Myofibroblast accumulation induced by transforming growth factor-beta is involved in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps

Myofibroblasts that express alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) are detected in many chronic inflammatory diseases. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a potent inducer of myofibroblast accumulation in tissues. In this study, scattered myofibroblasts and TGF-beta were quantified and localized in nasal polyps (NPs) and normal nasal mucosa (NM). NPs were sampled in 16 patients during ethmoidectomy and NM was obtained from 10 control subjects during rhinoplasty. alpha-SMA and TGF-beta were detected using immunohistochemistry and the numbers of labeled cells were quantified (alpha-SMA and TGF-beta indices) and compared between NPs and NM. In eight NPs, in which the pedicle was preserved, alpha-SMA and TGF-beta were evaluated and compared in the pedicle, central, and tip areas. Finally, TGF-beta expression was compared between low (zone 1), moderate (zone 2), and high (zone 3) zones of alpha-SMA positivity. alpha-SMA and TGF-beta indices were significantly higher in NPs than in NM. In the eight selected NPs, alpha-SMA-positive cells were significantly more abundant in the pedicle than in the central and tip areas, whereas TGF-beta-positive cells were significantly more numerous in the pedicle than in the tip area. The number of TGF-beta-positive cells was significantly higher in zone 3 than in zone 1 of alpha-SMA positivity. Myofibroblasts, which are abundant in NPs but rare in NM, could be involved in the growth of NPs by inducing extracellular matrix accumulation. The local development of myofibroblasts in NPs could be controlled by TGF-beta, locally produced by inflammatory cells.     

Prediction and analysis of flow behavior of a polymer melt through nanochannels using artificial neural network and statistical methods

A new methodology, namely, artificial neural network (ANN) approach was proposed for modeling and predicting flow behavior of the polyethylene melt through nanochannels of nanoporous alumina templates. Wetting length of the nanochannels was determined to be a function of time, temperature, diameter of nanochannels, and surface properties of the inner wall of the nanochannels. An ANN was designed to forecast the relationship between the length of wetting as output parameter and other aforementioned parameters as input variables. It was demonstrated that the ANN method is capable of modeling this phenomenon with high accuracy. The designed ANN was then employed to obtain the wetting length of the nanochannels for those cases, which were not reported by the wetting experiments. The results were then analyzed statistically to identify the effect of each independent variable, namely, time, temperature, diameter of nanochannels, and surface properties of the inner wall of nanochannels as well as their combinations on the wetting length of the nanochannels. Interesting results were attained and discussed.     

A heuristic method for the vehicle routing problem with mixed deliveries and pickups

The vehicle routing problem with deliveries and pickups is a challenging extension to the vehicle routing problem that lately attracted growing attention in the literature. This paper investigates the relationship between two versions of this problem, called “mixed” and “simultaneous”. In particular, we wish to know whether a solution algorithm designed for the simultaneous case can solve the mixed case. To this end, we implement a metaheuristic based on reactive tabu search. The results suggest that this approach can yield good results.     

An efficient method for terminal and multiterminal pathset enumeration

The literature is abundant with algorithms for determining separately the paths for the single terminal pair, paths for multiterminal pairs and cuts for a specified terminal pair of any network, from knowledge of the reliability logic diagram (RLD). However, very few methods are available as efficient algorithms for enumerating simultaneously the paths between any single terminal pair, paths for multiterminal pairs and cuts for the specified terminal pair.The present paper provides a conceptually simple and computationally efficient algorithm to obtain simultaneously the paths between any single pair of terminals, paths for multiterminal pairs and the cuts for the specified terminal pair of interest of any complex network. The algorithm is easy and computationally economical and also applicable to graphs having both nodes and branches of finite non-zero failure probability.An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.     

Microencapsulation of Nigella sativa seeds oil containing thymoquinone by spray‐drying for functional yogurt production

The present work reports on the microencapsulation of Nigella sativa seeds oil containing thymoquinone (TQ) by spray‐drying, using modified starch (MS) and maltodextrin (MD) mixture as wall materials aimed at producing functional yogurt. First, the impact of different ratios of MS/MD on microencapsulation efficiency (ME) and TQ retention was investigated. The highest ME (90.10%) was found in microcapsules prepared from emulsion with 80/20 ratio of MS/MD; however, the microcapsules prepared with 50/50 ratio was selected for considering TQ stability under storage conditions and functional yogurt production due to an acceptable ME (89.48%) and better TQ retention (61.12%). The results showed that the microcapsules stored at refrigerator temperature had the highest content of TQ after 4 weeks. Moreover, the results of chemical and sensory analysis suggest that N. sativa seeds oil microcapsules can be used for producing functional yogurt due to high stability of TQ and proper chemical and sensory properties.     

Integrated microfluidic drug delivery devices: a component view

Research on drug delivery devices is progressing rapidly with the main objective being the delivery of precise quantity of drugs into the target area of the body. A drug delivery device (DDD) needs to accurately control the flow rate of drug delivery and protects the body from undesired additional doses. An integrated microfluidic drug delivery device (IMDDD) is a miniature device that can regulate and monitor the delivery of the right amount of drug using micro-scale components. IMDDDs offer several advantages including ease of use, electro-chemical controllability, low power consumption, simplicity, fast fabrication, and good bio-compatibility. Various IMDDDs have been developed for treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disorder, eye and brain diseases, stress, and diabetes. This paper presents a generic architecture for IMDDDs, discusses the existing drug delivery methods, summarizes the specifications of the components, and identifies a number of performance evaluation parameters. The operation of IMDDDs is presented through fourteen potential internal components. In addition, recommendations on how enhance the design and fabrication process of IMDDDs are given.