Resorcylidene Aminoguanidine (RAG) Improves Cardiac Mitochondrial Bioenergetics Impaired by Hyperglycaemia in a Model of Experimental Diabetes

Diabetes is associated with a mitochondrial dysfunction. Hyperglycaemia is also clearly recognized as the primary culprit in the pathogenesis of cardiac complications. In response to glycation and oxidative stress, cardiac mitochondria undergo cumulative alterations, often leading to heart deterioration. There is a continuous search for innovative treatment strategies for protecting the heart mitochondria from the destructive impact of diabetes. Aminoguanidine derivatives have been successfully used in animal model studies on the treatment of experimental diabetes, as well as the diabetes-driven dysfunctions of peripheral tissues and cells. Considerable attention has been paid particularly to β-resorcylidene aminoguanidine (RAG), often shown as the efficient anti-glycation and anti-oxidant agent in both animal studies and in vitro experiments. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that RAG improves oxidative phosphorylation and electron transport capacity in mitochondria impaired by hyperglycaemia. Diabetes mellitus was induced in Wistar rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (70 mg/kg body weight). Heart mitochondria were isolated from healthy rats and rats with streptozotocin-diabetes. Mitochondrial respiratory capacity was measured by high resolution respirometry with the OROBOROS Oxygraph-2k according to experimental protocol including respiratory substrates and inhibitors. The results revealed that RAG protects the heart against diabetes-associated injury by improving the mitochondrial bioenergetics, thus suggesting a possible novel pharmacological strategy for cardioprotection.     

Synergistic action between Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. fixed oil with aminoglycosides in vitro

The oil obtained from the Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. (pequi) fruit pulp (C. coriaceum fixed oil – CCFO), rich in fatty acids, has been secularly employed by traditional medicine in the treatment of respiratory affections, skin inflammation, and wounds. These observations encouraged us to investigate the antimicrobial activity of CCFO and to investigate its effect in combination with aminoglycosides. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CCFO alone and associated with aminoglycosides against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains were determined using microdilution assay. CCFO alone had a MIC of 512 µg/mL against E. coli and S. aureus resistant strains. Combining the CCFO with aminoglycosides reduced the MIC of aminoglycosides against the resistant strains of E. coli and S. aureus. The results obtained indicate that CCFO displays a significant synergistic antibiotic effect when combined with aminoglycosides, demonstrating that the oil constituents (fatty acids) may act as potentiators of the antibiotic activity of aminoglycosides. These properties make CCFO oil an interesting alternative as a remedy or nutraceutical against multiresistant bacteria, preventing the development of resistance by these microorganisms. Practical applications: This article demonstrates the capacity of the C. coriaceum oil to enhance the antibiotic activity of aminoglycosides. This activity could represent a new way to combat the growing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, an important problem of public health.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Spectroscopic and Thermal Investigations of a Novel 2D Sodium(I) Coordination Polymer Based on 2-Aminoterephthalic Ligand

The reaction of sodium hydroxide with 2-aminoterephthalic acid leads to the formation of a complex of the general formula: [Na₂(atpt)(H₂O)₅]·H₂O, where atpt?=?[NH₂C₆H₃(COO)₂]^2?. Sodium 2-aminoterephthalate was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis and coupled TG–FT-IR technique. Crystallographic study of the sodium complex reveals that the compound crystallizes in the triclinic system, the space group P-1 with a?=?7.983(3) ?, b?=?8.405(3) ?, c?=?11.311(5) ?, α?=?70.74(3)°, β?=?76.57(3)°, γ?=?83.12(3)° and V?=?696.1(5) ?³. On heating in air atmosphere the compound in question loses all water molecules in two steps in the temperature range 30–205?°C. The anhydrous form of the complex is stable up to 370?°C and then decomposes to sodium carbonate.     

Extensional rheology of raw natural rubber from new clones of Hevea brasiliensis

Natural rubber (NR) is a biopolymer whose properties depend on the molecular structure of the 1,4‐cis polyisoprene chains, nonrubber constituents, environmental conditions, etc. NR has been characterized by Mooney viscosity, Wallace plasticity, nitrogen content (%N). However, these cannot effectively account for clone's differences. The aim of this work is to use extensional rheology to characterize and differentiate NR samples as for clone type and the season of the year in comparison to the traditional characterizations. Three IAC 300 series and RRIM 600 clones of Hevea brasiliensis tapped between October 2006 (Oct_06) and August 2008 (Aug_08) were investigated. IAC 329 clones showed the least susceptibility to seasonal changes, whereas RRIM 600 was the most influenced. An opposite trend between extensional viscosity (η_E) and %N was established. The former was very sensitive to changes in the molecular structure of NR, being fundamental for monitoring purposes and strategic development of new rubber tree clones. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Study on the new bone cement based on calcium sulfate and Mg,CO3 doped hydroxyapatite

In order to improve some features of bone substitutes the new self-setting composite-type implant material based on Mg²⁺/CO₃^2? co-substituted hydroxyapatite (Mg-CHA) and calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH) was developed. Synthetic hydroxyapatites doped with small amounts of additives found in natural bone (e.g. Mg²⁺ and CO₃^2?) are regarded as promising components of calcium phosphate bone cements (CPCs). The CPCs, now available on the market, due to low resorption rate are too stable to permit material degradation and are slowly replaced by the newly formed bone. To improve cement resorption we used calcium sulfate which is a well-known biodegradable and biocompatible bone defect filler. Combining properties of Mg-CHA and CSH allowed developing a new, promising, easy shapeable implant material with high potential for bone regeneration.     

泥炭淤泥质土壤的理化性质与其腐植酸组分之间的统计关系

腐植酸对土壤环境的影响仍然是科学研究需要讨论的话题。本研究目的是调查11种泥炭淤泥质土壤的理化性质与从中分离的腐植酸属性的相关关系。本次测量的土壤参数有:总碳和有机碳、容重、灰分、腐殖化度和吸水指数。选择的腐植酸参数有:280 nm吸光度,465 nm和655 nm、260 nm和655 nm的吸光度比值,元素组成,H/C,O/H,O/C,C/N,氧化程度,羧基和酚基官能团含量。统计分析显示:容重、腐殖化度、吸水指数的升高导致腐植酸参数280 nm吸光度、含氧量、O/H、O/C、氧化度、官能团含量的显著升高。研究还发现土壤属性参数与腐植酸的碳氢含量及H/C比值呈明显负相关。因此,只要测量一些土壤参数,即使没有耗时分离腐植酸,弄清腐植酸的性质也成为可能。     

Characterization of water penetration inside organic coatings by capacitance measurements

Knowledge of the solution of transport equations allows one to determine parameters which are needed to evaluate the protective properties of organic coatings, particularly the penetration of water inside the coatings. The form of equations representing the processes of transport and their usefulness should be verified by experimental results. The mathematical aspect of the problem is studied in the framework of the theory of partial differential equations. Various methods of solving the equations, the problem of their univocal character, their regularity and properties are considered. The form of a particular solution depends on the imposed problem. The method of determination of the depth of water penetration inside the organic coatings is based upon the solutions of the transport equation. The use of Boltzmann transformation allows the concentration profiles dependent on additional parameters (e.g., temperature) to be represented. The solutions of the diffusion equation for various limiting conditions as well as the methods of determination of diffusion coefficient are presented. The method of evaluation of the depth of medium penetration inside the protective coating in the case of a non-stationary process is described. The use of Boltzmann transformation made it easier to analyse the solution of the diffusion equation. The dependence of the water diffusion coefficient in epoxide-phenol lacquer coatings on temperature was determined and the applicability of Arrhenius' law was found in the temperature range from 303 to 363 K. Knowledge of the diffusion coefficients enabled the time of water penetration inside organic coatings to be determined.     

Automatic generation of procedures for the simulation of multistage separators using computer algebra

We successfully extended a computer algebra program (Thermath), orginally developed for the automatic computer implementation of physical property calculations, in order to perform the global phase stability test and to generate code for the steady state simulation of multistage separators. Analytical derivatives of the modeling equations and of the thermodynamic properties were rapidly obtained and automatically implemented in Fortran 77 using Thermath. Even though the final assembly of the code was doen manually, the largest portion of the program corresponds to automatically generated code. A program for the simulation of extraction columns was developed and showed excellent agreement with results available in the literature. The global phase stability program was tested in the identification of liquid-liquid phase transitions, showing results coherent with those from the extraction column program. Quadratic convergence rates in the Newton-Raphson method were obtained with both programs, as should be expected when the functions and their derivatives are correctly implemented.     

Effects of different surface treatments of zirconia on the bond strength of self-adhesive resinous cement

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different zirconia surface treatments on the bond strength of two self-adhesive resinous cements (SARC).

Methods: Two hundred and eight cylindrical specimens were obtained from Y-TZP zirconia (half with diameter 3.2 mm and half with 4.8 mm). After sintering and polishing, specimens were divided into four groups (n = 26), according to surface treatment: Control (no treatment); Sandblasting (Al₂O₃ particles); Rocatec (Al₂O₃ particles, tribochemical silica coating and silane application); Laser (Nd: YAG laser: 20 Hz, 100 mJ, 0.2 J/cm²). The surface roughness (Ra) was evaluated after the surface treatments, and the groups were divided into two subgroups (n = 13), according to the SARC tested: RelyX U200 and Bifix SE. The 2.2-mm cylinders were bonded to 4.8-mm cylinders and stressed until failure under shear using a universal testing machine. Bond strength and Ra were analyzed using ANOVA, and Tukey’s test (α = 0.05).

Results: Surface treatment was significant (p < 0.0001), but cement type (p = 0.73) was not. Related to roughness, significant differences were found for the treatment type (p < 0.0001), with laser being the treatment with higher Ra values.

Conclusions: Nd:YAG laser produced a rougher surface and a higher bond strength compared with sandblasting, silicatization, and control groups.