The Late-Effect Of X-Irradiation on the Mouse Submandibular Gland

INTRODUCTION: Life-long severe xerostomia is a common complication after radiotherapy of head and neck malignancy. It is a clinical entity which causes a great deal of suffering and disability for the patient. Saliva is an important factor for denture retention. Hyposalivation causes reduced retention of full dentures. The aim of the study was to determine late consequences of irradiation in the mouse submandibular gland. MATERIAL AND METHODS : Mouse submandibular glands were locally X-irradiated by single dose irradiation with 15Gy. Day 90 post-irradiation tissues were analyzed by morphology and morphometry. RESULTS: Strong vacuolization of almost all acini was noted. Kariopyknotic nuclei were found in numerous acini and the largest amount of acini was in the lysis. The epithelial cells of the granular convoluted tubule were degenerated and desquamated in the lumen, and some granular convoluted tubules were in the lysis. In the interstitial connective tissue disseminated focal mononuclear infiltrate was found. With respect to the control group a statistically significant decrease in the number of acinar cells (p<0.001) was determined, as well as a significant increase in the number of granular convoluted tubule cells (p<0.001). Whereas the number of intercalated duct cells was not different with respect to the control (p=0.10). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that hypofunction in the late stage is a consequence of morphological changes and loss of acinar cells. The patients should use a saliva substitute to alleviate their symptoms easier

Antimicrobial activity of natural soaps tested by Bioscreen methodology

The aim of this study was to combine the utilization of waste frying oils within soap making process in order to make useful and environmentally friendly solutions and development of methods for determination of the antimicrobial effect of those created products. Soaps were made from edible oils which are fried in laboratory conditions. The antimicrobial activity of soaps was done against Staphylococcus aureus species as one of the representatives of the human skin microbiome. Two methods were applied: agar dilution method and the method including kinetics following on Bioscreen micro­biology reader. In the first method, the number of CFU was followed on agar medium with and without different soap solutions after incubation for 24 hours at 30 °C. The result for IC50 (inhibition concentration for 50% of population) was 0.08 mg/mL. Minimal inhibition concentration was detected at 0.41 mg/mL and minimal bactericidal concentration was observed at > 0.75 mg/mL for selected soap solution. Soap concentrations of 0.3 mg/mL of soaps (made from fresh and fried oil) were used for Bioscreen assessment with measurement on every hour during the 7 hours of incubation at 30 °C. 5-second sequence of shaking of the microplate was applied before each measurement which was done at the wavelength of 610 nm. The growth coefficients of the culture with soap solutions added and from the growth of culture only were compared. The growth of S. aureus subjected to soaps made from fresh and fried oils was inhibited 55.3% and 69.7% respectively against the control during the first seven hours of incubation. From results obtained, it was concluded that there is a great potential of the Bioscreen as a method for further studies on antibacterial activity of soaps made from waste frying oils

Effects of exogenous salicylic acid on Impatiens walleriana L. grown in vitro under polyethylene glycol-imposed drought

We describe the responses of Impatiens walleriana to polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced physiological drought and the potential of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) as stress-ameliorating agent. Impatiens shoot culture was established on 16 different media containing 0-3% PEG and 0-3 mM SA. After prolonged drought (60 days), water relation parameters, oxidative stress indicators, and growth responses of the shoots to PEG and/or SA were recorded. PEG reduced growth, fresh weight, the number of developed leaves and shoots (proliferation rate, PR), relative water content, and chlorophyll content. PEG increased leaf water loss (LWL) and caused accumulation of proline, H2O2, and malondialdehyde. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase were increased in response to PEG in a dose-dependent manner, with specific peroxidase isoforms induced by drought. Exogenous SA counteracted the effects of PEG on growth, physiological and biochemical parameters, except on proline accumulation. SA was particularly effective in enhancing PR, preserving LWL, and protecting photosynthetic pigments and membranes from oxidative damage. Proline accumulation was strongly enhanced by both PEG and SA. SA had differential effects on different peroxidase isoforms. SA may be safely used in 2-3 mM concentration for drought protection of Impatiens with no negative effects

Artificial neural network data analysis for classification of soils based on their radionuclide content

The artificial neural network (ANN) data analysis method was used to recognize and classify soils of an unknown geographic origin. A total of 103 soil samples were differentiated into classes according to the regions in Serbia and Montenegro from which they were collected. Their radionuclide (Ra-226, U-238, U-235, K-40, Cs-134, Cs-137, Th-232, and Be-7) activities detected by gamma-ray spectrometry were then used as inputs to ANN. Five different training algorithms with different numbers of samples in training sets were tested and compared in order to find the one with the minimum root mean square error (RMSE). The best predictive power for the classification of soils from the fifteen regions was achieved using a network with seven hidden layer nodes and 2500 training epochs using the online back-propagation randomized training algorithm. With the optimized ANN, most soil samples not included in the ANN training data set were correctly classified at an average rate of 92%