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Complex-valued neural networks have attracted increasing attention in recent years, while it remains open on the advantages of complex-valued neural networks in comparison with real-valued networks. This work takes one step on this direction by introducing the complex-reaction network with fully-connected feed-forward architecture. We prove the universal approximation property for complex-reaction networks, and show that a class of radial functions can be approximated by a complex-reaction network using the polynomial number of parameters, whereas real-valued networks need at least exponential parameters to reach the same approximation level. For empirical risk minimization, we study the landscape and convergence of complex gradient descents. Our theoretical result shows that the critical point set of complex-reaction networks is a proper subset of that of real-valued networks, which may show some insights on finding the optimal solutions more easily for complex-reaction networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Altered nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). Recent evidence links hypothyroidism to the pathology of HF. However, the precise mechanisms are incompletely understood. The alterations and functional effects of cardiac NOS in hypothyroidism are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that hypothyroidism increases cardiomyocyte inducible NOS (iNOS) expression, which plays an important role in hypothyroidism-induced depression of cardiomyocyte contractile properties, [Ca 2 + ] i transient ([Ca 2 + ] iT ), and β-adrenergic hyporesponsiveness. Methods and results We simultaneously evaluated LV functional performance and compared myocyte three NOS, β-adrenergic receptors (AR) and SERCA2a expressions and assessed cardiomyocyte contractile and [Ca 2 + ] iT responses to β-AR stimulation with and without pretreatment of iNOS inhibitor (1400 W, 10 − 5 mol/L) in 26 controls and 26 rats with hypothyroidism induced by methimazole (~ 30 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks in the drinking water). Compared with controls, in hypothyroidism, total serum T 3 and T 4 were significantly reduced followed by significantly decreased LV contractility (E ES ) with increased LV time constant of relaxation. These LV abnormalities were accompanied by concomitant significant decreases in myocyte contraction (dL/dt max ), relaxation (dR/dt max ), and [Ca 2 + ] iT . In hypothyroidism, isoproterenol (10 − 8 M) produced significantly smaller increases in dL/dt max , dR/dt max and [Ca 2 + ] iT . These changes were associated with decreased β 1 -AR and SERCA2a, but significantly increased iNOS. Moreover, only in hypothyroidism, pretreatment with iNOS inhibitor significantly improved basal and isoproterenol-stimulated myocyte contraction, relaxation and [Ca 2 + ] iT . Conclusions Hypothyroidism produces intrinsic defects of LV myocyte force-generating capacity and relaxation with β-AR desensitization. Up-regulation of cardiomyocyte iNOS may promote progressive cardiac dysfunction in hypothyroidism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y 0.8 Ca 0.2 BaCo 4 O 7+ δ (YCBC4) was synthesized and investigated as a cathode for proton-conducting intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Low thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) (~9.9×10 −6 K −1 ) can provide good thermal expansion compatibility with the standard SOFC electrolyte materials. Laboratory-sized quad-layer cells, consisting of NiO–BaZr 0.1 Ce 0.7 Y 0.2 O 3− δ (BZCY)/NiO–BZCY/BZCY/YCBC4, were fabricated by a one-step dry-pressing/co-firing process and tested from 550 to 700 °C with humidified hydrogen (~3% H 2 O) as the fuel and static air as the oxidant, respectively. An excellent power density of 472 mW cm −2 and a low electrode polarization resistance of 0.121 Ω cm 2 were obtained at 700 °C. Preliminary results demonstrated that the YCBC4 can be a promising cathode material for proton-conducting IT-SOFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hydraulic support is the supporting equipment used in coal mining working face of coal production. Its reliability and life directly affect the quality of supporting underground. The level of chloride ion content in the transmission medium of electro-hydraulic controlling system is an important factor causing fault of hydraulic support. The paper discusses the introducing factors of chloride ion in transmission medium, using adsorption theory and phase membrane theory to explain the corrosion principle and negative effects, and then puts forward the corresponding preventive measures. It has important significance for hydraulic support system to operate safely. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The key process parameters of solid state enzymolysis for the generation of soluble sugar (SS) and bio-hydrogen production from corn stalk were optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM) based on a three factor-five level central composite design (CCD), respectively. The result showed that the optimal solid state enzymolysis condition from corn stalk was 47.7 °C, SCED of 0.054 g/g and 10.3 days for the maximum SS yield of 526 mg/g-TVS. Correspondingly, the optimal enzymolysis conditions from corn stalk appeared at 46.3 °C, SCED of 0.049 g/g and 7.5 days for the maximum hydrogen yield of 205.5 mL/g-TVS from the hydrolyzed substrate by the next dark fermentation. In addition, the bio-hydrogen production mechanism from corn stalk was preliminary investigated by XRD and SEM analyses. The results suggested that the solid state enzymolysis of substrate played a vital role in the effective conversion of corn stalk into bio-hydrogen by dark fermentation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is essential to develop effective methods for the quality control of the traditional medicine with multiple components. However, few researches on the quality control have been conducted to interpret the holistic characteristics of the traditional medicine in terms of dissolution/release. In this study, the multi-component release kinetics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dosage forms was characterized and mapped by multivariate analysis techniques in the field of “-omics”. The Liuweidihuang pill was used as a model formulation. The multi-component release kinetics of the concentrated and water-honeyed Liuweidihuang pills at rotation speeds of 50 and 100rpm were analyzed by chemomic release kinetic theory and modified LC/MS/MS method. Mass features of 103 (concentrated pills) and 101 (water-honeyed pills) were selected with a linear correlation coefficient ≥0.99 between mass responses and concentrations. To compose the chemomic standard spectrum, the relative abundance of both mass features was no less than 1% as compared with an internal standard. The correlation coefficients between six samples of various solutions were in line with analytical requirements of precision (r≥0.985). The score plots of principal component analysis showed that the concentrated Liuweidihuang pills presented better chemomic release reproducibility than the water-honeyed pills. Conversely, the impact of rotation speed on the chemomic release was less obvious. The heat maps of hierarchical clustering analysis did not show significant changes in individual clusters of mass features along different time intervals, reflecting the release integrity of the mass features. Therefore, both multivariate analysis methods, the principal component analysis and the hierarchical clustering analysis, seemed to be effective techniques to demonstrate the multiple component release performance of TCM. The research provided the basis of a new strategy for the quality control procedures of the dissolution/release for the traditional medicine and multi-component natural products to address increasing regulatory requirements and scrutiny across the world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A hydrogen producing strain F.P 01 was newly isolated from cow dung sludge in an anaerobic bioreactor. The strain F.P 01 was a mesophilic and facultative anaerobic bacterium, which exhibited gram-negative staining in both the exponential and stationary growth phases, and a regular long rod-shaped bacteria with the size of 0.6–0.9 μm × 1.2–2.5 μm, and also could biodegrade a variety of carbohydrates such as glucose, xylose, maltose, etc. The effects of important process parameters on hydrogen producing of F.P 01 were further investigated from hydrogen fermentation of maltose by strain F.P 01, including substrate concentration, medium pH, etc. And the results showed that hydrogen production potential and hydrogen production rate from maltose of this strain F.P 01 was180 mLH2/g-maltose and 4.0 mLH2/h, respectively. The corresponding hydrogen concentration of 58–73% was also be observed. Both butyric acid and acetic acid as main by-product was left in the reactor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Strategies were adopted to cost-efficiently produce cellulose-hydrogen by anaerobic fermentation in this paper. First, cellulase used for hydrolyzing cellulose was prepared by solid-state fermentation (SSF) on cheap biomass from Trichoderma viride. Several cultural conditions for cellulase production on cheap biomass such as moisture content, inoculum size and culture time were studied. And the components of solid-state medium were optimized using statistical methods to further improve cellulase capability. Second, the crude cellulase was applied to cellulose-hydrogen process directly. The maximal hydrogen yield of 122 ml/g-TVS was obtained at the substrate concentration of 20 g/L and cultured time of 53 h. The value was about 45-fold than that of raw corn stalk wastes. The hydrogen content in the biogas was 44–57%(v/v) and there was no significant methane gas observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of these experiments was to investigate the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for generating models able to predict the relative lung bioavailability and clinical effect of salbutamol when delivered to healthy volunteers and asthmatic patients from dry powder inhalers (DPIs). ANN software was used to model in vitro, demographic and in vivo data from human subjects for four different DPI formulations containing salbutamol sulfate. In 12 volunteers, a model linking the in vitro aerodynamic characteristics of the emitted dose and volunteer body surface area with the urinary excretion of drug and its metabolite in the 24h period after inhalation was established. In 11 mild asthmatics, a predictive model correlating in vitro data, baseline lung function, body surface area and age with post-treatment improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) was also generated. Models validated using unseen data from individual subjects receiving the different DPI formulations were shown to give predictions of in vivo performance. The squared correlation coefficients (R 2) for plots comparing predicted and observed in vivo outcomes were 0.83 and 0.84 for urinary excretion and lung function data, respectively. It can therefore be concluded that ANN models have the potential to predict the in vivo performance of DPIs in individual subjects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study compares the performance of neurofuzzy logic and neural networks using two software packages (INForm and FormRules) in generating predictive models for a published database for an immediate release tablet formulation. Both approaches were successful in developing good predictive models for tablet tensile strength and drug dissolution profiles. While neural networks demonstrated a slightly superior capability in predicting unseen data, neurofuzzy logic had the added advantage of generating rule sets representing the cause–effect relationships contained in the experimental data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Suaeda salsa seedlings grown in Hoagland nutrient solution were treated with different concentrations of NaCl combined with two levels of Ca2+ (0 and 20mmol/L) to study the effect of Ca2+ nutrition on the growth and activity of leaf tonoplast V-H+-ATPase. Increase of Ca2+ concentration in the solution markedly increased the relative growth quantity of S. salsa seedlings and Ca2+ and K+ concentration in the leaf cell sap under NaCl stress. The leaf V-H+-ATPase activity was significantly increased with increasing NaCl concentration under high Ca2+ application (20mmol/L), but little changed under Ca2+ starvation (0mmol/L). Western blot analysis showed that the leaf V-H+-ATPase of S. salsa was at least composed of A, B, D and c subunits, and their protein amounts were not affected by NaCl treatments under Ca2+ starvation (0mmol/L) with an exception of 100mmol/L NaCl, but increased under high Ca2+ application (20mmol/L). There was a positive correlation between activity of V-H+-ATPase and the protein amounts of the subunits. The results suggest that Ca2+ nutrition played an important role in the salt tolerance of S. salsa, and that enhancement of V-H+-ATPase activity under salt stress was Ca2+-dependent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• An efficient method was developed for direct imidation of sulfides. • A broad substrate scope of sulfides and N -alkyl nitroguanidines was applied. • The synthesis of sulfoximines was carried out without metal catalyst. An efficient synthesis of nitroguanidines containing a sulfoximine motif has been developed. A two-step process starts with the oxidation coupling of sulfides and N -alkyl nitroguanidines to form sulfanylidenes, followed by oxidation with m -chloroperbenzoic (m -CPBA) to give the target sulfoximine-nitroguanidines. The reaction had a broad substrate scope with respect to both sulfides and N -alkyl nitroguanidines under mild reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) pathway is associated with ischemic heart diseases (IHD). 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), BDNF mimetic, is a potent agonist of TrkB. We aimed to investigate the effects and the underlying mechanisms of 7,8-DHF on cardiac ischemia. Myocardial ischemic mouse model was induced by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery. 7,8-DHF (5 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally two days after ischemia for four weeks. Echocardiography, HE staining and transmission electron microscope were used to examine the function, histology and ultrastructure of the heart. H9c2 cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), 7,8-DHF or TrkB inhibitor ANA-12. The effects of 7,8-DHF on cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial superoxide generation were examined. Furthermore, mitochondrial fission and protein expression of mitochondrial dynamics (Mfn2 [mitofusin 2], OPA1 [optic atrophy 1], Drp1 [dynamin-related protein 1] and Fis-1 [fission 1]) was detected by mitotracker green staining and western blot, respectively. 7,8-DHF attenuated cardiac dysfunction and cardiomyocyte abnormality of myocardial ischemic mice. Moreover, 7,8-DHF increased cell viability and reduced cell death accompanied by improving MMP, inhibiting mitochondrial superoxide and preventing excessive mitochondrial fission of H 2 O 2 -treated H9c2 cells. The cytoprotective effects of 7,8-DHF were antagonized by ANA-12. Mechanistically, 7,8-DHF repressed OMA1-dependent conversion of L-OPA1 into S-OPA1, which was abolished by Akt inhibitor. In conclusion, 7,8-DHF protects against cardiac ischemic injury by inhibiting the proteolytic cleavage of OPA1. These findings provide a novel pharmacological effect of 7,8-DHF on mitochondrial dynamics and a new potential target for IHD. Image 1 • 7,8-DHF attenuates ischemia/H 2 O 2 -induced cardiomyocyte injury. • 7,8-DHF inhibits excessive mitochondrial fission in ischemic heart. • 7,8-DHF inhibits OMA1-dependent conversion of L-OPA1 into S-OPA1. • Akt inhibitor abolished the effects of 7,8-DHF on mitochondrial dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] FITC&PEI polymer has been synthesized. [•] FITC&PEI polymer can sense TNT by FRET quenching and RLS enhancement. [•] FITC&PEI polymer is well-suited for detecting and distinguishing trace TNT. [•] Proposed methods have potential help for public safety and society concern. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently emerging evidence implicates a number of neuroactive substances and their receptors in mediating complex cell-to-cell communications in the ganglia. In the present study, we characterized the nonsynaptic chemical coupling mediated by extracellular ATP in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neuron cultures by using the real time imaging of ATP, whole-cell patch clamping, in conjunction with confocal calcium imaging. Sustained depolarization by electrical stimulation evoked intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) oscillations in individual DRG neurons, and subsequent ATP-dependent propagation [Ca2+]i oscillations to surrounding non-stimulated neighbors. [Ca2+]i oscillations were suppressed by inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor antagonist 2-APB, but not ryanodine. The propagation of [Ca2+]i oscillations was prevented by the presence of the ATP-degrading enzyme, apyrase, and completely abolished by the blockase of G protein-coupled purinergic receptors-PLC-IP3 pathway with suramin, U73122 or 2-APB. In parallel, sustained depolarization elicited robust ATP release and diffusion from the stimulation site. Moreover, exogenous application of ATP to DRG cultures in large concentration elicits the [Ca2+]i oscillations in most neurons. Taken together, this data demonstrates that sustained membrane depolarization elicited ATP release, acting through a highly sensitive P2Y receptors/IP3-mediated signaling pathway to mediate the propagation of intercellular Ca2+ signaling, which suggest a novel signaling pathway for neuronal communication in DRG. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Graphical abstract Schematic diagram of a process for preparing bile salt liposomes by ISCRPE method to increase oral bioavailability. Abstract The chief objective of this research was to appraise liposomes embodying a bile salt, sodium glycocholate (SGC), as oral nanoscale drug delivery system to strengthen the bioavailability of a water-soluble and weakly penetrable pharmaceutical, notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1). NGR1-loaded liposomes were prepared with the improved supercritical reverse evaporation (ISCRPE) method and the preparation conditions were optimized with response surface methodology (RSM). The mean encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, and polydispersity index (PDI) of the optimized liposomal formulation (NGR1@Liposomes) were 49.49%, 308.3 nm, and 0.229, respectively. SGC-mediated liposomes (NGR1@SGC-Liposomes) were formulated based on the optimal preparation conditions and the mean EE, particle size, and PDI were 41.51%, 200.1 nm, and 0.130, respectively. The in vitro Caco-2 cellular uptake of fluorescent marker was increased by loading into NGR1@SGC-Liposomes as compared with the conventional liposomes. Furthermore, the intestinal permeability as well as the intestinal absorption of NGR1 were both significantly improved with NGR1@SGC-Liposomes as the nanovesicles. The in vivo pharmacokinetic study results showed that AUC 0-t value of NGR1@SGC-Liposomes and NGR1@Liposomes was 2.68- and 2.03-fold higher than that of NGR1 aqueous solution, respectively. The AUC 0-t of the NGR1@SGC-Liposomes group was significantly higher than that of NGR1@Liposomes. Thus, ISCRPE method is a feasible method for the preparation of water-soluble drug-loaded liposomes and bile salt-mediated liposomes may enhance the oral absorption of water-soluble and poorly permeable drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Thermoresponsive homo-polymeric ionic liquid was synthesized and used as molecular transporters. • UCST behaviors can be adjusted by tailoring interchain π-π interactions showing unique temp-resistance behavior during ions pairing. In this study, a polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) called Poly[ECH-BIM]Cl was polymerized by ring-opening and quaternization reaction of benzimidazole and epichlorohydrin without additional ion-exchange reaction. Both 1H NMR and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed the chemical structure of Poly[ECH-BIM]Cl. Poly[ECH-BIM]Cl in water was thermoresponsive and its UCST transition was studied by UV–vis spectrometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at variable temperature. Moreover, the first introduced Temp-resistance behavior during ions pairing found Poly[ECH-BIM]Cl had properties similar to those of the precipitation of inorganic salts from their saturated solutions. The variable-temperature 1H NMR analysis demonstrated that the tailored interchain π-π interactions promoted the aggregation of macromolecular chains and particles formed from Poly[ECH-BIM]Cl aqueous solution. The results showed that increasing the interaction between cations of PIL can endow its thermosensibility and the possibility of being a programmable shuttle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halophenols (HPs) inflict adverse impacts on human and environment due to their toxic, carcinogenic as well as teratogenic properties. Additionally, it is of great importance and urgency for the development of simple, efficient and inexpensive approaches to minimize the harm of HPs. Here we report an innovatively making poison profitable method to prepare carbon dots (C-dots) using 3-bromophenol residual as a precursor. The effects of solvent and carbonization temperature on the preparation of insecticide-based C-dots were investigated. The results indicate that higher organic solvent content in solution and higher carbonization temperature are in favor of the formation of C-dots with smaller size and higher quantum yields. Meanwhile, all C-dots displayed excellent water solubility and high photostability against ionic strengths and light illumination. The possible mechanisms of polymerization and carbonization of C-dots were rationally proposed, and the incompact framework structure of C-dots was reasonably inferred by room-temperature phosphorescence measurement. Also, a kind of low toxicity, good biocompatibility and photostability C-dots, which were synthesized via a lab-leveled mimetic insecticide residuals approach, were utilized as colorless inks for printing patterns and as fluorescence probe for bioimaging. This proposed approach opened up a potential prospect to efficiently utilize pesticide residuals and other hazardous chemicals for biolabeling and bioimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE-KDEL)-based chimeric subunit vaccine system was recently developed using a reverse vaccinology technique. In this study, the plasmids containing PE-PRRS chimeric subunits were constructed that composed of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) antigen moieties, a ligand moiety and a Pseudomonas exotoxin A deleted domain III (PE (DIII)), and a carboxyl terminal moiety that includes a polypeptide with amino acid sequence KDEL (K3). The PE-PRRS combination vaccine can effectively induce not only PRRSV-specific INF-γ cellular immunity but also a slow-reacting and complement-requiring type serum neutralizing antibody in pigs. In a specific pathogen free (SPF) pig challenge model, body temperature (colonic temperature), occurrence of PRRSV viremia, nasal excretions, gross and histopathological appearances of pneumonia, and serum antibody activity (IFA and SN) titers significantly differed between the immunized group and the control group. The survey showed that a 0.3 mg/dose PE-PRRS vaccine formula conferred protection against PRRSV. A field trial of PE-PRRS vaccine was performed to study the immune response of pregnant sows after vaccination in a PRRSV persist farm. The RT-PCR analysis of viremia and serological titers showed that the PE-PRRS vaccine not only increased sow reproductive performance and evoked its immune response to PRRS viremia, it also activated maternal immune protections to prevent piglets from inflicting viremia. In conclusion, we developed a novel and effective PRRS cytotoxic T-cells (CTLs)-based vaccine containing Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE-KDEL) carrier in combination with PRRSV conserved epitopes against PRRS virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tomographic imaging techniques have great potential for improving understanding of the dynamics of granular materials during manufacturing, handling, and storage. In this study, the synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography (SR-μCT) was used non-invasively to monitor blend homogeneity of binary mixtures. Granular samples of microcrystalline cellulose and starch were characterized using the SR-μCT individually. Simultaneously, particle distribution was investigated by calculating the frequency distribution of a statistic for testing sphericity. Then, the microcrystalline cellulose and starch granules were blended in a cylindrical container. Influences of the time of rotations T R and the time of vibration T V on the mixture homogeneity were studied with the SR-μCT and statistical evaluation. The mixing index is also adopted to evaluate the mixture homogeneity of the particle system. The results showed that mixture homogeneity is improved with increasing T R . Furthermore, segregation increased with longer T V when particles are different in size and shape. The larger starch granules of non-spherical shape have a tendency to rise to the top, while the smaller microcrystalline cellulose granules which are spherical tend to migrate to the bottom of the mixture. Therefore, we demonstrate that SR-μCT can investigate the mixing and segregation of granular materials in three-dimensions combined with statistic method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Maternal seizure has adverse effects on brain histology as well as on learning and memory ability in progeny. An enriched environment (EE) is known to promote structural changes in the brain and improve cognitive and motor deficits following a variety of brain injuries. Whether EE treatment in early postnatal periods could restore cognitive impairment induced by prenatal maternal seizure is unknown. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly separated into two groups and were injected intraperitoneally either saline or pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) for 30 days. Then the fully kindled rats and control animals were allowed to mate. PTZ administration was continued until delivery, while the control group received saline at the same time. After weaning at postnatal day 22, one-half of the male offspring in the control and in the prenatal maternal group were given the environmental enrichment treatment through all the experiments until they were tested. Morris water maze testing was performed at 8 weeks of age. Western blot and synaptic ultrastructure analysis were then performed. We found that EE treatment reversed spatial learning deficits induced by prenatal maternal seizure. An EE also reversed the changes in synaptic ultrastructure following prenatal maternal seizure. In addition, prenatal maternal seizure significantly decreased phosphorylation states of cAMP response element binding (CREB) in the hippocampus, whereas EE reversed this reduced expression. These findings suggest that EE treatment on early postnatal periods could be a potential therapy for improving cognitive deficits induced by prenatal maternal seizure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cognitive dysfunction is commonly observed in epileptic patients. It has been shown that not only epilepsy but also antiepileptic drugs could induce cognitive impairment. Thus, there is an urgent need for drugs that can suppress seizures without causing cognitive deficit. Recent studies have shown that oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of epilepsy, and many antioxidants have an antiepileptic property. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenols component, is found to be an effective antioxidant. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of EGCG against seizures, seizure-induced oxidative stress and cognitive impairment in pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with a dose of 35mg/kg of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) once every alternate day for 13 injections. EGCG was administered daily in two doses (25mg/kg and 50mg/kg) intraperitoneally along with alternate-day PTZ. Morris water maze test was carried out 24h after the last injection of PTZ, and the oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde and glutathione) were assessed after the completion of the behavioral test. The results showed that EGCG dose-dependently suppressed the progression of kindling. EGCG also ameliorated the cognitive impairment and oxidative stress induced by PTZ kindling. These observations suggest that EGCG may be a potential agent for the treatment of epilepsy as well as a preventive agent against cognitive impairment induced by seizure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tomographic imaging techniques are attractive tools for the visualization of the internal structural characteristics of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms. In this paper, the internal structure of the tablet core for a monolith osmotic drug delivery system, felodipine sustained-release tablet, was visualized via synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography during the drug release process. The surface areas and three dimensional parameters of the tablet core were calculated based on the three dimensional reconstruction of the images. At different stages of the drug release process, the surface morphology, the hydration, the swelling, and the structure changing of the tablet, were visualized from the two dimensional monochrome X-ray images. The three dimensional volumes of the remaining tablet core correlated well with the percentages of felodipine (R =0.9988). Also, the three dimensional surface area almost unchanged during the drug release process, which clearly demonstrated the intrinsic drug release mechanism of the osmotic drug delivery system. In conclusion, the synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography, with rapid acquisition, high intensity and micro-scale spatial resolution, was found to be a useful tool for the quantitative elucidation of the intrinsic drug release kinetics and the three dimensional parameters such as surface areas of the remained core obtained by the synchrotron radiation. Thus, X-ray computed microtomography can be considered as a new and complimentary analytical tool to standard compendial pharmaceutical tests for quality control of osmotic drug delivery systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]