Anticlastogenicity and Anticarcinogenicity of Purple Rice Extract in Rats

Oryza sativa L. var. indica cv. Kum Doi Saket is a pigmented rice variety grown in northern Thailand. Our previous study found that the methanol extract of purple rice seed had the highest level of antimutagenicity in a Salmonella mutation assay. The present study was designed to evaluate its in vivo anticlastogenic and anticarcinogenic potentials. The purple rice extract had no acute toxicity on rats. The oral administration of 1,000 mg/kg body weight (bw) of the extract for 28 days did not increase the number of micronucleated hepatocytes. Interestingly, it significantly reduced the amount of micronucleus formation in the liver of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-treated rats. The inhibitory mechanism involved the induction of hepatic glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. In addition, oral administration of 500 mg/kg bw extract for 10 weeks significantly decreased the number of hepatic GST placental form positive foci, but did not modulate the number of colonic aberrant crypt foci in DEN- and dimethylhydrazine-initiated rats. In conclusion, the methanol extract of purple rice seed showed no toxicity, clastogenicity, or carcinogenicity in laboratory rats. It did display chemopreventive activity against the early stages of rat hepatocarcinogenesis.     

MR-Guided Vertebroplasty With Augmented Reality Image Overlay Navigation

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided vertebroplasty at 1.5 Tesla using augmented reality image overlay navigation.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-five unilateral vertebroplasties [5 of 25 (20 %) thoracic, 20 of 25 (80 %) lumbar] were prospectively planned in 5 human cadavers. A clinical 1.5-Teslan MRI system was used. An augmented reality image overlay navigation system and 3D Slicer visualization software were used for MRI display, planning, and needle navigation. Intermittent MRI was used to monitor placement of the MRI-compatible vertebroplasty needle. Cement injections (3 ml of polymethylmethacrylate) were performed outside the bore. The cement deposits were assessed on intermediate-weighted MR images. Outcome variables included type of vertebral body access, number of required intermittent MRI control steps, location of final needle tip position, cement deposit location, and vertebroplasty time.

Results

All planned procedures (25 of 25, 100 %) were performed. Sixteen of 25 (64 %) transpedicular and 9 of 25 (36 %) parapedicular access routes were used. Six (range 3–9) MRI control steps were required for needle placement. No inadvertent punctures were visualized. Final needle tip position and cement location were adequate in all cases (25 of 25, 100 %) with a target error of the final needle tip position of 6.1 ± 1.9 mm (range 0.3–8.7 mm) and a distance between the planned needle tip position and the center of the cement deposit of 4.3 mm (range 0.8–6.8 mm). Time requirement for one level was 16 (range 11–21) min.

Conclusion

MRI-guided vertebroplasty using image overlay navigation is feasible allowing for accurate vertebral body access and cement deposition in cadaveric thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies.     

Acute Intradialytic Cardiac Function and Inflammatory Cytokine Changes During High‐Efficiency Online Hemodiafiltration With Acetate‐Free and Standard Dialysis Solutions

Acetate in standard acetate‐containing bicarbonate (AC) dialysis fluid could induce peripheral vasodilatation, suppression of myocardial function, and inflammatory cytokine production, resulting in intradialytic hypotension in conventional hemodialysis (HD) patients. Online hemodiafiltration (HDF) provides superior hemodynamic stability over HD. The potentially additive hemodynamic benefits of the novel acetate‐free bicarbonate (AF) dialysis fluid in online HDF have never been explored before. The present randomized, double‐blind, crossover study was conducted in 22 online HDF patients to investigate the impact of AF dialysis fluid on hemodynamic and cytokine changes compared with AC dialysis fluid in online HDF. The results demonstrated the comparable changes of arterial pressure between AF and AC online HDF. During the study periods, the incidences of composite intradialytic hypotension and other adverse events were not different. The baseline and hourly changes of cardiac index, cardiac output, and peripheral vascular resistance during dialysis were comparable (P = 0.534, 0.199, and 0.641, respectively). The percent reductions of NT‐proBNP and cTnT were not significantly different (72.6 ± 12.3 vs. 72.6 ± 12.8%, P = 0.99 and 35.2 ± 12.8 vs. 36.7 ± 12.0%, P = 0.51). The changes of all pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐2β, IL‐6, IL‐8, and TNF‐α) and anti‐inflammatory cytokine (IL‐10) during dialysis were comparable between both groups. In conclusion, AF dialysis solution does not offer additional hemodynamic benefit for stable online HDF patients. The hemodynamic stability provided by online HDF might protect the adverse effects of acetate.     

Nitrogen self-doped activated carbons via the direct activation of Samanea saman leaves for high energy density supercapacitors

In this study, nitrogen self-doped activated carbons (ACs) obtained via the direct activation of Samanea saman green leaves (SSLs) for high energy density supercapacitors were investigated. The SSL-derived direct-activated carbons (hereinafter referred to SD-ACs) were synthesized by impregnating sodium hydroxide as an activating agent and heating up to 720 °C without a hydrothermal carbonization or pyrolysis step. The optimum condition was investigated by varying the weight ratio of raw SSLs to NaOH. Surpassing the ACs derived from the two-step convention method, SD-ACs showed superior properties, including a higher surface area (2930 m² g⁻¹), total pore volume (1.37 cm³ g⁻¹) and nitrogen content (4.6 at%). Moreover, SD-ACs exhibited enhanced electrochemical properties with specific gravimetric and volumetric capacitances of 179 F g⁻¹ and 88 F cm⁻³ in an organic electrolyte, respectively, a high capacitance retention of approximately 87% at a current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹ and excellent cycling stability of 97.5% after 3000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g⁻¹. Moreover, the potential window of the supercapacitor cell was extended to 3.5 V with a significantly enhanced energy density of up to 79 W h kg⁻¹. These results demonstrate that the direct activation of nitrogen-enriched SSLs offers advantages in terms of simplicity, low-cost and sustainable synthetic route to achieve nitrogen self-doped ACs for high energy density supercapacitors, which exhibit superior properties to that of ACs prepared via the conventional method.

Nitrogen self-doped activated carbons with high surface area obtained via the direct activation of Samanea saman leaves for high energy density supercapacitors.