Engineering of redox-triggered polymeric lipid hybrid nanocarriers for selective drug delivery to cancer cells.

Tunable redox-sensitive polymeric-lipid hybrid nanocarriers (RS-PLHNCs) were fabricated using homogenization and nanoprecipitation methods. These nanocarriers were composed of novel redox-cholesterol with disulfide linkages and synthesized by conjugating cholesterol with dithiodipropionic acid esterification. Berberine (BBR) was loaded into the fabricated nanocarriers to investigate the selective uptake of BBR by cancer cells as well as its release and enhanced cytotoxicity.

Mucosal melanoma of hard palate.

Melanoma arising in the hard palate is an exceedingly rare entity, comprising a minute fraction of all melanoma cases. The absence of specific clinical signs often leads to delayed diagnosis and subsequent challenges in treatment planning. We discussed the existing literature to elucidate the epidemiology, risk factors, and molecular pathways associated with melanoma of the hard palate.

Perception of undergraduate medical students on learning physiology: A descriptive cross-sectional study in a medical school of South India.

Background: Understanding the various principles in physiology is very important for medical students to apply their knowledge in clinical practice. Most of the students learn physiology just to clear exams. There is a need to understand the student's perception on the significance of learning physiology in medical colleges, its role in clinical practice, research, and the subject of career choice.

Dual drug nanoparticle synergistically induced apoptosis, suppressed inflammation, and protected autophagic response in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune-mediated joint inflammatory disorder associated with aberrant activation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Recently, FLS gained importance due to its crucial role in RA pathogenesis, and thus, targeting FLS is suggested as an attractive treatment strategy for RA. FLS-targeted approaches may be combined with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and natural phytochemicals to improve efficacy in RA control and negate immunosuppression.

Silver molybdate: an excellent optical limiting material under nanoregime for photonic device application.

There is a mounting demand for nonlinear optical materials with superior optical limiting performance which has a noticeable impact on protecting the delicate optical components from laser-induced damage. Transition metal molybdates have garnered attention in the nonlinear optics field due to their outstanding optical and luminescent properties, which give rise to widespread applications in next-generation optoelectronics devices. The structural confirmation of the as prepared silver molybdate nanoparticles were made by XRD and Raman spectroscopy analysis.

Formulation of a dual drug-loaded nanoparticulate co-delivery hydrogel system and its validation in rheumatoid arthritis animal model.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic autoimmune disease that dramatically affects patients' quality of life. Given the intricacy of RA's pathophysiology, no single treatment can completely halt the disease progression. Here, we attempted to treat RA holistically and synergistically by co-delivering methotrexate (MTX), a standard slow-acting anti-rheumatic drug, and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a bioactive phytochemical, using a sodium alginate (SA)-pluronic F127 (PF-127) hydrogel formulation.

A facile route to synthesize n-SnO/p-CuFeO to rapidly degrade toxic methylene blue dye under natural sunlight.

In the present study, the n-SnO/p-CuFeO (p-CFO) complex was prepared by a two-step process. p-CFO synthesized by the molten salt method was coated with SnO synthesized by a facile chemical precipitation method. The formation of n-SnO/p-CFO was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD).

A Study to Assess the Levels of Salivary Ferritin in Iron Deficiency Anemia Subjects and Healthy Subjects.

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most widespread disorders in humans. Early diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia is challenged by assessing serum ferritin levels. However, studies across the globe have concluded that ferritin is present in quantifiable amounts in saliva.

Method for Synthesis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-Derived LiCoO/CNTs@AlF with Enhanced Lithium Storage Capacity.

Metal-organic framework-derived lithium cobaltate nanoparticles were fabricated by annealing of the ZIF-67 precursor with LiCO under air, followed by homogeneous AlF coating and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) wrapping. The as-prepared AlF-coated LiCoO/CNTs electrode can act as a potential cathode for enhanced lithium storage at both room temperature and an elevated temperature of 50 °C.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking Studies of New Pyrazolines as an Antitubercular and Cytotoxic Agents.

Background: Many synthetic procedures were reported till date to prepare pyrazoline derivatives. Some have published pyrazolines from different chalcone derivatives in the literature.

Objective: A series of new pyrazolines containing novel 2,5-dichloro-3-acetylthiophene chalcone moiety (PZT1-PZT20) have been synthesized, characterized by 1HNMR and 13CNMR and evaluated for them in vitro antitubercular activity against M.

Diverging beam with synthetic aperture technique for rotation elastography: preliminary experimental results.

Rotation Elastogram (RE) is a 2D spatial distribution map of the estimated local rigid-body rotation undergone by a target when subjected to an external compression, which is one of the recent variants in elastographic imaging. A recent study has shown that inclusion-contrast in RE is independent of inclusion-background modulus contrast and thus may be helpful in distinguishing between barely-stiff benign and malignant lesions. However, estimation of quality RE requires not only precise axial displacement estimates but also lateral displacement estimates.

Diverging beam transmit through limited aperture: A method to reduce ultrasound system complexity and yet obtain better image quality at higher frame rates.

In this paper, a technique combining Diverging Beam with Synthetic Aperture Technique (DB-SAT) is demonstrated that utilizes only limited number of active elements yet provides better quality images at higher frame rates than possible with Conventional Focused Beamforming (CFB). The DB-SAT has been investigated in simulations and experiments on wire and tissue-mimicking phantoms, and the results are compared with routinely used CFB with Linear Array (CFB-LA). The estimated lateral resolution at the focal point was 0.

Understanding the Contrast Mechanism in Rotation Elastogram: A Parametric Study.

Ultrasound elastography has been found to be useful in different clinical applications. For example, in breast imaging, axial strain elastography provides information related to tissue stiffness, which is used to characterize breast lesions as either benign or malignant. In addition, these lesions also differ in their bonding properties.

Nutritionally enriched 1,3-diacylglycerol-rich oil: Low calorie fat with hypolipidemic effects in rats.

An enzymatic process was developed for the preparation of a nutritionally enriched 1,3-diacylglycerol(DAG)-rich oil from a blend of refined sunflower and rice bran oils. The process involves hydrolysis of vegetable oil blend using Candida cylindracea followed by esterification with glycerol using Lipozyme RM1M. The resultant DAG-rich oil contains 84% of DAG (66% of 1,3-DAG, 18% of 1,2-DAG) and 16% of triacylglycerol (TAG) along with micro nutrients like γ-oryzanol, tocotrienols, tocopherols and phytosterols.

Sodium-glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors: Moving Beyond the Glycemic Treatment Goal.

Revelations of the multifactorial pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that extend beyond the role of insulin and glucose utilization have been crucial in redefining the treatment paradigm. The focus of treatment is currently directed towards achieving wide-ranging targets encompassing the management of cardiovascular comorbidities that have been evidenced as indispensable aspects of T2DM. While most currently prescribed antihyperglycemic agents have little or no effect on reducing cardiovascular risks, some have been associated with undesirable effects on common risk factors such as weight gain and cardiovascular sequelae.

Minor Constituents in Rice Bran Oil and Sesame Oil Play a Significant Role in Modulating Lipid Homeostasis and Inflammatory Markers in Rats.

The effects of feeding rats with groundnut oil (GNO), rice bran oil (RBO), and sesame oil (SESO) on serum lipids, liver lipids, and inflammatory markers were evaluated in rats. Male Wistar rats were fed with AIN-93 diet supplemented with 10 wt% of GNO, RBO, and SESO in the form of native (N) and minor constituent-removed (MCR) oils. Rats given RBO and SESO showed significant reduction in serum and liver lipids, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, cytokines in liver, and eicosanoids in leukocytes as compared with the rats given GNO and MCR oils.

Curcumin and linseed oil co-delivered in phospholipid nanoemulsions enhances the levels of docosahexaenoic acid in serum and tissue lipids of rats.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an important long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) primarily found in marine fishes. The diets of vegetarian population do not contain preformed DHA, but they can derive it from shorter chain α-linolenic acid (ALA) found in plant oils. However, the conversion efficiency of ALA to DHA is minimal in human adults.

Rotation Elastogram Estimation Using Synthetic Transmit-aperture Technique: A Feasibility Study.

It is well-documented in literature that benign breast lesions, such as fibroadenomas, are loosely bonded to their surrounding tissue and tend to slip under a small quasi-static compression, whereas malignant lesions being firmly bonded to their surrounding tissue do not slip. Recent developments in quasi-static ultrasound elastography have shown that an image of the axial-shear strain distribution can provide information about the bonding condition at the lesion-surrounding tissue boundary. Further studies analyzing the axial-shear strain elastograms revealed that nonzero axial-shear strain values appear inside the lesion, referred to as fill-in, only when a lesion is loosely bonded and asymmetrically oriented to the axis of compression.

Dietary gamma oryzanol plays a significant role in the anti-inflammatory activity of rice bran oil by decreasing pro-inflammatory mediators secreted by peritoneal macrophages of rats.

Ricebran oil (RBO) is promoted as heart friendly oil because of its ability to maintain serum lipids at desirable levels. Inflammation also plays an important role on cardiovascular health. The role of minor constituents present in unsaponifiable fraction (UF) of RBO on inflammatory markers is not well understood.

Molecular Mechanisms for the Modulation of Selected Inflammatory Markers by Dietary Rice Bran Oil in Rats Fed Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat.

Industrially produced partially hydrogenated vegetable fat (PHVF) contains trans fatty acids (TFA) mostly comprising elaidic acid (EA, 18:1∆9t). Though, the harmful effects of TFA on health have been repeatedly publicized, the fat containing TFA have been continued to be used as a cooking medium in many regions of the world. The adverse effects of PHVF on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers and the possible ameliorative action of rice bran oil (RBO) on these markers were evaluated.

Down-regulation of NF-κB expression by n-3 fatty acid-rich linseed oil is modulated by PPARγ activation, eicosanoid cascade and secretion of cytokines by macrophages in rats fed partially hydrogenated vegetable fat.

Purpose: The industrially produced partially hydrogenated vegetable fat (PHVF) contains trans fatty acid mostly comprising of elaidic acid (18:1 ∆9t). PHVF is used as a cooking medium in Southeast Asian countries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of dietary PHVF on inflammatory mediators and possible ameliorative effects of n-3 fatty acid (α-linolenic acid, ALA)-rich linseed oil (LSO) on the inflammatory mediators.

Diet containing partially hydrogenated vegetable fat enhances the carrageenan induced paw inflammation but not oxidative stress markers in liver of rats.

In the present study, we investigated the effect of feeding Partially hydrogenated vegetable fat (PHVF) on carrageenan induced paw inflammation and oxidative stress markers in liver of rats. In addition, the effect of feeding rats with Linseed Oil (LSO, α-linolenic acid, n-3 PUFA) or PHVF blended with incremental amounts of LSO on these markers were also monitored. Rats weighing 200 g were given 1 mL of different oils (PHVF, Groundnut Oil; GNO, Olive Oil; OO and LSO) per day for 15 days.

Mass-spectrometric identification of T-kininogen I/thiostatin as an acute-phase inflammatory protein suppressed by curcumin and capsaicin.

Curcumin and capsaicin are dietary xenobiotics with well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. Previously, the beneficial effect of these spice principles in lowering chronic inflammation was demonstrated using a rat experimental model for arthritis. The extent of lowering of arthritic index by the spice principles was associated with a significant shift in macrophage function favoring the reduction of pro-inflammatory molecules such as reactive oxygen species and production and release of anti-inflammatory metabolites of arachidonic acid.

Designing and in-vitro characterization of micelle forming amphiphilic PEGylated rapamycin nanocarriers for the treatment of gastric cancer.

The present study aims to develop and explore the use of PEGylated rapamycin (RP-MPEG) micelles for the treatment of gastric cancer. RP-MPEG was synthesized and characterized by using IR, H(1) NMR and C(13) NMR. RP-MPEG was prepared in the form of micelles and characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta sizer, chromatographic analyses and photostability studies.

Modulatory effects of alpha-linolenic acid on generation of reactive oxygen species in elaidic acid enriched peritoneal macrophages in rats.

Fatty acids are known to influence the ability of macrophages to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). However the effect of elaidic acid (EA, 18:1 trans fatty acid) on ROS generation is not well studied. Rat peritoneal macrophages were enriched with elaidic acid by incubating the cells with 80 1M EA.