Improving Vesicular Integrity and Antioxidant Activity of Novel Mixed Soy Lecithin-Based Liposomes Containing Squalene and Their Stability against UV Light

In order to improve the membrane lipophilicity and the affinity towards the environment of lipid bilayers, squalene (SQ) could be conjugated to phospholipids in the formation of liposomes. The effect of membrane composition and concentrations on the degradation of liposomes prepared via the extrusion method was investigated. Liposomes were prepared using a mixture of SQ, cholesterol (CH) and Tween80 (TW80). Based on the optimal conditions, liposome batches were prepared in the absence and presence of SQ. Their physicochemical and stability behavior were evaluated as a function of liposome constituent. From the optimization study, the liposomal formulation containing 5% (w/w) mixed soy lecithin (ML), 0.5% (w/w) SQ, 0.3% (w/w) CH and 0.75% (w/w) TW80 had optimal physicochemical properties and displayed a unilamellar structure. Liposome prepared using the optimal formulation had a low particle size (158.31 ± 2.96 nm) and acceptable %increase in the particle size (15.09% ± 3.76%) and %trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (%TEAC) loss (35.69% ± 0.72%) against UV light treatment (280–320 nm) for 6 h. The interesting outcome of this research was the association of naturally occurring substance SQ for size reduction without the extra input of energy or mechanical procedures, and improvement of vesicle stability and antioxidant activity of ML-based liposome. This study also demonstrated that the presence of SQ in the membrane might increase the acyl chain dynamics and decrease the viscosity of the dispersion, thereby limiting long-term stability of the liposome.     

Characterization of Antioxidant Activity of Momordica Charantia Fruit by Infrared-Based Fingerprinting

Momordica charantia is widely consumed edible fruit. The food and pharmaceutical industries use it as a natural antioxidant. However, the quality control of M. charantia-based medicinal products is questionable due to the complexity of metabolites in this fruit. Hence, this study has developed a statistical model in predicting the antioxidant value through the 2, 2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power based on infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance. This technique was reliably used for quality control. Six ethanol extracts (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% in water) of this plant’s fruit were prepared. The radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power activities were measured and the chemical profiling of the extracts was fingerprinted by infrared spectroscopy between 4,000 and 600?cm^?1 at a resolution of 4?cm^?1. Statistical analysis was developed by correlating the bioactivity and infrared spectra of each extract using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis. The C–N, C?O, C–O, C–H, and OH infrared signals were positively correlated with biological activity. The antioxidant activity of the fruit of M. charantia may be due to the presence of several antioxidants that work synergistically.     

A geranylacetophenone from the leaves of Melicope ptelefolia

The leaves of Melicope ptelefolia (Rutaceae) afforded a new acetophenone named 2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranylacetophenone. The structure of the compound was established by mass and NMR spectroscopy.     

Approximating the relationship among the degree of the reaction forces and the nodes on footprint during a stance phase

This study examined the foot biomechanics that are utilized when foot is in contact with the ground during a stance phase. The purpose of the study was to investigate the normalized ground reaction forces that impacted certain sections and points on the footprint, and to identify patterns in the degrees to which these forces occurred. Foot was modeled in such a manner that a vertex represented a bone and an edge represented a joint, and a graph that depicted the foot was created. Twelve nodes were marked on the footprint and these were linked together to create a gait path. By fusing the graph and the gait path and by manipulating the mathematical models, a profile for an ideal bipedal walking locomotion was developed. A male subject performed bipedal walking through a force plate system in order to obtain the profile that reflected actual bipedal walking. The actual and the proposed profiles were compared and there were significant similarities between the two profiles, with both exhibiting an double-bump pattern. It is therefore viable that the approximation techniques proposed in this work may provide an alternative means over the application of a force plate system to generate a profile for bipedal walking. However, the accuracy and reliability of the results yielded from this technique need further investigation.     

Characterization of small-signal intensity modulation of single-mode fiber grating Fabry-Perot laser source

A comprehensive study on the small-signal intensity modulation (IM) characteristics of a fiber grating Fabry-Perot (FGFP) laser is numerically investigated. The effect of external optical feedback (OFB), temperature, injection current, cavity volume, nonlinear gain compression factor, and fiber grating (FG) parameters on IM characteristics are presented. The temperature dependence (TD) of IM is calculated according to the TD of laser cavity parameters instead of using the well-known Parkove relationship. It has been shown that the optimum external fiber length (L _ext) is 3.1 cm. The optimum range of working temperature for FGFP laser is between 23 to 27 °C. We also show that by increasing the laser injection current from 10 to 60 mA, the IM peak amplitude decreased from 6.3 to 0.2 dB and the relaxation-oscillation frequency (ROF) is shifted from 1.2 GHz towards higher frequency of 5.48 GHz. In addition, the AR coating reflectivity and gain compression factor have no significant effect on the IM. The study indicates that a stable operation and excellent modulation characteristic can be obtained after optimization process.     

In situ aberration measurement technique based on multi-illumination settings and principal component analysis of aerial images

The impact of lens aberrations becomes severe when the critical dimensions (CDs) shrink. The accurate measurement of both low- and high-order Zernike aberrations is important during a photolithographic process. Based on the multi-illumination settings and principal component analysis of aerial images, a novel in situ aberration measurement technique that can accurately measure all the Zernike aberrations, except for the sinusoidal 2-θ and sinusoidal 4-θ terms (under polar coordinates, and Z 1 to Z 4 are not considered) is proposed in this letter. The estimated maximum error of the Zernike aberrations ranges from 0.43 to 0.78 mλ when the amplitudes of the Zernike coefficients range from -20 to 20 mλ. The standard and root mean square errors are both in the range from 0.14 to 0.4 mλ.     

Improving the performance of electrical duty-cycle division multiplexing with optimum signal level spacing

Performance optimization of 3 × 10 Gbps conventional electrical-duty-cycle division multiplexing (C-E-DCDM) technique is investigated. It is shown that controlling signal level spacing can optimize its performance. Two level spacing optimization techniques, one in electrical domain and another in optical domain are examined. In general, performance of the C-E-DCDM is improved significantly using both approaches. The results show by optimization, an improvement of around 5.5 dB can be achieved for the C-E-DCDM in terms of receiver sensitivity and optical signal-to-noise ratio using both electrical and optical methods. However, chromatic dispersion tolerance in one of the optimization approaches is degraded by around 34 ps/nm for negative dispersion, while the positive dispersion tolerance improved compared to the C-E-DCDM.     

Antioxidative properties of defatted dabai pulp and peel prepared by solid phase extraction

Solid phase extraction (SPE) using Sep-Pak^? cartridges is one of the techniques used for fractionation of antioxidant compounds in waste of dabai oil extraction (defatted dabai parts). The aim of this study was to determine the phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in crude extracts and several SPE fractions from methanolic extract of defatted dabai pulp and peel. Based on SPE, Sep-Pak^? cyanopropyl and C₁₈ cartridges were used to fractionate the antioxidant-rich crude extracts into water and methanolic fractions. Analyzed using LC-MS, flavonoids, anthocyanins, saponin derivatives and other unknown antioxidative compounds were detected in the defatted dabai crude extracts and their SPE fractions. Anthocyanins were the major phenolic compounds identified in the defatted dabai peel and detected in most of the SPE fractions. Methanolic fractions of defatted dabai parts embraced higher total phenolics and antioxidant capacity than water fractions. This finding also revealed the crude extracts of defatted dabai peel have the most significant antioxidant properties compared to the methanolic and water fractions studied. The crude extract of defatted dabai parts remain as the most potent antioxidant as it contains mixture of flavonoids, anthocyanins and other potential antioxidants.     

Labeling of new formulation of tin–sucralfate freeze-dried kit with technetium-99m and its biological evaluation

The present investigation deals with a simple preparation of new formulation of tin?Csucralfate freeze-dried kit (F.D.K.), to be directly labeled with ^99mTc at optimal pH value of 7.0. The lyophilized form containing 100?mg sucralfate and 11.3?mg dihydrated stannous chloride. Other optimal pH values of the preparation were found to be from 4.0 to 11.0. The range of sucralfate amount studied (50?C500?mg) not affected the radiochemical purity of the labeled complex. The radiochemical purity and the stability of the labeled preparation that assessed by filtration were more than 95%. ^99mTc sucralfate was radiochemical stable up to a specific activity of 1,000?mCi per gram which was more stable than earlier published value (700?mCi per gram) without any radiolytic decomposition. The biological behavior of ^99mTc-pertechnetate was evaluated in two groups of animals, the first group (neither fasted nor ulcerated) and the second group (fasted and ulcerated mice). The data of organ distribution of ^99mTc?Csucralfate in ulcerated fasted mice showed that more than 99% of the administered dose was accumulated in the stomach (87.92%) and intestine (11.43%). The radioanalytical results together with the in vivo-biological behavior of the labeled preparation demonstrate it??s stability, efficacy and usefulness in medical applications for the detection of gastrointestinal ulcers.