Analgesic Effect of Tranilast in an Animal Model of Neuropathic Pain and Its Role in the Regulation of Tetrahydrobiopterin Synthesis

Trigeminal neuralgia is unilateral, lancinating, episodic pain that can be provoked by routine activities. Anticonvulsants, such as carbamazepine, are the drugs of choice; however, these possess side-effects. Microvascular decompression is the most effective surgical technique with a higher success rate, although occasionally causes adverse effects. The potential treatment for this type of pain remains unmet. Increased tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels have been reported in association with axonal injury. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tranilast on relieving neuropathic pain in animal models and analyze the changes in BH4 synthesis. Neuropathic pain was induced via infraorbital nerve constriction. Tranilast, carbamazepine, or saline was injected intraperitoneally to assess the rat’s post-intervention pain response. In the von Frey’s test, the tranilast and carbamazepine groups showed significant changes in the head withdrawal threshold in the ipsilateral whisker pad area. The motor coordination test showed no changes in the tranilast group, whereas the carbamazepine group showed decreased performance, indicating impaired motor coordination. Trigeminal ganglion tissues were used for the PCR array analysis of genes that regulate the BH4 pathway. Downregulation of the sepiapterin reductase (Spr) and aldoketo reductase (Akr) genes after tranilast injection was observed compared to the pain model. These findings suggest that tranilast effectively treats neuropathic pain.     

GRB 030329: 3 years of radio afterglow monitoring

Radio observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows are essential for our understanding of the physics of relativistic blast waves, as they enable us to follow the evolution of GRB explosions much longer than the afterglows in any other wave band. We have performed a 3-year monitoring campaign of GRB 030329 with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescopes and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. Our observations, combined with observations at other wavelengths, have allowed us to determine the GRB blast wave physical parameters, such as the total burst energy and the ambient medium density, as well as to investigate the jet nature of the relativistic outflow. Further, by modelling the late-time radio light curve of GRB 030329, we predict that the Low-Frequency Array (30-240 MHz) will be able to observe afterglows of similar GRBs, and constrain the physics of the blast wave during its non-relativistic phase.     

Processing of Porous SiC by Aluminum‐Derived Binders and Sacrificial Porogen Leaching Method

Porous SiC was successfully fabricated by a facile and energy efficient sacrificial porogen leaching method using in situ synthesized aluminum‐based binders by reaction bonding at low sintering temperatures of 600–1000°C. Porous SiC ceramics with porosity in the range of 30–58% and compressive strength of 1–33 MPa were obtained. Interconnected bimodal pores were produced by both stacking of SiC particles and leach out of salt. During sintering, the aluminum binder experienced metal to ceramic transformations forming various alumina polymorphs (γ, δ, θ and α‐Al₂O₃). The porogen content and sintering temperatures significantly influence the properties of porous SiC.     

A solution to dynamic green vehicle routing problems with time windows using spiking neural P systems with modified rules and learning

The Journal of Supercomputing - Dynamic routing problems involve electronic decision making, which compromises reactivity with the quality of decision making. The time for seeking better decisions...     

Synthesis and stability of chitosan gold nanocomposites: Effect of time of heating and concentration of reactant

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) exhibit red colour and is suitable for development of indicators based on colour change. This work investigated the influence of concentration of gold precursor and time of thermal treatment on the properties of chitosan gold nanocomposites. Three concentrations of gold, 5 mM, 10 mM, and 15 mM were used and the heating time studied were 5 min and 15 min. The UV–vis spectra, transmission electron microscopic characteristics, zeta potential, and visible colour were inspected. All the samples have shown distinct colour change and the characteristic surface plasmonic resonance peak at ~530 nm. The spectral properties, zeta potential, and particle dispersity were significantly affected by the concentration and time. Furthermore, the nanoparticles were exposed to frozen condition at −18 °C ± 2 °C. The absorbance maxima of surface plasmonic resonance peak have changed significantly in all the samples. The visible colour of chitosan gold nanocomposites has changed on freezing and the microscopic analysis demonstrated the clustering and change in shape of nanoparticles on freezing. The results suggest that the chitosan gold nanocomposites synthesised with 10 mM gold chloride and 5 min of heating can be efficiently used as freeze indicator.     

Spiking neural firefly optimization scheme for the capacitated dynamic vehicle routing problem with time windows

Neural Computing and Applications - A number of technological improvements have prompted a great concern on ‘dynamism’ in vehicle routing problems (VRP). In real-world applications, the...     

Squeeze Infiltration Processing of Functionally Graded Aluminum–SiC Metal Ceramic Composites

The objective of the present work is on fabrication of functionally graded SiC/Al composite by direct squeeze infiltration of 6061 aluminum alloy using graded SiC porous preform prepared by inorganic porogen technique. Graded SiC preform is synthesized by varying the concentration of inorganic salt mixture and using Al as the binder. The microstructure analysis indicates the graded distribution of SiC particle and the melt has infiltrated completely throughout the preform to form functionally graded materials. The influence of preform and mold temperature, liquid metal superheat, squeeze pressure, and its rate of application plays major role on solidification microstructures and properties of the composites. The macro porous graded SiC preforms and the composites were characterized using SEM, optical microscopy, and XRD. The major interfacial reaction product is MgAl₂O₄ spinel which helps in formation of good interface bonding.     

Identification of Compounds in the Essential Oil of Nutmeg Seeds (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) That Inhibit Locomotor Activity in Mice

The present study was designed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) seed essential oil on the locomotor activity of mice in a wheel cage. Active compounds in the essential oil were identified by off-line solid phase extraction (SPE-C18) and GC/MS analysis. The essential oil was administered by inhalation at doses of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mL/cage. The results showed that inhalation of nutmeg seed essential oil at a dose of 0.5 mL/cage decreased locomotion by 68.62%; and inhalation of 0.1 and 0.3 mL/cage inhibited locomotion by 62.81% and 65.33%, respectively. Generally, larger doses and longer administrations of nutmeg seed essential oil exhibited greater locomotor inhibition. Subsequently, the plasma concentrations of essential oil compounds were measured. The most concentrated compound in the plasma was myristicin. Half an hour after the addition of 1 mL/cage of nutmeg seed oil, the plasma concentration of myristicin was 3.7 μg/mL; one and two hours after the addition, the blood levels of myristicin were 5.2 μg/mL and 7.1 μg/mL, respectively. Other essential oil compounds identified in plasma were safrole (two-hour inhalation: 1.28 μg/mL), 4-terpineol (half-hour inhalation: 1.49 μg/mL, one-hour inhalation: 2.95 μg/mL, two-hour inhalation: 6.28 μg/mL) and fatty esters. The concentrations of the essential oil compounds in the blood plasma were relatively low (μg/mL or ppm). In conclusion, the volatile compounds of nutmeg seed essential oil identified in the blood plasma may correlate with the locomotor-inhibiting properties of the oil when administered by inhalation.     

Optimization of process parameters for the production of Ni-Mn-Co-Fe based NTC chip thermistors through tape casting route

Ni-Mn-Co-Fe-O based ceramic compositions were prepared and their NTC thermistor characteristics were evaluated. The tape casting slurry composition was optimized to get defect free ceramic tapes. Chip thermistors were prepared from these NTC tapes by optimizing the process parameters. The prepared chip thermistors were tested for their thermal and electrical reliability and found to have excellent reliability. Tape casting can be employed as an effective and ideal method for the mass production of Ni-Mn-Co-Fe based miniaturized NTC chip thermistors.     

Antibacterial and anticancer activity of biosynthesised CuO nanoparticles

The present investigation aims for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using Nilgirianthus ciliatus plant extract. The obtained CuO NPs were characterised by X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Significant bacterial activity was manifested by CuO nanoparticles against both Gram‐positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus mutans) and Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. The synthesised CuO NPs have good cytotoxicity against both human breast cancer cell line (MCF‐7) and lung cancer cell line (A549) with minimum cytotoxic effect on normal L929 (fibroblast) cell lines.Inspec keywords: microorganisms, ultraviolet spectra, nanomedicine, transmission electron microscopy, visible spectra, cellular biophysics, antibacterial activity, nanoparticles, X‐ray diffraction, lung, copper compounds, cancer, toxicology, biomedical materials, scanning electron microscopy, photoluminescence, Fourier transform infrared spectraOther keywords: antibacterial activity, anticancer activity, biosynthesised CuO nanoparticles, copper oxide nanoparticles, Nilgirianthus ciliatus plant, X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectrum, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy analysis, bacterial activity, Gram‐negative bacteria, synthesised CuO NPs, human breast cancer cell line, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus mutans, CuO