Is garlic a promising food for benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is one of the most common male malignancies worldwide, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly men. Garlic (Allium sativum) has been known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant effects. Owing to these effects, garlic and its preparations have been used for the treatment of prostate cancer and relief of BPH symptoms for decades. It is thought that the mechanism(s) through which garlic may show anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects should be investigated further. Several researchers are attempting to demonstrate the useful properties of garlic and its mechanism(s) of action. This review aims to present the current studies related with the effects of garlic in prostate diseases, namely prostate cancer and BPH.     

Formulation and In Vitro Evaluation of Bisphosphonate Loaded Microspheres for Implantation in Osteolysis

ABSTRACT

Chitosan and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) microspheres loaded with alendronate sodium (AS) were prepared for orthopedic as well as dental applications. In orthopedics the aim was to make the total joint prostheses stay in the body for a long time without causing bone tissue loss, while in dentistry it was aimed to treat the alveolar bone resorption caused by periodontitis and also to make the dental treatment using implants easier by reducing the bone loss in patients with osteoporosis. Solvent evaporation method was used to prepare AS loaded PLGA microspheres and emulsion polimerization method was used to prepare AS loaded chitosan microspheres. Particle size, loading efficacy, surface characteristics, and in vitro release characteristics were examined on prepared formulations. After the examination of the scanning electron microscopy photographs of microspheres, chitosan microspheres were observed to have spherical structure and smooth surface characteristics while PLGA microspheres were observed to have spherical porous surface structure. Loading efficacy was found to be 3.30% for chitosan microspheres and 7.70% for PLGA microspheres. It was observed that 85% of AS had been released at the end of the third day from chitosan microspheres whereas 58% was released at the end of the fifth day from PLGA microspheres. It was found that chitosan microspheres gave first order release while PLGA microspheres gave zero order release.     

Elemental sulfur‐based polymeric materials: Synthesis and characterization

New elemental sulfur‐based polymeric materials called poly(sulfur‐random‐divinylbenzene) [poly(S‐r‐DVB)] were synthesized by ring opening polymerization via inverse vulcanization technique in the presence of a mixture of o‐, m‐, and p‐diviniylbenzene (DVB) as a cross‐linker. A clear yellow/orange colored liquid was obtained from the elemental sulfur melted at 160 °C and then by adding various amounts of DVB to this liquid directly via a syringe at 200 °C viscous reddish brown polymeric materials were obtained. The copolymers are soluble in common solvents like tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, and chloroform, and they can be coated on any surface as a thin film by a spray coating technique. The characterization of the materials was performed by using nuclear magnetic resonance, fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopies. The morphological properties were monitored via scanning electron microscope technique. Thermal analysis showed that an increase in the amount of DVB in the copolymers resulted in an increase in the thermal decomposition temperature. On the other hand, poly(S‐r‐DVB) copolymers exhibited good percent transmittance as 50% T between 1500 and 13,000 nm in electromagnetic radiation spectrum, which makes them good candidates to be amenable use in military and surveillance cameras. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43655.     

Graphene based catalyst supports for high temperature PEM fuel cell application

In this study, the effect of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) and graphene oxide (GO) based carbon supports on polybenzimidazole (PBI) based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) performances were investigated. Pt/GNP and Pt/GO catalysts were synthesized by microwave assisted chemical reduction support. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brauner, Emmet and Teller (BET) analysis and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to investigate the microstructure and morphology of the as-prepared catalysts. The electrochemical surface area (ESA) was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results showed deposition of smaller Pt nanoparticles with uniform distribution and higher ECSA for Pt/GNP compared to Pt/GO. The Pt/GNP and Pt/GO catalysts were tested in 25 cm² active area single HT-PEMFC with H₂/air at 160 °C without humidification. Performance evaluation in HT-PEMFC shows current densities of 0.28, 0.17 and 0.22 A/cm² for the Pt/GNP, Pt/C and Pt/GO catalysts based MEAs at 160 °C, respectively. The maximum power density was obtained for MEA prepared by Pt/GNP catalyst with H₂/Air dry reactant gases as 0.34, 0.40 and 0.46 W/cm² at 160 °C, 175 °C and 190 °C, respectively. Graphene based catalyst supports exhibits an enhanced HT-PEMFC performance in both low and high current density regions. The results indicate the graphene catalyst support could be utilized as the catalyst support for HT-PEMFC application.     

Aeroelastic analysis of a floating offshore wind turbine in platform‐induced surge motion using a fully coupled CFD‐MBD method

Modern offshore wind turbines are susceptible to blade deformation because of their increased size and the recent trend of installing these turbines on floating platforms in deep sea. In this paper, an aeroelastic analysis tool for floating offshore wind turbines is presented by coupling a high‐fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver with a general purpose multibody dynamics code, which is capable of modelling flexible bodies based on the nonlinear beam theory. With the tool developed, we demonstrated its applications to the NREL 5 MW offshore wind turbine with aeroelastic blades. The impacts of blade flexibility and platform‐induced surge motion on wind turbine aerodynamics and structural responses are studied and illustrated by the CFD results of the flow field, force, and wake structure. Results are compared with data obtained from the engineering tool FAST v8.     

Preparation of collagen modified photopolymers: a new type of biodegradable gel for cell growth

In this study a new branched methacrylated poly(propylene glycol-co-lactic acid) (PPG–PLA–IEM) and methacrylated cellulose acetate butyrate resin (CAB–IEM) were synthesized. Hydrogels with various amounts of PPG–PLA–IEM and CAB–IEM (25, 50 and 75 wt% IEM modified) were prepared by photopolymerization. Collagen tethered PEG–monoacrylate (PEGMA–collagen) was prepared and introduced as a bioactive moiety to modify the hydrogel in order to enhance cell affinity. In vitro attachment and growth of 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) on the hydrogels with and without collagen were also investigated. It was observed that, the collagen improves the cell adhesion onto the hydrogel surface. With the increasing amount of collagen, cell viability increased by 28% for ECV304 (P < 0.05) and 30% for 3T3 (P < 0.05).     

Electron beam penetration of poly (methyl methacrylate)/colemanite composite irradiated at low earth orbit space radiation environment

Poly (methyl methacrylate) modification by colemanite (CMT) addition has ensured beta shielding improvement. This study has connected with space environmental utilization with Kibo Japanese Experiment Module on International Space Station at low earth orbit. Space environment experiment was performed by using Kibo Experiment Handrail Attachment Mechanism–ExHAM. The changes in beta transmission of the composite were examined (by Sr-90 radioisotope) before and after space environmental utilization and details on beta penetration capacity was examined to protect the equipment (used in aviation and aerospace industries) from space radiation. Beta attenuation variations have indicated composite densification with beta attenuation enhancement after CMT addition.     

Co-delivery of pemetrexed and miR-21 antisense oligonucleotide by lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles and effects on glioblastoma cells

Abstract

Combination therapy using anticancer drugs and nucleic acid is a more promising strategy to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer and to enhance apoptosis. In this study, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs), which contain both pemetrexed and miR-21 antisense oligonucleotide (anti-miR-21), have been developed for treatment of glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of brain tumor. Prepared LPNs have been well characterized by particle size distribution and zeta potential measurements, determination of encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release experiments. Morphology of LPNs was determined by transmission electron microscopy. LPNs had a hydrodynamic size below 100?nm and exhibited sustained release of pemetrexed up to 10?h. Encapsulation of pemetrexed in LPNs increased cellular uptake from 6% to 78%. Results of confocal microscopy analysis have shown that co-delivery of anti-miR-21 significantly improved accumulation of LPNs in the nucleus of U87MG cells. Nevertheless, more effective cytotoxicity results could not be obtained due to low concentration of anti-miR-21, loaded in LPNs. We expect that the effective drug delivery systems can be obtained with higher concentration of anti-miR-21 for the treatment of glioblastoma.     

Can LDH activity in spermatic vein indicate testicular damage? A preliminary report

Extradural drainage systems connected to a vacuum device for preventing postoperative haematoma formation are often used in neurosurgical practice. Cardiovascular complications, including bradycardia or low arterial pressure caused by intracranial hypotension, have been described associated with their use. We have investigated the relationship between the negative pressure applied to extradural drainage systems and intracranial pressure (ICP), and analysed the effects of negative pressure of the drains on systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP) and mean (MAP) arterial pressures and on heart rate (HR). We studied prospectively 15 patients undergoing neurosurgery for supratentorial tumours or aneurysms. Transient decreases in ICP (P < 0.001) and HR (P < 0.001), with no clinical effects, were observed after connecting the vacuum device to the drain. There were no significant changes in SAP, DAP or MAP.