NATM)

У статті проаналізовані суть і основні принципи Новоавстрійського Методу Тунелювання (NATM), що широко застосовується в зарубіжній практиці будівництва транспортних тунелів. Також розглянуто застосування технології торкретування, яка лежить в основі методу.Essence and basic principles of New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), which widely used in foreign practice building of transport tunnels, is analysed in the article. Application of gunite technology, being the basis of method, is also considered

In vitro antibacterial activity and durability of a nano-curcumin-containing pulp capping agent combined with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Background: Considering the antibacterial properties of nano-curcumin (nCur) reinforced with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), this study aimed to assess the antibacterial activity and durability of Activa BioActive Base/Liner (ABBL) containing nCur (nCur-ABBL) as a pulp capping agent against Streptococcus mutans, the most common cause of secondary caries. Materials and methods: In this in vitro experimental study, ABBL discs containing 0.5 , 1, 2, and 5 (w/w) concentrations of nCur were fabricated. After aPDT using light emitting diode (LED) at 435 +/- 20 nm wavelength for 5 min, the discs were undergone aging in artificial saliva for 90 days. The antibacterial activity of the discs against S. mutans was evaluated by the disc agar diffusion test, and the number of bacterial colonies present in the biofilm formed on the disc surfaces was counted after 0, 15, 30, and 60 days of aging. Results: The maximum growth inhibition zone was noted around the 5 nCur-ABBL discs. Increasing the con-centration of nCur from 0.5 to 5 combined with aPDT significantly decreased the number of S. mutans colonies in the biofilm over time (P 0.05). Conclusion: According to our data, 5 nCur-ABBL revealed the largest growth inhibition zone in S. mutans culture. Moreover, 5 nCur can serve as an excellent ABBL additive in aPDT producer against S. mutans biofilms up to 60 days of aging period