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Mastic, a natural resin, has long been used to prevent periodontal disease, but most studies focus on mastic extracts rather than the resin itself. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of whole mastic resin against Porphyromonas gulae-associated halitosis and inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo. Mastic (0.06%-1%) was evaluated for bactericidal, anti-halitosis, and anti-inflammatory effects using P. gulae and macrophage cell lines. Oral mastic gel (5%) was applied daily in dogs and cats with P. gulae-positive periodontal disease. Mastic reduced P. gulae viability in a dose-dependent manner and rapidly inhibited hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, the main halitosis factors, within five minutes. It also significantly suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. In clinical trials, daily mastic treatment for one month decreased halitosis, gingivitis, plaque accumulation, and P. gulae activity in both dogs and cats. The effect on plaque was more pronounced in cats, suggesting species-specific responses. No cytotoxicity was observed. These findings demonstrate that oral administration of whole mastic resin provides rapid antibacterial, anti-halitosis, and anti-inflammatory effects, supporting its potential as a therapeutic option for managing periodontal disease in companion animals.

Despite the remarkable development of the medical industry in the current era, herbal products with therapeutic potentials arise as attractive alternative treatments. Consequently, Chios mastiha, a natural, aromatic resin obtained from the trunk and brunches of the mastic tree, has recently gained increasing scientific interest due to its multiple beneficial actions. Chios mastiha is being exclusively produced on the southern part of Chios, a Greek island situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and its therapeutic properties have been known since Greek antiquity. There is now substantial evidence to suggest that mastiha demonstrates a plethora of favorable effects, mainly attributed to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of its components. The main use of mastiha nowadays, however, is for the production of natural chewing gum, although an approval by the European Medicines Agency for mild dyspeptic disorders and for inflammations of the skin has been given. The aim of this article is to summarize the most important data about the therapeutic actions of Chios mastiha and discuss future fields for its medical application.

Many airports are surfaced with grooved Marshall-designed dense graded asphalt. Grooving is required to satisfy regulatory aircraft skid resistance requirements, but introduces the risk of groove-related distress, such as groove closure. Consequently, airports seek an ungrooved runway surface option that performs similarly to dense graded asphalt but allows grooving to be avoided. Stone mastic asphalt is the most viable ungrooved runway surface solution and has been used on runways in Europe and China. However, before being accepted as an ungrooved runway surface in Australia, stone mastic asphalt must be shown to meet regulatory runway aircraft skid resistance requirements, and to otherwise perform similarly to typical dense graded asphalt mixtures for runway surfacing, including deformation resistance, fatigue cracking resistance and durability. Based on laboratory performance-related testing, 10-mm and 14-mm sized stone mastic asphalt mixtures, produced with four different aggregate sources, were found to generally meet the airport asphalt performance requirements. The 14 mm mixture was found to perform better than the 10 mm mixture, particularly regarding surface macrotexture and deformation resistance. It was concluded that airports should consider 14 mm sized stone mastic asphalt as an ungrooved runway surface in the future.

Chios mastic gum (CMG), derived from the resin of the Pistacia lentiscus has long been considered a natural remedy in the Mediterranean region. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have garnered increasing attention from scientists and consumers over recent decades. While substantial evidence supports CMG’s efficacy in preventing and treating common health disorders and its potential as a cancer cell inhibitor, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we utilized zebrafish embryos as a model organism to identify molecular pathways modulated by CMG treatment. Embryos were exposed to non-toxic CMG concentrations for 3 to 96 h post-fertilization. LC-HRMS proteomics, combined with enrichment analysis, revealed oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos), electron transport chain (ETC), and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) as main processes. The latter highlights the benefits of CMG administration in energy generation and cytoskeletal integrity. From the plethora of identified proteins, hierarchical clustering revealed three main antioxidant proteins as upregulated, namely copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin-disulfide reductase, and catalase, confirming the contribution of CMG to the enhancement of zebrafish’s antioxidant defense.

In this study, basalt fiber having two types of diameters (16 μm and 25 μm) was selected and added to asphalt mastic and asphalt mixtures using different fiber proportions. The influences of fiber diameters and proportions on the properties of asphalt mastic and mixtures were studied. The adhesion behavior of the fiber-asphalt mastic (FAM) interface was evaluated by a monofilament pullout test, and the rheological properties of FAM were evaluated by temperature sweep, linear amplitude sweep, and bending beam rheological tests. In addition, the high-temperature stability, intermediate and low-temperature cracking resistance, and water stability of fiber-modified mixtures were studied by wheel tracking, ideal cracking, a low-temperature bending beam, and a water-immersed Marshall test. The results showed that the interface adhesion behavior between 16 μm fiber and asphalt mastic was more likely in the fiber failure mode at both −12 °C and 25 °C. Adding basalt fiber can significantly improve the high-temperature and fatigue properties of asphalt mastics. Moreover, 16 μm fiber had a better modifying effect on asphalt mastic than 25 μm fiber. The same enhancement trend can be observed in asphalt mixtures. Basalt fibers with 16 μm diameters can improve the high-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures more significantly. In addition, 16 μm fiber could sharply enhance the cracking performance of the mixtures at intermediate and low temperatures, while the enhancing effect of 25 μm fiber on the mixture is insignificant, though both diameters of the fibers have a minor effect on the water stability.

The asphalt mastic–aggregate interaction plays an important role in the overall properties of asphalt mixtures and their durability in service in flexible pavements. This paper aims to study the influence of the physico-chemical features of fillers and the rheological properties of asphalt mastics on the bonding behavior between asphalt and aggregate, and the interfacial deterioration mechanism when subjected to static water immersion and pressured water immersion. It was found that the filler type (limestone powder, basalt powder, and granite powder) had a certain influence on the complex modulus of asphalt mastics, and its pore volume and specific surface area had significant effects on the phase angles and permeability of asphalt mastics. The effect of water pressure can accelerate the deterioration of bond strength of the asphalt mastic–aggregate interface in the short term, indicating that the dynamic water pressure generated by the driving load promotes the water damage process in asphalt pavements. In comparison, the residual bond strength ratio of the granite–asphalt mastic aggregate was the highest, while its bond strength was lower than that of the interface between limestone–asphalt mastics and limestone aggregate. This demonstrated that a low asphalt mastic complex modulus and a high phase angle are helpful in improving the durability of asphalt mixtures subjected to static and pressured water immersion conditions.

This study explored the development of a novel colon-specific drug delivery system for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) using cross-linked mastic gum (MG) nanoparticles (NPs). The primary goal is to enhance the treatment efficacy of colon cancer while minimizing systemic side effects. We employed Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for the detailed characterization of the samples. FTIR analysis confirmed the successful cross-linking of MG, whereas SEM images revealed the spherical and uniform morphology of the NPs. Additionally, analysis of drug encapsulation efficiency (83.53%), particle size (240 nm), and drug release kinetics (zero-order), and the drug release percentage (95.20% ) were analyzed. The results demonstrated that MG NPs effectively encapsulated and controlled the release of 5-FU in a colon-targeted manner. This study recommends the proposed drug delivery system because of its potential to improve the outcomes of colon cancer treatment.

To meet the demand for sustainable pavement infrastructure, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has become a key strategy to enhance material circularity. This study investigates the coupled mobilization and blending behaviors between virgin and aged asphalt mastic in RAP systems. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilized to quantify the mobilization rate (MR) of aged mastic on RAP aggregate surfaces using the Composite Aging Index (CAI). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fluorescence Microscopy (FM), combined with digital image analysis, were employed to assess the blending interface and quantify the degree of blending (DoB). A 3D model was developed to describe the nonlinear relationship between MR and DoB. The results show that regeneration is dominated by physical diffusion, while mixing temperature has a stronger effect on MR than time. The binder interface displays a smooth transition, whereas the mastic interface exhibits a gear-like structure. DoB in the binder system is higher than that in the mastic system under the same condition, with early-stage temperature elevation playing a key role. Even near 100%, MR does not lead to full blending due to interfacial saturation. These insights are valuable for guiding the design of RAP and optimizing mixing conditions to enhance recycling efficiency in practical applications.

This paper aims to explore the influences of the content and gradation of mineral powder on the rheological properties of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt mastic at different aging stages and temperatures. In the experiment, SBS modified asphalt mastic samples with different powder-to-binder ratios (0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) and different mineral powder gradations (500 mesh passing rates of 76.89% and 100%) were prepared. Following aging periods of 5, 25, and 45 h in the pressure aging vessel (PAV), the asphalt underwent comprehensive rheological characterization using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). The research shows that mineral powder can boost mastic’s deformation resistance and elastic effect. When aged by PAV for 45 h, the powder-to-binder ratio increased from 0.6 to 1.0, and its complex modulus increased by nearly 2.5 times at 58 °C. For SBS modified asphalt mastic of PAV 0 h, the powder-to-binder ratio increased from 0.6 to 1.0 and its phase angle was reduced from 59.6 to 53.2, which indicated that the elasticity of mastic was improved. However, this accelerated the degradation rate of SBS, making the aging process more complex. Fine-grained mineral powder is more effective in enhancing mastic’s deformation resistance than coarse-grained mineral powder. The fine-graded mastic had better rutting resistance after 45 h of aging than after 25 h of aging because the mineral powder compensated for the SBS loss-induced elasticity reduction. Smaller mineral powder particles lead to better a mastic anti-aging effect. After 45 h of aging, fine-grained mineral powder offered a better elastic effect. But the ways in which mineral powder and SBS boost mastic elasticity differ greatly. The results of this study provide a reference for optimizing the design of asphalt mixtures.

Although already known for a long time, hydrated lime (HL) attracted a strong interest as an asphalt additive during the 1970s in the USA, when moisture damage and frost became some of the most pressing pavement failure modes of the time. Given its extensive use in the past 40 years, HL is known to be more than a moisture damage additive: it is an \"active filler\" that also reduces the chemical ageing of the bitumen and stiffens the mastic more than a normal mineral filler above room temperature. These properties impact durability, and HL is now seen as an additive that increases asphalt mixture durability. This article is a literature review on the fundamentals of the effect of HL on asphalt mixtures. The reasons for it being so effective lie in the strong interactions between both the aggregate and the bitumen and a combination of four mechanisms, two on the aggregate and two on the bitumen. HL modifies the surface properties of the aggregate, allowing for the development of surface composition and roughness more favourable to bitumen adhesion. Then, HL can treat the existing clayey particles adhering to the aggregate surface, inhibiting their detrimental effect on the mixture. Also, HL reacts chemically with the acids of the bitumen, which in turn slows down the age hardening kinetics and neutralises the effect of the \"bad\" adhesion promoters originally present inside the bitumen, enhancing the moisture resistance of the mixture. Finally, the high porosity of HL explains its stiffening effect above room temperature.