An insight into the paradigms of osteoporosis: From genetics to biomechanics.

Considered as one of the major epidemics of the 21st century, osteoporosis affects approximately 200 million people globally, with significant worldwide impact on rates of morbidity and mortality and massive socioeconomic burdens. Mainly characterized by decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased risk of bone fragility/deterioration, this devastating silent epidemic typically has no symptoms until a fracture occurs. The multifactorial disease, osteoporosis is instigated by complex interactions between genetic, metabolic and environmental factors, with severe impact on the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system.

Ultrasound-mediated drug delivery by gas bubbles generated from a chemical reaction.

Highly echogenic and ultrasound-responsive microbubbles such as nitrogen and perfluorocarbons have been exploited as ultrasound-mediated drug carriers. Here, we propose an innovative method for drug delivery using microbubbles generated from a chemical reaction. In a novel drug delivery system, luminol encapsulated in folate-conjugated bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (Fol-BSAN) can generate nitrogen gas (N) by chemical reaction when it reacts with hydrogen peroxide (HO), one of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Intermolecular interactions between cucurbit[7]uril and pilocarpine.

The interactions between cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) macrocycles and pilocarpine (PIL) were investigated in aqueous solution by using (1)H NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques. The characterizations of the freeze-drying solid complex were conducted by electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The DSC and thermogravimetry confirmed the production of a thermally stable solid complex.

Genotoxicity of structurally related copper and zinc containing Schiff base complexes.

The utilization of Schiff bases in the industrial and pharmaceutical fields has led to an increase in their syntheses and evaluation of their biological activities. In this study, we described the synthesis and genotoxicity of two Schiff bases that share common platform in their construction, namely, naphthalene, and are complexed to either Cu(II) or Zn(II). The genotoxicity of these complexes was evaluated in cultured lymphocytes using sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs), and in rats using the urine 8-OH-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) assay.