Crystallinity of POM films cast from solution

Summary The process of crystallization and the structure of poly/ oxymethylene/ (POM) films cast from hexafluoroacetone sesquihydrate solutions were studied. The supermolecular structure of thin POM films was studied by the use of polarization microscope. It has been found to consist mainly of spherulites, the size of which are essentially independent of the initial concentration of the solution. Similarly to the findings reported for thin films made of melts, ovoids and spiral ovodis were also found in minor amounts. Two additional formations indicating more complex structure were also detected. Further details of the structures formed could be recognized applying scanning electron microscopy.     

Curcumin Attenuates Environment-Derived Osteoarthritis by Sox9/NF-kB Signaling Axis

Inflammation has a fundamental impact on the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA), a common form of degenerative arthritis. It has previously been established that curcumin, a component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), has anti-inflammatory properties. This research evaluates the potentials of curcumin on the pathophysiology of OA in vitro. To explore the anti-inflammatory efficacy of curcumin in an inflamed joint, an osteoarthritic environment (OA-EN) model consisting of fibroblasts, T-lymphocytes, 3D-chondrocytes is constructed and co-incubated with TNF-α, antisense oligonucleotides targeting NF-kB (ASO-NF-kB), or an IkB-kinase (IKK) inhibitor (BMS-345541). Our results show that OA-EN, similar to TNF-α, suppresses chondrocyte viability, which is accompanied by a significant decrease in cartilage-specific proteins (collagen II, CSPG, Sox9) and an increase in NF-kB-driven gene proteins participating in inflammation, apoptosis, and breakdown (NF-kB, MMP-9, Cox-2, Caspase-3). Conversely, similar to knockdown of NF-kB at the mRNA level or at the IKK level, curcumin suppresses NF-kB activation, NF-kB-promotes gene proteins derived from the OA-EN, and stimulates collagen II, CSPG, and Sox9 expression. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation assay shows that curcumin reduces OA-EN-mediated inflammation and chondrocyte apoptosis, with concomitant chondroprotective effects, due to modulation of Sox-9/NF-kB signaling axis. Finally, curcumin selectively hinders the interaction of p-NF-kB-p65 directly with DNA—this association is disrupted through DTT. These results suggest that curcumin suppresses inflammation in OA-EN via modulating NF-kB-Sox9 coupling and is essential for maintaining homeostasis in OA by balancing chondrocyte survival and inflammatory responses. This may contribute to the alternative treatment of OA with respect to the efficacy of curcumin.     

Detection of GM soybean in food products by simultaneous employment of three pairs of PCR primers

Genetically modified soybean was explored in food samples, labeled as “non-GM” and unlabeled, using multiplex PCR and Real-time PCR techniques. In total 110 (2006) and 237 food samples (2007) containing soybean were analyzed. The 7% of the products were shown to consist of material derived from the Roundup Ready soybean in 2006 and 13% of the foods samples in 2007. The most of analyzed samples were correctly labeled, but ten of food products are demonstrated to contain material above the threshold levels for labeling of 0.9%. This is the first report of the validity of labels on imported food samples from different countries and uptake of GM food derived from soybean into the food chain in Serbia.