Using electrophoresis for TiO2 coating and photoexcited electrons for metal‐nanoparticle deposition, a facile method for the development of aligned coaxial nanowires of carbon nanotubes sheathed with ...TiO2 (see figure), and well‐defined TiO2 nanomembranes decorated with and without metal nanoparticles, is developed. The TiO2‐based nanostructures show fast photocurrent responses and possess unique photoinduced electron‐transfer properties.
Leptin and adiponectin are thought to modulate insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β-cell function, but there is limited information regarding the adipokine status of hyperglycemic dogs with ...hyperadrenocorticism. This study aimed to determine whether alterations in the leptin/adiponectin ratio, insulin sensitivity, and/or pancreatic β-cell function are associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). A total of 48 client-owned dogs were included in this prospective observational study: 20 dogs with PDH (10 normoglycemic and 10 with DM), 15 dogs with DM, and 13 healthy dogs. The serum concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, resistin, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured, and homeostatic model assessment indices (HOMAs) were calculated and compared among the groups. Serum leptin was significantly higher in PDH dogs with and without DM than in healthy and DM dogs, and it was lower in DM dogs than in PDH dogs without DM. Serum adiponectin was significantly lower in PDH dogs with DM than in healthy and PDH dogs, and it was significantly lower in DM dogs than in healthy dogs. Serum IL-10 was significantly higher in PDH dogs with DM than in healthy and PDH dogs without DM. The leptin/adiponectin ratio was significantly higher in PDH dogs with DM than in normoglycemic PDH dogs. Serum IL-6 concentrations were significantly higher in DM dogs than in healthy dogs. Serum IL-1β concentration was significantly higher in DM dogs than in healthy dogs and PDH dogs with DM and without DM. Serum TNF-α and IL-18 concentrations were not different among groups. The HOMAβ-cell function was significantly lower in PDH dogs with DM than in normoglycemic PDH dogs, while HOMAinsulin sensitivity was significantly lower in PDH dogs with DM than in healthy dogs. These results suggest that adipokine dysregulation, a reduction in insulin sensitivity, and a further impairment in pancreatic β-cell function might predispose PDH dogs to DM. Further longitudinal study will be necessary to confirm this result.
•Leptin and adiponectin modulate insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β-cell function.•Diabetic dogs with hyperadrenocorticism showed leptin/adiponectin imbalance.•Insulin sensitivity was reduced in diabetic dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.•Impaired β-cell function was observed in diabetic dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.•Adipokine imbalance may be a cause of diabetes in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.
Magnesium ferrites (MgFe2O4) are important class of ferrites that have been receiving greater attention as promising excellent photocatalyst due to its low cost, wide light spectrum response and ...environment-friendly nature. However, its poor electronic conductivity and fast charge carrier recombination hinders its electrocatalytical applications. Hence, accelerating charge carriers separation efficiency is important to modify the photoelectrochemical performance of MgFe2O4. Herein, novel Zn ions doped MgFe2O4 nanospheres are fabricated for the first time. Zn ions are doped into MgFe2O4 nanostructures from surface to enhance their charge separation efficiency. The doped MgFe2O4 nanostructures show significant photocatalytic activity and enhanced photocurrent density than that of pristine MgFe2O4.The improved photoelectrocatalytic performance is attributed to doping effect, were Zn ions actually enhance the conductivity. Zn ions enhance the activity of MgFe2O4 and accelerate the charge transfer properties in MgFe2O4. The results highlight that Zn doped MgFe2O4 nanospheres could be a potential candidate for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical applications.
•Zn doped MgFe2O4 nanospheres was synthesized via simple hydrothermal method.•A three fold higher photocurrent density was observed in water splitting.•A two fold improvement in photocatalytic rate constants was noted in Zn doped MgFe2O4 nanospheres.•The degradation of organic dye was mainly via OH radicals in oxidation mechanism.
An environmentally benign approach to impart stainless steel (SS) surfaces with antifouling and antibacterial functionalities was described. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization ...(ATRP) of poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate) (PEGMA) from the SS surface-coupled catecholic l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) with terminal alkyl halide initiator was first carried out, followed by the immobilization of lysozyme at the chain ends of poly(ethylene glycol) branches of the grafted PEGMA polymer brushes. The functionalized SS surfaces were shown to be effective in preventing bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption and in reducing bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. The surfaces also exhibited good bactericidal effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The concomitant incorporation of antifouling hydrophilic brushes and antibacterial enzymes or peptides onto metal surfaces via catecholic anchors should be readily adaptable to other metal substrates, and is potentially useful for biomedical and biomaterial applications.
Although the aberrant activation of cell cycle proteins has a critical role in neuronal death, effectors or mediators of cyclin D1/cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4)-mediated death signal are still ...unknown. Here, we describe a previously unsuspected role of LIM kinase 2 (LIMK2) in programmed necrotic neuronal death. Downregulation of p27(Kip1) expression by Rho kinase (ROCK) activation induced cyclin D1/CDK4 expression levels in neurons vulnerable to status epilepticus (SE). Cyclin D1/CDK4 complex subsequently increased LIMK2 expression independent of caspase-3 and receptor interacting protein kinase 1 activity. In turn, upregulated LIMK2 impaired dynamic-related protein-1 (DRP1)-mediated mitochondrial fission without alterations in cofilin phosphorylation/expression and finally resulted in necrotic neuronal death. Inhibition of LIMK2 expression and rescue of DRP1 function attenuated this programmed necrotic neuronal death induced by SE. Therefore, we suggest that the ROCK-p27(Kip1)-cyclin D1/CDK4-LIMK2-DRP1-mediated programmed necrosis may be new therapeutic targets for neuronal death.
The acute problem of eutrophication increasing in the environment is due to the increase of industrial wastewater, synthetic nitrogen, urine, and urea. This pollutes groundwater, soil and creates a ...danger to aquatic life. Therefore, it is advantageous to use these waste materials in the form of urea as fuel to generate power using Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). In this work, we studied the compost soil MFC(CSMFC) unlike typical MFC with urea from the compost as fuel and graphite as a functional electrode. The electrochemical techniques such as Cyclic Voltammetry, Chronoamperometry are used to characterise CSMFC. It is observed that the CSMFC in which the compost consists of urea concertation of 0.5 g/ml produces maximum power. Moreover, IV measurement is carried out using polarization curves in order to study its sustainability and scalability. Bacterial studies were also playing a significant role in power generation. The sustainability study revealed that urea is consumed in CSMFC to generate power. This study confirmed that urea has a profound effect on the power generation from the CSMFC. Our focus is to get power from the soil processes in future by using waste like urine, industrial wastewater, which contains much amount of urea.
The magnetic properties and electronic structures of pure, doped and defective cerium oxide (CeO2) have been studied theoretically by means of ab initio calculations based on the density function ...theory (DFT) with the hybrid HF/DFT technique named PBE0. Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), lanthanum (La) and praseodymium (Pr) doped in CeO2 and CeO2 containing oxygen vacancies (Ov) were considered. Our spin-polarized calculations show that C, N, Pr dopants and Ov defects magnetize the non-magnetic CeO2 in different degree. The optical band gap related to photocatalysis for pure CeO2, corresponding to the ultraviolet region, is reduced obviously by C, N, S, Pr impurities and oxygen vacancies, shifting to the visible region and even further to the infrared range. Especially, N-, S- and Pr-doped CeO2 could be used to photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production. As the concentration of Ov increasing up to 5%, the CeO2 exhibits a half-metallic properties.
A polymer‐memory device based on a copolymer containing carbazole (donor) and Eu‐complex (acceptor) groups in a metal/insulator/metal architecture is described. The nonvolatile device has two ...distinctive bistable conductivity states, and exhibits a high ON/OFF current ratio, a fast response time, and acceptable retention under ambient conditions. Application of a potential sets the device to the high‐conductivity ON state by generating holes (see Figure).
A serious consequence of ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) is oxidative damage leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Such I/R-induced mitochondrial dysfunction is observed as impaired state 3 ...respiration and overproduction of O2−. The cascading ROS can propagate cysteine oxidation on mitochondrial complex I and add insult to injury. Herein we employed LC-MS/MS to identify protein sulfonation of complex I in mitochondria from the infarct region of rat hearts subjected to 30-min of coronary ligation and 24-h of reperfusion in vivo as well as the mitochondria of sham controls. Mitochondrial preparations from the I/R regions had enhanced sulfonation levels on the cysteine ligands of iron‑sulfur clusters, including N3 (C425), N1b (C92), N4 (C226), N2 (C158/C188), and N1a (C134/C139). The 4Fe-4S centers of N3, N1b, N4, and N2 are key redox-active components of complex I, thus sulfonation of metal-binding sites impaired the main electron transfer pathway. The binuclear N1a has a very low redox potential and an antioxidative function. Increased C134/C139 sulfonation by I/R impaired the N1a cluster, potentially contributing to overall O2− generation by the FMN moiety of complex I. MS analysis also revealed I/R-mediated increased sulfonation at the core subunits of 51 kDa (C125, C187, C206, C238, C255, C286), 75 kDa (C367, C554, C564, C727), 49 kDa (C146, C326, C347), and PSST (C188). These results were consistent with the consensus indicating that 51 kDa and 75 kDa are two of major subunits hosting regulatory thiols, and their enhanced sulfonation by I/R predisposed the myocardium to further oxidant stress with impaired ubiquinone reduction. MS analysis further showed I/R-mediated enhanced sulfonation at the supernumerary subunits of 42 kDa (C67, C112, C183, C253), 15 kDa (C43), and 13 kDa (C79). The 42 kDa protein is metazoan-specific, which was reported to stabilize mammalian complex I. C43 of the 15 kDa subunit forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with C56, which was reported to stabilize complex I structure. C79 of the 13 kDa subunit is involved in Zn2+-binding, which was reported functionally important for complex I assembly. C79 sulfonation by I/R was found to impair Zn2+-binding. No significant enhancement of protein sulfonation was observed in mitochondrial complex I from the rat heart subjected to 30-min ischemia alone in vivo despite a decreased state 3 respiration, suggesting that the physiologic conditions of hyperoxygenation during reperfusion mediated an increase in complex I sulfonation and oxidative injury. In conclusion, sulfonation of specific cysteines of complex I mediates I/R-induced mitochondrial dysfunction via impaired ETC activity, increasing •O2− production, and mediating redox dysfunction of complex I.
Display omitted
•I/R propagates complex I sulfonation and adds insult to mitochondrial injury.•Reperfusion mediates oxidative injury of complex I with cysteine sulfonation.•Cysteine sulfonation of complex I impairs its main electron transfer pathway.•Cysteine sulfonation of complex I predisposes myocardium more oxidized.•Cysteine sulfonation of complex I impairs its structural integrity.
South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and the most alarming suicide rate is among its elders. This study aims to understand the social, historical, and cultural context of ...the Korean older adults and examine suicide trends based on that understanding. The results show that the suicide risk increases with age, the male suicide rate outweighs that of females, and the suicide rate decreases with educational attainment. In addition, several suggestions for reducing elderly suicide rate are addressed, including differentiating the existing social services for elders by age and expanding suicide prevention programs beyond schools to communities so that all people in need can access them.
PDF
