BENEFICIAL OUTCOMES AFTER COMBINED THERAPY WITH AZATHIOPRINE AND PIOGLITAZONE IN PRECLINICAL ARTHRITIC MODELS

Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-arthritic activities of azathioprine-pioglitazone combination therapy to check whether it has an add on benefit over monotherapy with azathioprine or pioglitazone on disease activity in rodent models. Methods: The antioxidant activity of test drugs and their combination was screened by H2O2 and nitric oxide scavenging assays. They were further evaluated for anti-arthritic activity using in vitro models such as protein denaturation and membrane stabilization and in vivo methods such as formaldehyde and complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis. Results: The combination of test drugs showed better inhibition of free radicals in both H2O2 and nitric oxide scavenging assay than individual counterparts revealing its potential antioxidant activity. They also showed significant inhibition of protein denaturation and proliferation of the red blood cell in in vitro models. The test drugs showed significant inhibition of the paw volume in both the formaldehyde and CFA-induced arthritis along with reverting the altered biochemical parameters. These findings were corroborated by radiological and histopathological studies. Conclusions: Combination of azathioprine and pioglitazone exhibited better antioxidant and anti-arthritic effect than the individual drugs showing synergistic interaction between them

Ozone in Dental Therapy : An Outlook

Dentistry is in a continual battle with infection, soft tissue, and/or hard tissue. These infections come from bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. An infection can be of a single organism or a combination of all the above. The use of ozone in dentistry is gaining place in every day’s dental practise and is used in almost all dental applications with no toxicity and side effects. The undisputed disinfection power of ozone in dentistry is a very good alternative and/or additional disinfectant to standard antiseptics. Ozone therapy in dentistry is now the new standard of care in all disciplines of dentistry. Ozone therapy holds great potential as an atraumatic treatment modality to incorporate into dental practice

Flotation Kinetics of Coking Coal Fines

Investigations were carried out on the coking coal fines generated at Bhelatand Washery. The studies include inve-stigations on physical, chemical and flotation chara-cteristics. Different operating parameters were optimised in flotation to get best product with low ash content. Flotation performance was evaluated by studying the kinetics of different size fractions and also on sample ground for different length of time. Flotation rate constant was calculated using Klimpei's model. Maximum Rate constants were obtained for size fraction -300+150μm (-0.0082)and one minute ground product (-0.0077) with low ash content. From these observations it is concluded that less than one minute grinding is sufficient for these coal fines to achieve a better product with minimum sh

Non-adherence to anti- diabetic therapy and its consequences among type-2 diabetic patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Despite the extensive therapy options available for various stages of type 2 diabetes, studies have indicated that less than 50% of patients achieve the glycemic goals. Failure to attain the desired therapeutic goal might be related to inadequate adherence. Objectives of present study were to determine the extent of non-adherence to antidiabetic medications and identify reasons for the same.Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, questionnaire-based study was conducted to assess the level of non-adherence to antidiabetic therapy among type 2 diabetics attending medicine outpatient department or admitted to the wards of a tertiary care hospital from Jan 2015 to Jan 2016. A pretested and validated questionnaire was used to assess the level of adherence. Reasons for missing medications were also elicited. Data thus collected was analysed using a suitable statistical software.Results: Out of the 210 study participants, 55.2% were females. Most participants were in the age group of 51-60. The mean duration of diabetes was 8.17± 5.39. The most common diabetes-related complication was Diabetic Keto Acidosis (DKA), followed by diabetic foot ulcer. The average number of drugs per prescription was 1.98 ± 1.05. Poor glycemic control was observed in 58% and non-adherence to treatment in 45.2% of study participants.Conclusions: Good adherence to antidiabetic therapy is fundamental for good glycemic control which in turn prevents the occurrence of short and long-term complications of diabetes. Poor doctor-patient intercommunication and inadequacy on part of physicians to adjust medications negatively affect adherence. Active participation of the patient is also equally important

Fabrication, Mechanical and Wear Properties of Aluminum (Al6061)-Silicon Carbide-Graphite Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites

In recent times, the use of aluminum alloy-based Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites (HMMCs) is being increased in aerospace and automotive applications. HMMCs compensate for the low desirable properties of each filler used. However, the mechanical properties of HMMCs are not well understood. In particular, microstructural investigations and wear optimization studies of HMMCs are not clear. Therefore, further studies are required. The present study is aimed at fabricating and mechanical and wear characterizing and microstructure investigating of Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Graphite (Gr) added in Aluminum (Al) alloy Al6061 HMMCs. The addition of SiC particles was in the range from 0 to 9 weight percentage (wt.%) in steps of 3, along with the addition of 1 wt.% Gr in powder form. The presence of alloying elements in the Al6061 alloy was identified using the Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX). The dispersion of SiC and Gr particles in the alloy was investigated using metallurgical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The gain in strength can be attributed to the growth in dislocation density. The nature of fracture was quasi-cleavage. The microstructure examination reveals the uniform dispersion of the reinforcement. Density, hardness, and Ultimate Tensile Strength values observed to be increased with increased contents of SiC reinforcement. Besides, wear studies were performed in dry sliding conditions. Optimization studies were performed to investigate the effect of parameters that affecting the wear. The sliding wear resistance was noticed to be improved concerning higher amounts of reinforcement leading to a decrease in delamination and adhesive wear. The predicted values for the wear rate have also been compared with the experimental results and good correlation is obtained

Modeling and Analysis of Time Response Parameters of a PMSM-Based Electric Vehicle with PI and PID Controllers

This paper presents the mathematical modeling of a vector-controlled Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) drive with either a Proportional Integral (PI) controller or a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller as a propulsion system for an Electric Vehicle (EV). Most commercial drives use a standard PI controller as a speed regulator. The vector control system model consists of the PMSM, a PWM inverter, the speed controller, and vehicle dynamics for speed control. The performance analysis of the drive is evaluated under transient conditions for settling time, rise time, steady state error of speed, and the vehicle’s acceleration at the wheel axle for specifically designated values validated by MATLAB/Simulink

Silicon quantum dot devices with a self-aligned second gate layer

We implement silicon quantum dot devices with two layers of gate electrodes using a self-alignment technique, which allows for ultra-small gate lengths and intrinsically perfect layer-to-layer alignment. In a double quantum dot system, we investigate hole transport and observe current rectification due to Pauli spin blockade. Magnetic field measurements indicate that hole spin relaxation is dominated by spin-orbit interaction, and enable us to determine the effective hole $g$-factor $\simeq1.6$. From an avoided singlet-triplet crossing, occurring at high magnetic field, the spin-orbit coupling strength $\simeq0.27$meV is obtained, promising fast and all-electrical spin control

The interplay of DNA methylation over time with Th2 pathway genetic variants on asthma risk and temporal asthma transition

BackgroundGenetic effects on asthma of genes in the T-helper 2 (Th2) pathway may interact with epigenetic factors including DNA methylation. We hypothesized that interactions between genetic variants and methylation in genes in this pathway (IL4, IL4R, IL13, GATA3, and STAT6) influence asthma risk, that such influences are age-dependent, and that methylation of some CpG sites changes over time in accordance with asthma transition. We tested these hypotheses in subsamples of girls from a population-based birth cohort established on the Isle of Wight, UK, in 1989.ResultsLogistic regression models were applied to test the interaction effect of DNA methylation and SNP on asthma within each of the five genes. Bootstrapping was used to assess the models identified. From 1,361 models fitted at each age of 10 and 18 years, 8 models, including 4 CpGs and 8 SNPs, showed potential associations with asthma risk. Of the 4 CpGs, methylation of cg26937798 (IL4R) and cg23943829 (IL4) changes between ages 10 and 18 (both higher at 10; P?=?9.14?×?10?6 and 1.07?×?10?5, respectively).At age 10, the odds of asthma tended to decrease as cg12405139 (GATA3) methylation increased (log-OR?=??12.15; P?=?0.049); this effect disappeared by age 18. At age 18, methylation of cg09791102 (IL4R) was associated with higher risk of asthma among subjects with genotype GG compared to AG (P?=?0.003), increased cg26937798 methylation among subjects with rs3024685 (IL4R) genotype AA (P?=?0.003) or rs8832 (IL4R) genotype GG (P?=?0.01) was associated with a lower asthma risk; these CpGs had no effect at age 10. Increasing cg26937798 methylation over time possibly reduced the risk of positive asthma transition (asthma-free at age 10???asthma at age 18; log-OR?=??3.11; P?=?0.069) and increased the likelihood of negative transition (asthma at age 10???asthma-free at age 18; log-OR?=?3.97; P?=?0.074).ConclusionsThe interaction of DNA methylation and SNPs in Th2 pathway genes is likely to contribute to asthma risk. This effect may vary with age. Methylation of some CpGs changed over time, which may influence asthma transition