Local Insulin-Derived Amyloidosis Model Confronted with Silymarin: Histological Insights and Gene Expression of MMP,TNF-α, and IL-6

Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous group of protein deposition diseases associated with the presence of amyloid fibrils in tissues. Analogs of insulin that are used for treating diabetic patients (including regular insulin) can form amyloid fibrils, both in vitro and in vivo as reported in patients. The main purpose of this study was the induction of localized insulin-generated amyloidosis and the observation of silymarin effects on this process. In order to obtain amyloid structures, regular insulin was incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Congo red absorbance and transmission electron microscopy images validated the formation of amyloid fibrils. Those fibrils were then injected subcutaneously into rats once per day for 6, 12 or 18 consecutive days in the presence or absence of silymarin, and caused development of firm waxy masses. These masses were excised and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Congo red and Thioflavin S. Histological examination showed adipose cells and connective tissue in which amyloid deposition was visible. Amyloids decreased in the presence of silymarin, and the same effect was observed when silymarin was added to normal insulin and injected subsequently. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of MMP2, TNF-α, and IL-6 inflammatory factors were measured, and their gene expression was locally assessed in the masses by immunohistochemistry. All three factors increased in the amyloidosis state, while silymarin had an attenuating effect on their plasma levels and gene expression. In conclusion, we believe that silymarin could be effective in counteracting insulin-generated local amyloidosis.     

Toughening of epoxy resin systems using core–shell rubber particles: a literature review

Journal of Materials Science - Excellent thermal and mechanical properties and high chemical resistance with low shrinkage of epoxy resins open a wide window of various industrial applications,...     

Optimizing nanoencapsulation of Heracleum lasiopetalum by response surface methodology

This study was carried out to optimize formulation for Heracleum lasiopetalum (golpar) extract nanoencapsulation by response surface methodology (RSM). The primary water-in-oil emulsion was fabricated by (5%–10%) golpar extract (GE), (40%–35%) emulsifier span 80 (EM), and (50%–60%) sunflower oil (SO). The coating materials were the mixture of Lepidium sativum seed gum (LSG) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) at different ratios (1:0, 1:1, and 0:1). The yield of nanoencapsulation of GE, particle size, and zeta potential was investigated as responses of RSM. The optimal formulation for water-in-oil-in-water emulsion of GE were SO: 50.46%, GE 9.52%, and EM: 36.30% in LSG, SO: 57.07%, GE: 7.12%, and EM: 30.85% in LSG:WPC, and SO: 54.98%, GE: 9.05%, and EM: 39.87% in WPC coating. In conclusion, the nanoencapsulation of GE prepared with the optimized formulation by RSM ensures the gradual release and higher stability to sedimentation during storage with nanometric size and high yield of encapsulation. The nanocapsules of GE can be used as a natural antioxidant in food systems.     

Pricing and ordering decisions in a supply chain with imperfect quality items and inspection under buyback of defective items

In this article, the economic production and inventory model in a three-layer supply chain including one distributor, one manufacturer and one retailer for a single-product and general demand functions under three scenarios is developed. We assume that during the production process, both healthy and defective items are generated. As the first scenario, we develop the first model, in which the defective items are not reworked and all considered as scrape, while in the second model, we assume that the defective items are reworked and are sold as perfect item. In the second scenario, we assume that defective item can be sold with lower price than the selling price. Moreover, raw materials with imperfect quality are sent back from a distributor to outside supplier under a lower price. Determining the order quantity of the distributor and the selling prices of the distributor and the manufacturer as well as the retailer was the goal of this article such that the total profit of each member is maximised. In order to solve the models, the Stackelberg approach is employed between the members, and the concavity of the profit functions is proved using several theorems. Then, closed form solutions are derived for the decision variables and a solution algorithm is proposed to determine the optimal solutions. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the applicability of the model.     

Preparation of SnO2 Nanoparticles from a New Tin(IV) Complex: Spectroscopic and Photoluminescence Studies

A new dimethyltin(IV) complex, {[Me₂Sn(O₂CNC₉H₆)]₂O}₂ (1), was prepared by reaction of dimethyltin(IV) dichloride with the quinoline-2-carboxylic acid and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H-, ¹³C-, ¹¹⁹Sn-NMR spectroscopes. The structure of 1 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The results showed that 1 is a tetranuclear, centrosymmetric dimeric, and contains two endo-cyclic five-coordinated and two exo-cyclic six-coordinated tin atoms and a N-atom of the 2-quinaldic carboxylate ligand coordinated to exo-cyclic tin. Complex 1 was utilized as a precursor for SnO₂ nanoparticles by direct thermal decomposition at 500 °C in air. The nano-structure of SnO₂ was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The SnO₂ core showed a band gap of ~4 eV determined from the UV/visible absorption spectrum. The SnO₂ nanoparticles show stable photoluminescence (PL) with an emission centered at 557 nm.     

Fabrication and characterization of a new MRI contrast agent based on a magnetic dextran–spermine nanoparticle system

This study aims to fabricate and formulate a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent based on a dextran?Cspermine nanoparticulate system loaded with super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION). SPION-loaded spermine?Cdextran nanoparticles were prepared according to a procedure based on the ionic gelation of dextran?Cspermine with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) anions. The effects of process parameters such as pH, concentration of spermine dextran, TPP to dextran?Cspermine and SPION to dextran?Cspermine weight ratios, and TPP addition rate were fully investigated to find the optimized formulation through the response surface methodology. At the optimum condition, 75% of the magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles added to the polymeric solution were entrapped in dextran?Cspermine nanoparticles. Samples were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The mean particle size of the nanoparticles determined by particle size analyzer was found to be 65?nm at the optimum condition with zeta potential of +90?mV. The SPION-loaded dextran?Cspermine nanoparticle formulation has the same superparamagnetic properties as SPIONs and at same iron concentration the saturation magnetization (Ms) of the SPION-loaded dextran?Cspermine nanoparticles was larger than SPIONs. In vitro MRI was performed with gradient echo and spin-echo sequences at 1.5?T. By increasing of iron concentration, the T ₂ relaxation times were reduced. Thus, indicating that the saturation magnetization and r ₂ and $ r_{2}^{*} $ relaxivities were enhanced, and the contrast effects were improved in comparison to commercial SPIONs.     

Symbol Timing Acquisition for Collaborative OFDM WLAN-Based A-GPS

Wide deployment of the 802.11g/n protocols for implementing next generation WLAN has encouraged research on the integration of these networks and GPS as a promising approach to enhance GPS for indoor positioning. WLAN, or WiFi, using the 802.11 standards, can be employed in several different ways as a complementary positioning technology for GPS navigation and the two can be used in an integrated framework to provide a continuous and robust positioning service. This paper presents receiver-level integration of 802.11g OFDM signals and GPS for a WiFi-based assisted-GPS acquisition in a multipath NLOS environment. Although previous research has been conducted to accomplish A-GPS systems using assistance information from other wireless networks (such as cellular networks), a lack of research exists to exploit 802.11 WLAN signals in order to provide complete assistance information including frequency, approximate user position and fine time assistance. Several practical time-domain OFDM timing techniques are evaluated under multipath conditions and an algorithm for relative time estimation is developed that is sufficient to enable an effective and complete WiFi-based A-GPS service. The proposed system can be deployed in places where WiFi coverage is available and where there is no or limited access to other synchronized systems. Examples include WiFi enabled mobile devices deployed on university campuses, hospitals and shopping malls, or tablet computers being used on public WiFi networks.     

Super Magnetic Niosomal Nanocarrier as a New Approach for Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Case Study on SK-BR-3 and MDA-MB-231 Cell Lines

In the present study, a magnetic niosomal nanocarrier for co-delivery of curcumin and letrozole into breast cancer cells has been designed. The magnetic NiCoFe₂O₄ core was coated by a thin layer of silica, followed by a niosomal structure, allowing us to load letrozole and curcumin into the silica layer and niosomal layer, respectively, and investigate their synergic effects on breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the nanocarriers demonstrated a pH-dependent release due to the niosomal structure at their outer layer, which is a promising behavior for cancer treatment. Additionally, cellular assays revealed that the nanocarriers had low cellular uptake in the case of non-tumorigenic cells (i.e., MCF-10A) and related high viability but high cellular uptake in cancer cell lines (i.e., MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3) and related low viability, which is evidenced in their high cytotoxicity against different breast cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity of the letrozole/curcumin co-loaded nanocarrier is higher than that of the aqueous solutions of both drugs, indicating their enhanced cellular uptake in their encapsulated states. In particular, NiCoFe₂O₄@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome showed the highest cytotoxicity effects on MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. The observed cytotoxicity was due to regulation of the expression levels of the studied genes in breast cancer cells, where downregulation was observed for the Bcl-2, MMP 2, MMP 9, cyclin D, and cyclin E genes while upregulation of the expression of the Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 genes was observed. The flow cytometry results also revealed that NiCoFe₂O₄@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome enhanced the apoptosis rate in both MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells compared to the control samples. The findings of our research show the potential of designing magnetic niosomal formulations for simultaneous targeted delivery of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs into cancer cells in order to enhance their synergic chemotherapeutic effects. These results could open new avenues into the future of nanomedicine and the development of theranostic agents.     

A Reinforcement Learning Based Routing in Cognitive Radio Networks for Primary Users with Multi-stage Periodicity

Wireless Personal Communications - Designing an efficient routing protocol for cognitive radio networks is critical due to the dynamic behavior of the primary users. Based on empirical studies, the...