Effect of insulin-sensitizing agents in combination with ezetimibe, and valsartan in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

AIM： To assess whether treatment with insulinsensitizing agents （ISAs） in combination with ezetimibe and valsartan have greater effect on hepatic fat content and lipid peroxidation compared to monotherapy in the methionine choline-deficient diet （MCDD） rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS： Rats （n = 6 per group） were treated with different drugs, including MCDD only, MCDD diet with either metformin （200 mg/kg）, rosiglitazone （3 mg/kg）, metformin plus rosiglitazone （M＋R）, ezetimibe （2 mg/ kg）, valsartan （2 mg/kg）, or combination of all drugs for a total of 15 wk. Liver histology, lipids, parameters of oxidative stress and TNF-alpha were measured. RESULTS： Fatty liver （FL） rats demonstrated severe hepatic fatty infiltration （〉 91% fat）, with an increase in hepatic TG （＋1263%, P 〈 0.001）, hepatic cholesterol （＋245%, P 〈 0.03）, hepatic MDA levels （＋225%, P 〈 0.001）, serum TNF-alpha （17.8 ＋ 10 vs 7.8 ＋ 0.0, P 〈 0.001）, but a decrease in hepatic alpha tocopherol （-74%, P 〈 0.001） as compared to the control rats. Combination therapy with all drugs produced a significant decrease in liver steatosis （-54%）, hepatic TG （-64%）, hepatic cholesterol （-31%） and hepatic MDA （-70%）, but increased hepatic alpha tocopherol （＋443%） as compared to FL rats. Combination therapy with ISA alone produced a smaller decrease in liver steatosis （-32% vs -54%, P 〈 0.001） and in hepatic MDA levels （-55% vs -70%, P 〈 0.01）, but a similar decrease in hepatic lipids when compared with the all drugs combination. TNF-alpha levels decreased significantly in all treatment groups except in ISA group. CONCLUSION： Combination therapies have a greater effect on liver fat content as compared to monotherapy. Rosiglitazone appears to improve hepatic steatosis to a greater extent than metformin.

Lower baseline ALT cut-off values and HBV DNA levels better differentiate HBeAg(-) chronic hepatitis B patients from inactive chronic carriers

AIM： To determine whether new cut-off values for aianine aminotransferase （ALT） and baseline hepatitis B virus （HBV） DNA levels better differentiate HBeAg（-） chronic hepatitis B （CriB） patients from inactive chronic carriers. METHODS： Ninety-one patients [32 HBeAg（＋） CriB, 19 inactive carriers and 40 HBeAg（-） CriB] were followed up for 2 years and were tested for HBV DNA levels by a PCR-based assay. ALT was tested twice during the last 6 mo using new cut-off values： ULN （upper limit of normal） 30 IU/L for males, 19 IU/L for females. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated by discriminant analysis. RESULTS： When using the revised ALT cut-off values, the lowest optimal HBV DNA level that differentiated HBeAg（-） CHB patients from inactive carriers was 50000 copies/mL. The diagnostic accuracy of HBV DNA to determine inactive carriers with a cut-off of 50000 copies/mL was similar to the previously recommended cut-off of 100000 copies/mL （91%）. HBV DNA levels were lower than the cut-off value in 95% of inactive carriers and in 28% of HBeAg（-） CHB patients. With ALT 〈 30 IU/L in men and 〈 19 IU/L in women and HBV DNA levels 〈 100000 copies/mL, the risk of CHB is 5%. On the other hand, if ALT values were 〉 30 IU in men and 〉 19 IU in women and baseline HBV DNA levels were 〉 100000 copies/mL, the risk is 86%. CONCLUSION： New cut-off values for ALT together with HBV DNA levels proposed by AASLD （American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases） and NIH （National Institute of Health） consensus seem appropriate to characterize inactive carriers.

Monounsaturated fat decreases hepatic lipid content in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats

AIM： To evaluate the effects of different types of dietary fats on the hepatic lipid content and oxidative stress parameters in rat liver with experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS： A total of 32 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. The rats in the control group （n = 8） were on chow diet （Group 1）, rats （n = 6） on methionine choline-deficient diet （MCDD） （Group 2）, rats （n = 6） on MCDD enriched with olive oil （Group 3）, rats （n = 6） on MCDD with fish oil （Group 4） and rats （n = 6） on MCDD with butter fat （Group 5）. After 2 mo, blood and liver sections were examined for lipids composition and oxidative stress parameters. RESULTS： The liver weight/rat weight ratio increased in all treatment groups as compared with the control group. Severe fatty liver was seen in MCDD ＋ fish oil and in MCDD ＋ butter fat groups, but not in MCDD and MCDD ＋ olive oil groups. The increase in hepatic triglycerides （TG） levels was blunted by 30% in MCDD ＋ olive oil group （0.59 ±0.09） compared with MCDD group （0.85 ±0.04, P 〈 0.004）, by 37% compared with MCDD ＋ fish oil group （0.95 ±0.07, P 〈 0.001）, and by 33% compared with MCDD ＋ butter group （0.09 ±0.1, P 〈 0.01）. The increase in serum TG was lowered by 10% in MCDD ＋ olive oil group （0.9 ±0.07） compared with MCDD group （1.05 ±0.06）. Hepatic cholesterol increased by 15-fold in MCDD group [（0.08 ±0.02, this increment was blunted by 21% in MCDD ＋ fish oil group （0.09 ±0.02）]. In comparison with the control group, ratio of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-6/omega-3 increased in MCDD ＋ olive oil, MCDD ＋ fish oil and MCDD ＋ butter fat groups by 345-, 30- and 397-fold, respectively. In comparison to MCDD group （1.58 ±0.08）, hepatic MDA contents in MCDD ＋ olive oil （3.3 ±0.6）, MCDD ＋ fish oil （3.0 ±0.4）, and MCDD ＋ butter group （2.9 ±0.36） were increased by 108%, 91% and 87%, respectively （P 〈 0.004）. Hepatic paraoxonase activity decreased significantly in all treatment groups, mostly with MCDD ＋ olive oil group （-68%）.CONCLUSION： Olive oil decreases the accumulation of triglyceride in the liver of rats with NAFLD, but does not provide the greatest antioxidant activity.

Turned Trochoidal Disturbance on a Liquid Jet Surface

This paper shows that a turned trochoidal function disturbance may lead to peripheral drops production. The resulting model is used to describe that a turned trochoidal disturbance leads to peripheral drops production on the liquid jet surface without the necessity for superimposed disturbances. The trochoid is a non-unique parametric function. Only non-unique parametric functions disturbances may lead to peripheral drops production. The trochoidal function disturbance is decomposed to Fourier series. Every Fourier element receives an amplification factor in accordance to the Rayleigh inviscid jet model. Peripheral drops are received on the jet surface. The paper shows that all trochoidal disturbance functions, prolate cycloid, cycloid and curtate cycloid have a capability of peripheral drops producing. A limited capability of peripheral drops production is introduced for the trochoidal curtate cycloid. Produced drops size are reduced for increasing the jet velocity and wave number. Smaller drops are also received by transition from the prolate cycloid to curtate cycloid disturbance.

New Wideband Compact Wearable Slot Antennas for Medical and Sport Sensors

Communication, Biomedical and sports industry is in continuous growth in the last decade. Wide band compact wearable active and tunable sensors and antennas are crucial in development of new wearable Body Area Network, BAN, systems. BAN antennas should be flexible, light weight, compact and have low production cost. Slot antennas are compact and have low production costs. Slot antennas may be employed in wearable communication systems. The dynamic range and the efficiency of communication systems may be improved by using efficient wearable slot antennas. Small printed antennas suffer from low efficiency. Amplifiers may be connected to the wearable antenna feed line to increase the system dynamic range. Novel wideband passive and active efficient wearable antennas for BAN applications are presented in this paper. Active wearable antennas may be used in receiving or transmitting communication and medical systems. The slot antenna bandwidth is from 45% to 100% with VSWR better than 3:1. The slot antenna gain is around 3 dBi with efficiency from 85% to 92%. The antenna electrical parameters were computed in vicinity of the human body. The active slot antenna gain is 18 ± 2.5 dB for frequencies ranging from 200 MHz to 750 MHz. The active slot antenna gain is 12 ± 2 dB for frequencies ranging from 1.3 GHz to 3.3 GHz. The active slot antenna Noise Figure is 0.5 ± 0.3 dB for frequencies ranging from 200 MHz to 3.3 GHz. A voltage controlled diode, varactor, may be used to control the antenna electrical performance at different environments. For example an antenna located on the patient stomach has VSWR better than 2:1 at 434 MHz. However, if the antenna will be placed on the patient back it may resonate at 420 MHz. By varying the varactor bias voltage, the antenna resonant frequency may be shifted from 420 MHz to 434 MHz. The antennas presented in this paper are low cost wideband active antennas for receiving and transmitting communication systems.

New Wideband Notch Antennas for Communication Systems

Wireless communication industry is in rapid growth in the last years. Due to the huge progress in development of communication systems in the last decade development of wideband communication systems is continuous growth. However, development of wideband efficient antennas is one of the major challenges in development of wideband wireless communication systems. Low cost compact antennas are crucial in the development of communication systems. Printed notch antennas and miniaturization techniques are employed to develop efficient compact notch antennas. Fractal technology is used to improve the electrical performance and efficiency of notch antennas. Design tradeoffs, computed and measured results of wideband notch antennas with high efficiency are presented in this paper. All antennas are analyzed by using 3D full-wave software. The paper presents new compact Ultra-Wideband notch antenna 1 GHz to 6 GHz, a wideband notch antenna 2.1 GHz to 7.8 GHz and a 5.8 GHz to 18 GHz fractal notch antenna.

A Three-Layers Plane Wall Exposed to Oscillating Temperatures with Different Amplitudes and Frequencies

A linear model of three layers plane wall exposed to oscillating temperatures with different amplitudes and frequencies was built by using a physical superposition. A physical superposition of two states was performed, one state is a wall which one surface is exposed to oscillating temperature and the other surface is exposed to zero relative temperature and a second state is a wall which one surface is exposed to relative zero temperature while the other surface is exposed to oscillating temperature with different amplitudes and frequencies. Temperature distributions were introduced for different amplitudes, frequencies and thermal conductivities. It was shown that increasing the frequency value decreases the temperature penetration length, high frequency value leads to extremum temperature values changes on the surface while low frequency value allows gradually temperature changes during the time period. Temperature distribution lines where there are at the same time heat flux entry and heat flux exit were not received for the same constraint frequencies.

Model of Overlapping Messages with Degenerate Coding

Superposition of signals in DNA molecule is a sufficiently general principle of information coding. The necessary re-quirement for such superposition is the degeneracy of the code, which allows placing different messages on the same DNA fragment. Code words that are equivalent in the informational sense (i.e., synonyms) form synonymous group and the entire set of code words is partitioned into synonymous groups. This paper is dedicated to constructing and analyzing the model of synonymous coding. We evaluate some characteristics of synonymous coding as applied to code words of length two although many definitions may be extended for words of arbitrary length.

Temperature Oscillations into a Couette-Poiseuille Flow

Following previous work that discussed temperature fluctuations without flowing media a physical model of temperature oscillations into a Couette-Poiseuille flow was built. The temperature distribution into the flow was calculated according to oscillations constraints on the upper and lower plates, and heat dissipation due to shear stresses into the fluid. The physical model deals with different temperature amplitudes and different frequencies constraints on the upper and the lower plates. A physical superposition and complex numbers were used. It was shown that when the constraint frequency increases, its penetration capacity is reduced. Increasing gap width between plates leads to increased fluid temperature values due to enlarged fluid velocity. Increasing thermal diffusivity, increases constrains temperatures penetration intensity.

New Wideband Passive and Active Wearable Energy Harvesting Systems for Wearable Sensors

Abstract: Demand for green energy is in continuous growth. Wide band efficient wearable systems and antennas are crucial for energy harvesting wearable systems for medical and sport wearable sensors. Small harvesting antennas suffer from low efficiency. The efficiency of energy harvesting wearable systems may be improved by using active wearable harvesting systems with low power consumption. Amplifiers may be connected to the wearable antenna feed line to increase the system dynamic range. Novel active wearable harvesting systems are presented in this paper. Notch and Slot antennas are low profile and low cost and may be employed in energy harvesting wearable systems. The wearable harvesting system components are assembled on the same PCB. The notch and slot antennas bandwidth is up to 100% for VSWR better than 3:1. The slot antenna gain is around 3 dBi with efficiency higher than 90%. The antennas electrical parameters were computed in vicinity of the human body. The active antenna gain is 24 ± 2.5 dB for frequencies from 200 MHz to 900 MHz. The active antenna gain is 12.5 ± 2.5 dB for frequencies from 1 GHz to 3 GHz. The active slot antenna Noise Figure is 0.5 ± 0.3 dB for frequencies from 200 MHz to 3.3 GHz.

The Stevia Rebaudiana Plant as Natural Sweetener with Antioxidant Properties

The worldwide use of Stevia rebaudiane as substitute sweetener for sugar, increases every year. Stevia rebaudiane is not involved in the insulin mechanism and as so has no calories. This makes Stevia rebaudiane also a natural substitute for the more common synthetic substitutes for sugar. Various studies show that the plant Stevia rebaudiane contains substances with properties of antioxidant reagent, and as such can prevent antioxidation damage to DNA. [1] In this work protocols for extraction are developed and antioxidating activity tested. The aim was to find optimal conditions for the process, so the antioxidants in the Stevia plant were preserved. Methods used for testing： Redox-titrations and spectrophothometric methods. In all results Vitamin C was used as reference for the antioxidation activity. The results show that the Stevia rebaudiane plant is active as an antioxidant reagent; and that the extent of the antioxidant activity depends on the solvent and on the conditions of the extraction process. In addition there was an attend to measure sweetness of the Stevia rebaudiane plant extract as function of the extraction process.

The bearing of biological fitness in humans and crops upon the emergence and spread of agriculture

Past studies discussing the origins of agriculture have mainly emphasized changes in environmental and human-behavior factors as possible explanations for the shift from foraging to farming. This paper focuses on how increase in the biological fitness of both farmers and crops enabled the rapid evolution and success of farmers and agriculture. It is shown that the first plants under domestication achieved their superior fitness mainly as a consequence of some of their genetic and life-history traits. It led these species to be extensively integrated into human subsistence and eventually dominate the farmers’ fields. Concurrently, the first farmers gained their enhanced fitness by producing food surplus and by acquiring extra social prestige and power, while materializing the tendency to higher reproduction rate, and eventually to the expansion of farming populations. The unbreakable dependence between high fitness crops and high fitness man, namely their coevolution is a key issue and a promising research area in the understanding of the human story and the origins of agriculture.

Factorization of Operators in Krein Spaces and Linear-Fractional Relations of Operator Balls

We consider plus-operators in Krein spaces and generated operator linear fractional relations of the following form: . We study some special type of factorization for plus-operators T, among them the following one: T = BU, where B is a lower triangular plus-operator, U is a J-unitary operator. We apply the above factorization to the study of basical properties of relations (1), in particular, convexity and compactness of their images with respect to the weak operator topology. Obtained results we apply to the known Koenigs embedding problem, the Krein-Phillips problem of existing of invariant semidefinite subspaces for some families of plus-operators and to some other fields.

Hierarchy of Protein Loop-Lock Structures: A New Server for the Decomposition of a Protein Structure into a Set of Closed Loops

HoPLLS (Hierarchy of protein loop-lock structures) (http://leah.haifa.ac.il/~skogan/Apache/mydata1/main.html) is a web server that identifies closed loops-a structural basis for protein domain hierarchy. The server is based on the loop-and-lock theory for structural organisation of natural proteins. We describe this web server, the algorithms for the decomposition of a 3D protein into loops and the results of scientific investigations into a structural “alphabet” of loops and locks.

Ultra-Wideband Systems with Energy Harvesting Units for Sensors, 5G, IoT and Medical Systems

The high tech industrial revolution in the last fifty years depleted and ruined the planet natural resources. Energy harvesting is the main challenge in the research in green technologies. Compact wideband efficient antennas are crucial for energy harvesting portable sensors and systems. Small antennas have low efficiency. The efficiency of 5G, IoT communication and energy harvesting systems may be improved by using wideband efficient passive and active antennas. The system dynamic range may be improved by connecting amplifiers to the small antenna feed line. Ultra-wideband portable harvesting systems are presented in this paper. This paper presents new Ultra-Wideband energy harvesting system and antennas in frequencies ranging from 0.15 GHz to 18 GHz. Three wideband antennas cover the frequency range from 0.15 GHz to 18 GHz. A wideband metamaterial antenna with metallic strips covers the frequency range from 0.15 GHz to 0.42 GHz. The antenna bandwidth is around 75% for VSWR better than 2.3:1. A wideband slot antenna covers the frequency range from 0.4 GHz to 6.4 GHz. A wideband fractal notch antenna covers the frequency range from 6 GHz to 18 GHz. Printed passive and active notch and slot antennas are compact, low cost and have low volume. The active antennas may be employed in energy harvesting portable systems. The antennas and the harvesting system components may be assembled on the same, printed board. The printed notch and slot antennas bandwidth are from 75% to 100% for VSWR better than 3:1. The slot and notch antenna gain is around 3 dBi with efficiency higher than 90%. The antennas electrical parameters were computed in free space and near the human body. There is a good agreement between computed and measured results.

Physical Modeling of the Enzymatic Glucose-Fuelled Fuel Cells

An enzymatic glucose biofuel cell uses glucose as fuel and enzymes as biocatalyst, to transform biochemical energy into electrical energy. An analytical modelling of an enzymatic biofuel cell should be used, while developing fuel cell, to estimate its various enzymatic parameters, to obtain the highest voltage feasibly. The analytical model was developed, and the open circuit voltage (OCV) calculated by the model for various parameters of the fuel cell is in agreement with the experimental results. The OCV is interpreted by using this model, based on theoretical consideration of ions transportation in the solution. The generation and consumptions of the ions near the electrodes were defined in the model by exponential approximations, with different depletion coefficients. The model reveals that increasing the rates of hydrogen ions generation and (or) consumption by enzyme or chemical reactions leads to a higher value of OCV. The model points that the OCV is saturated with a glucose concentration and increased logarithmically with a surface enzyme concentration. Hence, a low glucose concentration is sufficient to obtain adequate OCV, on the one hand, but it can be increased by increasing electrode surface porosity, on the other hand. This model can be expanded to include time and close circuit voltage.

Plastic Deformation Mechanisms of Base Material and Friction Stir Welded AZ31B-H24 Magnesium Alloy

The friction stir welding process (FSW) was developed in the United Kingdomin the early 1990s. During FSW, the frictional heat that is generated is effectively utilized to facilitate material consolidation and eventual joining with the aid of axial pressure. The process is, therefore, a non-fusion welding process. FSW was applied in the current study in order to weld AZ31B-H24 alloy plates. Each of the different zones of the welded joint underwent optical metallographic characterization: the parent material, the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ), the Thermo-Mechanically Affected Zone (TMAZ), and the weld nugget. Optical metallography revealed deformation twinning at the TMAZ, grain refinement at the HAZ and evidence of heavy plastic deformation at the nugget. Creep tests at 100°C, 200°C and 300°C were conducted both on the parent material and on the friction stir welded specimens. Two different creep regimes seem to exist, a high stress regime in which creep is controlled by dislocation climb, and a low stress regime in which Grain-Boundary Sliding (GBS) becomes the dominant mechanism. Transmission electron microscopy of welded and non-welded specimens that underwent creep at 100°C revealed the existence of dislocation segments that do not lie on the basal planes. It is therefore assumed that other slip systems are active, in addition to the ?basal slip systems known to be the only ones active in pure magnesium up to about 180°C. The proposed deformation mechanism involves dislocation gliding on basal and non-basal planes assisted by twinning and GBS.