FTIR microspectroscopy reveals chemical changes in mice fetus following Phenobarbital administration

Phenobarbital is a phenobarbiturate used as a sedative, anticonvulsant or hypnotic with the doses prescribed and can cause teratogenic effects. The goal of this study was to examine an alternative method for the recognition of the mechanism or the bimolecular potential changes in mice fetus caused by Phenobarbital using FTIR micro spectroscopy. The mice were injected with Phenobarbital (120 mg/Kg) on gestation day 9. Fetuses were dissected on day 15 of gestation and morphological and histological studies on the fetus were carried out. Sections (10 μm) of normal and Phenobarbital treated fetus brains and livers were used for FTIR measurement in the wave number region of 400- 4000 cm. The results were shown by 2 derivatization of spectra and also subtracting from control spectra. In liver, the intensity at 1054 cm, 1155 cm, 1353 cm, 1453cm,1645 cm, 1622 cm, 2944 cm, 2913 cm and 2845 cm were shifted and increased. In the brain, the intensity at 879 cm, 911 cm, 955 cm, 1223 cm, 1256 cm, 1304 cm, 1360 cm, 1453 cm, 1529 cm, 1636 cm, 2845 cm, 2915 cm and 2950 cm were increased and shifted. The most important changes of the fetus brain tissue are on the β structure of proteins due to the amide I bands at 1636 cm, while extensive effects on the DNA structure were obvious for the Phenobarbital treated liver tissues. As a conclusion, FTIR spectroscopy might well be assumed as a potentially powerful teratogenic measurement instrument with a unique ability to identify the modified bimolecular structures. © 2015 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

FTIR determination of miconazole effects on mice fetus brain tissue

Miconazole is an imidazole antifungal agent, commonly applied topically to the skin or mucous membranes. The aim of this study was to examine the alternative method for gaining mechanism or the bimolecular changes caused by the possible teratogenic effects of Miconazole on mice fetus brain tissue using FTIR-Microspectroscopy. The mice were injected with Miconazole (60 mg/Kg) on gestation day 9. Fetuses were dissected on day 15 of gestation and morphological and histological studies on the fetus were carried out. Sections (10 μm) of control and Miconazole treated fetus brain tissue were used for FTIR measurement in the mid- infrared region. The results were shown by spectra 2nd derivative and also subtracting from control spectra. A lower intensity in the lipid (2800–3000 cm-1) and amid I (1600–1800 cm-1) regions of Miconazole treated mice fetus brain tissue was observed compared to the control mice fetus brain tissue. No major spectral shifting was observed at amide I band, amide II band and nucleic acid regions. As a conclusion, FTIR-Microspectroscopy can be a useful tool for teratogenic measurement with a unique ability to identify the modified bimolecular structures in mice fetus tissues. © 2014, Iranian Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. All rights reserved

Characterization and Separation Performance of a Novel Polyethersulfone Membrane Blended with Acacia Gum

Novel polyethersulfone (PES) membranes blended with 0.1–3.0 wt. % of Acacia gum (AG) as a pore-former and antifouling agent were fabricated using phase inversion technique. The effect of AG on the pore-size, porosity, surface morphology, surface charge, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties of PES/AG membranes was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, contact angle and zeta potential measurements. The antifouling -properties of PES/AG membranes were evaluated using Escherichia coli bacteria and bovine serum albumine (BSA). The use of AG as an additive to PES membranes was found to increase the surface charge, hydrophilicity (by 20%), porosity (by 77%) and permeate flux (by about 130%). Moreover, PES/AG membranes demonstrated higher antifouling and tensile stress (by 31%) when compared to pure PES membranes. It was shown that the prepared PES/AG membranes efficiently removed lead ions from aqueous solutions. Both the sieving mechanism of the membrane and chelation of lead with AG macromolecules incorporated in the membrane matrix contributed to lead removal. The obtained results indicated that AG can be used as a novel pore-former, hydrophilizing and antifouling agent, as well as an enhancer to the mechanical and rejection properties of the PES membranes

Modulation of acetylcholine release at mouse neuromuscular junctions by interaction of three homologous scorpion toxins with K+ channels.

1. The effects of three scorpion toxins, charybdotoxin (CTX), iberiotoxin (IbTX), and noxiustoxin (NTX) have been studied on acetylcholine release and on K+ channels by means of twitch tension and electrophysiological recording techniques using isolated skeletal muscle preparations and by a radioligand binding assay using 125I-labelled dendrotoxin I (DpI) and rat brain synaptosomal membranes. 2. On chick biventer cervicis preparations, CTX and IbTX (125 nM) augmented the twitch responses to indirect muscle stimulation. Further, the increase (about 70-80% of control twitch height) was fast in onset, reaching a maximum within 25-30 min. NTX at 125 nM produced a slower augmentation of the twitch responses to indirect muscle stimulation, with the maximum response being seen after 40-50 min. 3. On mouse triangularis sterni preparations, CTX (300 nM after 35-40 min) and IbTX (100 nM after 15 min) increased quantal content of the evoked endplate potentials (e.p.p.) by about two fold. However, NTX (300 nM) caused only a small increase in e.p.p. amplitude, which was followed by repetitive e.p.ps in response to single shock nerve stimulation after 40-50 min. 4. Extracellular recording of nerve terminal current waveforms in triangularis sterni preparations revealed that CTX and IbTX (3-100 nM), but not NTX (100 nM), blocked the Ca(2+)-activated K+ current, IK-Ca. However, there was no major change in the portion of the nerve terminal waveform associated with voltage-dependent K+ currents, IKv. 5. In the radioligand binding assay, NTX potently displaced labelled [125I]-DpI, whereas CTX produced only partial displacement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Probabilistic and sensitivity analyses of effective geotechnical parameters on rock slope stability: A case study of an urban area in northeast Iran

Despite the development of cities, risk assessment of rock slope stability in urban areas seems not to be growing at the same time. Mashhad is a developed city in northeast of Iran with a population of over 2.4 million. Given the closeness of the southern part of Mashhad to the Binaloud mountain ridge, the stability of the residential complexes that are being constructed in this area is a critical issue. Based on the fundamental roles of discontinuity properties and geo-mechanical parameters of rock mass, in this study we evaluated the most influential parameters of the rock slope stability and the failure probability of the slope near the Negin residential complex built on this ridge. According to the deterministic and probabilistic analyses, the north trench that was excavated for this residential complex could potentially cause plane failure. Moreover, the relationship between effective parameters on instability and their impact on safety factors were determined by sensitivity analysis. Therefore, slope dip, pore water pressure, and joint set dip were highly influential on the safety factor. There was also a nonlinear relationship between different parameters and safety in the studied area. This study presents an approach for risk assessment of rock slope stability in urban areas. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Preparation and characterization of emulsion poly(vinyl chloride) (EPVC)/TiO(2) nanocomposite ultrafiltration membrane

Emulsion poly(vinyl chloride)/titanium dioxide (EPVC/TiO2) nanocomposite ultrafiltration membranes were prepared using the phase inversion method with different TiO2 contents. Pure water flux through the membranes was investigated at a operating pressure of 2 bar and its antifouling properties were studied using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a foulant. The results showed an increment in pure water flux with increasing content of TiO2 up to 2 wt%, and then it slightly decreased by addition of 4 wt% TiO2 due to agglomeration of the nanoparticles at this content. The static water contact angle test showed improvement in membrane hydrophilicity, due to hydrophilic behavior of the nanoparticles, which led to higher water flux. SEM and EDAX analyses were applied to investigate membrane morphological changes. EDAX analysis indicated that the nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed in membrane structure at low concentrations. However, at high loading, the nanoparticles have a propensity to aggregate. SEM images showed that with TiO2 addition, initially finger-like structures change to macro-voids and after 1 wt% TiO2 loading, they return to finger-like construction with elongated finger-like pores. TiO2 addition also enhanced BSA rejection properties. BSA ultrafiltration experiments showed that the antifouling ability of nano-TiO2 embedded membranes was better than the unfilled EPVC membrane.Hesamoddin Rabiee, Mohammad Hossein Davood Abadi Farahani, Vahid Vatanpou

Improvement in flux and antifouling properties of PVC ultrafiltration membranes by incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles

In this study, modification of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration membranes with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle addition was taken into consideration. The ZnO at five different weights was added to the polymeric solution, and the membranes were fabricated by the phase inversion method using water as a nonsolvent and PEG 6 kDa as a pore former additive. The results showed that the pure water flux of the modified membranes increased up to 3 wt% ZnO addition, which was the optimized amount of the nanoparticle addition in this study. Also, at 3 wt% ZnO addition, flux recovery ratio reached from 69% to above 90%, indicated that the nanocomposite membranes were less susceptible to be fouled. BSA rejection of the membranes also enhanced up to 97% by 3 wt% ZnO addition. The membranes were further characterized by SEM images and remarkable changes in their morphologies were observed, and they became more porous with higher interconnectivity between the pores. Furthermore, EDAX analysis was applied to study ZnO dispersion in the membrane structure and except for 4 wt% ZnO addition which particles aggregation was noticeable, ZnO was dispersed finely in the membrane structure. In addition, the modified membranes had higher hydrophilicity and lower contact angle that was effective to obtain higher water flux.Hesamoddin Rabiee, Vahid Vatanpour, Mohammad Hossein Davood Abadi Farahani, Hamed Zarrab

The influence of torque and manual glide path on the defect or separation rate of NiTi rotary instruments in root canal therapy

Introduction: One of the effecting factors in prognosis of root canal therapy is accidental procedure as broken files that may be unpreventable. Many manufacturers have designed and marketed various electromotors that can control rotational speed and torque. On the other hand, some studies have recommended applying a manual glide path to diminish contact area between the file and canal walls. The purpose of this study was evaluation of the effect of torque and a manual glide path on defects as separation of Nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary files. Materials and Methods: This ex vivo randomized controlled trial study was carried out on 160 canals of human′s matured molars with mild curvature (15-338). After initial preparation of samples and checking for inclusion criteria, in first group, preparation was carried out with air-driven handpiece, and in group two, Endo IT was used as electromotor. In both groups, Mtwo files with simultaneous technique were used for preparation. Then all data were collected and analyzed with Mann Whitny, Mantel Cox, and t-test. Results: No significant differences between two groups (P < 0.05) were observed. Based on survival analysis, safety probability of files after preparation of nine canals is 64% in group one and 69.9% in group two. There was no significant differences between this safety probability in two groups (P = 0.272). Conclusion: Usage of torque control handpiece is not an important factor, comparing instrumentation technique