73 research outputs found
Microsomal Prostaglandin E-2 Synthase-1 as a New Macromolecular Drug Target in the Prevention of Inflammation and Cancer
No full textBackground: Cancer is one of the most life-threatening diseases worldwide. Since inflammation is considered to be one of the known characteristics of cancer, the activity of PGE(2) has been paired with different tumorigenic steps such as increased tumor cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, increased invasiveness, angiogenesis and immunosuppression. Objective: It has been successfully demonstrated that inhibition of mPGES-1 prevented inflammation in preclinical studies. However, despite the crucial roles of mPGEs-1 and PGE(2) in tumorigenesis, there is not much in vivo study on mPGES-1 inhibition in cancer therapy. The specificity of mPGEs-1 enzyme and its low expression level under normal conditions makes it a promising drug target with a low risk of side effects. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed for writing this review. An updated view on PGE(2) biosynthesis, PGES isoenzyme family and its pharmacology and the latest information about inhibitors of mPGES-1 have been discussed. Results: In this study, it was aimed to highlight the importance of mPGES-1 and its inhibition in inflammation-related cancer and other inflammatory conditions. Information about PGE(2) biosynthesis, its role in inflammation-related pathologies were also provided. We kept the noncancer-related inflammatory part short and tried to bring together promising molecules or scaffolds. Conclusion: The information provided in this review might be useful to researchers in designing novel and potent mPGES-1 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and inflammation
Quality of life improves after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum
No full textBackground: Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity. This deformity may cause physical limitations and psychosocial problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum on the quality of life. Methods: This study included 88 patients, aged 18.44±3.93 years (85.2% male), who underwent minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum; 40.9% had an associated anomaly or disease, and 17.0% had scoliosis. The patients and their parents completed the patient and parent forms of the Nuss questionnaire modified for adults preoperatively and 6 months after the operation. Results: The patients median Nuss score increased from 31 (interquartile range 31-35) preoperatively to 43 (interquartile range 43-46) at 6 months after the operation (p=0.000). The parents preoperative score of 33 (interquartile range 29-36) increased to 38 (interquartile range 34-41; p=0.000). Improvements in the physical and psychosocial component scores of the Nuss questionnaire were also significant in the patient (p=0.000, p=0.000, respectively) and parent forms (p=0.005, p=0.000, respectively). Conclusions: Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum significantly improved the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of patients. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the long-term changes related to quality of life. © The Author(s) 2014
Condensed 1,4-dihydropyridines with various esters and their calcium channel antagonist activities
No full textNew alkyl 2,6,6-(2,7,7)-trimethyl-4-(2-fluoro-3-chloro-5-trifluoromethylphenyl)-5-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinoline-3-carboxylates and 9-(3-chloro-2-fluoro-5-trifluoromethylphenyl)-6,6(7,7)-dimethyl-6,7-dihydrofuro[3,4-b]quinoline-1,8-diones have been synthesised and their calcium antagonistic activities on isolated rabbit sigmoid colon have been investigated and compared with Nifedipine. The investigation examined the influence of ester groups in the 3-position of the HHQ ring and the 2-methoxyethyl analogs were found to be the most active derivatives. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved
A review of intrinsic self-healing capability of engineered cementitious composites: Recovery of transport and mechanical properties
No full textWOS: 000366227100002The need for viable materials in sustainable infrastructures is driving the creation of multifunctional strain-hardening cementitious composites that combine brittle cementitious matrices with fibers. Unlike conventional concrete, these materials typically show multiple microcracking behavior with strain-hardening response under tensile loading. Even with tight widths, however, crack formation is a critical problem that reduces the mechanical performance of structures and accelerates the ingress of water and aggressive substances. As part of a class of cement-based composites exhibiting strainhardening response, engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) have a high likelihood of preventing water and harmful chemicals from penetrating by sealing existing cracks and regaining original mechanical and durability properties through self-healing. This promises to contribute to the development of a new generation of highly durable, damage-tolerant structures. ECCs are potentially excellent for intrinsic self-healing due to tight crack widths and high amounts of supplementary cementitious materials in their mixture proportions. This paper details the parameters governing self-healing efficiency and the effect of self-healing on the residual mechanical and transport properties of cementitious composites. Test methods measuring the effect of these parameters on healing efficiency are also described. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [MAG-112M876]; Turkish Academy of Sciences, Young Scientist Award programTurkish Academy of Sciences; TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance of the Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) of Turkey provided under Project: MAG-112M876 and the Turkish Academy of Sciences, Young Scientist Award program. The second author would also like to acknowledge the financial support of TUBITAK for the 2219 Scholarship
Halofuginone improves caustic-induced oxidative injury of esophagus in rats
No full textThe aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of halofuginone in caustic esophageal burn injury in rats. Corrosive esophageal injury (CEI) was produced in male Wistar albino rats by instilling NaOH solution (1 ml, 37.5%) into the distal esophagus. Rats were decapitated on the 3rd day (early group) or 28th day (late group), and treated daily with either saline or halofuginone (100 A mu g/kg/day; i.p.), continued on alternate days after the third day. Histopathological evaluation and measurement of nitric oxide (NO), peroxynitrite (ONOO-) and oxygen-derived radicals by chemiluminescence (CL) were made in the distal 2 cm of the esophagus. Non-irrigated proximal esophageal samples were assessed for the levels of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B, caspase-3, glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. GSH, MDA, NF-kappa B and caspase-3 levels, and MPO activity in the proximal esophagus were not different among groups. Increased number of TUNEL (+) cells in the irrigated esophagus of the early and late caustic injury groups was reduced by halofuginone treatment. High microscopic damage scores in both early and late CEI groups were decreased with halofuginone treatment. NO, ONOO- and CL levels, which were elevated in the saline-treated early CEI group, were reduced by halofuginone treatment, but reduced NO and ONOO- levels in the late period of saline-treated group were increased by halofuginone. In addition to its anti-fibrotic effects, current findings demonstrate that halofuginone exerts antioxidant and anti-apoptotic actions and supports therapeutic potential for halofuginone in CEI-induced oxidative stress
Influence of limestone powder on mechanical, physical and self-healing behavior of Engineered Cementitious Composites
No full textWOS: 000364258100001Environmental considerations have led to a global trend of using blended cements instead of ordinary Portland cement; cements containing limestone powder (LP) have recently entered the market. This research focuses on the effect of replacing LP content with cementitious material on the performance of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) containing high-volume fly ash (FA). For this purpose, ECC mixtures were created in which cement and FA were partially replaced by 5%, 10% and 20% of LP and ECC mixture without LP (as control). The samples were precracked at the age of 28 days and left under continuous water curing (CW) for recovery of their properties. Compressive strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), mid-span beam deformation capacity, rapid chloride penetration testing (RCPT) and resistivity testing were used to assess the mechanical, physical and self-healing capability of ECC mixtures. Experimental results show that all mixtures exhibited self-healing with slight differences. Microstructure was also assessed using SEM-EDS and XRD analysis. The microstructural analysis of healed cracks in LP-incorporated ECC mixtures showed the presence of calcite, portlandite and C-S-H gels as well as monocarboaluminate, which confirmed a possible reaction between FA and LP. Due to self-healing, the recovery in mechanical and durability performance of the mixtures proposed in this research is anticipated to positively affect life cycle costs and lead to increased civil infrastructure sustainability. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of CanadaNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [MAG-112M876]; Turkish Academy of Sciences, Young Scientist Award programTurkish Academy of Sciences; TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)The authors acknowledge the financial support of the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. They also gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance of the Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) of Turkey provided under Project: MAG-112M876 and the Turkish Academy of Sciences, Young Scientist Award program. The third author would also like to acknowledge the financial support of TUBITAK for the 2219 Scholarship
Effects of electric field on the properties of 2D topological insulators
No full textTwo-Dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs), are new and promising materials for the applications such as spintronics and optoelectronics due to their unique surface states that are topologically protected and thus robust against nonmagnetic impurities and disorders. The existence of these remarkable electronic states in TIs can be attributed to the large spin-orbit (SO) coupling. The researchers have paid attention to Bi based two-dimensional materials due to high SO coupling effect. Among them, GaBi, InBi, GaBi3 and InBi3 are good candidates for 2D Tls materials. Although there are a lot of studies in these 2D Tls, a detailed understanding of the effect of E-Field is lacking. Applying external E-field can change the electronic properties, which may enable to realize the change on the properties of the materials. We have performed theoretical study of GaBi, InBi, GaBi3 and InBi3 to investigate the effect of E-field to explore band structure, charge distribution and geometries
Interactions of amino acids with adatoms(Ti, C, O) decorated graphene via effect of charging
No full textAs amino acids take an important role in biology, it is envisaged that understanding of their interactions with nanomaterials can resolve critical problems in the field of biomedicine. Graphene, single atom thick hexagonal lattice of sp(2)-bonded carbon, can be used for this purpose. The remarkable properties of graphene sheets could facilitate their application in areas like hydrogen technology, electronics, and sensing. In this work, we report density functional theory calculations of the adsorption of Histidine and Leucine molecules on pristine and decorated (Ti,C and O) graphene. The obtained binding energies of molecules on graphene surface are in good agreement previous studies. The chemisorption is achieved when Graphene is decorated with Ti and C. It is also shown that how modify structural properties of the molecules on pristine (Graphene by applied charging for the first time
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