Physical and chemical properties of fly ash based Portland Pozzolana cement

This project is aimed to study the Physical and Chemical properties of fly ash based Portland pozzolana cement manufactured by Tokyo cement (lanka) PLC. Basics of cement, fly ash, pozzolana and physical and chemical properties of cement have been studied to proceed the project easily. The test methods available to find out Physical and Chemical properties of fly ash based Portland pozzolana cement have been studied. To identify the importance of this blended cement, comparison of Physical and Chemical properties of fly ash based Portland pozzolana cement with normal Ordinary Portland cement is proposed. From that it can be easily identified the importance of this locally manufactured special fly ash based Portland pozzolana cement in many applications in the construction industry

Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of lichens collected from Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Vietnam

[[abstract]]Lichens were some of the earliest colonizers of terrestrial habitats on Earth. They represent a unique symbiont between fungi (mycobionts) and algae and/or cyanobacteria (photobionts). Lichens have been used as a cure for diabetes, coughs, pulmonary tuberculosis, wound healing, and dermatological diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of methanol lichen extracts. Fourteen lichen species from Bidoup Nui Ba National Park were identified according to their morphology and anatomical and chemical characteristics. The antioxidant activity of the methanol lichen extracts was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assay. The results showed that, of the lichens tested, L5 had the highest free radical activity with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 59.9 ± 4.65 mg mL−1. The methanol extract of L5 also showed the highest total flavonoid and polyphenol contents. In a cytotoxic assay, it was observed that the methanol extract of U38.1 exhibited high cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 cells, with IC50 of 34.27 ± 1.25 mg mL−1. The tested lichen extracts were also found to have slight cytotoxic effect on fibroblasts at screening concentration of 100 µg mL−1. All of the extracts were found to possess different cytotoxic activities against MO-91 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 10.50 ± 1.56 to over 50 mg mL−1. All of the extracts except U38.1 induced normal peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation, especially after 48 h of treatment at 25 µg/mL.[[notice]]補正完

Selective role for RGS12 as a Ras/Raf/MEK scaffold in nerve growth factor-mediated differentiation

Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins accelerate GTP hydrolysis by heterotrimeric G-protein α subunits and thus inhibit signaling by many G protein-coupled receptors. Several RGS proteins have a multidomain architecture that adds further complexity to their roles in cell signaling in addition to their GTPase-accelerating activity. RGS12 contains a tandem repeat of Ras-binding domains but, to date, the role of this protein in Ras-mediated signal transduction has not been reported. Here, we show that RGS12 associates with the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA, activated H-Ras, B-Raf, and MEK2 and facilitates their coordinated signaling to prolonged ERK activation. RGS12 is required for NGF-mediated neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, but not outgrowth stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor. siRNA-mediated knockdown of RGS12 expression also inhibits NGF-induced axonal growth in dissociated cultures of primary dorsal root ganglia neurons. These data suggest that RGS12 may play a critical, and receptor-selective, role in coordinating Ras-dependent signals that are required for promoting and/or maintaining neuronal differentiation

Long-term effectiveness of dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors compared with levodopa as initial treatment for Parkinson\u27s disease (PD MED): A large, open-label, pragmatic randomised trial

\ua9 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Background Whether initial treatment for Parkinson\u27s disease should consist of levodopa, dopamine agonists, or monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors (MAOBI) is uncertain. We aimed to establish which of these three classes of drug, as initial treatment, provides the most effective long-term control of symptoms and best quality of life for people with early Parkinson\u27s disease. Methods In this pragmatic, open-label randomised trial, patients newly diagnosed with Parkinson\u27s disease were randomly assigned (by telephone call to a central office; 1:1:1) between levodopa-sparing therapy (dopamine agonists or MAOBI) and levodopa alone. Patients and investigators were not masked to group assignment. Primary outcomes were the mobility dimension on the 39-item patient-rated Parkinson\u27s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) quality-of-life scale (range 0-100 with six points defined as the minimally important difference) and cost-effectiveness. Analysis was intention to treat. This trial is registered, number ISRCTN69812316. Findings Between Nov 9, 2000, and Dec 22, 2009, 1620 patients were assigned to study groups (528 to levodopa, 632 to dopamine agonist, 460 to MAOBI). With 3-year median follow-up, PDQ-39 mobility scores averaged 1\ub78 points (95% CI 0\ub75-3\ub70, p=0\ub7005) better in patients randomly assigned to levodopa than those assigned to levodopa-sparing therapy, with no increase or attrition of benefit during 7 years\u27 observation. PDQ-39 mobility scores were 1\ub74 points (95% CI 0\ub70-2\ub79, p=0\ub705) better in patients allocated MAOBI than in those allocated dopamine agonists. EQ-5D utility scores averaged 0\ub703 (95% CI 0\ub701-0\ub705; p=0\ub70002) better with levodopa than with levodopa-sparing therapy; rates of dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 0\ub781, 95% CI 0\ub761-1\ub708, p=0\ub714), admissions to institutions (0\ub786, 0\ub763-1\ub718; p=0\ub74), and death (0\ub785, 0\ub769-1\ub706, p=0\ub717) were not significantly different, but the upper CIs precluded any substantial increase with levodopa compared with levodopa-sparing therapy. 179 (28%) of 632 patients allocated dopamine agonists and 104 (23%) of 460 patients allocated MAOBI discontinued allocated treatment because of side-effects compared with 11 (2%) of 528 patients allocated levodopa (p<0\ub70001). Interpretation Very small but persistent benefits are shown for patient-rated mobility scores when treatment is initiated with levodopa compared with levodopa-sparing therapy. MAOBI as initial levodopa-sparing therapy was at least as effective as dopamine agonists. Funding UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme and UK Department of Health