The perovskite structure Ba
0.975
Ho
0.017
(Zr
0.20
Ti
0.75
)Sn
0.05
O
3
(BHZ20TS) underwent crystallization through a solid-state reaction, as indicated by X-ray diffractometry. The analysis ...revealed that the oxide crystallizes in a cubic symmetry. Upon substituting Ba
2+
with Ho
3+
, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a dense microstructure with a decreased grain size. The thermal dependence of the dielectric constant at various frequencies exhibits characteristic behavior of a relaxor ferroelectric, in accordance with the Vogel–Fulcher and Curie–Weiss laws. The photo-electrochemical and photo-catalytic properties of the material were examined. The capacitance (
C
−2
)—potential (
E
) relationship exhibited n-type behavior, with an electron concentration (
N
A
) of 2.2 × 1016 cm
−3
and a flat band potential (
E
fb
) of − 0.60
V
SCE
. The synthesized compound was evaluated for its ability to induce the photo-degradation of Bezacryl (BEZ) under sunlight. The oxidation of BEZ was achieved by the radicals
·
OH and O
2
·−
. A significant reduction in color intensity, reaching approximately 60%, was reached within 100 min in a BEZ solution (10 mg L
−1
) under a flux intensity of 97 mW cm
−2
. The photo-oxidation process followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model, with a half-life (
t
1/2
) of 57 min.
Lead-free compounds with formula Ba0.975Ln0.017(Ti0.90Zr0.05Sn0.05)O3 (BLnZ5TS) and Ba0.975Ln0.017(Ti0.75Zr0.20Sn0.05)O3 (BLnZ20TS) Ln = Eu, Ho were synthesized using the solid-state reaction ...technique. Scanning electron micrographs of ceramics showed a decrease in the average grain size as the Ln3+ radii increases. The structural study allowed the identification of tetragonal and cubic symmetries at room temperature for BLnZ5TS and BLnZ20TS, respectively. Dielectric measurements were carried out as a function of temperature and frequency. The results revealed that BLnZ5TS exhibited normal ferroelectric behavior with diffuse phase transition, whereas BLnZ20TS displayed relaxor ferroelectric properties. The diffuse phase transition parameters were determined from the modified Curie–Weiss law, while the relaxor behavior in BLnZ20TS was highlighted by a good fit to the Vogel–Fülcher relationship. The photoluminescence of the prepared specimens was investigated and the results showed that these compositions bear interest for green and red emission.
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Nanoemulsions (NE) are isotropic, dispersions of oil, water, surfactant(s) and cosurfactant(s). A range of components (11 surfactants, nine cosurfactants, and five oils) were investigated as ...potential excipients for preparation of ketorolac tromethamine (KT) ocular nanoemulsion. Diol cosurfactants were investigated for the effect of their carbon chain length and dielectric constant (DEC), Log
, and HLB on saturation solubility of KT. Hen's Egg Test-ChorioAllantoic Membrane (HET-CAM) assay was used to evaluate conjunctival irritation of selected excipients. Of the investigated surfactants, Tween 60 achieved the highest KT solubility (9.89 ± 0.17 mg/mL), followed by Cremophor RH 40 (9.00 ± 0.21 mg/mL); amongst cosurfactants of interest ethylene glycol yielded the highest KT solubility (36.84 ± 0.40 mg/mL), followed by propylene glycol (26.23 ± 0.82 mg/mL). The solubility of KT in cosurfactants was affected by four molecular descriptors: carbon chain length, DEC, log
and HLB. KT solubility was directly proportional to DEC and the HLB yet, inversely proportional to carbon chain length and log
. All surfactants, except Labrasol ALF, were non-irritant. The majority of cosurfactants were slightly irritant, butylene glycol was a moderate irritant, pentylene and hexylene glycols were strong irritants. These findings will inform experiments aimed at developing NE formulations for ocular administration of KT.
Abstract Objectives The objective of this study is to analyze the epidemiological, clinical, radiological and endoscopic characteristics of pediatric foreign body aspiration in Algeria. Methods In ...this retrospective study, the results of 2624 children younger than 18 years admitted in our department for respiratory foreign body removal between 1989 and 2012, were presented. Most of them had an ambulatory rigid bronchoscopy. Results The children (62.34% males and 37.65% females) were aged 4 months to 18 years with 66% between 1 and 3 years. Choking was related in 65% of cases. The delay between aspiration and removal was 2–8 days in 65.8% and within 24 h in 9.2%. In the most cases, the children arrived with cough, laryngeal or bronchial signs and unilateral reduction of vesicular murmur. The examination was normal in 13%. The most common radiologic finding was pulmonary air trapping (40.7%). The aspirated bodies were organic in 66.7%, dominated by peanuts, while sunflower seeds, beans and ears of wheat were the most dangerous. In the other cases, they were metallic or plastic as pen caps and recently scarf pins. The endoscopic removal by rigid bronchoscopy was successful and complete in 97%. Cases with extraction failure (3%) limited to certain FBs, all of them inorganic were assigned to surgery. The complications related to the endoscopic procedure were 0.29% with a mortality of 0.26%. Conclusion Foreign body aspiration is a real public health problem in Algeria. The best way to manage it is an early diagnosis and a rigid bronchoscopy removal under general anesthesia used by fully trained staff. The prevention of this domestic accident should consider the population lifestyle and cultural habits to be more effective.
Five U1 and eight U2 isoforms of the silk moth
Bombyx mori exhibiting internal nucleotide differences have been previously identified and characterized in various tissues and developmental stages. In ...this investigation, it is demonstrated that the levels of some snRNA variants differ in egg and silk gland tissue and change during development. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the U1 and U2 variant populations were observed at three developmental points (early, middle and late) of the silk gland (SG) during the fifth instar larval stage of the silk moth. Statistical analyses of the various isoform populations across the fifth instar larval and egg stages show significant differences for some of the U1 and U2 variants. The representation of variant sequences in expressed U1 and U2 sequences (RT-PCR libraries) and in a whole-genome shotgun (WGS) assembly database was confirmed. In addition, conserved elements in the promoter 5′-flanking region of the U1 and U2 variants were identified in the WGS.
Lead-free compounds with formula Ba0.975Ln0.017(Ti0.90Zr0.05Sn0.05)O3 (BLnZ5TS) and Ba0.975Ln0.017(Ti0.75Zr0.20Sn0.05)O3 (BLnZ20TS) Ln = Eu, Ho were synthesized using the solid-state reaction ...technique. Scanning electron micrographs of ceramics showed a decrease in the average grain size as the Ln3+ radii increases. The structural study allowed the identification of tetragonal and cubic symmetries at room temperature for BLnZ5TS and BLnZ20TS, respectively. Dielectric measurements were carried out as a function of temperature and frequency. The results revealed that BLnZ5TS exhibited normal ferroelectric behavior with diffuse phase transition, whereas BLnZ20TS displayed relaxor ferroelectric properties. The diffuse phase transition parameters were determined from the modified Curie-Weiss law, while the relaxor behavior in BLnZ20TS was highlighted by a good fit to the Vogel-Fulcher relationship. The photoluminescence of the prepared specimens was investigated and the results showed that these compositions bear interest for green and red emission.
Five U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) isoforms were detected and characterized from the posterior silk gland (PSG) of the silk moth
Bombyx mori (Nistari strain). Using the currently accepted U6 secondary ...structure model as a basis for comparison, the variants were analyzed for nucleotide differences across the sequence with a focus on known functional domains. Differences were observed primarily in single-stranded areas of which sixty percent were found in the highly conserved U4–U6 binding sites. In the Nistari strain, the U6A variant was found to be approximately four times more abundant as part of high molecular weight spliceosomal complexes when compared with U6A in the total unfractionated PSG cell lysate. Additionally, the European 703
B. mori strain total cell lysate U6 snRNA was analyzed and only the dominant U6A isoform initially identified in Nistari was found. Due to U6's essential role in pre-mRNA processing, variants may modulate assemblage of the catalytic core and in doing so potentially affect the rate of splicing. Phylogenetic analysis of the U6 snRNA sequences indicate an ancient divergence of U6 from the self-splicing group II intron module and a high degree of evolutionary conservation across species possibly due to functional constraints on the gene. Using in silico analysis, 35 full-length U6 variants were observed in the recently released Whole Genome Shotgun (WGS) database of the p50T strain. The consensus sequence of these U6 genes from p50T is identical to U6A identified in the Nistari strain. Furthermore p50T variant 1, which is represented in 14 genes, is equivalent to Nistari U6A.
Abstract Context Although pancreatic cancer is a common, highly lethal malignancy, the molecular events that enable precursor lesions to become invasive carcinoma remain unclear. We previously ...reported that the high-mobility group A1 (HMGA1) protein is overexpressed in >90% of primary pancreatic cancers, with absent or low levels in early precursor lesions. Methods Here, we investigate the role of HMGA1 in reprogramming pancreatic epithelium into invasive cancer cells. We assessed oncogenic properties induced by HMGA1 in non-transformed pancreatic epithelial cells expressing activated K-RAS . We also explored the HMGA1-cyclooxygenase (COX-2) pathway in human pancreatic cancer cells and the therapeutic effects of COX-2 inhibitors in xenograft tumorigenesis. Results HMGA1 cooperates with activated K-RAS to induce migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent cell growth in a cell line derived from normal human pancreatic epithelium. Moreover, HMGA1 and COX-2 expression are positively correlated in pancreatic cancer cell lines ( r2 = 0.93; p < 0.001). HMGA1 binds directly to the COX-2 promoter at an AT-rich region in vivo in three pancreatic cancer cell lines. In addition, HMGA1 induces COX-2 expression in pancreatic epithelial cells, while knock-down of HMGA1 results in repression of COX-2 in pancreatic cancer cells. Strikingly, we also discovered that Sulindac (a COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor) or Celecoxib (a more specific COX-2 inhibitor) block xenograft tumorigenesis from pancreatic cancer cells expressing high levels of HMGA1. Conclusions Our studies identify for the first time an important role for the HMGA1-COX-2 pathway in pancreatic cancer and suggest that targeting this pathway could be effective to treat, or even prevent, pancreatic cancer.
U4 snRNA variants of Bombyx mori Smail, Shamayra S. (Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA); Herrera, Rene J. (Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA), E-mail: herrerar@fiu.edu
Entomological research,
(Dec 2007), 2007-12, December 2007, 2007-12-00, 20071201, Letnik:
37, Številka:
4
Journal Article
It is known that the spliceosome's catalytic core is composed of U2, U6 and U5 small nuclear (sn)RNAs. U6 is chaperoned and held inactive by intermolecular base-pair interactions by the U4 snRNA ...molecule until its incorporation into the spliceosomal complex. In previous studies, a number of variant forms of U1, U2 and U6 were detected in the silk moth Bombyx mori. Considering U4's unique role as a modulator of U6's activity, the aim of the present study was to determine if the multiplicity of U6 variants observed in B. mori is complemented in U4.
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