AIM To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal dexamethasone injections in diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS A 700 μg slow-release intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®) was placed in the vitreal cavity of 17 patients (19 eyes) affected with persistent DME. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed through Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS). Central macular thi...

The deoxyribonucleic acid of the T-even coliphages contains glucosylated and nonglucosylated 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in place of cytosine (l-6). In the case of deoxyribonucleic acid from phage T6, 72y0 of the 5-hydroxymethylcytosine residues are diglucosylated. In T2 deoxyribonucleic acid, 70% of the 5-hydroxymethylcytosine residues are monoglucosylated, but 5% bear diglucosyl units. A recent i...

The Charpy impact energy of A356 alloys has been measured. Instrumented Charpy impact tests have been conducted at 25, 100, 150, and 200 ~ The Charpy specimens were machined from plate castings or tapered cylindrical castings. The plates were produced in sand molds, and tapered cylinders were produced in water-cooled copper molds. Both unmodified and strontium-modified castings were tested. The...

Hepatic fibrogenesis involves the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which synthesize excess extracellular matrix and contribute to the development of liver fibrosis. In a prior study we tested the effect of combined treatment with taurine, epigallocatechin gallate and genistein on the development of alcohol-induced liver fibrosis in vitro. In this study, the biological activity of th...

This study aims to investigate the flow and fracture behavior of aluminum alloy 6082-T6 (AA6082-T6) at different strain rates and triaxialities. Two groups of Charpy impact tests were carried out to further investigate its dynamic impact fracture property. A series of tensile tests and numerical simulations based on finite element analysis (FEA) were performed. Experimental data on smooth speci...

Diabetes mellitus leads to increased Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) production, which has been associated with secondary diabetic complications. Type 1 diabetic patients undergoing pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) can restore normoglycemia and renal function, eventually decreasing AGE accumulation. We aimed to prospectively study AGE evolution after SPKT. Circulating AGE were asses...

An effective treatment for hepatic fibrosis is not available clinically. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB plays a central role in inflammation and fibrosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of an NF-κB inhibitor, BAY-11-7082 (BAY), on mouse liver fibrosis. The effects of BAY on hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation were measured in the lipopolysaccharide-activated rat HSC-T6 ce...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its signaling molecules, EGFreceptor (EGFR) and signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 3 (STAT3), have been considered to play a role in liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Plumbagin (PL) is an extracted component from the plant and has been used to treat different kinds of cancer. However, its role in regulation of EGFR and STAT3 during liver fibros...

To provide insight into the relationships between precipitation phenomena, grain size and mechanical behavior in a complex precipitation-strengthened alloy system, Al 7075 alloy, a commonly used aluminum alloy, was selected as a model system in the present study. Ultrafine-grained (UFG) bulk materials were fabricated through cryomilling, degassing, hot isostatic pressing and extrusion, followed...

AIM To investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis rats. To explore the in vitro and in vivo expression of Phospho-p38, Phospho-Akt and NF-kB in HSCs treated with H2S. MATERIALS AND METHODS HSC-T6 cells were incubated and activated with 500 µg/L ferric nitrilotriaceta...