EFFECT OF METFORMIN AND SIMVASTATIN IN DIAZEPAM-AND SODIUM NITRITE-INDUCED ANTEROGRADE AMNESIA IN MALE SWISS ALBINO MICE

Objective: To study the effect of metformin and simvastatin on diazepam-and sodium nitrite-induced anterograde amnesia in male Swiss albino mice.Methods: A total of 56 healthy male Swiss albino mice weighing 20–30 g were included in the study Mice were divided into seven groups (n=8) and received a specific dosage of drugs including metformin and simvastatin. Anterograde amnesia was induced by diazepam and sodium nitrite. Morris water maze paradigm was used to study amnesia in which the mice were trained to locate a hidden platform by releasing them into the opaque water for four times a day for four consecutive days. The acquisition of this task was evaluated by measuring escape latency time on all the days of study and by measuring the index of retrieval on day 5 of the study. These observations were compared among the test groups and drug-induced amnesia groups. The time was expressed as mean±standard error of the mean.Results: Significant reduction in the mean escape latency time (25.25 ± 5.09 s) and index of retrieval (52.38 ± 3.55 s) was observed in groups administered with sodium nitrite and metformin (p<0.001). In groups administered with sodium nitrite and simvastatin, the mean escape latency time and index of retrieval were 47.66 ± 7.69 s and 40.75 ± 4.13 s, respectively (p<0.05)). In addition, metformin completely ameliorated sodium nitrite-induced anterograde amnesia.Conclusion: Metformin and simvastatin ameliorated sodium nitrite-induced anterograde amnesia pointing toward a possible antioxidant role and can, therefore, be used to potentially inhibit oxidative stress-induced neurodegeneration. However, the pleiotropic roles of metformin and simvastatin are the areas that warrant further investigation before their clinical use

Effect of fenofibrate on acute and subacute inflammation in male Wistar rats

Background: The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of fenofibrate on acute and subacute models of inflammation in adult male Wistar rats.Methods: After obtaining clearance from Institutional Animal Ethics Committee, six adult male Wistar rats were allocated to each of the three groups i.e. control, aspirin and fenofibrate. Acute inflammation was studied using carrageenan induced rat paw oedema and the volume displacement due to paw oedema was measured using the plethysmograph. Subacute inflammation was studied using foreign body insertion (cotton pellet and grass pith) models. Dry granuloma weight and histopathological examination of the granuloma were the outcome measures for measuring subacute inflammation. The percentage inhibition of inflammation with aspirin and fenofibrate was calculated in both acute and subacute models. The experiments were conducted according to the guidelines of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision on Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA). The mean volume displacement obtained with a plethysmograph, the mean dry weight of granuloma and the percentage inhibition with aspirin and fenofibrate were analyzed by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Graph pad prism software.Results: Aspirin and fenofibrate significantly reduced both acute and subacute inflammation (p<0.001). Dunnet’s test showed a significant difference in the study groups when compared to the control. The reduction of inflammation with fenofibrate was comparable to aspirin.Conclusions: Oral fenofibrate showed significant anti-inflammatory activity, which was comparable to aspirin, in both acute as well as sub-acute models of inflammation. This anti-inflammatory effect may benefit atherosclerosis in patients receiving fenofibrate for hyperlipidemia

Resistance to acid attack, abrasion and leaching behavior of alkali-activated mine waste binders

This paper report results of a research project on the development of alkali-activated binders using mine wastes. Abrasion and acid resistance of two ordinary Portland cement (OPC) strength class concrete mixtures (C20/25 and C30/37) and several mine waste (MW) mixtures were compared. This study indicates that MW binders possess higher acid and abrasion resistance than OPC based concrete mixtures.The leaching assessment of the MW binders shows it can be considered an inert material which indicates that it could be used as a building material

Advantages and shortcomings of the utilization of recycled wastes as aggregates in structural concretes

Global material resources are quickly being drained by the demands of global economic development. Simultaneously, the environmental impacts of the massive amounts of waste generated globally every year are also growing exponentially. As such, the implementation of waste recycling through its utilization as a component of a construction material, particularly one with a global demand as high as concrete, is a strategy which acts in both planes: material efficiency and waste generation. This paper details the results of a systematic review performed on the scientific literature that concerns the possibility of incorporating recycled wastes as aggregates in structural ordinary Portland cement concretes. The available literature suggests that a reduced number of wastes of recycled origin may, albeit in low quantities, be used in structural OPC concretes. Furthermore, the presence of substances such as glass wastes or alkali-rich cement fragments in recycled aggregates elevates the potential for expansions originated by the occurrence, in these concretes, of the well known phenomenon known as alkali-silica reaction. Moreover, the variety, quantity and the limits to the utilization of these wastes as aggregates in structural concretes all suggest that a massification of the utilization of recycled aggregates in OPC concretes will not take place. The investigation also found that, in light of the evidence showing that the performance of alkali-activated binder concretes is less impacted by the shortcomings of recycled aggregates, recycled wastes may be better suited for reutilization as aggregates in these concrete compositions.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, under the project SFRH/BD/111813/201

An overview on the potential of geopolymers for concrete infrastructure rehabilitation

Infrastructure rehabilitation represents a multitrillion dollar opportunity for the construction industry. In USA alone the rehabilitation needs are estimated to exceed 1.6 trillion dollars over the next 5 years. Since the majority of the existent infrastructures are concrete based this means that concrete infrastructure rehabilitation is a hot issue to be dealt with. Besides the sooner concrete deterioration is tackled the lower are the rehabilitation costs. This paper provides a literature review on concrete repair materials, highlighting the current problems face by them. It covers concrete surface treatments, patch repair and FRP strengthening. The case of trenchless rehabilitation of concrete sewage pipelines is also discussed. The potential of geopolymers to overcome those limitations is analyzed

Concrete retrofitting using metakaolin geopolymer mortars and CFRP

This paper presents results about the use of metakaolin based geopolymers mortars for retrofitting purposes. Two main situations are addressed, the use of geopolymeric mortars as a repairing layer or as a binding agent to insure the adhesion between CFRP sheets and the concrete substrate. Several compositions of metakaolin geopolymer mortars were executed by varying the percentage of sand/binder mass ratio and the concentration of sodium hydroxide. It was found that metakaolin geopolymer mortars show a high mechanical resistance and a relevant adhesion to the concrete substrate. Although their adhesion strength is lower than the one present by commercial pre-pack repair mortars, they are very cost-effective (5 to 10 times less expensive). On the other hand, the adhesion strength between CFRP and geopolymer mortars proved to be lower than expected which could be due to the fact that the composition of the geopolymeric mortars was not optimized and also to the fact that the CFRP used was not prone to this kind of application

Concrete retrofitting using CFRP and geopolymer mortars

A new development in the repair and strengthening of reinforced concrete systems is the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) strips bonded to concrete substrate with epoxy resins. It has been reported that epoxy adhesive are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Some authors conclude that the epoxy temperature should not exceed 70 ºC in order to safeguard the adhesiveness of the epoxy and, thus, the integrity and adequate functioning of CFRP. It is noted that even frequently exposure to direct sunlight causes temperatures higher than 70 ºC. Since geopolymers are known to possess high stability at high temperature, these materials can be an alternative to epoxy resins. This papers presents results about the use of metakaolin based geopolymers mortars to insure the adhesion between the CFRP and the concrete substrate. Several compositions of geopolymer mortars were executed by varying the percentage of binder, sand/binder ratio and the concentration of sodium hydroxide. It was found that geopolymer mortars demonstrate very promising performances, having obtained a high mechanical resistance and a good adhesion to concrete. On the other hand the adhesion between CFRP and geopolymer mortars proved to be smaller than expected which could be due, to the fact that the composition of the mortar was not optimized or even to the nature of the CFRP

Impact of pelvic radiotherapy on female sexuality

PURPOSE: To assess physical and psychological morbidity, sexual functioning and social and relationship satisfaction among women treated with pelvic radiotherapy. METHODS: Observational (case-control) study of 199 women: 98 submitted to pelvic radiotherapy for the treatment of uterine, rectal or anal cancers and 101 without a personal history of cancer and similar socio-demographic variables. These completed a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire, and validated measures of psychological health (DASS: Lovibond and Lovibond in Behav Res Ther 33:353-343, 1995), sexual function (FSFI: Rosen et al. in J Sex Marital Ther 26:191-208, 2007), social support (ESSS: Ribeiro in Analise Psicologica 3:547-558, 1999) and relationship satisfaction (IMS: Hudson in The WALMYR assessment scales scoring manual 1992). RESULTS: Women submitted to pelvic irradiation reported a higher rate of adverse physical symptoms in the last month: fatigue 59 versus 25% (p < 0.001), lack of strength 42 versus 20% (p = 0.001), diarrhoea 24 versus 12% (p = 0.032), vaginal discharge 17 versus 7% (p = 0.024), skin erythema 9 versus 2% (p = 0.026). Levels of depression, anxiety and stress were higher among radiotherapy patients, but only reach statistical significance for the stress parameter (6.1 vs. 4.0, p = 0.012). Also these women reported lower scores of satisfaction with social support (57.2 vs. 62.2, p = 0.005) and sexual function (8.5 vs. 13.5, p = 0.049). No statistically significant differences occurred between the two groups regarding scores of relationship satisfaction (20.8 vs. 19.9, p = n.s.). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that pelvic radiotherapy had a negative impact on female sexuality. Thus, interventions that would help to reduce this impact need to be designed and integrated into routine clinical practice

Evaluation of clopidogrel on acute and sub-acute models of inflammation in male Wistar rats

Background: Atherosclerosis and its complications remain the major cause of death and premature disability. Atherogenesis involves elements of inflammation, a process that now provides a unifying theme in the pathogenesis of the disease. Anti-platelet drugs are currently used in the treatment of atherosclerosis and its complications. Our study evaluated the influence of clopidogrel on acute and sub-acute models of inflammation in male Wistar rats.Methods: Male Wistar rats (150-200 g) were divided into three groups, i.e. control, aspirin and clopidogrel (n=6 animals in each group). The effect of clopidogrel administered orally on inflammation was studied using acute (carrageenan-induced rat paw edema) and sub-acute (cotton pellet granuloma and histopathological examination of grass piths) models. Experiment was conducted according to the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision on Experiments on Animals guidelines. Analysis was done using one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc test of Dunnets. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: Clopidogrel showed significant inhibition of rat paw edema in acute model (p<0.01) and granuloma dry weight, in sub-acute model of inflammation when compared to control (p<0.01). Histopathological examination of grass pith revealed markedly reduced fibroblasts, granulation tissue, fibrous tissue and collagen in clopidogrel group when compared to control.Conclusion: Clopidogrel exhibited a significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute and sub-acute models of inflammation