Nanotechnology has witnessed tremendous advancement over the last several decades. Zinc oxide (ZnO), which can exhibit a wide variety of nanostructures, possesses unique semiconducting, optical, and ...piezoelectric properties hence has been investigated for a wide variety of applications. The most important features of ZnO nanomaterials are low toxicity and biodegradability. Zn(2+) is an indispensable trace element for adults (~10 mg of Zn(2+) per day is recommended) and it is involved in various aspects of metabolism. Chemically, the surface of ZnO is rich in -OH groups, which can be readily functionalized by various surface decorating molecules. In this review article, we summarized the current status of the use of ZnO nanomaterials for biomedical applications, such as biomedical imaging (which includes fluorescence, magnetic resonance, positron emission tomography, as well as dual-modality imaging), drug delivery, gene delivery, and biosensing of a wide array of molecules of interest. Research in biomedical applications of ZnO nanomaterials will continue to flourish over the next decade, and much research effort will be needed to develop biocompatible/biodegradable ZnO nanoplatforms for potential clinical translation.
Abstract Background and aims NAFLD is an independent risk factor for increased cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness is an index of subclinical atherosclerosis. The aims of this study were to ...examine prospectively the relationship between Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the progression of arterial stiffness. Methods and results A prospective study of 728 men and 497 women free of hypertension, and diabetes at the baseline were conducted. The subjects were followed for 5 years. The progression rate of arterial stiffness was measured by calculating the increase in brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) the changes of the baPWV (adjusted for age) during the study period was significantly greater in the patients with NAFLD (172.4 ± 42.1 cm/s for men, 95.8 ± 36.7 cm/s for women) than in the subjects without NAFLD (70.3 ± 56.5 cm/s for men, 55.4 ± 42.2 cm/s for women). For the subjects with metabolic syndrome, after adjusting for multiple risk factors, NAFLD was a significant predictor of baPWV progression (for male, β = 0.843; P < 0.001; for female, β = 0.575; P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, results were unmodified in subjects without metabolic syndrome. Conclusions NAFLD was found to be an independent predictor of faster progression of baPWV even after adjusting other cardiovascular risk factors. These prospective data support a pathogenic role for NAFLD in the development of arterial stiffness.
Quercetin (3,3′,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone, Qu) is a promising cancer chemo-preventive agent for various cancers because it inhibits disease progression and promotes apoptotic cell death. In our ...previous study, we demonstrated that Qu could evoke ER stress to enhance drug cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer (OC). However, Qu-induced ER stress in OC is still poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that Qu evoked ER stress to involve in mitochondria apoptosis pathway via the p-STAT3/Bcl-2 axis in OC cell lines and in primary OC cells. Unexpectedly, inhibition of ER stress did not reverse Qu-induced cell death. Further functional studies revealed that Qu-induced ER stress could activate protective autophagy concomitantly by activating the p-STAT3/Bcl-2 axis in this process. Moreover, the autophagy scavenger 3-MA was shown to enhance Qu’s anticancer effects in an ovarian cancer mice xenograft model. These findings revealed a novel role of ER stress as a “double edge sword” participating in Qu-induced apoptosis of OC and might provide a new angle to consider in clinical studies of biological modifiers that may circumvent drug resistance in patients by targeting protective autophagy pathways.
Nanobubbles form stable colloids in supersaturated solutions. Here we demonstrate the ability of these solutions to interact with Au nanoparticle suspensions. The principle goal was to demonstrate ...particle modification, similar to froth flotation, and we do indeed see bubble–particle interactions. However, unlike in froth flotation, where bubble–particle interactions are driven mainly through collisions, for bulk nanobubble solutions we find that the principle interaction is through nucleation of new nanobubbles on the particles.
Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that exhibit exceptional optical and electrical behaviors not found in their bulk counterparts. Following seminal work in the development of water-soluble ...quantum dots in the late 1990's, researchers have sought to develop interesting and novel ways of exploiting the extraordinary properties of quantum dots for biomedical applications. Since that time, over 10 000 articles have been published related to the use of quantum dots in biomedicine, many of which regard their use in detection and diagnostic bioassays. This review presents a didactic overview of fundamental physical phenomena associated with quantum dots and paradigm examples of how these phenomena can and have been readily exploited for manifold uses in nanobiotechnology with a specific focus on their implementation in
in vitro
diagnostic assays and biodetection.
A review of the exceptional phenomena associated with quantum dots that have been and continue to be readily exploited for numerous uses in nanobiotechnology.
We present ALMA and VLA observations of the dense molecular gas tracers HCN, HCO+, and HNC in two lensed, high-redshift starbursts selected from the Herschel-ATLAS survey: H-ATLAS J090740.0−004200 ...(SDP.9, ) and H-ATLAS J091043.1−000321 (SDP.11, ). In SDP.9 we have detected all transitions and also HCN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0). In SDP.11 we have detected HCN(3-2) and HCO+(3-2). The amplification factors for both galaxies have been determined from subarcsecond-resolution CO and dust emission observations carried out with NOEMA and the SMA. The HNC(1-0)/HCN(1-0) line ratio in SDP.9 suggests the presence of photon-dominated regions, as happens in most local (U)LIRGs. The CO, HCN, and HCO+ spectral line energy distribution (SLEDs) of SDP.9 are compatible to those found for many local, IR-bright galaxies, indicating that the molecular gas in local and high-redshift dusty starbursts can have similar excitation conditions. We obtain that the correlation between total IR ( ) and dense line ( ) luminosity in SDP.9 and SDP.11 and local star-forming galaxies can be represented by a single relation. We argue that the scatter of the correlation, together with the lack of sensitive dense molecular gas tracer observations for a homogeneous sample of high-redshift galaxies, prevents us from distinguishing differential trends with redshift. Our results suggest that the intense star formation found in some high-redshift, dusty, luminous starbursts is associated with more massive dense molecular gas reservoirs and higher dense molecular gas fractions.
ABSTRACT Solar flares produce radiation that can have an almost immediate effect on the near-Earth environment, making it crucial to forecast flares in order to mitigate their negative effects. The ...number of published approaches to flare forecasting using photospheric magnetic field observations has proliferated, with varying claims about how well each works. Because of the different analysis techniques and data sets used, it is essentially impossible to compare the results from the literature. This problem is exacerbated by the low event rates of large solar flares. The challenges of forecasting rare events have long been recognized in the meteorology community, but have yet to be fully acknowledged by the space weather community. During the interagency workshop on "all clear" forecasts held in Boulder, CO in 2009, the performance of a number of existing algorithms was compared on common data sets, specifically line-of-sight magnetic field and continuum intensity images from the Michelson Doppler Imager, with consistent definitions of what constitutes an event. We demonstrate the importance of making such systematic comparisons, and of using standard verification statistics to determine what constitutes a good prediction scheme. When a comparison was made in this fashion, no one method clearly outperformed all others, which may in part be due to the strong correlations among the parameters used by different methods to characterize an active region. For M-class flares and above, the set of methods tends toward a weakly positive skill score (as measured with several distinct metrics), with no participating method proving substantially better than climatological forecasts.
Context:
Gestational diabetes (GDM) confers a high risk of type 2 diabetes. In the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), intensive lifestyle (ILS) and metformin prevented or delayed diabetes in women ...with a history of GDM.
Objective:
The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of ILS and metformin intervention over 10 years in women with and without a history of GDM in the DPP/Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study.
Design:
This was a randomized controlled clinical trial with an observational follow-up.
Setting:
The study was conducted at 27 clinical centers.
Participants:
Three hundred fifty women with a history of GDM and 1416 women with previous live births but no history of GDM participated in the study. The participants had an elevated body mass index and fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance at study entry.
Interventions:
Interventions included placebo, ILS, or metformin.
Outcomes Measure:
Outcomes measure was diabetes mellitus.
Results:
Over 10 years, women with a history of GDM assigned to placebo had a 48% higher risk of developing diabetes compared with women without a history of GDM. In women with a history of GDM, ILS and metformin reduced progression to diabetes compared with placebo by 35% and 40%, respectively. Among women without a history of GDM, ILS reduced the progression to diabetes by 30%, and metformin did not reduce the progression to diabetes.
Conclusions:
Women with a history of GDM are at an increased risk of developing diabetes. In women with a history of GDM in the DPP/Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, both lifestyle and metformin were highly effective in reducing progression to diabetes during a 10-year follow-up period. Among women without a history of GDM, lifestyle but not metformin reduced progression to diabetes.
Cycling performance of Li-ion cells was studied by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed that total resistance (
R
cell) of the Li-ion cells is mainly composed of bulk ...resistance (
R
b), solid-state interface resistance (
R
sei) and charge-transfer resistance (
R
ct). During cycling, the
R
b and
R
sei remain unchanged while the
R
ct displays two minima in the same voltage regions where the major peaks of differential capacities are present. The
R
ct can be linked to kinetics of the cell electrochemical reaction. In response to the temperature change, the
R
b and
R
sei vary in a very similar manner, while the
R
ct shows significant difference. In the fully charged and discharged states as well as at the low temperatures (≤20
°C), the
R
cell of the Li-ion cells is predominated by the
R
ct. Using the term of the
R
ct, we explained two low temperature phenomena of the Li-ion battery: (1) charging of a fully discharged cell is much more difficult than discharging of a fully charged cell, and (2) both the power (operating voltage) and energy (delivered capacity) are substantially reduced.
Uterus transplantation has proven to be a successful treatment for women with absolute uterine infertility, caused either by the absence of a uterus or the presence of a nonfunctioning uterus. We ...report the first birth of a healthy child following uterus transplantation in the United States, from a recipient of a uterus allograft procured from an altruistic living donor. Two major modifications from the previously reported live births characterized this uterus transplant. First, the transplanted uterus relied upon and sustained the pregnancy while having only the utero‐ovarian vein as venous outflow. The implication is a significantly simplified living donor surgery that paves the way for minimally invasive laparoscopic or robot‐assisted techniques for the donor hysterectomy. Second, the time from transplantation to embryo transfer was significantly shortened from prior protocols, allowing for an overall shorter exposure to immunosuppression by the recipient and lowering the risk for potential adverse effects from these medications.
Testa et al report the first live birth in the United States after uterus transplantation, with two major modifications from the previously reported live births: The transplanted uterus relied upon and sustained the pregnancy while having only the utero‐ovarian vein as venous outflow, and the time from transplantation to embryo transfer was significantly shortened from prior protocols.
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