Synthesis and anti-microbial potencies of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-alkylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids: microbial viabilities at different ionic liquids concentrations

Three 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-alkylimidazolium chloride room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) [2OHimCn][Cl]; (n=0, 1, 4) have been synthesized from the appropriate imidazole precursors and characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopies and elemental analysis. Their anti-microbial activities were investigated using the well-diffusion method. The viabilities of Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica as a function of IL concentrations were studied. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and EC50 values for the present ILs were within the concentration range from 60 to 125 mM and 23 to 73 mM. The anti-microbial potencies of the present ILs were compared to a standard antibiotic, gentamicin. The finding affords additional perspective on the level of ILs toxicity to aquatic lifeforms and yet, this characteristic can be readily harnessed to detect microbial growth and activity

Isolation and characterization of Lactobacillus strains as potential probiotics for chickens

The ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters for poultry production in many countries has led to increasing interest to use probiotics as an alternative. In the present study, some Lactobacillus strains were isolated from chicken intestines, identified and assessed (in vitro) for their ability to survive and colonize the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), with a view to select suitable strains as potential probiotic candidates for chickens. Out of 42 isolated strains, three isolates, identified as Lactobacillus strains based on initial identification and tolerant to acid and bile based on preliminary screening using turbidity (optical density) as a measurement of growth, were selected for detailed identification and further in vitro assays. The three isolates were identified to species level using carbohydrate fermentation profile analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results showed that all three strains belonged to Lactobacillus salivarius. The three L. salivarius strains were then assessed for their ability to tolerate the stress conditions in the GIT and capacity to adhere to the intestinal epithelial cells using in vitro assays of acid, bile and pancreatic enzyme tolerance measured by viable colony counts, and adhesion assay using Caco-2 cell line. The results showed that all three L. salivarius strains exhibited good tolerance to acid, bile and pancreatic enzymes and a strong ability to adhere to intestinal epithelial cells. Thus, they would be able to survive the stress conditions of GIT, as well as to attach and colonize the GIT, and could be considered as good potential candidates for probiotics of chickens

Neural differentiation of human umbilical cord matrix-derived mesenchymal cells under special culture conditions

Many neural disorders are characterized by the loss of one or several types of neural cells. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal cells (hUCMs) are capable of differentiating into neuron, astroglia-like and oligodendrocyte cell types. However, a reliable means of inducing the selective differentiation of hUCMs into neural cells in vitro has not yet been established. For induction of neural differentiation, hUCMs were seeded onto sterile glass slides and six various cocktails using a base medium (DMEM/LG) supplemented with 10 % FBS, retinoic acid (RA), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) were used to compare their effect on neuronal, astrocyte and oligodandrocyte differentiation. The hUCMs were positive for mesenchymal markers, while they were negative for hematopoietic markers. Differentiation to adipogenic and osteogenic lineage was detected in these cells. Our data revealed that the cocktail consisting of DMEM/LG, FBS, RA, FGF, and EGF (DF/R/Fg/E group) induced hUCM cells to express the highest percentage of nestin, ß-tubulin III, neurofilament, and CNPase. The DF/Ds/Fg/E group led to the highest percentage of GFAP expression. While the expression levels of NF, GFAP, and CNPase were the lowest in the DF group. The least percentage of nestin and ß-tubulin III expression was observed in the DF/Ds group. We may conclude that FGF and EGF are important inducers for differentiation of hUCMs into neuron, astrocyte and oligodendrocyte. RA can induce hUCMs to differentiate into neuron and oligodendrocyte while for astrocyte differentiation DMSO had a pivotal role

Histological analysis of anti-cancer drug loaded, targeted Mn:ZnS quantum dots in metastatic lesions of 4T1 challenged mice

5-Fluororaucil (5-FU) as anti-cancer drug was reported to induce thymidine synthase (TS) overexpression and cancer cell resistance. To improve its therapeutic efficacy and selective targeting, here we developed a targeted delivery system mediated by the active ligand-folate receptor chemistry to deliver the 5-FU drug selectively into the tumor microenvironment. The preparation was achieved by exploring chitosan (CS)-biopolymer based system with folic acid (FA)-conjugation. The 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS quantum dots (QDs) based on the histological assessment conducted in the 4T1 challenged mice showed an improved tumor remission in the liver, spleen and lungs. The 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS composite induced anti-proliferative properties in these organs as compared to the free 5-FU drug. Unlike the 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS treated groups which showed some specific morphological changes such as cell shrinkage without obvious presence of adipocytes, the excised section of the tumor in the untreated control group and the free 5-FU drug treated group showed necrotic and degenerated cells; these cells are multifocally distributed in the tumor mass with evidence of widely distributed adipocytes within the tumor mass. These findings suggest that the 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS composite has a superior role during the induction of apoptosis in the 4T1 cells as compared to the free 5-FU drug treated groups. The results of the study therefore suggest that the impregnation of 5-FU anti-cancer drug within the FACS-Mn:ZnS system significantly improves its selective targeting efficacy, in addition to improving the anti-proliferative properties and attenuate possible tumor resistances to the 5-FU drug

In vivo tumor targeting and anti-tumor effects of 5-fluororacil loaded, folic acid targeted quantum dot system

In this study, we modulated the anti-cancer efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) using a carrier system with enhanced targeting efficacy towards folate receptors (FRs) expressing malignant tissues. The 5-FU drug was loaded onto Mn-ZnS quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated with chitosan (CS) biopolymer and conjugated with folic acid (FA) based on a simple wet chemical method. The formation of 5-FU drug loaded composite was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, the in vivo biodistribution and tumor targeting specificity of the 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS in the tumor-bearing mice was conducted based on the Zn2+ tissue bioaccumulation using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy. In addition to the characterization, the in vitro release profile of 5-FU from the conjugates investigated under diffusion controlled method demonstrated a controlled release behaviour as compared against the release behaviour of free 5-FU drug. The as-synthesized 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS nanoparticle (NP) systemically induced higher level of apoptosis in breast cancer cells in vitro as compared to cells treated with free 5-FU drug following both cell cycle and annexin assays, respectively. Also, the in vivo toxicity assessment of the 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS NPs as compared to the control did not cause any significant increase in the activities of the liver and kidney function biomarkers, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels. However, based on the FA-FRs chemistry, the 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS NPs specifically accumulated in the tumor of the tumor-bearing mice and thus contributed to the smaller tumor size and less event of metastasis was observed in the lungs when compared to the tumor-bearing mice groups treated with the free 5-FU drug. In summary, the results demonstrated that the 5-FU@FACS-Mn:ZnS QDs exhibits selective anti-tumor effect in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells in vitro and 4TI breast cancer cells in vivo, providing a blueprint for improving the 5-FU efficacy and tumor targeting specificity with limited systemic toxicity

Impact of Service Quality, Trust, and Customer Satisfaction on Customers Loyalty

This research has proposed a conceptual framework to investigate the effects of customers’ perceived service quality, trust, and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty. To test the conceptual framework, structural equation modeling (SEM) has been used to analyze the data collected from 304 customers of a major private telecommunication company operating in Bangladesh. The results of the study indicate that trust and customer satisfaction are significantly and positively related to customer loyalty. Customer satisfaction has found to be an important mediator between perceived service quality and customer loyalty. A clear understanding of the postulated relationships among the studied variables might encourage the mobile service provider(s) to figure out appropriate course of action to win customers’ trust by providing better services in order to create a loyal customer base

Reactions of electron-deficient benzoquinoline triosmium cluster [(μ-H)Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-C₁₃H₈N)] with diazomethane

657-662Treatment of the electron-deficient benzoquinoline triosmium cluster [(μ-H)Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-C₁₃H₈N)] 1 with excess CH₂N₂ at 0 to 25ºC leads to the formation of [(μ-H)₂Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-C₁₃H₈N)}] 2 in 85% yield. Compound 2 is formed by insertion and subsequent C-H oxidative addition of a CH2 moiety into the ring C(8)-Os bond. Heating 2 at 98ºC furnishes three new compounds [(μ-H)Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-C₁₃H₈N)] 3, [(μ-H)Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-C₁₃H₈N)}] 4, and [(μ-H)₂Os₃(CO)₈(μ₃-η²-C₁₃H₈N)}] 5 in 18%, 23% and 8% yields, respectively. The formation of compounds 3 and 4 involves activation of the methylidene C-H bond. Compound 5 is most probably formed from 4 via exchange of a bridging hydride with a chloride. The trihydride compound 3 reacts with CCl₄ at 77C to give the dihydrido chloro-compound 5 in 44% yield. Thermolysis of 2 in the presence of H₂ at 1 atm at 80ºC gives 3 in 75% yield. All the new compounds have been characterized on the basis of elemental analyses, IR, NMR and mass spectroscopic data

Comparative Evaluation of the Fracture Strength of Pulpotomized Primary Molars: An In Vitro Study.

Purpose:This study evaluates the fracture strength of pulpotomized primary molars restored with amalgam, miracle mix, cermet, resin-modified glass ionomer cement, and nanocomposites. Materials and methods:Fifty primary first and second molars were collected for this study. All the teeth were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10). Standard pulpotomy cavities were prepared. Teeth were air dried and the canal orifices were capped with a layer of zinc oxide eugenol. A lining of calcium hydroxide was placed over it. Amalgam, miracle mix, cermet, resin-modified glass ionomer cement, and nanocomposite were placed in groups I, II, III, IV, and V, respectively. All the samples were then subjected to the fracture strength test using the universal testing machine and the results were statistically analyzed. Results:All the groups were compared by the ANOVA one-way test which indicated that there were statistically significant differences among the five groups. Conclusion:Nanocomposites can be considered to be the best restorative material in terms of fracture strength among amalgam, miracle mix, cermet, and resin-modified glass ionomer cement. How to cite this article:Mohammad N, Pattanaik S, et al. Comparative Evaluation of the Fracture Strength of Pulpotomized Primary Molars: An In Vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;12(1):5-9

Comparative Evaluation of the Fracture Strength of Pulpotomized Primary Molars: An In Vitro Study.

PurposeThis study evaluates the fracture strength of pulpotomized primary molars restored with amalgam, miracle mix, cermet, resin-modified glass ionomer cement, and nanocomposites.Materials and methodsFifty primary first and second molars were collected for this study. All the teeth were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10). Standard pulpotomy cavities were prepared. Teeth were air dried and the canal orifices were capped with a layer of zinc oxide eugenol. A lining of calcium hydroxide was placed over it. Amalgam, miracle mix, cermet, resin-modified glass ionomer cement, and nanocomposite were placed in groups I, II, III, IV, and V, respectively. All the samples were then subjected to the fracture strength test using the universal testing machine and the results were statistically analyzed.ResultsAll the groups were compared by the ANOVA one-way test which indicated that there were statistically significant differences among the five groups.ConclusionNanocomposites can be considered to be the best restorative material in terms of fracture strength among amalgam, miracle mix, cermet, and resin-modified glass ionomer cement.How to cite this articleMohammad N, Pattanaik S, et al. Comparative Evaluation of the Fracture Strength of Pulpotomized Primary Molars: An In Vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;12(1):5-9