Guo, Xiao-Hui; Mao, Chao-Chao; Zhang, Ji; Huang, Jun; Wang, Wa-Nv; Deng, Yong-Hui; Wang, Yao-Yu; Cao, Yong; Huang, Wei-Xin; Yu, Shu-Hong
2012-05-21
High-quality cobalt-doped ceria nanostructures with triangular column, triangular slab, and disklike shapes are synthesized by tuning the doping amount of cobalt nitrate in a facile hydrothermal reaction. The cobalt-doped ceria nanodisks display significantly enhanced catalytic activity in CO oxidation due to exposed highly active crystal planes and the presence of numerous surface defects. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
2014-01-01
Background Endoplasmic reticulum stress, caused by the presence of misfolded proteins, activates the stress sensor inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α). The resulting increase in IRE1α RNase activity causes sequence-specific cleavage of X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) mRNA, resulting in upregulation of the unfolded protein response and cellular adaptation to stress. The precise mechanism of human IRE1α activation is currently unclear. The role of IRE1α kinase activity is disputed, as results from the generation of various kinase-inactivating mutations in either yeast or human cells are discordant. Kinase activity can also be made redundant by small molecules which bind the ATP binding site. We set out to uncover a role for IRE1α kinase activity using wild-type cytosolic protein constructs. Results We show that concentration-dependent oligomerisation is sufficient to cause IRE1α cytosolic domain RNase activity in vitro. We demonstrate a role for the kinase activity by showing that autophosphorylation enhances RNase activity. Inclusion of the IRE1α linker domain in protein constructs allows hyperphosphorylation and further enhancement of RNase activity, highlighting the importance of kinase activity. We show that IRE1α phosphorylation status correlates with an increased propensity to form oligomeric complexes and that forced dimerisation causes great enhancement in RNase activity. In addition we demonstrate that even when IRE1α is forced to dimerise, by a GST-tag, phospho-enhancement of activity is still observed. Conclusions Taken together these experiments support the hypothesis that phosphorylation is important in modulating IRE1α RNase activity which is achieved by increasing the propensity of IRE1α to dimerise. This work supports the development of IRE1α kinase inhibitors for use in the treatment of secretory cancers. PMID:24524643
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hu, Chaohao; Zhuang, Jing; Zhong, Liansheng; Zhong, Yan; Wang, Dianhui; Zhou, Huaiying
2017-12-01
Heterostructured AgBr/Bi2Sn2O7 photocatalysts were synthesized successfully via the ultrasonic-assisted chemical precipitation method. XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-vis-DRS and PL spectroscopy were used to characterize the phase structure, morphology, chemical composition, oxidation state, and optical properties of AgBr/Bi2Sn2O7 heterojunction. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared catalysts was evaluated by the degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation. The obtained AgBr/Bi2Sn2O7 composite with the 1:1 molar ratio exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance. Further first-principles calculations indicated that the hybridization interaction between Ag and O atoms at AgBr/Bi2Sn2O7 interface is expected to be beneficial for enhancing the charge transfer and improving the photocatalytic activity of heterostructured composites.
Enhanced activation of the left hemisphere promotes normative decision making.
Corser, Ryan; Jasper, John D
2014-01-01
Previous studies have reported that enhanced activation of the left cerebral hemisphere reduces risky-choice, attribute, and goal-framing effects relative to enhanced activation of the right cerebral hemisphere. The present study sought to extend these findings and show that enhanced activation of the left hemisphere also reduces violations of other normative principles, besides the invariance principle. Participants completed ratio bias (Experiment 1, N = 296) and base rate neglect problems (Experiment 2, N = 145) under normal (control) viewing or with the right or left hemisphere primarily activated by imposing a unidirectional gaze. In Experiment 1 we found that enhanced left hemispheric activation reduced the ratio bias relative to normal viewing and a group experiencing enhanced right hemispheric activation. In Experiment 2 enhanced left hemispheric activation resulted in using base rates more than normal viewing, but not significantly more than enhanced right hemispheric activation. Results suggest that hemispheric asymmetries can affect higher-order cognitive processes, such as decision-making biases. Possible theoretical accounts are discussed as well as implications for dual-process theories.
Enhanced NIF neutron activation diagnostics.
Yeamans, C B; Bleuel, D L; Bernstein, L A
2012-10-01
The NIF neutron activation diagnostic suite relies on removable activation samples, leading to operational inefficiencies and a fundamental lower limit on the half-life of the activated product that can be observed. A neutron diagnostic system measuring activation of permanently installed samples could remove these limitations and significantly enhance overall neutron diagnostic capabilities. The physics and engineering aspects of two proposed systems are considered: one measuring the (89)Zr/(89 m)Zr isomer ratio in the existing Zr activation medium and the other using potassium zirconate as the activation medium. Both proposed systems could improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the current system by at least a factor of 5 and would allow independent measurement of fusion core velocity and fuel areal density.
Wang, Haizhen; Davis, Jennifer S; Wu, Xiangwei
2014-03-01
TRAIL (Apo2L) is a potent inducer of cell death. Interest in TRAIL has increased, following the observation that TRAIL can selectively kill a wide variety of human cancer cells without killing normal cells both in vitro and when grown as xenografts. Therefore, TRAIL has been proposed as a promising anticancer agent and currently is being tested in clinical trials. However, recombinant TRAIL has a very short plasma half-life, which limits its therapeutic potential. To overcome this limitation, we investigated the ability of the human IgG1 fragment crystallizable region (Fc) to enhance TRAIL stability. In this report, we show that Fc-TRAIL chimeric protein displays higher specific activity in vitro and a significantly longer half-life in mice than recombinant human TRAIL (rh-TRAIL). No short-term toxicity, especially liver toxicity, was observed. More importantly, Fc-TRAIL was much more effective in inhibiting tumor growth in a xenograft tumor model compared with rh-TRAIL. Our data suggest that fusion of Fc to TRAIL is able to improve the bioavailability and activity of TRAIL both in vitro and in vivo, and Fc-TRAIL may be explored for future clinical applications in cancer treatment and prevention. ©2014 AACR.
Tea enhances insulin activity.
Anderson, Richard A; Polansky, Marilyn M
2002-11-20
The most widely known health benefits of tea relate to the polyphenols as the principal active ingredients in protection against oxidative damage and in antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, and antimutagenic activities, but polyphenols in tea may also increase insulin activity. The objective of this study was to determine the insulin-enhancing properties of tea and its components. Tea, as normally consumed, was shown to increase insulin activity >15-fold in vitro in an epididymal fat cell assay. Black, green, and oolong teas but not herbal teas, which are not teas in the traditional sense because they do not contain leaves of Camellia senensis, were all shown to increase insulin activity. High-performance liquid chromatography fractionation of tea extracts utilizing a Waters SymmetryPrep C18 column showed that the majority of the insulin-potentiating activity for green and oolong teas was due to epigallocatechin gallate. For black tea, the activity was present in several regions of the chromatogram corresponding to, in addition to epigallocatechin gallate, tannins, theaflavins, and other undefined compounds. Several known compounds found in tea were shown to enhance insulin with the greatest activity due to epigallocatechin gallate followed by epicatechin gallate, tannins, and theaflavins. Caffeine, catechin, and epicatechin displayed insignificant insulin-enhancing activities. Addition of lemon to the tea did not affect the insulin-potentiating activity. Addition of 5 g of 2% milk per cup decreased the insulin-potentiating activity one-third, and addition of 50 g of milk per cup decreased the insulin-potentiating activity approximately 90%. Nondairy creamers and soy milk also decreased the insulin-enhancing activity. These data demonstrate that tea contains in vitro insulin-enhancing activity and the predominant active ingredient is epigallocatechin gallate.
Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Yaobin; Ni, Bing-Jie
2015-02-05
Anaerobic digestion has been widely applied for waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment. However, methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS is usually limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor biochemical methane potential of WAS. This work systematically studied the effects of three different types of zero valent iron (i.e., iron powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap) on methane production from WAS in anaerobic digestion, by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The results demonstrated that both the clean and the rusty iron scrap were more effective than the iron powder for improving methane production from WAS. Model-based analysis showed that ZVI addition significantly enhanced methane production from WAS through improving the biochemical methane potential of WAS rather than its hydrolysis rate. Economic analysis indicated that the ZVI-based technology for enhancing methane production from WAS is economically attractive, particularly considering that iron scrap can be freely acquired from industrial waste. Based on these results, the ZVI-based anaerobic digestion process of this work could be easily integrated with the conventional chemical phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment plant to form a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach, enabling maximum resource recovery/reuse while achieving enhanced methane production in wastewater treatment system.
Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Yaobin; Ni, Bing-Jie
2015-01-01
Anaerobic digestion has been widely applied for waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment. However, methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS is usually limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor biochemical methane potential of WAS. This work systematically studied the effects of three different types of zero valent iron (i.e., iron powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap) on methane production from WAS in anaerobic digestion, by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The results demonstrated that both the clean and the rusty iron scrap were more effective than the iron powder for improving methane production from WAS. Model-based analysis showed that ZVI addition significantly enhanced methane production from WAS through improving the biochemical methane potential of WAS rather than its hydrolysis rate. Economic analysis indicated that the ZVI-based technology for enhancing methane production from WAS is economically attractive, particularly considering that iron scrap can be freely acquired from industrial waste. Based on these results, the ZVI-based anaerobic digestion process of this work could be easily integrated with the conventional chemical phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment plant to form a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach, enabling maximum resource recovery/reuse while achieving enhanced methane production in wastewater treatment system. PMID:25652244
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Yaobin; Ni, Bing-Jie
2015-02-01
Anaerobic digestion has been widely applied for waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment. However, methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS is usually limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor biochemical methane potential of WAS. This work systematically studied the effects of three different types of zero valent iron (i.e., iron powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap) on methane production from WAS in anaerobic digestion, by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The results demonstrated that both the clean and the rusty iron scrap were more effective than the iron powder for improving methane production from WAS. Model-based analysis showed that ZVI addition significantly enhanced methane production from WAS through improving the biochemical methane potential of WAS rather than its hydrolysis rate. Economic analysis indicated that the ZVI-based technology for enhancing methane production from WAS is economically attractive, particularly considering that iron scrap can be freely acquired from industrial waste. Based on these results, the ZVI-based anaerobic digestion process of this work could be easily integrated with the conventional chemical phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment plant to form a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach, enabling maximum resource recovery/reuse while achieving enhanced methane production in wastewater treatment system.
Revellame, Emmanuel D; Hernandez, Rafael; French, W Todd; Holmes, William E; Forks, Allison; Callahan, Robert
2013-11-01
Lipid-enhancement of activated sludges was conducted to increase the amount of saponifiable lipids in the sludges. The sludges were obtained from a conventional activated sludge (CAS) and an oxidation ditch process (ODP). Results showed 59-222% and 150-250% increase in saponifiable lipid content of the sludges from CAS and ODP, respectively. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAMEs) obtained from triacylglycerides was 57-67% (of total FAMEs) for enhanced CAS and 55-73% for enhanced ODP, a very significant improvement from 6% to 10% (CAS) and 4% to 8% (ODP). Regardless of the source, the enhancement resulted in sludges with similar fatty acid profile indicating homogenization of the lipids in the sludges. This study provides a potential strategy to utilize existing wastewater treatment facilities as source of significant amount of lipids for biofuel applications. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Ha, Taewoong; Kim, Mi Kyoung; Park, Kwang-Su; Jung, Woong; Choo, Hyunah; Chong, Youhoon
2018-04-18
(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is known as a mitochondria-targeted molecule that can prevent mitochondrial deterioration and induce mitochondrial biogenesis by modulating key regulators of mitochondrial metabolism. In this study, we tackled whether derivatization of EGCG could result in enhancement of its effects on mitochondrial biogenesis. EGCG, EGCG peracetate (AcEGCG), and its 4″- O-alkyl substituted congeners prepared by previously reported procedures were biologically evaluated. Interestingly, EGCG and AcEGCG were only marginally effective in inducing mitochondrial biogenesis, while AcEGCG congeners with an alkyl group at the 4″- O position showed significantly increased biological activity compared to their parent compound. Among these series, 3f with a methyl-branched carbonate chain at the 4″- O position of the AcEGCG scaffold showed the most enhancement in inducing mitochondrial biogenesis. Hepa1-6 cells treated with 3f exhibited increases in both mitochondrial mass (1.5 times) and relative mtDNA content to nDNA (1.5 times). As a mitochondrial biogenesis enhancer, 3f also increased expression levels of regulators for mitochondrial function, including PGC-1α (4.0 fold), p-AMPK (2.5 fold), SIRT1 (4.2 fold), ERRα (1.8 fold), NRF-1 (1.6 fold), NRF-2 (1.7 fold), and mtTFA (1.6 folds). Investigation of oxidative phosphorylation by mitochondria in the presence of 3f revealed that 3f increased the NAD + /NADH ratio, the amount of cytochrome c, ATP synthesis, and oxygen consumption in Hepa1-6 cells by 2.2, 1.4, 1.5, and 2.1 fold, respectively. Taken together, these results warrant an extensive structure-activity relationship study for EGCG derivatives to develop novel mitochondrial biogenesis enhancers.
GABAergic Neural Activity Involved in Salicylate-Induced Auditory Cortex Gain Enhancement
Lu, Jianzhong; Lobarinas, Edward; Deng, Anchun; Goodey, Ronald; Stolzberg, Daniel; Salvi, Richard J.; Sun, Wei
2011-01-01
Although high doses of sodium salicylate impair cochlear function, it paradoxically enhances sound-evoked activity in the auditory cortex (AC) and augments acoustic startle reflex responses, neural and behavioral metrics associated with hyperexcitability and hyperacusis. To explore the neural mechanisms underlying salicylate-induced hyperexcitability and “increased central gain”, we examined the effects of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists and antagonists on salicylate-induced hyperexcitability in the AC and startle reflex responses. Consistent with our previous findings, local or systemic application of salicylate significantly increased the amplitude of sound-evoked AC neural activity, but generally reduced spontaneous activity in the AC. Systemic injection of salicylate also significantly increased the acoustic startle reflex. S-baclofen or R-baclofen, GABA-B agonists, which suppressed sound-evoked AC neural firing rate and local field potentials, also suppressed the salicylate-induced enhancement of the AC field potential and the acoustic startle reflex. Local application of vigabatrin, which enhances GABA concentration in the brain, suppressed the salicylate-induced enhancement of AC firing rate. Systemic injection of vigabatrin also reduced the salicylate-induced enhancement of acoustic startle reflex. Collectively, these results suggest that the sound-evoked behavioral and neural hyperactivity induced by salicylate may arise from a salicylate-induced suppression GABAergic inhibition in the AC. PMID:21664433
Associations between health-enhancing physical activity and country of birth among women.
Södergren, Marita; Sundquist, Kristina; Johansson, Sven-Erik; Sundquist, Jan; Hagströmer, Maria
2010-09-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between total self-reported health-enhancing physical activity and country of birth among women living in Sweden. Women (age 18 to 65 years) born in Sweden, Finland, Chile, and Iraq were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long version). Self-reported physical activity data were converted to MET-minutes per week and analyzed as continuous or categorical scores. A total of 2649 women were included in the analyses. The association between physical activity and country of birth was explored using ordinal logistic regression assuming proportional odds. The total physical activity differed significantly between the countries of birth (P < .001). Women from Finland had significant higher odds and women from Iraq had significantly lower odds for reporting higher levels of physical activity, compared with Swedish-born women. The direction of the associations between self-reported total health-enhancing physical activity varied by country of birth, which underlines the need to examine physical activity in each minority group separately.
Doxycycline exerted neuroprotective activity by enhancing the activation of neuropeptide GPCR PAC1.
Yu, Rongjie; Zheng, Lijun; Cui, Yue; Zhang, Huahua; Ye, Heng
2016-04-01
Doxycycline has significant neuroprotective effect with anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity. We found for the first time that doxycycline specially promoted the proliferation of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with high expression of neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) preferring G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), PACAP receptor 1(PAC1) and induced the internalization of PAC1 tagged with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) indicating doxycycline interacted with PAC1. The homology modeling of PAC1 and molecular docking of doxycycline with PAC1 showed the theoretical binding of doxycycline to PAC1 at the site where PACAP(30-37) recognized. The competition binding assay and PAC1 site-specific mutation of Asp116, which formed two hydrogen bonds with Dox, confirmed the binding of doxycycline to PAC1 imitating PACAP(30-37). Doxycycline (100 ng/mL) significantly promoted the proliferative activities of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and oligopeptide HSDGIF responsible for the activation of PAC1 in PAC1-CHO cells, indicating that doxycycline facilitated the binding and the activation of PAC1 imitating PACAP(28-38). In Neuro2a cells with endogenous expression of PAC1 and its ligands, doxycycline not only promoted the proliferation of Neuro2a cells but also protected the cells from scopolamine induced apoptosis, which was inhibited by cAMP-PKA signal pathway inhibitor H-89, PAC1 shRNA or PACAP antagonist PACAP(6-38). The in vivo study showed long-term treatment with doxycycline (100ug/kg) had significant effect against scopolamine induced amnesia, and the synergetic anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidative and neuroprotective effect of doxycycline with VIP was more efficient than doxycycline alone or VIP alone, indicating doxycycline enhanced the activation of PAC1 in vivo effectively. Furthermore, doxycycline analogue minocycline also had similar theoretically binding site on PAC1 to doxycycline and displayed corresponding
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sun, Yiqiang; Sun, Yugang; Zhang, Tao; Chen, Guozhu; Zhang, Fengshou; Liu, Dilong; Cai, Weiping; Li, Yue; Yang, Xianfeng; Li, Cuncheng
2016-05-01
Nanostructured ZnO exhibits high chemical stability and unique optical properties, representing a promising candidate among photocatalysts in the field of environmental remediation and solar energy conversion. However, ZnO only absorbs the UV light, which accounts for less than 5% of total solar irradiation, significantly limiting its applications. In this article, we report a facile and efficient approach to overcome the poor wettability between ZnO and Au by carefully modulating the surface charge density on Au nanoparticles (NPs), enabling rapid synthesis of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs at room temperature. The resulting Au@ZnO core-shell NPs exhibit a significantly enhanced plasmonic absorption in the visible range due to the Au NP cores. They also show a significantly improved photocatalytic performance in comparison with their single-component counterparts, i.e., the Au NPs and ZnO NPs. Moreover, the high catalytic activity of the as-synthesized Au@ZnO core-shell NPs can be maintained even after many cycles of photocatalytic reaction. Our results shed light on the fact that the Au@ZnO core-shell NPs represent a promising class of candidates for applications in plasmonics, surface-enhanced spectroscopy, light harvest devices, solar energy conversion, and degradation of organic pollutants.Nanostructured ZnO exhibits high chemical stability and unique optical properties, representing a promising candidate among photocatalysts in the field of environmental remediation and solar energy conversion. However, ZnO only absorbs the UV light, which accounts for less than 5% of total solar irradiation, significantly limiting its applications. In this article, we report a facile and efficient approach to overcome the poor wettability between ZnO and Au by carefully modulating the surface charge density on Au nanoparticles (NPs), enabling rapid synthesis of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs at room temperature. The resulting Au@ZnO core-shell NPs exhibit a significantly enhanced plasmonic
Chan, Linda J; Ascher, David B; Yadav, Rajbharan; Bulitta, Jürgen B; Williams, Charlotte C; Porter, Christopher J H; Landersdorfer, Cornelia B; Kaminskas, Lisa M
2016-04-04
The lymphatic system is a major conduit by which many diseases spread and proliferate. There is therefore increasing interest in promoting better lymphatic drug targeting. Further, antibody fragments such as Fabs have several advantages over full length monoclonal antibodies but are subject to rapid plasma clearance, which can limit the lymphatic exposure and activity of Fabs against lymph-resident diseases. This study therefore explored ideal PEGylation strategies to maximize biological activity and lymphatic exposure using trastuzumab Fab' as a model. Specifically, the Fab' was conjugated with single linear 10 or 40 kDa PEG chains at the hinge region. PEGylation led to a 3-4-fold reduction in binding affinity to HER2, but antiproliferative activity against HER2-expressing BT474 cells was preserved. Lymphatic pharmacokinetics were then examined in thoracic lymph duct cannulated rats after intravenous and subcutaneous dosing at 2 mg/kg, and the data were evaluated via population pharmacokinetic modeling. The Fab' displayed limited lymphatic exposure, but conjugation of 10 kDa PEG improved exposure by approximately 11- and 5-fold after intravenous (15% dose collected in thoracic lymph over 30 h) and subcutaneous (9%) administration, respectively. Increasing the molecular weight of the PEG to 40 kDa, however, had no significant impact on lymphatic exposure after intravenous (14%) administration and only doubled lymphatic exposure after subcutaneous administration (18%) when compared to 10 kDa PEG-Fab'. The data therefore suggests that minimal PEGylation has the potential to enhance the exposure and activity of Fab's against lymph-resident diseases, while no significant benefit is achieved with very large PEGs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhao, Zhao; Fu, Jinglin; Dhakal, Soma; Johnson-Buck, Alexander; Liu, Minghui; Zhang, Ting; Woodbury, Neal W.; Liu, Yan; Walter, Nils G.; Yan, Hao
2016-02-01
Cells routinely compartmentalize enzymes for enhanced efficiency of their metabolic pathways. Here we report a general approach to construct DNA nanocaged enzymes for enhancing catalytic activity and stability. Nanocaged enzymes are realized by self-assembly into DNA nanocages with well-controlled stoichiometry and architecture that enabled a systematic study of the impact of both encapsulation and proximal polyanionic surfaces on a set of common metabolic enzymes. Activity assays at both bulk and single-molecule levels demonstrate increased substrate turnover numbers for DNA nanocage-encapsulated enzymes. Unexpectedly, we observe a significant inverse correlation between the size of a protein and its activity enhancement. This effect is consistent with a model wherein distal polyanionic surfaces of the nanocage enhance the stability of active enzyme conformations through the action of a strongly bound hydration layer. We further show that DNA nanocages protect encapsulated enzymes against proteases, demonstrating their practical utility in functional biomaterials and biotechnology.
Zhao, Zhao; Fu, Jinglin; Dhakal, Soma; Johnson-Buck, Alexander; Liu, Minghui; Zhang, Ting; Woodbury, Neal W.; Liu, Yan; Walter, Nils G.; Yan, Hao
2016-01-01
Cells routinely compartmentalize enzymes for enhanced efficiency of their metabolic pathways. Here we report a general approach to construct DNA nanocaged enzymes for enhancing catalytic activity and stability. Nanocaged enzymes are realized by self-assembly into DNA nanocages with well-controlled stoichiometry and architecture that enabled a systematic study of the impact of both encapsulation and proximal polyanionic surfaces on a set of common metabolic enzymes. Activity assays at both bulk and single-molecule levels demonstrate increased substrate turnover numbers for DNA nanocage-encapsulated enzymes. Unexpectedly, we observe a significant inverse correlation between the size of a protein and its activity enhancement. This effect is consistent with a model wherein distal polyanionic surfaces of the nanocage enhance the stability of active enzyme conformations through the action of a strongly bound hydration layer. We further show that DNA nanocages protect encapsulated enzymes against proteases, demonstrating their practical utility in functional biomaterials and biotechnology. PMID:26861509
Zhao, Zhao; Fu, Jinglin; Dhakal, Soma; Johnson-Buck, Alexander; Liu, Minghui; Zhang, Ting; Woodbury, Neal W; Liu, Yan; Walter, Nils G; Yan, Hao
2016-02-10
Cells routinely compartmentalize enzymes for enhanced efficiency of their metabolic pathways. Here we report a general approach to construct DNA nanocaged enzymes for enhancing catalytic activity and stability. Nanocaged enzymes are realized by self-assembly into DNA nanocages with well-controlled stoichiometry and architecture that enabled a systematic study of the impact of both encapsulation and proximal polyanionic surfaces on a set of common metabolic enzymes. Activity assays at both bulk and single-molecule levels demonstrate increased substrate turnover numbers for DNA nanocage-encapsulated enzymes. Unexpectedly, we observe a significant inverse correlation between the size of a protein and its activity enhancement. This effect is consistent with a model wherein distal polyanionic surfaces of the nanocage enhance the stability of active enzyme conformations through the action of a strongly bound hydration layer. We further show that DNA nanocages protect encapsulated enzymes against proteases, demonstrating their practical utility in functional biomaterials and biotechnology.
Enhancement of bismuth antibacterial activity with lipophilic thiol chelators.
Domenico, P; Salo, R J; Novick, S G; Schoch, P E; Van Horn, K; Cunha, B A
1997-01-01
bacteria. The activity, solubility, and stability of BisBAL were strongly dependent on the pH, temperature, and molar ratio. Chelation of bismuth with certain thiol agents enhanced the solubility and lipophilicity of this cationic heavy metal, thereby significantly enhancing its potency and versatility as an antibacterial agent. PMID:9257744
Cyclase inhibitor tripropylamine significantly enhanced lycopene accumulation in Blakeslea trispora.
Wang, Yanlong; Chen, Xiwen; Hong, Xiao; Du, Shipeng; Liu, Chunxiao; Gong, Wenfang; Chen, Defu
2016-11-01
Lycopene is a member of carotenoids that exhibits strong antioxidant activity. In this study, on the basis of screening suitable strain combination [ATCC 14271(+) and ATCC 14272(-)] and establishing the optimal inoculation proportion of mated culture (1/2, +/-, w/w) for carotenoid production, the efficiency of compounds, mainly tertiary amines, on enhancing the lycopene content of Blakeslea trispora was systematically assessed. Of these compounds, tripropylamine showed the best enhancing effect, and then sequentially followed by triethylamine, tributylamine, trimethylamine, diisopropylamine, and isopropylamine. After treated with 1.8 g/L tripropylamine for two days, the lycopene proportion was increased from 1.7% to 90.1%, while the β-carotene proportion was decreased from 91.1% to 6.4% of the total carotenoids. In this case, the lycopene and total carotenoid contents were increased to 83.2 and 92.4 mg/gDW, which were 315.8- and 5.9-fold of that of the untreated control, respectively; while the growth of mycelia was only decreased at 6.0 g/L tripropylamine. Gene expression analysis showed that all the tested genes, especially genes encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (hmgr) and isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerase (ipi) in mevalonate pathway, as well as phytoene desaturase (carB) in carotenoid biosynthesis process were upregulated. Therefore, tripropylamine enhanced lycopene content of B. trispora by inhibiting the cyclase activity, and by upregulating the expression of genes associated with terpenoid biosynthesis. Besides, a possible association between the structure and the lycopene-enhancing capability of these compounds was also discussed. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Wei; Rakhi, R. B.; Alshareef, H. N.
2013-05-01
We show, for the first time, a redox-active electrolyte in combination with a polyaniline-coated curved graphene active material to achieve significant enhancement in the capacitance (36-92% increase) compared to supercapacitors that lack the redox-active contribution from the electrolyte. The supercapacitors based on the redox-active electrolyte also exhibit excellent rate capability and very long cycling performance (>50 000 cycles).We show, for the first time, a redox-active electrolyte in combination with a polyaniline-coated curved graphene active material to achieve significant enhancement in the capacitance (36-92% increase) compared to supercapacitors that lack the redox-active contribution from the electrolyte. The supercapacitors based on the redox-active electrolyte also exhibit excellent rate capability and very long cycling performance (>50 000 cycles). Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental section, supporting figures including SEM, TEM, XPS, BET, CV and CD curves and a summary table of capacitance. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00773a
Transcription through enhancers suppresses their activity in Drosophila
2013-01-01
Background Enhancer elements determine the level of target gene transcription in a tissue-specific manner, providing for individual patterns of gene expression in different cells. Knowledge of the mechanisms controlling enhancer action is crucial for understanding global regulation of transcription. In particular, enhancers are often localized within transcribed regions of the genome. A number of experiments suggest that transcription can have both positive and negative effects on regulatory elements. In this study, we performed direct tests for the effect of transcription on enhancer activity. Results Using a transgenic reporter system, we investigated the relationship between the presence of pass-through transcription and the activity of Drosophila enhancers controlling the expression of the white and yellow genes. The results show that transcription from different promoters affects the activity of enhancers, counteracting their ability to activate the target genes. As expected, the presence of a transcriptional terminator between the inhibiting promoter and the affected enhancer strongly reduces the suppression. Moreover, transcription leads to dislodging of the Zeste protein that is responsible for the enhancer-dependent regulation of the white gene, suggesting a 'transcription interference’ mechanism for this regulation. Conclusions Our findings suggest a role for pass-through transcription in negative regulation of enhancer activity. PMID:24279291
Song, Yi; Qin, Rongxin; Pan, Xichun; Ouyang, Qin; Liu, Tianyu; Zhai, Zhaoxia; Chen, Yingchun; Li, Bin; Zhou, Hong
2016-11-18
Previously, artesunate (AS) and dihydroartemisinine 7 (DHA7) were found to have antibacterial enhancement activity against Escherichia coli via inhibition of the efflux pump AcrB. However, they were only effective against E. coli standard strains. This study aimed to develop effective antibacterial enhancers based on the previous work. Our results demonstrate that 86 new antibacterial enhancers were designed via 3D-SAR and molecular docking. Among them, DHA27 had the best antibacterial enhancement activity. It could potentiate the antibacterial effects of ampicillin against not only E. coli standard strain but also clinical strains, and of β-lactam antibiotics, not non-β-lactamantibiotics. DHA27 could increase the accumulation of daunomycin and nile red within E. coli ATCC 35218, but did not increase the bacterial membrane permeability. DHA27 reduced acrB 's mRNA expression of E. coli ATCC 35218 in a dose-dependent manner, and its antibacterial enhancement activity is related to the degree of acrB mRNA expression in E. coli clinical strains. The polypeptides from AcrB were obtained via molecular docking assay; the pre-incubated polypeptides could inhibit the activity of DHA27. Importantly, DHA27 had no cytotoxicity on cell proliferation. In conclusion, among newly designed antibacterial enhancers, DHA27 had favorable physical and pharmacological properties with no significant cytotoxicity at effective concentrations, and might serve as a potential efflux pump inhibitor in the future.
Significantly enhanced thermal conductivity of indium arsenide nanowires via sulfur passivation.
Xiong, Yucheng; Tang, Hao; Wang, Xiaomeng; Zhao, Yang; Fu, Qiang; Yang, Juekuan; Xu, Dongyan
2017-10-16
In this work, we experimentally investigated the effect of sulfur passivation on thermal transport in indium arsenide (InAs) nanowires. Our measurement results show that thermal conductivity can be enhanced by a ratio up to 159% by sulfur passivation. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements were performed on both unpassivated and S-passivated InAs nanowires to understand the mechanism of thermal conductivity enhancement. We observed a remarkable improvement in electrical conductivity upon sulfur passivation and a significant contribution of electrons to thermal conductivity, which account for the enhanced thermal conductivity of the S-passivated InAs nanowires.
Gao, Zhenzhen; Chen, Jin; Qiu, Shulei; Li, Youying; Wang, Deyun; Liu, Cui; Li, Xiuping; Hou, Ranran; Yue, Chanjuan; Liu, Jie; Li, Hongquan; Hu, Yuanliang
2016-01-20
Garlic polysaccharide (GPS) was modified in selenylation respectively by nitric acid-sodium selenite (NA-SS), glacial acetic acid-selenous acid (GA-SA), glacial acetic acid-sodium selenite (GA-SS) and selenium oxychloride (SOC) methods each under nine modification conditions of L9(3(4)) orthogonal design and each to obtain nine selenizing GPSs (sGPSs). Their structures were identified, yields and selenium contents were determined, selenium yields were calculated, and the immune-enhancing activities of four sGPSs with higher selenium yields were compared taking unmodified GPS as control. The results showed that among four methods the selenylation efficiency of NA-SS method were the highest, the activity of sGPS5 was the strongest and significantly stronger than that of unmodified GPS. This indicates that selenylation modification can significantly enhance the immune-enhancing activity of GPS, NA-SS method is the best method and the optimal conditions are 0.8:1 weight ratio of sodium selenite to GPS, reaction temperature of 70 °C and reaction time of 10h. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Serine deprivation enhances antineoplastic activity of biguanides.
Gravel, Simon-Pierre; Hulea, Laura; Toban, Nader; Birman, Elena; Blouin, Marie-José; Zakikhani, Mahvash; Zhao, Yunhua; Topisirovic, Ivan; St-Pierre, Julie; Pollak, Michael
2014-12-15
Metformin, a biguanide widely used in the treatment of type II diabetes, clearly exhibits antineoplastic activity in experimental models and has been reported to reduce cancer incidence in diabetics. There are ongoing clinical trials to evaluate its antitumor properties, which may relate to its fundamental activity as an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation. Here, we show that serine withdrawal increases the antineoplastic effects of phenformin (a potent biguanide structurally related to metformin). Serine synthesis was not inhibited by biguanides. Instead, metabolic studies indicated a requirement for serine to allow cells to compensate for biguanide-induced decrease in oxidative phosphorylation by upregulating glycolysis. Furthermore, serine deprivation modified the impact of metformin on the relative abundance of metabolites within the citric acid cycle. In mice, a serine-deficient diet reduced serine levels in tumors and significantly enhanced the tumor growth-inhibitory actions of biguanide treatment. Our results define a dietary manipulation that can enhance the efficacy of biguanides as antineoplastic agents that target cancer cell energy metabolism. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.
Thrombopoietin contributes to enhanced platelet activation in cigarette smokers.
Lupia, Enrico; Bosco, Ornella; Goffi, Alberto; Poletto, Cesare; Locatelli, Stefania; Spatola, Tiziana; Cuccurullo, Alessandra; Montrucchio, Giuseppe
2010-05-01
Thrombopoietin (TPO) is a humoral growth factor that primes platelet activation in response to several agonists. We recently showed that TPO enhances platelet activation in unstable angina and sepsis. Aim of this study was to investigate the role of TPO in platelet function abnormalities described in cigarette smokers. In a case-control study we enrolled 20 healthy cigarette smokers and 20 nonsmokers, and measured TPO and C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as platelet-leukocyte binding and P-selectin expression. In vitro we evaluated the priming activity of smoker or control plasma on platelet activation, and the role of TPO in this effect. We then studied the effects of acute smoking and smoking cessation on TPO levels and platelet activation indices. Chronic cigarette smokers had higher circulating TPO levels than nonsmoking controls, as well as increased platelet-leukocyte binding, P-selectin expression, and CRP levels. Serum cotinine concentrations correlated with TPO concentrations, platelet-monocyte aggregates and P-selectin expression. In addition, TPO levels significantly correlated with ex vivo platelet-monocyte aggregation and P-selectin expression. In vitro, the plasma from cigarette smokers, but not from nonsmoking controls, primed platelet-monocyte binding, which was reduced when an inhibitor of TPO was used. We also found that acute smoking slightly increased TPO levels, but did not affect platelet-leukocyte binding, whereas smoking cessation induced a significant decrease in both circulating TPO and platelet-leukocyte aggregation. Elevated TPO contributes to enhance platelet activation and platelet-monocyte cross-talk in cigarette smokers. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Huang, Tianyin; Zhang, Ke; Qian, Yajie; Fang, Cong; Chen, Jiabin
2018-02-20
Activated carbon fiber (ACF) has become an emerging activator for peroxydisulfate (PDS) to generate sulfate radical (SO 4 •- ). However, the relative low activation efficiency and poor contaminant mineralization limited its widespread application. Herein, ultrasound (US) was introduced to the ACF activated PDS system, and the synergistic effect of US and ACF in PDS activation and the enhancement of contaminant mineralization were investigated. The synergistic effect of US and ACF was observed in the PDS activation to decolorize orange G (OG). The decolorization efficiency increased with increasing ACF loading and US power, and PDS/OG ratio from 1 to 40. The activation energy was determined to be 24.065 kJ/mol. The radical-induced decolorization of OG took place on the surface of ACF, and both SO 4 •- and hydroxyl radical ( • OH) contributed to OG decolorization. The azo bond and naphthalene ring on OG were destructed to other aromatic intermediates and finally mineralized to CO 2 and H 2 O. The introduction of US in the ACF/PDS system significantly enhanced the mineralization of OG. The combination of US and PDS was highly efficient to activate PDS to decolorize azo dyes. Moreover, the introduction of US remarkably improved the contaminant mineralization.
Method for enhancing amidohydrolase activity of fatty acid amide hydrolase
John, George; Nagarajan, Subbiah; Chapman, Kent; Faure, Lionel; Koulen, Peter
2016-10-25
A method for enhancing amidohydrolase activity of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) is disclosed. The method comprising administering a phenoxyacylethanolamide that causes the enhanced activity. The enhanced activity can have numerous effects on biological organisms including, for example, enhancing the growth of certain seedlings. The subject matter disclosed herein relates to enhancers of amidohydrolase activity.
Widespread Enhancer Activity from Core Promoters.
Medina-Rivera, Alejandra; Santiago-Algarra, David; Puthier, Denis; Spicuglia, Salvatore
2018-06-01
Gene expression in higher eukaryotes is precisely regulated in time and space through the interplay between promoters and gene-distal regulatory regions, known as enhancers. The original definition of enhancers implies the ability to activate gene expression remotely, while promoters entail the capability to locally induce gene expression. Despite the conventional distinction between them, promoters and enhancers share many genomic and epigenomic features. One intriguing finding in the gene regulation field comes from the observation that many core promoter regions display enhancer activity. Recent high-throughput reporter assays along with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9-related approaches have indicated that this phenomenon is common and might have a strong impact on our global understanding of genome organisation and gene expression regulation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rajeshkumar, Shanmugam; Malarkodi, Chelladurai; Vanaja, Mahendran; Annadurai, Gurusamy
2016-07-01
The present investigation shows the biosynthesis of eco-friendly silver nanoparticles using culture supernatant of Enterococcus sp. and study the effect of enhanced antimicrobial activity, anticancer activity against pathogenic bacteria, fungi and cancer cell lines. Silver nanoparticles was synthesized by adding 1 mM silver nitrate into the 100 ml of 24 h freshly prepared culture supernatant of Enterococcus sp. and were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Selected Area Diffraction X-Ray (SAED), Energy Dispersive X Ray (EDX) and Fourier Transform Infra red Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The synthesized silver nanoparticles were impregnated with commercial antibiotics for evaluation of enhanced antimicrobial activity. Further these synthesized silver nanoparticles were assessed for its anticancer activity against cancer cell lines. In this study crystalline structured nanoparticles with spherical in the size ranges from 10 to 80 nm and it shows excellent enhanced antimicrobial activity than the commercial antibiotics. The in vitro assay of silver nanoparticles on anticancer have great potential to inhibit the cell viability. Amide linkages and carboxylate groups of proteins from Enterococcus sp. may bind with silver ions and convert into nanoparticles. The activities of commercial antibiotics were enhanced by coating silver nanoparticles shows significant improved antimicrobial activity. Silver nanoparticles have the great potential to inhibit the cell viability of liver cancer cells lines (HepG2) and lung cancer cell lines (A549).
Clinical significance of quantitative analysis of facial nerve enhancement on MRI in Bell's palsy.
Song, Mee Hyun; Kim, Jinna; Jeon, Ju Hyun; Cho, Chang Il; Yoo, Eun Hye; Lee, Won-Sang; Lee, Ho-Ki
2008-11-01
Quantitative analysis of the facial nerve on the lesion side as well as the normal side, which allowed for more accurate measurement of facial nerve enhancement in patients with facial palsy, showed statistically significant correlation with the initial severity of facial nerve inflammation, although little prognostic significance was shown. This study investigated the clinical significance of quantitative measurement of facial nerve enhancement in patients with Bell's palsy by analyzing the enhancement pattern and correlating MRI findings with initial severity of facial palsy and clinical outcome. Facial nerve enhancement was measured quantitatively by using the region of interest on pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted images in 44 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy. The signal intensity increase on the lesion side was first compared with that of the contralateral side and then correlated with the initial degree of facial palsy and prognosis. The lesion side showed significantly higher signal intensity increase compared with the normal side in all of the segments except for the mastoid segment. Signal intensity increase at the internal auditory canal and labyrinthine segments showed correlation with the initial degree of facial palsy but no significant difference was found between different prognostic groups.
Structure-activity relationship of chemical penetration enhancers in transdermal drug delivery.
Kanikkannan, N; Kandimalla, K; Lamba, S S; Singh, M
2000-06-01
Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) is the administration of therapeutic agents through intact skin for systemic effect. TDD offers several advantages over the conventional dosage forms such as tablets, capsules and injections. Currently there are about eight drugs marketed as transdermal patches. Examples of such products include nitroglycerin (angina pectoris), clonidine (hypertension), scopolamine (motion sickness), nicotine (smoking cessation), fentanil (pain) and estradiol (estrogen deficiency). Since skin is an excellent barrier for drug transport, only potent drugs with appropriate physicochemical properties (low molecular weight, adequate solubility in aqueous and non-aqueous solvents, etc) are suitable candidates for transdermal delivery. Penetration enhancement technology is a challenging development that would increase significantly the number of drugs available for transdermal administration. The permeation of drugs through skin can be enhanced by physical methods such as iontophoresis (application of low level electric current) and phonophoresis (use of ultra sound energy) and by chemical penetration enhancers (CPE). In this review, we have discussed about the CPE which have been investigated for TDD. CPE are compounds that enhance the permeation of drugs across the skin. The CPE increase skin permeability by reversibly altering the physicochemical nature of the stratum corneum, the outer most layer of skin, to reduce its diffusional resistance. These compounds increase skin permeability also by increasing the partition coefficient of the drug into the skin and by increasing the thermodynamic activity of the drug in the vehicle. This review compiles the various CPE used for the enhancement of TDD, the mechanism of action of different chemical enhancers and the structure-activity relationship of selected and extensively studied enhancers such as fatty acids, fatty alcohols and terpenes. Based on the chemical structure of penetration enhancers (such as chain
Gan, Shifeng; Hu, Shimin; Li, Xiang-Long; Zeng, Jiajie; Zhang, Dongdong; Huang, Tianyu; Luo, Wenwen; Zhao, Zujin; Duan, Lian; Su, Shi-Jian; Tang, Ben Zhong
2018-05-23
Raising triplet exciton utilization of pure organic luminescent materials is of significant importance for efficiency advancement of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, by introducing bromine atom(s) onto a typical molecule (bis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,5-dicyanobenzene) with thermally activated delayed fluorescence, we demonstrate that the heavy atom effect of bromine can increase spin-orbit coupling and promote the reverse intersystem crossing, which endow the molecules with more distinct delayed fluorescence. In consequence, the triplet exciton utilization is improved greatly with the increase of bromine atoms, affording apparently advanced external quantum efficiencies of OLEDs. Utilizing the enhancement effect of bromine atoms on delayed fluorescence should be a simple and promising design concept for efficient organic luminogens with high exciton utilization.
Gan, Nanqin; Wu, Yu-Chieh; Brunet, Mathilde; Garrido, Carmen; Chung, Fung-Lung; Dai, Chengkai; Mi, Lixin
2010-11-12
It is conceivable that stimulating proteasome activity for rapid removal of misfolded and oxidized proteins is a promising strategy to prevent and alleviate aging-related diseases. Sulforaphane (SFN), an effective cancer preventive agent derived from cruciferous vegetables, has been shown to enhance proteasome activities in mammalian cells and to reduce the level of oxidized proteins and amyloid β-induced cytotoxicity. Here, we report that SFN activates heat shock transcription factor 1-mediated heat shock response. Specifically, SFN-induced expression of heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) underlies SFN-stimulated proteasome activity. SFN-induced proteasome activity was significantly enhanced in Hsp27-overexpressing cells but absent in Hsp27-silenced cells. The role of Hsp27 in regulating proteasome activity was further confirmed in isogenic REG cells, in which SFN-induced proteasome activation was only observed in cells stably overexpressing Hsp27, but not in the Hsp27-free parental cells. Finally, we demonstrated that phosphorylation of Hsp27 is irrelevant to SFN-induced proteasome activation. This study provides a novel mechanism underlying SFN-induced proteasome activity. This is the first report to show that heat shock response by SFN, in addition to the antioxidant response mediated by the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, may contribute to cytoprotection.
Method for enhancing amidohydrolase activity of fatty acid amide hydrolase
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
John, George; Nagarajan, Subbiah; Chapman, Kent
A method for enhancing amidohydrolase activity of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) is disclosed. The method comprising administering a phenoxyacyl-ethanolamide that causes the enhanced activity. The enhanced activity can have numerous effects on biological organisms including, for example, enhancing the growth of certain seedlings.
Chen, Wei; Rakhi, R B; Alshareef, H N
2013-05-21
We show, for the first time, a redox-active electrolyte in combination with a polyaniline-coated curved graphene active material to achieve significant enhancement in the capacitance (36-92% increase) compared to supercapacitors that lack the redox-active contribution from the electrolyte. The supercapacitors based on the redox-active electrolyte also exhibit excellent rate capability and very long cycling performance (>50,000 cycles).
Silver nanowires as infrared-active materials for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
Becucci, Maurizio; Bracciali, Monica; Ghini, Giacomo; Lofrumento, Cristiana; Pietraperzia, Giangaetano; Ricci, Marilena; Tognaccini, Lorenzo; Trigari, Silvana; Gellini, Cristina; Feis, Alessandro
2018-05-17
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is increasing in significance as a bioanalytical tool. Novel nanostructured metal substrates are required to improve performances and versatility of SERS spectroscopy. In particular, as biological tissues are relatively transparent in the infrared wavelength range, SERS-active materials suitable for infrared laser excitation are needed. Nanowires appear interesting in this respect as they show a very broad localized surface plasmon resonance band, ranging from near UV to near infrared wavelengths. The SERS activity of silver nanowires has been tested at three wavelengths and a fair enhancement at 1064 and 514 nm has been observed, whereas a very weak enhancement was present when exciting close to the nanowire extinction maximum. These experimentally measured optical properties have been contrasted with finite element method simulations. Furthermore, laser-induced optoacoustic spectroscopy measurements have shown that the extinction at 1064 nm is completely due to scattering. This result has an important implication that no heating occurs when silver nanowires are utilized as SERS-active substrates, thereby preventing possible thermal damage.
Imširović, Bilal; Zerem, Enver; Efendić, Alma; Mekić Abazović, Alma; Zerem, Omar; Djedović, Muhamed
2018-08-01
Aim To determine capabilities and potential of contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enterography in order to establish the diagnosis and to evaluate severity and activity of intestinal inflammation. Methods Fifty-five patients with suspicion for presence of Crohn's disease were evaluated. All patients underwent contrast enhanced MRI enterography and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), and subsequently endoscopic examination or surgical treatment. Four parameters were analysed: thickening of the bowel wall, and presence of abscess, fistula and lymphadenopathy. Results Comparing results of DWI and contrast enhanced MRI enterography a significant difference between results given through diffusion and histopathological test was found, e.g. a significant difference between results obtained through diffusion and MRI enterography was found. MRI enterography sensitiveness for bowel wall thickening was 97.7% and specificity 70%, whilst DWI sensitivity for bowel wall thickening was 84% and specificity 100%. The diagnostics of abscess and fistula showed no significant difference between DWI and MRI, while in lymphadenopathy significant difference between contrast enhanced MRI enterography and DWI was found. Conclusion Contrast enhanced MRI enterography in combination with DWI allows for excellent evaluation of disease activity, but also problems or complications following it. The examination can be repeated, controlled, and it can contribute to monitoring of patients with this disease. Copyright© by the Medical Assotiation of Zenica-Doboj Canton.
Ghimire, Saurav; Kim, Man Su
2015-01-01
Dietary restriction (DR) is known to be one of the most effective interventions to increase stress resistance, yet the mechanisms remain elusive. One of the most obvious DR-induced changes in phenotype is an increase in locomotor activity. Although it is conceptually perceivable that nutritional scarcity should prompt enhanced foraging behavior to garner additional dietary resources, the significance of enhanced movement activity has not been associated with the DR-dependent increase of stress resistance. In this study, we confirmed that flies raised on DR exhibited enhanced locomotive activity and increased stress resistance. Excision of fly wings minimized the DR-induced increase in locomotive activity, which resulted in attenuation of the DR-dependent increase of stress resistance. The possibility that wing clipping counteracts the DR by coercing flies to have more intake was ruled out since it did not induce any weight gain. Rather it was found that elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that is enhanced by DR-induced upregulation of expression of antioxidant genes was significantly reduced by wing clipping. Collectively, our data suggests that DR increased stress resistance by increasing the locomotor activity, which upregulated expression of protective genes including, but not limited to, ROS scavenger system.
Park, H S; Jung, K S
1998-03-01
There have been few reports suggesting involvement of neutrophils in induction of bronchoconstriction after inhalation of grain dust. To understand the role of neutrophils in pathogenesis of grain dust-induced asthma. We observed serum neutrophil chemotactic activity during grain dust-bronchoprovocation tests in six asthmatic subjects with positive bronchial challenges (group I). They were compared with those of six symptomatic subjects from the same workplace with negative bronchial challenges (group II). After grain dust inhalation, serum neutrophil chemotactic activity significantly increased at 30 minutes (P = .028), and then decreased to baseline level at 240 minutes (P = .028) in five subjects of group I having isolated early asthmatic responses. Enhanced neutrophil chemotactic activity was persistent for up to 240 minutes in one asthmatic subject having both early and late asthmatic responses. There was, however, no significant change in serum neutrophil chemotactic activity during bronchial challenges in subjects of group II. Pre-incubation of sera with anti-interleukin-8 (IL-8) antibody did not affect the neutrophil chemotactic activity results of group I subjects. These results suggest that enhanced neutrophil chemotactic activity distinct from IL-8 may contribute to significant bronchoconstriction induced by grain dust.
Hotspots of aberrant enhancer activity punctuate the colorectal cancer epigenome
Cohen, Andrea J.; Saiakhova, Alina; Corradin, Olivia; Luppino, Jennifer M.; Lovrenert, Katreya; Bartels, Cynthia F.; Morrow, James J.; Mack, Stephen C.; Dhillon, Gursimran; Beard, Lydia; Myeroff, Lois; Kalady, Matthew F.; Willis, Joseph; Bradner, James E.; Keri, Ruth A.; Berger, Nathan A.; Pruett-Miller, Shondra M.; Markowitz, Sanford D.; Scacheri, Peter C.
2017-01-01
In addition to mutations in genes, aberrant enhancer element activity at non-coding regions of the genome is a key driver of tumorigenesis. Here, we perform epigenomic enhancer profiling of a cohort of more than forty genetically diverse human colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens. Using normal colonic crypt epithelium as a comparator, we identify enhancers with recurrently gained or lost activity across CRC specimens. Of the enhancers highly recurrently activated in CRC, most are constituents of super enhancers, are occupied by AP-1 and cohesin complex members, and originate from primed chromatin. Many activate known oncogenes, and CRC growth can be mitigated through pharmacologic inhibition or genome editing of these loci. Nearly half of all GWAS CRC risk loci co-localize to recurrently activated enhancers. These findings indicate that the CRC epigenome is defined by highly recurrent epigenetic alterations at enhancers which activate a common, aberrant transcriptional programme critical for CRC growth and survival. PMID:28169291
Kurokawa, Hirofumi; Sugiyama, Seigo; Nozaki, Toshimitsu; Sugamura, Koichi; Toyama, Kensuke; Matsubara, Junichi; Fujisue, Koichiro; Ohba, Keisuke; Maeda, Hirofumi; Konishi, Masaaki; Akiyama, Eiichi; Sumida, Hitoshi; Izumiya, Yasuhiro; Yasuda, Osamu; Kim-Mitsuyama, Shokei; Ogawa, Hisao
2015-04-01
Mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in cellular senescence and impaired function of vascular endothelium, resulted in cardiovascular diseases. Telmisartan is a unique angiotensin II type I receptor blocker that has been shown to prevent cardiovascular events in high risk patients. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a critical role in mitochondrial biogenesis and endothelial function. This study assessed whether telmisartan enhances mitochondrial function and alters cellular functions via AMPK in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). In cultured HCAECs, telmisartan significantly enhanced mitochondrial activity assessed by mitochondrial reductase activity and intracellular ATP production and increased the expression of mitochondria related genes. Telmisartan prevented cellular senescence and exhibited the anti-apoptotic and pro-angiogenic properties. The expression of genes related anti-oxidant and pro-angiogenic properties were increased by telmisartan. Telmisartan increased endothelial NO synthase and AMPK phosphorylation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma signaling was not involved in telmisartan-induced improvement of mitochondrial function. All of these effects were abolished by inhibition of AMPK. Telmisartan enhanced mitochondrial activity and exhibited anti-senescence effects and improving endothelial function through AMPK in HCAECs. Telmisartan could provide beneficial effects on vascular diseases via enhancement of mitochondrial activity and modulating endothelial function through AMPK activation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Berberine augments ATP-induced inflammasome activation in macrophages by enhancing AMPK signaling
Xu, Li-Hui; Liang, Yi-Dan; Wei, Hong-Xia; Hu, Bo; Pan, Hao; Zha, Qing-Bing; Ouyang, Dong-Yun; He, Xian-Hui
2017-01-01
The isoquinoline alkaloid berberine possesses many pharmacological activities including antibacterial infection. Although the direct bactericidal effect of berberine has been documented, its influence on the antibacterial functions of macrophages is largely unknown. As inflammasome activation in macrophages is important for the defense against bacterial infection, we aimed to investigate the influence of berberine on inflammasome activation in murine macrophages. Our results showed that berberine significantly increased ATP-induced inflammasome activation as reflected by enhanced pyroptosis as well as increased release of caspase-1p10 and mature interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in macrophages. Such effects of berberine could be suppressed by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C or by knockdown of AMPKα expression, indicating the involvement of AMPK signaling in this process. In line with increased IL-1β release, the ability of macrophages to kill engulfed bacteria was also intensified by berberine. This was corroborated by the in vivo finding that the peritoneal live bacterial load was decreased by berberine treatment. Moreover, berberine administration significantly improved survival of bacterial infected mice, concomitant with increased IL-1β levels and elevated neutrophil recruitment in the peritoneal cavity. Collectively, these data suggested that berberine could enhance bacterial killing by augmenting inflammasome activation in macrophages through AMPK signaling. PMID:27980220
Berberine augments ATP-induced inflammasome activation in macrophages by enhancing AMPK signaling.
Li, Chen-Guang; Yan, Liang; Jing, Yan-Yun; Xu, Li-Hui; Liang, Yi-Dan; Wei, Hong-Xia; Hu, Bo; Pan, Hao; Zha, Qing-Bing; Ouyang, Dong-Yun; He, Xian-Hui
2017-01-03
The isoquinoline alkaloid berberine possesses many pharmacological activities including antibacterial infection. Although the direct bactericidal effect of berberine has been documented, its influence on the antibacterial functions of macrophages is largely unknown. As inflammasome activation in macrophages is important for the defense against bacterial infection, we aimed to investigate the influence of berberine on inflammasome activation in murine macrophages. Our results showed that berberine significantly increased ATP-induced inflammasome activation as reflected by enhanced pyroptosis as well as increased release of caspase-1p10 and mature interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in macrophages. Such effects of berberine could be suppressed by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C or by knockdown of AMPKα expression, indicating the involvement of AMPK signaling in this process. In line with increased IL-1β release, the ability of macrophages to kill engulfed bacteria was also intensified by berberine. This was corroborated by the in vivo finding that the peritoneal live bacterial load was decreased by berberine treatment. Moreover, berberine administration significantly improved survival of bacterial infected mice, concomitant with increased IL-1β levels and elevated neutrophil recruitment in the peritoneal cavity. Collectively, these data suggested that berberine could enhance bacterial killing by augmenting inflammasome activation in macrophages through AMPK signaling.
Commensal Microbiota Enhance Both Osteoclast and Osteoblast Activities.
Uchida, Yoko; Irie, Koichiro; Fukuhara, Daiki; Kataoka, Kota; Hattori, Takako; Ono, Mitsuaki; Ekuni, Daisuke; Kubota, Satoshi; Morita, Manabu
2018-06-23
Recent studies suggest that the commensal microbiota affects not only host energy metabolism and development of immunity but also bone remodeling by positive regulation of osteoclast activity. However, the mechanism of regulation of bone cells by the commensal microbiota has not been elucidated. In this study, 8-week-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) and germ-free (GF) mice were compared in terms of alveolar bones and primary osteoblasts isolated from calvarias. Micro-CT analysis showed that SPF mice had larger body size associated with lower bone mineral density and bone volume fraction in alveolar bones compared with GF mice. Greater numbers of osteoclasts in alveolar bone and higher serum levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b were observed in SPF mice. Tissue extracts from SPF alveolar bone showed higher levels of cathepsin K, indicating higher osteoclast activity. SPF alveolar extracts also showed elevated levels of γ-carboxylated glutamic acid⁻osteocalcin as a marker of mature osteoblasts compared with GF mice. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array analysis of RNA directly isolated from alveolar bone showed that in SPF mice, expression of mRNA of osteocalcin , which also acts as an inhibitor of bone mineralization, was strongly enhanced compared with GF mice. Cultured calvarial osteoblasts from SPF mice showed reduced mineralization but significantly enhanced expression of mRNAs of osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, insulin-like growth factor-I/II , and decreased ratio of osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand compared with GF mice. Furthermore, PCR array analyses of transcription factors in cultured calvarial osteoblasts showed strongly upregulated expression of Forkhead box g1 . In contrast, Gata-binding protein 3 was strongly downregulated in SPF osteoblasts. These results suggest that the commensal microbiota prevents excessive mineralization possibly by stimulating osteocalcin expression in osteoblasts, and
Shi, Jinlei; Wu, Jinghe; Zhao, Xingju; ...
2016-10-07
Transitional metal nanoparticles or atoms deposited on appropriate substrates can lead to highly economical, efficient, and selective catalysis. One of the greatest challenges is to control the electronic metal–support interactions (EMSI) between the supported metal atoms and the substrate so as to optimize their catalytic performance. Here, from first-principles calculations, we show that an otherwise inactive Pd single adatom on TiO 2(110) can be tuned into a highly effective catalyst, e.g. for O 2 adsorption and CO oxidation, by purposefully selected metal–nonmetal co-dopant pairs in the substrate. Such an effect is proved here to result unambiguously from a significantly enhancedmore » EMSI. A nearly linear correlation is noted between the strength of the EMSI and the activation of the adsorbed O 2 molecule, as well as the energy barrier for CO oxidation. Particularly, the enhanced EMSI shifts the frontier orbital of the deposited Pd atom upward and largely enhances the hybridization and charge transfer between the O 2 molecule and the Pd atom. Upon co-doping, the activation barrier for CO oxidation on the Pd monomer is also reduced to a level comparable to that on the Pd dimer which was experimentally reported to be highly efficient for CO oxidation. The present findings provide new insights into the understanding of the EMSI in heterogeneous catalysis and can open new avenues to design and fabricate cost-effective single-atom-sized and/or nanometer-sized catalysts.« less
Significant enhancement of magnetoresistance with the reduction of particle size in nanometer scale
Das, Kalipada; Dasgupta, P.; Poddar, A.; Das, I.
2016-01-01
The Physics of materials with large magnetoresistance (MR), defined as the percentage change of electrical resistance with the application of external magnetic field, has been an active field of research for quite some times. In addition to the fundamental interest, large MR has widespread application that includes the field of magnetic field sensor technology. New materials with large MR is interesting. However it is more appealing to vast scientific community if a method describe to achieve many fold enhancement of MR of already known materials. Our study on several manganite samples [La1−xCaxMnO3 (x = 0.52, 0.54, 0.55)] illustrates the method of significant enhancement of MR with the reduction of the particle size in nanometer scale. Our experimentally observed results are explained by considering model consisted of a charge ordered antiferromagnetic core and a shell having short range ferromagnetic correlation between the uncompensated surface spins in nanoscale regime. The ferromagnetic fractions obtained theoretically in the nanoparticles has been shown to be in the good agreement with the experimental results. The method of several orders of magnitude improvement of the magnetoresistive property will have enormous potential for magnetic field sensor technology. PMID:26837285
Discovery of stimulation-responsive immune enhancers with CRISPR activation
Simeonov, Dimitre R.; Gowen, Benjamin G.; Boontanrart, Mandy; Roth, Theodore L.; Gagnon, John D.; Mumbach, Maxwell R.; Satpathy, Ansuman T.; Lee, Youjin; Bray, Nicolas L.; Chan, Alice Y.; Lituiev, Dmytro S.; Nguyen, Michelle L.; Gate, Rachel E.; Subramaniam, Meena; Li, Zhongmei; Woo, Jonathan M.; Mitros, Therese; Ray, Graham J.; Curie, Gemma L.; Naddaf, Nicki; Chu, Julia S.; Ma, Hong; Boyer, Eric; Van Gool, Frederic; Huang, Hailiang; Liu, Ruize; Tobin, Victoria R.; Schumann, Kathrin; Daly, Mark J.; Farh, Kyle K; Ansel, K. Mark; Ye, Chun J.; Greenleaf, William J.; Anderson, Mark S.; Bluestone, Jeffrey A.; Chang, Howard Y.; Corn, Jacob E.; Marson, Alexander
2017-01-01
The majority of genetic variants associated with common human diseases map to enhancers, non-coding elements that shape cell-type-specific transcriptional programs and responses to extracellular cues1–3. Systematic mapping of functional enhancers and their biological contexts is required to understand the mechanisms by which variation in non-coding genetic sequences contributes to disease. Functional enhancers can be mapped by genomic sequence disruption4–6, but this approach is limited to the subset of enhancers that are necessary in the particular cellular context being studied. We hypothesized that recruitment of a strong transcriptional activator to an enhancer would be sufficient to drive target gene expression, even if that enhancer was not currently active in the assayed cells. Here we describe a discovery platform that can identify stimulus-responsive enhancers for a target gene independent of stimulus exposure. We used tiled CRISPR activation (CRISPRa)7 to synthetically recruit a transcriptional activator to sites across large genomic regions (more than 100 kilobases) surrounding two key autoimmunity risk loci, CD69 and IL2RA. We identified several CRISPRa-responsive elements with chromatin features of stimulus-responsive enhancers, including an IL2RA enhancer that harbours an autoimmunity risk variant. Using engineered mouse models, we found that sequence perturbation of the disease-associated Il2ra enhancer did not entirely block Il2ra expression, but rather delayed the timing of gene activation in response to specific extracellular signals. Enhancer deletion skewed polarization of naive T cells towards a pro-inflammatory T helper (TH17) cell state and away from a regulatory T cell state. This integrated approach identifies functional enhancers and reveals how non-coding variation associated with human immune dysfunction alters context-specific gene programs. PMID:28854172
Discovery of stimulation-responsive immune enhancers with CRISPR activation.
Simeonov, Dimitre R; Gowen, Benjamin G; Boontanrart, Mandy; Roth, Theodore L; Gagnon, John D; Mumbach, Maxwell R; Satpathy, Ansuman T; Lee, Youjin; Bray, Nicolas L; Chan, Alice Y; Lituiev, Dmytro S; Nguyen, Michelle L; Gate, Rachel E; Subramaniam, Meena; Li, Zhongmei; Woo, Jonathan M; Mitros, Therese; Ray, Graham J; Curie, Gemma L; Naddaf, Nicki; Chu, Julia S; Ma, Hong; Boyer, Eric; Van Gool, Frederic; Huang, Hailiang; Liu, Ruize; Tobin, Victoria R; Schumann, Kathrin; Daly, Mark J; Farh, Kyle K; Ansel, K Mark; Ye, Chun J; Greenleaf, William J; Anderson, Mark S; Bluestone, Jeffrey A; Chang, Howard Y; Corn, Jacob E; Marson, Alexander
2017-09-07
The majority of genetic variants associated with common human diseases map to enhancers, non-coding elements that shape cell-type-specific transcriptional programs and responses to extracellular cues. Systematic mapping of functional enhancers and their biological contexts is required to understand the mechanisms by which variation in non-coding genetic sequences contributes to disease. Functional enhancers can be mapped by genomic sequence disruption, but this approach is limited to the subset of enhancers that are necessary in the particular cellular context being studied. We hypothesized that recruitment of a strong transcriptional activator to an enhancer would be sufficient to drive target gene expression, even if that enhancer was not currently active in the assayed cells. Here we describe a discovery platform that can identify stimulus-responsive enhancers for a target gene independent of stimulus exposure. We used tiled CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) to synthetically recruit a transcriptional activator to sites across large genomic regions (more than 100 kilobases) surrounding two key autoimmunity risk loci, CD69 and IL2RA. We identified several CRISPRa-responsive elements with chromatin features of stimulus-responsive enhancers, including an IL2RA enhancer that harbours an autoimmunity risk variant. Using engineered mouse models, we found that sequence perturbation of the disease-associated Il2ra enhancer did not entirely block Il2ra expression, but rather delayed the timing of gene activation in response to specific extracellular signals. Enhancer deletion skewed polarization of naive T cells towards a pro-inflammatory T helper (T H 17) cell state and away from a regulatory T cell state. This integrated approach identifies functional enhancers and reveals how non-coding variation associated with human immune dysfunction alters context-specific gene programs.
Discovery of stimulation-responsive immune enhancers with CRISPR activation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Simeonov, Dimitre R.; Gowen, Benjamin G.; Boontanrart, Mandy; Roth, Theodore L.; Gagnon, John D.; Mumbach, Maxwell R.; Satpathy, Ansuman T.; Lee, Youjin; Bray, Nicolas L.; Chan, Alice Y.; Lituiev, Dmytro S.; Nguyen, Michelle L.; Gate, Rachel E.; Subramaniam, Meena; Li, Zhongmei; Woo, Jonathan M.; Mitros, Therese; Ray, Graham J.; Curie, Gemma L.; Naddaf, Nicki; Chu, Julia S.; Ma, Hong; Boyer, Eric; van Gool, Frederic; Huang, Hailiang; Liu, Ruize; Tobin, Victoria R.; Schumann, Kathrin; Daly, Mark J.; Farh, Kyle K.; Ansel, K. Mark; Ye, Chun J.; Greenleaf, William J.; Anderson, Mark S.; Bluestone, Jeffrey A.; Chang, Howard Y.; Corn, Jacob E.; Marson, Alexander
2017-09-01
The majority of genetic variants associated with common human diseases map to enhancers, non-coding elements that shape cell-type-specific transcriptional programs and responses to extracellular cues. Systematic mapping of functional enhancers and their biological contexts is required to understand the mechanisms by which variation in non-coding genetic sequences contributes to disease. Functional enhancers can be mapped by genomic sequence disruption, but this approach is limited to the subset of enhancers that are necessary in the particular cellular context being studied. We hypothesized that recruitment of a strong transcriptional activator to an enhancer would be sufficient to drive target gene expression, even if that enhancer was not currently active in the assayed cells. Here we describe a discovery platform that can identify stimulus-responsive enhancers for a target gene independent of stimulus exposure. We used tiled CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) to synthetically recruit a transcriptional activator to sites across large genomic regions (more than 100 kilobases) surrounding two key autoimmunity risk loci, CD69 and IL2RA. We identified several CRISPRa-responsive elements with chromatin features of stimulus-responsive enhancers, including an IL2RA enhancer that harbours an autoimmunity risk variant. Using engineered mouse models, we found that sequence perturbation of the disease-associated Il2ra enhancer did not entirely block Il2ra expression, but rather delayed the timing of gene activation in response to specific extracellular signals. Enhancer deletion skewed polarization of naive T cells towards a pro-inflammatory T helper (TH17) cell state and away from a regulatory T cell state. This integrated approach identifies functional enhancers and reveals how non-coding variation associated with human immune dysfunction alters context-specific gene programs.
Luo, Xiu-Li; He, Gang-Ling; Fang, Yue-Ping; Xu, Yue-Hua
2018-05-15
NiS/g-C 3 N 4 /SrTiO 3 (NS/CN/STO) composites were prepared using a facile hydrothermal method. The synergistic effect of g-C 3 N 4 /SrTiO 3 (CN/STO) heterojunction and NiS cocatalyst enhanced the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of NS/CN/STO. A hydrogen production rate of 1722.7 μmol h -1 g -1 was obtained when the 2%NiS/20%g-C 3 N 4 /SrTiO 3 (2NS/20CN/STO) was used for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in the presence of methanol used as a sacrificial agent under UV-vis light irradiation; the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 2NS/20CN/STO is 32.8, 8.9 and 4.2 times the value of that obtained with pure g-C 3 N 4 , SrTiO 3 and 20%g-C 3 N 4 /SrTiO 3 (20CN/STO), respectively. Moreover, in photoelectrochemical investigations when compared with 20CN/STO, SrTiO 3 and g-C 3 N 4 , 2NS/20CN/STO exhibited significant photocurrent enhancement. The heterojunction and cocatalyst in NS/CN/STO improved the charge separation efficiency and the lifetime of the charge carriers, leading to the enhanced generation of electrons for photocatalytic hydrogen production. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Enhanced supercapacitance of activated vertical graphene nanosheets in hybrid electrolyte
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ghosh, Subrata; Sahoo, Gopinath; Polaki, S. R.; Krishna, Nanda Gopala; Kamruddin, M.; Mathews, Tom
2017-12-01
Supercapacitors are becoming the workhorse for emerging energy storage applications due to their higher power density and superior cycle life compared to conventional batteries. The performance of supercapacitors depends on the electrode material, type of electrolyte, and interaction between them. Owing to the beneficial interconnected porous structure with multiple conducting channels, vertical graphene nanosheets (VGN) have proved to be leading supercapacitor electrode materials. Herein, we demonstrate a novel approach based on the combination of surface activation and a new organo-aqueous hybrid electrolyte, tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in H2SO4, to achieve significant enhancement in supercapacitor performance of VGN. As-synthesized VGN exhibits an excellent supercapacitance of 0.64 mF/cm2 in H2SO4. However, identification of a novel electrolyte for performance enhancement is the subject of current research. The present manuscript demonstrates the potential of the hybrid electrolyte in enhancing the areal capacitance (1.99 mF/cm2) with excellent retention (only 5.4% loss after 5000 cycles) and Coulombic efficiency (93.1%). In addition, a five-fold enhancement in the capacitance of VGNs (0.64 to 3.31 mF/cm2) with a reduced internal resistance is achieved by the combination of KOH activation and the hybrid electrolyte.
Photoexcited Graphene Metasurfaces: Significantly Enhanced and Tunable Magnetic Resonances
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Fan, Yuancheng; Shen, Nian -Hai; Zhang, Fuli
Artificially constructed metamaterials or metasurfaces with tailored resonant elements provide a revolutionary platform for controlling light at the subwavelength scale. Switchable or frequency-agile meta-devices are highly desirable in achieving more flexible functionalities and have been explored extensively by incorporating various materials, which respond to external stimuli. Graphene, a two-dimensional material showing extraordinary physical properties, has been found very promising for tunable meta-devices. However, the high intrinsic loss of graphene severely obstructs us from achieving high-quality resonance in various graphene metamaterials and metasurfaces, and the loss compensation can be considered as a straightforward strategy to take further advantages of enhanced light–graphenemore » interactions. Here, we demonstrate that the photoexcited graphene, in which the quasi-Fermi energy of graphene changes corresponding to optical pumping, can boost the originally extremely weak magnetic resonance in a graphene split-ring metasurface, showing remarkable modulations in the transmission. In conclusion, our work pioneers the possibilities of optically pumped graphene metasurfaces for significant enhancement of resonances and feasible modulations.« less
Photoexcited Graphene Metasurfaces: Significantly Enhanced and Tunable Magnetic Resonances
Fan, Yuancheng; Shen, Nian -Hai; Zhang, Fuli; ...
2018-02-27
Artificially constructed metamaterials or metasurfaces with tailored resonant elements provide a revolutionary platform for controlling light at the subwavelength scale. Switchable or frequency-agile meta-devices are highly desirable in achieving more flexible functionalities and have been explored extensively by incorporating various materials, which respond to external stimuli. Graphene, a two-dimensional material showing extraordinary physical properties, has been found very promising for tunable meta-devices. However, the high intrinsic loss of graphene severely obstructs us from achieving high-quality resonance in various graphene metamaterials and metasurfaces, and the loss compensation can be considered as a straightforward strategy to take further advantages of enhanced light–graphenemore » interactions. Here, we demonstrate that the photoexcited graphene, in which the quasi-Fermi energy of graphene changes corresponding to optical pumping, can boost the originally extremely weak magnetic resonance in a graphene split-ring metasurface, showing remarkable modulations in the transmission. In conclusion, our work pioneers the possibilities of optically pumped graphene metasurfaces for significant enhancement of resonances and feasible modulations.« less
Ganapathy, Suthakar; Chen, Qinghe; Singh, Karan P.; Shankar, Sharmila; Srivastava, Rakesh K.
2010-01-01
Background Resveratrol (3, 4′, 5 tri-hydroxystilbene), a naturally occurring polyphenol, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and antitumor activities. We have recently shown that resveratrol can enhance the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL in prostate cancer cells through multiple mechanisms in vitro. Therefore, the present study was designed to validate whether resveratrol can enhance the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL in a xenograft model of prostate cancer. Methodology/Principal Findings Resveratrol and TRAIL alone inhibited growth of PC-3 xenografts in nude mice by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation (PCNA and Ki67 staining) and inducing apoptosis (TUNEL staining). The combination of resveratrol and TRAIL was more effective in inhibiting tumor growth than single agent alone. In xenografted tumors, resveratrol upregulated the expressions of TRAIL-R1/DR4, TRAIL-R2/DR5, Bax and p27/K IP1, and inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 and cyclin D1. Treatment of mice with resveratrol and TRAIL alone inhibited angiogenesis (as demonstrated by reduced number of blood vessels, and VEGF and VEGFR2 positive cells) and markers of metastasis (MMP-2 and MMP-9). The combination of resveratrol with TRAIL further inhibited number of blood vessels in tumors, and circulating endothelial growth factor receptor 2-positive endothelial cells than single agent alone. Furthermore, resveratrol inhibited the cytoplasmic phosphorylation of FKHRL1 resulting in its enhanced activation as demonstrated by increased DNA binding activity. Conclusions/Significance These data suggest that resveratrol can enhance the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL by activating FKHRL1 and its target genes. The ability of resveratrol to inhibit tumor growth, metastasis and angiogenesis, and enhance the therapeutic potential of TRAIL suggests that resveratrol alone or in combination with TRAIL can be used for the management of prostate cancer. PMID:21209944
The active enhancer network operated by liganded RXR supports angiogenic activity in macrophages
Daniel, Bence; Hah, Nasun; Horvath, Attila; Czimmerer, Zsolt; Poliska, Szilard; Gyuris, Tibor; Keirsse, Jiri; Gysemans, Conny; Van Ginderachter, Jo A.; Balint, Balint L.; Evans, Ronald M.; Barta, Endre; Nagy, Laszlo
2014-01-01
RXR signaling is predicted to have a major impact in macrophages, but neither the biological consequence nor the genomic basis of its ligand activation is known. Comprehensive genome-wide studies were carried out to map liganded RXR-mediated transcriptional changes, active binding sites, and cistromic interactions in the context of the macrophage genome architecture. The macrophage RXR cistrome has 5200 genomic binding sites, which are not impacted by ligand. Active enhancers are characterized by PU.1 binding, an increase of enhancer RNA, and P300 recruitment. Using these features, 387 liganded RXR-bound enhancers were linked to 226 genes, which predominantly reside in CTCF/cohesin-limited functional domains. These findings were molecularly validated using chromosome conformation capture (3C) and 3C combined with sequencing (3C-seq), and we show that selected long-range enhancers communicate with promoters via stable or RXR-induced loops and that some of the enhancers interact with each other, forming an interchromosomal network. A set of angiogenic genes, including Vegfa, has liganded RXR-controlled enhancers and provides the macrophage with a novel inducible program. PMID:25030696
Identification of sequence motifs significantly associated with antisense activity.
McQuisten, Kyle A; Peek, Andrew S
2007-06-07
Predicting the suppression activity of antisense oligonucleotide sequences is the main goal of the rational design of nucleic acids. To create an effective predictive model, it is important to know what properties of an oligonucleotide sequence associate significantly with antisense activity. Also, for the model to be efficient we must know what properties do not associate significantly and can be omitted from the model. This paper will discuss the results of a randomization procedure to find motifs that associate significantly with either high or low antisense suppression activity, analysis of their properties, as well as the results of support vector machine modelling using these significant motifs as features. We discovered 155 motifs that associate significantly with high antisense suppression activity and 202 motifs that associate significantly with low suppression activity. The motifs range in length from 2 to 5 bases, contain several motifs that have been previously discovered as associating highly with antisense activity, and have thermodynamic properties consistent with previous work associating thermodynamic properties of sequences with their antisense activity. Statistical analysis revealed no correlation between a motif's position within an antisense sequence and that sequences antisense activity. Also, many significant motifs existed as subwords of other significant motifs. Support vector regression experiments indicated that the feature set of significant motifs increased correlation compared to all possible motifs as well as several subsets of the significant motifs. The thermodynamic properties of the significantly associated motifs support existing data correlating the thermodynamic properties of the antisense oligonucleotide with antisense efficiency, reinforcing our hypothesis that antisense suppression is strongly associated with probe/target thermodynamics, as there are no enzymatic mediators to speed the process along like the RNA Induced
On the Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Antibiotics Mixed with Gold Nanoparticles
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Burygin, G. L.; Khlebtsov, B. N.; Shantrokha, A. N.; Dykman, L. A.; Bogatyrev, V. A.; Khlebtsov, N. G.
2009-08-01
The bacterial action of gentamicin and that of a mixture of gentamicin and 15-nm colloidal-gold particles on Escherichia coli K12 was examined by the agar-well-diffusion method, enumeration of colony-forming units, and turbidimetry. Addition of gentamicin to colloidal gold changed the gold color and extinction spectrum. Within the experimental errors, there were no significant differences in antibacterial activity between pure gentamicin and its mixture with gold nanoparticles (NPs). Atomic absorption spectroscopy showed that upon application of the gentamicin-particle mixture, there were no gold NPs in the zone of bacterial-growth suppression in agar. Yet, free NPs diffused into the agar. These facts are in conflict with the earlier findings indicating an enhancement of the bacterial activity of similar gentamicin-gold nanoparticle mixtures. The possible causes for these discrepancies are discussed, and the suggestion is made that a necessary condition for enhancement of antibacterial activity is the preparation of stable conjugates of NPs coated with the antibiotic molecules.
Effects of Selenylation Modification on Immune-Enhancing Activity of Garlic Polysaccharide
Qin, Tao; Hu, Yuanliang; Wang, Deyun; Fan, Qiang; Zhang, Cunshuai; Chen, Xingying; Chen, Xiaolan; Liu, Cui; Gao, Zhenzhen; Li, Xiuping
2014-01-01
The garlic polysaccharide was modified by HNO3-Na2SeO3 method according to orthogonal design L9(34) to obtain nine selenizing garlic polysaccharides, sGPS1-sGPS9. Their effects on chicken peripheral lymphocytes proliferation in vitro were compared by MTT assay. The results showed that sGPSs could significantly promote lymphocytes proliferation, sGPS3, sGPS5 and sGPS6 presented stronger efficacy. In vivo experiment, 14-day-old chickens were injected respectively with sGPS3, sGPS5 and sGPS6 when they were vaccinated with ND vaccine taking unmodified GPS as control. The results showed that three sGPSs could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation, enhance serum antibody titer, IFN-γ and IL-2 contents. These results indicated that selenylation modification could significantly enhance the immune-enhancing activity of GPS, sGPS6 possessed the best efficacy and could be as a candidate drug of immunoenhancer. Its optimal modification conditions were 400 mg of sodium selenite for 500 mg of GPS, reaction temperature of 70°C and reaction time of 6 h. PMID:24497946
Effects of selenylation modification on immune-enhancing activity of garlic polysaccharide.
Qiu, Shulei; Chen, Jin; Qin, Tao; Hu, Yuanliang; Wang, Deyun; Fan, Qiang; Zhang, Cunshuai; Chen, Xingying; Chen, Xiaolan; Liu, Cui; Gao, Zhenzhen; Li, Xiuping
2014-01-01
The garlic polysaccharide was modified by HNO3-Na2SeO3 method according to orthogonal design L9(3(4)) to obtain nine selenizing garlic polysaccharides, sGPS1-sGPS9. Their effects on chicken peripheral lymphocytes proliferation in vitro were compared by MTT assay. The results showed that sGPSs could significantly promote lymphocytes proliferation, sGPS3, sGPS5 and sGPS6 presented stronger efficacy. In vivo experiment, 14-day-old chickens were injected respectively with sGPS3, sGPS5 and sGPS6 when they were vaccinated with ND vaccine taking unmodified GPS as control. The results showed that three sGPSs could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation, enhance serum antibody titer, IFN-γ and IL-2 contents. These results indicated that selenylation modification could significantly enhance the immune-enhancing activity of GPS, sGPS6 possessed the best efficacy and could be as a candidate drug of immunoenhancer. Its optimal modification conditions were 400 mg of sodium selenite for 500 mg of GPS, reaction temperature of 70°C and reaction time of 6 h.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Environment Can Enhance Brain Activity and Multitasking Performance
Vadas, Dor; Kalichman, Leonid; Hadanny, Amir; Efrati, Shai
2017-01-01
Background: The Brain uses 20% of the total oxygen supply consumed by the entire body. Even though, <10% of the brain is active at any given time, it utilizes almost all the oxygen delivered. In order to perform complex tasks or more than one task (multitasking), the oxygen supply is shifted from one brain region to another, via blood perfusion modulation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) environment, with increased oxygen supply to the brain, will enhance the performance of complex and/or multiple activities. Methods: A prospective, double-blind randomized control, crossover trial including 22 healthy volunteers. Participants were asked to perform a cognitive task, a motor task and a simultaneous cognitive-motor task (multitasking). Participants were randomized to perform the tasks in two environments: (a) normobaric air (1 ATA 21% oxygen) (b) HBO (2 ATA 100% oxygen). Two weeks later participants were crossed to the alternative environment. Blinding of the normobaric environment was achieved in the same chamber with masks on while hyperbaric sensation was simulated by increasing pressure in the first minute and gradually decreasing to normobaric environment prior to tasks performance. Results: Compared to the performance at normobaric conditions, both cognitive and motor single tasks scores were significantly enhanced by HBO environment (p < 0.001 for both). Multitasking performance was also significantly enhanced in HBO environment (p = 0.006 for the cognitive part and p = 0.02 for the motor part). Conclusions: The improvement in performance of both single and multi-tasking while in an HBO environment supports the hypothesis which according to, oxygen is indeed a rate limiting factor for brain activity. Hyperbaric oxygenation can serve as an environment for brain performance. Further studies are needed to evaluate the optimal oxygen levels for maximal brain performance. PMID:29021747
Hyperbaric Oxygen Environment Can Enhance Brain Activity and Multitasking Performance.
Vadas, Dor; Kalichman, Leonid; Hadanny, Amir; Efrati, Shai
2017-01-01
Background: The Brain uses 20% of the total oxygen supply consumed by the entire body. Even though, <10% of the brain is active at any given time, it utilizes almost all the oxygen delivered. In order to perform complex tasks or more than one task (multitasking), the oxygen supply is shifted from one brain region to another, via blood perfusion modulation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) environment, with increased oxygen supply to the brain, will enhance the performance of complex and/or multiple activities. Methods: A prospective, double-blind randomized control, crossover trial including 22 healthy volunteers. Participants were asked to perform a cognitive task, a motor task and a simultaneous cognitive-motor task (multitasking). Participants were randomized to perform the tasks in two environments: (a) normobaric air (1 ATA 21% oxygen) (b) HBO (2 ATA 100% oxygen). Two weeks later participants were crossed to the alternative environment. Blinding of the normobaric environment was achieved in the same chamber with masks on while hyperbaric sensation was simulated by increasing pressure in the first minute and gradually decreasing to normobaric environment prior to tasks performance. Results: Compared to the performance at normobaric conditions, both cognitive and motor single tasks scores were significantly enhanced by HBO environment ( p < 0.001 for both). Multitasking performance was also significantly enhanced in HBO environment ( p = 0.006 for the cognitive part and p = 0.02 for the motor part). Conclusions: The improvement in performance of both single and multi-tasking while in an HBO environment supports the hypothesis which according to, oxygen is indeed a rate limiting factor for brain activity. Hyperbaric oxygenation can serve as an environment for brain performance. Further studies are needed to evaluate the optimal oxygen levels for maximal brain performance.
Compassion meditation enhances empathic accuracy and related neural activity
Mascaro, Jennifer S.; Rilling, James K.; Tenzin Negi, Lobsang; Raison, Charles L.
2013-01-01
The ability to accurately infer others’ mental states from facial expressions is important for optimal social functioning and is fundamentally impaired in social cognitive disorders such as autism. While pharmacologic interventions have shown promise for enhancing empathic accuracy, little is known about the effects of behavioral interventions on empathic accuracy and related brain activity. This study employed a randomized, controlled and longitudinal design to investigate the effect of a secularized analytical compassion meditation program, cognitive-based compassion training (CBCT), on empathic accuracy. Twenty-one healthy participants received functional MRI scans while completing an empathic accuracy task, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), both prior to and after completion of either CBCT or a health discussion control group. Upon completion of the study interventions, participants randomized to CBCT and were significantly more likely than control subjects to have increased scores on the RMET and increased neural activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Moreover, changes in dmPFC and IFG activity from baseline to the post-intervention assessment were associated with changes in empathic accuracy. These findings suggest that CBCT may hold promise as a behavioral intervention for enhancing empathic accuracy and the neurobiology supporting it. PMID:22956676
Zhou, Xu; Wang, Qilin; Jiang, Guangming
2015-04-01
Methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) is limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor methane potential of WAS. This study presents a novel pre-treatment strategy based on indigenous iron (in WAS) activated peroxidation to enhance methane production from WAS. Pre-treatment of WAS for 30 min at 50mg H2O2/g total solids (dry weight) and pH 2.0 (iron concentration in WAS was 7 mg/g TS) substantially enhanced WAS solubilization. Biochemical methane potential tests demonstrated that methane production was improved by 10% at a digestion time of 16d after incorporating the indigenous iron activated peroxidation pre-treatment. Model-based analysis indicated that indigenous iron activated peroxidation pre-treatment improved the methane potential by 13%, whereas the hydrolysis rate was not significantly affected. The economic analysis showed that the proposed pre-treatment method can save the cost by $112,000 per year in a treatment plant with a population equivalent of 300,000. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
STATs shape the active enhancer landscape of T cell populations.
Vahedi, Golnaz; Takahashi, Hayato; Nakayamada, Shingo; Sun, Hong-Wei; Sartorelli, Vittorio; Kanno, Yuka; O'Shea, John J
2012-11-21
Signaling pathways are intimately involved in cellular differentiation, allowing cells to respond to their environment by regulating gene expression. Although enhancers are recognized as key elements that regulate selective gene expression, the interplay between signaling pathways and actively used enhancer elements is not clear. Here, we use CD4(+) T cells as a model of differentiation, mapping the activity of cell-type-specific enhancer elements in T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells. Our data establish that STAT proteins have a major impact on the activation of lineage-specific enhancers and the suppression of enhancers associated with alternative cell fates. Transcriptome analysis further supports a functional role for enhancers regulated by STATs. Importantly, expression of lineage-defining master regulators in STAT-deficient cells fails to fully recover the chromatin signature of STAT-dependent enhancers. Thus, these findings point to a critical role of STATs as environmental sensors in dynamically molding the specialized enhancer architecture of differentiating cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Zhang, Xin; Zhao, Haitao; Wang, Jianhui
2010-08-01
Au nanoparticles stabilized by polystyrene-co-polymethacrylic acid microspheres (PS-co-PMAA) were prepared and characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The Au nanoparticles supported on the microspheres showed highly selective catalytic activity for homo-coupling reactions of arylboronic acids in a system of aryl-halides and arylboronic acids. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the catalyst shows large amounts of Au(I) complexes band to the surface of the Au nanoparticles, which contributes to the selective homocoupling of the arylboronic acids. More importantly, this supported Au complex is a highly recyclable catalyst. The supported Au catalyst can be recycled and reused at least 6 times for a phenylboronic acid reactant, whereas the parent complex shows very low catalytic activity for this compound. The high catalytic activity of this material is attributed to: (1) the high surface to volume ratio which leads to more active sites being exposed to reactants; (2) the strong surface binding of the Au nanoparticle to the Au(I) complexes, which enhances both the stability and the catalytic activity of these complexes.
Astrocytic Activation Generates De Novo Neuronal Potentiation and Memory Enhancement.
Adamsky, Adar; Kol, Adi; Kreisel, Tirzah; Doron, Adi; Ozeri-Engelhard, Nofar; Melcer, Talia; Refaeli, Ron; Horn, Henrike; Regev, Limor; Groysman, Maya; London, Michael; Goshen, Inbal
2018-05-18
Astrocytes respond to neuronal activity and were shown to be necessary for plasticity and memory. To test whether astrocytic activity is also sufficient to generate synaptic potentiation and enhance memory, we expressed the Gq-coupled receptor hM3Dq in CA1 astrocytes, allowing their activation by a designer drug. We discovered that astrocytic activation is not only necessary for synaptic plasticity, but also sufficient to induce NMDA-dependent de novo long-term potentiation in the hippocampus that persisted after astrocytic activation ceased. In vivo, astrocytic activation enhanced memory allocation; i.e., it increased neuronal activity in a task-specific way only when coupled with learning, but not in home-caged mice. Furthermore, astrocytic activation using either a chemogenetic or an optogenetic tool during acquisition resulted in memory recall enhancement on the following day. Conversely, directly increasing neuronal activity resulted in dramatic memory impairment. Our findings that astrocytes induce plasticity and enhance memory may have important clinical implications for cognitive augmentation treatments. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Liu, Yi; Liu, Ping; Lin, Lu; Zhao, Yueqin; Zhong, Wenjuan; Wu, Lunjie; Zhou, Zhemin; Sun, Weifeng
2016-09-01
The maturation mechanism of nitrile hydratase (NHase) of Pseudomonas putida NRRL-18668 was discovered and named as "self-subunit swapping." Since the NHase of Bordetella petrii DSM 12804 is similar to that of P. putida, the NHase maturation of B. petrii is proposed to be the same as that of P. putida. However, there is no further information on the application of NHase according to these findings. We successfully rapidly purified NHase and its activator through affinity his tag, and found that the cell extracts of NHase possessed multiple types of protein ingredients including α, β, α2β2, and α(P14K)2 who were in a state of chemical equilibrium. Furthermore, the activity was significantly enhanced through adding extra α(P14K)2 to the cell extracts of NHase according to the chemical equilibrium. Our findings are useful for the activity enhancement of multiple-subunit enzyme and for the first time significantly increased the NHase activity according to the chemical equilibrium.
PERSPECTIVE: Electrical activity enhances neuronal survival and regeneration
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Corredor, Raul G.; Goldberg, Jeffrey L.
2009-10-01
The failure of regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) remains an enormous scientific and clinical challenge. After injury or in degenerative diseases, neurons in the adult mammalian CNS fail to regrow their axons and reconnect with their normal targets, and furthermore the neurons frequently die and are not normally replaced. While significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis for this lack of regenerative ability, a second approach has gained momentum: replacing lost neurons or lost connections with artificial electrical circuits that interface with the nervous system. In the visual system, gene therapy-based 'optogenetics' prostheses represent a competing technology. Now, the two approaches are converging, as recent data suggest that electrical activity itself, via the molecular signaling pathways such activity stimulates, is sufficient to induce neuronal survival and regeneration, particularly in retinal ganglion cells. Here, we review these data, discuss the effects of electrical activity on neurons' molecular signaling pathways and propose specific mechanisms by which exogenous electrical activity may be acting to enhance survival and regeneration.
Enhanced kappa-Cygnid activity 2014
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rendtel, Jürgen; Molau, Sirko
2015-04-01
The κ-Cygnid (012 KCG) meteor shower produced about 3-4 times the average visual rate and video flux in August 2014 for about four days. We are able to trace the increased activity to one component of the Cygnid complex proposed by Koseki recently. Video data indicate that the population index of all shower components is lower than that of the sporadic meteors, probably r≈ 2.6. Our analysis supports the suggested 7-year periodicity in activity enhancement of the κ-Cygnids
Kuwahara, Y; Kondoh, J; Tatara, K; Azuma, E; Nakajima, T; Hashimoto, M; Komachi, Y
2001-03-01
Airway allergic diseases, such as bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis, have increased, especially in urban areas. These diseases are characterized by airway inflammation with enhanced eosinophil activity, and the risk of disease development has been shown to increase with the prevalence of atopy. Questionnaires were administered to 426 healthy adult women aged 30-74 years, living in an urban area of Osaka, Japan, to survey individual living environments and airway allergic symptoms such as cough, sputum, and wheezing. Moreover, serum house-dust-mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, [Der p])-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were examined by radioimmunoassay, and the atopic status (atopic sensitization) and enhanced eosinophil activity were assessed as Der p-specific IgE RAST scores of 2-6 and ECP levels of more than 10 ng/ml, respectively. Intensive use of electric air conditioners in hot weather (odds ratio: 2.07 [95% CI: 1.11-3.87]) and mold proliferation in the kitchen (2.77 [1.34-5.73]) significantly increased the risk of atopic sensitization. Poor home ventilation and family smoking appeared to be positively but not significantly associated with atopic sensitization. Personal smoking and intensive use of the air conditioner appeared to be positively related to enhanced eosinophil activity. Atopic status showed significant involvement in the development of wheezing, and the development of cough was significantly associated with enhanced eosinophil activity. The results suggest that some urban styles of living are involved in atopic sensitization and enhanced eosinophil activity in the Japanese urban population, probably due to living conditions, such as indoor dampness and poor home ventilation, caused by tight insulation, which increase exposure to indoor air pollutants, such as respirable mite allergens and tobacco smoke.
Wang, Shi; Pan, De-Xi; Wang, Dan; Wan, Peng; Qiu, De-Lai; Jin, Qing-Hua
2014-09-01
The hippocampus is a key structure for learning and memory in mammals, and long-term potentiation (LTP) is an important cellular mechanism responsible for learning and memory. Despite a number of studies indicating that nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the formation and maintenance of LTP as a retrograde messenger, few studies have used neurotransmitter release as a visual indicator in awake animals to explore the role of NO in learning-dependent long-term enhancement of synaptic efficiency. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of l-NMMA (a NO synthase inhibitor) and SNP (a NO donor) on extracellular glutamate (Glu) concentrations and amplitudes of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) were measured in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region during the acquisition and extinction of active-avoidance behavior in freely-moving conscious rats. In the control group, the extracellular concentration of Glu in the DG was significantly increased during the acquisition of active-avoidance behavior and gradually returned to baseline levels following extinction training. In the experimental group, the change in Glu concentration was significantly reduced by local microinjection of l-NMMA, as was the acquisition of the active-avoidance behavior. In contrast, the change in Glu concentration was significantly enhanced by SNP, and the acquisition of the active-avoidance behavior was significantly accelerated. Furthermore, in all groups, the changes in extracellular Glu were accompanied by corresponding changes in fEPSP amplitude and active-avoidance behavior. Our results suggest that NO in the hippocampal DG facilitates active avoidance learning via enhancements of glutamate levels and synaptic efficiency in rats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An atlas of active enhancers across human cell types and tissues
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Andersson, Robin; Gebhard, Claudia; Miguel-Escalada, Irene; Hoof, Ilka; Bornholdt, Jette; Boyd, Mette; Chen, Yun; Zhao, Xiaobei; Schmidl, Christian; Suzuki, Takahiro; Ntini, Evgenia; Arner, Erik; Valen, Eivind; Li, Kang; Schwarzfischer, Lucia; Glatz, Dagmar; Raithel, Johanna; Lilje, Berit; Rapin, Nicolas; Bagger, Frederik Otzen; Jørgensen, Mette; Andersen, Peter Refsing; Bertin, Nicolas; Rackham, Owen; Burroughs, A. Maxwell; Baillie, J. Kenneth; Ishizu, Yuri; Shimizu, Yuri; Furuhata, Erina; Maeda, Shiori; Negishi, Yutaka; Mungall, Christopher J.; Meehan, Terrence F.; Lassmann, Timo; Itoh, Masayoshi; Kawaji, Hideya; Kondo, Naoto; Kawai, Jun; Lennartsson, Andreas; Daub, Carsten O.; Heutink, Peter; Hume, David A.; Jensen, Torben Heick; Suzuki, Harukazu; Hayashizaki, Yoshihide; Müller, Ferenc; Consortium, The Fantom; Forrest, Alistair R. R.; Carninci, Piero; Rehli, Michael; Sandelin, Albin
2014-03-01
Enhancers control the correct temporal and cell-type-specific activation of gene expression in multicellular eukaryotes. Knowing their properties, regulatory activity and targets is crucial to understand the regulation of differentiation and homeostasis. Here we use the FANTOM5 panel of samples, covering the majority of human tissues and cell types, to produce an atlas of active, in vivo-transcribed enhancers. We show that enhancers share properties with CpG-poor messenger RNA promoters but produce bidirectional, exosome-sensitive, relatively short unspliced RNAs, the generation of which is strongly related to enhancer activity. The atlas is used to compare regulatory programs between different cells at unprecedented depth, to identify disease-associated regulatory single nucleotide polymorphisms, and to classify cell-type-specific and ubiquitous enhancers. We further explore the utility of enhancer redundancy, which explains gene expression strength rather than expression patterns. The online FANTOM5 enhancer atlas represents a unique resource for studies on cell-type-specific enhancers and gene regulation.
Wang, Qiaoming; Yang, Liangliang; Zhou, Shengwen; Ye, Xianjun; Wang, Zhe; Zhu, Wenguang; McCluskey, Matthew D; Gu, Yi
2017-07-06
We demonstrate a van der Waals Schottky junction defined by crystalline phases of multilayer In 2 Se 3 . Besides ideal diode behaviors and the gate-tunable current rectification, the thermoelectric power is significantly enhanced in these junctions by more than three orders of magnitude compared with single-phase multilayer In 2 Se 3 , with the thermoelectric figure-of-merit approaching ∼1 at room temperature. Our results suggest that these significantly improved thermoelectric properties are not due to the 2D quantum confinement effects but instead are a consequence of the Schottky barrier at the junction interface, which leads to hot carrier transport and shifts the balance between thermally and field-driven currents. This "bulk" effect extends the advantages of van der Waals materials beyond the few-layer limit. Adopting such an approach of using energy barriers between van der Waals materials, where the interface states are minimal, is expected to enhance the thermoelectric performance in other 2D materials as well.
Aminoglycosylation Can Enhance the G-Quadruplex Binding Activity of Epigallocatechin
Bai, Li-Ping; Ho, Hing-Man; Ma, Dik-Lung; Yang, Hui; Fu, Wai-Chung; Jiang, Zhi-Hong
2013-01-01
With the aim of enhancing G-quadruplex binding activity, two new glucosaminosides (16, 18) of penta-methylated epigallocatechin were synthesized by chemical glycosylation. Subsequent ESI-TOF-MS analysis demonstrated that these two glucosaminoside derivatives exhibit much stronger binding activity to human telomeric DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes than their parent structure (i.e., methylated EGC) (14) as well as natural epigallocatechin (EGC, 6). The DNA G-quadruplex binding activity of 16 and 18 is even more potent than strong G-quadruplex binder quercetin, which has a more planar structure. These two synthetic compounds also showed a higher binding strength to human telomeric RNA G-quadruplex than its DNA counterpart. Analysis of the structure-activity relationship revealed that the more basic compound, 16, has a higher binding capacity with DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes than its N-acetyl derivative, 18, suggesting the importance of the basicity of the aminoglycoside for G-quadruplex binding activity. Molecular docking simulation predicted that the aromatic ring of 16 π-stacks with the aromatic ring of guanine nucleotides, with the glucosamine moiety residing in the groove of G-quadruplex. This research indicates that glycosylation of natural products with aminosugar can significantly enhance their G-quadruplex binding activities, thus is an effective way to generate small molecules targeting G-quadruplexes in nucleic acids. In addition, this is the first report that green tea catechin can bind to nucleic acid G-quadruplex structures. PMID:23335983
Abu-Ghosh, Said; Fixler, Dror; Dubinsky, Zvy; Iluz, David
2015-01-01
Under specific conditions, flashing light enhances the photosynthesis rate in comparison to continuous illumination. Here we show that a combination of flashing light and continuous background light with the same integrated photon dose as continuous or flashing light alone can be used to significantly enhance photosynthesis and increase microalgae growth. To test this hypothesis, the green microalga Dunaliella salina was exposed to three different light regimes: continuous light, flashing light, and concomitant application of both. Algal growth was compared under three different integrated light quantities; low, intermediate, and moderately high. Under the combined light regime, there was a substantial increase in all algal growth parameters, with an enhanced photosynthesis rate, within 3days. Our strategy demonstrates a hitherto undescribed significant increase in photosynthesis and algal growth rates, which is beyond the increase by flashing light alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lee, Jeong-Min; Park, Jeong-Min; Kang, Tae-Hong
2016-10-01
Forskolin (FSK), an adenylyl cyclase activator, has recently been shown to enhance nucleotide excision repair (NER) upon UV exposure. However, our study revealed that this effect was detected in human skin epithelial ARPE19 cells only in growing cells, but not in non-cycling cells. When the cells were grown at low density (70% confluence), FSK was capable of stimulating cAMP responsive element binding (CREB) phosphorylation, a marker for FSK-stimulated PKA activation, and resulted in a significant increase of NER activity compared to control treatment. However, cells grown under 100% confluent conditions showed neither FSK-induced CREB phosphorylation nor the resulting NER enhancement. These findings indicate that cellular growth is critical for FSK-induced NER enhancement and suggest that cellular growth conditions should be considered as a variable while evaluating a reagent's pharmacotherapeutic efficacy. [BMB Reports 2016; 49(10): 566-571].
Significant enhancement by biochar of caproate production via chain elongation.
Liu, Yuhao; He, Pinjing; Shao, Liming; Zhang, Hua; Lü, Fan
2017-08-01
In this study, biochar was introduced into a chain elongation system to enhance the bioproduction of caproate and caprylate. The concentration of caproate increased to 21.1 g/L upon the addition of biochar, which is the highest level of caproate reported for such a system to date when ethanol was used as electron donor. The addition of biochar created a tougher system with more stable microorganism community structure for chain elongation, in which no obvious inhibition by products or substrates was observed, moreover, the lag phase was reduced 2.3-fold compared to the system without biochar. These reinforcement effect of biochar are attributed to the enhanced conductivity due to the significant enrichment of functional microorganisms via the microbial network surrounding smaller biochar particles, and via the adsorption on the rough surfaces or pores of larger particles, which facilitated electron transfer. Higher amounts of extracellular polymer substances and higher conductivity induced by biochar could contribute to the reinforcement effect in chain elongation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2015-01-01
To develop active nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a limiting reaction in several emerging renewable energy technologies, a deeper understanding of the activity of the first row transition metal oxides is needed. Previous studies of these catalysts have reported conflicting results on the influence of noble metal supports on the OER activity of the transition metal oxides. Our study aims to clarify the interactions between a transition metal oxide catalyst and its metal support in turning over this reaction. To achieve this goal, we examine a catalytic system comprising nanoparticulate Au, a common electrocatalytic support, and nanoparticulate MnOx, a promising OER catalyst. We conclusively demonstrate that adding Au to MnOx significantly enhances OER activity relative to MnOx in the absence of Au, producing an order of magnitude higher turnover frequency (TOF) than the TOF of the best pure MnOx catalysts reported to date. We also provide evidence that it is a local rather than bulk interaction between Au and MnOx that leads to the observed enhancement in the OER activity. Engineering improvements in nonprecious metal-based catalysts by the addition of Au or other noble metals could still represent a scalable catalyst as even trace amounts of Au are shown to lead a significant enhancement in the OER activity of MnOx. PMID:24661269
Gorlin, Yelena; Chung, Chia-Jung; Benck, Jesse D; Nordlund, Dennis; Seitz, Linsey; Weng, Tsu-Chien; Sokaras, Dimosthenis; Clemens, Bruce M; Jaramillo, Thomas F
2014-04-02
To develop active nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a limiting reaction in several emerging renewable energy technologies, a deeper understanding of the activity of the first row transition metal oxides is needed. Previous studies of these catalysts have reported conflicting results on the influence of noble metal supports on the OER activity of the transition metal oxides. Our study aims to clarify the interactions between a transition metal oxide catalyst and its metal support in turning over this reaction. To achieve this goal, we examine a catalytic system comprising nanoparticulate Au, a common electrocatalytic support, and nanoparticulate MnO(x), a promising OER catalyst. We conclusively demonstrate that adding Au to MnO(x) significantly enhances OER activity relative to MnO(x) in the absence of Au, producing an order of magnitude higher turnover frequency (TOF) than the TOF of the best pure MnO(x) catalysts reported to date. We also provide evidence that it is a local rather than bulk interaction between Au and MnO(x) that leads to the observed enhancement in the OER activity. Engineering improvements in nonprecious metal-based catalysts by the addition of Au or other noble metals could still represent a scalable catalyst as even trace amounts of Au are shown to lead a significant enhancement in the OER activity of MnO(x).
Jin, Yingli; Liu, Shuping; Ma, Qingshan; Xiao, Dong; Chen, Li
2017-01-05
High glucose concentration can induce injury of podocytes and berberine has a potent activity against diabetic nephropathy. However, whether and how berberine can inhibit high glucose-mediated injury of podocytes have not been clarified. This study tested the effect of berberine on high glucose-mediated apoptosis and the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation and autophagy in podocytes. The results indicated that berberine significantly mitigated high glucose-decreased cell viability, and nephrin and podocin expression as well as apoptosis in mouse podocytes. Berberine significantly increased the AMPK activation and mitigated high glucose and/or the AMPK inhibitor, compound C-mediated mTOR activation and apoptosis in podocytes. Berberine significantly enhanced the AMPK activation and protected from high glucose-induced apoptosis in the AMPK-silencing podocytes. Furthermore, berberine significantly increased the high glucose-elevated Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase 1 (ULK1) S317/S555 phosphorylation, Beclin-1 expression, the ratios of LC3II to LC3I expression and the numbers of autophagosomes, but reduced ULK1 S757 phosphorylation in podocytes. In addition, berberine significantly attenuated compound C-mediated inhibition of autophagy in podocytes. The protective effect of berberine on high glucose-induced podocyte apoptosis was significantly mitigated by pre-treatment with 3-methyladenine or bafilomycin A1. Collectively, berberine enhanced autophagy and protected from high glucose-induced injury in podocytes by promoting the AMPK activation. Our findings may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-diabetic nephropathy effect of berberine and may aid in design of new therapies for intervention of diabetic nephropathy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Carter, Bing Z.; Mak, Duncan H.; Schober, Wendy D.; Koller, Erich; Pinilla, Clemencia; Vassilev, Lyubomir T.; Reed, John C.
2010-01-01
Activation of p53 by murine double minute (MDM2) antagonist nutlin-3a or inhibition of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) induces apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. We demonstrate that concomitant inhibition of MDM2 by nutlin-3a and of XIAP by small molecule antagonists synergistically induced apoptosis in p53 wild-type OCI-AML3 and Molm13 cells. Knockdown of p53 by shRNA blunted the synergy, and down-regulation of XIAP by antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) enhanced nutlin-3a–induced apoptosis, suggesting that the synergy was mediated by p53 activation and XIAP inhibition. This is supported by data showing that inhibition of both MDM2 and XIAP by their respective ASOs induced significantly more cell death than either ASO alone. Importantly, p53 activation and XIAP inhibition enhanced apoptosis in blasts from patients with primary AML, even when the cells were protected by stromal cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that XIAP inhibition potentiates p53-induced apoptosis by decreasing p53-induced p21 and that p53 activation enhances XIAP inhibition-induced cell death by promoting mitochondrial release of second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) and by inducing the expression of caspase-6. Because both XIAP and p53 are presently being targeted in ongoing clinical trials in leukemia, the combination strategy holds promise for expedited translation into the clinic. PMID:19897582
Environmental Education Activities to Enhance Decision-Making.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yambert, Paul A.; And Others
This document contains a set of 10 activities that teachers may use with students (ages 10 to adult) to enhance environmental knowledge and environmentally responsible behavior. Sample worksheets are included when applicable. The activities focus on: renewable and nonrenewable resources; recycling; population growth; wildlife; recycling in a…
Gao, Diansa; Zuo, Zhong; Tian, Jing; Ali, Quaisar; Lin, Yi; Lei, Han; Sun, Zhongjie
2016-11-01
Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for stroke and myocardial infarction. This study was designed to investigate the role of SIRT1, an important deacetylase, and its relationship with Klotho, a kidney-derived aging-suppressor protein, in the pathogenesis of arterial stiffness and hypertension. We found that the serum level of Klotho was decreased by ≈45% in patients with arterial stiffness and hypertension. Interestingly, Klotho haplodeficiency caused arterial stiffening and hypertension, as evidenced by significant increases in pulse wave velocity and blood pressure in Klotho-haplodeficient (KL +/- ) mice. Notably, the expression and activity of SIRT1 were decreased significantly in aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells in KL +/- mice, suggesting that Klotho deficiency downregulates SIRT1. Treatment with SRT1720 (15 mg/kg/d, IP), a specific SIRT1 activator, abolished Klotho deficiency-induced arterial stiffness and hypertension in KL +/- mice. Klotho deficiency was associated with significant decreases in activities of AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in aortas, which were abolished by SRT1720. Furthermore, Klotho deficiency upregulated NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide production, increased collagen expression, and enhanced elastin fragmentation in the media of aortas. These Klotho deficiency-associated changes were blocked by SRT1720. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that Klotho deficiency downregulates SIRT1 activity in arterial endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Pharmacological activation of SIRT1 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for arterial stiffness and hypertension. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.
Bicarbonate enhances the in vitro antibiotic activity of kanamycin in Escherichia coli.
Gutiérrez-Huante, M; Martínez, H; Bustamante, V H; Puente, J L; Sánchez, J
2015-05-01
Growth of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli E2348/69 was inhibited by bicarbonate in a dose-dependent manner, showing approximately 5% growth reduction at 5 mmol l(-1) while kanamycin at 3·12 μg ml(-1) inhibited growth by 15%, yet when kanamycin and bicarbonate were combined at these concentrations, inhibition increased to 80%. Unexpectedly, at bicarbonate concentrations >20 mmol l(-1) enhancement of the antibiotic activity virtually disappeared, i.e. there was a paradoxical Eagle-like effect. How bicarbonate acts is unclear, but neutral or alkaline pH also enhanced the activity of kanamycin. However, several differences indicated a separate effect of bicarbonate. First, bicarbonate inhibited growth more than the corresponding increments in pH. Second, at low concentration, the antibiotic enhancing effect of bicarbonate was stronger than the effect of pH alone. Third, 5 mmol l(-1) bicarbonate significantly enhanced the activity of kanamycin while the corresponding pH had no effect. Fourth, the Eagle-like effect was exclusive of bicarbonate because changes in pH did not induce an analogous behaviour. Notwithstanding the mechanism, the enhancing effect of bicarbonate was indubitable. Consequently, it seems worthwhile to explore further its potential to improve the efficacy of aminoglycosides and maybe even other antibiotics. Bicarbonate at a low concentration enhanced the in vitro antibiotic activity of kanamycin and gentamicin. Even though the action mechanism of bicarbonate is hitherto unknown, it seems worthwhile to explore further its capacity to improve the efficacy of aminoglycosides. Clearly, the well-known harmful side-effects of aminoglycosides are a concern. However, it has recently been shown in a fish model that bicarbonate may protect ciliary cells against the damage caused by aminoglycosides. So, it seems possible that bicarbonate could help reduce aminoglycoside dosage at the same time that it might help lessen the damage to auditory ciliary cells in
Sports activities enhance the prevalence of rhinitis symptoms in schoolchildren.
Kusunoki, Takashi; Takeuchi, Jiro; Morimoto, Takeshi; Sakuma, Mio; Mukaida, Kumiko; Yasumi, Takahiro; Nishikomori, Ryuta; Heike, Toshio
2016-03-01
To evaluate the association between sports activities and allergic symptoms, especially rhinitis, among schoolchildren. This longitudinal survey of schoolchildren collected data from questionnaires regarding allergic symptoms based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) program and sports participation that were distributed to the parents of children at all 12 public primary schools in Ohmi-Hachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Data were collected annually from 2011 until 2014, when the children reached 10 years of age. Blood samples were obtained in 2014, and the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)E specific to four inhalant allergens were measured. Data from 558 children were analyzed. At 10 years of age, prevalence of asthma and eczema did not differ significantly, while rhinitis was significantly higher (p = 0.009) among children who participated in sports. Prevalence of rhinitis increased as the frequency or duration of sports participation increased (p < 0.01). The prevalence of new-onset rhinitis increased significantly among 10-year-olds with increasing duration of participation in sports (p = 0.03). Among those who participated in continuous sports activities, the prevalence of rhinitis was significantly higher with prolonged eczema (p = 0.006). Sports activities did not increase sensitization to inhalant allergens. Sports activities enhance the prevalence of rhinitis in schoolchildren. Prolonged eczema, together with sports participation, further promotes the symptoms. The mechanisms of these novel findings warrant further investigation. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Circadian variations of interferon-induced enhancement of human natural killer (NK) cell activity.
Gatti, G; Cavallo, R; Sartori, M L; Carignola, R; Masera, R; Delponte, D; Salvadori, A; Angeli, A
1988-01-01
We searched for circadian changes in the enhancement of the NK activity after exposure to IFN-gamma of peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells obtained serially throughout the 24-h cycle. In August-October 1986, blood was drawn from 7 healthy, diurnally active and nocturnally resting male volunteers (22-34 yr) at 4-h intervals for 24 h starting at 08:00. PBM cells were immediately separated and assayed for NK cell activity, using K 562 cultured cells as a target in a 4-h 51Cr release assay after prior incubation for 20 h with buffer or 300 IU rIFN-gamma. Circadian variations of the spontaneous NK cell cytotoxicity were apparent; the activity was at its maximum at the end of the night or in the early morning and then declined in the afternoon. The 24-h rhythmic pattern was validated with statistical significance by the Cosinor method (p less than 0.02; acrophase 04:22). Maximum enhancement by IFN-gamma was attained in the second part of the night or in the early morning, i.e. in phase with the peak of the spontaneous NK cell activity. A significant circadian rhythm of the percent increase above control levels was validated by the Cosinor method (p less than 0.01; acrophase 04:03). Our findings may be of relevance to a better understanding of the mechanisms of control of human NK activity and warrant consideration as an approach to improve the effectiveness of time-qualified immunotherapy.
Enhanced venous thrombus resolution in plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2 deficient mice.
Siefert, S A; Chabasse, C; Mukhopadhyay, S; Hoofnagle, M H; Strickland, D K; Sarkar, R; Antalis, T M
2014-10-01
The resolution of deep vein thrombosis requires an inflammatory response and mobilization of proteases, such as urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), to degrade the thrombus and remodel the injured vein wall. Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) with unique immunosuppressive and cell survival properties that was originally identified as an inhibitor of uPA. To investigate the role of PAI-2 in venous thrombus formation and resolution. Venous thrombus resolution was compared in wild-type C57BL/6, PAI-2(-/-) , and PAI-1(-/-) mice using the stasis model of deep vein thrombosis. Formed thrombi were harvested, thrombus weights were recorded, and tissue was analyzed for uPA and MMP activities, PAI-1 expression, and the nature of inflammatory cell infiltration. We found that the absence of PAI-2 enhanced venous thrombus resolution, while thrombus formation was unaffected. Enhanced venous thrombus resolution in PAI-2(-/-) mice was associated with increased uPA activity and reduced levels of PAI-1, with no significant effect on MMP-2 and -9 activities. PAI-1 deficiency resulted in an increase in thrombus resolution similar to PAI-2 deficiency, but additionally reduced venous thrombus formation and altered MMP activity. PAI-2-deficient thrombi had increased levels of the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL2, which was associated with early enhanced neutrophil recruitment. These data identify PAI-2 as a novel regulator of venous thrombus resolution, which modulates several pathways involving both inflammatory and uPA activity mechanisms, distinct from PAI-1. Further examination of these pathways may lead to potential therapeutic prospects in accelerating thrombus resolution. © 2014 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
Targeting PIM kinase enhances the activity of sunitinib in renal cell carcinoma.
Mahalingam, D; Espitia, C M; Medina, E C; Esquivel, J A; Kelly, K R; Bearss, D; Choy, G; Taverna, P; Carew, J S; Giles, F J; Nawrocki, S T
2011-11-08
Upregulation of PIM kinase expression has been reported in many malignancies, suggesting that inhibition of PIM kinase activity may be an attractive therapeutic strategy. We hypothesised that inhibition of PIM kinase activity with SGI-1776, a novel small molecule inhibitor of PIM kinase activity, would reduce the viability of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells and enhance the activity of sunitinib. Immunoblotting, qRT-PCR, and gene expression arrays were carried out to identify genes modulated by SGI-1776 treatment. The anticancer activity of SGI-1776 and sunitinib was determined by viability and apoptosis assays and in tumour xenografts in vivo. Treatment with SGI-1776 led to a decrease in phosphorylated and total c-Myc levels, which resulted in the modulation of c-Myc target genes. SGI-1776 in combination with sunitinib induced a further reduction in c-Myc levels, which was associated with enhanced anticancer activity. siRNA-mediated knockdown of c-Myc demonstrated that its expression has a key role in regulating the sensitivity to the combination of SGI-1776 and sunitinib. Importantly, the combination significantly reduced tumour burden in two RCC xenograft models compared with single-agent therapy and was very well tolerated. These data indicate that targeting PIM kinase signalling is a promising treatment strategy for RCC. 2011 Cancer Research UK
Brg1 modulates enhancer activation in mesoderm lineage commitment
Alexander, Jeffrey M.; Hota, Swetansu K.; He, Daniel; ...
2015-03-26
The interplay between different levels of gene regulation in modulating developmental transcriptional programs, such as histone modifications and chromatin remodeling, is not well understood. Here, we show that the chromatin remodeling factor Brg1 is required for enhancer activation in mesoderm induction. In an embryonic stem cell-based directed differentiation assay, the absence of Brg1 results in a failure of cardiomyocyte differentiation and broad deregulation of lineage-specific gene expression during mesoderm induction. We find that Brg1 co-localizes with H3K27ac at distal enhancers and is required for robust H3K27 acetylation at distal enhancers that are activated during mesoderm induction. Brg1 is also requiredmore » to maintain Polycomb-mediated repression of non-mesodermal developmental regulators, suggesting cooperativity between Brg1 and Polycomb complexes. Thus, Brg1 is essential for modulating active and repressive chromatin states during mesoderm lineage commitment, in particular the activation of developmentally important enhancers. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate interplay between chromatin remodeling complexes and histone modifications that, together, ensure robust and broad gene regulation during crucial lineage commitment decisions.« less
A Hybrid Actuation System Demonstrating Significantly Enhanced Electromechanical Performance
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Su, Ji; Xu, Tian-Bing; Zhang, Shujun; Shrout, Thomas R.; Zhang, Qiming
2004-01-01
A hybrid actuation system (HYBAS) utilizing advantages of a combination of electromechanical responses of an electroactive polymer (EAP), an electrostrictive copolymer, and an electroactive ceramic single crystal, PZN-PT single crystal, has been developed. The system employs the contribution of the actuation elements cooperatively and exhibits a significantly enhanced electromechanical performance compared to the performances of the device made of each constituting material, the electroactive polymer or the ceramic single crystal, individually. The theoretical modeling of the performances of the HYBAS is in good agreement with experimental observation. The consistence between the theoretical modeling and experimental test make the design concept an effective route for the development of high performance actuating devices for many applications. The theoretical modeling, fabrication of the HYBAS and the initial experimental results will be presented and discussed.
Enhanced LPS-induced activation of IL-27 signalling in sarcoidosis.
Ringkowski, Sabine; Loke, Joshua; Huang, Shuying; Ahmadzai, Hasib; Herth, Felix J F; Thomas, Paul S; Herbert, Cristan
2016-08-01
Granulomas in sarcoidosis have recently been described as containing Interleukin (IL)-27, one of the members of the IL-12 family of cytokines, which also includes IL-35. Levels of these cytokines and the IL-27 receptor subunits were hypothesised to differ between patients with sarcoidosis compared to healthy controls in peripheral blood. Using a cross-sectional study design, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from patients and control subjects. Protein and mRNA (in PBMC) levels for IL-27 and IL-35 (IL27, EBI3, IL12A subunits) as well as IL-27 receptor (IL6ST and IL27RA subunits) were assessed spontaneously and following direct (LPS) and indirect (anti-CD3/28 activation beads) macrophage stimulation using RT- PCR, ELISA and flow cytometry. Following stimulation with LPS, PBMC of patients with sarcoidosis displayed significantly enhanced expression of IL27 and EBI3 mRNA (p = 0.020 and p = 0.037 respectively) compared to PBMCs from healthy controls. There was also significantly enhanced production of IL-27 by PBMC from patients with sarcoidosis compared to healthy controls in response to LPS stimulation (p = 0.027). IL6ST mRNA and IL6ST protein were significantly lower in patients with sarcoidosis (mRNA p = 0.0002; MFI p = 0.0015) whilst IL27RA protein levels were significantly higher in patients with sarcoidosis compared to healthy controls (MFI p < 0.0001). Plasma IL-35 protein levels did not differ between control and sarcoidosis subjects (p = 0.23). These results suggest there may be exaggerated activation of IL-27 signalling in response to LPS in sarcoidosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Struffi, Paolo; Corado, Maria; Kaplan, Leah; Yu, Danyang; Rushlow, Christine; Small, Stephen
2011-01-01
Despite years of study, the precise mechanisms that control position-specific gene expression during development are not understood. Here, we analyze an enhancer element from the even skipped (eve) gene, which activates and positions two stripes of expression (stripes 3 and 7) in blastoderm stage Drosophila embryos. Previous genetic studies showed that the JAK-STAT pathway is required for full activation of the enhancer, whereas the gap genes hunchback (hb) and knirps (kni) are required for placement of the boundaries of both stripes. We show that the maternal zinc-finger protein Zelda (Zld) is absolutely required for activation, and present evidence that Zld binds to multiple non-canonical sites. We also use a combination of in vitro binding experiments and bioinformatics analysis to redefine the Kni-binding motif, and mutational analysis and in vivo tests to show that Kni and Hb are dedicated repressors that function by direct DNA binding. These experiments significantly extend our understanding of how the eve enhancer integrates positive and negative transcriptional activities to generate sharp boundaries in the early embryo. PMID:21865322
Zink, Stephen I; Ohki, Stephen K; Stein, Barry; Zambuto, Domenic A; Rosenberg, Ronald J; Choi, Jenny J; Tubbs, Daniel S
2008-10-01
The purpose of our study was to compare contrast-enhanced MDCT and (99m)Tc-labeled RBC scanning for the evaluation of active lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Over 17 months, 55 patients (32 men, 23 women; age range, 21-92 years) were evaluated prospectively with contrast-enhanced MDCT using 100 mL of iopromide 300 mg I/mL. Technetium-99m-labeled RBC scans were obtained on 41 of 55 patients and select patients underwent angiography for attempted embolization. Each imaging technique was reviewed in a blinded fashion for sensitivity for detection of active bleeding as well as the active lower gastrointestinal bleeding location. Findings were positive on both examinations in eight patients and negative on both examinations in 20 patients. Findings were positive on contrast-enhanced MDCT and negative on (99m)Tc-labeled RBC in two patients; findings were negative on contrast-enhanced MDCT and positive on (99m)Tc-labeled RBC in 11 patients. Statistics showed significant disagreement, with simple agreement = 68.3%, kappa = 0.341, and p = 0.014. Sixteen of 60 (26.7%) contrast-enhanced MDCT scans were positive prospectively, with all accurately localizing the site of bleeding and identification of the underlying lesion in eight of 16 (50%). Nineteen of 41 (46.3%) (99m)Tc-labeled RBC scans were positive. Eighteen of 41 matched patients went on to angiography. In four of these 18 (22.2%) patients, the site of bleeding was confirmed by angiography, but in 14 of 18 (77.8%), the findings were negative. Contrast-enhanced MDCT and (99m)Tc-labeled RBC scanning show significant disagreement for evaluation of active lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Contrast-enhanced MDCT appears effective for detection and localization in cases of active lower gastrointestinal bleeding in which hemorrhage is active at the time of CT.
Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Diamond Thin Films Using Embedded Ag Nanoparticles.
Li, Shuo; Bandy, Jason A; Hamers, Robert J
2018-02-14
Silver nanoparticles embedded into the diamond thin films enhance the optical absorption and the photocatalytic activity toward the solvated electron-initiated reduction of N 2 to NH 3 in water. Here, we demonstrate the formation of diamond films with embedded Ag nanoparticles <100 nm in diameter. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dependent SEM, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis demonstrate the formation of encapsulated nanoparticles. Optical absorption measurements in the visible and ultraviolet region show that the resulting films exhibit plasmonic resonances in the visible and near-ultraviolet region. Measurements of photocatalytic activity using supraband gap (λ < 225 nm) and sub-band gap (λ > 225 nm) excitation show significantly enhanced ability to convert N 2 to NH 3 . Incorporation of Ag nanoparticles induces a nearly 5-fold increase in activity using a sub-band gap excitation with λ > 225 nm. Our results suggest that internal photoemission, in which electrons are excited from Ag into diamond's conduction band, is an important process that extends the wavelength region beyond diamond's band gap. Other factors, including Ag-induced optical scattering and formation of graphitic impurities are also discussed.
Enhancement of knowledge construction activities utilizing 21st century learning design rubric
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pedoche, Margarette Anne U.; Taladua, Janica Mae M.; Panal, Geicky Pearl C.; Magsayo, Joy R.; Guarin, Rica Mae B.; Myrna, H. Lahoylahoy
2018-01-01
The main objective of the study was to enhance knowledge construction activities on its design particularly the objectives, support materials, student activities and assessment tools. Activities from the 2nd Quarter of Science Learners Material were the basis in the adaptation of activities. The adapted activities were evaluated by the In-service Science teachers and undergone modification by the researchers based on the teacher's comments and suggestions. It was then evaluated, revised, and validated, tried-out using the 21st CLD Rubric. Subjects of the study were 110 students from Grade 7-B, Grade 7-D, Grade 7-F in Geronima Cabrera National High School, Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte during the academic year 2016-2017, the study to determine their learning capabilities investigated by the use of Knowledge Construction Activities in the 21st Century Classroom, to investigate how the lessons were understood and appreciated by students, to stimulate interpretation, analysis, synthesizing, or evaluating ideas and develop critical thinking. Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from the students' scores in three activities. Results showed that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of students. Mean scores between the pretest and posttest showed a mean difference of 3.35, thus the null hypothesis was rejected. It could be concluded with sufficient evidence to show that the students had basically low prior knowledge about the topic ecosystem. A significant difference was seen in the pretest and posttest, scores of the activities and Ecosystem model results after the implementation phase that a knowledge construction type of activity was better than the traditional one for it promoted meaningful learning and active engagement of students. Based on the results, it was clear that the use of knowledge construction activities had an effect on student's achievement in comparison to traditional teaching method. Thus, it was
The Running Wheel Enhances Food Anticipatory Activity: An Exploratory Study
Flôres, Danilo E. F. L.; Bettilyon, Crystal N.; Jia, Lori; Yamazaki, Shin
2016-01-01
Rodents anticipate rewarding stimuli such as daily meals, mates, and stimulant drugs. When a single meal is provided daily at a fixed time of day, an increase in activity, known as food anticipatory activity (FAA), occurs several hours before feeding time. The factors affecting the expression of FAA have not been well-studied. Understanding these factors may provide clues to the undiscovered anatomical substrates of food entrainment. In this study we determined whether wheel-running activity, which is also rewarding to rodents, modulated the robustness of FAA. We found that access to a freely rotating wheel enhanced the robustness of FAA. This enhancement was lost when the wheel was removed. In addition, while prior exposure to a running wheel alone did not enhance FAA, the presence of a locked wheel did enhance FAA as long as mice had previously run in the wheel. Together, these data suggest that FAA, like wheel-running activity, is influenced by reward signaling. PMID:27458354
The Running Wheel Enhances Food Anticipatory Activity: An Exploratory Study.
Flôres, Danilo E F L; Bettilyon, Crystal N; Jia, Lori; Yamazaki, Shin
2016-01-01
Rodents anticipate rewarding stimuli such as daily meals, mates, and stimulant drugs. When a single meal is provided daily at a fixed time of day, an increase in activity, known as food anticipatory activity (FAA), occurs several hours before feeding time. The factors affecting the expression of FAA have not been well-studied. Understanding these factors may provide clues to the undiscovered anatomical substrates of food entrainment. In this study we determined whether wheel-running activity, which is also rewarding to rodents, modulated the robustness of FAA. We found that access to a freely rotating wheel enhanced the robustness of FAA. This enhancement was lost when the wheel was removed. In addition, while prior exposure to a running wheel alone did not enhance FAA, the presence of a locked wheel did enhance FAA as long as mice had previously run in the wheel. Together, these data suggest that FAA, like wheel-running activity, is influenced by reward signaling.
Engineering enhanced cellobiohydrolase activity
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Taylor, Larry E.; Knott, Brandon C.; Baker, John O.
Glycoside Hydrolase Family 7 cellobiohydrolases (GH7 CBHs) catalyze cellulose depolymerization in cellulolytic eukaryotes, making them key discovery and engineering targets. However, there remains a lack of robust structure–activity relationships for these industrially important cellulases. Here, we compare CBHs from Trichoderma reesei (TrCel7A) and Penicillium funiculosum (PfCel7A), which exhibit a multi-modular architecture consisting of catalytic domain (CD), carbohydrate-binding module, and linker. We show that PfCel7A exhibits 60% greater performance on biomass than TrCel7A. To understand the contribution of each domain to this improvement, we measure enzymatic activity for a library of CBH chimeras with swapped subdomains, demonstrating that the enhancement ismore » mainly caused by PfCel7A CD. We solve the crystal structure of PfCel7A CD and use this information to create a second library of TrCel7A CD mutants, identifying a TrCel7A double mutant with near-equivalent activity to wild-type PfCel7A. Overall, these results reveal CBH regions that enable targeted activity improvements.« less
Engineering enhanced cellobiohydrolase activity
Taylor, Larry E.; Knott, Brandon C.; Baker, John O.; ...
2018-03-22
Glycoside Hydrolase Family 7 cellobiohydrolases (GH7 CBHs) catalyze cellulose depolymerization in cellulolytic eukaryotes, making them key discovery and engineering targets. However, there remains a lack of robust structure–activity relationships for these industrially important cellulases. Here, we compare CBHs from Trichoderma reesei (TrCel7A) and Penicillium funiculosum (PfCel7A), which exhibit a multi-modular architecture consisting of catalytic domain (CD), carbohydrate-binding module, and linker. We show that PfCel7A exhibits 60% greater performance on biomass than TrCel7A. To understand the contribution of each domain to this improvement, we measure enzymatic activity for a library of CBH chimeras with swapped subdomains, demonstrating that the enhancement ismore » mainly caused by PfCel7A CD. We solve the crystal structure of PfCel7A CD and use this information to create a second library of TrCel7A CD mutants, identifying a TrCel7A double mutant with near-equivalent activity to wild-type PfCel7A. Overall, these results reveal CBH regions that enable targeted activity improvements.« less
Enhanced Venous Thrombus Resolution in Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type-2 Deficient Mice
Siefert, Suzanne A; Chabasse, Christine; Mukhopadhyay, Subhradip; Hoofnagle, Mark H; Strickland, Dudley K; Sarkar, Rajabrata; Antalis, Toni M
2014-01-01
Background The resolution of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) requires an inflammatory response and mobilization of proteases, such as urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), to degrade the thrombus and remodel the injured vein wall. PAI-2 is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) with unique immunosuppressive and cell survival properties that was originally identified as an inhibitor of uPA. Objective To investigate the role of PAI-2 in venous thrombus formation and resolution. Methods Venous thrombus resolution was compared in wild type C57BL/6, PAI-2 -/- and PAI-1 -/- mice using the stasis model of DVT. Formed thrombi were harvested, thrombus weights were recorded, and tissue was analyzed for uPA, and MMP activities, PAI-1 expression, and the nature of inflammatory cell infiltration. Results We found that absence of PAI-2 enhanced venous thrombus resolution, while thrombus formation was unaffected. Enhanced venous thrombus resolution in PAI-2 -/- mice was associated with increased uPA activity and reduced levels of PAI-1, with no significant effect on MMP-2 and -9 activities. PAI-1 deficiency resulted in an increase in thrombus resolution similar to PAI-2 deficiency, but additionally reduced venous thrombus formation and altered MMP activity. PAI-2 deficient thrombi had increased levels of the neutrophil chemoattractant, CXCL2, which was associated with early enhanced neutrophil recruitment. Conclusions These data identify PAI-2 as a novel regulator of venous thrombus resolution, which modulates several pathways involving both inflammatory and uPA activity mechanisms, distinct from PAI-1. Further examination of these pathways may lead to potential therapeutic prospects in accelerating thrombus resolution. PMID:25041188
Sun-Mi Hwang; Choi, YongMan; Kim, Min Gyu; ...
2016-03-08
The high cost of Pt-based membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) is a critical hurdle for the commercialization of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Recently, non-precious metal-based catalysts (NPMCs) have demonstrated much enhanced activity but their oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is still inferior to that of Pt-based catalysts resulting in a much thicker electrode in the MEA. For the reduction of mass transport and ohmic overpotential we adopted a new concept of catalyst that combines an ultra-low amount of Pt nanoclusters with metal–nitrogen (M–Nx) doped ordered mesoporous porphyrinic carbon (FeCo–OMPC(L)). The 5 wt% Pt/FeCo–OMPC(L) showed a 2-fold enhancement in activities comparedmore » to a higher loading of Pt. Our experimental results supported by first-principles calculations indicate that a trace amount of Pt nanoclusters on FeCo–OMPC(L) significantly enhances the ORR activity due to their electronic effect as well as geometric effect from the reduced active sites. Finally, in terms of fuel cell commercialization, this class of catalysts is a promising candidate due to the limited use of Pt in the MEA.« less
Lv, Jing; Feng, Hao; Chen, Ling; Wang, Wei-Yao; Yue, Xue-Ling; Jin, Qing-Hua
2017-10-18
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is widely accepted as the best studied model for neurophysiological mechanisms that could underlie learning and memory formation. Despite a number of studies indicating that β-adrenoceptors in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) is involved in the modulation of learning and memory as well as LTP, few studies have used glutamate release as a visual indicator in awake animals to explore the role of β-adrenoceptors in learning-dependent LTP. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of propranolol (an antagonist of β-adrenoceptor) and isoproterenol (an agonist of β-adrenoceptor) on extracellular concentrations of glutamate and amplitudes of field excitatory postsynaptic potential were measured in the DG region during active avoidance learning in freely moving conscious rats. In the control group, the glutamate level in the DG was significantly increased during the acquisition of active avoidance behavior and returned to basal level following extinction training. In propranolol group, antagonism of β-adrenoceptors in the DG significantly reduced the change in glutamate level, and the acquisition of the active avoidance behavior was significantly inhibited. In contrast, the change in glutamate level was significantly enhanced by isoproterenol, and the acquisition of the active avoidance behavior was significantly accelerated. Furthermore, in all groups, the changes in glutamate level were accompanied by corresponding changes in field excitatory postsynaptic potential amplitude and active avoidance behavior. Our results suggest that activation of β-adrenoceptors in the hippocampal DG facilitates active avoidance learning by modulations of glutamate level and synaptic efficiency in rats.
Gao, Diansa; Zuo, Zhong; Tian, Jing; Ali, Quaisar; Lin, Yi; Lei, Han; Sun, Zhongjie
2016-01-01
Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for stroke and myocardial infarction. This study was designed to investigate the role of SIRT1, an important deacetylase, and its relationship with Klotho, a kidney-derived aging-suppressor protein, in the pathogenesis of arterial stiffness and hypertension. We found that the serum level of Klotho was decreased by nearly 45% in patients with arterial stiffness and hypertension. Interestingly, Klotho haplodeficiency caused arterial stiffening and hypertension, as evidenced by significant increases in pulse wave velocity (PWV) and blood pressure (BP) in Klotho-haplodeficient (KL+/−) mice. Notably, the expression and activity of SIRT1 were decreased significantly in aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells in KL+/− mice, suggesting that Klotho deficiency downregulates SIRT1. Treatment with SRT1720 (15 mg/kg/day, IP), a specific SIRT1 activator, abolished Klotho deficiency-induced arterial stiffness and hypertension in KL+/− mice. Klotho deficiency was associated with significant decreases in activities of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in aortas, which were abolished by SRT1720. Furthermore, Klotho deficiency upregulated NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide production, increased collagen expression, and enhanced elastin fragmentation in the media of aortas. These Klotho deficiency-associated changes were blocked by SRT1720. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that Klotho deficiency downregulates SIRT1 activity in arterial endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Pharmacological activation of SIRT1 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for arterial stiffness and hypertension. PMID:27620389
Bioengineered nisin derivatives with enhanced activity in complex matrices
Rouse, Susan; Field, Des; Daly, Karen M.; O'Connor, Paula M.; Cotter, Paul D.; Hill, Colin; Ross, R. Paul
2012-01-01
Summary Nisin A is the best known and most extensively characterized lantibiotic. As it is ribosomally synthesized, bioengineering‐based strategies can be used to generate variants. We have previously demonstrated that bioengineering of the hinge region of nisin A can result in the generation of variants with enhanced anti‐microbial activity against Gram‐positive pathogens. Here we created a larger bank of hinge variant producers and screened for producers that exhibit enhanced bioactivity as assessed by agar‐based assays against a selection of target strains. Further analysis of 12 ‘lead’ variants reveals that in many cases enhanced bioactivity is not attributable to enhanced specific activity but is instead as a consequence of an enhanced ability to diffuse through complex polymers. In the case of two variants, which contain the residues SVA and NAK, respectively, within the hinge region, we demonstrate that this enhanced trait enables the peptides to dramatically outperform nisin A with respect to controlling Listeria monocytogenes in commercially produced chocolate milk that contains carrageenan as a stabilizer. PMID:22260415
Enhancement of Buckling Load with the Use of Active Materials
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Yuan, F. G.
2002-01-01
In this paper, active buckling control of a beam using piezoelectric materials is investigated. Under small deformation, mathematical models are developed to describe the behavior of the beams subjected to an axial compressive load with geometric imperfections and load eccentricities under piezoelectric force. Two types of supports, simply supported and clamped, of the beam with a partially bonded piezoelectric actuator are used to illustrate the concept. For the beam with load eccentricities and initial geometric imperfections, the load- carrying capacity can be significantly enhanced by counteracting moments from the piezoelectric actuator. For the single piezoelectric actuator, using static feedback closed-loop control, the first buckling load can be eliminated. In the case of initially straight beams, analytical solutions of the enhanced first critical buckling load due to the increase of bending stiffness by piezoelectric actuators are derived based on linearized buckling analysis.
Aged refuse enhances anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.
Zhao, Jianwei; Gui, Lin; Wang, Qilin; Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Dongbo; Ni, Bing-Jie; Li, Xiaoming; Xu, Rui; Zeng, Guangming; Yang, Qi
2017-10-15
In this work, a low-cost alternative approach (i.e., adding aged refuse (AR) into waste activated sludge) to significantly enhance anaerobic digestion of sludge was reported. Experimental results showed that with the addition dosage of AR increasing from 0 to 400 mg/g dry sludge soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) increased from 1150 to 5240 mg/L at the digestion time of 5 d, while the maximal production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) increased from 82.6 to 183.9 mg COD/g volatile suspended solids. Although further increase of AR addition decreased the concentrations of both soluble COD and VFA, their contents in these systems with AR addition at any concentration investigated were still higher than those in the blank, which resulted in higher methane yields in these systems. Mechanism studies revealed that pertinent addition of AR promoted solubilization, hydrolysis, and acidogenesis processes and did not affect methanogenesis significantly. It was found that varieties of enzymes and anaerobes in AR were primary reason for the enhancement of anaerobic digestion. Humic substances in AR benefited hydrolysis and acidogenesis but inhibited methanogenesis. The effect of heavy metals in AR on sludge anaerobic digestion was dosage dependent. Sludge anaerobic digestion was enhanced by appropriate amounts of heavy metals but inhibited by excessive amounts of heavy metals. The relative abundances of microorganisms responsible for sludge hydrolysis and acidogenesis were also observed to be improved in the system with AR addition, which was consistent with the performance of anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gottwald, E; Gottwald, M; Dhein, S
1998-01-01
Objective—To examine how epicardial activation and repolarisation patterns change in the course of ischaemia, and how these changes are related to the underlying histological structures. Methods—Langendorff perfused isolated rabbit hearts were submitted to 30 minutes of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. A 256 channel epicardial map was plotted during the various experimental phases. Activation time points were determined as t(dU/dtmin) and repolarisation time points as t(dU/dtmax). From these data the local activation-recovery interval (ARI), its dispersion (SD of ARI), and the geometry of the activation spread could be analysed. After the experiments the hearts were processed histologically and the mapping data were projected onto histological slides. Results—There was elevation of the ST segment within the occluded area, which recovered during reperfusion. Within this area, ARI was significantly shortened and its dispersion was maximally enhanced. The enhancement of dispersion was pronounced at sites of histological inhomogeneity like fat, connective tissue, or vessels. There was also a change in the preferential direction of activation spread within the occluded zone with a marked transverse propagation of the activation wavefront, whereas under normal conditions the activation followed the longitudinal fibre axis. In addition, the total activation time in the occluded area was significantly prolonged. Conclusions—Ischaemia alters the local activation pattern with enhanced dispersion, especially at sites of histological irregularity, transverse shift of the activation waves, and a general slowing of conduction, which may explain the increased susceptibility to arrhythmia in hearts with enhanced histological irregularities—for example, an infarct or in multi-infarcted hearts, or after myocarditis. Keywords: dispersion; epicardial activation-recovery interval; ischaemia PMID
ChIP-seq Accurately Predicts Tissue-Specific Activity of Enhancers
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Visel, Axel; Blow, Matthew J.; Li, Zirong
2009-02-01
A major yet unresolved quest in decoding the human genome is the identification of the regulatory sequences that control the spatial and temporal expression of genes. Distant-acting transcriptional enhancers are particularly challenging to uncover since they are scattered amongst the vast non-coding portion of the genome. Evolutionary sequence constraint can facilitate the discovery of enhancers, but fails to predict when and where they are active in vivo. Here, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation with the enhancer-associated protein p300, followed by massively-parallel sequencing, to map several thousand in vivo binding sites of p300 in mouse embryonic forebrain, midbrain, and limb tissue. Wemore » tested 86 of these sequences in a transgenic mouse assay, which in nearly all cases revealed reproducible enhancer activity in those tissues predicted by p300 binding. Our results indicate that in vivo mapping of p300 binding is a highly accurate means for identifying enhancers and their associated activities and suggest that such datasets will be useful to study the role of tissue-specific enhancers in human biology and disease on a genome-wide scale.« less
Enhancement of collaboration activities utilizing 21st century learning design rubric
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cubero, Dave D.; Gargar, Clare V., Lady; Nallano, Gerlett Grace D.; Magsayo, Joy R.; Guarin, Rica Mae B.; Lahoylahoy, Myrna E.
2018-01-01
Twenty first century learners have incredibly diverse learning interests, needs, and aspirations. Engaging middle school students and sculpting successful, confident, and creative learners is a constant endeavor for educators [4]. In the 21st century classroom environments in which students can develop the skills they need in workplace. Collaboration occurs when students work together to create, discuss challenge and develop deeper critical thinking. In today's workplace, collaboration is essential as only few tasks are completed alone (Calgary and Park, 2016). The collaborative project-based curriculum used in this classroom develops the higher order thinking skills, effective communication skills, and knowledge of technology that students will need in the 21st century workplace. The study therefore aims to promote collaboration skills among learners as it is deemed as one of the top 21st century skills. Collaborative learning unleashes a unique intellectual and social synergy. This study aims to enhance the collaborative skills of students through conducting collaboration activities in learning the Ecosystem. This research utilizes pretest-posttest and employs descriptive research designs. It uses modified activities about the lesson on Ecosystem and utilizes a Collaboration Rubric to rate the modified activities. The activities were rated by ten In-Service teachers and there are 105 students who participated in doing the activities. The paired t-test is then used to analyze the data. The In-Service teachers evaluated the 1st and 2nd adapted activity and are rated as fair. Thus, the modified activities were enhanced since the ratings of each activity did not meet the criterion of the collaboration rubric. As for the 3rd adapted activity is rated as excellent and is ready for implementation. The evaluators provided comments and suggestions such as producing colored pictures on the activities, omitting some questions, and making the words simpler to enhance the
Enhanced Multistatic Active Sonar via Innovative Signal Processing
2015-09-30
3. DATES COVERED (From - To) Oct. 01, 2014-Sept. 30, 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Enhanced Multistatic Active Sonar via Innovative Signal...active sonar (CAS) in the presence of strong direct blast is studied for the Doppler-tolerant linear frequency modulation waveform. A receiver design...beamformer variants is examined. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Pulsed active sonar (PAS), continuous active sonar (CAS), strong delay and Doppler-spread direct blast
Targeting PIM kinase enhances the activity of sunitinib in renal cell carcinoma
Mahalingam, D; Espitia, C M; Medina, E C; Esquivel, J A; Kelly, K R; Bearss, D; Choy, G; Taverna, P; Carew, J S; Giles, F J; Nawrocki, S T
2011-01-01
Background: Upregulation of PIM kinase expression has been reported in many malignancies, suggesting that inhibition of PIM kinase activity may be an attractive therapeutic strategy. We hypothesised that inhibition of PIM kinase activity with SGI-1776, a novel small molecule inhibitor of PIM kinase activity, would reduce the viability of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells and enhance the activity of sunitinib. Methods: Immunoblotting, qRT–PCR, and gene expression arrays were carried out to identify genes modulated by SGI-1776 treatment. The anticancer activity of SGI-1776 and sunitinib was determined by viability and apoptosis assays and in tumour xenografts in vivo. Results: Treatment with SGI-1776 led to a decrease in phosphorylated and total c-Myc levels, which resulted in the modulation of c-Myc target genes. SGI-1776 in combination with sunitinib induced a further reduction in c-Myc levels, which was associated with enhanced anticancer activity. siRNA-mediated knockdown of c-Myc demonstrated that its expression has a key role in regulating the sensitivity to the combination of SGI-1776 and sunitinib. Importantly, the combination significantly reduced tumour burden in two RCC xenograft models compared with single-agent therapy and was very well tolerated. Conclusion: These data indicate that targeting PIM kinase signalling is a promising treatment strategy for RCC. PMID:22015557
Compatibility of Surfactants and Thermally Activated Persulfate for Enhanced Subsurface Remediation.
Wang, Li; Peng, Libin; Xie, Liling; Deng, Peiyan; Deng, Dayi
2017-06-20
Limited aqueous availability of hydrophobic organic contaminants and nonaqueous phase liquids in subsurface environment may seriously impair the effectiveness of traditional in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO). To tackle the issue, a combination of surfactants and thermally activated persulfate was proposed to enhance the aqueous availability and consequent oxidation of organic contaminants. The compatibility of eight representative nonionic, monovalent anionic, and divalent anionic surfactants with persulfate at various temperatures was first studied, to identify suitable surfactants that have high aqueous stability and low oxidant demands to couple with thermally activated persulfate. C 12 -MADS (sodium dodecyl diphenyl ether disulfonate, a representative divalent anionic surfactant) stands out as the most compatible surfactant. Batch treatability study with coal tar, an example of challenging scenarios for traditional ISCO, was then conducted. The results show that C 12 -MADS can significantly enhance not only the oxidation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons contained in coal tar but also oxidant utilization efficiency, indicating the potential of the proposed coupling process for the treatment of organic contaminants with low aqueous availability.
De Franco, Antonio; Di Veronica, Alessandra; Armuzzi, Alessandro; Roberto, Italia; Marzo, Manuela; De Pascalis, Barbara; De Vitis, Italo; Papa, Alfredo; Bock, Enrico; Danza, Francesco M; Bonomo, Lorenzo; Guidi, Luisa
2012-02-01
To quantitatively assess microvascular activation in the thickened ileal walls of patients with Crohn disease (CD) by using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (US) and evaluate its correlation with widely used indexes of CD activity. This prospective study was approved by the ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. The authors examined 54 consecutively enrolled patients (mean age, 35.29 years; age range, 18-69 years; 39 men, 15 women) with endoscopically confirmed CD of the terminal ileum. Ileal wall segments thicker than 3 mm were examined with low-mechanical-index contrast-enhanced US and a second-generation US contrast agent. The authors analyzed software-plotted time-enhancement intensity curves to determine the maximum peak intensity (MPI) and wash-in slope coefficient (β) and evaluated their correlation with (a) the composite index of CD activity (CICDA), (b) the CD activity index (CDAI), and (c) the simplified endoscopic score for CD (SES-CD, evaluated in 37 patients) for the terminal ileum. Statistical analysis was performed with the Mann-Whitney test, Spearman rank test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. MPI and β coefficients were significantly increased in the 36 patients with a CICDA indicative of active disease (P<.0001 for both), the 33 patients with a CDAI of at least 150 (P<.032 and P<.0074, respectively), and the 26 patients with an SES-CD of at least 1 (P<.0001 and P<.002, respectively). ROC analysis revealed accurate identification (compared with CICDA) of active CD with an MPI threshold of 24 video intensity (VI) (sensitivity, 97%; specificity, 83%) and a β coefficient of 4.5 VI/sec (sensitivity, 86%; specificity, 83%). Contrast-enhanced US of the ileal wall is a promising method for objective, reproducible assessment of disease activity in patients with ileal CD. © RSNA, 2011
2013-01-01
Background The use of the organized sports sector as a setting for health-promotion is a relatively new strategy. In the past few years, different countries have been investing resources in the organized sports sector for promoting health-enhancing physical activity. In the Netherlands, National Sports Federations were funded to develop and implement “easily accessible” sporting programs, aimed at the least active population groups. Start to Run, a 6-week training program for novice runners, developed by the Dutch Athletics Organization, is one of these programs. In this study, the effects of Start to Run on health-enhancing physical activity were investigated. Methods Physical activity levels of Start to Run participants were assessed by means of the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health-enhancing physical activity (SQUASH) at baseline, immediately after completing the program and six months after baseline. A control group, matched for age and sex, was assessed at baseline and after six months. Compliance with the Dutch physical activity guidelines was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures were the total time spent in physical activity and the time spent in each physical activity intensity category and domain. Changes in physical activity within groups were tested with paired t-tests and McNemar tests. Changes between groups were examined with multiple linear and logistic regression analyses. Results In the Start to Run group, the percentage of people who met the Dutch Norm for Health-enhancing Physical Activity, Fit-norm and Combi-norm increased significantly, both in the short- and longer-term. In the control group, no significant changes in physical activity were observed. When comparing results between groups, significantly more Start to Run participants compared with control group participants were meeting the Fit-norm and Combi-norm after six months. The differences in physical activity between groups in favor of the Start to Run group
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Meador, Michael A.
2005-01-01
Single-wall carbon nanotubes have been shown to possess a combination of outstanding mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. The use of carbon nanotubes as an additive to improve the mechanical properties of polymers and/or enhance their thermal and electrical conductivity has been a topic of intense interest. Nanotube-modified polymeric materials could find a variety of applications in NASA missions including large-area antennas, solar arrays, and solar sails; radiation shielding materials for vehicles, habitats, and extravehicular activity suits; and multifunctional materials for vehicle structures and habitats. Use of these revolutionary materials could reduce vehicle weight significantly and improve vehicle performance and capabilities.
Yamanaka, Atsushi; Oddgun, Duangjai; Chantawat, Nantarat; Okabayashi, Tamaki; Ramasoota, Pongrama; Churrotin, Siti; Kotaki, Tomohiro; Kameoka, Masanori; Soegijanto, Soegeng; Konishi, Eiji
2016-04-01
Dengue virus (DENV) infection-enhancing antibodies are a hypothetic factor to increase the dengue disease severity. In this study, we investigated the enhancing antibodies against Indonesian strains of DENV-1-4 in 50 healthy inhabitants of central Thailand (Bangkok and Uthai Thani). Indonesia and Thailand have seen the highest dengue incidence in Southeast Asia. The infection history of each subject was estimated by comparing his/her neutralizing antibody titers against prototype DENV-1-4 strains. To resolve the difficulty in obtaining foreign live viruses for use as assay antigens, we used a recombinant system to prepare single-round infectious dengue viral particles based on viral sequence information. Irrespective of the previously infecting serotype(s), most serum samples showed significantly higher enhancement titers against Indonesian DENV-2 strains than against Thai DENV-2 strains, whereas the opposite effect was observed for the DENV-3 strains. Equivalent enhancing activities were observed against both DENV-1 and DENV-4. These results suggest that the genotype has an impact on enhancing antibody activities against DENV-2 and DENV-3, because the predominant circulating genotypes of each serotype differ between Indonesia and Thailand. Copyright © 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Enhancer Activation Requires Trans-Recruitment of a Mega Transcription Factor Complex
Liu, Zhijie; Merkurjev, Daria; Yang, Feng; Li, Wenbo; Oh, Soohwan; Friedman, Meyer J.; Song, Xiaoyuan; Zhang, Feng; Ma, Qi; Ohgi, Kenneth; Krones, Anna; Rosenfeld, Michael G.
2014-01-01
Summary Enhancers provide critical information directing cell-type specific transcriptional programs, regulated by binding of signal-dependent transcription factors and their associated cofactors. Here we report that the most strongly activated estrogen (E2)-responsive enhancers are characterized by trans-recruitment and in situ assembly of a large 1-2 MDa complex of diverse DNA-binding transcription factors by ERα at ERE-containing enhancers. We refer to enhancers recruiting these factors as mega transcription factor-bound in trans (MegaTrans) enhancers. The MegaTrans complex is a signature of the most potent functional enhancers and is required for activation of enhancer RNA transcription and recruitment of coactivators, including p300 and Med1. The MegaTrans complex functions, in part, by recruiting specific enzymatic machinery, exemplified by DNA-dependent protein kinase. Thus, MegaTrans-containing enhancers represent a cohort of functional enhancers that mediate a broad and important transcriptional program and provide a molecular explanation for transcription factor clustering and hotspots noted in the genome. PMID:25303530
Zotev, Vadim; Misaki, Masaya; Phillips, Raquel; Wong, Chung Ki; Bodurka, Jerzy
2018-02-01
Real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) with simultaneous EEG allows volitional modulation of BOLD activity of target brain regions and investigation of related electrophysiological activity. We applied this approach to study correlations between thalamic BOLD activity and alpha EEG rhythm. Healthy volunteers in the experimental group (EG, n = 15) learned to upregulate BOLD activity of the target region consisting of the mediodorsal (MD) and anterior (AN) thalamic nuclei using rtfMRI-nf during retrieval of happy autobiographical memories. Healthy subjects in the control group (CG, n = 14) were provided with a sham feedback. The EG participants were able to significantly increase BOLD activities of the MD and AN. Functional connectivity between the MD and the inferior precuneus was significantly enhanced during the rtfMRI-nf task. Average individual changes in the occipital alpha EEG power significantly correlated with the average MD BOLD activity levels for the EG. Temporal correlations between the occipital alpha EEG power and BOLD activities of the MD and AN were significantly enhanced, during the rtfMRI-nf task, for the EG compared to the CG. Temporal correlations with the alpha power were also significantly enhanced for the posterior nodes of the default mode network, including the precuneus/posterior cingulate, and for the dorsal striatum. Our findings suggest that the temporal correlation between the MD BOLD activity and posterior alpha EEG power is modulated by the interaction between the MD and the inferior precuneus, reflected in their functional connectivity. Our results demonstrate the potential of the rtfMRI-nf with simultaneous EEG for noninvasive neuromodulation studies of human brain function. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Kim, EunSook; Matsuse, Michiko; Saenko, Vladimir; Suzuki, Keiji; Ohtsuru, Akira; Yamashita, Shunichi
2012-01-01
Background We previously reported the partial effectiveness of imatinib (also known as STI571, Glivec, or Gleevec) on anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells. Imatinib is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been used for various types of cancer treatments. Recently, several reports have demonstrated that imatinib enhanced the sensitivity of cancer cells to other anticancer drugs. In this study, therefore, we investigated whether imatinib enhances the antitumor activity of docetaxel in ATC cells. Methods Two ATC cell lines, FRO and KTC-2, were treated with imatinib and/or docetaxel. Cell survival assay and flow cytometry for annexin V were used to assess the induction of apoptosis. Changes of pro- and antiapoptotic factors were determined by Western blot. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity was measured by DNA-binding assay. Tumor growth was also investigated in vivo. Results The combined treatment significantly enhanced apoptosis compared with single treatment. ATC cells themselves expressed high levels of antiapoptotic factors, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), and survivin. The treatment with docetaxel alone further increased their expressions; however, the combined treatment blocked the inductions. Although imatinib alone had no effect on NF-κB background levels, combined treatment significantly suppressed the docetaxel-induced NF-κB activation. Further, the combined administration of the drugs also showed significantly greater inhibitory effect on tumor growth in mice xenograft model. Conclusions Imatinib enhanced antitumor activity of docetaxel in ATC cells. Docetaxel seemed to induce both pro- and antiapoptotic signaling pathways in ATC cells, and imatinib blocked the antiapoptotic signal. Thus, docetaxel combined with imatinib emerges as an attractive strategy for the treatment of ATC. PMID:22650230
Functional assessment of human enhancer activities using whole-genome STARR-sequencing.
Liu, Yuwen; Yu, Shan; Dhiman, Vineet K; Brunetti, Tonya; Eckart, Heather; White, Kevin P
2017-11-20
Genome-wide quantification of enhancer activity in the human genome has proven to be a challenging problem. Recent efforts have led to the development of powerful tools for enhancer quantification. However, because of genome size and complexity, these tools have yet to be applied to the whole human genome. In the current study, we use a human prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP as a model to perform whole human genome STARR-seq (WHG-STARR-seq) to reliably obtain an assessment of enhancer activity. This approach builds upon previously developed STARR-seq in the fly genome and CapSTARR-seq techniques in targeted human genomic regions. With an improved library preparation strategy, our approach greatly increases the library complexity per unit of starting material, which makes it feasible and cost-effective to explore the landscape of regulatory activity in the much larger human genome. In addition to our ability to identify active, accessible enhancers located in open chromatin regions, we can also detect sequences with the potential for enhancer activity that are located in inaccessible, closed chromatin regions. When treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, genes nearby this latter class of enhancers are up-regulated, demonstrating the potential for endogenous functionality of these regulatory elements. WHG-STARR-seq provides an improved approach to current pipelines for analysis of high complexity genomes to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of transcriptional regulation.
Ma, Hai-Yan; Yang, Bo; Wang, Hong-Wei; Yang, Qi-Yin; Dai, Chuan-Chao
2016-01-15
Continuous cropping practices cause a severe decline in peanut yield. The aim of this study was to investigate the remediation effect of Serratia marcescens on continuously cropped peanut soil. A pot experiment was conducted under natural conditions to determine peanut agronomic indices, soil microorganism characteristics, soil enzyme activities and antagonism ability to typical pathogens at different growth stages. Four treatments were applied to red soil as follows: an active fermentation liquor of S. marcescens (RZ-21), an equivalent sterilized fermentation liquor (M), an equivalent fermentation medium (P) and distilled water (CK). S. marcescens significantly inhibited the two typical plant pathogens Fusarium oxysporum A1 and Ralstonia solanacearum B1 and reduced their populations in rhizosphere soil. The RZ-21 treatment significantly increased peanut yield, vine dry weight, root nodules and taproot length by 62.3, 33, 72 and 61.4% respectively, followed by the M treatment. The P treatment also increased root nodules and root length slightly. RZ-21 also enhanced the activities of soil urease, sucrase and hydrogen peroxidase at various stages. In addition, RZ-21 and M treatments increased the average population of soil bacteria and decreased the average population of fungi in the three critical peanut growth stages, except for M in the case of the fungal population at flowering, thus balancing the structure of the soil microorganism community. This is the first report of S. marcescens being applied to continuously cropped peanut soil. The results suggest that S. marcescens RZ-21 has the potential to improve the soil environment and agricultural products and thus allow the development of sustainable management practices. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Han, Hye Jung; Lee, Ji-Soo; Park, Sun-Ah; Ahn, Jun-Bae; Lee, Hyeon Gyu
2015-06-01
The aim of this study was to optimize extraction conditions for jujube pulp and seed in order to obtain maximum active ingredient yield and antioxidant activity, as well as to prepare chitosan nanoparticles loaded with jujube pulp and seed extracts for enhancing stability. The extraction conditions, i.e. temperature, time, and ethanol concentration, were optimized at the following respective values: 61.2 °C, 38 h, and 60.4% for pulp, and 58 °C, 34 h, and 59.2% for seed. The jujube nanoparticle size significantly increased with a higher chitosan/sodium tripolyphosphate ratio and extract concentration. Entrapment efficiency was greater than 80% regardless of preparation conditions. The stabilities of jujube pulp and seed extract in terms of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were effectively enhanced by nanoencapsulation. In conclusion, jujube pulp and seed extracts prepared using optimal conditions could be useful as a natural functional food ingredient with antioxidant activity, and nanoencapsulation can be used to improve the stability of jujube extract. Therefore, these results could be used to promote the utilization of not only jujube pulp but also seed, by product. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Widhalm, Georg; Kiesel, Barbara; Woehrer, Adelheid; Traub-Weidinger, Tatjana; Preusser, Matthias; Marosi, Christine; Prayer, Daniela; Hainfellner, Johannes A.; Knosp, Engelbert; Wolfsberger, Stefan
2013-01-01
Background Intraoperative identification of anaplastic foci in diffusely infiltrating gliomas (DIG) with non-significant contrast-enhancement on MRI is indispensible to avoid histopathological undergrading and subsequent treatment failure. Recently, we found that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence can visualize areas with increased proliferative and metabolic activity in such gliomas intraoperatively. As treatment of DIG is predominantely based on histopathological World Health Organisation (WHO) parameters, we analyzed whether PpIX fluorescence can detect anaplastic foci according to these criteria. Methods We prospectively included DIG patients with non-significant contrast-enhancement that received 5-ALA prior to resection. Intraoperatively, multiple samples from PpIX positive and negative intratumoral areas were collected using a modified neurosurgical microscope. In all samples, histopathological WHO criteria and proliferation rate were assessed and correlated to the PpIX fluorescence status. Results A total of 215 tumor specimens were collected in 59 patients. Of 26 WHO grade III gliomas, 23 cases (85%) showed focal PpIX fluorescence, whereas 29 (91%) of 33 WHO grade II gliomas were PpIX negative. In intratumoral areas with focal PpIX fluorescence, mitotic rate, cell density, nuclear pleomorphism, and proliferation rate were significantly higher than in non-fluorescing areas. The positive predictive value of focal PpIX fluorescence for WHO grade III histology was 85%. Conclusions Our study indicates that 5-ALA induced PpIX fluorescence is a powerful marker for intraoperative identification of anaplastic foci according to the histopathological WHO criteria in DIG with non-significant contrast-enhancement. Therefore, application of 5-ALA optimizes tissue sampling for precise histopathological diagnosis independent of brain-shift. PMID:24204718
Widhalm, Georg; Kiesel, Barbara; Woehrer, Adelheid; Traub-Weidinger, Tatjana; Preusser, Matthias; Marosi, Christine; Prayer, Daniela; Hainfellner, Johannes A; Knosp, Engelbert; Wolfsberger, Stefan
2013-01-01
Intraoperative identification of anaplastic foci in diffusely infiltrating gliomas (DIG) with non-significant contrast-enhancement on MRI is indispensible to avoid histopathological undergrading and subsequent treatment failure. Recently, we found that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence can visualize areas with increased proliferative and metabolic activity in such gliomas intraoperatively. As treatment of DIG is predominantely based on histopathological World Health Organisation (WHO) parameters, we analyzed whether PpIX fluorescence can detect anaplastic foci according to these criteria. We prospectively included DIG patients with non-significant contrast-enhancement that received 5-ALA prior to resection. Intraoperatively, multiple samples from PpIX positive and negative intratumoral areas were collected using a modified neurosurgical microscope. In all samples, histopathological WHO criteria and proliferation rate were assessed and correlated to the PpIX fluorescence status. A total of 215 tumor specimens were collected in 59 patients. Of 26 WHO grade III gliomas, 23 cases (85%) showed focal PpIX fluorescence, whereas 29 (91%) of 33 WHO grade II gliomas were PpIX negative. In intratumoral areas with focal PpIX fluorescence, mitotic rate, cell density, nuclear pleomorphism, and proliferation rate were significantly higher than in non-fluorescing areas. The positive predictive value of focal PpIX fluorescence for WHO grade III histology was 85%. Our study indicates that 5-ALA induced PpIX fluorescence is a powerful marker for intraoperative identification of anaplastic foci according to the histopathological WHO criteria in DIG with non-significant contrast-enhancement. Therefore, application of 5-ALA optimizes tissue sampling for precise histopathological diagnosis independent of brain-shift.
Enhanced photocatalytic H2-production activity of graphene-modified titania nanosheets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xiang, Quanjun; Yu, Jiaguo; Jaroniec, Mietek
2011-09-01
Graphene-modified TiO2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets (graphene/TiO2) were prepared by microwave-hydrothermal treatment of graphene oxide (GO) and hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets in an ethanol-water solvent. These nanocomposite samples showed high photocatalytic H2-production activity in aqueous solutions containing methanol, as sacrificial reagent, even without Pt co-catalyst. The optimal graphene content was found to be ~1.0 wt%, giving a H2-production rate of 736 μmol h-1 g-1 with a quantum efficiency (QE) of 3.1%, which exceeded the rate observed on pure TiO2 nanosheets by more than 41 times. This high photocatalytic H2-production activity is due to the deposition of TiO2 nanosheets on graphene sheets, which act as an electron acceptor to efficiently separate the photogenerated charge carriers. The observed enhancement in the photocatalytic activity is due to the lower absolute potential of graphene/graphene z.rad- (-0.08 V vs. SHE, pH = 0) in comparison to the conduction band (-0.24 V) of anatase TiO2, meanwhile the aforementioned absolute value is higher than the reduction potential of H+ (0 V), which favors the electron transfer from the conduction band (CB) of TiO2 to graphene sheets and the reduction of H+, thus enhancing photocatalytic H2-production activity. The proposed mechanism for the observed photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanosheets, modified with a small amount of graphene, was further confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient photocurrent response. This work not only shows a possibility for the utilization of low cost graphene sheets as a substitute for noble metals (such as Pt) in the photocatalytic H2-production but also for the first time shows a significant enhancement in the H2-production activity by using metal-free carbon material as an effective co-catalyst.
Xenobiotics enhance laccase activity in alkali-tolerant γ-proteobacterium JB.
Singh, Gursharan; Batish, Mona; Sharma, Prince; Capalash, Neena
2009-01-01
Various genotoxic textile dyes, xenobiotics, substrates (10 µM) and agrochemicals (100 µg/ml) were tested for enhancement of alkalophilic laccase activity in γ-proteobacterium JB. Neutral Red, Indigo Carmine, Naphthol Base Bordears and Sulphast Ruby dyes increased the activity by 3.7, 2.7, 2.6 and 2.3 fold respectively. Xenobiotics/substrates like p-toluidine, 8-hydroxyquinoline and anthracine increased it by 3.4, 2.8 and 2.3 fold respectively. Atrazine and trycyclozole pesticides enhanced the activity by 1.95 and 1.5 fold respectively.
Xenobiotics enhance laccase activity in alkali-tolerant γ-proteobacterium JB
Singh, Gursharan; Batish, Mona; Sharma, Prince; Capalash, Neena
2009-01-01
Various genotoxic textile dyes, xenobiotics, substrates (10 µM) and agrochemicals (100 µg/ml) were tested for enhancement of alkalophilic laccase activity in γ-proteobacterium JB. Neutral Red, Indigo Carmine, Naphthol Base Bordears and Sulphast Ruby dyes increased the activity by 3.7, 2.7, 2.6 and 2.3 fold respectively. Xenobiotics/substrates like p-toluidine, 8-hydroxyquinoline and anthracine increased it by 3.4, 2.8 and 2.3 fold respectively. Atrazine and trycyclozole pesticides enhanced the activity by 1.95 and 1.5 fold respectively. PMID:24031313
Enhancement of hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302 anti-tumor activity by Chk1 inhibition.
Meng, Fanying; Bhupathi, Deepthi; Sun, Jessica D; Liu, Qian; Ahluwalia, Dharmendra; Wang, Yan; Matteucci, Mark D; Hart, Charles P
2015-05-21
The hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302 is reduced at its nitroimidazole group and selectively under hypoxic conditions releases the DNA cross-linker bromo-isophosphoramide mustard (Br-IPM). Here, we have explored the effect of Chk1 inhibition on TH-302-mediated pharmacological activities. We employed in vitro cell viability, DNA damage, cellular signaling assays and the in vivo HT29 human tumor xenograft model to study the effect of Chk1inhibition on TH-302 antitumor activities. TH-302 cytotoxicity is greatly enhanced by Chk1 inhibition in p53-deficient but not in p53-proficient human cancer cell lines. Chk1 inhibitors reduced TH-302-induced cell cycle arrest via blocking TH-302-induced decrease of phosphorylation of histone H3 and increasing Cdc2-Y15 phosphorylation. Employing the single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay, we observed a potentiation of the TH-302 dependent tail moment. TH-302 induced γH2AX and apoptosis were also increased upon the addition of Chk1 inhibitor. Potentiation of TH-302 cytotoxicity by Chk1 inhibitor was only observed in cell lines proficient in, but not deficient in homology-directed DNA repair. We also show that combination treatment led to lowering of Rad51 expression levels as compared to either agent alone. In vivo data demonstrate that Chk1 inhibitor enhances TH-302 anti-tumor activity in p53 mutant HT-29 human tumor xenografts, supporting the hypothesis that these in vitro results can translate to enhanced in vivo efficacy of the combination. TH-302-mediated in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activities were greatly enhanced by the addition of Chk1 inhibitors. The preclinical data presented in this study support a new approach for the treatment of p53-deficient hypoxic cancers by combining Chk1 inhibitors with the hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302.
Chemical modification of capuramycins to enhance antibacterial activity
Bogatcheva, Elena; Dubuisson, Tia; Protopopova, Marina; Einck, Leo; Nacy, Carol A.; Reddy, Venkata M.
2011-01-01
Objectives To extend capuramycin spectrum of activity beyond mycobacteria and improve intracellular drug activity. Methods Three capuramycin analogues (SQ997, SQ922 and SQ641) were conjugated with different natural and unnatural amino acids or decanoic acid (DEC) through an ester bond at one or more available hydroxyl groups. In vitro activity of the modified compounds was determined against Mycobacterium spp. and representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Intracellular activity was evaluated in J774A.1 mouse macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv). Results Acylation of SQ997 and SQ641 with amino undecanoic acid (AUA) improved in vitro activity against most of the bacteria tested. Conjugation of SQ922 with DEC, but not AUA, improved its activity against Gram-positive bacteria. In the presence of efflux pump inhibitor phenylalanine arginine β-naphthyl amide, MICs of SQ997-AUA, SQ641-AUA and SQ922-DEC compounds improved even further against drug-susceptible and drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In Gram-negative bacteria, EDTA-mediated permeabilization caused 4- to 16-fold enhancement of the activity of AUA-conjugated SQ997, SQ922 and SQ641. Conjugation of all three capuramycin analogues with AUA improved intracellular killing of H37Rv in murine macrophages. Conclusions Conjugation of capuramycin analogues with AUA or DEC enhanced in vitro activity, extended the spectrum of activity in Gram-positive bacteria and increased intracellular activity against H37Rv. PMID:21186194
Cannady, Reginald; Fisher, Kristen R.; Durant, Brandon; Besheer, Joyce; Hodge, Clyde W.
2012-01-01
Long-term alcohol exposure produces neuroadaptations that contribute to the progression of alcohol abuse disorders. Chronic alcohol consumption results in strengthened excitatory neurotransmission and increased AMPA receptor signaling in animal models. However, the mechanistic role of enhanced AMPA receptor activity in alcohol reinforcement and alcohol-seeking behavior remains unclear. This study examined the role of enhanced AMPA receptor function using the selective positive allosteric modulator, aniracetam, in modulating operant alcohol self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement. Male alcohol-preferring (P-) rats, trained to self-administer alcohol (15%, v/v) versus water were pretreated with aniracetam to assess effects on maintenance of alcohol self-administration. To determine reinforcer specificity, P-rats were trained to self-administer sucrose (0.8%, w/v) versus water, and effects of aniracetam were tested. The role of aniracetam in modulating relapse of alcohol-seeking was assessed using a response-contingent cue-induced reinstatement procedure in P-rats trained to self-administer 15% alcohol. Aniracetam pretreatment significantly increased alcohol-reinforced responses relative to vehicle treatment. This increase was not attributed to aniracetam-induced hyperactivity as aniracetam pretreatment did not alter locomotor activity. AMPA receptor involvement was confirmed because DNQX (AMPA receptor antagonist) blocked the aniracetam-induced increase in alcohol self-administration. Aniracetam did not alter sucrose-reinforced responses in sucrose-trained P-rats, suggesting that enhanced AMPA receptor activity is selective in modulating the reinforcing function of alcohol. Finally, aniracetam pretreatment potentiated cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior versus vehicle treated-P-rats. These data suggest that enhanced glutamate activity at AMPA receptors may be key in facilitating alcohol consumption and seeking behavior which could
Cannady, Reginald; Fisher, Kristen R; Durant, Brandon; Besheer, Joyce; Hodge, Clyde W
2013-01-01
Long-term alcohol exposure produces neuroadaptations that contribute to the progression of alcohol abuse disorders. Chronic alcohol consumption results in strengthened excitatory neurotransmission and increased α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors (AMPA) receptor signaling in animal models. However, the mechanistic role of enhanced AMPA receptor activity in alcohol-reinforcement and alcohol-seeking behavior remains unclear. This study examined the role of enhanced AMPA receptor function using the selective positive allosteric modulator, aniracetam, in modulating operant alcohol self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement. Male alcohol-preferring (P-) rats, trained to self-administer alcohol (15%, v/v) versus water were pre-treated with aniracetam to assess effects on maintenance of alcohol self-administration. To determine reinforcer specificity, P-rats were trained to self-administer sucrose (0.8%, w/v) versus water, and effects of aniracetam were tested. The role of aniracetam in modulating relapse of alcohol-seeking was assessed using a response contingent cue-induced reinstatement procedure in P-rats trained to self-administer 15% alcohol. Aniracetam pre-treatment significantly increased alcohol-reinforced responses relative to vehicle treatment. This increase was not attributed to aniracetam-induced hyperactivity as aniracetam pre-treatment did not alter locomotor activity. AMPA receptor involvement was confirmed because 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (AMPA receptor antagonist) blocked the aniracetam-induced increase in alcohol self-administration. Aniracetam did not alter sucrose-reinforced responses in sucrose-trained P-rats, suggesting that enhanced AMPA receptor activity is selective in modulating the reinforcing function of alcohol. Finally, aniracetam pre-treatment potentiated cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior versus vehicle-treated P-rats. These data suggest that enhanced glutamate activity at AMPA
Siddiqui, Khawar Sohail
2017-05-01
The biotechnological applications of enzymes are limited due to the activity-stability trade-off, which implies that an increase in activity is accompanied by a concomitant decrease in protein stability. This premise is based on thermally adapted homologous enzymes where cold-adapted enzymes show high intrinsic activity linked to enhanced thermolability. In contrast, thermophilic enzymes show low activity around ambient temperatures. Nevertheless, genetically and chemically modified enzymes are beginning to show that the activity-stability trade-off can be overcome. In this review, the origin of the activity-stability trade-off, the thermodynamic basis for enhanced activity and stability, and various approaches for escaping the activity-stability trade-off are discussed. The role of entropy in enhancing both the activity and the stability of enzymes is highlighted with a special emphasis placed on the involvement of solvent water molecules. This review is concluded with suggestions for further research, which underscores the implications of these findings in the context of productivity curves, the Daniel-Danson equilibrium model, catalytic antibodies, and life on cold planets.
Mechanisms of morphine enhancement of spontaneous seizure activity.
Saboory, Ehsan; Derchansky, Miron; Ismaili, Mohammed; Jahromi, Shokrollah S; Brull, Richard; Carlen, Peter L; El Beheiry, Hossam
2007-12-01
High-dose opioid therapy can precipitate seizures; however, the mechanism of such a dangerous adverse effect remains poorly understood. The aim of our study was to determine whether the neuroexcitatory activity of high-dose morphine is mediated by selective stimulation of opioid receptors. Mice hippocampi were resected intact and bathed in low magnesium artificial cerebrospinal fluid to induce spontaneous seizure-like events recorded from CA1 neurons. Application of morphine had a biphasic effect on the recorded spontaneous seizure-like events. In a low concentration (10 microM), morphine depressed electrographic seizure activity. Higher morphine concentrations (30 and 100 microM) enhanced seizure activity in an apparent dose-dependent manner. Naloxone, a nonselective opiate antagonist blocked the proconvulsant action of morphine. Selective mu and kappa opiate receptor agonists and antagonists enhanced and suppressed the spontaneous seizure activity, respectively. On the contrary, delta opioid receptor ligands did not have an effect. The proseizure effect of morphine is mediated through selective stimulation of mu and kappa opiate receptors but not the activation of the delta receptor system. The observed dose-dependent mechanism of morphine neuroexcitation underscores careful adjustment and individualized opioid dosing in the clinical setting.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rasamani, Kowsalya D.; Foley, Jonathan J., IV; Sun, Yugang
2018-03-01
Silver-doped silver chloride [AgCl(Ag)] nanoparticles represent a unique class of visible-light-driven photocatalysts, in which the silver dopants introduce electron-abundant mid-gap energy levels to lower the bandgap of AgCl. However, free-standing AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles, particularly those with small sizes and large surface areas, exhibit low colloidal stability and low compositional stability upon exposure to light irradiation, leading to easy aggregation and conversion to metallic silver and thus a loss of photocatalytic activity. These problems could be eliminated by attaching the small AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles to the surfaces of spherical dielectric silica particles with submicrometer sizes. The high optical transparency in the visible spectral region (400-800 nm), colloidal stability, and chemical/electronic inertness displayed by the silica spheres make them ideal for supporting photocatalysts and significantly improving their stability. The spherical morphology of the dielectric silica particles can support light scattering resonances to generate significantly enhanced electric fields near the silica particle surfaces, on which the optical absorption cross-section of the AgCl(Ag) nanoparticles is dramatically increased to promote their photocatalytic activity. The hybrid silica/AgCl(Ag) structures exhibit superior photocatalytic activity and stability, suitable for supporting photocatalysis sustainably; for instance, their efficiency in the photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue decreases by only ˜9% even after ten cycles of operation.
Active Sampling State Dynamically Enhances Olfactory Bulb Odor Representation.
Jordan, Rebecca; Fukunaga, Izumi; Kollo, Mihaly; Schaefer, Andreas T
2018-06-27
The olfactory bulb (OB) is the first site of synaptic odor information processing, yet a wealth of contextual and learned information has been described in its activity. To investigate the mechanistic basis of contextual modulation, we use whole-cell recordings to measure odor responses across rapid learning episodes in identified mitral/tufted cells (MTCs). Across these learning episodes, diverse response changes occur already during the first sniff cycle. Motivated mice develop active sniffing strategies across learning that robustly correspond to the odor response changes, resulting in enhanced odor representation. Evoking fast sniffing in different behavioral states demonstrates that response changes during active sampling exceed those predicted from feedforward input alone. Finally, response changes are highly correlated in tufted cells, but not mitral cells, indicating there are cell-type-specific effects on odor representation during active sampling. Altogether, we show that active sampling is strongly associated with enhanced OB responsiveness on rapid timescales. Copyright © 2018 The Francis Crick Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Pakarinen, Anni; Parisod, Heidi; Smed, Jouni; Salanterä, Sanna
2017-04-01
To describe and explore health game interventions that enhance the physical activity self-efficacy of children and to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. Physical inactivity among children has increased globally. Self-efficacy is one of the key determinants of physical activity engagement in children. There is a need to explore new and innovative interventions to enhance physical activity self-efficacy that are also acceptable for today's children. Quantitative systematic review. MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL, PsychInfo, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library between 1996-2016. A review was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. A systematic search was done in June 2016 by two independent reviewers according to the eligibility criteria as follows: controlled trial, comparison of digital game intervention with no game intervention control condition, participants younger than 18 years of age and reported statistical analyses of a physical activity self-efficacy outcome measure. Altogether, five studies met the eligibility criteria. Four game interventions, employing three active games and one educational game, had positive effects on children's physical activity self-efficacy. An intervention, employing a game-themed mobile application, showed no intervention effects. The variation between intervention characteristics was significant and the quality of the studies was found to be at a medium level. Although health game interventions seemingly enhance the physical activity self-efficacy of children and have potential as a means of increasing physical activity, more rigorous research is needed to clarify how effective such interventions are in the longer run to contribute to the development of game-based interventions. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Positive mood enhances reward-related neural activity
Nusslock, Robin
2016-01-01
Although behavioral research has shown that positive mood leads to desired outcomes in nearly every major life domain, no studies have directly examined the effects of positive mood on the neural processes underlying reward-related affect and goal-directed behavior. To address this gap, participants in the present fMRI study experienced either a positive (n = 20) or neutral (n = 20) mood induction and subsequently completed a monetary incentive delay task that assessed reward and loss processing. Consistent with prediction, positive mood elevated activity specifically during reward anticipation in corticostriatal neural regions that have been implicated in reward processing and goal-directed behavior, including the nucleus accumbens, caudate, lateral orbitofrontal cortex and putamen, as well as related paralimbic regions, including the anterior insula and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These effects were not observed during reward outcome, loss anticipation or loss outcome. Critically, this is the first study to report that positive mood enhances reward-related neural activity. Our findings have implications for uncovering the neural mechanisms by which positive mood enhances goal-directed behavior, understanding the malleability of reward-related neural activity, and developing targeted treatments for psychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in reward processing. PMID:26833919
THE ENHANCEMENT OF CHLOROFORM-INDUCED PLASMA PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY BY EPSILON AMINOCAPROIC ACID
Donaldson, Virginia H.; Ratnoff, Oscar D.
1962-01-01
The proteolytic activity in chloroform-treated plasma euglobulins has been attributed to plasmin. Plasmin can digest both casein and fibrin. Epsilon aminocaproic acid, which inhibits the activation of plasminogen, the precursor of plasmin, by streptokinase, urokinase, and tissue activators enhanced the development of casein hydrolytic activity in a mixture of chloroform and plasma euglobulins. Fibrinolytic activity was also enhanced, but this was evident only if the epsilon aminocaproic acid was removed from the chloroform-treated euglobulins prior to assay. The reasons for the paradoxical enhancement of chloroform-induced casein hydrolysis by euglobulins containing epsilon aminocaproic acid are unclear. However, studies of optimal pH, heat stability, and the effect of ionic strength on the activation of the precursor of this proteolytic enzyme do not differentiate it from plasminogen. PMID:13887179
2011-01-01
Background The prophenoloxidase-activating (PO activating) system plays an important role in the crustacean innate immunity, particularly in wound healing and pathogen defense. A key member of this system is prophenoloxidase-activating enzyme (PPAE), which is the direct activator of prophenoloxidase (proPO). Despite their importance in crustacean PO activating system, the studies on them remain limited. Results Here we report on a PPAE of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (lvPPAE1), which showed 94% similarity to PPAE1 of Penaeus monodon. We found that lvPPAE1 in fluid hemocytes was down regulated after challenge by Vibrio harveyi but was enhanced when shrimps were exposed to a bacteria-rich environment for long-term. In vivo gene silence of lvPPAE1 by RNAi can significantly reduce the phenoloxidase activity (PO) and increase the susceptibility of shrimps to V. harveyi. Although lvPPAE1 was down-regulated in fluid hemocytes by Vibrio challenge, its expression increased significantly in gill after bacteria injection, which is the primary bacteria-clearance tissue. Conclusion Suppressed expression in fluid hemocytes and enhanced expression in gill indicates selectively enhanced expression at the bacterial clearance site. This is a novel feature for PPAE expression. The results will contribute to our understanding of the PO activating system in crustaceans. PMID:22208405
BIOLOGICALLY ENHANCED OXYGEN TRANSFER IN THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS (JOURNAL)
Biologically enhanced oxgyen transfer has been a hypothesis to explain observed oxygen transfer rates in activated sludge systems that were well above that predicted from aerator clean-water testing. The enhanced oxygen transfer rates were based on tests using BOD bottle oxygen ...
Bausero, Maria A.; Gastpar, Robert; Multhoff, Gabriele; Asea, Alexzander
2006-01-01
IFN-γ exhibits differential effects depending on the target and can induce cellular activation and enhance survival or mediate cell death via activation of apoptotic pathways. In this study, we demonstrate an alternative mechanism by which IFN-γ enhances tumor recognition, mediated by the active release of Hsp72. We demonstrate that stimulation of 4T1 breast adenocarcinoma cells and K562 erythroleukemic cells with IFN-γ triggers the cellular stress response, which results in the enhanced expression of total Hsp72 expression without a significant increase in cell death. Intracellular expression of Hsp72 was abrogated in cells stably transfected with a mutant hsf-1 gene. IFN-γ-induced Hsp72 expression correlated with enhanced surface expression and consequent release of Hsp72 into the culture medium. Pretreatment of tumors with compounds known to the block the classical protein transport pathway, including monensin, brefeldin A, tunicamycin, and thapsigargin, did not significantly block Hsp72 release. However, pretreatment with intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA-AM or disruption of lipid rafts using methyl β-cyclodextrin completely abrogated IFN-γ-induced Hsp72 release. Biochemical characterization revealed that Hsp72 is released within exosomes and has the ability to up-regulate CD83 expression and stimulate IL-12 release by naive dendritic cells. Pretreatment with neutralizing mAb or depletion of Hsp72 completely abrogated its chaperokine function. Taken together, these findings are indicative of an additional previously unknown mechanism by which IFN-γ promotes tumor surveillance and furthers our understanding of the central role of extracellular Hsp72 as an endogenous adjuvant and danger signal. PMID:16116176
Bausero, Maria A; Gastpar, Robert; Multhoff, Gabriele; Asea, Alexzander
2005-09-01
IFN-gamma exhibits differential effects depending on the target and can induce cellular activation and enhance survival or mediate cell death via activation of apoptotic pathways. In this study, we demonstrate an alternative mechanism by which IFN-gamma enhances tumor recognition, mediated by the active release of Hsp72. We demonstrate that stimulation of 4T1 breast adenocarcinoma cells and K562 erythroleukemic cells with IFN-gamma triggers the cellular stress response, which results in the enhanced expression of total Hsp72 expression without a significant increase in cell death. Intracellular expression of Hsp72 was abrogated in cells stably transfected with a mutant hsf-1 gene. IFN-gamma-induced Hsp72 expression correlated with enhanced surface expression and consequent release of Hsp72 into the culture medium. Pretreatment of tumors with compounds known to the block the classical protein transport pathway, including monensin, brefeldin A, tunicamycin, and thapsigargin, did not significantly block Hsp72 release. However, pretreatment with intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA-AM or disruption of lipid rafts using methyl beta-cyclodextrin completely abrogated IFN-gamma-induced Hsp72 release. Biochemical characterization revealed that Hsp72 is released within exosomes and has the ability to up-regulate CD83 expression and stimulate IL-12 release by naive dendritic cells. Pretreatment with neutralizing mAb or depletion of Hsp72 completely abrogated its chaperokine function. Taken together, these findings are indicative of an additional previously unknown mechanism by which IFN-gamma promotes tumor surveillance and furthers our understanding of the central role of extracellular Hsp72 as an endogenous adjuvant and danger signal.
Development of a heat-processing method for koji to enhance its antioxidant activity.
Okutsu, Kayu; Yoshizaki, Yumiko; Takamine, Kazunori; Tamaki, Hisanori; Ito, Kiyoshi; Sameshima, Yoshihiro
2012-03-01
We developed a heat-processing method to enhance the antioxidant activity of koji. The superoxide anion scavenging activity (SOSA) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of heat-processed koji (HP-koji) at 55 °C for 7 days were 4.9 times and 4.2 times, respectively, those of unheated koji. These results showed that heat processing effectively enhances the antioxidant activity of koji. Analysis of the antioxidant activities of koji subjected to a range of temperatures (45-75 °C) revealed that the SOSA is enhanced by heating at higher temperatures, which might be catalyzed by Maillard reaction, whereas the ORAC was enhanced by heating at lower temperatures, which might be catalyzed by an enzymatic reaction. Assuming these enhancements in antioxidant activities are contributed by both Maillard and enzyme reactions, we hypothesized that the antioxidant activity of HP-koji could be more effectively amplified by heating at a higher temperature after the progression of the enzymatic reaction at a moderate temperature. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of heating of koji in a stepwise manner, first at 55 °C for 2 days and then at 75 °C for 5days. The antioxidant activities of stepwise-heated HP-koji were higher than those of koji heated at either 55 °C or 75 °C. The SOSA and ORAC of stepwise-heated HP-koji were 94 times and 6 times, respectively, those of unheated koji. This result suggests that enzymatic reaction followed by Maillard reaction can effectively enhance the antioxidant activity of HP-koji. Thus, we developed a novel heat-processing method to enhance the antioxidant activity of koji. Copyright © 2011 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hormone treatment enhances WT1 activation of Renilla luciferase constructs in LNCaP cells.
Hanson, Julie; Reese, Jennifer; Gorman, Jacquelyn; Cash, Jennifer; Fraizer, Gail
2007-01-01
The zinc finger transcription factor, WT1, regulates many growth control genes, repressing or activating transcription depending on the gene and cell type. Based on earlier analyses of the effect of WT1 on androgen responsive genes, we hypothesized that there may be an interaction between the androgen signaling pathway and WT1, such that the commonly used Renilla luciferase control vectors were activated in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Using cotransfection assays we tested the effects of WT1 and/or the androgen analog, R1881, on two Renilla luciferase vectors, pRL-SV40 and the promoter-less pRL-null. To determine whether the zinc finger DNA binding domain was required, the zinc finger mutant DDS-WT1 (R394W) was tested; but it had no significant effect on the Renilla luciferase vectors. To determine whether the androgen signaling pathway was required, WT1 was co-transfected with Renilla vectors in cells with varied hormone responsiveness. The WT1 effect on pRL-null varied from no significant effect in 293 and PC3 cells to very strong enhancement in LNCaP cells treated with 5 nM R1881. Overall, these results suggest that hormone enhanced WT1 mediated activation of Renilla luciferase and that these interactions require an intact WT1 zinc finger DNA binding domain.
Xu, Suyun; He, Chuanqiu; Luo, Liwen; Lü, Fan; He, Pinjing; Cui, Lifeng
2015-11-01
Two sizes of conductive particles, i.e. 10-20 mesh granulated activated carbon (GAC) and 80-100 mesh powdered activated carbon (PAC) were added into lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors, respectively, to testify their enhancement on the syntrophic metabolism of alcohols and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in 95days operation. When OLR increased to more than 5.8gCOD/L/d, the differences between GAC/PAC supplemented reactors and the control reactor became more significant. The introduction of activated carbon could facilitate the enrichment of methanogens and accelerate the startup of methanogenesis, as indicated by enhanced methane yield and substrate degradation. High-throughput pyrosequencing analysis showed that syntrophic bacteria and Methanosarcina sp. with versatile metabolic capability increased in the tightly absorbed fraction on the PAC surface, leading to the promoted syntrophic associations. Thus PAC prevails over than GAC for methanogenic reactor with heavy load. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Enhanced oxidation of naphthalene using plasma activation of TiO2/diatomite catalyst.
Wu, Zuliang; Zhu, Zhoubin; Hao, Xiaodong; Zhou, Weili; Han, Jingyi; Tang, Xiujuan; Yao, Shuiliang; Zhang, Xuming
2018-04-05
Non-thermal plasma technology has great potential in reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emission. But in plasma-alone process, various undesired by-products are produced, which causes secondary pollutions. Here, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor has been developed for the oxidation of naphthalene over a TiO 2 /diatomite catalyst at low temperature. In comparison to plasma-alone process, the combination of plasma and TiO 2 /diatomite catalyst significantly enhanced naphthalene conversion (up to 40%) and CO x selectivity (up to 92%), and substantially reduced the formation of aerosol (up to 90%) and secondary volatile organic compounds (up to near 100%). The mechanistic study suggested that the presence of the TiO 2 /diatomite catalyst intensified the electron energy in the DBD. Meantime, the energized electrons generated in the discharge activated TiO 2 , while the presence of ozone enhanced the activity of the TiO 2 /diatomite catalyst. This plasma-catalyst interaction led to the synergetic effect resulting from the combination of plasma and TiO 2 /diatomite catalyst, consequently enhanced the oxidation of naphthalene. Importantly, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of plasma to activate the photocatalyst for the deep oxidation of PAH without external heating, which is potentially valuable in the development of cost-effective gas cleaning process for the removal of PAHs in vehicle applications during cold start conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Enhanced Stellar Activity for Slow Antisolar Differential Rotation?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brandenburg, Axel; Giampapa, Mark S.
2018-03-01
High-precision photometry of solar-like members of the open cluster M67 with Kepler/K2 data has recently revealed enhanced activity for stars with a large Rossby number, which is the ratio of rotation period to the convective turnover time. Contrary to the well established behavior for shorter rotation periods and smaller Rossby numbers, the chromospheric activity of the more slowly rotating stars of M67 was found to increase with increasing Rossby number. Such behavior has never been reported before, although it was theoretically predicted to emerge as a consequence of antisolar differential rotation (DR) for stars with Rossby numbers larger than that of the Sun, because in those models the absolute value of the DR was found to exceed that for solar-like DR. Using gyrochronological relations and an approximate age of 4 Gyr for the members of M67, we compare with computed rotation rates using just the B ‑ V color. The resulting rotation–activity relation is found to be compatible with that obtained by employing the measured rotation rate. This provides additional support for the unconventional enhancement of activity at comparatively low rotation rates and the possible presence of antisolar differential rotation.
Ioannou, Petros; Andrianaki, Aggeliki; Akoumianaki, Tonia; Kyrmizi, Irene; Albert, Nathaniel; Perlin, David; Samonis, George
2015-01-01
The modest in vitro activity of echinocandins against Aspergillus implies that host-related factors augment the action of these antifungal agents in vivo. We found that, in contrast to the other antifungal agents (voriconazole, amphotericin B) tested, caspofungin exhibited a profound increase in activity against various Aspergillus species under conditions of cell culture growth, as evidenced by a ≥4-fold decrease in minimum effective concentrations (MECs) (P = 0. 0005). Importantly, the enhanced activity of caspofungin against Aspergillus spp. under cell culture conditions was strictly dependent on serum albumin and was not observed with the other two echinocandins, micafungin and anidulafungin. Of interest, fluorescently labeled albumin bound preferentially on the surface of germinating Aspergillus hyphae, and this interaction was further enhanced upon treatment with caspofungin. In addition, supplementation of cell culture medium with albumin resulted in a significant, 5-fold increase in association of fluorescently labeled caspofungin with Aspergillus hyphae (P < 0.0001). Collectively, we found a novel synergistic interaction between albumin and caspofungin, with albumin acting as a potential carrier molecule to facilitate antifungal drug delivery to Aspergillus hyphae. PMID:26643329
Active Dendrites Enhance Neuronal Dynamic Range
Gollo, Leonardo L.; Kinouchi, Osame; Copelli, Mauro
2009-01-01
Since the first experimental evidences of active conductances in dendrites, most neurons have been shown to exhibit dendritic excitability through the expression of a variety of voltage-gated ion channels. However, despite experimental and theoretical efforts undertaken in the past decades, the role of this excitability for some kind of dendritic computation has remained elusive. Here we show that, owing to very general properties of excitable media, the average output of a model of an active dendritic tree is a highly non-linear function of its afferent rate, attaining extremely large dynamic ranges (above 50 dB). Moreover, the model yields double-sigmoid response functions as experimentally observed in retinal ganglion cells. We claim that enhancement of dynamic range is the primary functional role of active dendritic conductances. We predict that neurons with larger dendritic trees should have larger dynamic range and that blocking of active conductances should lead to a decrease in dynamic range. PMID:19521531
Ciraj, A M; Vinod, P; Ramnarayan, K
2010-01-01
Case-based learning (CBL) is an interactive student-centered exploration of real life situations. This paper describes the use of CBL as an educational strategy for promoting active learning in microbiology. CBL was introduced in the microbiology curriculum for the second year medical students after an orientation program for faculty and students. After intervention, the average student scores in CBL topics were compared with scores obtained in lecture topics. An attempt was also made to find the effect of CBL on the academic performance. Student and faculty perception on CBL were also recorded. In a cross sectional survey conducted to assess the effectiveness of CBL, students responded that, apart from helping them acquire substantive knowledge in microbiology, CBL sessions enhanced their analytic, collaborative, and communication skills. The block examination scores in CBL topics were significantly higher than those obtained for lecture topics. Faculty rated the process to be highly effective in stimulating student interest and long term retention of microbiology knowledge. The student scores were significantly higher in the group that used CBL, compared to the group that had not used CBL as a learning strategy. Our experience indicated that CBL sessions enhanced active learning in microbiology. More frequent use of CBL sessions would not only help the student gain requisite knowledge in microbiology but also enhance their analytic and communication skills.
Gu, Hanna; Boonanantanasarn, Kanitsak; Kang, Moonkyu; Kim, Ikhwi; Woo, Kyung Mi; Ryoo, Hyun-Mo; Baek, Jeong-Hwa
2018-01-01
Morinda citrifolia (Noni) leaf is an herbal medicine with application in the domestic treatment of a broad range of conditions, including bone fracture and luxation. However, the basic mechanism underlying the stimulation of osteogenic differentiation by Noni leaf extract remains poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the effect of this extract on osteogenic differentiation and the mechanism by which Noni leaf extract enhances osteogenic differentiation. Aqueous extract of Noni leaves was prepared, and rutin and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were identified to be two of its major components. C2C12 and human periodontal ligament (hPDL) cells were used to study the effect of Noni. Noni did not show cytotoxicity at a concentration range of 0.015%-1.0% (w/v%) and significantly enhanced the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and expression levels of osteoblast differentiation markers, including Runx2, ALP, osterix, and osteocalcin, bone morphogenetic protein 2, Wnt3a, and β-catenin. In addition, Noni enhanced the matrix mineralization of hPDL cells. In the signaling pathways, Noni increased the phosphorylation levels of Akt and GSK3β and nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of β-catenin, which were attenuated by the addition of Dkk-1, a Wnt inhibitor, or LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor. These results suggest that Noni leaf extract enhances osteogenic differentiation through the PI3K/Akt-dependent activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Noni leaf extract might be a novel alternative medicine for bone and periodontal regeneration in patients with periodontal diseases.
Black silicon significantly enhances phosphorus diffusion gettering.
Pasanen, Toni P; Laine, Hannu S; Vähänissi, Ville; Schön, Jonas; Savin, Hele
2018-01-31
Black silicon (b-Si) is currently being adopted by several fields of technology, and its potential has already been demonstrated in various applications. We show here that the increased surface area of b-Si, which has generally been considered as a drawback e.g. in applications that require efficient surface passivation, can be used as an advantage: it enhances gettering of deleterious metal impurities. We demonstrate experimentally that interstitial iron concentration in intentionally contaminated silicon wafers reduces from 1.7 × 10 13 cm -3 to less than 10 10 cm -3 via b-Si gettering coupled with phosphorus diffusion from a POCl 3 source. Simultaneously, the minority carrier lifetime increases from less than 2 μs of a contaminated wafer to more than 1.5 ms. A series of different low temperature anneals suggests segregation into the phosphorus-doped layer to be the main gettering mechanism, a notion which paves the way of adopting these results into predictive process simulators. This conclusion is supported by simulations which show that the b-Si needles are entirely heavily-doped with phosphorus after a typical POCl 3 diffusion process, promoting iron segregation. Potential benefits of enhanced gettering by b-Si include the possibility to use lower quality silicon in high-efficiency photovoltaic devices.
Nguyen, Minh Tuan; Mohd Yasin, Nazlina Haiza; Miyazaki, Toshiki; Maeda, Toshinari
2014-12-01
The management of waste activated sludge (WAS) recycling is a concern that affects the development of the future low-carbon society, particularly sludge reduction and biomass utilization. In this study, we investigated the effect of removing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which play important roles in the adhesion and flocculation of WAS, on increased sludge disintegration, thereby enhancing sludge reduction and methane production by anaerobic digestion. EPS removal from WAS by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) significantly enhanced sludge reduction, i.e., 49 ± 5% compared with 27 ± 1% of the control at the end the digestion process. Methane production was also improved in WAS without EPS by 8881 ± 109 CH4 μmol g(-1) dry-weight of sludge. Microbial activity was determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time polymerase chain reaction, which showed that the hydrolysis and acetogenesis stages were enhanced by pretreatment with 2% EDTA, with a larger methanogenic community and better methane production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gebremariam, Seyoum Yami; Beutel, Marc W; Christian, David; Hess, Thomas F
2012-10-01
The effects of glucose on enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) activated sludge enriched with acetate was investigated using sequencing batch reactors. A glucose/acetate mixture was serially added to the test reactor in ratios of 25/75%, 50/50%, and 75/25% and the EBPR activity was compared to the control reactor fed with 100% acetate. P removal increased at a statistically significant level to a near-complete in the test reactor when the mixture increased to 50/50%. However, EBPR deteriorated when the glucose/acetate mixture increased to 75/25% in the test reactor and when the control reactor abruptly switched to 100% glucose. These results, in contrast to the EBPR conventional wisdom, suggest that the addition of glucose at moderate levels in wastewaters does not impede and may enhance EBPR, and that glucose waste products should be explored as an economical sustainable alternative when COD enhancement of EBPR is needed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Proudhon, Charlotte; Snetkova, Valentina; Raviram, Ramya; Lobry, Camille; Badri, Sana; Jiang, Tingting; Hao, Bingtao; Trimarchi, Thomas; Kluger, Yuval; Aifantis, Iannis; Bonneau, Richard; Skok, Jane A
2016-06-07
V(D)J recombination relies on the presence of proximal enhancers that activate the antigen receptor (AgR) loci in a lineage- and stage-specific manner. Unexpectedly, we find that both active and inactive AgR enhancers cooperate to disseminate their effects in a localized and long-range manner. Here, we demonstrate the importance of short-range contacts between active enhancers that constitute an Igk super-enhancer in B cells. Deletion of one element reduces the interaction frequency between other enhancers in the hub, which compromises the transcriptional output of each component. Furthermore, we establish that, in T cells, long-range contact and cooperation between the inactive Igk enhancer MiEκ and the active Tcrb enhancer Eβ alters enrichment of CBFβ binding in a manner that impacts Tcrb recombination. These findings underline the complexities of enhancer regulation and point to a role for localized and long-range enhancer-sharing between active and inactive elements in lineage- and stage-specific control. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
An Overview of Active Flow Control Enhanced Vertical Tail Technology Development
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lin, John C.; Andino, Marlyn Y.; Alexander, Michael G.; Whalen, Edward A.; Spoor, Marc A.; Tran, John T.; Wygnanski, Israel J.
2016-01-01
This paper summarizes a joint NASA/Boeing research effort to advance Active Flow Control (AFC) technology to enhance aerodynamic efficiency of a vertical tail. Sweeping jet AFC technology was successfully tested on subscale and full-scale models as well as in flight. The subscale test was performed at Caltech on a 14% scale model. More than 50% side force enhancement was achieved by the sweeping jet actuation when the momentum coefficient was 1.7%. AFC caused significant increases in suction pressure on the actuator side and associated side force enhancement. Subsequently, a full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail model equipped with sweeping jets was tested at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. There, flow separation control optimization was performed at near flight conditions. Greater than 20% increase in side force were achieved for the maximum rudder deflection of 30deg at the key sideslip angles (0deg and -7.5deg) with a 31-actuator AFC configuration. Based on these tests, the momentum coefficient is shown to be a necessary, but not sufficient parameter to use for design and scaling of sweeping jet AFC from subscale tests to full-scale applications. Leveraging the knowledge gained from the wind tunnel tests, the AFC-enhanced vertical tail technology was successfully flown on the Boeing 757 ecoDemonstrator in the spring of 2015.
Chen, M; Hieng, S; Qian, X; Costa, R; Ou, J H
1994-11-15
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) ENI enhancer can activate the expression of HBV and non-HBV genes in a liver-specific manner. By performing the electrophoretic mobility-shift assays, we demonstrated that the three related, liver-enriched, transcription factors, HNF3 alpha, HNF3 beta, and HNF3 gamma could all bind to the 2c site of HBV ENI enhancer. Mutations introduced in the 2c site to abolish the binding by HNF3 reduced the enhancer activity approximately 15-fold. Moreover, expression of HNF3 antisense sequences to suppress the expression of HNF3 in Huh-7 hepatoma cells led to reduction of the ENI enhancer activity. These results indicate that HNF3 positively regulates the ENI enhancer activity and this regulation is most likely mediated through the 2c site. The requirement of HNF3 for the ENI enhancer activity could explain the liver specificity of this enhancer element.
Gramicidin D enhances the antibacterial activity of fluoride.
Nelson, James W; Zhou, Zhiyuan; Breaker, Ronald R
2014-07-01
Fluoride is a toxic anion found in many natural environments. One of the major bacterial defenses against fluoride is the cell envelope, which limits passage of the membrane-impermeant fluoride anion. Accordingly, compounds that enhance the permeability of bacterial membranes to fluoride should also enhance fluoride toxicity. In this study, we demonstrate that the pore-forming antibiotic gramicidin D increases fluoride uptake in Bacillus subtilis and that the antibacterial activity of this compound is potentiated by fluoride. Polymyxin B, another membrane-targeting antibiotic with a different mechanism of action, shows no such improvement. These results, along with previous findings, indicate that certain compounds that destabilize bacterial cell envelopes can enhance the toxicity of fluoride. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lupia, E; Bosco, O; Mariano, F; Dondi, A E; Goffi, A; Spatola, T; Cuccurullo, A; Tizzani, P; Brondino, G; Stella, M; Montrucchio, G
2009-06-01
Thrombopoietin (TPO) is a humoral growth factor that does not induce platelet aggregation per se, but enhances platelet activation in response to several agonists. Circulating levels of TPO are increased in patients with sepsis and are mainly related to sepsis severity. To investigate the potential contribution of elevated TPO levels in platelet activation during burn injury complicated or not by sepsis. We studied 22 burned patients, 10 without and 12 with sepsis, and 10 healthy subjects. We measured plasma levels of TPO, as well as leukocyte-platelet binding and P-selectin expression. The priming activity of plasma from burned patients or healthy subjects on platelet aggregation and leukocyte-platelet binding, and the role of TPO in these effects were also studied in vitro. Burned patients without and with sepsis showed higher circulating TPO levels and increased monocyte-platelet binding compared with healthy subjects. Moreover, TPO levels, monocyte-platelet binding and P-selectin expression were significantly higher in burned patients with sepsis than in burned patients without sepsis. In vitro, plasma from burned patients without and with sepsis, but not from healthy subjects, primed platelet aggregation, monocyte-platelet binding and platelet P-selectin expression. The effect of plasma from burned patients with sepsis was significantly higher than that of plasma from burned patients without sepsis. An inhibitor of TPO prevented the priming effect of plasma from burned patients. Increased TPO levels may enhance platelet activation during burn injury and sepsis, potentially participating in the pathogenesis of multi-organ failure in these diseases.
Developing design-based STEM education learning activities to enhance students' creative thinking
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pinasa, Siwa; Siripun, Kulpatsorn; Yuenyong, Chokchai
2018-01-01
Creative thinking on applying science and mathematics knowledge is required by the future STEM career. The STEM education should be provided for the required skills of future STEM career. This paper aimed to clarify the developing STEM education learning activities to enhance students' creative thinking. The learning activities were developed for Grade 10 students who will study in the subject of independent study (IS) of Khon Kaen Wittayayon School, Khon Kaen, Thailand. The developing STEM education learning activities for enhancing students' creative thinking was developed regarding on 6 steps including (1) providing of understanding of fundamental STEM education concept, (2) generating creative thinking from prototype, (4) revised ideas, (5) engineering ability, and (6) presentation and discussion. The paper will clarify the 18 weeks activities that will be provided based these 6 steps of developing learning activities. Then, these STEM learning activities will be discussed to provide the chance of enhancing students' creative thinking. The paper may have implication for STEM education in school setting.
Ali, Ramadan A; Wuescher, Leah M; Dona, Keith R; Worth, Randall G
2017-01-01
Platelets are the chief effector cells in hemostasis. However, recent evidence suggests they have multiple roles in host defense against infection. Reports by us and others showed that platelets functionally contribute to protection against Staphylococcus aureus infection. In the current study, the capacity of mouse platelets to participate in host defense against S. aureus infection was determined by assessing two possibilities. First, we determined the ability of platelets to kill S. aureus directly; and, second, we tested the possibility that platelets enhance macrophage phagocytosis and intracellular killing of S. aureus In this study we report evidence in support of both mechanisms. Platelets effectively killed two different strains of S. aureus. A clinical isolate of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was killed by platelets (>40% killing in 2 h) in a thrombin-dependent manner whereas a methicillin-sensitive strain was killed to equal extent but did not require thrombin. Interestingly, thrombin-stimulated platelets also significantly enhanced peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis of both methicillin-resistant S. aureus and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus by >70%, and restricted intracellular growth by >40%. Enhancement of macrophage anti-S. aureus activities is independent of contact with platelets but is mediated through releasable products, namely IL-1β. These data confirm our hypothesis that platelets participate in host defense against S. aureus both through direct killing of S. aureus and enhancing the antimicrobial function of macrophages in protection against S. aureus infection. Copyright © 2016 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.
Larson, Janet L; Covey, Margaret K; Kapella, Mary C; Alex, Charles G; McAuley, Edward
2014-01-01
People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lead sedentary lives and could benefit from increasing their physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine if an exercise-specific self-efficacy enhancing intervention could increase physical activity and functional performance when delivered in the context of 4 months of upper body resistance training with a 12-month follow-up. IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, SUBJECTS WERE ASSIGNED TO: exercise-specific self-efficacy enhancing intervention with upper body resistance training (SE-UBR), health education with upper body resistance training (ED-UBR), or health education with gentle chair exercises (ED-Chair). Physical activity was measured with an accelerometer and functional performance was measured with the Functional Performance Inventory. Forty-nine people with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease completed 4 months of training and provided valid accelerometry data, and 34 also provided accelerometry data at 12 months of follow-up. The self-efficacy enhancing intervention emphasized meeting physical activity guidelines and increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Differences were observed in light physical activity (LPA) after 4 months of training, time by group interaction effect (P=0.045). The SE-UBR group increased time spent in LPA by +20.68±29.30 minutes/day and the other groups decreased time spent in LPA by -22.43±47.88 minutes/day and -25.73±51.76 minutes/day. Changes in LPA were not sustained at 12-month follow-up. There were no significant changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sedentary time, or functional performance. Subjects spent most of their waking hours sedentary: 72%±9% for SE-UBR, 68%±10% for ED-UBR, and 74%±9% for ED-Chair. The self-efficacy enhancing intervention produced a modest short-term increase in LPA. Further work is needed to increase the magnitude and duration of effect, possibly by targeting LPA.
Kumar, Sushil; Sun, Jessica D; Zhang, Libo; Mokhtari, Reza Bayat; Wu, Bing; Meng, Fanying; Liu, Qian; Bhupathi, Deepthi; Wang, Yan; Yeger, Herman; Hart, Charles; Baruchel, Sylvain
2018-05-23
Antiangiogenic therapy has shown promising results in preclinical and clinical trials. However, tumor cells acquire resistance to this therapy by gaining ability to survive and proliferate under hypoxia induced by antiangiogenic therapy. Combining antiangiogenic therapy with hypoxia-activated prodrugs can overcome this limitation. Here, we have tested the combination of antiangiogenic drug sunitinib in combination with hypoxia-activated prodrug evofosfamide in neuroblastoma. In vitro, neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-BE(2) was 40-folds sensitive to evofosfamide under hypoxia compared to normoxia. In IV metastatic model, evofosfamide significantly increased mice survival compared to the vehicle (P=.02). In SK-N-BE(2) subcutaneous xenograft model, we tested two different treatment regimens using 30 mg/kg sunitinib and 50 mg/kg evofosfamide. Here, sunitinib therapy when started along with evofosfamide treatment showed higher efficacy compared to single agents in subcutaneous SK-N-BE(2) xenograft model, whereas sunitinib when started 7 days after evofosfamide treatment did not have any advantage compared to treatment with either single agent. Immunofluorescence of tumor sections revealed higher number of apoptotic cells and hypoxic areas compared to either single agent when both treatments were started together. Treatment with 80 mg/kg sunitinib with 50 mg/kg evofosfamide was significantly superior to single agents in both xenograft and metastatic models. This study confirms the preclinical efficacy of sunitinib and evofosfamide in murine models of aggressive neuroblastoma. Sunitinib enhances the efficacy of evofosfamide by increasing hypoxic areas, and evofosfamide targets hypoxic tumor cells. Consequently, each drug enhances the activity of the other. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Chiu, Chen-Yuan; Chan, Im-Lam; Yang, Tsung-Han; Liu, Shing-Hwa; Chiang, Meng-Tsan
2015-03-25
This study investigated the role of chitosan in lipogenesis in high-fat diet-induced obese rats. The lipogenesis-associated genes and their upstream regulatory proteins were explored. Diet supplementation of chitosan efficiently decreased the increased weights in body, livers, and adipose tissues in high-fat diet-fed rats. Chitosan supplementation significantly raised the lipolysis rate; attenuated the adipocyte hypertrophy, triglyceride accumulation, and lipoprotein lipase activity in epididymal adipose tissues; and decreased hepatic enzyme activities of lipid biosynthesis. Chitosan supplementation significantly activated adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and attenuated high-fat diet-induced protein expressions of lipogenic transcription factors (PPAR-γ and SREBP1c) in livers and adipose tissues. Moreover, chitosan supplementation significantly inhibited the expressions of downstream lipogenic genes (FAS, HMGCR, FATP1, and FABP4) in livers and adipose tissues of high-fat diet-fed rats. These results demonstrate for the first time that chitosan supplementation alleviates high-fat diet-enhanced lipogenesis in rats via AMPK activation and lipogenesis-associated gene inhibition.
AMP-activated protein kinase enhances the phagocytic ability of macrophages and neutrophils
Bae, Hong-Beom; Zmijewski, Jaroslaw W.; Deshane, Jessy S.; Tadie, Jean-Marc; Chaplin, David D.; Takashima, Seiji; Abraham, Edward
2011-01-01
Although AMPK plays well-established roles in the modulation of energy balance, recent studies have shown that AMPK activation has potent anti-inflammatory effects. In the present experiments, we examined the role of AMPK in phagocytosis. We found that ingestion of Escherichia coli or apoptotic cells by macrophages increased AMPK activity. AMPK activation increased the ability of neutrophils or macrophages to ingest bacteria (by 46±7.8 or 85±26%, respectively, compared to control, P<0.05) and the ability of macrophages to ingest apoptotic cells (by 21±1.4%, P<0.05 compared to control). AMPK activation resulted in cytoskeletal reorganization, including enhanced formation of actin and microtubule networks. Activation of PAK1/2 and WAVE2, which are downstream effectors of Rac1, accompanied AMPK activation. AMPK activation also induced phosphorylation of CLIP-170, a protein that participates in microtubule synthesis. The increase in phagocytosis was reversible by the specific AMPK inhibitor compound C, siRNA to AMPKα1, Rac1 inhibitors, or agents that disrupt actin or microtubule networks. In vivo, AMPK activation resulted in enhanced phagocytosis of bacteria in the lungs by 75 ± 5% vs. control (P<0.05). These results demonstrate a novel function for AMPK in enhancing the phagocytic activity of neutrophils and macrophages.—Bae, H. -B., Zmijewski, J. W., Deshane, J. S., Tadie, J. -M., Chaplin, D. D., Takashima, S., Abraham, E. AMP-activated protein kinase enhances the phagocytic ability of macrophages and neutrophils. PMID:21885655
Resveratrol enhances HBV replication through activating Sirt1-PGC-1α-PPARα pathway.
Shi, Yixian; Li, Yongjun; Huang, Chenjie; Ying, Lixiong; Xue, Jihua; Wu, Haicong; Chen, Zhi; Yang, Zhenggang
2016-04-21
The population of hepatitis B combined with a number of metabolic disorders is increasing significantly. Resveratrol (RSV) has been used as a preclinical drug for the treatment of the metabolic disorders. However, the impact of RSV on HBV replication remains unknown. In this study, the HBV-expressing hepatocelluar carcinoma cell line and mouse model created by hydrodynamic injection of viral DNA were used. We found that RSV activates Sirt1, which in turn deacetylates PGC-1α and subsequently increases the transcriptional activity of PPARα, leading to the enhanced HBV transcription and replication in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we found that this pathway is also required for fasting-induced HBV transcription. Taken together, this study identifies that RSV enhances HBV transcription and replication especially acting on the core promoter, which depends on Sirt1-PGC-1α-PPARα pathway. We conclude that RSV may exacerbate the progression of hepatitis B and that patients with hepatitis B infection should be cautious taking RSV as a dietary supplement.
Enhanced photocatalytic activity of BiOCl by C70 modification and mechanism insight
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ma, Dongmei; Zhong, Junbo; Li, Jianzhang; Wang, Li; Peng, Rufang
2018-06-01
As an excellent photocatalyst which can compete with TiO2, BiOCl has triggered increasing attention. However, the practical application of BiOCl has been significantly limited by the fast recombination of the photoinduced electron-hole charge pairs. In this study, to further enhance the separation efficiency of photoinduced electron-hole charge pairs of BiOCl, a series of efficient BiOCl photocatalysts were prepared by C70 surface modification. The trapping experiments reveal that the main active species were determined to be superoxide radicals (O2rad -) and holes (h+) under simulated sunlight irradiation. The surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) demonstrates that separation of the photoinduced electron-hole pairs has been significantly promoted, forming more radOH, proven by terephthalic acid photoluminescence probing technique. The photocatalytic evaluation results display that the C70/BiOCl photocatalysts exhibit much higher photocatalytic activity in decolorization of rhodamine B (RhB) than that of the bare BiOCl under the simulated sunlight irradiation. The excellent electron acceptability of C70 is conducive to the separation of the photogenerated carriers and results in efficient formation of O2rad -, proven by the results of SPS and electron spin-resonance (ESR), therefore the photocatalytic performance of C70/BiOCl has been greatly improved. Based on all these observations, an enhancement mechanism in photocatalytic performance of C70/BiOCl was proposed.
Increased IL-2 production in T cells by xanthohumol through enhanced NF-AT and AP-1 activity.
Choi, Jin Myung; Kim, Hyun Jung; Lee, Kwang Youl; Choi, Hyun Jin; Lee, Ik-Soo; Kang, Bok Yun
2009-01-01
Xanthohumol (XN) is a major chalcone found in hop, which is used to add bitterness and flavor to beer. In this study, we investigated the effects of XN on the production of interlukin-2 (IL-2), a potent T cell growth factor. Treatment with XN significantly increased IL-2 production in mouse EL-4 T cells activated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus ionomycin (Io) in a dose-dependent manner. To further characterize its regulatory mechanism of XN on increased IL-2 production, the effects of XN on IL-2 promoter activity and the activity of several transcription factors modulating IL-2 expression were analyzed. XN enhanced activity of the IL-2 promoter, which contains distal and proximal regulatory elements in PMA/Io-activated EL-4 T cells. Furthermore, the activity of NF-AT and AP-1 was enhanced but NF-kappaB activity was not influenced by XN in PMA/Io-activated EL-4 T cells. These results suggest that XN increased IL-2 production at the transcriptional levels via the up-regulation of NF-AT and AP-1 in PMA/Io-activated EL-4 T cells.
Zhang, Kun; Li, Pei; He, Yaping; Bo, Xiaowan; Li, Xiaolong; Li, Dandan; Chen, Hangrong; Xu, Huixiong
2016-08-01
Despite gaining increasing attention, chelation of multiple active targeting ligands greatly increase the formation probability of protein corona, disabling active targeting. To overcome it, a synergistic retention strategy of RGD-mediated active targeting and radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field-enhanced permeability has been proposed here. It is validated that such a special synergistic retention strategy can promote more poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based capsules encapsulating camptothecin (CPT) and solid DL-menthol (DLM) to enter and retain in tumor in vitro and in vivo upon exposure to RF irradiation, receiving an above 8 fold enhancement in HeLa retention. Moreover, the PLGA-based capsules can respond RF field to trigger the entrapped DLM to generate solid-liquid-gas (SLG) tri-phase transformation for enhancing RF ablation and CPT release. Therefore, depending on the enhanced RF ablation and released CPT and the validated synergistic retention effect, the inhibitory outcome for tumor growth has gained an over 10-fold improvement, realizing RF ablation & chemotherapy synergistic treatment against HeLa solid tumor, which indicates a significant promise in clinical RF ablation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Metal-chelating active packaging film enhances lysozyme inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes.
Roman, Maxine J; Decker, Eric A; Goddard, Julie M
2014-07-01
Several studies have demonstrated that metal chelators enhance the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme. This study examined the effect of metal-chelating active packaging film on the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme against Listeria monocytogenes. Polypropylene films were surface modified by photoinitiated graft polymerization of acrylic acid (PP-g-PAA) from the food contact surface of the films to impart chelating activity based on electrostatic interactions. PP-g-PAA exhibited a carboxylic acid density of 113 ± 5.4 nmol cm(-2) and an iron chelating activity of 53.7 ± 9.8 nmol cm(-2). The antimicrobial interaction of lysozyme and PP-g-PAA depended on growth media composition. PP-g-PAA hindered lysozyme activity at low ionic strength (2.48-log increase at 64.4 mM total ionic strength) and enhanced lysozyme activity at moderate ionic strength (5.22-log reduction at 120 mM total ionic strength). These data support the hypothesis that at neutral pH, synergy between carboxylate metal-chelating films (pKa(bulk) 6.45) and lysozyme (pI 11.35) is optimal in solutions of moderate to high ionic strength to minimize undesirable charge interactions, such as lysozyme absorption onto film. These findings suggest that active packaging, which chelates metal ions based on ligand-specific interactions, in contrast to electrostatic interactions, may improve antimicrobial synergy. This work demonstrates the potential application of metal-chelating active packaging films to enhance the antimicrobial activity of membrane-disrupting antimicrobials, such as lysozyme.
Significantly enhanced memory effect in metallic glass by multistep training
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, M. X.; Luo, P.; Sun, Y. T.; Wen, P.; Bai, H. Y.; Liu, Y. H.; Wang, W. H.
2017-11-01
The state of metastable equilibrium glass can carry an imprint of the past and exhibit memory effect. As a hallmark of glassy dynamics, memory effect can affect glassy behavior as it evolves further upon time. Even though the physical picture of the memory effect has been well studied, it is unclear whether a glass can recall as many pieces of information as possible, and if so, how the glass will accordingly behave. We report that by fractionizing temperature interval, inserting multistep aging protocols, and optimizing the time of each temperature step, i.e., by imposing a multistep "training" on a prototypical P d40N i10C u30P20 metallic glass, the memory of the trained glass can be significantly strengthened, marked by a pronounced augment in potential energy. These findings provide a new guide for regulating the energy state of glass by enhancing the nonequilibrium behaviors of the memory effect and offer an opportunity to develop a clearer physical picture of glassy dynamics.
AMPK activation enhances the anti-atherogenic effects of high density lipoproteins in apoE-/- mice.
Ma, Ang; Wang, Jing; Yang, Liu; An, Yuanyuan; Zhu, Haibo
2017-08-01
HDL plays crucial roles at multiple stages of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of AMPK activation on HDL functionality has not been established in vivo. We assessed the effects of pharmacological AMPK activation using A-769662, AICAR, metformin, and IMM-H007 on the atheroprotective functions of HDL in apoE-deficient (apoE -/- ) mice fed with a high-fat diet. After administration, there were no changes in serum lipid levels among the groups. However, mice treated with AMPK activators showed significantly enhanced reverse cholesterol transport in vivo and in vitro. AMPK activation also increased the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in macrophages and scavenger receptor class B type I and LCAT in the liver. HDL from AMPK activation mice exhibited lower HDL inflammatory index and myeloperoxidase activity and higher paraoxonase 1 activity than HDL from untreated mice, implying superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. Pharmacological AMPK activation also induced polarization of macrophages to the M2 state and reduced plasma lipid peroxidation, inflammatory cytokine production, and atherosclerotic plaque formation in apoE -/- mice. These observations suggest that pharmacological AMPK activation enhances the anti-atherogenic properties of HDL in vivo. This likely represents a key mechanism by which AMPK activation attenuates atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Proudhon, Charlotte; Snetkova, Valentina; Raviram, Ramya; Lobry, Camille; Badri, Sana; Jiang, Tingting; Hao, Bingtao; Trimarchi, Thomas; Kluger, Yuval; Aifantis, Iannis; Bonneau, Richard; Skok, Jane A
2016-01-01
V(D)J recombination relies on the presence of proximal enhancers that activate the antigen receptor (AgR) loci in a lineage and stage specific manner. Unexpectedly we find that both active and inactive AgR enhancers co-operate to disseminate their effects in a localized and long-range manner. Here we demonstrate the importance of short-range contacts between active enhancers that constitute an Igk super-enhancer in B cells. Deletion of one element reduces the interaction frequency between other enhancers in the hub, which compromises the transcriptional output of each component. We further establish that in T cells long-range contact and co-operation between the inactive Igk enhancer, MiEκ and the active Tcrb enhancer, Eβ, alters enrichment of CBFβ binding in a manner that impacts Tcrb recombination. These findings underline the complexities of enhancer regulation and point to a role for localized and long-range enhancer-sharing between active and inactive elements in lineage and stage specific control. PMID:27239026
Enhancement of amphotericin B activity against Candida albicans by superoxide radical.
Okamoto, Yuichi; Aoki, Shigeji; Mataga, Izumi
2004-07-01
This study aimed to examine the involvement of oxidative damage in amphotericin B (AmB) activity against Candida albicans using the superoxide (O2-) generator paraquat (PQ). The effects of PQ on AmB activities against growth, viability, membrane permeability and respiration were examined in a wild-type parent strain (K) and a respiration-deficient mutant (KRD-19) since PQ-induced superoxide generation depends on respiration. In the parent strain, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AmB, 0.25 microg/ml, tested with a liquid culture was lowered to 0.025 microg/ml by 1 mM PQ. Such a PQ-induced decrease in the MIC value of AmB was minimal in the mutant. Similar PQ-induced enhancement of AmB activity toward the parent strain was also observed with growth on an agar medium. In viability tests, when candidal cells were exposed to AmB (0.1 microg/ml) for I h, the lethality of AmB was enhanced by 1 mM PQ only in the parent strain. Exogenous superoxide dismutase and catalase failed to diminish the enhancing effect of PQ on the growth inhibitory activity of AmB in the parent strain, suggesting an interaction between superoxide and AmB in candidal cells. The enhancement of AmB activity by PQ, observed preferentially in the wild-type strain, can be explained by extensive superoxide generation depending on respiration. These results suggest that oxidative damage induced by superoxide is involved in AmB activity against C. albicans.
Horii, Yusuke; Uchiyama, Kazuhiko; Toyokawa, Yuki; Hotta, Yuma; Tanaka, Makoto; Yasukawa, Zenta; Tokunaga, Makoto; Okubo, Tsutomu; Mizushima, Katsura; Higashimura, Yasuki; Dohi, Osamu; Okayama, Tetsuya; Yoshida, Naohisa; Katada, Kazuhiro; Kamada, Kazuhiro; Handa, Osamu; Ishikawa, Takeshi; Takagi, Tomohisa; Konishi, Hideyuki; Naito, Yuji; Itoh, Yoshito
2016-07-13
Healing of the intestinal mucosal epithelium was found to be a critical factor in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we provide further evidence that partially hydrolyzed dietary fiber (PHGG) enhances colonic epithelial cell wound healing, and partially characterize the mechanism that governs this process. Young adult mouse colonic (YAMC) epithelial cells were scraped with a 10 μl micro-pipette tip to denude a round of the monolayer and were incubated with PHGG. The area of cell migration was measured using Image J software. Meanwhile, Rho activation assays were utilized to monitor Rho activation levels. To assess in vivo effects, C57B6 mice were treated with DSS for 7 days and then provided food supplemented with PHGG for 8 days. YAMC cells treated with PHGG exhibited significantly enhanced wound healing compared to the control cells; however, this enhancement was inhibited by both Y-27632 (RhoA inhibitor) and U0126 (ERK1/2 inhibitor). Likewise, there was a PHGG-dependent increase in F-actin accumulation and Rho kinase activity that was blocked by U0126. Meanwhile, PHGG-dependent ERK1/2 activity was not inhibited by Y-27632. In the DSS-induced mouse colitis model, animals that received food supplemented with PHGG exhibited significant recovery of the colonic mucosa. In this study, we demonstrate that PHGG promotes colonic epithelial cell wound healing via activation of RhoA, which occurs downstream of ERK1/2 activation. These findings indicate that PHGG could be utilized as a therapeutic agent for patients with intestinal mucosal damage such as those with IBD.
Ma, Yingfang; Shen, Wei; Chen, Xianzhong; Liu, Long; Zhou, Zhemin; Xu, Fei; Yang, Haiquan
2016-01-01
Alkaline amylase has significant potential for applications in the textile, paper and detergent industries, however, low yield of which cannot meet the requirement of industrial application. In this work, a novel ARTP mutagenesis-screening method and fermentation optimization strategies were used to significantly improve the expression level of recombinant alkaline amylase in B. subtilis 168. The activity of alkaline amylase in mutant B. subtilis 168 mut-16# strain was 1.34-fold greater than that in the wild-type, and the highest specific production rate was improved from 1.31 U/(mg·h) in the wild-type strain to 1.57 U/(mg·h) in the mutant strain. Meanwhile, the growth of B. subtilis was significantly enhanced by ARTP mutagenesis. When the agitation speed was 550 rpm, the highest activity of recombinant alkaline amylase was 1.16- and 1.25-fold of the activities at 450 and 650 rpm, respectively. When the concentration of soluble starch and soy peptone in the initial fermentation medium was doubled, alkaline amylase activity was increased 1.29-fold. Feeding hydrolyzed starch and soy peptone mixture or glucose significantly improved cell growth, but inhibited the alkaline amylase production in B. subtilis 168 mut-16#. The highest alkaline amylase activity by feeding hydrolyzed starch reached 591.4 U/mL, which was 1.51-fold the activity by feeding hydrolyzed starch and soy peptone mixture. Single pulse feeding-based batch feeding at 10 h favored the production of alkaline amylase in B. subtilis 168 mut-16#. The results indicated that this novel ARTP mutagenesis-screening method could significantly improve the yield of recombinant proteins in B. subtilis . Meanwhile, fermentation optimization strategies efficiently promoted expression of recombinant alkaline amylase in B. subtilis 168 mut-16#. These findings have great potential for facilitating the industrial-scale production of alkaline amylase and other enzymes, using B. subtilis cultures as microbial cell
STATs Shape the Active Enhancer Landscape of T Cell Populations
Vahedi, Golnaz; Takahashi, Hayato; Nakayamada, Shingo; Sun, Hong-wei; Sartorelli, Vittorio; Kanno, Yuka; O’Shea, John J.
2012-01-01
SUMMARY Signaling pathways are intimately involved in cellular differentiation, allowing cells to respond to their environment by regulating gene expression. While enhancers are recognized as key elements that regulate selective gene expression, the interplay between signaling pathways and actively used enhancer elements is not clear. Here, we use CD4+ T cells as a model of differentiation, mapping the acquisition of cell-type-specific enhancer elements in T-helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells. Our data establish that STAT proteins have a major impact on the acquisition of lineage-specific enhancers and the suppression of enhancers associated with alternative cell fates. Transcriptome analysis further supports a functional role for enhancers regulated by STATs. Importantly, expression of lineage-defining master regulators in STAT-deficient cells fails to fully recover the chromatin signature of STAT-dependent enhancers. Thus, these findings point to a critical role of STATs as environmental sensors in dynamically molding the specialized enhancer architecture of differentiating cells. PMID:23178119
Potentized Mercuric chloride and Mercuric iodide enhance alpha-amylase activity in vitro.
Sukul, N C; De, A; Sukul, A; Sinhababu, S P
2002-10-01
Mercuric chloride 30c and Mercuric iodide 30c were prepared by successive dilution in 30 steps of 1:100 followed by sonication at 20KHz for 30s at each step. Both were prepared in two media: 90% ethanol and distilled water. Three preparations of Mercuric chloride 30 in water were used: 12-month old, 1-month old and 4-day old. The controls for the water and ethanol-water preparations were pure water 30c and 90% ethanol 30c, respectively. For the three water preparations there were three matched controls of water 30c of the same ages. Each potentized substance or its control was mixed with distilled water 1:100 before testing. Hydrolysis of starch by alpha-amylase was measured by the standard procedure after incubation for 15 min at 27 degrees C. Mercuric chloride 30c and Mercuric iodide 30c in both water and aqueous ethanol media, enhanced enzyme activity significantly, compared to their respective controls. Mercuric chloride 30c, prepared in water 12 months previously, produced no significant change in the enzyme activity compared to its control. We hypothesize that the structure of the active molecule imprinted on water polymers during the process of dynamization. The specifically structured water interacts with the active sites of alpha-amylase, modifying its activity. Ethanol molecules have large non-polar part stabilizing the water structure and thus retaining activity for a longer time.
Repression by Jun of the Polyoma-virus enhancer overrides activation in a cell specific manner.
Schneikert, J; Imler, J L; Wasylyk, B
1991-01-01
The activities of promoters and enhancers are generated by the combinatorial effects of the factors which interact with them. The Polyoma virus (Py) enhancer contains sequences that are positively regulated by the proto-oncogene Jun. Surprisingly, Jun has an additional and overriding repressing effect on enhancer activity, which is cell specific. Thus overall enhancer activity cannot be simply deduced from the properties of individual elements. We present evidence that repression is indirect. Images PMID:1850124
Sleepiness induced by sleep-debt enhanced amygdala activity for subliminal signals of fear.
Motomura, Yuki; Kitamura, Shingo; Oba, Kentaro; Terasawa, Yuri; Enomoto, Minori; Katayose, Yasuko; Hida, Akiko; Moriguchi, Yoshiya; Higuchi, Shigekazu; Mishima, Kazuo
2014-08-19
Emotional information is frequently processed below the level of consciousness, where subcortical regions of the brain are thought to play an important role. In the absence of conscious visual experience, patients with visual cortex damage discriminate the valence of emotional expression. Even in healthy individuals, a subliminal mechanism can be utilized to compensate for a functional decline in visual cognition of various causes such as strong sleepiness. In this study, sleep deprivation was simulated in healthy individuals to investigate functional alterations in the subliminal processing of emotional information caused by reduced conscious visual cognition and attention due to an increase in subjective sleepiness. Fourteen healthy adult men participated in a within-subject crossover study consisting of a 5-day session of sleep debt (SD, 4-h sleep) and a 5-day session of sleep control (SC, 8-h sleep). On the last day of each session, participants performed an emotional face-viewing task that included backward masking of nonconscious presentations during magnetic resonance scanning. Finally, data from eleven participants who were unaware of nonconscious face presentations were analyzed. In fear contrasts, subjective sleepiness was significantly positively correlated with activity in the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and insular cortex, and was significantly negatively correlated with the secondary and tertiary visual areas and the fusiform face area. In fear-neutral contrasts, subjective sleepiness was significantly positively correlated with activity of the bilateral amygdala. Further, changes in subjective sleepiness (the difference between the SC and SD sessions) were correlated with both changes in amygdala activity and functional connectivity between the amygdala and superior colliculus in response to subliminal fearful faces. Sleepiness induced functional decline in the brain areas involved in conscious visual cognition of facial
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fairclough, S. J.; Butcher, Z. H.; Stratton, G.
2008-01-01
The moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of 70 children (age 8.6 years; 40 boys) was measured and gender and age differences were compared. Boys spent 28 minutes per day more than girls in MVPA (p=0.02, d=0.54), and younger children accumulated 24 minutes more MVPA than older peers (p=0.0001, d=0.91). Similar gender and age-related trends…
Hassan, Iftekhar; Khan, Azmat Ali; Aman, Shazia; Qamar, Wajhul; Ebaid, Hossam; Al-Tamimi, Jameel; Alhazza, Ibrahim M; Rady, Ahmed M
2018-01-26
The present study was designed to investigate if elevated copper level can be targeted to enhance the efficacy of a significant anticancer drug, imatinib (ITB). The antineoplastic activity of this drug was assessed in the HepG2, HEK-293, MCF-7 and MDA-MD-231 cells targeting elevated copper level as their common drug target. The cell lines were treated with the different doses of copper chloride (Cu II) and disulfiram (DSF) alone as well as in their combinations with the drug for 24 h in standard culture medium and conditions. The treated cells were subjected to various assays including MTT, PARP, p-53, caspase-7, caspase-3, LDH and single cell electrophoresis. The study shows that DSF and Cu (II) synergizes the anticancer activity of ITB to a significant extent in a dose-specific way as evidenced by the combinations treated groups. Furthermore, the same treatment strategy was employed in cancer-induced rats in which the combinations of ITB-DSF and ITB-Cu II showed enhanced antineoplastic activity as compared to ITB alone. However, DSF was more effective than Cu (II) as an adjuvant to the drug. Hence, restrained manipulation of copper level in tumor cells can orchestrate the redox and molecular dispositions inside the cells favoring the induction of apoptosis.
Ioannou, Petros; Andrianaki, Aggeliki; Akoumianaki, Tonia; Kyrmizi, Irene; Albert, Nathaniel; Perlin, David; Samonis, George; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P; Chamilos, Georgios
2015-12-07
The modest in vitro activity of echinocandins against Aspergillus implies that host-related factors augment the action of these antifungal agents in vivo. We found that, in contrast to the other antifungal agents (voriconazole, amphotericin B) tested, caspofungin exhibited a profound increase in activity against various Aspergillus species under conditions of cell culture growth, as evidenced by a ≥4-fold decrease in minimum effective concentrations (MECs) (P = 0. 0005). Importantly, the enhanced activity of caspofungin against Aspergillus spp. under cell culture conditions was strictly dependent on serum albumin and was not observed with the other two echinocandins, micafungin and anidulafungin. Of interest, fluorescently labeled albumin bound preferentially on the surface of germinating Aspergillus hyphae, and this interaction was further enhanced upon treatment with caspofungin. In addition, supplementation of cell culture medium with albumin resulted in a significant, 5-fold increase in association of fluorescently labeled caspofungin with Aspergillus hyphae (P < 0.0001). Collectively, we found a novel synergistic interaction between albumin and caspofungin, with albumin acting as a potential carrier molecule to facilitate antifungal drug delivery to Aspergillus hyphae. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Visible-light-driven Bi 2 O 3 /WO 3 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity
Adhikari, Shiba P.; Dean, Hunter; Hood, Zachary D.; ...
2015-10-19
Semiconductor heterojunctions (composites) have been shown to be effective photocatalytic materials to overcome the drawbacks of low photocatalytic efficiency that results from electron–hole recombination and narrow photo-response range. We prepared a novel visible-light-driven Bi 2O 3/WO 3 composite photocatalyst by hydrothermal synthesis. The composite was characterized by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to better understand the structures, compositions, morphologies and optical properties. Bi 2O 3/WO 3 heterojunction was found to exhibit significantly higher photocatalyticmore » activity towards the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) and 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) under visible light irradiation compared to that of Bi 2O 3 and WO 3. A tentative mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the heterostructured composite is discussed based on observed activity, band position calculations, photoluminescence, and electrochemical impedance data. Our study provides a new strategy for the design of composite materials with enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance.« less
Niobium pentoxide: a promising surface-enhanced Raman scattering active semiconductor substrate
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shan, Yufeng; Zheng, Zhihui; Liu, Jianjun; Yang, Yong; Li, Zhiyuan; Huang, Zhengren; Jiang, Dongliang
2017-03-01
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering technique, as a powerful tool to identify the molecular species, has been severely restricted to the noble metals. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates based on semiconductors would overcome the shortcomings of metal substrates and promote development of surface-enhanced Raman scattering technique in surface science, spectroscopy, and biomedicine studies. However, the detection sensitivity and enhancement effects of semiconductor substrates are suffering from their weak activities. In this work, a semiconductor based on Nb2O5 is reported as a new candidate for highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of dye molecules. The largest enhancement factor value greater than 107 was observed with the laser excitation at 633 and 780 nm for methylene blue detection. As far as literature review shows, this is in the rank of the highest sensitivity among semiconductor materials; even comparable to the metal nanostructure substrates with "hot spots". The impressive surface-enhanced Raman scattering activities can be attributed to the chemical enhancement dominated by the photo-induced charge transfer, as well as the electromagnetic enhancement, which have been supported by the density-functional-theory and finite element method calculation results. The chemisorption of dye on Nb2O5 creates a new highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital contributed by both fragments in the molecule-Nb2O5 system, which makes the charge transfer more feasible with longer excitation wavelength. In addition, the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism also accounts for two orders of magnitude enhancement in the overall enhancement factor value. This work has revealed Nb2O5 nanoparticles as a new semiconductor surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate that is able to replace noble metals and shows great potentials applied in the fields of biology related.
Wang, X F; Zhang, S L; Zhu, L Y; Xie, S Y; Dong, Z; Wang, Y; Zhou, W Z
2012-01-01
This study aimed to enhance the antibacterial activity of tilmicosin by solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). Tilmicosin-loaded hydrogenated castor oil (HCO)-SLN was prepared using a hot homogenisation and ultrasonication method. The physicochemical characteristics of SLN were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). The antibacterial activity of tilmicosin-SLN against Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated by growth inhibition and colony-counting method. A therapeutic study of tilmicosin-SLN was conducted by subcutaneous injection in a mouse mastitis model infected with S. aureus by teat canal infusion. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed by physical appearance of the mammary gland and measurement of colony-forming units (CFU) per gland. The results showed that the diameter, polydispersivity index, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the nanoparticles were 343±26 nm, 0.33±0.08, -7.9±0.4 mV, 60.4±3.3% and 11.2±0.47%, respectively. Tilmicosin-SLN showed a sustained-release effect and sustained and enhanced antibacterial activity in vitro. SLN significantly enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of tilmicosin determined by lower CFU counts and a decreased degree of inflammation. These results demonstrated that the HCO-SLN is an effective carrier to enhance the antibacterial activity of tilmicosin. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chang, Ha Kyun; Kim, Dae Seong; Chae, Jung Jun
In this study, we examined whether the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonists, ciglitazone (CGZ) and troglitazone (TGZ), induce cell death in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. The cells were treated with a range of CGZ or TGZ doses for 24 or 48 h. Low concentrations of CGZ (≤10 μM) or TGZ (≤20 μM) had no effect on cell viability whereas higher doses induced cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner as evidenced by the detection of activated caspase-3 and PARP cleavage. Treatment with the PPARγ antagonist GW9662 followed by PPARγ agonists did not increase CGZ- or TGZ-induced cell death, indicating thatmore » PPARγ agonists induced HeLa cell death independently of PPARγ. Moreover, ERK1/2 activation was observed at a CGZ concentration of 25 μM and a TGZ concentration of 35 μM, both of which induced cell death. To elucidate the role of ERK1/2 activated by the two PPARγ agonists, the effect of U0126, an inhibitor of ERK1/2, on PPARγ-agonist-induced cell death was examined. Treatment with 10 or 20 μM U0126 followed by CGZ or TGZ induced the down-regulation of ERK1/2 activity and a decrease in Bcl-2 expression accompanied by the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, which in turn significantly enhanced CGZ- or TGZ-induced apoptotic cell death. Our results suggest that PPARγ agonists are capable of inducing apoptotic cell death in HeLa cells independently of PPARγ and that inhibition of ERK1/2 activity offers a strategy to enhance the cytotoxicity of PPARγ agonists in the treatment of cervical cancer. - Highlights: • The PPARγ agonists CGZ and TGZ induce apoptotic cell death in HeLa cells. • CGZ or TGZ induces apoptotic cell death independently of PPARγ in HeLa cells. • Inhibition of ERK1/2 enhances CGZ- or TGZ-induced cell death via the collapse of MMP.« less
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ennis, Catherine D.
2017-01-01
For many years, pedagogical scholars and physical education (PE) teachers have worked to enhance effective teaching and learning environments. Yet for some children, youth, and young adults, many of the benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle remain elusive. Enhancing programming and performance to meet physical activity goals may…
Hipp, J Aaron; Manteiga, Alicia; Burgess, Amanda; Stylianou, Abby; Pless, Robert
2016-01-01
Active transportation opportunities and infrastructure are an important component of a community's design, livability, and health. Features of the built environment influence active transportation, but objective study of the natural experiment effects of built environment improvements on active transportation is challenging. The purpose of this study was to develop and present a novel method of active transportation research using webcams and crowdsourcing, and to determine if crosswalk enhancement was associated with changes in active transportation rates, including across a variety of weather conditions. The 20,529 publicly available webcam images from two street intersections in Washington, DC, USA were used to examine the impact of an improved crosswalk on active transportation. A crowdsource, Amazon Mechanical Turk, annotated image data. Temperature data were collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and precipitation data were annotated from images by trained research assistants. Summary analyses demonstrated slight, bi-directional differences in the percent of images with pedestrians and bicyclists captured before and after the enhancement of the crosswalks. Chi-square analyses revealed these changes were not significant. In general, pedestrian presence increased in images captured during moderate temperatures compared to images captured during hot or cold temperatures. Chi-square analyses indicated the crosswalk improvement may have encouraged walking and biking in uncomfortable outdoor conditions (P < 0.5). The methods employed provide an objective, cost-effective alternative to traditional means of examining the effects of built environment changes on active transportation. The use of webcams to collect active transportation data has applications for community policymakers, planners, and health professionals. Future research will work to validate this method in a variety of settings as well as across different built
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Qian; An, Qi; Luan, Xinglong; Huang, Hongwei; Li, Xiaowei; Meng, Zilin; Tong, Wangshu; Chen, Xiaodong; Chu, Paul K.; Zhang, Yihe
2015-08-01
A high-performance visible-light-active photocatalyst is prepared using the polyelectrolyte/exfoliated titania nanosheet/graphene oxide (GO) precursor by flocculation followed by calcination. The polyelectrolyte poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride) serves not only as an effective binder to precipitate GO and titania nanosheets, but also boosts the overall performance of the catalyst significantly. Unlike most titania nanosheet-based catalysts reported in the literature, the composite absorbs light in the UV-Vis-NIR range. Its decomposition rate of methylene blue is 98% under visible light. This novel strategy of using a polymer to enhance the catalytic performance of titania nanosheet-based catalysts affords immense potential in designing and fabricating next-generation photocatalysts with high efficiency.A high-performance visible-light-active photocatalyst is prepared using the polyelectrolyte/exfoliated titania nanosheet/graphene oxide (GO) precursor by flocculation followed by calcination. The polyelectrolyte poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride) serves not only as an effective binder to precipitate GO and titania nanosheets, but also boosts the overall performance of the catalyst significantly. Unlike most titania nanosheet-based catalysts reported in the literature, the composite absorbs light in the UV-Vis-NIR range. Its decomposition rate of methylene blue is 98% under visible light. This novel strategy of using a polymer to enhance the catalytic performance of titania nanosheet-based catalysts affords immense potential in designing and fabricating next-generation photocatalysts with high efficiency. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03256c
Walczak-Drzewiecka, Aurelia; Wyczólkowska, Janina; Dastych, Jaroslaw
2003-01-01
Upon contact with allergen, sensitized mast cells release highly active proinflammatory mediators. Allergen-mediated mast cell activation is an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of atopic asthma. Asthmatic patients are especially susceptible to air pollution. Epidemiologic studies found a positive correlation between severity of symptoms among asthmatic patients and the level of particulate matter (PM) in the air. Among the constituents of PM are metals and transition metals, which could mediate some of its adverse effects on human health. We sought to determine the effect of metal and transition metal ions on allergen-mediated mast cell activation. We observed that several metal and transition metal ions activated mast cells and enhanced allergen-mediated mast cell activation. Thus, Al(3+), Cd(2+), and Sr(2+) induced release of granule-associated N-acetyl-ss-d-hexosaminidase, and Al(3+) and Ni(2+) enhanced antigen-mediated release. Metal and transition metal ions also induced significant secretion of interleukin (IL)-4 and increased antigen-mediated IL-4 secretion in mast cells. These effects of metal and transition metal ions on mast cells were observed at concentrations that do not result in direct cytotoxicity and might be relevant for environmental exposure. Thus, metals and transition metals could increase the level of allergen-mediated mast cell activation, which might be one of the mechanisms mediating exacerbation of allergen-driven asthma symptoms by air pollution. PMID:12727598
Reduced Cx43 expression triggers increased fibrosis due to enhanced fibroblast activity.
Jansen, John A; van Veen, Toon A B; de Jong, Sanne; van der Nagel, Roel; van Stuijvenberg, Leonie; Driessen, Helen; Labzowski, Ronald; Oefner, Carolin M; Bosch, Astrid A; Nguyen, Tri Q; Goldschmeding, Roel; Vos, Marc A; de Bakker, Jacques M T; van Rijen, Harold V M
2012-04-01
Arrhythmogenic ventricular remodeling is hallmarked by both reduced gap junction expression and increased collagen deposition. We hypothesized that reduced connexin43 (Cx43) expression is responsible for enhanced fibrosis in the remodeled heart, resulting in an arrhythmogenic substrate. Therefore, we investigated the effect of normal or reduced Cx43 expression on the formation of fibrosis in a physiological (aging) and pathophysiological (transverse aortic constriction [TAC]) mouse model. The Cx43(fl/fl) and Cx43(CreER(T)/fl) mice were aged 18 to 21 months or, at the age of 3 months, either TAC or sham operated and euthanized after 16 weeks. Epicardial activation mapping of the right and left ventricles was performed on Langendorff perfused hearts. Sustained ventricular arrhythmias were induced in 0 of 11 aged Cx43(fl/fl) and 10 of 15 Cx43(Cre-ER(T)/fl) mice (P<0.01). Cx43 expression was reduced by half in aged Cx43(CreER(T)/fl) compared with aged Cx43(fl/fl) mice, whereas collagen deposition was significantly increased from 1.1±0.2% to 7.4±1.3%. Aged Cx43(CreER(T)/fl) mice with arrhythmias had significantly higher levels of fibrosis and conduction heterogeneity than aged Cx43(CreER(T)/fl) mice without arrhythmias. The TAC operation significantly increased fibrosis in control compared with sham (4.0±1.2% versus 0.4±0.06%), but this increase was significantly higher in Cx43(CreER(T)/fl) mice (10.8±1.4%). Discoidin domain receptor 2 expression was unchanged, but procollagen peptide I and III expression and collagen type 1α2 mRNA levels were higher in TAC-operated Cx43HZ mice. Reduced cellular coupling results in more excessive collagen deposition during aging or pressure overload in mice due to enhanced fibroblast activity, leading to increased conduction in homogeneity and proarrhythmia.
Liu, Jing; Qu, Cheng-Bin; Xue, Yi-Xue; Li, Zhen; Wang, Ping; Liu, Yun-hui
Therapeutic applications of microRNAs (miRNAs) in chemotherapy were confirmed to be valuable, but there is rare to identify their specific roles and functions in shikonin treatment toward tumors. Here, for the first time, we reported that miR-143 played a critical role in the antitumor activity of shikonin in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). The results showed that the expression of miR-143 was downregulated in shikonin treated GSCs within 24 h. MiR-143 overexpression significantly enhanced the inhibitory effect of shikonin toward GSCs on cell viability. Besides, miR-143 overexpression caused a significant increase in the apoptotic fraction and made apoptosis occur earlier. Further investigation identified that BAG3, an apoptotic regulator, was a functional target of miR-143 in shikonin treated GSCs. The expression of BAG3 was upregulated in shikonin treated GSCs within 24 h. MiR-143 overexpression significantly reversed the high expression of BAG3 in shikonin treated GSCs. Moreover, it was confirmed that the enhanced cytotoxicity of shikonin by miR-143 overexpression was reversed by BAG3 overexpression both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that the enhanced tumor suppressive effects by miR-143 overexpression was at least partly through the regulation of BAG3. Taken together, for the first time, our results demonstrate that miR-143 could enhance the antitumor activity of shikonin toward GSCs through reducing BAG3 expression, which may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for enhancing the treatment efficacy of shikonin toward GSCs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Castañeda, Alejandro R; Pinkerton, Kent E; Bein, Keith J; Magaña-Méndez, Alfonso; Yang, Houa T; Ashwood, Paul; Vogel, Christoph F A
2018-08-01
The objective of this study was to explore the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in ambient particulate matter (PM)-mediated activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and Th17-immune responses in vitro. To assess the potential role of the AhR in PM-mediated activation of DCs, co-stimulation, and cytokine expression, bone marrow (BM)-derived macrophages and DCs from C57BL/6 wildtype or AhR knockout (AhR -/- ) mice were treated with PM. Th17 differentiation was assessed via co-cultures of wildtype or AhR -/- BMDCs with autologous naive T cells. PM 2.5 significantly induced AhR DNA binding activity to dioxin responsive elements (DRE) and expression of the AhR repressor (AhRR), cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, and CYP1B1, indicating activation of the AhR. In activated (OVA sensitized) BMDCs, PM 2.5 induced interleukin (IL)-1β, CD80, CD86, and MHC class II, suggesting enhanced DC activation, co-stimulation, and antigen presentation; responses that were abolished in AhR deficient DCs. DC-T cell co-cultures treated with PM and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) led to elevated IL-17A and IL-22 expression at the mRNA level, which is mediated by the AhR. PM-treated DCs were essential in endowing T cells with a Th17-phenotype, which was associated with enhanced expression of MHC class II and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. In conclusion, PM enhances DC activation that primes naive T cell differentiation towards a Th17-like phenotype in an AhR-dependent manner. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Enhanced oxidation resistance of active nanostructures via dynamic size effect
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Liu, Yun; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Yi
A major challenge limiting the practical applications of nanomaterials is that the activities of nanostructures (NSs) increase with reduced size, often sacrificing their stability in the chemical environment. Under oxidative conditions, NSs with smaller sizes and higher defect densities are commonly expected to oxidize more easily, since high-concentration defects can facilitate oxidation by enhancing the reactivity with O 2 and providing a fast channel for oxygen incorporation. Here, using FeO NSs as an example, we show to the contrary, that reducing the size of active NSs can drastically increase their oxidation resistance. A maximum oxidation resistance is found for FeOmore » NSs with dimensions below 3.2 nm. Rather than being determined by the structure or electronic properties of active sites, the enhanced oxidation resistance originates from the size-dependent structural dynamics of FeO NSs in O 2. We find this dynamic size effect to govern the chemical properties of active NSs.« less
Enhanced oxidation resistance of active nanostructures via dynamic size effect
Liu, Yun; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Yi; ...
2017-02-22
A major challenge limiting the practical applications of nanomaterials is that the activities of nanostructures (NSs) increase with reduced size, often sacrificing their stability in the chemical environment. Under oxidative conditions, NSs with smaller sizes and higher defect densities are commonly expected to oxidize more easily, since high-concentration defects can facilitate oxidation by enhancing the reactivity with O 2 and providing a fast channel for oxygen incorporation. Here, using FeO NSs as an example, we show to the contrary, that reducing the size of active NSs can drastically increase their oxidation resistance. A maximum oxidation resistance is found for FeOmore » NSs with dimensions below 3.2 nm. Rather than being determined by the structure or electronic properties of active sites, the enhanced oxidation resistance originates from the size-dependent structural dynamics of FeO NSs in O 2. We find this dynamic size effect to govern the chemical properties of active NSs.« less
Dramatic enhancement of enzymatic activity in organic solvents by lyoprotectants
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Dabulis, K.; Klibanov, A.M.
1993-03-05
When seven different hydrolytic enzymes (four proteases and three lipases) were lyophilized from aqueous solution containing a ligand, N-Ac-L-Phe-NH[sub 2], their catalytic activity in anhydrous solvents was far greater (one to two orders of magnitude) than that of the enzymes lyophilized without the ligand. This ligand-induced activation was expressed regardless of whether the substrate employed in organic solvents structurally resembled the ligand. Furthermore, nonligand lyoprotectants [sorbitol, other sugars, and poly(ethylene glycol)] also dramatically enhanced enzymatic activity in anhydrous solvents when present in enzyme aqueous solution prior to lyophilization. The effects of the ligand and of the lyoprotectants were nonadditive, suggestingmore » the same mechanism of action. Excipient-activated and nonactivated enzymes exhibited identical activities in water. Also, addition of the excipients directly to suspensions of nonactivated enzymes in organic solvents had no appreciable effect on catalytic activity. These observations indicate that the mechanism of the excipient-induced activation is based on the ability of the excipients to alleviate reversible denaturation of enzymes upon lyophilization. Activity enhancement induced by the excipients is displayed even after their removal by washing enzymes with anhydrous solvents. Subtilisin Carlsberg, lyophilized with sorbitol, was found to be a much more efficient practical catalyst than its regular' counterpart.« less
Nuclear Export Inhibition Enhances HLH-30/TFEB Activity, Autophagy, and Lifespan.
Silvestrini, Melissa J; Johnson, Joseph R; Kumar, Anita V; Thakurta, Tara G; Blais, Karine; Neill, Zachary A; Marion, Sarah W; St Amand, Victoria; Reenan, Robert A; Lapierre, Louis R
2018-05-15
Transcriptional modulation of the process of autophagy involves the transcription factor HLH-30/TFEB. In order to systematically determine the regulatory network of HLH-30/TFEB, we performed a genome-wide RNAi screen in C. elegans and found that silencing the nuclear export protein XPO-1/XPO1 enhances autophagy by significantly enriching HLH-30 in the nucleus, which is accompanied by proteostatic benefits and improved longevity. Lifespan extension via xpo-1 silencing requires HLH-30 and autophagy, overlapping mechanistically with several established longevity models. Selective XPO1 inhibitors recapitulated the effect on autophagy and lifespan observed by silencing xpo-1 and protected ALS-afflicted flies from neurodegeneration. XPO1 inhibition in HeLa cells enhanced TFEB nuclear localization, autophagy, and lysosome biogenesis without affecting mTOR activity, revealing a conserved regulatory mechanism for HLH-30/TFEB. Altogether, our study demonstrates that altering the nuclear export of HLH-30/TFEB can regulate autophagy and establishes the rationale of targeting XPO1 to stimulate autophagy in order to prevent neurodegeneration. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Holder, Mary K; Hadjimarkou, Maria M; Zup, Susan L; Blutstein, Tamara; Benham, Rebecca S; McCarthy, Margaret M; Mong, Jessica A
2010-02-01
Methamphetamine (MA) abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Users of MA report dramatic increases in sexual drive that have been associated with increased engagement in risky sexual behavior leading to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The ability of MA to enhance sexual drive in females is enigmatic since related psychostimulants like amphetamine and cocaine appear not to affect sexual drive in women, and in rodents models, amphetamine has been reported to be inhibitory to female sexual behavior. Examination of MA's effects on female sexual behavior in an animal model is lacking. Here, using a rodent model, we have demonstrated that MA enhanced female sexual behavior. MA (5mg/kg) or saline vehicle was administered once daily for 3 days to adult ovariectomized rats primed with ovarian steroids. MA treatment significantly increased the number of proceptive events and the lordosis response compared to hormonally primed, saline controls. The effect of MA on the neural circuitry underlying the motivation for sexual behavior was examined using Fos immunoreactivity. In the medial amygdala and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, nuclei implicated in motivated behaviors, ovarian hormones and MA independently enhance the neuronal activation, but more striking was the significantly greater activation induced by their combined administration. Increases in dopamine neurotransmission may underlie the MA/hormone mediated increase in neuronal activation. In support of this possibility, ovarian hormones significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase (the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis) immunoreactivity in the medial amygdala. Thus our present data suggest that the interactions of MA and ovarian hormones leads to changes in the neural substrate of key nuclei involved in mediating female sexual behaviors, and these changes may underlie MA's ability to enhance these behaviors. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All
Holder, Mary K; Hadjimarkou, Maria M.; Zup, Susan L.; Blutstein, Tamara; Benham, Rebecca S.; McCarthy, Margaret M.; Mong, Jessica A.
2009-01-01
Summary Methamphetamine (MA) abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Users of MA report dramatic increases in sexual drive that have been associated with increased engagement in risky sexual behavior leading to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The ability of MA to enhance sexual drive in females is enigmatic since related psychostimulants like amphetamine and cocaine appear not to affect sexual drive in women, and in rodents models, amphetamine has been reported to be inhibitory to female sexual behavior. Examination of MA’s effects on female sexual behavior in an animal model is lacking. Here, using a rodent model, we have demonstrated that MA enhanced female sexual behavior. MA (5mg/kg) or saline vehicle was administered once daily for three days to adult ovariectomized rats primed with ovarian steroids. MA treatment significantly increased the number of proceptive events and the lordosis response compared to hormonally-primed, saline controls. The effect of MA on the neural circuitry underlying the motivation for sexual behavior was examined using Fos immunoreactivity. In the medial amygdala and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, nuclei implicated in motivated behaviors, ovarian hormones and MA independently enhance the neuronal activation, but more striking was the significantly greater activation induced by their combined administration. Increases in dopamine neurotransmission may underlie the MA/hormone mediated increase in neuronal activation. In support of this possibility, ovarian hormones significantly increased tyrosine hyroxylase (the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis) immunoreactivity in the medial amygdala. Thus our present data suggest that the interactions of MA and ovarian hormones leads to changes in the neural substrate of key nuclei involved in mediating female sexual behaviors, and these changes may underlie MA’s ability to enhance these behaviors. PMID
Imbir, Kamil; Spustek, Tomasz; Bernatowicz, Gabriela; Duda, Joanna; Żygierewicz, Jarosław
2017-01-01
The arousal level of words presented in a Stroop task was found to affect their interference on the required naming of the words’ color. Based on a dual-processes approach, we propose that there are two aspects to activation: arousal and subjective significance. Arousal is crucial for automatic processing. Subjective significance is specific to controlled processing. Based on this conceptual model, we predicted that arousal would enhance interference in a Stroop task, as attention would be allocated to the meaning of the inhibited word. High subjective significance should have the opposite effect, i.e., it should enhance the controlled and explicit part of Stroop task processing, which is color naming. We found that response latencies were modulated by the interaction between the arousal and subjective significance levels of words. The longest reaction times were observed for highly arousing words of medium subjective significance level. Arousal shaped event related potentials in the 150–290 ms time range, while effects of subjective significance were found for 50–150, 150–290, and 290–530 ms time ranges. PMID:29311872
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ryder, K. D.; Duncan, R. L.
2001-01-01
Osteoblasts respond to both fluid shear and parathyroid hormone (PTH) with a rapid increase in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Because both stimuli modulate the kinetics of the mechanosensitive cation channel (MSCC), we postulated PTH would enhance the [Ca2+]i response to fluid shear by increasing the sensitivity of MSCCs. After a 3-minute preflow at 1 dyne/cm2, MC3T3-E1 cells were subjected to various levels of shear and changes in [Ca2+]i were assessed using Fura-2. Pretreatment with 50 nM bovine PTH(1-34) [bPTH(1-34)] significantly enhanced the shear magnitude-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i. Gadolinium (Gd3+), an MSCC blocker, significantly inhibited the mean peak [Ca2+]i response to shear and shear + bPTH(1-34). Nifedipine (Nif), an L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel (VSCC) blocker, also significantly reduced the [Ca2+]i response to shear + bPTH(1-34), but not to shear alone, suggesting VSCC activation plays an interactive role in the action of these stimuli together. Activation of either the protein kinase C (PKC) or protein kinase A (PKA) pathways with specific agonists indicated that PKC activation did not alter the Ca2+ response to shear, whereas PKA activation significantly increased the [Ca2+]i response to lower magnitudes of shear. bPTH(1-34), which activates both pathways, induced the greatest [Ca2+]i response at each level of shear, suggesting an interaction of these pathways in this response. These data indicate that PTH significantly enhances the [Ca2+]i response to shear primarily via PKA modulation of the MSCC and VSCC.
2015-01-01
Iron–dextran nanoparticles functionalized with T cell activating proteins have been used to study T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. However, nanoparticle triggering of membrane receptors is poorly understood and may be sensitive to physiologically regulated changes in TCR clustering that occur after T cell activation. Nano-aAPC bound 2-fold more TCR on activated T cells, which have clustered TCR, than on naive T cells, resulting in a lower threshold for activation. To enhance T cell activation, a magnetic field was used to drive aggregation of paramagnetic nano-aAPC, resulting in a doubling of TCR cluster size and increased T cell expansion in vitro and after adoptive transfer in vivo. T cells activated by nano-aAPC in a magnetic field inhibited growth of B16 melanoma, showing that this novel approach, using magnetic field-enhanced nano-aAPC stimulation, can generate large numbers of activated antigen-specific T cells and has clinically relevant applications for adoptive immunotherapy. PMID:24564881
Ito, K; Kawachi, M; Matsunaga, Y; Hori, Y; Ozaki, T; Nagahama, K; Hirayama, M; Kawabata, Y; Shiraishi, Y; Takei, M; Tanaka, T
2016-04-01
Acotiamide is a first-in-class prokinetic drug approved in Japan for the treatment of functional dyspepsia. Given that acotiamide enhances gastric motility in conscious dogs and rats, we assessed the in vitro effects of this drug on the contraction of guinea pig stomach strips and on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in stomach homogenate following fundus removal. We also investigated the serotonin 5-HT4 receptor agonist mosapride, dopamine D2 receptor and AChE inhibitor itopride, and representative AChE inhibitor neostigmine. Acotiamide (0.3 and 1 μM) and itopride (1 and 3 μM) significantly enhanced the contraction of gastric body strips induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS), but mosapride (1 and 10 μM) did not. Acotiamide and itopride significantly enhanced the contraction of gastric body and antrum strips induced by acetylcholine (ACh), but not that induced by carbachol (CCh). Neostigmine also significantly enhanced the contraction of gastric body strips induced by ACh, but not that by CCh. In contrast, mosapride failed to enhance contractions induced by either ACh or CCh in gastric antrum strips. Acotiamide exerted mixed inhibition of AChE, and the percentage inhibition of acotiamide (100 μM) against AChE activity was markedly reduced after the reaction mixture was dialyzed. In contrast, itopride exerted noncompetitive inhibition on AChE activity. These results indicate that acotiamide enhances ACh-dependent contraction in gastric strips of guinea pigs via the inhibition of AChE activity, and that it exerts mixed and reversible inhibition of AChE derived from guinea pig stomach. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Microperforations significantly enhance diffusion across round window membrane.
Kelso, Catherine M; Watanabe, Hirobumi; Wazen, Joseph M; Bucher, Tizian; Qian, Zhen J; Olson, Elizabeth S; Kysar, Jeffrey W; Lalwani, Anil K
2015-04-01
Introduction of microperforations in round window membrane (RWM) will allow reliable and predictable intracochlear delivery of pharmaceutical, molecular, or cellular therapeutic agents. Reliable delivery of medications into the inner ear remains a formidable challenge. The RWM is an attractive target for intracochlear delivery. However, simple diffusion across intact RWM is limited by what material can be delivered, size of material to be delivered, difficulty with precise dosing, timing, and precision of delivery over time. Further, absence of reliable methods for measuring diffusion across RWM in vitro is a significant experimental impediment. A novel model for measuring diffusion across guinea pig RWM, with and without microperforation, was developed and tested: cochleae, sparing the RWM, were embedded in 3D-printed acrylic holders using hybrid dental composite and light cured to adapt the round window niche to 3 ml Franz diffusion cells. Perforations were created with 12.5-μm-diameter needles and examined with light microscopy. Diffusion of 1 mM Rhodamine B across RWM in static diffusion cells was measured via fluorescence microscopy. The diffusion cell apparatus provided reliable and replicable measurements of diffusion across RWM. The permeability of Rhodamine B across intact RWM was 5.1 × 10(9-) m/s. Manual application of microperforation with a 12.5-μm-diameter tip produced an elliptical tear removing 0.22 ± 0.07% of the membrane and was associated with a 35× enhancement in diffusion (P < 0.05). Diffusion cells can be applied to the study of RWM permeability in vitro. Microperforation in RWM is an effective means of increasing diffusion across the RWM.
Jacobs, Jelle; Atkins, Mardelle; Davie, Kristofer; Imrichova, Hana; Romanelli, Lucia; Christiaens, Valerie; Hulselmans, Gert; Potier, Delphine; Wouters, Jasper; Taskiran, Ibrahim I; Paciello, Giulia; González-Blas, Carmen B; Koldere, Duygu; Aibar, Sara; Halder, Georg; Aerts, Stein
2018-06-04
Transcriptional enhancers function as docking platforms for combinations of transcription factors (TFs) to control gene expression. How enhancer sequences determine nucleosome occupancy, TF recruitment and transcriptional activation in vivo remains unclear. Using ATAC-seq across a panel of Drosophila inbred strains, we found that SNPs affecting binding sites of the TF Grainy head (Grh) causally determine the accessibility of epithelial enhancers. We show that deletion and ectopic expression of Grh cause loss and gain of DNA accessibility, respectively. However, although Grh binding is necessary for enhancer accessibility, it is insufficient to activate enhancers. Finally, we show that human Grh homologs-GRHL1, GRHL2 and GRHL3-function similarly. We conclude that Grh binding is necessary and sufficient for the opening of epithelial enhancers but not for their activation. Our data support a model positing that complex spatiotemporal expression patterns are controlled by regulatory hierarchies in which pioneer factors, such as Grh, establish tissue-specific accessible chromatin landscapes upon which other factors can act.
Carbon nanotube-lipase hybrid nanoflowers with enhanced enzyme activity and enantioselectivity.
Li, Kai; Wang, Jianhua; He, Yaojia; Abdulrazaq, Miaad Adnan; Yan, Yunjun
2018-06-19
Various nanoflowers are synthesized as supports for different methods of enzyme immobilization; however, the activities of these immobilized enzymes are limited because of their confinement in the nanoflowers. In order to increase the performance of nanoflowers, in this study, different protein-phosphate hybrid nanostructures were successfully synthesized and further enhanced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under the same conditions. Only Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 complex nanostructures exhibited flower-like structures and showed excellent results after enhancement with CNTs in this framework. An esterification reaction between lauric acid and 1-dodecanol was used to test enzyme activity during immobilization, revealing that the Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 /CNT/protein complex exhibited 68-fold higher activity relative to free lipase and 51-fold higher than that of Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 /Burkholderia cepacia lipase hybrid nanoflowers in the absence of CNTs. All three hybrid nanostructures showed good performance and exhibited excellent reusability in resolution reactions between 1-phenylethanol and vinyl acetate. Additionally, the substrate enantiomeric excess (ee s ) reached 98% in only 10 min, and the corresponding Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 /CNT/protein complex could be recycled eight times without obvious loss of activity. This approach involving nanoflowers enhanced with CNTs will be highly beneficial for decreasing mass-transfer resistance and providing enhanced enzyme loading along with promising potential for industrial application. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Liu, Yanying; Hettinger, Casey L; Zhang, Dong; Rezvani, Khosrow; Wang, Xuejun; Wang, Hongmin
2014-05-01
The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is impaired in Huntington's disease, a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. Sulforaphane, a naturally occurring compound, has been shown to stimulate UPS activity in cell cultures. To test whether sulforaphane enhances UPS function in vivo, we treated UPS function reporter mice ubiquitously expressing the green fluorescence protein (GFP) fused to a constitutive degradation signal that promotes its rapid degradation in the conditions of a healthy UPS. The modified GFP is termed GFP UPS reporter (GFPu). We found that both GFPu and ubiquitinated protein levels were significantly reduced and the three peptidase activities of the proteasome were increased in the brain and peripheral tissues of the mice. Interestingly, sulforaphane treatment also enhanced autophagy activity in the brain and the liver. To further examine whether sulforaphane promotes mutant huntingtin (mHtt) degradation, we treated Huntington's disease cells with sulforaphane and found that sulforaphane not only enhanced mHtt degradation but also reduced mHtt cytotoxicity. Sulforaphane-mediated mHtt degradation was mainly through the UPS pathway as the presence of a proteasome inhibitor abolished this effect. Taken together, these data indicate that sulforaphane activates protein degradation machineries in both the brain and peripheral tissues and may be a therapeutic reagent for Huntington's disease and other intractable disorders. Accumulation of mutant huntingtin (mHtt) protein causes Huntington's disease (HD). Sulforaphane (SFN), a naturally occurring compound, increased proteasome and autophagy activities in vivo and enhanced mHtt turnover and cell survival in HD cell models. SFN-mediated mHtt degradation is mainly through the proteasome pathway. These data suggest that SFN can be a therapeutic reagent for treating HD and other intractable disorders. © 2014 International Society for Neurochemistry.
Are secular correlations between sunspots, geomagnetic activity, and global temperature significant?
Love, J.J.; Mursula, K.; Tsai, V.C.; Perkins, D.M.
2011-01-01
Recent studies have led to speculation that solar-terrestrial interaction, measured by sunspot number and geomagnetic activity, has played an important role in global temperature change over the past century or so. We treat this possibility as an hypothesis for testing. We examine the statistical significance of cross-correlations between sunspot number, geomagnetic activity, and global surface temperature for the years 1868-2008, solar cycles 11-23. The data contain substantial autocorrelation and nonstationarity, properties that are incompatible with standard measures of cross-correlational significance, but which can be largely removed by averaging over solar cycles and first-difference detrending. Treated data show an expected statistically- significant correlation between sunspot number and geomagnetic activity, Pearson p < 10-4, but correlations between global temperature and sunspot number (geomagnetic activity) are not significant, p = 0.9954, (p = 0.8171). In other words, straightforward analysis does not support widely-cited suggestions that these data record a prominent role for solar-terrestrial interaction in global climate change. With respect to the sunspot-number, geomagnetic-activity, and global-temperature data, three alternative hypotheses remain difficult to reject: (1) the role of solar-terrestrial interaction in recent climate change is contained wholly in long-term trends and not in any shorter-term secular variation, or, (2) an anthropogenic signal is hiding correlation between solar-terrestrial variables and global temperature, or, (3) the null hypothesis, recent climate change has not been influenced by solar-terrestrial interaction. ?? 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.
Are secular correlations between sunspots, geomagnetic activity, and global temperature significant?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Love, Jeffrey J.; Mursula, Kalevi; Tsai, Victor C.; Perkins, David M.
2011-11-01
Recent studies have led to speculation that solar-terrestrial interaction, measured by sunspot number and geomagnetic activity, has played an important role in global temperature change over the past century or so. We treat this possibility as an hypothesis for testing. We examine the statistical significance of cross-correlations between sunspot number, geomagnetic activity, and global surface temperature for the years 1868-2008, solar cycles 11-23. The data contain substantial autocorrelation and nonstationarity, properties that are incompatible with standard measures of cross-correlational significance, but which can be largely removed by averaging over solar cycles and first-difference detrending. Treated data show an expected statistically-significant correlation between sunspot number and geomagnetic activity, Pearson p < 10-4, but correlations between global temperature and sunspot number (geomagnetic activity) are not significant, p = 0.9954, (p = 0.8171). In other words, straightforward analysis does not support widely-cited suggestions that these data record a prominent role for solar-terrestrial interaction in global climate change. With respect to the sunspot-number, geomagnetic-activity, and global-temperature data, three alternative hypotheses remain difficult to reject: (1) the role of solar-terrestrial interaction in recent climate change is contained wholly in long-term trends and not in any shorter-term secular variation, or, (2) an anthropogenic signal is hiding correlation between solar-terrestrial variables and global temperature, or, (3) the null hypothesis, recent climate change has not been influenced by solar-terrestrial interaction.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Zhang, Yu; Duan, Junxin; Tang, Lan; Wu, Wenping
2015-06-09
Provided are isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. Also provided are nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Fan, Chenyao; Chen, Chao; Wang, Jia; Fu, Xinxin; Ren, Zhimin; Qian, Guodong; Wang, Zhiyu
2015-01-01
The amorphous TiO2 derived from hydroxylation has become an effective approach for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of TiO2 since a kind of special black TiO2 was prepared by engineering disordered layers on TiO2 nanocrystals via hydrogenation. In this contribution, we prepared totally amorphous TiO2 with various degrees of blackness by introducing hydroxyls via ultrasonic irradiation, through which can we remarkably enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 with improved light harvesting and narrowed band gap. PMID:26133789
Mechanism of Growth Enhancement of Plants Induced by Active Species in Plasmas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Watanabe, Satoshi; Ono, Reoto; Hayashi, Nobuya
2015-09-01
Plant growth enhances when seeds are irradiated by plasma. However the mechanism of the growth enhancement by plasma has not been clarified. In this study, growth enhancement of plants using various active species and variation of plant cells are investigated. RF plasma is generated under conditions where pressure is 60 Pa and input electrical power is 60 W. Irradiation period varies from 0 (control) to 75 min. Air plasma shows maximum growth of plants with irradiation period of 60 min on the other hand, oxygen plasma shows the maximum growth with irradiation period of 15 min. From change of gaseous species and pressure dependence, growth enhancing factor is expected to be active oxygen species produced in plasma. According to gene expression analysis of Arabidopsis, there are two speculated mechanism of plant growth enhancement. The first is acceleration of cell cycle by gene expressions of photosynthesis and glycolytic pathway, and the second is increase of cell size via plant hormone production.
Teaching physical activities to students with significant disabilities using video modeling.
Cannella-Malone, Helen I; Mizrachi, Sharona V; Sabielny, Linsey M; Jimenez, Eliseo D
2013-06-01
The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of video modeling on teaching physical activities to three adolescents with significant disabilities. The study implemented a multiple baseline across six physical activities (three per student): jumping rope, scooter board with cones, ladder drill (i.e., feet going in and out), ladder design (i.e., multiple steps), shuttle run, and disc ride. Additional prompt procedures (i.e., verbal, gestural, visual cues, and modeling) were implemented within the study. After the students mastered the physical activities, we tested to see if they would link the skills together (i.e., complete an obstacle course). All three students made progress learning the physical activities, but only one learned them with video modeling alone (i.e., without error correction). Video modeling can be an effective tool for teaching students with significant disabilities various physical activities, though additional prompting procedures may be needed.
High-Velocity Microsprays Enhance Antimicrobial Activity in Streptococcus mutans Biofilms.
Fabbri, S; Johnston, D A; Rmaile, A; Gottenbos, B; De Jager, M; Aspiras, M; Starke, E M; Ward, M T; Stoodley, P
2016-12-01
Streptococcus mutans in dental plaque biofilms play a role in caries development. The biofilm's complex structure enhances the resistance to antimicrobial agents by limiting the transport of active agents inside the biofilm. The authors assessed the ability of high-velocity water microsprays to enhance delivery of antimicrobials into 3-d-old S. mutans biofilms. Biofilms were exposed to a 90° or 30° impact, first using a 1-µm tracer bead solution (10 9 beads/mL) and, second, a 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) or 0.085% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) solution. For comparison, a 30-s diffusive transport and simulated mouthwash were also performed. Confocal microscopy was used to determine number and relative bead penetration depth into the biofilm. Assessment of antimicrobial penetration was determined by calculating the killing depth detected by live/dead viability staining. The authors first demonstrated that the microspray was able to deliver significantly more microbeads deeper in the biofilm compared with diffusion and mouthwashing exposures. Next, these experiments revealed that the microspray yielded better antimicrobial penetration evidenced by deeper killing inside the biofilm and a wider killing zone around the zone of clearance than diffusion alone. Interestingly the 30° impact in the distal position delivered approximately 16 times more microbeads and yielded approximately 20% more bacteria killing (for both CHX and CPC) than the 90° impact. These data suggest that high-velocity water microsprays can be used as an effective mechanism to deliver microparticles and antimicrobials inside S. mutans biofilms. High shear stresses generated at the biofilm-burst interface might have enhanced bead and antimicrobial delivery inside the remaining biofilm by combining forced advection into the biofilm matrix and physical restructuring of the biofilm itself. Further, the impact angle has potential to be optimized both for biofilm removal and active agents' delivery inside
Urease immobilized polymer hydrogel: Long-term stability and enhancement of enzymatic activity.
Kutcherlapati, S N Raju; Yeole, Niranjan; Jana, Tushar
2016-02-01
A method has been developed in which an enzyme namely urease was immobilized inside hydrogel matrix to study the stability and enzymatic activity in room temperature (∼27-30°C). This urease coupled hydrogel (UCG) was obtained by amine-acid coupling reaction and this procedure is such that it ensured the wider opening of mobile flap of enzyme active site. A systematic comparison of urea-urease assay and the detailed kinetic data clearly revealed that the urease shows activity for more than a month when stored at ∼27-30°C in case of UCG whereas it becomes inactive in case of free urease (enzyme in buffer solution). The aqueous microenvironment inside the hydrogel, unusual morphological features and thermal behaviour were believed to be the reasons for unexpected behaviour. UCG displayed enzyme activity at basic pH and up to 60°C. UCG showed significant enhancement in activity against thermal degradation compared to free urease. In summary, this method is a suitable process to stabilize the biomacromolecules in standard room temperature for many practical uses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ma, Hongda; Yao, Yao; Wang, Changli; Zhang, Liyu; Cheng, Long; Wang, Yiren; Wang, Tao; Liang, Erguang; Jia, Hui; Ye, Qinong; Hou, Mingxiao; Feng, Fan
2016-01-01
Many kinds of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), for example, the environmental estrogens bisphenol A and nonylphenol, may regulate the activity of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and therefore induce potential disruption of normal endocrine function. However, the involvement of EDCs in human cancers, especially in endocrine-related cancer neuroblastoma regulation, is not very clear. In this work, results showed that upon bisphenol A or nonylphenol treatment, the transcription factor activity of ERα was significantly increased in neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Bisphenol A and nonylphenol could enhance ERα activity via recruiting it to the target gene promoter. Furthermore, treatment of bisphenol A and nonylphenol enhanced the in vitro proliferation, invasion, and migration ability of neuroblastoma cells. By investigating the role of EDC-induced ERα upregulation, our data extend the understanding of the function of EDCs and further suggest that ERα might be a potential therapeutic target in human neuroblastoma treatment. PMID:27366082
Enhancing neural activity to drive respiratory plasticity following cervical spinal cord injury
Hormigo, Kristiina M.; Zholudeva, Lyandysha V.; Spruance, Victoria M.; Marchenko, Vitaliy; Cote, Marie-Pascale; Vinit, Stephane; Giszter, Simon; Bezdudnaya, Tatiana; Lane, Michael A.
2016-01-01
Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) results in permanent life-altering sensorimotor deficits, among which impaired breathing is one of the most devastating and life-threatening. While clinical and experimental research has revealed that some spontaneous respiratory improvement (functional plasticity) can occur post-SCI, the extent of the recovery is limited and significant deficits persist. Thus, increasing effort is being made to develop therapies that harness and enhance this neuroplastic potential to optimize long-term recovery of breathing in injured individuals. One strategy with demonstrated therapeutic potential is the use of treatments that increase neural and muscular activity (e.g. locomotor training, neural and muscular stimulation) and promote plasticity. With a focus on respiratory function post-SCI, this review will discuss advances in the use of neural interfacing strategies and activity-based treatments, and highlights some recent results from our own research. PMID:27582085
Li, Da-Wei; Zhang, Yao-Bin; Quan, Xie; Zhao, Ya-Zhi
2009-02-15
The advantage of rapid, selective and simultaneous heating of microwave heating technology was taken to remediate the crude oil-contaminated soil rapidly and to recover the oil contaminant efficiently. The contaminated soil was processed in the microwave field with addition of granular activated carbon (GAC), which was used as strong microwave absorber to enhance microwave heating of the soil mixture to remove the oil contaminant and recover it by a condensation system. The influences of some process parameters on the removal of the oil contaminant and the oil recovery in the remediation process were investigated. The results revealed that, under the condition of 10.0% GAC, 800 W microwave power, 0.08 MPa absolute pressure and 150 mL x min(-1) carrier gas (N2) flow-rate, more than 99% oil removal could be obtained within 15 min using this microwave thermal remediation enhanced by GAC; at the same time, about 91% of the oil contaminant could be recovered without significant changes in chemical composition. In addition, the experiment results showed that GAC can be reused in enhancing microwave heating of soil without changing its enhancement efficiency obviously.
Enhanced enzyme kinetic stability by increasing rigidity within the active site.
Xie, Yuan; An, Jiao; Yang, Guangyu; Wu, Geng; Zhang, Yong; Cui, Li; Feng, Yan
2014-03-14
Enzyme stability is an important issue for protein engineers. Understanding how rigidity in the active site affects protein kinetic stability will provide new insight into enzyme stabilization. In this study, we demonstrated enhanced kinetic stability of Candida antarctica lipase B (CalB) by mutating the structurally flexible residues within the active site. Six residues within 10 Å of the catalytic Ser(105) residue with a high B factor were selected for iterative saturation mutagenesis. After screening 2200 colonies, we obtained the D223G/L278M mutant, which exhibited a 13-fold increase in half-life at 48 °C and a 12 °C higher T50(15), the temperature at which enzyme activity is reduced to 50% after a 15-min heat treatment. Further characterization showed that global unfolding resistance against both thermal and chemical denaturation also improved. Analysis of the crystal structures of wild-type CalB and the D223G/L278M mutant revealed that the latter formed an extra main chain hydrogen bond network with seven structurally coupled residues within the flexible α10 helix that are primarily involved in forming the active site. Further investigation of the relative B factor profile and molecular dynamics simulation confirmed that the enhanced rigidity decreased fluctuation of the active site residues at high temperature. These results indicate that enhancing the rigidity of the flexible segment within the active site may provide an efficient method for improving enzyme kinetic stability.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Fang, Liang, E-mail: lfang@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: dawei.cao@tu-ilmenau.de; Nan, Feng; Yang, Ying
2016-02-29
BiVO{sub 4} photonic crystal inverse opals (io-BiVO{sub 4}) with highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the nanosphere lithography method combining the pulsed current deposition method. The incorporation of the Ag NPs can significantly improve the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activity of BiVO{sub 4} inverse opals in the visible light region. The photocurrent density of the Ag/io-BiVO{sub 4} sample is 4.7 times higher than that of the disordered sample without the Ag NPs, while the enhancement factor of the corresponding kinetic constant in photocatalytic experiment is approximately 3. The improved photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activity is benefited from two reasons: onemore » is the enhanced light harvesting owing to the coupling between the slow light and localized surface plasmon resonance effect; the other is the efficient separation of charge carriers due to the Schottky barriers.« less
Driving of Dramatic Geomagnetic Activity by Enhancement of Meso-Scale Polar-cap Flows
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lyons, L. R.; Gallardo-Lacourt, B.; Zou, Y.; Nishimura, Y.; Anderson, P. C.; Angelopoulos, V.; Ruohoniemi, J. M.; Mitchell, E. J.; Paxton, L. J.; Nishitani, N.
2017-12-01
Recent studies have shown that mesoscale flows are common within the polar cap ionosphere. They often cross the magnetic separatrix, and become are critical to the driving of geomagnetic activity. They lead, for example, to plasma sheet flow bursts, auroral poleward boundary intensifications, auroral streamers, substorms, auroral omega bands, and poleward motion of the polar cap boundary from reconnection. We have found large enhancements of these meso-scale ionospheric polar cap flows heading towards the nightside separatrix. These enhancements are common immediately after the impact of CME shocks under southward IMF, but can also occur in other situations, including without substantial change in the solar wind or IMF. These meso-scale flow enhancements, which must extent outward along magnetospheric field lines from the ionosphere, are seen to drive an almost immediate strong auroral, ionospheric and field-aligned current, and reconnection activity. The resulting activity is particularly dramatic during the initiation of CME storms, but may reflect a more generally occurring phenomenon of mesoscale flow enhancements leading to similar oval responses without a shock impact, including during and following the expansion phase some substorms. If this phenomenon is indeed common, it could lead to possibly fundamental questions, such as when do polar cap convection enhancements lead to a substorm growth phase versus leading directly to strong poleward expansion of, and strong activity within, the auroral oval field line region? Another critical question would be what leads to and causes the enhancements in meso-scale polar cap flows?
Active and passive compliance in an enhanced recovery programme.
Thorn, Christopher C; White, Ian; Burch, Jennie; Malietzis, George; Kennedy, Robin; Jenkins, John T
2016-07-01
Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a well-established and accepted practice following colorectal surgery and has been demonstrated to reduce hospital length of stay (LOS) and 30-day morbidity. Despite evidence to support the individual elements on which the programme is based, there remains uncertainty as to how many and which of these are required to realise its benefits. Furthermore, elements of an ERAS programme might either precipitate or reflect recovery, in which case compliance could have a role in the improvement or prediction of outcome. A multidimensional prospective database of 799 consecutive patients undergoing colorectal surgery within an established ERAS programme at a single institution was interrogated. After application of exclusion criteria, 614 patients were studied. The novel concept of 'active compliance' is introduced. An ERAS element is classified as 'active' if the participation of the patient is required to achieve its compliance. This contrasts with 'passive' compliance, where an intervention is delivered to the patient without their direct contribution. The short-term surgical outcomes of this cohort are reported with reference to ERAS protocol compliance. Compliance with the passive elements of the programme was higher than with the active elements. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrate that poor compliance with active but not passive elements of the programme was significantly associated with major morbidity. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis demonstrated active compliance to be a stronger predictor of both major morbidity (AUC 0.71 vs. AUC 0.56) and length of stay (AUC 0.83 vs. 0.57) when compared with passive compliance. The results suggest that poor active compliance may be a surrogate marker of morbidity which can be recognised in the early post-operative period. This implies the potential for timely diagnosis and intervention. This aspect of ERAS compliance is clinically relevant yet has achieved
Gao, Yunfei; Zhang, Dongqing; Sun, Buxiang; Fujii, Hajime; Kosuna, Ken-Ichi; Yin, Zhinan
2006-10-01
Active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) is a mixture of polysaccharides, amino acids, lipids and minerals derived from cocultured mycelia of several species of Basidiomycete mushrooms. AHCC has been implicated to modulate immune functions and plays a protective role against infection. However, the potential role of AHCC in tumor immune surveillance is unknown. In this study, C57BL/6 mice were orally administered AHCC or water, followed by tumor cell inoculation. We showed that compared to pure water-treated mice, AHCC treatment significantly delayed tumor development after inoculation of either melanoma cell line B16F0 or lymphoma cell line EL4. Treatment with AHCC enhanced both Ag-specific activation and proliferation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, increased the number of tumor Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells, and more importantly, increased the frequency of tumor Ag-specific IFN-gamma producing CD8(+) T cells. Interestingly, AHCC treatment also showed increased cell number of NK and gammadelta T cells, indicating the role of AHCC in activating these innate-like lymphocytes. In summary, our results demonstrate that AHCC can enhance tumor immune surveillance through regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses.
Agirbasli, Mehmet; Eren, Mesut; Eren, Fatih; Murphy, Sheila B; Serdar, Zehra A; Seckin, Dilek; Zara, Tuba; Cem Mat, M; Demirkesen, Cuyan; Vaughan, Douglas E
2011-07-01
Livedoid vasculopathy (LV) is a chronic, recurrent, painful cutaneous disease with distinctive clinical features and an uncertain etiology. The skin lesions are recognizable by focal purpura, depigmentation and shallow ulcers. Thrombophilic conditions occur frequently in patients with LV. While no definitive treatment exists for LV, smoking cessation, antiplatelet therapy, immunosuppressive treatment, and anabolic steroids are often included in the therapeutic ladder. Recently, a possible link between LV and impaired fibrinolysis was established as cutaneous LV lesions responded to tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) infusion suggesting that inhibition of the fibrinolysis through plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity may determine the disease course in patients with LV. In this study, we investigated PAI-1 antigen (Ag) and activity levels in 20 patients with biopsy proven LV (mean age 26 ± 11, M/F = 7/13, median disease duration 3.5 years). All patients received antiplatelet treatment with aspirin and/or dipyrimadole and 14 patients received anabolic steroids or immunosuppressive treatment. Fasting PAI-1 Ag and activity levels were measured at 9 AM in all patients. Both Ag (34 (26) ng/ml) (median (interquartile range)) and specific activity (17 (23) IU/fmole) levels of PAI-1 were moderately elevated in LV patients compared to the controls, however, PAI-1 kinetic studies demonstrated markedly enhanced stability of PAI-1 activity in plasma from patients with LV. Specific activity at 16 h was significantly higher than expected specific activity levels (7 (11) vs. 0.07 (0.09) IU/fmole, P < 0.01). While the exact mechanism of increased stability of PAI-1 activity is not known, it may be due to post-translational modifications or increased binding affinity for a stabilizing cofactor. In conclusion, enhanced stability of PAI-1 may contribute to the pathophysiology of LV, and systemic or local treatment with PAI-1 inhibitors may offer a potential treatment
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Zhang, Yu; Tang, Lan; Henriksen, Svend Hostgaard Bang
2016-05-17
The present invention provides isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also provides nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Akt activation enhances ribosomal RNA synthesis through casein kinase II and TIF-IA.
Nguyen, Le Xuan Truong; Mitchell, Beverly S
2013-12-17
Transcription initiation factor I (TIF-IA) plays an essential role in regulating ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis by tethering RNA polymerase I (Pol I) to the rDNA promoter. We have found that activated Akt enhances rRNA synthesis through the phosphorylation of casein kinase IIα (CK2α) on a threonine residue near its N terminus. CK2 in turn phosphorylates TIF-IA, thereby increasing rDNA transcription. Activated Akt also stabilizes TIF-IA, induces its translocation to the nucleolus, and enhances its interaction with Pol I. Treatment with AZD8055, an inhibitor of both Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin phosphorylation, but not with rapamycin, disrupts Akt-mediated TIF-IA stability, translocation, and activity. These data support a model in which activated Akt enhances rRNA synthesis both by preventing TIF-IA degradation and phosphorylating CK2α, which in turn phosphorylates TIF-IA. This model provides an explanation for the ability of activated Akt to promote cell proliferation and, potentially, transformation.
Son, Ho Anh; Zhang, LiFeng; Cuong, Bui Khac; Van Tong, Hoang; Cuong, Le Duy; Hang, Ngo Thu; Nhung, Hoang Thi My; Yamamoto, Naoki; Toan, Nguyen Linh
2018-02-07
Oncolytic measles and mumps viruses (MeV, MuV) have a potential for anti-cancer treatment. We examined the anti-tumor activity of MeV, MuV, and MeV-MuV combination (MM) against human solid malignancies (HSM). MeV, MuV, and MM targeted and significantly killed various cancer cell lines of HSM but not normal cells. MM demonstrated a greater anti-tumor effect and prolonged survival in a human prostate cancer xenograft tumor model compared to MeV and MuV. MeV, MuV, and MM significantly induced the expression of immunogenic cell death markers and enhanced spleen-infiltrating immune cells. In conclusion, MM combination significantly improves the treatment of human solid malignancies.
Enhanced cytostatic activity of the sesquiterpene lactone eupatoriopicrin by glutathione depletion.
Woerdenbag, H. J.; Lemstra, W.; Malingré, T. M.; Konings, A. W.
1989-01-01
Eupatoriopicrin (EUP), a sesquiterpene lactone from Eupatorium cannabinum L., possesses cytostatic activity. This was demonstrated for FIO 26 cells in vitro with the aid of a clonogenic assay and in vivo by tumour growth delay in FIO 26 and Lewis lung tumour-bearing mice. In vitro the IC50 for 1 h exposure to EUP was 1.5 microgram ml-1 (4.1 nmol ml-1). This concentration depleted about 25% of its cellular GSH concentration. Pretreatment of FIO 26 cells with BSO, resulting in greater than 99%. GSH depletion, enhanced the cytotoxic effect of EUP. The dose-enhancement factor at the level of 10% cell survival was 2.3. Growth inhibition of the Lewis lung carcinoma and the FIO 26 fibrosarcoma, solidly growing in C57Bl mice, was found after i.v. injection of 20 or 40 mg kg-1 EUP, at a tumour volume of about 500 microliters. Pretreatment with BSO at a dose of 4 mmol kg-1 i.p., 6 h before EUP administration, resulted in a significantly stronger growth delay of both tumours compared with EUP only. At the time of EUP treatment, cellular GSH in the tumours was reduced by BSO treatment to about 60%. It is concluded that EUP possesses antitumour activity in vivo and that chemosensitisation of EUP may be accomplished by pretreatment with BSO, indicating that endogenous GSH protects against the cytostatic action of EUP. PMID:2757925
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Uraoka, Maki; Ikeda, Koji, E-mail: ikedak@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp; Nakagawa, Yusuke
Prorenin is an enzymatically inactive precursor of renin, and its biological function in endothelial cells (ECs) is unknown despite its relevance with the incidence of diabetic microvascular complications. Recently, (pro)renin receptor was identified, and the receptor-associated prorenin system has been discovered, whereas its expression as well as function in ECs remain unclear. In the present study, we found that ECs express the (pro)renin receptor, and that prorenin provoked ERK activation through (pro)renin receptor independently of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Prorenin stimulated the proliferation, migration and tube-formation of ECs, while it inhibited endothelial apoptosis induced by serum and growth factor depletion.more » MEK inhibitor abrogated these proangiogenic effects of prorenin, while AT1 receptor antagonist or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor failed to block them. In vivo neovascularization in the Matrigel-plugs implanted into mouse flanks was significantly enhanced by prorenin, in which significant ERK activation was detected in ECs. Furthermore, tumor xenografts stably transfected with prorenin demonstrated the significantly accelerated growth rate concomitantly with enhanced intratumoral neovascularization. Our data demonstrated that the RAS-independent (pro)renin receptor-mediated signal transduction plays a pivotal role in the regulation of ECs function as well as in the neovascularization, and thus prorenin is potentially involved in the pathophysiology of diabetic microvascular complications as well as cancers.« less
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Qi, Na; Tang, Bo; Liu, Guang; Liang, Xingsi
2017-05-01
The study was to develop poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA)-coated Doxorubicin (Dox) lipoplexes that enhance the antitumor activity against liver tumors. γ-PGA-coated lipoplexes were performed by electrostatistically attracting to the surface of cationic charge liposomes with anionic γ-PGA. With the increasing of γ-PGA concentration, the particle size of γ-PGA-coated Dox lipoplexes slightly increased, the zeta potential from positive shifted to negative, and the entrapment efficiency (EE) were no significant change. The release rate of γ-PGA-coated Dox lipoplexes slightly increased at acidic pH, the accelerated Dox release might be attributed to greater drug delivery to tumor cells, resulting in a higher antitumor activity. Especially, γ-PGA-coated Dox lipoplexes exhibited higher cellular uptake, significant in vitro cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells, and improved in vivo antitumor efficacy toward HepG2 hepatoma-xenografted nude models in comparison with Dox liposomes and free Dox solution. In addition, the analysis results via flow cytometry showed that γ-PGA-coated Dox lipoplexes induce S phase cell cycle arrest and significantly increased apoptosis rate of HepG2 cells. In conclusion, the presence of γ-PGA on the surface of Dox lipoplexes enhanced antitumor effects of liver tumors.
Rominger, Christian; Papousek, Ilona; Fink, Andreas; Weiss, Elisabeth M
2014-01-01
Creativity is an important trait necessary to achieve innovations in science, economy, arts and daily life. Therefore, the enhancement of creative performance is a significant field of investigation. A recent experiment showed enhanced verbal creativity after unilateral left-hand contractions, which was attributed to elevated activation of the right hemisphere. The present study aimed to extend these findings to the domain of figural creativity. Furthermore, as creativity and positive schizotypy may share some neurobiological underpinnings associated with the right hemisphere, we studied the potential moderating effect of positive schizotypy on the effects of the experimental modification of relative hemispheric activation on creativity. In a gender-balanced sample (20 men and 20 women), squeezing a hand gripper with the left hand enhanced figural creativity on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking compared to squeezing the gripper with the right hand. However, this was only true when positive schizotypy was low. The moderating effect of schizotypy may be produced by relatively greater activity of certain parts of the right hemisphere being a shared neuronal correlate of creativity and positive schizotypy.
Deng, Shubo; Nie, Yao; Du, Ziwen; Huang, Qian; Meng, Pingping; Wang, Bin; Huang, Jun; Yu, Gang
2015-01-23
A bamboo-derived granular activated carbon with large pores was successfully prepared by KOH activation, and used to remove perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) from aqueous solution. The granular activated carbon prepared at the KOH/C mass ratio of 4 and activation temperature of 900°C had fast and high adsorption for PFOS and PFOA. Their adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 24h, which was attributed to their fast diffusion in the micron-sized pores of activated carbon. This granular activated carbon exhibited the maximum adsorbed amount of 2.32mmol/g for PFOS and 1.15mmol/g for PFOA at pH 5.0, much higher than other granular and powdered activated carbons reported. The activated carbon prepared under the severe activation condition contained many enlarged pores, favorable for the adsorption of PFOS and PFOA. In addition, the spent activated carbon was hardly regenerated in NaOH/NaCl solution, while the regeneration efficiency was significantly enhanced in hot water and methanol/ethanol solution, indicating that hydrophobic interaction was mainly responsible for the adsorption. The regeneration percent was up to 98% using 50% ethanol solution at 45°C. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Wang, Huichao; Li, Chunbo; Li, Jianming; Zhu, Yingjie; Jia, Yudong; Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Xiaodong; Li, Wenlong; Cui, Lei; Li, Wuyin; Liu, Youwen
2017-04-01
Naringin has been reported to regulate bone metabolism. However, its effect on osteogenesis remains unclear. The aim was to investigate the effect of naringin on osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) through the activation of the ERK signaling pathway in osteogenic differentiation. Annexin V-FITC assay and MTT assay were used to measure the effect of naringin on cytotoxicity and proliferation of hBMSCs, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase activity analysis, Alizarin Red S staining, Western blotting, and real-time PCR assay were used to evaluate both the potential effect of naringin on osteogenic differentiation and the role of ERK signaling pathway in osteogenic differentiation. Our results showed that naringin had no obvious toxicity on hBMSCs, and could significantly promote the proliferation of hBMSCs. Naringin also enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and increased the protein and mRNA expression levels of osteogenic markers such as Runx-2, OXS, OCN, and Col1 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we found that the enhancing effect of naringin on osteogenic differentiation was related to the activation of phosphor-ERK, with an increase in duration of activity from 30 min to 120 min. More importantly, both the enhancing effect of naringin on osteogenic differentiation and the activity effect of naringin on ERK signaling pathway were reversed by U0126 addition. Our findings demonstrated that naringin promoted proliferation and osteogenesis of hBMSCs by activating the ERK signaling pathway and it might be a potential therapeutic agent for treating or preventing osteoporosis.
Indomethacin Enhances Brown Fat Activity.
Hao, Lei; Kearns, Jamie; Scott, Sheyenne; Wu, Dayong; Kodani, Sean D; Morisseau, Christophe; Hammock, Bruce D; Sun, Xiaocun; Zhao, Ling; Wang, Shu
2018-06-01
Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has been shown to induce white adipocyte differentiation; however, its roles in brown adipocyte differentiation and activation in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and obesity are unknown. To address this issue, we treated mouse brown preadipocytes with different doses of indomethacin, and delivered indomethacin to interscapular BAT (iBAT) of obese mice using implanted osmotic pumps. Indomethacin dose dependently increased brown preadipocyte differentiation and upregulated both mRNA and protein expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ coactivator 1-alpha. The mechanistic study showed that indomethacin significantly activated the reporter driven by the PPAR response element, indicating that indomethacin may work as a PPAR γ agonist in this cell line. Consistently, indomethacin significantly decreased iBAT mass and fasting blood glucose levels in high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice. Histologic analysis showed that brown adipocytes of indomethacin-treated mice contained smaller lipid droplets compared with control mice, suggesting that indomethacin alleviated the whitening of BAT induced by the high-fat diet. Moreover, indomethacin significantly increased UCP1 mRNA expression in iBAT. Taken together, this study indicates that indomethacin can promote mouse brown adipocyte differentiation, and might increase brown fat and glucose oxidation capacity in DIO mice. Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
[Enhancement of laccase activity by combining white rot fungal strains].
He, Rong-yu; Liu, Xiao-feng; Yan, Zhi-ying; Yuan, Yue-xiang; Liao, Yin-zhang; Li, Xu-dong
2010-02-01
The method of combining white rot fungal strains was used to enhance laccase activity, and the interaction mechanism between strains was also studied. The laccase activity of combined fungi of strain 55 (Trametes trogii) and strain m-6 (Trametes versicolor) were 24.13 and 4.07-fold higher than that of strain 55 and strain m-6, respectively. No inhibitory effect was observed when the two strains were co-cultivated. On plate cultivation, there was hyphal interference in the contact area, where laccase activity was the highest followed by brown pigmentation. In liquid cultivation, strain m-6 played much more important role on enhancement of laccase activity, and the laccase activity of strain 55 by adding strain m-6 was 7.03-fold higher than that of strain m-6 by adding strain 55, furthermore, filter sterilized- and high temperature autoclaved-extracellular substances of strain m-6 could also stimulate strain 55 to excrete more laccase, which led to 6.79-fold and 4. 60-fold increase in laccase activity by adding 20 mL, respectively. The native staining results of Native-PAGE showed that the types of laccase isozymes were not changed when strains were co-cultured, but the concentration of three types increased.
Salt-induced enhancement of antifreeze protein activity: a salting-out effect.
Kristiansen, Erlend; Pedersen, Sindre Andre; Zachariassen, Karl Erik
2008-10-01
Antifreeze proteins are a structurally diverse group of proteins characterized by their unique ability to cause a separation of the melting- and growth-temperatures of ice. These proteins have evolved independently in different kinds of cold-adapted ectothermic animals, including insects and fish, where they protect against lethal freezing of the body fluids. There is a great variability in the capacity of different kinds of antifreeze proteins to evoke the antifreeze effect, but the basis of these differences is not well understood. This study reports on salt-induced enhancement of the antifreeze activity of an antifreeze protein from the longhorn beetle Rhagium inquisitor (L.). The results imply that antifreeze activity is predetermined by a steady-state distribution of the antifreeze protein between the solution and the ice surface region. The observed salt-induced enhancement of the antifreeze activity compares qualitatively and quantitatively with salt-induced lowering of protein solubility. Thus, salts apparently enhance antifreeze activity by evoking a solubility-induced shift in the distribution pattern of the antifreeze proteins in favour of the ice. These results indicate that the solubility of antifreeze proteins in the solution surrounding the ice crystal is a fundamental physiochemical property in relation to their antifreeze potency.
Choi, Suhee; Ahn, Miri; Kim, Jongwon
2013-05-24
The fabrication of effective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates has been the subject of intensive research because of their useful applications. In this paper, dendritic gold (Au) rod (DAR) structures prepared by simple one-step electrodeposition in a short time were examined as an effective SERS-active substrate. The SERS activity of the DAR surfaces was compared to that of other nanostructured Au surfaces with different morphologies, and its dependence on the structural variation of DAR structures was examined. These comparisonal investigations revealed that highly faceted sharp edge sites present on the DAR surfaces play a critical role in inducing a high SERS activity. The SERS enhancement factor was estimated to be greater than 10(5), and the detection limit of rhodamine 6G at DAR surfaces was 10(-8)M. The DAR surfaces exhibit excellent spot-to-spot and substrate-to-substrate SERS enhancement reproducibility, and their long-term stability is very good. It was also demonstrated that the DAR surfaces can be effectively utilized in electrochemical SERS systems, wherein a reversible SERS behavior was obtained during the cycling to cathodic potential regions. Considering the straightforward preparation of DAR substrates and the clean nature of SERS-active Au surfaces prepared in the absence of additives, we expect that DAR surfaces can be used as cost-effective SERS substrates in analytical and electrochemical applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Schnorr, Kirk; Kramer, Randall
2017-08-08
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Lopez de Leon, Alfredo [Davis, CA; Ding, Hanshu [Davis, CA; Brown, Kimberly [Elk Grove, CA
2011-10-25
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Zhang, Yu; Duan, Junxin; Tang, Lan; Wu, Wenping
2016-06-14
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Zhang, Yu; Duan, Junxin; Tang, Lan; Wu, Wenping
2016-11-22
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Tang, Lan [Beijing, CN; Liu, Ye [Beijing, CN; Duan, Junxin [Beijing, CN; Zhang, Yu [Beijing, CN; Jorgensen, Christian Isak [Bagsvaerd, DK; Kramer, Randall [Lincoln, CA
2012-04-03
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Duan, Junxin [Beijing, CN; Liu, Ye [Beijing, CN; Tang, Lan [Beijing, CN; Wu, Wenping [Beijing, CN; Quinlan, Jason [Albany, CA; Kramer, Randall [Lincoln, CA
2012-03-27
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin; Zhang, Yu; Joergensen, Christian; Kramer, Randall
2016-11-29
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin; Zhang, Yu; Joergensen, Christian; Kramer, Randall
2014-09-16
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin; Wu, Wenping; Kramer, Randall
2014-10-21
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Maiyuran, Suchindra; Kramer, Randall; Harris, Paul
2013-10-29
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin; Zhang, Yu; Jorgensen, Christian Isak; Kramer, Randall
2013-04-16
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Duan, Junxin; Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Wu, Wenping; Quinlan, Jason; Kramer, Randall
2013-06-18
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Schnorr, Kirk; Kramer, Randall
2016-08-09
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Schnorr, Kirk; Kramer, Randall
2016-04-05
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Murata, M; Wakabayashi, H; Yamauchi, K; Abe, F
2013-08-01
Lactoferrin (LF) is known as an iron-binding antimicrobial protein present in exocrine secretions such as milk and releases the potent antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin (LFcin) by hydrolysis with pepsin. The antimicrobial activity of LF and LFcin has been studied well; however, their cooperative action with other milk proteins remains to be elucidated. In this study, we identified milk proteins enhancing the antimicrobial activity of bovine LF and LFcin against gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and fungi. As the target fraction, we isolated a minor milk protein fraction around 15 kDa, which was identified as bovine RNase 5 (angiogenin-1), RNase 4, and angiogenin-2 by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. As these proteins are collectively known as the RNase A family, we referred to the target protein fraction as milk RNase of 15 kDa (MR15). The number of colony-forming units of Escherichia coli and other pathogenic microorganisms with the addition of MR15 to LF (MR15:LF ratio=16:1,000) was dramatically lowered than that with LF alone. On the other hand, MR15 itself did not show any reductions in the number of colony-forming units at the concentrations tested. Similarly, the antimicrobial activities of LFcin against various microorganisms were significantly enhanced by the addition of MR15. These results suggest that LF and MR15 may be concomitantly acting antimicrobial agents in milk. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mor, Merav; Beharier, Ofer; Levy, Shiri; Kahn, Joy; Dror, Shani; Blumenthal, Daniel; Gheber, Levi A; Peretz, Asher; Katz, Amos; Moran, Arie; Etzion, Yoram
2012-07-15
Zinc transporter-1 (ZnT-1) is a putative zinc transporter that confers cellular resistance from zinc toxicity. In addition, ZnT-1 has important regulatory functions, including inhibition of L-type calcium channels and activation of Raf-1 kinase. Here we studied the effects of ZnT-1 on the expression and function of T-type calcium channels. In Xenopus oocytes expressing voltage-gated calcium channel (CaV) 3.1 or CaV3.2, ZnT-1 enhanced the low-threshold calcium currents (I(caT)) to 182 ± 15 and 167.95 ± 9.27% of control, respectively (P < 0.005 for both channels). As expected, ZnT-1 also enhanced ERK phosphorylation. Coexpression of ZnT-1 and nonactive Raf-1 blocked the ZnT-1-mediated ERK phosphorylation and abolished the ZnT-1-induced augmentation of I(caT). In mammalian cells (Chinese hamster ovary), coexpression of CaV3.1 and ZnT-1 increased the I(caT) to 166.37 ± 6.37% compared with cells expressing CaV3.1 alone (P < 0.01). Interestingly, surface expression measurements using biotinylation or total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy indicated marked ZnT-1-induced enhancement of CaV3.1 surface expression. The MEK inhibitor PD-98059 abolished the ZnT-1-induced augmentation of surface expression of CaV3.1. In cultured murine cardiomyocytes (HL-1 cells), transient exposure to zinc, leading to enhanced ZnT-1 expression, also enhanced the surface expression of endogenous CaV3.1 channels. Consistently, in these cells, endothelin-1, a potent activator of Ras-ERK signaling, enhanced the surface expression of CaV3.1 channels in a PD-98059-sensitive manner. Our findings indicate that ZnT-1 enhances the activity of CaV3.1 and CaV3.2 through activation of Ras-ERK signaling. The augmentation of CaV3.1 currents by Ras-ERK activation is associated with enhanced trafficking of the channel to the plasma membrane.
Li, Xinxin; Dong, Wenjuan; Nalin, Ansel P; Wang, Yufeng; Pan, Pan; Xu, Bo; Zhang, Yibo; Tun, Steven; Zhang, Jianying; Wang, Li-Shu; He, Xiaoming; Caligiuri, Michael A; Yu, Jianhua
2018-01-01
Natural products comprise an important class of biologically active molecules. Many of these compounds derived from natural sources exhibit specific physiologic or biochemical effects. An example of a natural product is chitosan, which is enriched in the shells of certain seafood that are frequently consumed worldwide. Like other natural products, chitosan has the potential for applications in clinical medicine and perhaps in cancer therapy. Toward this end, the immunomodulatory or anti-cancer properties of chitosan have yet to be reported. In this study, we discovered that chitosan enhanced the anti-tumor activity of natural killer (NK) cells by activating dendritic cells (DCs). In the presence of DCs, chitosan augmented IFN-γ production by human NK cells. Mechanistically, chitosan activated DCs to express pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-15, which in turn activated the STAT4 and NF-κB signaling pathways, respectively, in NK cells. Moreover, chitosan promoted NK cell survival, and also enhanced NK cell cytotoxicity against leukemia cells. Finally, a related in vivo study demonstrated that chitosan activated NK cells against B16F10 tumor cells in an immunocompetent syngeneic murine melanoma model. This effect was accompanied by in vivo upregulation of IL-12 and IL-15 in DCs, as well as increased IFN-γ production and cytolytic degranulation in NK cells. Collectively, our results demonstrate that chitosan activates DCs leading to enhanced capacity for immune surveillance by NK cells. We believe that our study has future clinical applications for chitosan in the prevention or treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.
Enhancement of ORR catalytic activity by multiple heteroatom-doped carbon materials.
Kim, Dae-wook; Li, Oi Lun; Saito, Nagahiro
2015-01-07
Heteroatom-doped carbon matrices have been attracting significant attention due to their superior electrochemical stability, light weight and low cost. Hence, in this study, various types of heteroatom, including single dopants of N, B and P and multiple dopants of B-N and P-N with a carbon matrix were synthesized by an innovative method named the solution plasma process. The heteroatom was doped into the carbon matrix during the discharge process by continuous dissociation and recombination of precursors. The chemical bonding structure, ORR activity and electrochemical performance were compared in detail for each single dopant and multiple dopants. According to the Raman spectra, the carbon structures were deformed by the doped heteroatoms in the carbon matrix. In comparison with N-doped structures (NCNS), the ORR potential of PN-doped structures (PNCNS) was positively shifted from -0.27 V to -0.24 V. It was observed that doping with N decreased the bonding between P and C in the matrix. The multiple doping induced additional active sites for ORR which further enhanced ORR activity and stability. Therefore, PNCNS is a promising metal-free catalyst for ORR at the cathode in a fuel cell.
Enhancer elements upstream of the SHOX gene are active in the developing limb.
Durand, Claudia; Bangs, Fiona; Signolet, Jason; Decker, Eva; Tickle, Cheryll; Rappold, Gudrun
2010-05-01
Léri-Weill Dyschondrosteosis (LWD) is a dominant skeletal disorder characterized by short stature and distinct bone anomalies. SHOX gene mutations and deletions of regulatory elements downstream of SHOX resulting in haploinsufficiency have been found in patients with LWD. SHOX encodes a homeodomain transcription factor and is known to be expressed in the developing limb. We have now analyzed the regulatory significance of the region upstream of the SHOX gene. By comparative genomic analyses, we identified several conserved non-coding elements, which subsequently were tested in an in ovo enhancer assay in both chicken limb bud and cornea, where SHOX is also expressed. In this assay, we found three enhancers to be active in the developing chicken limb, but none were functional in the developing cornea. A screening of 60 LWD patients with an intact SHOX coding and downstream region did not yield any deletion of the upstream enhancer region. Thus, we speculate that SHOX upstream deletions occur at a lower frequency because of the structural organization of this genomic region and/or that SHOX upstream deletions may cause a phenotype that differs from the one observed in LWD.
Enhancer elements upstream of the SHOX gene are active in the developing limb
Durand, Claudia; Bangs, Fiona; Signolet, Jason; Decker, Eva; Tickle, Cheryll; Rappold, Gudrun
2010-01-01
Léri-Weill Dyschondrosteosis (LWD) is a dominant skeletal disorder characterized by short stature and distinct bone anomalies. SHOX gene mutations and deletions of regulatory elements downstream of SHOX resulting in haploinsufficiency have been found in patients with LWD. SHOX encodes a homeodomain transcription factor and is known to be expressed in the developing limb. We have now analyzed the regulatory significance of the region upstream of the SHOX gene. By comparative genomic analyses, we identified several conserved non-coding elements, which subsequently were tested in an in ovo enhancer assay in both chicken limb bud and cornea, where SHOX is also expressed. In this assay, we found three enhancers to be active in the developing chicken limb, but none were functional in the developing cornea. A screening of 60 LWD patients with an intact SHOX coding and downstream region did not yield any deletion of the upstream enhancer region. Thus, we speculate that SHOX upstream deletions occur at a lower frequency because of the structural organization of this genomic region and/or that SHOX upstream deletions may cause a phenotype that differs from the one observed in LWD. PMID:19997128
Jin, Xian; Yao, Tongqing; Zhou, Zhong'e; Zhu, Jian; Zhang, Song; Hu, Wei; Shen, Chengxing
2015-01-01
Atherosclerotic lesions are accelerated in patients with diabetes. M1 (classically activated in contrast to M2 alternatively activated) macrophages play key roles in the progression of atherosclerosis. Since advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are major pathogenic factors and active inflammation inducers in diabetes mellitus, this study assessed the effects of AGEs on macrophage polarization. The present study showed that AGEs significantly promoted macrophages to express IL-6 and TNF-α. M1 macrophage markers such as iNOS and surface markers including CD11c and CD86 were significantly upregulated while M2 macrophage markers such as Arg1 and CD206 remained unchanged after AGEs stimulation. AGEs significantly increased RAGE expression in macrophages and activated NF-κB pathway, and the aforementioned effects were partly abolished by administration of anti-RAGE antibody or NF-κB inhibitor PDTC. In conclusion, our results suggest that AGEs enhance macrophage differentiation into proinflammatory M1 phenotype at least partly via RAGE/NF-κB pathway activation. PMID:26114112
Xu, Xin-Xin; Cui, Zhong-Ping; Qi, Ji; Liu, Xiao-Xia
2013-03-21
To improve the photocatalytic activity of a coordination polymer in the visible light region, polyaniline (PANI) was loaded onto its surface through a facile in situ chemical oxidation polymerization process. The resulting PANI loaded coordination polymer composite materials with excellent stability exhibit significantly higher photocatalytic activities than the pure coordination polymer photocatalyst on the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. This enhancement can be ascribed to the introduction of PANI on the surface of the coordination polymer, which leads to efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs as well as a significant expansion of the photoresponse region. Finally, we discussed the influence of acidity on the morphology and photocatalytic activity of the composite material. An optimal condition to obtain the PANI loaded coordination polymer composite material with excellent photocatalytic activity has been obtained.
Sepsis-induced activation of endogenous GLP-1 system is enhanced in type 2 diabetes.
Perl, Sivan H; Bloch, Olga; Zelnic-Yuval, Dana; Love, Itamar; Mendel-Cohen, Lior; Flor, Hadar; Rapoport, Micha J
2018-05-01
High levels of circulating GLP-1 are associated with severity of sepsis in critically ill nondiabetic patients. Whether patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) display different activation of the endogenous GLP-1 system during sepsis and whether it is affected by diabetes-related metabolic parameters are not known. Serum levels of GLP-1 (total and active forms) and its inhibitor enzyme sDPP-4 were determined by ELISA on admission and after 2 to 4 days in 37 sepsis patients with (n = 13) and without T2D (n = 24) and compared to normal healthy controls (n = 25). Correlations between GLP-1 system activation and clinical, inflammatory, and diabetes-related metabolic parameters were performed. A 5-fold (P < .001) and 2-fold (P < .05) increase in active and total GLP-1 levels, respectively, were found on admission as compared to controls. At 2 to 4 days from admission, the level of active GLP-1 forms in surviving patients were decreased significantly (P < .005), and positively correlated with inflammatory marker CRP (r = 0.33, P = .05). T2D survivors displayed a similar but more enhanced pattern of GLP-1 response than nondiabetic survivors. Nonsurvivors demonstrate an early extreme increase of both total and active GLP-1 forms, 9.5-fold and 5-fold, respectively (P < .05). The initial and late levels of circulating GLP-1 inhibitory enzyme sDPP-4 were twice lower in all studied groups (P < .001), compared with healthy controls. Taken together, these data indicate that endogenous GLP-1 system is activated during sepsis. Patients with T2D display an enhanced and prolonged activation as compared to nondiabetic patients. Extreme early increased GLP-1 levels during sepsis indicate poor prognosis. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
Dotson, William D.; Greenier, Jennifer; Ding, Hanshu
2007-09-18
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acids as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Vacuum-activated TiO2 Induced by Oxygen Vacancies.
Dong, Guoyan; Wang, Xin; Chen, Zhiwu; Lu, Zhenya
2018-05-01
TiO 2 (Degussa P25) photocatalysts harboring abundant oxygen vacancies (Vacuum P25) were manufactured using a simple and economic Vacuum deoxidation process. Control experiments showed that temperature and time of vacuum deoxidation had a significant effect on Vacuum P25 photocatalytic activity. After 240 min of visible light illumination, the optimal Vacuum P25 photocatalysts (vacuum deoxidation treated at 330 °C for 3 h) reach as high as 94% and 88% of photodegradation efficiency for rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline, respectively, which are around 4.5 and 4.9 times as that of pristine P25. The XPS, PL and EPR analyses indicated that the oxygen vacancies were produced in the Vacuum P25 during the vacuum deoxidation process. The oxygen vacancy states can produce vacancy energy level located below the conduction band minimum, which resulting in the bandgap narrowing, thus extending the photoresponse wavelength range of Vacuum P25. The positron annihilation analysis indicated that the concentrations ratio of bulk and surface oxygen vacancies could be adjusted by changing the vacuum deoxidation temperature and time. Decreasing the ratio of bulk and surface oxygen vacancies was shown to improve photogenerated electron-hole pair separation efficiency, which leads to an obvious enhancement of the visible photocatalytic activities of Vacuum P25. © 2017 The American Society of Photobiology.
Enhancement of hippocampal mossy fiber activity in zinc deficiency and its influence on behavior.
Takeda, Atsushi; Itoh, Hiromasa; Yamada, Kohei; Tamano, Haruna; Oku, Naoto
2008-10-01
The extracellular concentration of glutamate in the hippocampus is increased by hippocampal perfusion with CaEDTA, a membrane-impermeable zinc chelator, suggesting that the activity of glutamatergic neurons in the hippocampus are influenced by the extracellular concentrations of zinc. In the present study, the relationship between the extracellular concentrations of zinc and mossy fiber activity in the hippocampus was examined in mice and rats fed a zinc-deficient diet for 4 weeks. Timm's stain, by which histochemically reactive zinc in the presynaptic vesicles is detected, was attenuated in the hippocampus in zinc deficiency. The extracellular signal of ZnAF-2, a membrane-impermeable zinc indicator, was also lower in the hippocampal CA3, suggesting that the basal extracellular concentrations of zinc are lower maintained in zinc deficiency. To check mossy fiber activity after 4-week zinc deprivation, the decrease in the signal of FM4-64, an indicator of presynaptic activity (exocytosis), at mossy fiber synapses was measured under the condition of spontaneous depolarization. The decrease was significantly facilitated by zinc deficiency, suggesting that the basal exocytosis at mossy fiber synapses is enhanced by zinc deficiency. On the other hand, the increase in anxiety-like behavior was observed in the open-field test after 4-week zinc deprivation. The present study demonstrates that the decrease in the basal extracellular concentrations of zinc may be linked to the enhancement of the basal mossy fiber activity in zinc deficiency. This decrease seems to be also involved in neuropsychological behavior in zinc deficiency.
Zucker, M; Seligsohn, U; Yeheskel, A; Mor-Cohen, R
2016-11-01
Essentials Reduction of three disulfide bonds in factor (F) XI enhances chromogenic substrate cleavage. We measured FXI activity upon reduction and identified a bond involved in the enhanced activity. Reduction of FXI augments FIX cleavage, probably by faster conversion of FXI to FXIa. The Cys362-Cys482 disulfide bond is responsible for FXI enhanced activation upon its reduction. Background Reduction of factor (F) XI by protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) has been shown to enhance the ability of FXI to cleave its chromogenic substrate. Three disulfide bonds in FXI (Cys118-Cys147, Cys362-Cys482, and Cys321-Cys321) are involved in this augmented activation. Objectives To characterize the mechanisms by which PDI enhances FXI activity. Methods FXI activity was measured following PDI reduction. Thiols that were exposed in FXI after PDI reduction were labeled with 3-(N-maleimidopropionyl)-biocytin (MPB) and detected with avidin. The rate of conversion of FXI to activated FXI (FXIa) following thrombin activation was assessed with western blotting. FXI molecules harboring mutations that disrupt the three disulfide bonds (C147S, C321S, and C482S) were expressed in cells. The antigenicity of secreted FXI was measured with ELISA, and its activity was assessed by the use of a chromogenic substrate. The effect of disulfide bond reduction was analyzed by the use of molecular dynamics. Results Reduction of FXI by PDI enhanced cleavage of both its chromogenic substrate, S2366, and its physiologic substrate, FIX, and resulted in opening of the Cys362-Cys482 bond. The rate of conversion of FXI to FXIa was increased following its reduction by PDI. C482S-FXI showed enhanced activity as compared with both wild-type FXI and C321S-FXI. MD showed that disruption of the Cys362-Cys482 bond leads to a broader thrombin-binding site in FXI. Conclusions Reduction of FXI by PDI enhances its ability to cleave FIX, probably by causing faster conversion of FXI to FXIa. The Cys362-Cys482 disulfide
Gregg, Ryan A; Tallarida, Christopher S; Reitz, Allen B; Rawls, Scott M
2013-12-01
Concurrent use of mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone; MEPH) and established drugs of abuse is now commonplace, but knowledge about interactions between these drugs is sparse. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that prior MEPH exposure enhances the locomotor-stimulant effects of cocaine and methamphetamine (METH). For cocaine experiments, rats pretreated with saline, cocaine (15 mg/kg), or MEPH (15 mg/kg) for 5 days were injected with cocaine after 10 days of drug absence. For METH experiments, rats pretreated with saline, METH (2 mg/kg), or MEPH (15 mg/kg) were injected with METH after 10 days of drug absence. Cocaine challenge produced greater locomotor activity after pretreatment with cocaine or MEPH than after pretreatment with saline. METH challenge produced greater locomotor activity after METH pretreatment than after saline pretreatment; however, locomotor activity in rats pretreated with MEPH or saline and then challenged with METH was not significantly different. The locomotor response to MEPH (15 mg/kg) was not significantly affected by pretreatment with cocaine (15 mg/kg) or METH (0.5, 2 mg/kg). The present demonstration that cocaine-induced locomotor activation is enhanced by prior MEPH exposure suggests that MEPH cross-sensitizes to cocaine and increases cocaine efficacy. Interestingly, MEPH cross-sensitization was not bidirectional and did not extend to METH, suggesting that the phenomenon is sensitive to specific psychostimulants.
Significant enhancement of yellow-green light emission of ZnO nanorod arrays using Ag island films
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, Chin-An; Tsai, Dung-Sheng; Chen, Cheng-Ying; He-Hau, Jr.
2011-03-01
Surface plasmon (SP) mediated emission from ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs)/Ag/Si structures has been investigated. The ratio of visible emission to UV emission can be increased by over 30 times via coupling with SP without deterioration of the crystal quality. The fact that the effect of SP crucially depends on the size of Ag island films provides the feasibility to significantly enhance the yellow-green emission of the ZnO nanostructures without sacrificing the crystallinity of ZnO.Surface plasmon (SP) mediated emission from ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs)/Ag/Si structures has been investigated. The ratio of visible emission to UV emission can be increased by over 30 times via coupling with SP without deterioration of the crystal quality. The fact that the effect of SP crucially depends on the size of Ag island films provides the feasibility to significantly enhance the yellow-green emission of the ZnO nanostructures without sacrificing the crystallinity of ZnO. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c0nr00732c
Yao, Yimin; Zhu, Xiaodong; Zeng, Xiaoliang; Sun, Rong; Xu, Jian-Bin; Wong, Ching-Ping
2018-03-21
Efficient heat removal via thermal management materials has become one of the most critical challenges in the development of modern microelectronic devices. However, previously reported polymer composites exhibit limited enhancement of thermal conductivity, even when highly loaded with thermally conductive fillers, because of the lack of efficient heat transfer pathways. Herein, we report vertically aligned and interconnected SiC nanowire (SiCNW) networks as efficient fillers for polymer composites, achieving significantly enhanced thermal conductivity. The SiCNW networks are produced by freeze-casting nanowire aqueous suspensions followed by thermal sintering to consolidate the nanowire junctions, exhibiting a hierarchical architecture in which honeycomb-like SiCNW layers are aligned. The composite obtained by infiltrating SiCNW networks with epoxy resin, at a relatively low SiCNW loading of 2.17 vol %, represents a high through-plane thermal conductivity (1.67 W m -1 K -1 ) compared to the pure matrix, which is equivalent to a significant enhancement of 406.6% per 1 vol % loading. The orderly SiCNW network which can act as a macroscopic expressway for phonon transport is believed to be the main contributor for the excellent thermal performance. This strategy provides insights for the design of high-performance composites with potential to be used in advanced thermal management materials.
Suschek, Christoph; Kolb, Hubert; Kolb-Bachofen, Victoria
1997-01-01
Dobesilate is used for normalizing vascular dysfunction in a number of diseases. In search for an effect on endothelial NO production, macrovascular endothelial cells from rat aorta, microvascular endothelial cells from rat exocrine pancreatic tissue, and capillary endothelial cells from rat islets, were cultured in the presence or absence of Mg-Dobesilate. The activity of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) in resident cells as well as of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cytokine-activated cells was measured indirectly by recording the citrulline concentrations in culture supernatants.In each of the different endothelial cells Mg-Dobesilate incubation (0.25–1 mM) for 24 h led to a significant and concentration-dependent increase in ecNOS-activities. With cytokine-activated endothelial cell cultures only moderate effects were seen with little or no concentration-dependency. Addition of the NOS-inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine led to a significant suppression of citrulline formation in all cultures as an evidence for the enzyme specificity of these effects.iNOS- and ecNOS-specific reverse transcription and semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) with RNA from resident or cytokine-activated endothelial cells gave no evidence for an increase in NOS-specific mRNA after Mg-Dobesilate-treatment. Furthermore, Dobesilate-mediated enhancement of NO synthesis in resting endothelial cells was not due to iNOS induction in these cells, as no iNOS-specific signal was found by RT–PCR. PMID:9421302
Performance Enhancement of a Full-Scale Vertical Tail Model Equipped with Active Flow Control
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Whalen, Edward A.; Lacy, Douglas; Lin, John C.; Andino, Marlyn Y.; Washburn, Anthony E.; Graff, Emilio; Wygnanski, Israel J.
2015-01-01
This paper describes wind tunnel test results from a joint NASA/Boeing research effort to advance active flow control (AFC) technology to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. A full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail model equipped with sweeping jet actuators was tested at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel (40x80) at NASA Ames Research Center. The model was tested at a nominal airspeed of 100 knots and across rudder deflections and sideslip angles that covered the vertical tail flight envelope. A successful demonstration of AFC-enhanced vertical tail technology was achieved. A 31- actuator configuration significantly increased side force (by greater than 20%) at a maximum rudder deflection of 30deg. The successful demonstration of this application has cleared the way for a flight demonstration on the Boeing 757 ecoDemonstrator in 2015.
Li, Xiaowan; Liu, Xitao; Lin, Chunye; Qi, Chengdu; Zhang, Huijuan; Ma, Jun
2017-08-01
In this study, iodine-doped granular activated carbon (I-GAC) was prepared and subsequently applied to activate periodate (IO 4 - ) to degrade organic contaminants at ambient temperature. The physicochemical properties of GAC and I-GAC were examined using scanning electron microscopy, N 2 adsorption/desorption, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. No significant difference was observed between the two except for the existence of triiodide (I 3 - ) and pentaiodide (I 5 - ) on I-GAC. The catalytic activity of I-GAC towards IO 4 - was evaluated by the degradation of acid orange 7 (AO7), and superior catalytic performance was achieved compared with GAC. The effects of some influential parameters (preparation conditions, initial solution pH, and coexisting anions) on the catalytic ability were also investigated. Based on radical scavenging experiments, it appeared that IO 3 was the predominant reactive species in the I-GAC/IO 4 - system. The mechanism underlying the enhanced catalytic performance of I-GAC could be explained by the introduction of negatively charged I 3 - and I 5 - into I-GAC, which induced positive charge density on the surface of I-GAC. This accelerated the interaction between I-GAC and IO 4 - , and subsequently mediated the increasing generation of iodyl radicals (IO 3 ). Furthermore, a possible degradation pathway of AO7 was proposed according to the intermediate products identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Immune-enhancing activities of low molecular weight β-glucan depolymerized by gamma irradiation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sung, Nak-Yun; Byun, Eui-Hong; Kwon, Sun-Kyu; Song, Beom-Seok; Choi, Jong-il; Kim, Jae-Hun; Byun, Myung-Woo; Yoo, Young-Choon; Kim, Mee-Ree; Lee, Ju-Woon
2009-07-01
β-glucans are structural cell wall polymers of many microorganisms and cereals which possess immunomodulatory properties and have been used in the food, cosmetic and medical industry. In our previous study, β-glucan was depolymerized by gamma irradiation and leads to improve the solubility and viscosity. This study was carried out to evaluate the functional properties, mainly immune-enhancing activities of low molecular weight β-glucan fragmented by gamma irradiation. The results showed that RAW 264.7 macrophage cell stimulation activities of irradiated β-glucan were higher than that of non-irradiated β-glucan. In addition, the oral administration of gamma-irradiated β-glucan significantly increased the proliferation and cytokine (IFN-γ and IL-2) release of spleen and Peyer's patch cells compared with non-irradiated β-glucan. In conclusion, gamma irradiation could be used as an effective method for the production of depolymerized β-glucan improved functional property such as immunomodulatory activity.
Li, Ranran; Zijlstra, Jan G; Kamps, Jan A A M; van Meurs, Matijs; Molema, Grietje
2014-10-01
Circulatory shock and resuscitation are associated with systemic hemodynamic changes, which may contribute to the development of MODS (multiple organ dysfunction syndrome). In this study, we used an in vitro flow system to simulate the consecutive changes in blood flow as occurring during hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation in vivo. We examined the kinetic responses of different endothelial genes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells preconditioned to 20 dyne/cm unidirectional laminar shear stress for 48 h to flow cessation and abrupt reflow, respectively, as well as the effect of flow cessation and reflow on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced endothelial proinflammatory activation. Endothelial CD31 and VE-cadherin were not affected by the changes in flow in the absence or presence of TNF-α. The messenger RNA levels of proinflammatory molecules E-selectin, VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1), and IL-8 (interleukin 8) were significantly induced by flow cessation respectively acute reflow, whereas ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1) was downregulated on flow cessation and induced by subsequent acute reflow. Flow cessation also affected the Ang/Tie2 (Angiopoietin/Tie2 receptor tyrosine kinase) system by downregulating Tie2 and inducing its endothelial ligand Ang2, an effect that was further extended on acute reflow. Furthermore, the induction of proinflammatory adhesion molecules by TNF-α under flow cessation was significantly enhanced on subsequent acute reflow. This study demonstrated that flow alterations per se during shock and resuscitation contribute to endothelial activation and that these alterations interact with proinflammatory factors coexisting in vivo such as TNF-α. The abrupt reflow-related enhancement of cytokine-induced endothelial proinflammatory activation supports the concept that sudden regain of flow during resuscitation has an aggravating effect on endothelial activation, which may play a significant role in vascular
Rhie, Suhn Kyong; Guo, Yu; Tak, Yu Gyoung; Yao, Lijing; Shen, Hui; Coetzee, Gerhard A; Laird, Peter W; Farnham, Peggy J
2016-01-01
Although technological advances now allow increased tumor profiling, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms leading to the development of different cancers remains elusive. Our approach toward understanding the molecular events that lead to cancer is to characterize changes in transcriptional regulatory networks between normal and tumor tissue. Because enhancer activity is thought to be critical in regulating cell fate decisions, we have focused our studies on distal regulatory elements and transcription factors that bind to these elements. Using DNA methylation data, we identified more than 25,000 enhancers that are differentially activated in breast, prostate, and kidney tumor tissues, as compared to normal tissues. We then developed an analytical approach called Tracing Enhancer Networks using Epigenetic Traits that correlates DNA methylation levels at enhancers with gene expression to identify more than 800,000 genome-wide links from enhancers to genes and from genes to enhancers. We found more than 1200 transcription factors to be involved in these tumor-specific enhancer networks. We further characterized several transcription factors linked to a large number of enhancers in each tumor type, including GATA3 in non-basal breast tumors, HOXC6 and DLX1 in prostate tumors, and ZNF395 in kidney tumors. We showed that HOXC6 and DLX1 are associated with different clusters of prostate tumor-specific enhancers and confer distinct transcriptomic changes upon knockdown in C42B prostate cancer cells. We also discovered de novo motifs enriched in enhancers linked to ZNF395 in kidney tumors. Our studies characterized tumor-specific enhancers and revealed key transcription factors involved in enhancer networks for specific tumor types and subgroups. Our findings, which include a large set of identified enhancers and transcription factors linked to those enhancers in breast, prostate, and kidney cancers, will facilitate understanding of enhancer networks and mechanisms
Levamisole enhances the rewarding and locomotor-activating effects of cocaine in rats.
Tallarida, Christopher S; Tallarida, Ronald J; Rawls, Scott M
2015-04-01
The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that 80% of cocaine seized in the United States contains the veterinary pharmaceutical levamisole (LVM). One problem with LVM is that it is producing life-threatening neutropenia in an alarming number of cocaine abusers. The neuropharmacological profile of LVM is also suggestive of an agent with modest reinforcing and stimulant effects that could enhance cocaine's addictive effects. We tested the hypothesis that LVM (ip) enhances the rewarding and locomotor stimulant effects of cocaine (ip) using rat conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor assays. Effects of LVM by itself were also tested. LVM (0-10 mg/kg) produced CPP at 1mg/kg (P<0.05) and locomotor activation at 5mg/kg (P < 0.05). For CPP combination experiments, a statistically inactive dose of LVM (0.1 mg/kg) was administered with a low dose of cocaine (2.5 mg/kg). Neither agent produced CPP compared to saline (P > 0.05); however, the combination of LVM and cocaine produced enhanced CPP compared to saline or either drug by itself (P < 0.01). For locomotor experiments, the same inactive dose of LVM (0.1mg/kg, ip) was administered with low (10 mg/kg) and high doses (30 mg/kg) of cocaine. LVM (0.1 mg/kg) enhanced locomotor activation produced by 10mg/kg of cocaine (P < 0.05) but not by 30 mg/kg (P>0.05). LVM can enhance rewarding and locomotor-activating effects of low doses of cocaine in rats while possessing modest activity of its own. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tian, Ying; Wang, Genjie; Hu, Qingzhu; Xiao, Xichun; Chen, Shuxia
2018-04-01
The AML1/ETO onco-fusion protein is crucial for the genesis of t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is well documented as a transcriptional repressor through dominant-negative effect. However, little is known about the transactivation mechanism of AML1/ETO. Through large cohort of patient's expression level data analysis and a series of experimental validation, we report here that AML1/ETO transactivates c-KIT expression through directly binding to and mediating the long-range interaction between the promoter and intronic enhancer regions of c-KIT. Gene expression analyses verify that c-KIT expression is significantly high in t(8;21) AML. Further ChIP-seq analysis and motif scanning identify two regulatory regions located in the promoter and intronic enhancer region of c-KIT, respectively. Both regions are enriched by co-factors of AML1/ETO, such as AML1, CEBPe, c-Jun, and c-Fos. Further luciferase reporter assays show that AML1/ETO trans-activates c-KIT promoter activity through directly recognizing the AML1 motif and the co-existence of co-factors. The induction of c-KIT promoter activity is reinforced with the existence of intronic enhancer region. Furthermore, ChIP-3C-qPCR assays verify that AML1/ETO mediates the formation of DNA-looping between the c-KIT promoter and intronic enhancer region through the long-range interaction. Collectively, our data uncover a novel transcriptional activity mechanism of AML1/ETO and enrich our knowledge of the onco-fusion protein mediated transcription regulation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Does the Room Matter? Active Learning in Traditional and Enhanced Lecture Spaces
Stoltzfus, Jon R.; Libarkin, Julie
2016-01-01
SCALE-UP–type classrooms, originating with the Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies project, are designed to facilitate active learning by maximizing opportunities for interactions between students and embedding technology in the classroom. Positive impacts when active learning replaces lecture are well documented, both in traditional lecture halls and SCALE-UP–type classrooms. However, few studies have carefully analyzed student outcomes when comparable active learning–based instruction takes place in a traditional lecture hall and a SCALE-UP–type classroom. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared student perceptions and performance between sections of a nonmajors biology course, one taught in a traditional lecture hall and one taught in a SCALE-UP–type classroom. Instruction in both sections followed a flipped model that relied heavily on cooperative learning and was as identical as possible given the infrastructure differences between classrooms. Results showed that students in both sections thought that SCALE-UP infrastructure would enhance performance. However, measures of actual student performance showed no difference between the two sections. We conclude that, while SCALE-UP–type classrooms may facilitate implementation of active learning, it is the active learning and not the SCALE-UP infrastructure that enhances student performance. As a consequence, we suggest that institutions can modify existing classrooms to enhance student engagement without incorporating expensive technology. PMID:27909018
Enhanced Immunomodulatory Activity of Gelatin-Encapsulated Rubus coreanus Miquel Nanoparticles
Seo, Yong Chang; Choi, Woon Yong; Lee, Choon Geun; Cha, Seon Woo; Kim, Young Ock; Kim, Jin-Chul; Drummen, Gregor P. C.; Lee, Hyeon Yong
2011-01-01
The aim of this work was to investigate the immunomodulatory activities of Rubus coreanus Miquel extract-loaded gelatin nanoparticles. The mean size of the produced nanoparticles was 143 ± 18 nm with a bandwidth of 76 nm in the size distribution and a maximum size of ~200 nm, which allows effective nanoparticle uptake by cells. Confocal imaging confirmed this, since the nanoparticles were internalized within 30 min and heterogeneously distributed throughout the cell. Zeta-potential measurements showed that from pH = 5 onwards, the nanoparticles were highly negatively charged, which prevents agglomeration to clusters by electrostatic repulsion. This was confirmed by TEM imaging, which showed a well dispersed colloidal solution. The encapsulation efficiency was nearly 60%, which is higher than for other components encapsulated in gelatin nanoparticles. Measurements of immune modulation in immune cells showed a significant effect by the crude extract, which was only topped by the nanoparticles containing the extract. Proliferation of B-, T- and NK cells was notably enhanced by Rubus coreanus-gelatin nanoparticles and in general ~2–3 times higher than control and on average ~2 times higher than ferulic acid. R. coreanus-gelatin nanoparticles induced cytokine secretion (IL-6 and TNF-α) from B- and T-cells on average at a ~2–3 times higher rate compared with the extract and ferulic acid. In vivo immunomodulatory activity in mice fed with R. coreanus-gelatin nanoparticles at 1 mL/g body weight showed a ~5 times higher antibody production compared to control, a ~1.3 times higher production compared to the extract only, and a ~1.6 times higher production compared to ferulic acid. Overall, our results suggest that gelatin nanoparticles represent an excellent transport vehicle for Rubus coreanus extract and extracts from other plants generally used in traditional Asian medicine. Such nanoparticles ensure a high local concentration that results in enhancement of immune
PRN 96-8: Toxicologically Significant Levels of Pesticide Active Ingredients
This notice sets out EPA's interpretation of the term toxicologically significant as it applies to contaminants in pesticide products that are also pesticide active ingredients. It provides risk-based concentration levels of such contaminants.
Active medulloblastoma enhancers reveal subgroup-specific cellular origins
Lin, Charles Y.; Erkek, Serap; Tong, Yiai; Yin, Linlin; Federation, Alexander J.; Zapatka, Marc; Haldipur, Parthiv; Kawauchi, Daisuke; Risch, Thomas; Warnatz, Hans-Jörg; Worst, Barbara C.; Ju, Bensheng; Orr, Brent A.; Zeid, Rhamy; Polaski, Donald R.; Segura-Wang, Maia; Waszak, Sebastian M.; Jones, David T.W.; Kool, Marcel; Hovestadt, Volker; Buchhalter, Ivo; Sieber, Laura; Johann, Pascal; Chavez, Lukas; Gröschel, Stefan; Ryzhova, Marina; Korshunov, Andrey; Chen, Wenbiao; Chizhikov, Victor V.; Millen, Kathleen J.; Amstislavskiy, Vyacheslav; Lehrach, Hans; Yaspo, Marie-Laure; Eils, Roland; Lichter, Peter; Korbel, Jan O.; Pfister, Stefan M.; Bradner, James E.; Northcott, Paul A.
2016-01-01
Summary Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant paediatric brain tumour, often inflicting devastating consequences on the developing child. Genomic studies have revealed four distinct molecular subgroups with divergent biology and clinical behaviour. An understanding of the regulatory circuitry governing the transcriptional landscapes of medulloblastoma subgroups, and how this relates to their respective developmental origins, is lacking. Using H3K27ac and BRD4 ChIP-Seq, coupled with tissue-matched DNA methylation and transcriptome data, we describe the active cis-regulatory landscape across 28 primary medulloblastoma specimens. Analysis of differentially regulated enhancers and super-enhancers reinforced inter-subgroup heterogeneity and revealed novel, clinically relevant insights into medulloblastoma biology. Computational reconstruction of core regulatory circuitry identified a master set of transcription factors, validated by ChIP-Seq, that are responsible for subgroup divergence and implicate candidate cells-of-origin for Group 4. Our integrated analysis of enhancer elements in a large series of primary tumour samples reveals insights into cis-regulatory architecture, unrecognized dependencies, and cellular origins. PMID:26814967
Murayama, Takashi; Takasugi, Jun; Monma, Masahiko; Oga, Masaru
2013-01-01
Mirror therapy can be used to promote recovery from paralysis in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia, There are a lot of reports that mirror-image observation of the unilateral moving hand enhanced the excitability of the primary motor area (M1) ipsilateral to the moving hand in healthy subjects. but the neural mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects are currently unclear. To investigate this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure activity in brain regions related to visual information processing during mirror image movement observation. Thirteen healthy subjects performed a finger-thumb opposition task with the left and right hands separately, with or without access to mirror observation. In the mirror condition, one hand was reflected in a mirror placed above the abdomen in the MRI scanner. In the masked mirror condition, subjects performed the same task but with the mirror obscured. In both conditions, the other hand was held at rest behind the mirror. A between-task comparison (mirror versus masked mirror) revealed significant activation in the ipsilateral hemisphere in the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIP) while performing all tasks, regardless of which hand was used. The right aIP was significantly activated while moving the right hand. In contrast, in the left aIP, a small number of voxels showed a tendency toward activation during both left and right hand movement. The enhancement of ipsilateral aIP activity by the mirror image observation of finger action suggests that bimodal aIP neurons can be activated by visual information. We propose that activation in the M1 ipsilateral to the moving hand can be induced by information passing through the ventral premotor area from the aIP. PMID:25792898
Assessment of inflammatory activity in Crohn's disease by means of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.
Pupillo, V A; Di Cesare, E; Frieri, G; Limbucci, N; Tanga, M; Masciocchi, C
2007-09-01
Our aim was to perform a dynamic study of contrast enhancement of the intestinal wall in patients with Crohn's disease to quantitatively assess local inflammatory activity. We studied a population of 50 patients with histologically proven Crohn's disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using a 1.5-T magnet with a phased-array coil and acquisition of T2-weighted single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) half Fourier sequences before intravenous administration of gadolinium, and T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient (FSPGR) fat-saturated sequences before and after contrast administration. Before the examination, patents received oral polyethylene glycol (PEG) (1,000 ml for adults; 10 ml/Kg of body weight for children). Regions of interest (ROI) were placed on the normal and diseased intestinal wall to assess signal intensity and rate of increase in contrast enhancement over time. Data were compared with the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI). The diseased bowel wall showed early and intense uptake of contrast that increases over time until a plateau is reached. In patients in the remission phase after treatment, signal intensity was only slightly higher in diseased bowel loops than in healthy loops. There was a significant correlation between the peak of contrast uptake and CDAI. Dynamic MRI is a good technique for quantifying local inflammatory activity of bowel wall in patients with Crohn's disease.
Routine Activities and Criminal Victimization: The Significance of Gendered Spaces.
Savard, Dennis M; Kelley, Thomas M; Merolla, David M
2017-07-01
Gender is arguably the most prominent correlate of criminal victimization. Few studies, however, examine gender-specific dynamics that might help advance criminology's understanding of the persistent gender gap in criminal victimization. We attempt to help fill this research void by examining data from the 2012 National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) through the lens of routine activity theory to investigate the relationship between "gendered spaces" and criminal victimization. We propose that gendered spaces constructed by people's routine activities may increase their exposure to motivated offenders, which in turn may increase their risk of victimization. Our findings appear to support our proposition and to shed new light on the nature of the victimization gender gap. The results showed that females were significantly more likely than males to be victimized at each of the three "feminine gendered spaces" (i.e., bank, shopping center, and grocery store). However, the relationship between gendered space and criminal victimization varied by crime type. Females were significantly more likely than males to be robbed at each of the three feminine gendered spaces. For sexual assault and aggravated assault, females were significantly more likely than males to be victimized at a "masculine gendered space" (i.e., bar/nightclub). For simple assault, females were significantly less likely than males to be victimized at two of the three feminine gendered spaces (i.e., bank and shopping center). Our findings appear to highlight the importance of gendered spaces in helping explain the gender gap in criminal victimization and suggest that future researchers should investigate how other gendered spaces formed by people's routine activities affect their risk of victimization.
Melguizo, Consolación; Cabeza, Laura; Prados, Jose; Ortiz, Raúl; Caba, Octavio; Rama, Ana R; Delgado, Ángel V; Arias, José L
2015-01-01
Doxorubicin (Dox) is widely used for the combined chemotherapy of solid tumors. However, the use of these drug associations in lung cancer has low antitumor efficacy. To improve its efficacious delivery and activity in lung adenocarcinoma cells, we developed a biodegradable and noncytotoxic nanoplatform based on biodegradable poly(butylcyanoacrylate) (PBCA). The reproducible formulation method was based on an anionic polymerization process of the PBCA monomer, with the antitumor drug being entrapped within the nanoparticle (NP) matrix during its formation. Improved drug-entrapment efficiencies and sustained (biphasic) drug-release properties were made possible by taking advantage of the synthesis conditions (drug, monomer, and surfactant-agent concentrations). Dox-loaded NPs significantly enhanced cellular uptake of the drug in the A549 and LL/2 lung cancer cell lines, leading to a significant improvement of the drug’s antitumoral activity. In vivo studies demonstrated that Dox-loaded NPs clearly reduced tumor volumes and increased mouse-survival rates compared to the free drug. These results demonstrated that PBCA NPs may be used to optimize the antitumor activity of Dox, thus exhibiting a potential application in chemotherapy against lung adenocarcinoma. PMID:26715840
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yoon, Yeung-Pil; Kim, Jae-Hong; Kang, Soon-Hyung; Kim, Hyunsoo; Choi, Chel-Jong; Kim, Kyong-Kook; Ahn, Kwang-Soon
2014-08-01
Au was electrodeposited potentiostatically at 0.3 V for 5 min on nanoporous Pt nanoparticle-coated F-doped SnO2 (FTO/Pt) substrates. For comparison, Au-electrodeposited FTO (FTO/Au) and Au-uncoated FTO/Pt were prepared. FTO/Au showed large-sized Au clusters dispersed sparsely over FTO, which resulted in lower electrocatalytic activity than FTO/Pt. In contrast, FTO/Pt exhibited poor stability unlike FTO/Au due to poisoning by the adsorption of sulfur species. The Au-electrodeposited FTO/Pt (FTO/Pt/Au) consisted of small Au clusters deposited over the entire area of Pt due to the effective Au nucleation provided by nanoporous metallic Pt. FTO/Pt/Au exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability because the small Au particles well-dispersed over the nanoporous metallic Pt network provided numerous electrochemical reaction sites, and the Pt surface was not exposed to the electrolyte. When FTO/Pt/Au was used as the counter electrode (CE) of a quantum dot-sensitized solar cell, the significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the FTO/Pt/Au CE facilitated the reduction reaction of Sn2- + 2e- (CE) → Sn-12- + S2- at the CE/electrolyte interface, resulting in a significantly hindered recombination reaction, Sn2- + 2e- (TiO2 in the photoanode) → Sn-12- + S2-, and significantly improved overall energy conversion efficiency.
Enhanced leavening properties of baker's yeast by reducing sucrase activity in sweet dough.
Zhang, Cui-Ying; Lin, Xue; Feng, Bing; Liu, Xiao-Er; Bai, Xiao-Wen; Xu, Jia; Pi, Li; Xiao, Dong-Guang
2016-07-01
Leavening ability in sweet dough is required for the commercial applications of baker's yeast. This property depends on many factors, such as glycolytic activity, sucrase activity, and osmotolerance. This study explored the importance of sucrase level on the leavening ability of baker's yeast in sweet dough. Furthermore, the baker's yeast strains with varying sucrase activities were constructed by deleting SUC2, which encodes sucrase or replacing the SUC2 promoter with the VPS8/TEF1 promoter. The results verify that the sucrase activity negatively affects the leavening ability of baker's yeast strains under high-sucrose conditions. Based on a certain level of osmotolerance, sucrase level plays a significant role in the fermentation performance of baker's yeast, and appropriate sucrase activity is an important determinant for the leavening property of baker's yeast in sweet dough. Therefore, modification on sucrase activity is an effective method for improving the leavening properties of baker's yeast in sweet dough. This finding provides guidance for the breeding of industrial baker's yeast strains for sweet dough leavening. The transformants BS1 with deleted SUC2 genetic background provided decreased sucrase activity (a decrease of 39.3 %) and exhibited enhanced leavening property (an increase of 12.4 %). Such a strain could be useful for industrial applications.
Lee, Hwa-Young; Lee, Geum-Hwa; Lee, Mi-Rin; Kim, Hye-Kyung; Kim, Nan-young; Kim, Seung-Hyun; Lee, Yong-Chul; Kim, Hyung-Ryong; Chae, Han-Jung
2013-01-01
Eucommia ulmoides Oliver is a natural product widely used as a dietary supplement and medicinal plant. Here, we examined the potential regulatory effects of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver extracts (EUE) on hepatic dyslipidemia and its related mechanisms by in vitro and in vivo studies. EUE and its two active constituents, aucubin and geniposide, inhibited palmitate-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, reducing hepatic lipid accumulation through secretion of apolipoprotein B and associated triglycerides and cholesterol in human HepG2 hepatocytes. To determine how EUE diminishes the ER stress response, lysosomal and proteasomal protein degradation activities were analyzed. Although proteasomal activity was not affected, lysosomal enzyme activities including V-ATPase were significantly increased by EUE as well as aucubin and geniposide in HepG2 cells. Treatment with the V-ATPase inhibitor, bafilomycin, reversed the inhibition of ER stress, secretion of apolipoprotein B, and hepatic lipid accumulation induced by EUE or its component, aucubin or geniposide. In addition, EUE was determined to regulate hepatic dyslipidemia by enhancing lysosomal activity and to regulate ER stress in rats fed a high-fat diet. Together, these results suggest that EUE and its active components enhance lysosomal activity, resulting in decreased ER stress and hepatic dyslipidemia. PMID:24349058
Ethanol acts as an enhancer of steroid anesthetic activity in mouse
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Bukusoglu, C.; Mok, W.M.; Krieger, N.R.
1992-02-26
Ethanol and the steroid 3{alpha}-hydroxy-5{alpha}-pregnan-20-one (3{alpha}) are each potent general anesthetics that bring about the rapid loss of the righting response (LRR) in mice. Ethanol is known to enhance the actions of a range of sedative and anesthetic agents. However the effects of ethanol on steroid anesthesia have not previously been described. When ethanol was co-injected with 3{alpha} as compared to 3{alpha} injected alone, the percentage of mice that lost the righting response was substantially increased; the time to LRR was shortened; and 3{alpha} brain levels were increased. The interactions between the two agents were analyzed with the aid ofmore » an isobologram and they were found to be consistent with a hypothesis of additivity. The authors speculate that the role of ethanol as an enhancer of administered 3{alpha} activity described here may extend to the enhancement of endogenous 3{alpha} activity.« less
Enhancing learning in geosciences and water engineering via lab activities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Valyrakis, Manousos; Cheng, Ming
2016-04-01
This study focuses on the utilisation of lab based activities to enhance the learning experience of engineering students studying Water Engineering and Geosciences. In particular, the use of modern highly visual and tangible presentation techniques within an appropriate laboratory based space are used to introduce undergraduate students to advanced engineering concepts. A specific lab activity, namely "Flood-City", is presented as a case study to enhance the active engagement rate, improve the learning experience of the students and better achieve the intended learning objectives of the course within a broad context of the engineering and geosciences curriculum. Such activities, have been used over the last few years from the Water Engineering group @ Glasgow, with success for outreach purposes (e.g. Glasgow Science Festival and demos at the Glasgow Science Centre and Kelvingrove museum). The activity involves a specific setup of the demonstration flume in a sand-box configuration, with elements and activities designed so as to gamely the overall learning activity. Social media platforms can also be used effectively to the same goals, particularly in cases were the students already engage in these online media. To assess the effectiveness of this activity a purpose designed questionnaire is offered to the students. Specifically, the questionnaire covers several aspects that may affect student learning, performance and satisfaction, such as students' motivation, factors to effective learning (also assessed by follow-up quizzes), and methods of communication and assessment. The results, analysed to assess the effectiveness of the learning activity as the students perceive it, offer a promising potential for the use of such activities in outreach and learning.
Dehydration enhances pain-evoked activation in the human brain compared with rehydration.
Ogino, Yuichi; Kakeda, Takahiro; Nakamura, Koji; Saito, Shigeru
2014-06-01
Negative effects of dehydration on the human brain and cognitive function have been reported. In this study, we examined the effects of dehydration on pain thresholds and cortical activations in response to pain, compared with rehydration with an oral rehydration solution (ORS) by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Five healthy adult men were subjected to dehydration and rehydration on 2 different days. The condition on the first day was randomly assigned to each subject. They completed a 40-minute exercise protocol using a walking machine after 12 hours of fasting under both conditions. For rehydration, the subjects consumed up to 3000 mL ORS starting from the night before the test day. After exercise, a painful stimulus (cold pressor test) was applied to the subjects' medial forearm in a magnetic resonance imaging scanning gantry, and pain-evoked brain activation was analyzed. On the rehydration day, each of the subjects consumed an average of 2040 mL (range; 1800-2500 mL) ORS. Physiological data revealed that subjects when dehydrated lost more weight from exercise than subjects when rehydrated had a larger heart rate increase, a higher tympanic temperature, and a higher urine osmolality. Subjective data revealed that the subjects reported significantly stronger thirst while dehydrated than while rehydrated with ORS, although the levels of hunger and anxiety and mood did not significantly differ between conditions. The cold pressor test robustly activated the pain-related neural network, notably the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and thalamus. Such activations in the dehydrated subjects were greater than those in the rehydrated subjects in terms of peak and cluster, accompanied by a decrease in pain threshold (P = 0.001). Our findings suggest that dehydration brings about increased brain activity related to painful stimuli together with enhanced thirst, whereas rehydration with ORS alleviates thirst and decreases brain activity related to painful stimuli.
Elbaz, Nancy M; Khalil, Islam A; Abd-Rabou, Ahmed A; El-Sherbiny, Ibrahim M
2016-11-01
This study reports a promising approach to enhance the oral delivery of propolis, improve its aqueous solubility and bioavailability, and allow its controlled release as well as enhancing its anticancer activity. Propolis was standardized then its solubility was improved via formulation into optimized solid dispersion (SD) matrices, and its release was controlled through incorporation into nanoparticles (NPs) of optimized composition followed by further inclusion into chitosan (Cs) microparticles. The anticancer activity of the newly developed propolis-loaded nano-in-microparticles (NIMs) was evaluated against human liver cancer (HepG2) and human colorectal cancer (HCT 116) cells. The prepared SDs, NPs and NIMs were characterized using SEM, TEM, DLS, FTIR, DSC and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The therapeutic efficiency of formulated propolis was bio-assessed via cytotoxicity measurements, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis-induced cell death and cell cycle arrest. The results demonstrated a considerable enhancement in propolis solubility with a controlled release profile in different GIT environments. In-vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that the propolis-loaded NIMs induce more cytotoxic effect on HepG2 cells than HCT-116 cells and mediated three-fold higher therapeutic efficiency than free propolis. The apoptosis assay indicated that the propolis-loaded NIMs induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells and significantly decrease their number in the proliferative G0/G1, S and G2/M phases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Active music making: a route to enhanced subjective well-being among older people.
Creech, Andrea; Hallam, Susan; Varvarigou, Maria; McQueen, Hilary; Gaunt, Helena
2013-01-01
This research explored the relationship between active music making and subjective well-being, in older people's lives. The research focused on how participation in making music might enhance older people's social, emotional and cognitive well-being, through meeting the basic psychological needs identified in earlier research. The research comprised three case studies, each offering a variety of musical activities to older people. In each case study a sample of older people were asked to complete questionnaires and psychological needs scales related to autonomy, competence, relatedness and self-realisation before and after a substantial period of active engagement with music. Principal components analysis (PCA) of responses to the CASP-12(1) and the Basic Needs Satisfaction scale(2) revealed three factors: purpose (having a positive outlook on life; autonomy and control; and social affirmation (positive social relationships, competence and a sense of recognised accomplishment). Comparisons of those engaged in music making with those participating in other activities revealed statistically significant differences on all three factors with the music groups giving more positive responses. The enhanced subjective well-being found among participants in music may have been due to the potential for music to provide a sense of purpose through progression in music and creative expression. Control and autonomy may be supported by the holistic nature of musical engagement, whereby meeting new musical challenges involves physical and cognitive engagement. Finally, social affirmation may be supported through social interaction; giving and receiving peer support; and performance, which confers status, a sense of giving something back to the community, pride and opportunities for positive reinforcement. Further research needs to identify the mechanisms through which music is able to achieve these effects.
Madusanka, Nadeesh; de Silva, K M Nalin; Amaratunga, Gehan
2015-12-10
A novel curcumin activated carboxymethylcellulose-montmorillonite nanocomposite is reported. A superabsorbent biopolymer; carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used as an emulsifier for curcumin which is a turmeric derived water insoluble polyphenolic compound with antibacterial/anti-cancer properties. Montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay was incorporated in the formulation as a matrix material which also plays a role in release kinetics. It was observed that water solubility of curcumin in the nanocomposite has significantly increased (60% release within 2h and 30 min in distilled water at pH 5.4) compared to pure curcumin. The prepared curcumin activated carboxymethylcellulose-montmorillonite nanocomposite is suitable as a curcumin carrier having enhanced release and structural properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Enhanced phenol removal in an innovative lignite activated coke-assisted biological process.
Zhang, Chen; Li, Jianfeng; Cheng, Fangqin; Liu, Yu
2018-07-01
In this study, a lignite activated coke (LAC)-assisted activated sludge (AS) process was developed for enhancing biodegradation of phenol, while the effects of LAC on sludge properties and microbial community structure were investigated. It was found that more than 90% of phenol was removed within 1 h in the LAC/AS, which was 3 times higher than the conventional AS process. Moreover, the floc size and settleability were also significantly improved in the LAC/AS. These results suggested that LAC could serve as the nucleating agent to promote the formation of compact floc, which was beneficial for toxicity mitigation and system stability. The microbial community analysis by 16S high-throughput pyrosequencing technology further revealed a more abundant bacterial richness and diversity in the LAC/AS process loaded with phenol, while some phenol degraders, such as Propionibacteriaceae were enriched. Engineering implications further suggests the LAC-assisted AS process is technically sound and economically viable. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Activity Enhancement of G-Quadruplex/Hemin DNAzyme by Flanking d(CCC).
Chang, Tianjun; Gong, Hongmei; Ding, Pi; Liu, Xiangjun; Li, Weiguo; Bing, Tao; Cao, Zehui; Shangguan, Dihua
2016-03-14
G-quadruplex (G4)/hemin DNAzymes have been extensively applied in bioanalysis and molecular devices. However, their catalytic activity is still much lower than that of proteinous enzymes. The G4/hemin DNAzyme activity is correlated with the G4 conformations and the solution conditions. However, little is known about the effect of the flanking sequences on the activity, though they are important parts of G4s. Here, we report sequences containing d(CCC), flanked on both ends of the G4-core sequences remarkably enhance their DNAzyme activity. By using circular dichroism and UV-visible spectroscopy, the d(CCC) flanking sequences were demonstrated to improve the hemin binding affinity to G4s instead of increasing the parallel G4 formation, which might explain the enhanced DNAzyme activity. Meanwhile, the increased hemin binding ability promoted the degradation of hemin within the DNAzyme by H2O2. Furthermore, the DNAzyme with d(CCC) flanking sequences showed strong tolerance to pH value changes, which makes it more suitable for applications requiring wide pH conditions. The results highlight the influence of the flanking sequences on the DNAzyme activity and provide insightful information for the design of highly active DNAzymes. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Smith, Aileen M.; Sanchez, Maria-Jose; Follows, George A.; Kinston, Sarah; Donaldson, Ian J.; Green, Anthony R.; Göttgens, Berthold
2008-01-01
Altered cis-regulation is thought to underpin much of metazoan evolution, yet the underlying mechanisms remain largely obscure. The stem cell leukemia TAL1 (also known as SCL) transcription factor is essential for the normal development of blood stem cells and we have previously shown that the Tal1 +19 enhancer directs expression to hematopoietic stem cells, hematopoietic progenitors, and to endothelium. Here we demonstrate that an adjacent region 1 kb upstream (+18 element) is in an open chromatin configuration and carries active histone marks but does not function as an enhancer in transgenic mice. Instead, it boosts activity of the +19 enhancer both in stable transfection assays and during differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells carrying single-copy reporter constructs targeted to the Hprt locus. The +18 element contains a mammalian interspersed repeat (MIR) which is essential for the +18 function and which was transposed to the Tal1 locus ∼160 million years ago at the time of the mammalian/marsupial branchpoint. Our data demonstrate a previously unrecognized mechanism whereby enhancer activity is modulated by a transposon exerting a “booster” function which would go undetected by conventional transgenic approaches. PMID:18687876
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of active bleeding associated with hepatic and splenic trauma.
Lv, F; Tang, J; Luo, Y; Li, Z; Meng, X; Zhu, Z; Li, T
2011-10-01
The aim of this study was to evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging of active bleeding from hepatic and splenic trauma. Three hundred and ninety-two patients with liver or/and spleen trauma (179 liver and 217 spleen injuries), who underwent CEUS examinations following contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), were enrolled in this retrospective study over a period of >4 years. CEUS detected contrast medium extravasation or pooling in 16% (63/396) of liver or spleen lesions in 61 patients, which was confirmed by contrast-enhanced CT. Special attention was paid to observing the presence, location, and characteristics of the extravasated or pooled contrast medium. The CEUS detection rate for active bleeding was not different from that of contrast-enhanced CT (p=0.333). Information from surgery, minimally invasive treatment and conservative treatment was used as reference standard, and the sensitivities of the two techniques were not different (p=0.122). Of 63 lesions in 61 patients, CEUS showed that 74.6% (47/63) (21 liver lesions and 26 spleen lesions) presented contrast medium extravasation or pooling, both in the organ and out the capsule, in 14.3% (9/63) and only outside the capsule in 11.1% (7/63). CEUS imaging of active bleeding from hepatic and splenic trauma presented various characteristics, and the sizes and shapes of the active bleeding due to contrast medium extravasation or pooling were variable. CEUS can show the active bleeding associated with hepatic and splenic trauma with various imaging characteristics, thus making it possible to diagnose active bleeding using CEUS.
Brahmakshatriya, Vinayak; Kuang, Yi; Devarajan, Priyadharshini; Xia, Jingya; Zhang, Wenliang; Vong, Allen Minh; Swain, Susan L
2017-04-01
Naive CD4 T cell responses, especially their ability to help B cell responses, become compromised with aging. We find that using APC pretreated ex vivo with TLR agonists, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid and CpG, to prime naive CD4 T cells in vivo, restores their ability to expand and become germinal center T follicular helpers and enhances B cell IgG Ab production. Enhanced helper responses are dependent on IL-6 production by the activated APC. Aged naive CD4 T cells respond suboptimally to IL-6 compared with young cells, such that higher doses are required to induce comparable signaling. Preactivating APC overcomes this deficiency. Responses of young CD4 T cells are also enhanced by preactivating APC with similar effects but with only partial IL-6 dependency. Strikingly, introducing just the activated APC into aged mice significantly enhances otherwise compromised Ab production to inactivated influenza vaccine. These findings reveal a central role for the production of IL-6 by APC during initial cognate interactions in the generation of effective CD4 T cell help, which becomes greater with age. Without APC activation, aging CD4 T cell responses shift toward IL-6-independent Th1 and CD4 cytotoxic Th cell responses. Thus, strategies that specifically activate and provide Ag to APC could potentially enhance Ab-mediated protection in vaccine responses. Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.
Bernstein, Robert Root; Dillon, Patrick F
2014-01-01
Several classes of compounds that have no intrinsic activity on aminergic systems nonetheless enhance the potency of aminergic receptor ligands three-fold or more while significantly increasing their duration of activity, preventing tachyphylaxis and reversing fade. Enhancer compounds include ascorbic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, cortico-steroids, opioid peptides, opiates and opiate antagonists. This paper provides the first review of aminergic enhancement, demonstrating that all enhancers have a common, inobvious molecular motif and work through a common mechanism that is manifested by three common characteristics. First, aminergic enhancers bind directly to the amines they enhance, suggesting that the common structural motif is reflected in common binding targets. Second, one common target is the first extracellular loop of aminergic receptors. Third, at least some enhancers are antiphosphodiesterases. These observations suggest that aminergic enhancers act on the extracellular surface of aminergic receptors to keep the receptor in its high affinity state, trapping the ligand inside the receptor. Enhancer binding produces allosteric modifications of the receptor structure that interfere with phosphorylation of the receptor, thereby inhibiting down-regulation of the receptor. The mechanism explains how enhancers potentiate aminergic activity and increase duration of activity and makes testable predictions about additional compounds that should act as aminergic enhancers. PMID:25174918
Syndecan-4 enhances PDGF-BB activity in diabetic wound healing.
Das, Subhamoy; Majid, Marjan; Baker, Aaron B
2016-09-15
Non-healing ulcers are a common consequence of long-term diabetes and severe peripheral vascular disease. These non-healing wounds are a major source of morbidity in patients with diabetes and place a heavy financial burden on the healthcare system. Growth factor therapies are an attractive strategy for enhancing wound closure in non-healing wounds but have only achieved mixed results in clinical trials. Platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) is the only currently approved growth factor therapy for non-healing wounds. However, PDGF-BB therapy is not effective in many patients and requires high doses that increase the potential for side effects. In this work, we demonstrate that syndecan-4 delivered in a proteoliposomal formulation enhances PDGF-BB activity in diabetic wound healing. In particular, syndecan-4 proteoliposomes enhance the migration of keratinocytes derived from patients with diabetes. In addition, syndecan-4 proteoliposomes sensitize keratinocytes to PDGF-BB stimulation, enhancing the intracellular signaling response to PDGF-BB. We further demonstrated that co-therapy with syndecan-4 proteoliposomes enhanced wound closure in diabetic, hyperlipidemic ob/ob mice. Wounds treated with both syndecan-4 proteoliposomes and PDGF-BB had increased re-epithelization and angiogenesis in comparison to wounds treated with PDGF-BB alone. Moreover, the wounds treated with syndecan-4 proteoliposomes and PDGF-BB also had increased M2 macrophages and reduced M1 macrophages, suggesting syndecan-4 delivery induces immunomodulation within the healing wounds. Together our findings support that syndecan-4 proteoliposomes markedly improve PDGF-BB efficacy for wound healing and may be useful in enhancing treatments for non-healing wounds. Non-healing wounds are major healthcare issue for patients with diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. Growth factor therapies have potential for healing chronic wounds but have not been effective for many patients. PDGF-BB is
Affective significance enhances covert attention: roles of anxiety and word familiarity.
Calvo, Manuel G; Eysenck, Michael W
2008-11-01
To investigate the processing of emotional words by covert attention, threat-related, positive, and neutral word primes were presented parafoveally (2.2 degrees away from fixation) for 150 ms, under gaze-contingent foveal masking, to prevent eye fixations. The primes were followed by a probe word in a lexical-decision task. In Experiment 1, results showed a parafoveal threat-anxiety superiority: Parafoveal prime threat words facilitated responses to probe threat words for high-anxiety individuals, in comparison with neutral and positive words, and relative to low-anxiety individuals. This reveals an advantage in threat processing by covert attention, without differences in overt attention. However, anxiety was also associated with greater familiarity with threat words, and the parafoveal priming effects were significantly reduced when familiarity was covaried out. To further examine the role of word knowledge, in Experiment 2, vocabulary and word familiarity were equated for low- and high-anxiety groups. In these conditions, the parafoveal threat-anxiety advantage disappeared. This suggests that the enhanced covert-attention effect depends on familiarity with words.
Janesko, Benjamin G; Scuseria, Gustavo E
2006-09-28
We present a model for electromagnetic enhancements in surface enhanced Raman optical activity (SEROA) spectroscopy. The model extends previous treatments of SEROA to substrates, such as metal nanoparticles in solution, that are orientationally averaged with respect to the laboratory frame. Our theoretical treatment combines analytical expressions for unenhanced Raman optical activity with molecular polarizability tensors that are dressed by the substrate's electromagnetic enhancements. We evaluate enhancements from model substrates to determine preliminary scaling laws and selection rules for SEROA. We find that dipolar substrates enhance Raman optical activity (ROA) scattering less than Raman scattering. Evanescent gradient contributions to orientationally averaged ROA scale to first or higher orders in the gradient of the incident plane-wave field. These evanescent gradient contributions may be large for substrates with quadrupolar responses to the plane-wave field gradient. Some substrates may also show a ROA contribution that depends only on the molecular electric dipole-electric dipole polarizability. These conclusions are illustrated via numerical calculations of surface enhanced Raman and ROA spectra from (R)-(-)-bromochlorofluoromethane on various model substrates.
Women's Health-Enhancing Physical Activity and Eudaimonic Well Being
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ferguson, Leah J.; Kowalski, Kent C.; Mack, Diane E.; Wilson, Philip M.; Crocker, Peter R. E.
2012-01-01
In this study, we explored the role of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA; Miilunpalo, 2001) in women's eudaimonic well being (i.e., psychological flourishing at one's maximal potential; Ryff, 1989). We used a quantitative approach (N = 349) to explore the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well being. While HEPA was not related to…
Paul, Kaninika; Dutta, Sayantani; Bhattacharjee, Paramita
2017-09-01
Our previous investigation on high pressure supercritical carbon dioxide treatment of a bacterial α-amylase had revealed enhanced activity of the same. 1 H NMR analysis of the activity enhanced enzyme led the authors to hypothesize that the enhancement was possibly owing to alterations in the active site of the enzyme. In the present study, the changes in the active site of the treated enzyme was analysed by Fourier-transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopy. The spectra obtained revealed shifting of bands in the active site of α-amylase indicating a nudging effect of the bonds in this region consequent to high pressure treatment. Also, shifts in bands in the OH stretching vibration of water were observed in the enzyme spectra. These variations in the spectra confirmed changes in the active site as well as in the water associated with the same that perhaps had a concerted effect on the increased activity of α-amylase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Wang, Xue; Choi, Sang-Il; Roling, Luke T.; ...
2015-07-02
Conformal deposition of platinum as ultrathin shells on facet-controlled palladium nanocrystals offers a great opportunity to enhance the catalytic performance while reducing its loading. Here we report such a system based on palladium icosahedra. Owing to lateral confinement imposed by twin boundaries and thus vertical relaxation only, the platinum overlayers evolve into a corrugated structure under compressive strain. For the core-shell nanocrystals with an average of 2.7 platinum overlayers, their specific and platinum mass activities towards oxygen reduction are enhanced by eight- and sevenfold, respectively, relative to a commercial catalyst. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the enhancement can bemore » attributed to the weakened binding of hydroxyl to the compressed platinum surface supported on palladium. After 10,000 testing cycles, the mass activity of the core-shell nanocrystals is still four times higher than the commercial catalyst. Ultimately, these results demonstrate an effective approach to the development of electrocatalysts with greatly enhanced activity and durability.« less
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kumar, Brajesh; Venkatakrishnan, P.; Mathur, Savita
2011-12-10
A major flare (of class X3.4) occurred on 2006 December 13 in the active region NOAA 10930. This flare event has remained interesting to solar researchers for studies related to particle acceleration during the flare process and the reconfiguration of magnetic fields as well as fine-scale features in the active region. The energy released during flares is also known to induce acoustic oscillations in the Sun. Here, we analyze the line-of-sight velocity patterns in this active region during the X3.4 flare using the Dopplergrams obtained by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) instrument. We have also analyzed the disk-integrated velocitymore » observations of the Sun obtained by the Global Oscillation at Low Frequency (GOLF) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft as well as full-disk collapsed velocity signals from GONG observations during this flare to study any possible connection between the flare-related changes seen in the local and global velocity oscillations in the Sun. We apply wavelet transform to the time series of the localized velocity oscillations as well as the global velocity oscillations in the Sun spanning the flare event. The line-of-sight velocity shows significant enhancement in some localized regions of the penumbra of this active region during the flare. The affected region is seen to be away from the locations of the flare ribbons and the hard X-ray footpoints. The sudden enhancement of this velocity seems to be caused by the Lorentz force driven by the 'magnetic jerk' in the localized penumbral region. Application of wavelet analysis to these flare-induced localized seismic signals shows significant enhancement in the high-frequency domain (5 <{nu} < 8 mHz) and a feeble enhancement in the p-mode oscillations (2 <{nu} < 5 mHz) during the flare. On the other hand, the wavelet analysis of GOLF velocity data and the full-disk collapsed GONG velocity data spanning the flare event indicates significant post
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Andrew, Daniel; Hager, Lowell; Manoj, Kelath Murali, E-mail: muralimanoj@vit.ac.in
2011-12-02
Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Azide is a well known heme-enzyme active site ligand and inhibitor. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Herein, azide is reported to enhance a set of heme-enzyme mediated reactions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This effect is disconnected from native enzyme-azide binding. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Azide could enhance heme-enzyme reactions via a newly proposed mechanism. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Azide contained in reagents could impact reaction outcomes in redox biochemistry. -- Abstract: Azide is a well-known inhibitor of heme-enzymes. Herein, we report the counter-intuitive observation that at some concentration regimes, incorporation of azide in the reaction medium enhances chloroperoxidase (CPO, a heme-enzyme) mediated one-electron abstractions from several substrates. A diffusible azidyl radicalmore » based mechanism is proposed for explaining the phenomenon. Further, it is projected that the finding could have significant impact on routine in situ or in vitro biochemistry studies involving heme-enzyme systems and azide.« less
Oxygen-deficient photostable Cu2O for enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity.
Singh, Mandeep; Jampaiah, Deshetti; Kandjani, Ahmad E; Sabri, Ylias M; Della Gaspera, Enrico; Reineck, Philipp; Judd, Martyna; Langley, Julien; Cox, Nicholas; van Embden, Joel; Mayes, Edwin L H; Gibson, Brant C; Bhargava, Suresh K; Ramanathan, Rajesh; Bansal, Vipul
2018-03-29
Oxygen vacancies in inorganic semiconductors play an important role in reducing electron-hole recombination, which may have important implications in photocatalysis. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O), a visible light active p-type semiconductor, is a promising photocatalyst. However, the synthesis of photostable Cu2O enriched with oxygen defects remains a challenge. We report a simple method for the gram-scale synthesis of highly photostable Cu2O nanoparticles by the hydrolysis of a Cu(i)-triethylamine [Cu(i)-TEA] complex at low temperature. The oxygen vacancies in these Cu2O nanoparticles led to a significant increase in the lifetimes of photogenerated charge carriers upon excitation with visible light. This, in combination with a suitable energy band structure, allowed Cu2O nanoparticles to exhibit outstanding photoactivity in visible light through the generation of electron-mediated hydroxyl (OH˙) radicals. This study highlights the significance of oxygen defects in enhancing the photocatalytic performance of promising semiconductor photocatalysts.
Lakshmanan, Aparna; Doseff, Andrea I.; Ringel, Matthew D.; Saji, Motoyasu; Rousset, Bernard; Zhang, Xiaoli
2014-01-01
Background: Selectively increased radioiodine accumulation in thyroid cells by thyrotropin (TSH) allows targeted treatment of thyroid cancer. However, the extent of TSH-stimulated radioiodine accumulation in some thyroid tumors is not sufficient to confer therapeutic efficacy. Hence, it is of clinical importance to identify novel strategies to selectively further enhance TSH-stimulated thyroidal radioiodine accumulation. Methods: PCCl3 rat thyroid cells, PCCl3 cells overexpressing BRAFV600E, or primary cultured tumor cells from a thyroid cancer mouse model, under TSH stimulation were treated with various reagents for 24 hours. Cells were then subjected to radioactive iodide uptake, kinetics, efflux assays, and protein extraction followed by Western blotting against selected antibodies. Results: We previously reported that Akt inhibition increased radioiodine accumulation in thyroid cells under chronic TSH stimulation. Here, we identified Apigenin, a plant-derived flavonoid, as a reagent to further enhance the iodide influx rate increased by Akt inhibition in thyroid cells under acute TSH stimulation. Akt inhibition is permissive for Apigenin's action, as Apigenin alone had little effect. This action of Apigenin requires p38 MAPK activity but not PKC-δ. The increase in radioiodide accumulation by Apigenin with Akt inhibition was also observed in thyroid cells expressing BRAFV600E and in primary cultured thyroid tumor cells from TRβPV/PV mice. Conclusion: Taken together, Apigenin may serve as a dietary supplement in combination with Akt inhibitors to enhance therapeutic efficacy of radioiodine for thyroid cancer. PMID:24400871
Bridgewater, Laura C.; Walker, Marlan D.; Miller, Gwen C.; Ellison, Trevor A.; Holsinger, L. Daniel; Potter, Jennifer L.; Jackson, Todd L.; Chen, Reuben K.; Winkel, Vicki L.; Zhang, Zhaoping; McKinney, Sandra; de Crombrugghe, Benoit
2003-01-01
Expression of the type XI collagen gene Col11a2 is directed to cartilage by at least three chondrocyte-specific enhancer elements, two in the 5′ region and one in the first intron of the gene. The three enhancers each contain two heptameric sites with homology to the Sox protein-binding consensus sequence. The two sites are separated by 3 or 4 bp and arranged in opposite orientation to each other. Targeted mutational analyses of these three enhancers showed that in the intronic enhancer, as in the other two enhancers, both Sox sites in a pair are essential for enhancer activity. The transcription factor Sox9 binds as a dimer at the paired sites, and the introduction of insertion mutations between the sites demonstrated that physical interactions between the adjacently bound proteins are essential for enhancer activity. Additional mutational analyses demonstrated that although Sox9 binding at the paired Sox sites is necessary for enhancer activity, it alone is not sufficient. Adjacent DNA sequences in each enhancer are also required, and mutation of those sequences can eliminate enhancer activity without preventing Sox9 binding. The data suggest a new model in which adjacently bound proteins affect the DNA bend angle produced by Sox9, which in turn determines whether an active transcriptional enhancer complex is assembled. PMID:12595563
Plasma-Induced Degradation of Quercetin Associated with the Enhancement of Biological Activities.
Kim, Tae Hoon; Lee, Jaemin; Kim, Hyun-Joo; Jo, Cheorun
2017-08-16
Nonthermal plasma is a promising technology to improve the safety and to extend the shelf-life of various minimally processed foods. However, research on plasma-induced systemic degradation related to changes in chemical structure and biological activity is still very limited. In this study, the enhancement of biological activity and the mechanism of degradation of the most common type of flavonol, quercetin, induced by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma were investigated. Quercetin is dissolved in methanol and exposed to nonthermal DBD plasma for 5, 10, 20, and 30 min. The quercetin treated with the plasma for 20 min showed rapidly increased α-glucosidase inhibitory and radical scavenging activities compared to those of parent quercetin. The structures of the degradation products 1-3 from the quercetin treated with the plasma for 20 min were isolated and characterized by interpretation of their spectroscopic data. Among the generated products, (±)-alphitonin (1) exhibited significantly improved antidiabetic and antioxidant properties compared to those of the parent quercetin. The antidiabetic and antioxidant properties were measured by α-glucosidase inhibition and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assays. These results suggested that structural changes in quercetin induced by DBD plasma might be attributable to improving the biological activity.
Santacruz, Lucia; Arciniegas, Antonio Jose Luis; Darrabie, Marcus; Mantilla, Jose G; Baron, Rebecca M; Bowles, Dawn E; Mishra, Rajashree; Jacobs, Danny O
2017-08-01
Creatine (Cr), phosphocreatine (PCr), and creatine kinases (CK) comprise an energy shuttle linking ATP production in mitochondria with cellular consumption sites. Myocytes cannot synthesize Cr: these cells depend on uptake across the cell membrane by a specialized creatine transporter (CrT) to maintain intracellular Cr levels. Hypoxia interferes with energy metabolism, including the activity of the creatine energy shuttle, and therefore affects intracellular ATP and PCr levels. Here, we report that exposing cultured cardiomyocytes to low oxygen levels rapidly diminishes Cr transport by decreasing V max and K m Pharmacological activation of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) abrogated the reduction in Cr transport caused by hypoxia. Cr supplementation increases ATP and PCr content in cardiomyocytes subjected to hypoxia, while also significantly augmenting the cellular adaptive response to hypoxia mediated by HIF-1 activation. Our results indicate that: (1) hypoxia reduces Cr transport in cardiomyocytes in culture, (2) the cytoprotective effects of Cr supplementation are related to enhanced adaptive physiological responses to hypoxia mediated by HIF-1, and (3) Cr supplementation increases the cellular ATP and PCr content in RNCMs exposed to hypoxia. © 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.
Enhanced sulfidation xanthate flotation of malachite using ammonium ions as activator.
Wu, Dandan; Ma, Wenhui; Mao, Yingbo; Deng, Jiushuai; Wen, Shuming
2017-05-18
In this study, ammonium ion was used to enhance the sulfidation flotation of malachite. The effect of ammonium ion on the sulfidation flotation of malachite was investigated using microflotation test, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, zeta potential measurements, and scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM). The results of microflotation test show that the addition of sodium sulfide and ammonium sulfate resulted in better sulfidation than the addition of sodium sulfide alone. The results of ICP analysis indicate that the dissolution of enhanced sulfurized malachite surface is significantly decreased. Zeta potential measurements indicate that a smaller isoelectric point value and a large number of copper-sulfide films formed on the malachite surface by enhancing sulfidation resulted in a large amount of sodium butyl xanthate absorbed onto the enhanced sulfurized malachite surface. EDS semi-quantitative analysis and XPS analysis show that malachite was easily sulfurized by sodium sulfide with ammonium ion. These results show that the addition of ammonium ion plays a significant role in the sulfidation of malachite and results in improved flotation performance.
Handling and safety enhancement of race cars using active aerodynamic systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Diba, Fereydoon; Barari, Ahmad; Esmailzadeh, Ebrahim
2014-09-01
A methodology is presented in this work that employs the active inverted wings to enhance the road holding by increasing the downward force on the tyres. In the proposed active system, the angles of attack of the vehicle's wings are adjusted by using a real-time controller to increase the road holding and hence improve the vehicle handling. The handling of the race car and safety of the driver are two important concerns in the design of race cars. The handling of a vehicle depends on the dynamic capabilities of the vehicle and also the pneumatic tyres' limitations. The vehicle side-slip angle, as a measure of the vehicle dynamic safety, should be narrowed into an acceptable range. This paper demonstrates that active inverted wings can provide noteworthy dynamic capabilities and enhance the safety features of race cars. Detailed analytical study and formulations of the race car nonlinear model with the airfoils are presented. Computer simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed active aerodynamic system.
Detecting insider activity using enhanced directory virtualization.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Shin, Dongwan; Claycomb, William R.
2010-07-01
Insider threats often target authentication and access control systems, which are frequently based on directory services. Detecting these threats is challenging, because malicious users with the technical ability to modify these structures often have sufficient knowledge and expertise to conceal unauthorized activity. The use of directory virtualization to monitor various systems across an enterprise can be a valuable tool for detecting insider activity. The addition of a policy engine to directory virtualization services enhances monitoring capabilities by allowing greater flexibility in analyzing changes for malicious intent. The resulting architecture is a system-based approach, where the relationships and dependencies between datamore » sources and directory services are used to detect an insider threat, rather than simply relying on point solutions. This paper presents such an architecture in detail, including a description of implementation results.« less
Neuromodulation of activity-dependent synaptic enhancement at crayfish neuromuscular junction.
Qian, S M; Delaney, K R
1997-10-17
decay of ADSE by 5-HT was not accompanied by significant changes in the initial amplitude of activity-dependent components of enhancement 1.5 s after the train. Measurements of presynaptic [Ca2+] indicated that the time course of Ca2+ removal from the presynaptic terminals after trains was not altered by 5-HT. Changes in presynaptic action potential shape, resting membrane potential or postsynaptic impedance after trains cannot account for slower recovery of ADSE. Axonal injection of EDTA slows the removal of residual Ca2+ and the decay of synaptic augmentation after trains of action potentials (K.R. Delaney, D.W. Tank, A quantitative measure of the dependence of short-term synaptic enhancement on presynaptic residual calcium, J. Neurosci. 14 (1994) 5885-5902), but has little or no effect on the 5-HT-induced persistence of ADSE. This also suggests that the time course of ADSE in the presence of 5-HT is not determined primarily by residual Ca2+ removal kinetics. The slowing of ADSE recovery after trains by 5-HT reverses with washing in 5-HT-free saline along with the 5-HT-mediated enhancement of release.
Zhuang, XiaoMei; Zhang, TianHong; Yue, SiJia; Wang, Juan; Luo, Huan; Zhang, YunXia; Li, Zheng; Che, JinJing; Yang, HaiYing; Li, Hua; Zhu, MingShe; Lu, Chuang
2016-12-01
Icotinib (ICO), a novel small molecule and a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was developed and approved recently in China for non-small cell lung cancer. During screening for CYP inhibition potential in human liver microsomes (HLM), heterotropic activation toward CYP3A5 was revealed. Activation by icotinib was observed with CYP3A-mediated midazolam hydroxylase activity in HLM (∼40% over the baseline) or recombinant human CYP3A5 (rhCYP3A5) (∼70% over the baseline), but not in the other major CYPs including rhCYP3A4. When co-incubated with selective CYP3A4 inhibitor CYP3cide or monoclonal human CYP3A4 inhibitory antibody in HLM, the activation was extended to ∼60%, suggesting CYP3A5 might be the isozyme involved. Further, the relative activation was enhanced to ∼270% in rhCYP3A5 in the presence of ketoconazole. The activation was substrate and pathway dependent and observed only in the formation of 1'-OH-midazolam, and not 4-OH-midazolam, 6β-OH-testosterone, or oxidized nifedipine. The activation requires the presence of cytochrome b5 and it is only observed in the liver microsomes of dogs, monkeys, and humans, but not in rats and mice. Kinetic analyses of 1'-OH-midazolam formation showed that ICO increased the V max values in HLM and rhCYP3A5 with no significant changes in K m values. By adding CYP3cide with ICO to the incubation, the V max values increased 2-fold over the CYP3cide control. Addition of ketoconazole with ICO alone or ICO plus CYP3cide resulted in an increase in V max values and decrease in K m values compared to their controls. This phenomenon may be attributed to a new mechanism of CYP3A5 heterotropic activation, which warrants further investigation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
What is the optimal type of physical activity to enhance health?
Shephard, R J
1997-01-01
This review examines the potential of active daily living as a means of gaining the cardiovascular and health rewards previously sought through vigorous aerobic fitness programmes. Cross-sectional studies of occupational and leisure activity show encouraging associations between such activity and good health; in workers, the gross intensity of effort needed for health benefits has seemed to be 20 kJ/min. There has been less unanimity on the threshold intensity needed in leisure activities, but various recent "position statements" have decreased the recommendation to 50% of an individual's maximal oxygen intake, sustained for one hour three to five times per week. Life-style activities such as walking seem likely to reach this intensity in older individuals, but are unlikely to do so in young adults. A growing number of controlled longitudinal studies of walking programmes have demonstrated gains in aerobic fitness, modest reductions in blood pressure, improvements in lipid profile, increased bone density, and enhanced mood state, with less consistent reductions of body fat. However, gains have been greatest in the elderly, sedentary, and obese populations. The main component of active living, fast walking, seems likely to enhance health in such populations, but it is unlikely to be effective in young adults who are in good initial health. PMID:9429004
Singh, K. P.; Meena, H. S.; Negi, P. S.
2014-01-01
The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of natural specimen and laboratory cultured mycelia of Cordyceps sinensis on neuromuscular activity in mice. The powder of natural specimen and laboratory cultured Cordyceps sinensis was orally administered at the dose rate of 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg for 30 days. Natural specimen and in vitro propagated Cordyceps sinensis showed significant (P<0.05) enhancement in neuromuscular endurance and antidepressant activity at 300 and 500 mg/kg as compared to the control group. However, the fungus did not proved to be as effective as fluoxetine in exhibiting antidepressant action. Muscular endurance was determined on a Rota rod apparatus while antidepressant (mood elevating) activity was measured on a photoactometer in Swiss albino mice. The effects produced by both natural specimens and laboratory cultured Cordyceps sinensis were comparable and showed almost equal potency. PMID:25425763
Singh, K P; Meena, H S; Negi, P S
2014-09-01
The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of natural specimen and laboratory cultured mycelia of Cordyceps sinensis on neuromuscular activity in mice. The powder of natural specimen and laboratory cultured Cordyceps sinensis was orally administered at the dose rate of 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg for 30 days. Natural specimen and in vitro propagated Cordyceps sinensis showed significant (P<0.05) enhancement in neuromuscular endurance and antidepressant activity at 300 and 500 mg/kg as compared to the control group. However, the fungus did not proved to be as effective as fluoxetine in exhibiting antidepressant action. Muscular endurance was determined on a Rota rod apparatus while antidepressant (mood elevating) activity was measured on a photoactometer in Swiss albino mice. The effects produced by both natural specimens and laboratory cultured Cordyceps sinensis were comparable and showed almost equal potency.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pham, Huong T.; Maccarone, Alan T.; Campbell, J. Larry; Mitchell, Todd W.; Blanksby, Stephen J.
2013-02-01
Ozone-induced dissociation (OzID) is an alternative ion activation method that relies on the gas phase ion-molecule reaction between a mass-selected target ion and ozone in an ion trap mass spectrometer. Herein, we evaluated the performance of OzID for both the structural elucidation and selective detection of conjugated carbon-carbon double bond motifs within lipids. The relative reactivity trends for [M + X]+ ions (where X = Li, Na, K) formed via electrospray ionization (ESI) of conjugated versus nonconjugated fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were examined using two different OzID-enabled linear ion-trap mass spectrometers. Compared with nonconjugated analogues, FAMEs derived from conjugated linoleic acids were found to react up to 200 times faster and to yield characteristic radical cations. The significantly enhanced reactivity of conjugated isomers means that OzID product ions can be observed without invoking a reaction delay in the experimental sequence (i.e., trapping of ions in the presence of ozone is not required). This possibility has been exploited to undertake neutral-loss scans on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer targeting characteristic OzID transitions. Such analyses reveal the presence of conjugated double bonds in lipids extracted from selected foodstuffs. Finally, by benchmarking of the absolute ozone concentration inside the ion trap, second order rate constants for the gas phase reactions between unsaturated organic ions and ozone were obtained. These results demonstrate a significant influence of the adducting metal on reaction rate constants in the fashion Li > Na > K.
PDE5 inhibitors enhance the lethality of [pemetrexed + sorafenib
Booth, Laurence; Roberts, Jane L.; Poklepovic, Andrew; Dent, Paul
2017-01-01
The combination of pemetrexed and sorafenib has significant clinical activity against a wide variety of tumor types in patients and the present studies were performed to determine whether sildenafil enhances the killing potential of [pemetrexed + sorafenib]. In multiple genetically diverse lung cancer cell lines, sildenafil enhanced the lethality of [pemetrexed + sorafenib]. The three-drug combination reduced the activities of AKT, mTOR and STAT transcription factors; increased the activities of eIF2α and ULK-1; lowered the expression of MCL-1, BCL-XL, thioredoxin and SOD2; and increased the expression of Beclin1. Enhanced cell killing by sildenafil was blocked by inhibition of death receptor signaling and autophagosome formation. Enforced activation of STAT3 and AKT or inhibition of JNK significantly reduced cell killing. The enhanced cell killing caused by sildenafil was more reliant on increased PKG signaling than on the generation of nitric oxide. In vivo sildenafil enhanced the anti-tumor properties of [pemetrexed + sorafenib]. Based on our data we argue that additional clinical studies combining pemetrexed, sorafenib and sildenafil are warranted. PMID:28088782
Chronic alcohol consumption enhances iNKT cell maturation and activation
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Zhang, Hui, E-mail: hzhang@wsu.edu; Zhang, Faya; Zhu, Zhaohui
Alcohol consumption exhibits diverse effects on different types of immune cells. NKT cells are a unique T cell population and play important immunoregulatory roles in different types of immune responses. The effects of chronic alcohol consumption on NKT cells remain to be elucidated. Using a mouse model of chronic alcohol consumption, we found that alcohol increases the percentage of NKT cells, especially iNKT cells in the thymus and liver, but not in the spleen or blood. Alcohol consumption decreases the percentage of NK1.1{sup −} iNKT cells in the total iNKT cell population in all of the tissues and organs examined.more » In the thymus, alcohol consumption increases the number of NK1.1{sup +}CD44{sup hi} mature iNKT cells but does not alter the number of NK1.1{sup −} immature iNKT cells. A BrdU incorporation assay shows that alcohol consumption increases the proliferation of thymic NK1.1{sup −} iNKT cells, especially the NK1.1{sup −}CD44{sup lo} Stage I iNKT cells. The percentage of NKG2A{sup +} iNKT cells increases in all of the tissues and organs examined; whereas CXCR3{sup +} iNKT cells only increases in the thymus of alcohol-consuming mice. Chronic alcohol consumption increases the percentage of IFN-γ-producing iNKT cells and increases the blood concentration of IFN-γ and IL-12 after in vivo α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer) stimulation. Consistent with the increased cytokine production, the in vivo activation of iNKT cells also enhances the activation of dendritic cells (DC) and NK, B, and T cells in the alcohol-consuming mice. Taken together the data indicate that chronic alcohol consumption enhances iNKT cell maturation and activation, which favors the Th1 immune response. - Highlights: • Chronic alcohol consumption increases iNKT cells in the thymus and liver • Chronic alcohol consumption enhances thymic Stage I iNKT cell proliferation • Chronic alcohol consumption enhances iNKT cell maturation in thymus and periphery • Chronic alcohol
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Min; Yu, Xinluan; Lu, Dandan; Yang, Jianjun
2013-12-01
Zr/N co-doped TiO2 nanostructures were successfully synthesized using nanotubular titanic acid (NTA) as precursors by a facile wet chemical route and subsequent calcination. These Zr/N-doped TiO2 nanostructures made by NTA precursors show significantly enhanced visible light absorption and much higher photocatalytic performance than the Zr/N-doped P25 TiO2 nanoparticles. Impacts of Zr/N co-doping on the morphologies, optical properties, and photocatalytic activities of the NTA precursor-based TiO2 were thoroughly investigated. The origin of the enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity is discussed in detail.
2013-01-01
Zr/N co-doped TiO2 nanostructures were successfully synthesized using nanotubular titanic acid (NTA) as precursors by a facile wet chemical route and subsequent calcination. These Zr/N-doped TiO2 nanostructures made by NTA precursors show significantly enhanced visible light absorption and much higher photocatalytic performance than the Zr/N-doped P25 TiO2 nanoparticles. Impacts of Zr/N co-doping on the morphologies, optical properties, and photocatalytic activities of the NTA precursor-based TiO2 were thoroughly investigated. The origin of the enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity is discussed in detail. PMID:24369051
Zhang, Min; Yu, Xinluan; Lu, Dandan; Yang, Jianjun
2013-12-26
Zr/N co-doped TiO2 nanostructures were successfully synthesized using nanotubular titanic acid (NTA) as precursors by a facile wet chemical route and subsequent calcination. These Zr/N-doped TiO2 nanostructures made by NTA precursors show significantly enhanced visible light absorption and much higher photocatalytic performance than the Zr/N-doped P25 TiO2 nanoparticles. Impacts of Zr/N co-doping on the morphologies, optical properties, and photocatalytic activities of the NTA precursor-based TiO2 were thoroughly investigated. The origin of the enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity is discussed in detail.
Mast cells enhance T cell activation: Importance of mast cell-derived TNF
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nakae, Susumu; Suto, Hajime; Kakurai, Maki; Sedgwick, Jonathon D.; Tsai, Mindy; Galli, Stephen J.
2005-05-01
Mast cells are not only important effector cells in immediate hypersensitivity reactions and immune responses to pathogens but also can contribute to T cell-mediated disorders. However, the mechanisms by which mast cells might influence T cells in such settings are not fully understood. We find that mast cells can enhance proliferation and cytokine production in multiple T cell subsets. Mast cell-dependent enhancement of T cell activation can be promoted by FcRI-dependent mast cell activation, TNF production by both mast cells and T cells, and mast cell-T cell contact. However, at high concentrations of cells, mast cells can promote T cell activation independent of IgE or TNF. Finally, mast cells also can promote T cell activation by means of soluble factors. These findings identify multiple mechanisms by which mast cells can influence T cell proliferation and cytokine production. allergy | asthma | autoimmunity | cytokines | immune response
Facile synthesis of polyaniline-modified CuS with enhanced adsorbtion and photocatalytic activity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Xiufang; Chen, Shaohua; Shuai, Ying
2016-10-01
Novel hierarchical polyaniline-modified CuS (PANI-CuS) has been synthesized by simple assembling PANI on the surface of flower-like CuS spheres. The PANI modification enhances the adsorption properties of flower-like CuS. The prepared PANI-CuS composites exhibit higher visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) than that of neat CuS. The unusual photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the great adsorptivity of dyes, the extended photoresponse range, and the high migration efficiency of photoinduced electrons, which may effectively suppress the charge recombination. This work not only provides a simple strategy for fabricating highly efficient and stable CuS-based composites, but also proves that these unique structures are excellent platforms for significantly improving their visible- light-driven photoactivities, holding great promise for their applications in the field of purifying polluted water resources.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and nucleic acids encoding same
Brown, Kimberly; Harris, Paul; Zaretsky, Elizabeth; Re, Edward; Vlasenko, Elena; McFarland, Keith; Lopez de Leon, Alfredo
2012-10-16
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding the same
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin; Wu, Wenping; Kramer, Randall
2013-11-19
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and nucleic acids encoding same
Brown, Kimberly; Harris, Paul; Zaretsky, Elizabeth; Re, Edward; Vlasenko, Elena; McFarland, Keith; Lopez de Leon, Alfredo
2014-09-30
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and nucleic acids encoding same
Brown, Kimberly; Harris, Paul; Zaretsky, Elizabeth; Re, Edward; Vlasenko, Elena; McFarland, Keith; Lopez de Leon, Alfredo
2017-09-05
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and nucleic acids encoding same
Brown, Kimberly; Harris, Paul; Zaretsky, Elizabeth; Re, Edward; Vlasenko, Elena; McFarland, Keith; Lopez de Leon, Alfredo
2010-06-22
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and nucleic acids encoding same
Brown, Kimberly; Harris, Paul; Zaretsky, Elizabeth; Re, Edward; Vlasenko, Elena; McFarland, Keith; Lopez de Leon, Alfredo
2016-08-09
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding the same
Tang, Lan; Liu, Ye; Duan, Junxin; Zhang, Yu; Jorgensen, Christian Isak; Kramer, Randall
2013-12-24
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
Asayama, Yoshiki; Nishie, Akihiro; Ishigami, Kousei; Ushijima, Yasuhiro; Takayama, Yukihisa; Okamoto, Daisuke; Fujita, Nobuhiro; Ohtsuka, Takao; Yoshizumi, Tomoharu; Aishima, Shinichi; Oda, Yoshinao; Honda, Hiroshi
2017-06-01
To determine whether washout characteristics of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) could predict survival in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHC). This study collected 46 resected cases. All cases were examined by dynamic contrast study on multidetector-row CT. Region-of-interest measurements were obtained at the non-enhanced, portal venous phase and delayed phase in the tumour and were used to calculate the washout ratio as follows: [(attenuation value at portal venous phase CT - attenuation value at delayed enhanced CT)/(attenuation value at portal venous phase CT - attenuation value at unenhanced CT)] × 100. On the basis of the median washout ratio, we classified the cases into two groups, a high-washout group and low-washout group. Associations between overall survival and various factors including washout rates were analysed. The median washout ratio was 29.4 %. Univariate analysis revealed that a lower washout ratio, venous invasion, lymphatic permeation and lymph node metastasis were associated with shorter survival. Multivariate analysis identified the lower washout ratio as an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 3.768; p value, 0.027). The washout ratio obtained from the contrast-enhanced CT may be a useful imaging biomarker for the prediction of survival of patients with EHC. • Dynamic contrast study can evaluate the aggressiveness of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. • A lower washout ratio was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. • CT can predict survival and inform decisions on surgical options or chemotherapy.
Muthiah, Saravanan; Singh, R C; Pathak, B D; Avasthi, Piyush Kumar; Kumar, Rishikesh; Kumar, Anil; Srivastava, A K; Dhar, Ajay
2018-01-25
The limited thermoelectric performance of p-type Higher Manganese Silicides (HMS) in terms of their low figure-of-merit (ZT), which is far below unity, is the main bottle-neck for realising an efficient HMS based thermoelectric generator, which has been recognized as the most promising material for harnessing waste-heat in the mid-temperature range, owing to its thermal stability, earth-abundant and environmentally friendly nature of its constituent elements. We report a significant enhancement in the thermoelectric performance of nanostructured HMS synthesized using rapid solidification by optimizing the cooling rates during melt-spinning followed by spark plasma sintering of the resulting melt-spun ribbons. By employing this experimental strategy, an unprecedented ZT ∼ 0.82 at 800 K was realized in spark plasma sintered 5 at% Al-doped MnSi 1.73 HMS, melt spun at an optimized high cooling rate of ∼2 × 10 7 K s -1 . This enhancement in ZT represents a ∼25% increase over the best reported values thus far for HMS and primarily originates from a nano-crystalline microstructure consisting of a HMS matrix (20-40 nm) with excess Si (3-9 nm) uniformly distributed in it. This nanostructure, resulting from the high cooling rates employed during the melt-spinning of HMS, introduces a high density of nano-crystallite boundaries in a wide spectrum of nano-scale dimensions, which scatter the low-to-mid-wavelength heat-carrying phonons. This abundant phonon scattering results in a significantly reduced thermal conductivity of ∼1.5 W m -1 K -1 at 800 K, which primarily contributes to the enhancement in ZT.
Liu, Xuhan; Li, Yinghuan; Tan, Xi; Rao, Rong; Ren, Yuanyuan; Liu, Lingyan; Yang, Xiangliang; Liu, Wei
2018-03-01
Therapeutic efficacy of conventional single PEGylated polymeric micelles is significantly reduced by limited endocytosis and intracellular drug release. To improve drug delivery efficiency, poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (l-lactic acid)/(Arg-Gly-Asp-Phe)-poly (aminoethyl ethylene phosphate)-block-poly (l-lactic acid) (PEG-PLLA/RGDF-PAEEP-PLLA) hybrid micelles with tunable active targeting and acid/phosphatase-stimulated drug release are developed. The optimized hybrid micelles with 6 wt % of RGDF have favorable in vitro and in vivo activities. The hybrid micelles could temporarily shield the targeting efficacy of RGDF at pH 7.4 due to the steric effect exerted by concealment of RGDF peptides in the PEG corona, which strongly decreases the clearance by mononuclear phagocyte system and consequently improves the tumor accumulation. Inside the solid tumor with a lower acidic pH, the hybrid micelles restore the active tumor targeting property with exposed RGDF on the surface of the micelles because of the increased protonation and stretching degree of PAEEP blocks. RGDF-mediated endocytosis improves the tumor cell uptake. The hybrid micelles would also enhance intracellular drug release because of the hydrolysis of the acid/phosphatase-sensitivity of PAEEP blocks in endo/lysosome. Systemic administration of the hybrid micelles significantly inhibits tumor growth by 96% due to the integration of enhanced circulation time, tumor accumulation, cell uptake and intracellular drug release. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lucarini, Simone; Fagioli, Laura; Campana, Raffaella; Cole, Hannah; Duranti, Andrea; Baffone, Wally; Vllasaliu, Driton; Casettari, Luca
2016-10-01
Sugar based surfactants conjugated with fatty acid chains are an emerging broad group of highly biocompatible and biodegradable compounds with established and potential future applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. In this work, we investigated absorption enhancing and antimicrobial properties of disaccharide lactose, monoesterified with unsaturated fatty acids through an enzymatic synthetic approach. After chemical and cytotoxicity characterizations, their permeability enhancing activity was demonstrated using intestinal Caco-2 monolayers through transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and permeability studies. The synthesized compounds, namely lactose palmitoleate (URB1076) and lactose nervonate (URB1077), were shown to exhibit antimicrobial activity versus eight pathogenic species belonging to Gram-positive, Gram-negative microorganisms and fungi. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fu, Junwei; Cao, Shaowen; Yu, Jiaguo; Low, Jingxiang; Lei, Yongpeng
2014-06-28
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into renewable hydrocarbon fuels using semiconductor photocatalysts is considered as a potential solution to the energy deficiency and greenhouse effect. In this work, mesoporous TiO2 nanofibers with high specific surface areas and abundant surface hydroxyl groups are prepared using an electrospinning strategy combined with a subsequent calcination process, followed by a solvothermal treatment. The solvothermally treated mesoporous TiO2 nanofibers exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance on CO2 reduction into hydrocarbon fuels. The significantly improved photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity and the improved charge separation after solvothermal treatment. The highest activity is achieved for the sample with a 2-h solvothermal treatment, showing 6- and 25-fold higher CH4 production rate than those of TiO2 nanofibers without solvothermal treatment and P25, respectively. This work may also provide a prototype for studying the effect of solvothermal treatment on the structure and photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalysts.
The temporal structures and functional significance of scale-free brain activity
He, Biyu J.; Zempel, John M.; Snyder, Abraham Z.; Raichle, Marcus E.
2010-01-01
SUMMARY Scale-free dynamics, with a power spectrum following P ∝ f-β, are an intrinsic feature of many complex processes in nature. In neural systems, scale-free activity is often neglected in electrophysiological research. Here, we investigate scale-free dynamics in human brain and show that it contains extensive nested frequencies, with the phase of lower frequencies modulating the amplitude of higher frequencies in an upward progression across the frequency spectrum. The functional significance of scale-free brain activity is indicated by task performance modulation and regional variation, with β being larger in default network and visual cortex and smaller in hippocampus and cerebellum. The precise patterns of nested frequencies in the brain differ from other scale-free dynamics in nature, such as earth seismic waves and stock market fluctuations, suggesting system-specific generative mechanisms. Our findings reveal robust temporal structures and behavioral significance of scale-free brain activity and should motivate future study on its physiological mechanisms and cognitive implications. PMID:20471349
Enhanced Somatosensory Feedback Reduces Prefrontal Cortical Activity During Walking in Older Adults
Christou, Evangelos A.; Ring, Sarah A.; Williamson, John B.; Doty, Leilani
2014-01-01
Background. The coordination of steady state walking is relatively automatic in healthy humans, such that active attention to the details of task execution and performance (controlled processing) is low. Somatosensation is a crucial input to the spinal and brainstem circuits that facilitate this automaticity. Impaired somatosensation in older adults may reduce automaticity and increase controlled processing, thereby contributing to deficits in walking function. The primary objective of this study was to determine if enhancing somatosensory feedback can reduce controlled processing during walking, as assessed by prefrontal cortical activation. Methods. Fourteen older adults (age 77.1±5.56 years) with mild mobility deficits and mild somatosensory deficits participated in this study. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to quantify metabolic activity (tissue oxygenation index, TOI) in the prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal activity and gait spatiotemporal data were measured during treadmill walking and overground walking while participants wore normal shoes and under two conditions of enhanced somatosensation: wearing textured insoles and no shoes. Results. Relative to walking with normal shoes, textured insoles yielded a bilateral reduction of prefrontal cortical activity for treadmill walking (ΔTOI = −0.85 and −1.19 for left and right hemispheres, respectively) and for overground walking (ΔTOI = −0.51 and −0.66 for left and right hemispheres, respectively). Relative to walking with normal shoes, no shoes yielded lower prefrontal cortical activity for treadmill walking (ΔTOI = −0.69 and −1.13 for left and right hemispheres, respectively), but not overground walking. Conclusions. Enhanced somatosensation reduces prefrontal activity during walking in older adults. This suggests a less intensive utilization of controlled processing during walking. PMID:25112494
Kim, Dong-Shin; Kim, Mi-Bo; Lim, Sang-Bin
2017-12-01
To enhance the production of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity and reduce the level of phototoxic fagopyrin, buckwheat leaves were extracted with subcritical water (SW) at 100~220°C for 10~50 min. The major phenolic compounds were quercetin, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid. The cumulative amount of individual phenolic compounds increased with increasing extraction temperature from 100°C to 180°C and did not change significantly at 200°C and 220°C. The highest yield of individual phenolic compounds was 1,632.2 μg/g dry sample at 180°C, which was 4.7-fold higher than that (348.4 μg/g dry sample) at 100°C. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content increased with increasing extraction temperature and decreased with increasing extraction time, and peaked at 41.1 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and 26.9 mg quercetin equivalents/g at 180°C/10 min, respectively. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing ability of plasma reached 46.4 mg ascorbic acid equivalents/g and 72.3 mmol Fe 2+ /100 g at 180°C/10 min, respectively. The fagopyrin contents were reduced by 92.5~95.7%. Color values L * and b * decreased, and a * increased with increasing extraction temperature. SW extraction enhanced the yield of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity and reduced the fagopyrin content from buckwheat leaves.
Kang, Y-H; Kim, B-R; Choi, H J; Seo, J G; Kim, B-H; Han, M-S
2007-11-01
Enhancement of algicidal activity by immobilization of algicidal bacteria antagonistic to Stephanodiscus hantzschii. In laboratory studies, A diatom-lysing bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens HYK0210-SK09 showed strong algicidal activity against S. hantzschii, but a natural mesocosm study revealed that this bacterium failed to fully control natural blooms of Stephanodiscus at the low water temperatures that favour these blooms. Here, we sought to develop an effective immobilization strategy for enhancing the algicidal activity of HYK0210-SK09 in the natural setting. Bacterium HYK0210-SK09 was immobilized with various carriers including agar, alginate, polyurethane and cellulose sponge. The bacterial cells immobilized with cellulose sponge (CIS) induced more rapid and complete lysis of S. hantzschii than other carriers, and had a higher packing ability than polyurethane. Furthermore, CIS-immobilized cells showed higher lysis of S. hantzschii at the same concentrations as that of free cells (< or =1 x 10(7) cells ml(-1)), and had especially strong algicidal activity at the low temperatures (<10 degrees C). Based on these laboratory studies, we assessed the possible application of HYK0210-SK09 cells in the field by performing a mesocosm study during the winter season. The CIS-immobilized cells with species-specific activity towards the genera Stephanodiscus showed extremely high algicidal activity (up to 95%) against a bloom of Stephanodiscus hantzschii even at low water temperatures, because of high cell packing and subsequent cell protection against low temperatures and predators, whereas free cells showed negligible algicidal activities under these conditions. Immobilizing cells of HYK0210-SK09 in CIS foam, rather than in the other matrices tested, could achieve more efficient control of Stephanodiscus blooms and showed a significant algicidal activity on in vitro and in vivo blooms, even at low water temperature. Collectively, these results indicate that CIS of
Enhance the anti-microorganism activity of cinnamon oil by xanthan gum as emulsifying agent
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lieu, Dong M.; Dang, Thuy T. K.; Nguyen, Huong T.
2018-04-01
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of emulsifying agents (tween 20, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) and xanthan gum) to inhibit Escherichia coli; Staphylococcus aureus; Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger by cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum Cassia). Cinnamon oil was added in the emulsifying agents independently: tween 20 (0.3% v/v). DMSO (0.3% v/v) and xanthan gum (0.3% w/v) at different concentrations and evaluated their anti-microorganism activity by agar disk diffusion, mycelial growth inhibition and growth inhibition in liquid phase. The result indicated that, cinnamon oil diluted in different emulsifying agents showed the difference of the anti-microorganism activity, in which DMSO showed the lowest result. Xanthan gum and tween 20 show good stable emulsion. The anti-microorganism effect of cinnamon oil in tween 20 and xanthan gum was not significant difference. However, cinnamon oil in xanthan gum showed anti-microorganism activity better than tween 20 at low concentration in agar disk diffusion. This suggests that, cinnamon oil could be encapsulated by xanthan gum to enhance the anti-microorganism activity.
Black TiO2 synthesized via magnesiothermic reduction for enhanced photocatalytic activity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Xiangdong; Fu, Rong; Yin, Qianqian; Wu, Han; Guo, Xiaoling; Xu, Ruohan; Zhong, Qianyun
2018-04-01
Utilizing solar energy for hydrogen evolution is a great challenge for its insufficient visible-light power conversion. In this paper, we report a facile magnesiothermic reduction of commercial TiO2 nanoparticles under Ar atmosphere and at 550 °C followed by acid treatment to synthesize reduced black TiO2 powders, which possesses a unique crystalline core-amorphous shell structure composed of disordered surface and oxygen vacancies and shows significantly improved optical absorption in the visible region. The unique core-shell structure and high absorption enable the reduced black TiO2 powders to exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity, including splitting of water in the presence of Pt as a cocatalyst and degradation of methyl blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. Photocatalytic evaluations indicate that the oxygen vacancies play key roles in the catalytic process. The maximum hydrogen production rates are 16.1 and 163 μmol h-1 g-1 under the full solar wavelength range of light and visible light, respectively. This facile and versatile method could be potentially used for large scale production of colored TiO2 with remarkable enhancement in the visible light absorption and solar-driven hydrogen production.
Günther, A; Mosavi, P; Ruppert, C; Heinemann, S; Temmesfeld, B; Velcovsky, H G; Morr, H; Grimminger, F; Walmrath, D; Seeger, W
2000-06-01
Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) from patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP; n = 35), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF, n = 41) and sarcoidosis (SARC, n = 48) were investigated for alterations in the alveolar hemostatic balance. Healthy individuals (n = 21) served as Controls. Procoagulant activity (PCA), tissue factor (TF) activity and F VII activity were assessed by means of specific recalcification assays. The overall fibrinolytic activity (FA) was measured using the (125)I-labeled fibrin plate assay. Fibrinopeptide A (FP-A), D-Dimer, plasminogen activators (PA) of the urokinase (u-PA) or tissue type (t-PA), PA-inhibitor I (PAI-1) and alpha2-antiplasmin (alpha2-AP) were determined by ELISA technique. As compared to Controls, all groups with interstitial lung disease (ILD) displayed an increase in BALF PCA by approximately one order of magnitude, and this was ascribed to enhanced TF activity by >98%. Accordingly, F VII-activity was increased in all ILD groups, and elevated FP-A levels were noted. There was no significant difference in procoagulant activities between the different ILD entities, but the increase in TF was significantly correlated with deterioration of lung compliance. Overall fibrinolytic activity did not significantly differ between ILD entities and Controls, although some reduction in IPF subjects was observed. Nevertheless, changes in the profile of the different pro- and antifibrinolytic compounds were noted. U-PA, but not t-PA levels were significantly reduced in all ILD groups. alpha2-AP was markedly elevated throughout, whereas PAI-1 levels were lowered. As a balance of
Psychosocial Pain Management Moderation: The Limit, Activate, and Enhance Model.
Day, Melissa A; Ehde, Dawn M; Jensen, Mark P
2015-10-01
There is a growing emphasis in the pain literature on understanding the following second-order research questions: Why do psychosocial pain treatments work? For whom do various treatments work? This critical review summarizes research that addresses the latter question and proposes a moderation model to help guide future research. A theoretical moderation framework for matching individuals to specific psychosocial pain interventions has been lacking. However, several such frameworks have been proposed in the broad psychotherapy and implementation science literature. Drawing on these theories and adapting them specifically for psychosocial pain treatment, here we propose a Limit, Activate, and Enhance model of pain treatment moderation. This model is unique in that it includes algorithms not only for matching treatments on the basis of patient weaknesses but also for directing patients to interventions that build on their strengths. Critically, this model provides a basis for specific a priori hypothesis generation, and a selection of the possible hypotheses drawn from the model are proposed and discussed. Future research considerations are presented that could refine and expand the model based on theoretically driven empirical evidence. The Limit, Activate, and Enhance model presented here is a theoretically derived framework that provides an a priori basis for hypothesis generation regarding psychosocial pain treatment moderators. The model will advance moderation research via its unique focus on matching patients to specific treatments that (1) limit maladaptive responses, (2) activate adaptive responses, and (3) enhance treatment outcomes based on patient strengths and resources. Copyright © 2015 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Vortical ciliary flows actively enhance mass transport in reef corals.
Shapiro, Orr H; Fernandez, Vicente I; Garren, Melissa; Guasto, Jeffrey S; Debaillon-Vesque, François P; Kramarsky-Winter, Esti; Vardi, Assaf; Stocker, Roman
2014-09-16
The exchange of nutrients and dissolved gasses between corals and their environment is a critical determinant of the growth of coral colonies and the productivity of coral reefs. To date, this exchange has been assumed to be limited by molecular diffusion through an unstirred boundary layer extending 1-2 mm from the coral surface, with corals relying solely on external flow to overcome this limitation. Here, we present direct microscopic evidence that, instead, corals can actively enhance mass transport through strong vortical flows driven by motile epidermal cilia covering their entire surface. Ciliary beating produces quasi-steady arrays of counterrotating vortices that vigorously stir a layer of water extending up to 2 mm from the coral surface. We show that, under low ambient flow velocities, these vortices, rather than molecular diffusion, control the exchange of nutrients and oxygen between the coral and its environment, enhancing mass transfer rates by up to 400%. This ability of corals to stir their boundary layer changes the way that we perceive the microenvironment of coral surfaces, revealing an active mechanism complementing the passive enhancement of transport by ambient flow. These findings extend our understanding of mass transport processes in reef corals and may shed new light on the evolutionary success of corals and coral reefs.
Enhancement of antibacterial activity in nanofillers incorporated PSF/PVP membranes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pramila, P.; Gopalakrishnan, N.
2018-04-01
An attempt has been made to investigate the nanofillers incorporated polysulfone (PSF) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer membranes prepared by phase inversion method. Initially, the nanofillers, viz, Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle, Graphene Oxide-Zinc Oxide (GO-ZnO) nanocomposite were synthesized and then directly incorporated into PSF/PVP blend during the preparation of membranes. The prepared membranes have been subjected to FE-SEM, AFM, BET, contact angle, tensile test and anti-bacterial studies. Significant membrane morphologies and nanoporous properties have been observed by FE-SEM and BET, respectively. It has been observed that hydrophilicity, mechanical strength and water permeability of the ZnO and GO-ZnO incorporated membranes were enhanced than bare membrane. Antibacterial activity was assessed by measuring the inhibition zones formed around the membrane by disc-diffusion method using Escherichia coli (gram-negative) as a model bacterium. Again, it has been observed that nanofillers incorporated membrane exhibits high antibacterial performance compared to bare membrane.
Ali, Abid; Azam, Mohd W; Khan, Asad U
2018-06-01
New Delhi metallo β-lactamase-1 is one of the carbapenemases, causing hydrolysis of almost all β-lactamase antibiotics. Seventeen different NDM variants have been reported so far, they varied in their sequences either by single or multiple amino acid substitutions. Hence, it is important to understand its structural and functional relation. In the earlier studies role of active site residues has been studied but non-active site residues has not studied in detail. Therefore, we have initiated to further comprehend its structure and function relation by mutating some of its non-active site residues. A laboratory mutant of NDM-1 was generated by PCR-based site-directed mutagenesis, replacing Q to A at 123 position. The MICs of imipenem and meropenem for NDM-1 Q123A were found increased by 2 fold as compare to wild type and so the hydrolytic activity was enhanced (Kcat/Km) as compared to NDM-1 wild type. GOLD fitness scores were also found in favour of kinetics data. Secondary structure for α-helical content was determined by Far-UV circular dichroism (CD), which showed significant conformational changes. We conclude a noteworthy role of non-active-site amino acid residues in the catalytic activity of NDM-1. This study also provides an insight of emergence of new variants through natural evolution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Enterokinase Enhances Influenza A Virus Infection by Activating Trypsinogen in Human Cell Lines
Hayashi, Hideki; Kubo, Yoshinao; Izumida, Mai; Takahashi, Etsuhisa; Kido, Hiroshi; Sato, Ko; Yamaya, Mutsuo; Nishimura, Hidekazu; Nakayama, Kou; Matsuyama, Toshifumi
2018-01-01
Cleavage and activation of hemagglutinin (HA) by trypsin-like proteases in influenza A virus (IAV) are essential prerequisites for its successful infection and spread. In host cells, some transmembrane serine proteases such as TMPRSS2, TMPRSS4 and HAT, along with plasmin in the bloodstream, have been reported to cleave the HA precursor (HA0) molecule into its active forms, HA1 and HA2. Some trypsinogens can also enhance IAV proliferation in some cell types (e.g., rat cardiomyoblasts). However, the precise activation mechanism for this process is unclear, because the expression level of the physiological activator of the trypsinogens, the TMPRSS15 enterokinase, is expected to be very low in such cells, with the exception of duodenal cells. Here, we show that at least two variant enterokinases are expressed in various human cell lines, including A549 lung-derived cells. The exogenous expression of these enterokinases was able to enhance the proliferation of IAV in 293T human kidney cells, but the proliferation was reduced by knocking down the endogenous enterokinase in A549 cells. The enterokinase was able to enhance HA processing in the cells, which activated trypsinogen in vitro and in the IAV-infected cells also. Therefore, we conclude that enterokinase plays a role in IAV infection and proliferation by activating trypsinogen to process viral HA in human cell lines. PMID:29629340
Enhancing the effect of secreted cyclophilin B on immunosuppressive activity of cyclosporine.
Denys, A; Allain, F; Masy, E; Dessaint, J P; Spik, G
1998-04-27
Cyclophilin B (CyPB) is a cyclosporine (CsA)-binding protein, located within intracellular vesicles and secreted in biological fluids. In previous works, we reported that CyPB specifically interacts with the T-cell membrane and potentiates the ability of CsA to inhibit CD3-induced proliferation of T lymphocytes. CyPB levels were measured in plasma from healthy donors and transplant patients. The role of extracellular CyPB on the distribution and activity of CsA was investigated first by studies on the uptake of free and CyPB-complexed drug by blood cells, and second by studies on the inhibitory effects of these two compounds on the CD3-induced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. A significant increase in plasma CyPB level was observed for CsA-treated patients (13+/-6.4 nM, n=42) in comparison with untreated donors (4.3+/-2.1 nM, n=34). In vitro, extracellular CyPB dose dependently modified CsA distribution between plasma, erythrocyte, and lymphocyte contents, by both retaining the complexed drug extracellularly and promoting its specific accumulation within peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Moreover, the enhanced ability of CyPB-complexed CsA to suppress CD3-induced T-cell proliferation was preserved in the presence of other blood cells, implying specific targeting of the drug to sensitive cells. Furthermore, although a large interindividual variability of sensitivity to the drug was confirmed for 18 individuals, we found that CyPB potentiated the activity of CsA in restoring a high sensitivity to the immunosuppressant. These results suggest that plasma CyPB may contribute to the acceptance and the good maintenance of organ transplantation by enhancing the immunosuppressive activity of CsA through a receptor-mediated incorporation of CyPB-complexed CsA within peripheral blood lymphocytes.
Niu, Fujun; He, Junxia; Zhang, Gaosen; Liu, Xiaomei; Liu, Wei; Dong, Maoxing; Wu, Fasi; Liu, Yongjun; Ma, Xiaojun; An, Lizhe; Feng, Huyuan
2014-12-01
The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on abundance, community composition and the total microbial activity of soil bacteria in alpine meadow ecosystem of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were investigated. Traditional counting and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to investigate the culturable bacteria and their composition in soil, meanwhile the total microbial activity was measured by microcalorimetry. The population of soil culturable bacteria was slightly reduced with the enhanced UV-B radiation in both of the two depths, 2.46 × 10(6) CFU/g in upper layer (0-10 cm), 1.44 × 10(6) CFU/g in under layer (10-20 cm), comparing with the control (2.94 × 10(6) CFU/g in upper layer, 1.65 × 10(6) CFU/g in under layer), although the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, the bacteria diversity decreased obviously due to enhanced UV-B, the number of species for upper layer was decreased from 20 to 13, and from 16 to 13 for the lower layer. The distribution of species was also quite different between the two layers. Another obvious decrease induced by enhanced UV-B radiation was in the total soil microbial activities, which was represented by the microbial growth rate constant (k) in this study. The results indicated that the culturable bacteria community composition and the total activity of soil microbes have been considerably changed by the enhanced UV-B radiation.
Ultrathin hexagonal MgO nanoflakes coated medical textiles and their enhanced antibacterial activity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Veeran Ponnuvelu, Dinesh; Selvaraj, Aravind; Prema Suriyaraj, Shanmugam; Selvakumar, Rajendran; Pulithadathail, Biji
2016-10-01
A facile hydrothermal method for development of ultrathin MgO nanoplates from different precursors and their enhanced antibacterial activity after coating onto medical textiles is reported. Ultrathin MgO nanoplates having hexagonal structure were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The formation of MgO nanoplates was found to exhibit profound anionic effect leading to ultrathin, planar structures with exposed MgO [111] facets, which may be responsible for enhanced antimicrobial activity. Medical fabrics (bleached 100% cotton) were coated with MgO nanoplates using pad-dry-cure method. The antibacterial activity of these fabrics was tested against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The MgO nanoplates coated onto the fabric were found to have good adherence properties owing to their two-dimensional structure and were durable even after repeated washings without substantial reduction in the antimicrobial activity. The enhanced antibacterial activity may be attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies, surface oxygen anions and hydroxyl groups on the surface of MgO nanoplates. This cost-effective functional finish (anti-microbial) to cotton fabric using MgO nanoplates may be suitable for many prospective medical applications and can serve as an alternative to the costlier silver based antimicrobial textiles.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Feng, Ningchuan; Zhang, Yumei; Fan, Wei; Zhu, Meilin
2018-02-01
Activated carbon was prepared from astragalus residue by KOH and then treated with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and used for the removal of methylbenzene from aqueous solution. The samples were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and Boehm titration. The results showed that CTAB changed the physicochemical properties of activated carbon significantly. The isotherm adsorption studies of methylbenzene onto the astragalus residue activated carbon (ASC) and CTAB-modified astragalus residue activated carbon (ASCCTAB) were examined by using batch techniques and agreed well with the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity of ASC and ASC-CTAB for methylbenzene determined from the Langmuir model was183.56 mg/g and 235.18 mg/g, respectively. The results indicated that using CTAB as a modifier for ASC modification could markedly enhance the methylbenzene removal from water.
Chimeric polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Wogulis, Mark; Sweeney, Matthew; Heu, Tia
The present invention relates to chimeric GH61 polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the chimeric GH61 polypeptides; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the chimeric GH61 polypeptides.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Birgül, Arzu Ergisi; Zeteroglu, Elvan Sahin; Derman, Meral Taner
2017-01-01
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the activities enhanced concerning time concept on time concept acquisition of children. The research is a quantitative study in experimental model with pretest-posttest control group aiming to examine the effect of the activities enhanced concerning time concept on time concept acquisition of…
Berry, C W; Wang, N; Hashemi, M R; Unlu, M; Jarrahi, M
2013-01-01
Even though the terahertz spectrum is well suited for chemical identification, material characterization, biological sensing and medical imaging, practical development of these applications has been hindered by attributes of existing terahertz optoelectronics. Here we demonstrate that the use of plasmonic contact electrodes can significantly mitigate the low-quantum efficiency performance of photoconductive terahertz optoelectronics. The use of plasmonic contact electrodes offers nanoscale carrier transport path lengths for the majority of photocarriers, increasing the number of collected photocarriers in a subpicosecond timescale and, thus, enhancing the optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency of photoconductive terahertz emitters and the detection sensitivity of photoconductive terahertz detectors. We experimentally demonstrate 50 times higher terahertz radiation powers from a plasmonic photoconductive emitter in comparison with a similar photoconductive emitter with non-plasmonic contact electrodes, as well as 30 times higher terahertz detection sensitivities from a plasmonic photoconductive detector in comparison with a similar photoconductive detector with non-plasmonic contact electrodes.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lestari, Yanesti N.; Murwani, Retno; Agustini, Tri W.
2018-02-01
Flavor enhancer is characterized by high glutamic acid content and it can be obtained from fermented food such as Bekasam. Fermented food had inhibitory effect on Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) activity which is advantageous for hypertension. However, such activity was not known to sustain in food system. The aim of this research was to study addition of flavour enhancer from Catfish Bekasam Powder (CBP) in various food systems and to determine the ACE inhibitory (ACEI) activity in the food system. Four food system consisted of carrot, champignon, and chicken meat dishes were boiled in water and added with CBP or MSG. Each food system was added with graded level of CBP (0%; 0.5%; 0.8%; 1.1%; and 1,4%) and for control monosodium glutamate (MSG) was used. ACEI activity in each food system and organoleptic test using multiple comparison differentiation on 15 semi-trained panellists were determined. The results showed that there were fluctuation of ACEI activity in the carrot, champignon, and chicken meat dishes (p=0.017; 0.043; and 0.032). The MSG containing dishes showed the lowest ACEI activity. Addition of graded level of CBP on carrot, champignon, and chicken meat dishes were directly proportional to glutamic acid content but inversely proportional to ACEI activity (p<0.05). The addition of commercial MSG on all dishes increased glutamic acid content but reduced ACE-inhibitory activity significantly (p<0.05). Comparing CBP to MSG addition in champignon dish revealed that increasing level of CBP increased the flavour preference of the panellists. On the contrary the higher the addition CBP in noodle and chicken meat dishes the worse were the flavour score (p<0.05). It can be concluded that the addition of CBP as flavour enhancer on various dishes can deliver better flavour and ACE-inhibitory activity than the addition of commercial MSG.
Klier, Michael; Andes, Fabian T.; Deitmer, Joachim W.; Becker, Holger M.
2014-01-01
Proton-coupled monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) are carriers of high-energy metabolites such as lactate, pyruvate, and ketone bodies and are expressed in most tissues. It has previously been shown that transport activity of MCT1 and MCT4 is enhanced by the cytosolic carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) independent of its catalytic activity. We have now studied the influence of the extracellular, membrane-bound CAIV on transport activity of MCT1/4, heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Coexpression of CAIV with MCT1 and MCT4 resulted in a significant increase in MCT transport activity, even in the nominal absence of CO2/HCO3−. CAIV-mediated augmentation of MCT activity was independent of the CAIV catalytic function, since application of the CA-inhibitor ethoxyzolamide or coexpression of the catalytically inactive mutant CAIV-V165Y did not suppress CAIV-mediated augmentation of MCT transport activity. The interaction required CAIV at the extracellular surface, since injection of CAIV protein into the oocyte cytosol did not augment MCT transport function. The effects of cytosolic CAII (injected as protein) and extracellular CAIV (expressed) on MCT transport activity, were additive. Our results suggest that intra- and extracellular carbonic anhydrases can work in concert to ensure rapid shuttling of metabolites across the cell membrane. PMID:24338019
Ooms, Linda; Leemrijse, Chantal; Collard, Dorine; Schipper-van Veldhoven, Nicolette; Veenhof, Cindy
2018-06-01
Health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) promotion programs are implemented in sports clubs. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of the insufficiently active participants that benefit from these programs. Data of three sporting programs, developed for insufficiently active adults, were used for this study. These sporting programs were implemented in different sports clubs in the Netherlands. Participants completed an online questionnaire at baseline and after six months (n = 458). Of this sample, 35.1% (n = 161) was insufficiently active (i.e. not meeting HEPA levels) at baseline. Accordingly, two groups were compared: participants who were insufficiently active at baseline, but increased their physical activity to HEPA levels after six months (activated group, n = 86) versus participants who were insufficiently active both at baseline and after six months (non-activated group, n = 75). Potential associated characteristics (demographic, social, sport history, physical activity) were included as independent variables in bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The percentage of active participants increased significantly from baseline to six months (from 64.9 to 76.9%, p < 0.05). The bivariate logistic regression analyses showed that participants in the activated group were more likely to receive support from family members with regard to their sport participation (62.8% vs. 42.7%, p = 0.02) and spent more time in moderate-intensity physical activity (128 ± 191 min/week vs. 70 ± 106 min/week, p = 0.02) at baseline compared with participants in the non-activated group. These results were confirmed in the multivariate logistic regression analyses: when receiving support from most family members, there is a 216% increase in the odds of being in the activated group (OR = 2.155; 95% CI: 1.118-4.154, p = 0.02) and for each additional 1 min/week spent in moderate-intensity physical
Fauth; Schweizer; Buchala; Markstadter; Riederer; Kato; Kauss
1998-08-01
Hypocotyls from etiolated cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings were gently abraded at their epidermal surface and cut segments were conditioned to develop competence for H2O2 elicitation. Alkaline hydrolysates of cutin from cucumber, tomato, and apple elicited H2O2 in such conditioned segments. The most active constituent of cucumber cutin was identified as dodecan-1-ol, a novel cutin monomer capable of forming hydrophobic terminal chains. Additionally, the cutin hydrolysates enhanced the activity of a fungal H2O2 elicitor, similar to cucumber surface wax, which contained newly identified alkan-1,3-diols. The specificity of elicitor and enhancement activity was further elaborated using some pure model compounds. Certain saturated hydroxy fatty acids were potent H2O2 elicitors as well as enhancers. Some unsaturated epoxy and hydroxy fatty acids were also excellent H2O2 elicitors but inhibited the fungal elicitor activity. Short-chain alkanols exhibited good elicitor and enhancer activity, whereas longer-chain alkan-1-ols were barely active. The enhancement effect was also observed for H2O2 elicitation by ergosterol and chitosan. The physiological significance of these observations might be that once the cuticle is degraded by fungal cutinase, the cutin monomers may act as H2O2 elicitors. Corrosion of cutin may also bring surface wax constituents in contact with protoplasts and enhance elicitation.
Phosphomimics destabilize Hsp27 oligomeric assemblies and enhance chaperone activity.
Jovcevski, Blagojce; Kelly, Megan A; Rote, Anthea P; Berg, Tracey; Gastall, Heidi Y; Benesch, Justin L P; Aquilina, J Andrew; Ecroyd, Heath
2015-02-19
Serine phosphorylation of the mammalian small heat-shock protein Hsp27 at residues 15, 78, and 82 is thought to regulate its structure and chaperone function; however, the site-specific impact has not been established. We used mass spectrometry to assess the combinatorial effect of mutations that mimic phosphorylation upon the oligomeric state of Hsp27. Comprehensive dimerization yielded a relatively uncrowded spectrum, composed solely of even-sized oligomers. Modification at one or two serines decreased the average oligomeric size, while the triple mutant was predominantly a dimer. These changes were reflected in a greater propensity for oligomers to dissociate upon increased modification. The ability of Hsp27 to prevent amorphous or fibrillar aggregation of target proteins was enhanced and correlated with the amount of dissociated species present. We propose that, in vivo, phosphorylation promotes oligomer dissociation, thereby enhancing chaperone activity. Our data support a model in which dimers are the chaperone-active component of Hsp27. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Chen, Yu-Fon; Shiau, Ai-Li; Chang, Sue-Joan; Fan, Nai-Shin; Wang, Chung-Teng; Wu, Chao-Liang; Jan, Jeng-Shiung
2017-06-01
Herein, we report the oncolytic activity of cationic, one-dimensional (1D) fibril assemblies formed from coil-sheet poly(L-lysine)-block-poly(L-threonine) (PLL-b-PLT) block copolypeptides for cancer therapy. The 1D fibril assemblies can efficiently interact with negatively charged cellular and mitochondrial membranes via electrostatic interactions, leading to necrosis via membrane lysis and apoptosis via the mitochondria-lytic effect. The concept is analogous to that of 1D drug carriers that exhibit enhanced cell penetration. In comparison to free PLL chains, PLL-b-PLT fibril assemblies exhibit selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cells, low hemolysis activity, enhanced membranolytic activity, and a different apoptosis pathway, which may be due to differences in the peptide-membrane interactions. Antitumor studies using a metastatic LL2 lung carcinoma model indicate that the fibril assemblies significantly inhibited tumor growth, improved survival in tumor-bearing mice and suppressed lung metastasis without obvious body weight loss. An additive efficacy was also observed for treatment with both PLL-b-PLT and cisplatin. These results support the feasibility of using 1D fibril assemblies as potential apoptotic anticancer therapeutics. We report that cationic, one-dimensional (1D) fibril assemblies formed by coil-sheet poly(L-lysine)-block-poly(L-threonine) (PLL-b-PLT) block copolypeptides exhibited potent anticancer activity by enhancing membranolysis. The 1D fibril assemblies can efficiently interact with negatively charged cellular and mitochondrial membranes via electrostatic interactions, leading to necrosis via membrane lysis and apoptosis via mitochondria-lytic effect. Moreover, the fibril assemblies exhibited low hemolytic activity and selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cell, which is advantageous as compared to PLL and most antimicrobial/anticancerous peptides. This study provides a new concept of using cationic, 1D fibril assemblies for cancer therapy
Li, Jing-hui; Łuczka, Jerzy
2010-10-01
Transport properties of a Brownian particle in thermal-inertial ratchets subject to an external time-oscillatory drive and a constant bias force are investigated. Since the phenomena of negative mobility, resonant activation and noise-enhance stability were reported before, in the present paper, we report some additional aspects of negative mobility, resonant activation and noise-enhance stability, such as the ingredients for the appearances of these phenomena, multiple resonant activation peaks, current reversals, noise-weakened stability, and so on.
Earth-Heart Astronomy: Astronomy-Related Activities to Enhance Education for Sustainable Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Townsend, Christopher
2010-01-01
This article outlines a range of engaging outdoor daytime activities to enhance astronomical understanding and our place in the universe. They are practical activities with "soul" which engender environmental and social responsibility on a local (yet planetary) scale. They link astronomical and global considerations with a notion of…
Rousham, E K; Clarke, P E; Gross, H
2006-03-01
Research on the impact of maternal physical activity on pregnancy outcomes has often employed subjective measures of physical activity obtained by diary or questionnaire. This study investigates the feasibility of using accelerometry as an objective measure of physical activity of pregnant women compared with subjective data obtained via activity recall among pregnant women. Activity data were collected prospectively on 57 women at 12, 16, 25, 34 and 38 weeks of gestation. Total daily physical activity was assessed by ambulatory accelerometer and activity interview (self-report). Maternal personality variables (health value, extroversion) were assessed by established scales. Leicestershire, UK. Pregnant women were recruited by voluntary participation via antenatal booking clinics. In all, 64 pregnant women with low-risk pregnancy were enrolled onto the study, of whom 57 completed the study. Mean 24 h physical activity levels (PAL) decreased significantly from second to third trimester as assessed by self-report interview (1.51-1.29 Metabolic Equivalent TEE-h/day, P<0.01) and accelerometry (200.05-147.42 counts/min, P<0.01). The correlation between the two measures declined as pregnancy progressed (r value ranging from 0.55 to 0.08). Compliance with the accelerometers declined from 90% at 12 weeks to 47% at 34 weeks (P<0.01). Compliance with the self-report interviews was 100%. Those who fully complied with the accelerometry demonstrated a significantly higher health value (P<0.05) and a significantly greater level of extroversion (P<0.05) than those who did not. Accelerometers and self-reported activity interviews both indicated a significant decline in PAL during pregnancy. Although subjects showed a willingness to use both methods, accelerometers resulted in variable compliance with 72 h monitoring. Both techniques may be limited by the need to measure low levels of physical activity during the third trimester. Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd, UK, assisted with the
Horner, Kristen A; Noble, Erika S; Gilbert, Yamiece E
2010-06-01
Amphetamines induce stereotypy, which correlates with patch-enhanced c-Fos expression the patch compartment of caudate putamen (CPu). Methamphetamine (METH) treatment also induces patch-enhanced expression of prodynorphin (PD), arc and zif/268 in the CPu. Whether patch-enhanced activation of any of these genes correlates with METH-induced stereotypy is unknown, and the factors that contribute to this pattern of expression are poorly understood. Activation of mu opioid receptors, which are expressed by the neurons of the patch compartment, may underlie METH-induced patch-enhanced gene expression and stereotypy. The current study examined whether striatal mu opioid receptor blockade altered METH-induced stereotypy and patch-enhanced gene expression, and if there was a correlation between the two responses. Animals were intrastriatally infused with the mu antagonist CTAP (10 microg/microl), treated with METH (7.5 mg/kg, s.c.), placed in activity chambers for 3h, and then sacrificed. CTAP pretreatment attenuated METH-induced increases in PD, arc and zif/268 mRNA expression and significantly reduced METH-induced stereotypy. Patch-enhanced PD and arc mRNA expression in the dorsolateral CPu correlated negatively with METH-induced stereotypy. These data indicate that mu opioid receptor activation contributes to METH-induced gene expression in the CPu and stereotypy, and that patch-enhanced PD and arc expression may be a homeostatic response to METH treatment. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Horner, Kristen A.; Noble, Erika S.; Gilbert, Yamiece E.
2010-01-01
Amphetamines induce stereotypy, which correlates with patch-enhanced c-Fos expression the patch compartment of caudate putamen (CPu). Methamphetamine (METH) treatment also induces patch-enhanced expression of prodynorphin (PD), arc and zif/268 in the CPu. Whether patch-enhanced activation of any of these genes correlates with METH-induced stereotypy is unknown, and the factors that contribute to this pattern of expression are poorly understood. Activation of mu opioid receptors, which are expressed by the neurons of the patch compartment, may underlie METH-induced patch-enhanced gene expression and stereotypy. The current study examined whether striatal mu opioid receptor blockade altered METH-induced stereotypy and patch-enhanced gene expression, and if there was a correlation between the two responses. Animals were intrastriatally infused with the mu antagonist CTAP (10 μg/μl), treated with METH (7.5 mg/kg, s.c.), placed in activity chambers for 3h, and then sacrificed. CTAP pretreatment attenuated METH-induced increases in PD, arc and zif/268 mRNA expression and significantly reduced METH-induced stereotypy. Patch-enhanced PD and arc mRNA expression in the dorsolateral CPu correlated negatively with METH-induced stereotypy. These data indicate that mu opioid receptor activation contributes to METH-induced gene expression in the CPu and stereotypy, and that patch-enhanced PD and arc expression may be a homeostatic response to METH treatment. PMID:20298714
Theoret, James R; Li, Jihong; Navarro, Mauricio A; Garcia, Jorge P; Uzal, Francisco A; McClane, Bruce A
2018-01-01
Many Clostridium perfringens strains produce NanI as their major sialidase. Previous studies showed that NanI could potentiate C. perfringens epsilon toxin cytotoxicity by enhancing the binding of this toxin to host cells. The present study first determined that NanI exerts similar cytotoxicity-enhancing effects on C. perfringens enterotoxin and beta toxin, which are also important toxins for C. perfringens diseases (enteritis and enterotoxemia) originating in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Building upon previous work demonstrating that purified trypsin can activate NanI activity, this study next determined that purified chymotrypsin or mouse intestinal fluids can also activate NanI activity. Amino acid sequencing then showed that this effect involves the N-terminal processing of the NanI protein. Recombinant NanI (rNanI) species corresponding to major chymotrypsin- or small intestinal fluid-generated NanI fragments possessed more sialidase activity than did full-length rNanI, further supporting the proteolytic activation of NanI activity. rNanI species corresponding to proteolysis products also promoted the cytotoxic activity and binding of enterotoxin and beta toxin more strongly than did full-length rNanI. Since enterotoxin and beta toxin are produced in the intestines during human and animal disease, these findings suggest that intestinal proteases may enhance NanI activity, which in turn could further potentiate the activity of intestinally active toxins during disease. Coupling these new results with previous findings demonstrating that NanI is important for the adherence of C. perfringens to enterocyte-like cells, NanI sialidase is now emerging as a potential auxiliary virulence factor for C. perfringens enteritis and enterotoxemia. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.
Pedometers to enhance physical activity in COPD: a randomised controlled trial.
Mendoza, Laura; Horta, Paula; Espinoza, José; Aguilera, Miguel; Balmaceda, Nicolás; Castro, Ariel; Ruiz, Mauricio; Díaz, Orlando; Hopkinson, Nicholas S
2015-02-01
Physical inactivity is a cardinal feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Pedometers, which have been used in healthy populations, might also increase physical activity in patients with COPD. COPD patients taking part in a 3-month individualised programme to promote an increase in their daily physical activity were randomised to either a standard programme of physical activity encouragement alone, or a pedometer-based programme. Assessments were performed by investigators blinded to treatment allocation. Change in average 1-week daily step count, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), modified Medical Research Council scale, St George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) and COPD assessment test (CAT) were compared between groups. 102 patients were recruited, of whom 97 completed the programme (pedometer group: n=50; control group: n=47); 60.8% were male with a mean±sd age of 68.7±8.5 years, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) 66.1±19.4% and FEV1/forced vital capacity 55.2±9.5%. Both groups had comparable characteristics at baseline. The pedometer group had significantly greater improvements in: physical activity 3080±3254 steps·day(-1) versus 138.3±1950 steps·day(-1) (p<0.001); SGRQ -8.8±12.2 versus -3.8±10.9 (p=0.01); CAT score -3.5±5.5 versus -0.6±6.6 (p=0.001); and 6MWD 12.4±34.6 versus -0.7±24.4 m (p=0.02) than patients receiving activity encouragement only. A simple physical activity enhancement programme using pedometers can effectively improve physical activity level and quality of life in COPD patients. Copyright ©ERS 2015.
Pedometers to enhance physical activity in COPD: a randomised controlled trial
Horta, Paula; Espinoza, José; Aguilera, Miguel; Balmaceda, Nicolás; Castro, Ariel; Ruiz, Mauricio; Díaz, Orlando; Hopkinson, Nicholas S.
2015-01-01
Physical inactivity is a cardinal feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Pedometers, which have been used in healthy populations, might also increase physical activity in patients with COPD. COPD patients taking part in a 3-month individualised programme to promote an increase in their daily physical activity were randomised to either a standard programme of physical activity encouragement alone, or a pedometer-based programme. Assessments were performed by investigators blinded to treatment allocation. Change in average 1-week daily step count, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), modified Medical Research Council scale, St George’s respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) and COPD assessment test (CAT) were compared between groups. 102 patients were recruited, of whom 97 completed the programme (pedometer group: n=50; control group: n=47); 60.8% were male with a mean±sd age of 68.7±8.5 years, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) 66.1±19.4% and FEV1/forced vital capacity 55.2±9.5%. Both groups had comparable characteristics at baseline. The pedometer group had significantly greater improvements in: physical activity 3080±3254 steps·day−1 versus 138.3±1950 steps·day−1 (p<0.001); SGRQ −8.8±12.2 versus −3.8±10.9 (p=0.01); CAT score −3.5±5.5 versus −0.6±6.6 (p=0.001); and 6MWD 12.4±34.6 versus −0.7±24.4 m (p=0.02) than patients receiving activity encouragement only. A simple physical activity enhancement programme using pedometers can effectively improve physical activity level and quality of life in COPD patients. PMID:25261324
Functional significance of the pattern of renal sympathetic nerve activation.
Dibona, G F; Sawin, L L
1999-08-01
To assess the renal functional significance of the pattern of renal sympathetic nerve activation, computer-generated stimulus patterns (delivered at constant integrated voltage) were applied to the decentralized renal sympathetic nerve bundle and renal hemodynamic and excretory responses determined in anesthetized rats. When delivered at the same integrated voltage, stimulus patterns resembling those observed in in vivo multifiber recordings of renal sympathetic nerve activity (diamond-wave patterns) produced greater renal vasoconstrictor responses than conventional square-wave patterns. Within diamond-wave patterns, increasing integrated voltage by increasing amplitude produced twofold greater renal vasoconstrictor responses than by increasing duration. With similar integrated voltages that were subthreshold for renal vasoconstriction, neither diamond- nor square-wave pattern altered glomerular filtration rate, whereas diamond- but not square-wave pattern reversibly decreased urinary sodium excretion by 25 +/- 3%. At the same number of pulses per second, intermittent stimulation produced faster and greater renal vasoconstriction than continuous stimulation. At the same number of pulses per second, increases in rest period during intermittent stimulation proportionally augmented the renal vasoconstrictor response compared with that observed with continuous stimulation; the maximum augmentation of 55% occurred at a rest period of 500 ms. These results indicate that the pattern of renal sympathetic nerve stimulation (activity) significantly influences the rapidity, magnitude, and selectivity of the renal vascular and tubular responses.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Z. W.; Yang, Z. H.
2016-03-01
Amorphous-membrane-filler composites have been fabricated using an infiltration method. The composites are able to significantly increase the permeability by 200%, as compared to general amorphous flake composites. SEM and magnetic measurement show that the amorphous flakes in membrane are in-plane arrangement. A model, which considers the effect of flake arrangement on demagnetizing factor Nd and permeability, is proposed. The effect of the arrangement of flakes is equivalent to an effective Nd, which is equal to 1/3 and zero for random and complete in-plane arrangements, respectively. Due to in-plane arrangement of amorphous flakes, the decreased Nd leads to significantly enhanced permeability for the amorphous-membrane-filler composites, based on the Maxwell-Garret mixing law.
Zheng, Lu; Liu, Mingqing; Sun, Jiaduo; Wu, Bin; He, Bingfang
2017-05-01
Sporolactobacillus inulinus is a superior D-lactic acid-producing bacterium and proposed species for industrial production. The major pathway for D-lactic acid biosynthesis, glycolysis, is mainly regulated via the two irreversible steps catalyzed by the allosteric enzymes, phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase. The activity level of PFK was significantly consistent with the cell growth and D-lactic acid production, indicating its vital role in control and regulation of glycolysis. In this study, the ATP-dependent PFK from S. inulinus was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The PFK was allosterically activated by both GDP and ADP and inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate; the addition of activators could partly relieve the inhibition by phosphoenolpyruvate. Furthermore, monovalent cations could enhance the activity, and Na + was the most efficient one. Considering this kind activation, NaOH was investigated as the neutralizer instead of the traditional neutralizer CaCO 3 . In the early growth stage, the significant accelerated glucose consumption was achieved in the NaOH case probably for the enhanced activity of Na + -activated PFK. Using NaOH as the neutralizer at pH 6.5, the fermentation time was greatly shortened about 22 h; simultaneously, the glucose consumption rate and the D-lactic acid productivity were increased by 34 and 17%, respectively. This probably contributed to the increased pH and Na + -promoted activity of PFK. Thus, fermentations by S. inulinus using the NaOH neutralizer provide a green and highly efficient D-lactic acid production with easy subsequent purification.
P-selectin ligation induces platelet activation and enhances microaggregate and thrombus formation.
Théorêt, Jean-François; Yacoub, Daniel; Hachem, Ahmed; Gillis, Marc-Antoine; Merhi, Yahye
2011-09-01
Platelet P-selectin is a thrombo-inflammatory molecule involved in platelet activation and aggregation. This may occur via the adhesive function of P-selectin and its potential capacity to trigger intracellular signaling. However, its impact on platelet function remains elusive. This study was therefore designed to investigate the relationship between the signaling potential of platelet P-selectin and its function in platelet physiology. Human and mouse platelets were freshly isolated from whole blood. Platelet activation was assessed using flow cytometry and western blot analysis, while platelet physiological responses were evaluated through aggregation, microaggregate formation and in a thrombosis model in wild-type and P-selectin-deficient (CD62P(-/-)) mice. Interaction of P-selectin with its high-affinity ligand, a recombinant soluble form of P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 (rPSGL-1), enhances platelet activation, adhesion and microaggregate formation. This augmented platelet microaggregates requires an intact cytoskeleton, but occurs independently of platelet α(IIb)β(3). Thrombus formation and microaggregate were both enhanced by rPSGL-1 in wild-type, but not in CD62P(-/-) mice. In addition, CD62P(-/-) mice exhibited thrombosis abnormalities without an α(IIb)β(3) activation defect. This study demonstrates that the role of platelet P-selectin is not solely adhesive; its binding to PSGL-1 induces platelet activation that enhances platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. Therefore, targeting platelet P-selectin or its ligand PSGL-1 could provide a potential therapeutic approach in the management of thrombotic disorders. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Oh, Nam Su; Joung, Jae Yeon; Lee, Ji Young; Kim, Younghoon; Kim, Sae Hun
2017-06-14
In this study, we investigated the glycoproteomics of glycated milk casein (GMC) and GMC fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus 4B15 (FGMC) and determined their biological implications. There was a significant increase in the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of GMC with galactose, which were higher than those of GMC with glucose (GMC-glc). Furthermore, the fermentation of GMC by L. rhamnosus 4B15 synergistically enhanced the above activities compared to those of unfermented GMC. Especially, fermented GMC-glc (FGMC-glc) possessed remarkably improved reducing power and radical scavenging activities. Moreover, FGMC-glc ameliorated the inflammatory response and tight junction-related intestinal epithelial dysfunction. Additionally, hexose-derived glycation and modification sites in protein sequences of GMC were identified. In particular, glycosylation and sulfation of serine and threonine residues were observed, and distinct modification sites were detected after fermentation. Therefore, these results indicated that glycation-induced modification of casein and fermentation correlated strongly with the enhanced functional properties.
Riese, Matthew J; Grewal, Jashanpreet; Das, Jayajit; Zou, Tao; Patil, Vineet; Chakraborty, Arup K; Koretzky, Gary A
2011-02-18
Modulation of T cell receptor signal transduction in CD8(+) T cells represents a novel strategy toward enhancing the immune response to tumor. Recently, levels of guanine exchange factors, RasGRP and SOS, within T cells have been shown to represent a key determinant in the regulation of the analog to the digital activation threshold of Ras. One important for regulating activation levels of RasGRP is diacylglycerol (DAG), and its levels are influenced by diacylglycerol kinase-ζ (DGKζ), which metabolizes DAG into phosphatidic acid, terminating DAG-mediated Ras signaling. We sought to determine whether DGKζ-deficient CD8(+) T cells demonstrated enhanced in vitro responses in a manner predicted by the current model of Ras activation and to evaluate whether targeting this threshold confers enhanced CD8(+) T cell responsiveness to tumor. We observed that DGKζ-deficient CD8(+) T cells conform to most predictions of the current model of how RasGRP levels influence Ras activation. But our results differ in that the EC(50) value of stimulation is not altered for any T cell receptor stimulus, a finding that suggests a further degree of complexity to how DGKζ deficiency affects signals important for Ras and ERK activation. Additionally, we found that DGKζ-deficient CD8(+) T cells demonstrate enhanced responsiveness in a subcutaneous lymphoma model, implicating the analog to a digital conversion threshold as a novel target for potential therapeutic manipulation.
(+)-(S)-alapyridaine--a general taste enhancer?
Soldo, Tomislav; Blank, Imre; Hofmann, Thomas
2003-06-01
N-(1-Carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxymethyl-pyridinium-3-ol inner salt (alapyridaine), recently identified in heated sugar/amino acid mixtures as well as in beef bouillon, has been shown to exhibit general taste-enhancing activities, although tasteless on its own. Differing from other taste enhancers reported so far, racemic (R/S)-alapyridaine and, to an even greater extent (+)-(S)-alapyridaine, the physiologically active enantiomer, are able to enhance more than one basic taste quality. The threshold concentrations for the sweet taste of glucose and sucrose, for the umami taste of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) and guanosine-5'-monophosphate (GMP), as well as the salty taste of NaCl, were significantly decreased when alapyridaine was present. In contrast, perception of the bitter tastes of caffeine and L-phenylalanine, as well as of sour-tasting citric acid, was unaffected. Furthermore, alapyridaine was shown to intensify known taste synergies such as, for example, the enhancing effect of L-arginine on the salty taste of NaCl, as well as that of GMP on the umami taste of MSG. The activity of (+)-(S)-alapyridaine could be observed not only in solutions of single taste compounds, but also in more complex tastant mixtures; for example, the umami, sweet and salty taste of a solution containing MSG, sucrose, NaCl and caffeine was significantly modulated, thus indicating that alapyridaine is a general taste enhancer.
Genotype-dependent activation or repression of HBV enhancer II by transcription factor COUP-TF1
Fischer, Silke F; Schmidt, Katja; Fiedler, Nicola; Glebe, Dieter; Schüttler, Christian; Sun, Jianguang; Gerlich, Wolfram H; Repp, Reinald; Schaefer, Stephan
2006-01-01
AIM: To study the expression of HBV enhancer II by transcription factor COUP-TF1. METHODS: In order to study the regulation of HBV variants in the vicinity of the NRRE we cloned luciferase constructs containing the HBV enhancer II from variants and from HBV genotypes A and D and cotransfected them together with expression vectors for COUP-TF1 into HepG2 cells. RESULTS: Our findings show that enhancer II of HBV genotype A is also repressed by COUP-TF1. In contrast, two different enhancer II constructs of HBV genotype D were activated by COUP-TF1. The activation was independent of the NRRE because a natural variant with a deletion of nt 1763-1770 was still activated by COUP-TF1. CONCLUSION: Regulation of transcription of the HBV genome seems to differ among HBV genomes derived from different genotypes. These differences in transcriptional control among HBV genotypes may be the molecular basis for differences in the clinical course among HBV genotypes. PMID:17009409
Genotype-dependent activation or repression of HBV enhancer II by transcription factor COUP-TF1.
Fischer, Silke F; Schmidt, Katja; Fiedler, Nicola; Glebe, Dieter; Schüttler, Christian; Sun, Jianguang; Gerlich, Wolfram H; Repp, Reinald; Schaefer, Stephan
2006-10-07
To study the expression of HBV enhancer II by transcription factor COUP-TF1. In order to study the regulation of HBV variants in the vicinity of the NRRE we cloned luciferase constructs containing the HBV enhancer II from variants and from HBV genotypes A and D and cotransfected them together with expression vectors for COUP-TF1 into HepG2 cells. Our findings show that enhancer II of HBV genotype A is also repressed by COUP-TF1. In contrast, two different enhancer II constructs of HBV genotype D were activated by COUP-TF1. The activation was independent of the NRRE because a natural variant with a deletion of nt 1763-1770 was still activated by COUP-TF1. Regulation of transcription of the HBV genome seems to differ among HBV genomes derived from different genotypes. These differences in transcriptional control among HBV genotypes may be the molecular basis for differences in the clinical course among HBV genotypes.
A calpain-2 selective inhibitor enhances learning & memory by prolonging ERK activation.
Liu, Yan; Wang, Yubin; Zhu, Guoqi; Sun, Jiandong; Bi, Xiaoning; Baudry, Michel
2016-06-01
While calpain-1 activation is required for LTP induction by theta burst stimulation (TBS), calpain-2 activation limits its magnitude during the consolidation period. A selective calpain-2 inhibitor applied either before or shortly after TBS enhanced the degree of potentiation. In the present study, we tested whether the selective calpain-2 inhibitor, Z-Leu-Abu-CONH-CH2-C6H3 (3, 5-(OMe)2 (C2I), could enhance learning and memory in wild-type (WT) and calpain-1 knock-out (C1KO) mice. We first showed that C2I could reestablish TBS-LTP in hippocampal slices from C1KO mice, and this effect was blocked by PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK. TBS resulted in PTEN degradation in hippocampal slices from both WT and C1KO mice, and C2I treatment blocked this effect in both mouse genotypes. Systemic injection of C2I 30 min before training in the fear-conditioning paradigm resulted in a biphasic dose-response curve, with low doses enhancing and high doses inhibiting freezing behavior. The difference between the doses needed to enhance and inhibit learning matches the difference in concentrations producing inhibition of calpain-2 and calpain-1. A low dose of C2I also restored normal learning in a novel object recognition task in C1KO mice. Levels of SCOP, a ERK phosphatase known to be cleaved by calpain-1, were decreased in dorsal hippocampus early but not late following training in WT mice; C2I treatment did not affect the early decrease in SCOP levels but prevented its recovery at the later time-point and prolonged ERK activation. The results indicate that calpain-2 activation limits the extent of learning, an effect possibly due to temporal limitation of ERK activation, as a result of SCOP synthesis induced by calpain-2-mediated PTEN degradation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Enhanced neural activation with blueberry supplementation in mild cognitive impairment.
Boespflug, Erin L; Eliassen, James C; Dudley, Jonathan A; Shidler, Marcelle D; Kalt, Wilhelmina; Summer, Suzanne S; Stein, Amanda L; Stover, Amanda N; Krikorian, Robert
2018-05-01
Preclinical studies have shown that blueberry supplementation can improve cognitive performance and neural function in aged animals and have identified associations between anthocyanins and such benefits. Preliminary human trials also suggest cognitive improvement in older adults, although direct evidence of enhancement of brain function has not been demonstrated. In this study, we investigated the effect of blueberry supplementation on regional brain activation in older adults at risk for dementia. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial we performed pre- and post-intervention functional magnetic resonance imaging during a working memory (WM) task to assess the effect of blueberry supplementation on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a risk condition for dementia. Following daily supplementation for 16 weeks, blueberry-treated participants exhibited increased BOLD activation in the left pre-central gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobe during WM load conditions (corrected P < 0.01). There was no clear indication of WM enhancement associated with blueberry supplementation. Diet records indicated no between-group difference in anthocyanin consumption external to the intervention. These data demonstrate, for the first time, enhanced neural response during WM challenge in blueberry-treated older adults with cognitive decline and are consistent with prior trials showing neurocognitive benefit with blueberry supplementation in this at-risk population.
Variants of polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and polynucleotides encoding same
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sweeney, Matt; Wogulis, Mark
The present invention relates to polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.
Wang, Y; Zheng, Y; Wang, Z; Li, J; Wang, Z; Zhang, G; Yu, J
2013-01-01
Objectives Oestrogen has been proven to significantly enhance osteogenic potency, while oestrogen deficiency usually leads to impaired osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, little is known concerning direct effects of oestrogen on differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Materials and methods In this study, human DPSCs were isolated and treated with 10−7 m 17β-oestradiol (E2). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and alizarin red staining were performed. Results Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red showed that E2 treatment significantly enhanced ALP activity and mineralization ability of DPSCs, but had no effect on cell proliferation. Real-time RT-PCR and western blot assay demonstrated that odonto/osteogenic markers (ALP, RUNX2/RUNX2, OSX/OSX, OCN/OCN and DSPP/DSP) were significantly upregulated in the cells after E2 treatment. Moreover, phosphorylation of cytoplasmic IκBα/P65 and expression of nuclear P65 were enhanced in a time-dependent manner following E2 treatment, suggesting activation of NF-κB signaling. Conversely, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway suppressed E2-mediated upregulation of odonto/osteogenic markers, indicating that the NF-κB pathway was pivotal for E2-mediated differentiation. Conclusion These findings provide evidence that 10−7 m 17β-oestradiol promoted odonto/osteogenic differentiation of human DPSCs via activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. PMID:24152244
Enhanced anti-cancer and antimicrobial activities of curcumin nanoparticles.
Adahoun, Mo'ath Ahmad; Al-Akhras, Mohammed-Ali Hassan; Jaafar, Mohamad Suhaimi; Bououdina, Mohamed
2017-02-01
Background Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a polyphenol derived from the plant Curcuma longa, commonly called turmeric. Extensive research over the last 50 years has demonstrated that these polyphenols play an important role in the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases, in addition to its therapeutic benefits such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant activities. Materials and methods This study is devoted to the enhancement of the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin nanoparticles prepared by a process based on a wet-milling technique and then examine in vitro against prostate cancer cell line 3 (PC3), human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK), human erythrocytes (red blood cells (RBCs)), and against fourth different bacterial strains two gram-positive (Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213), two gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853). Results The cell viability curve, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ), and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were evaluated. Nanocurcumin displayed significant activity against cancer cell line (PC3) and low toxicity against normal cells (HEK) compared with parent curcumin in favor of PC3 (P < 0.05). In addition, it was found that the efficiency of toxicity for nanocurcumin against PC3 (E% = 59.66%) was much better than HEK (E% = 36.07%) compared with parent curcumin. The results also demonstrate that, although nanocurcumin has a little more ability to lays RBCs than parent curcumin after incubated 60 min, but the hemolysis % remained very low and there was no significant difference between hemolysis % of nanocurcumin and parent curcumin (P > 0.05). On the other hand, the results demonstrate that, the MBCs of nanocurcumin were lower than curcumin for all different bacterial strains. Moreover, the selected gram-positive bacteria had higher sensitivity than the selected gram-negative bacteria for both
Li, Feng; Zhao, Xianglong; Mahmood, Javeed; Okyay, Mahmut Sait; Jung, Sun-Min; Ahmad, Ishfaq; Kim, Seok-Jin; Han, Gao-Feng; Park, Noejung; Baek, Jong-Beom
2017-07-25
The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the most important pathways for producing pure and clean hydrogen. Although platinum (Pt) is the most efficient HER electrocatalyst, its practical application is significantly hindered by high-cost and scarcity. In this work, an Mo x C with incorporated Mo vacancies and macroporous inverse opal-like (IOL) structure (Mo x C-IOL) was synthesized and studied as a low-cost efficient HER electrocatalyst. The macroporous IOL structure was controllably fabricated using a facile-hard template strategy. As a result of the combined benefits of the Mo vacancies and structural advantages, including appropriate hydrogen binding energy, large exposed surface, robust IOL structure and fast mass/charge transport, the synthesized Mo x C-IOL exhibited significantly enhanced HER electrocatalytic performance with good stability, with performance comparable or superior to Pt wire in both acidic and alkaline solutions.
Ooms, Linda; Veenhof, Cindy; de Bakker, Dinny H
2017-06-29
The sports club is seen as a new relevant setting to promote health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) among inactive population groups. Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies and activities implemented in the sports club setting on increasing HEPA levels. This study investigated the effects of Start2Bike, a six-week training program for inactive adults and adult novice cyclers, on HEPA levels of participants in the Netherlands. To measure physical activity, the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health-enhancing physical activity was used (SQUASH). Start2Bike participants were measured at baseline, six weeks and six months. A matched control group was measured at baseline and six months. The main outcome measure was whether participants met the Dutch Norm for Health-enhancing Physical Activity (DNHPA: 30 min of moderate-intensity activity on five days a week); Fit-norm (20 min of vigorous-intensity activity on three days a week); and Combi-norm (meeting the DNHPA and/or Fit-norm). Other outcome measures included: total minutes of physical activity per week; and minutes of physical activity per week per domain and intensity category. Statistical analyses consisted of McNemar tests and paired t-tests (within-group changes); and multiple logistic and linear regression analyses (between-group changes). In the Start2Bike group, compliance with Dutch physical activity norms increased significantly, both after six weeks and six months. Control group members did not alter their physical activity behavior. Between-group analyses showed that participants in the Start2Bike group were more likely to meet the Fit-norm at the six-month measurement compared to the control group (odds ratio = 2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-5.8, p = 0.03). This was due to the Start2Bike participants spending on average 193 min/week more in vigorous-intensity activities (b = 193; 95% CI = 94-293, p < 0.001) and 130 min/week more in sports activities (b = 130; 95
Park, H; Jung, K; Kang, K; Nahm, D; Cho, S; Kim, Y
1999-04-01
The pathogenic mechanism of grain dust (GD)-induced occupational asthma (OA) remains unclear. To understand further the mechanism of GD-induced OA. Fifteen employees working in a same GD industry, complaining of work-related respiratory symptoms, were enrolled and were divided into two groups according to the GD-bronchoprovocation test (BPT) result: six positive responders were grouped as group III, nine negative responders as group II and five healthy controls as group I. Serum GD-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E (sIgE), specific IgG (sIgG) and specific IgG4 (sIgG4) antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Basophil histamine release was measured by the autofluorometric method, and changes of serum neutrophil chemotactic activity were observed by the Boyden chamber method. For clinical parameters such as degree of airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, duration of respiratory symptoms, exposure duration, and prevalences of serum sIgE, sIgG and sIgG4 antibodies, there were no significant differences between group II and III (P > 0.05, respectively). Serum neutrophil chemotactic activity increased significantly at 30 min and decreased at 240 min after the GD-BPT in group III subjects (P < 0.05, respectively), while no significant changes were noted in group II subjects (P > 0.05). Basophil histamine release induced by GD was significantly higher in group III than those of group I or group II (P < 0.05, respectively), while minimal release of anti-IgG4 antibodies was noted in all three groups. These results suggest that enhanced basophil histamine release and serum neutrophil chemotactic activity might contribute to the development of GD-induced occupational asthma.
Madsen, Karen Berenth; Egund, Niels; Jurik, Anne Grethe
2010-02-01
We investigated the potential concordance of 2 different magnetic resonance (MR) sequences - short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and fat-saturated T1-weighted spin-echo after application of gadolinium (Gd) contrast medium to detect active bone marrow abnormalities at the sacroiliac joints (SIJ) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Blinded and using the Danish scoring method, we evaluated transaxial MR images of the 2 sequences in 40 patients with SpA with disease duration of 3-14 years. Both the cartilaginous and ligamentous portions of the SIJ were analyzed. There was a significant positive correlation between the activity scores obtained by STIR and Gd-enhanced sequences (p < 0.0001). Agreement in the detection of bone marrow abnormalities occurred in 60 of the 80 joints, 35 with and 25 without signs of active disease. Discordance with STIR-positive marrow activity scores occurred in only 11 joints; Gd-enhanced positive scores in 9 joints. The STIR sequence detected remnants of marrow activity in the periphery of chronic fatty replacement not seen or partly obscured on the Gd sequence. Small subchondral enhancing lesions may not be scored on the STIR sequence, mostly because of reduced image resolution. Active bone marrow abnormalities were detected nearly equally well with STIR and Gd-enhanced fat-suppressed T1 sequences in patients with SpA, with STIR being most sensitive to visualize active abnormalities in the periphery of chronic changes.
Field, Des; Begley, Maire; O’Connor, Paula M.; Daly, Karen M.; Hugenholtz, Floor; Cotter, Paul D.; Hill, Colin; Ross, R. Paul
2012-01-01
Nisin is a bacteriocin widely utilized in more than 50 countries as a safe and natural antibacterial food preservative. It is the most extensively studied bacteriocin, having undergone decades of bioengineering with a view to improving function and physicochemical properties. The discovery of novel nisin variants with enhanced activity against clinical and foodborne pathogens has recently been described. We screened a randomized bank of nisin A producers and identified a variant with a serine to glycine change at position 29 (S29G), with enhanced efficacy against S. aureus SA113. Using a site-saturation mutagenesis approach we generated three more derivatives (S29A, S29D and S29E) with enhanced activity against a range of Gram positive drug resistant clinical, veterinary and food pathogens. In addition, a number of the nisin S29 derivatives displayed superior antimicrobial activity to nisin A when assessed against a range of Gram negative food-associated pathogens, including E. coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Cronobacter sakazakii. This is the first report of derivatives of nisin, or indeed any lantibiotic, with enhanced antimicrobial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. PMID:23056510
Copper enhances the activity and salt resistance of mixed methane-oxidizing communities.
van der Ha, David; Hoefman, Sven; Boeckx, Pascal; Verstraete, Willy; Boon, Nico
2010-08-01
Effluents of anaerobic digesters are an underestimated source of greenhouse gases, as they are often saturated with methane. A post-treatment with methane-oxidizing bacterial consortia could mitigate diffuse emissions at such sites. Semi-continuously fed stirred reactors were used as model systems to characterize the influence of the key parameters on the activity of these mixed methanotrophic communities. The addition of 140 mg L(-1) NH (4) (+) -N had no significant influence on the activity nor did a temperature increase from 28 degrees C to 35 degrees C. On the other hand, addition of 0.64 mg L(-1) of copper(II) increased the methane removal rate by a factor of 1.5 to 1.7 since the activity of particulate methane monooxygenase was enhanced. The influence of different concentrations of NaCl was also tested, as effluents of anaerobic digesters often contain salt levels up to 10 g NaCl L(-1). At a concentration of 11 g NaCl L(-1), almost no methane-oxidizing activity was observed in the reactors without copper addition. Yet, reactors with copper addition exhibited a sustained activity in the presence of NaCl. A colorimetric test based on naphthalene oxidation showed that soluble methane monooxygenase was inhibited by copper, suggesting that the particulate methane monooxygenase was the active enzyme and thus more salt resistant. The results obtained demonstrate that the treatment of methane-saturated effluents, even those with increased ammonium (up to 140 mg L(-1) NH (4) (+) -N) and salt levels, can be mitigated by implementation of methane-oxidizing microbial consortia.
Ma, Yan-Hui; Cheng, Wei-Zhi; Gong, Fang; Ma, An-Lun; Yu, Qi-Wen; Zhang, Ji-Ying; Hu, Chao-Ying; Chen, Xue-Hua; Zhang, Dong-Qing
2008-01-01
AIM: To investigate the potential role of Active Chinese mistletoe lectin-55 (ACML-55) in tumor immune surveillance. METHODS: In this study, an experimental model was established by hypodermic inoculating the colon cancer cell line CT26 (5 × 105 cells) into BALB/c mice. The experimental treatment was orally administered with ACML-55 or PBS, followed by the inoculation of colon cancer cell line CT26. Intracellular cytokine staining was used to detect IFN-γ production by tumor antigen specific CD8+ T cells. FACS analysis was employed to profile composition and activation of CD4+, CD8+, γδ T and NK cells. RESULTS: Our results showed, compared to PBS treated mice, ACML-55 treatment significantly delayed colon cancer development in colon cancer -bearing Balb/c mice in vivo. Treatment with ACML-55 enhanced both Ag specific activation and proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and increased the number of tumor Ag specific CD8+ T cells. It was more important to increase the frequency of tumor Ag specific IFN-γ producing-CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, ACML-55 treatment also showed increased cell number of NK, and γδT cells, indicating the role of ACML-55 in activation of innate lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that ACML-55 therapy can enhance function in immune surveillance in colon cancer-bearing mice through regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. PMID:18785279
How Soluble GARP Enhances TGFβ Activation.
Fridrich, Sven; Hahn, Susanne A; Linzmaier, Marion; Felten, Matthias; Zwarg, Jenny; Lennerz, Volker; Tuettenberg, Andrea; Stöcker, Walter
2016-01-01
GARP (glycoprotein A repetitions predominant) is a cell surface receptor on regulatory T-lymphocytes, platelets, hepatic stellate cells and certain cancer cells. Its described function is the binding and accommodation of latent TGFβ (transforming growth factor), before the activation and release of the mature cytokine. For regulatory T cells it was shown that a knockdown of GARP or a treatment with blocking antibodies dramatically decreases their immune suppressive capacity. This confirms a fundamental role of GARP in the basic function of regulatory T cells. Prerequisites postulated for physiological GARP function include membrane anchorage of GARP, disulfide bridges between the propeptide of TGFβ and GARP and connection of this propeptide to αvβ6 or αvβ8 integrins of target cells during mechanical TGFβ release. Other studies indicate the existence of soluble GARP complexes and a functionality of soluble GARP alone. In order to clarify the underlying molecular mechanism, we expressed and purified recombinant TGFβ and a soluble variant of GARP. Surprisingly, soluble GARP and TGFβ formed stable non-covalent complexes in addition to disulfide-coupled complexes, depending on the redox conditions of the microenvironment. We also show that soluble GARP alone and the two variants of complexes mediate different levels of TGFβ activity. TGFβ activation is enhanced by the non-covalent GARP-TGFβ complex already at low (nanomolar) concentrations, at which GARP alone does not show any effect. This supports the idea of soluble GARP acting as immune modulator in vivo.
Ito, Hiroyasu; Ando, Tatsuya; Arioka, Yuko; Saito, Kuniaki; Seishima, Mitsuru
2015-04-01
Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists have been shown to have anti-tumour activity in basic research and clinical studies. However, TLR agonist monotherapy does not sufficiently eliminate tumours. Activation of the innate immune response by TLR agonists is effective at driving adaptive immunity via interleukin-12 (IL-12) or IL-1, but is counteracted by the simultaneous induction of immunosuppressive cytokines and other molecules, including IL-10, transforming growth factor-β, and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). In the present study, we evaluated the anti-cancer effect of the TLR7 agonist, imiquimod (IMQ), in the absence of IDO activity. The administration of IMQ in IDO knockout (KO) mice inoculated with tumour cells significantly suppressed tumour progression compared with that in wild-type (WT) mice, and improved the survival rate. Moreover, injection with IMQ enhanced the tumour antigen-specific T helper type 1 response in IDO-KO mice with tumours. Combination therapy with IMQ and an IDO inhibitor also significantly inhibited tumour growth. Our results indicated that the enhancement of IDO expression with TLR agonists in cancer treatment might impair host anti-tumour immunity while the inhibition of IDO could enhance the therapeutic efficacy of TLR agonists via the increase of T helper type 1 immune response. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Ennis, Catherine D
2017-09-01
For many years, pedagogical scholars and physical education (PE) teachers have worked to enhance effective teaching and learning environments. Yet for some children, youth, and young adults, many of the benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle remain elusive. Enhancing programming and performance to meet physical activity goals may require moving programs beyond "effective." It will require teachers and program leaders to focus programmatic attention on strategies to actually increase students' out-of-class physical activity behavior. Transformative PE provides physical activity content within a nurturing and motivating environment that can change students' lives. It focuses on PE students' role in cognitive decision making, self-motivation, and their search for personal meaning that can add connection and relevance to physical activities. In this SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Lecture, I have synthesized the research on these topics to emphasize useful findings applicable to teachers' everyday planning and teaching. Using sport, physical activity, dance, and adventure activities as the means to an end for personal and social growth, we can meet our commitment to effective standards-based education while preparing students for a lifetime of physical activity.
MWCNT/CdS hybrid nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic activity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chaudhary, Deepti; Khare, Neeraj; Vankar, V. D.
2016-05-01
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)/CdS hybrid nanocomposite were synthesized by one step hydrothermal method. MWCNTs were used as a substrate for the growth of CdS nanoparticles. MWCNT/CdS nanocomposite and pure CdS were characterized by XRD, TEM, UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. HRTEM study confirms the intimate contact of CdS with MWCNT. The photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite was studied for the degradation of methylene blue dye under UV irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of MWCNT/CdS nanocomposite as compared to pure CdS has been attributed to reduced recombination of photogenerated charge carriers due to interfacial electron transfer from CdS to MWCNT.
Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of La3+-Doped TiO2 Nanotubes with Full Wave-Band Absorption
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xia, Minghao; Huang, Lingling; Zhang, Yubo; Wang, Yongqian
2018-06-01
TiO2 nanotubes doped with La3+ were synthesized by anodic oxidation method and the photocatalytic activity was detected by photodegrading methylene blue. As-prepared samples improved the absorption of both ultraviolet light and visible light and have a great enhancement on the photocatalytic activity while contrasting with the pristine TiO2 nanotubes. A tentative mechanism for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity with full wave-band absorption is proposed.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-04-27
... general aviation (GA) aircraft operators who wish to fly into and/or out of Ronald Reagan Washington.... Information Collection Requirement Title: Enhanced Security Procedures at Ronald Reagan Washington National...] Extension of Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Enhanced Security Procedures at Ronald...
Quality Enhancement and Educational Professional Development
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Knight, Peter
2006-01-01
There is a strong international interest in the enhancement of teaching quality. Enhancement is a big job because teaching is an extensive activity. It is a complex job because learning to teach is not, mainly, a formal process: non-formal, practice-based learning is more significant. These two points, extensiveness and practice-based learning,…
Pan, Yao; Wei, Xuetao; Hao, Weidong
2015-08-28
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an occupational and ubiquitous environmental contaminant, and TCE exposure will increase the risk of autoimmune diseases and allergic diseases. T cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of TCE-related immune disorders, but the effect of TCE and its oxidative metabolites, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and dichloroacetic acid (DCA), on the activation of human T cells is still unknown. In this study, Jurkat cells were pre-treated with TCE, TCA and DCA overnight and then stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin for another 4, 8 and 24 hours. IL-2 secretion was detected by ELISA; the expressions of CD25 and CD69 were tested by flow cytometry; and IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA expression levels were investigated by real-time PCR. The results showed that TCE and its oxidative metabolites, TCA and DCA, significantly enhanced IL-2 releasing and the expression of T cell activation markers, CD25 and CD69. Consistent with this result, these compounds markedly up-regulated the expression levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA. Collectively, these findings suggest that TCE and its metabolites, TCA and DCA, might enhance the activation of T cells and disrupt various activities of peripheral T cells.
Pan, Yao; Wei, Xuetao; Hao, Weidong
2015-01-01
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an occupational and ubiquitous environmental contaminant, and TCE exposure will increase the risk of autoimmune diseases and allergic diseases. T cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of TCE-related immune disorders, but the effect of TCE and its oxidative metabolites, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and dichloroacetic acid (DCA), on the activation of human T cells is still unknown. In this study, Jurkat cells were pre-treated with TCE, TCA and DCA overnight and then stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin for another 4, 8 and 24 hours. IL-2 secretion was detected by ELISA; the expressions of CD25 and CD69 were tested by flow cytometry; and IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA expression levels were investigated by real-time PCR. The results showed that TCE and its oxidative metabolites, TCA and DCA, significantly enhanced IL-2 releasing and the expression of T cell activation markers, CD25 and CD69. Consistent with this result, these compounds markedly up-regulated the expression levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA. Collectively, these findings suggest that TCE and its metabolites, TCA and DCA, might enhance the activation of T cells and disrupt various activities of peripheral T cells. PMID:26343699
Webb, M. S.; Harasym, T. O.; Masin, D.; Bally, M. B.; Mayer, L. D.
1995-01-01
This study reports on the development of a liposomal formulation of vincristine with significantly enhanced stability and biological properties. The in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic, tumour delivery and efficacy properties of liposomal vincristine formulations based on sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol were compared with liposomes composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) and cholesterol. SM/cholesterol liposomes had significantly greater in vitro stability than did similar DSPC/cholesterol liposomes. SM/cholesterol liposomes also had significantly improved biological properties compared with DSPC/cholesterol. Specifically, SM/cholesterol liposomes administered intravenously retained 25% of the entrapped vincristine after 72 h in the circulation, compared with 5% retention in DSPC/cholesterol liposomes. The improved retention properties of SM/cholesterol liposomes resulted in plasma vincristine levels 7-fold higher than in DSPC/cholesterol liposomes. The improved circulation lifetime of vincristine in SM/cholesterol liposomes correlated with increased vincristine accumulation in peritoneal ascitic murine P388 tumours and in subcutaneous solid A431 human xenograft tumours. Increased vincristine delivery to tumours was also accompanied by increased anti-tumour efficacy. Treatment with SM/cholesterol liposomal formulations of vincristine resulted in greater than 50% cures in mice bearing ascitic P388 tumours, an activity that could not be achieved with the DSPC/cholesterol formulation. Similarly, treatment of mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) bearing solid human A431 xenograft tumours with SM/cholesterol vincristine formulations delayed the time required for 100% increase in tumour mass to > 40 days, compared with 5 days, 7 days and 14 days for mice receiving no treatment or treatment with free vincristine or DSPC/cholesterol formulations of vincristine respectively. PMID:7547237
Does the Room Matter? Active Learning in Traditional and Enhanced Lecture Spaces.
Stoltzfus, Jon R; Libarkin, Julie
2016-01-01
SCALE-UP-type classrooms, originating with the Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies project, are designed to facilitate active learning by maximizing opportunities for interactions between students and embedding technology in the classroom. Positive impacts when active learning replaces lecture are well documented, both in traditional lecture halls and SCALE-UP-type classrooms. However, few studies have carefully analyzed student outcomes when comparable active learning-based instruction takes place in a traditional lecture hall and a SCALE-UP-type classroom. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared student perceptions and performance between sections of a nonmajors biology course, one taught in a traditional lecture hall and one taught in a SCALE-UP-type classroom. Instruction in both sections followed a flipped model that relied heavily on cooperative learning and was as identical as possible given the infrastructure differences between classrooms. Results showed that students in both sections thought that SCALE-UP infrastructure would enhance performance. However, measures of actual student performance showed no difference between the two sections. We conclude that, while SCALE-UP-type classrooms may facilitate implementation of active learning, it is the active learning and not the SCALE-UP infrastructure that enhances student performance. As a consequence, we suggest that institutions can modify existing classrooms to enhance student engagement without incorporating expensive technology. © 2016 J. R. Stoltzfus and J. Libarkin. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).
Liu, Cheng-Ling; Chiu, Yu-Ting; Hu, Miao-Lin
2011-10-26
To determine whether fucoxanthin, a major carotenoid in brown sea algae, may activate cellular antioxidant enzymes via up-regulation of the Nrf2/antioxidant-response element (ARE) pathway, we incubated mouse hepatic BNL CL.2 cells with fucoxanthin (0.5-20 μM) for 0-24 h. We found that fucoxanthin (≥5 μM) significantly increased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) at 6 h of incubation, whereas preincubation with α-d-tocopherol (30 μM) significantly attenuated the increase of ROS, indicating the pro-oxidant nature of fucoxanthin. Fucoxanthin significantly increased the phosphorylation of ERK and p38 and markedly increased nuclear Nrf2 protein accumulation after incubation for 12 h. Moreover, fucoxanthin significantly enhanced binding activities of nuclear Nrf2 with ARE and increased mRNA and protein expression of HO-1 and NQO1 after incubation for 12 h. siRNA inhibition of Nrf2 led to markedly decreased HO-1 and NQO1 protein expression. Thus, fucoxanthin may exert its antioxidant activity, at least partly, through its pro-oxidant actions.
Ayello, Janet; Hochberg, Jessica; Flower, Allyson; Chu, Yaya; Baxi, Laxmi V; Quish, William; van de Ven, Carmella; Cairo, Mitchell S
2017-02-01
Natural killer (NK) cells play a significant role in reducing relapse in patients with hematological malignancies after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, but NK cell number and naturally occurring inhibitory signals limit their capability. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) and 4-1BBL are important modulators of NK expansion and functional activation. To overcome these limitations, cord blood mononuclear cells (CB MNCs) were ex vivo expanded for 7 days with genetically modified K562-mbIL15-41BBL (MODK562) or wild-type K562 (WTK562). NK cell expansion; expression of lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1), granzyme B, and perforin; and in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity against B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) were evaluated. In vivo tumor growth in B-NHL-xenografted nonobese diabetic severe combined immune deficient (NOD-scid) gamma (NSG) mice was monitored by tumor volume, cell number, and survival. CB MNCs cultured with MODK562 compared with WTK562 demonstrated significantly increased NK expansion (thirty-fivefold, p < 0.05); LAMP-1 (p < 0.05), granzyme B, and perforin expression (p < 0.001); and in vitro cytotoxicity against B-NHL (p < 0.01). Xenografted mice treated with MODK562 CB experienced significantly decreased B-NHL tumor volume (p = 0.0086) and B-NHL cell numbers (p < 0.01) at 5 weeks and significantly increased survival (p < 0.001) at 10 weeks compared with WTK562. In summary, MODK562 significantly enhanced CB NK expansion and cytotoxicity, enhanced survival in a human Burkitt's lymphoma xenograft NSG model, and could be used in the future as adoptive cellular immunotherapy after umbilical CB transplantation. Future directions include expanding anti-CD20 chimeric receptor-modified CB NK cells to enhance B-NHL targeting in vitro and in vivo. Copyright © 2016 ISEH - International Society for Experimental Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Zardini, Hadi Zare; Amiri, Ahmad; Shanbedi, Mehdi; Maghrebi, Morteza; Baniadam, Majid
2012-04-01
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were first functionalized by arginine and lysine under microwave radiation. Surface functionalization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After the MWCNTs were functionalized by arginine and lysine, the antibacterial activity of all treated samples was increased significantly against all bacteria that were tested. Based on the observed minimum inhibitory concentration and radial diffusion assay, the sequence of antibacterial activity was MWCNTs-arginine>MWCNTs-lysine>pristine MWCNTs. The functionalized MWCNTs were especially effective against gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium). Interestingly, the MWCNT samples were effective against the resistant strain Staphylococcos aureus. The enhanced antibacterial activity was attributed to electrostatic adsorption of bacteria membrane due to positive charges of the functional groups on MWCNTs surface. Since MWCNTs have lower cytotoxicity than single-walled carbon nanotubes, their functionalization with cationic amino acids could be a beneficial approach in the disinfection industry. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Baskaran, Rengarajan; Madheswaran, Thiagarajan; Sundaramoorthy, Pasupathi; Kim, Hwan Mook; Yoo, Bong Kyu
2014-01-01
Despite the promising anticancer potential of curcumin, its therapeutic application has been limited, owing to its poor solubility, bioavailability, and chemical fragility. Therefore, various formulation approaches have been attempted to address these problems. In this study, we entrapped curcumin into monoolein (MO)-based liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs) and evaluated the physicochemical properties and anticancer activity of the LCN dispersion. The results revealed that particles in the curcumin-loaded LCN dispersion were discrete and monodispersed, and that the entrapment efficiency was almost 100%. The stability of curcumin in the dispersion was surprisingly enhanced (about 75% of the curcumin survived after 45 days of storage at 40°C), and the in vitro release of curcumin was sustained (10% or less over 15 days). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis using a human colon cancer cell line (HCT116) exhibited 99.1% fluorescence gating for 5 μM curcumin-loaded LCN dispersion compared to 1.36% for the same concentration of the drug in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), indicating markedly enhanced cellular uptake. Consistent with the enhanced cellular uptake of curcumin-loaded LCNs, anticancer activity and cell cycle studies demonstrated apoptosis induction when the cells were treated with the LCN dispersion; however, there was neither noticeable cell death nor significant changes in the cell cycle for the same concentration of the drug in DMSO. In conclusion, entrapping curcumin into MO-based LCNs may provide, in the future, a strategy for overcoming the hurdles associated with both the stability and cellular uptake issues of the drug in the treatment of various cancers. PMID:25061290
Baskaran, Rengarajan; Madheswaran, Thiagarajan; Sundaramoorthy, Pasupathi; Kim, Hwan Mook; Yoo, Bong Kyu
2014-01-01
Despite the promising anticancer potential of curcumin, its therapeutic application has been limited, owing to its poor solubility, bioavailability, and chemical fragility. Therefore, various formulation approaches have been attempted to address these problems. In this study, we entrapped curcumin into monoolein (MO)-based liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs) and evaluated the physicochemical properties and anticancer activity of the LCN dispersion. The results revealed that particles in the curcumin-loaded LCN dispersion were discrete and monodispersed, and that the entrapment efficiency was almost 100%. The stability of curcumin in the dispersion was surprisingly enhanced (about 75% of the curcumin survived after 45 days of storage at 40°C), and the in vitro release of curcumin was sustained (10% or less over 15 days). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis using a human colon cancer cell line (HCT116) exhibited 99.1% fluorescence gating for 5 μM curcumin-loaded LCN dispersion compared to 1.36% for the same concentration of the drug in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), indicating markedly enhanced cellular uptake. Consistent with the enhanced cellular uptake of curcumin-loaded LCNs, anticancer activity and cell cycle studies demonstrated apoptosis induction when the cells were treated with the LCN dispersion; however, there was neither noticeable cell death nor significant changes in the cell cycle for the same concentration of the drug in DMSO. In conclusion, entrapping curcumin into MO-based LCNs may provide, in the future, a strategy for overcoming the hurdles associated with both the stability and cellular uptake issues of the drug in the treatment of various cancers.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Meng, Xiangchao; Li, Zizhen; Chen, Jie; Xie, Hongwei; Zhang, Zisheng
2018-03-01
Palladium nanoparticles well-dispersed on BiOBr surfaces were successfully prepared via a two-step process, namely hydrothermal synthesis of BiOBr followed by photodeposition of palladium. Surface-exposed palladium nanoparticles may improve the harvesting capacity of visible light photons via the surface plasmonic resonance effect to produce extra electrons. Palladium is an excellent electron acceptor, and therefore favours the separation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs. As a result, palladium significantly improves the photocatalytic activity of BiOBr in the removal of organic pollutants (phenol) under visible light irradiation. In addition to as-prepared samples which were comprehensively characterized, the mechanism for the enhancement via the deposition of palladium nanoparticles was also proposed based on results. This work may serve as solid evidence to confirm that surface-deposited palladium nanoparticles are capable of improving photocatalytic activity, and that photodeposition may be an effective approach to load metal nanoparticles onto a surface.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sanchez, Christopher A.; Ruddell, Benjamin L.; Schiesser, Roy; Merwade, Venkatesh
2016-03-01
Previous research has suggested that the use of more authentic learning activities can produce more robust and durable knowledge gains. This is consistent with calls within civil engineering education, specifically hydrology, that suggest that curricula should more often include professional perspective and data analysis skills to better develop the "T-shaped" knowledge profile of a professional hydrologist (i.e., professional breadth combined with technical depth). It was expected that the inclusion of a data-driven simulation lab exercise that was contextualized within a real-world situation and more consistent with the job duties of a professional in the field, would provide enhanced learning and appreciation of job duties beyond more conventional paper-and-pencil exercises in a lower-division undergraduate course. Results indicate that while students learned in both conditions, learning was enhanced for the data-driven simulation group in nearly every content area. This pattern of results suggests that the use of data-driven modeling and visualization activities can have a significant positive impact on instruction. This increase in learning likely facilitates the development of student perspective and conceptual mastery, enabling students to make better choices about their studies, while also better preparing them for work as a professional in the field.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sanchez, C. A.; Ruddell, B. L.; Schiesser, R.; Merwade, V.
2015-07-01
Previous research has suggested that the use of more authentic learning activities can produce more robust and durable knowledge gains. This is consistent with calls within civil engineering education, specifically hydrology, that suggest that curricula should more often include professional perspective and data analysis skills to better develop the "T-shaped" knowledge profile of a professional hydrologist (i.e., professional breadth combined with technical depth). It was expected that the inclusion of a data driven simulation lab exercise that was contextualized within a real-world situation and more consistent with the job duties of a professional in the field, would provide enhanced learning and appreciation of job duties beyond more conventional paper-and-pencil exercises in a lower division undergraduate course. Results indicate that while students learned in both conditions, learning was enhanced for the data-driven simulation group in nearly every content area. This pattern of results suggests that the use of data-driven modeling and visualization activities can have a significant positive impact on instruction. This increase in learning likely facilitates the development of student perspective and conceptual mastery, enabling students to make better choices about their studies, while also better preparing them for work as a professional in the field.
DeFranco, D; Yamamoto, K R
1986-01-01
The expression of genes fused downstream of the Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MoMSV) long terminal repeat is stimulated by glucocorticoids. We mapped the glucocorticoid response element that conferred this hormonal regulation and found that it is a hormone-dependent transcriptional enhancer, designated Sg; it resides within DNA fragments that also carry a previously described enhancer element (B. Levinson, G. Khoury, G. Vande Woude, and P. Gruss, Nature [London] 295:568-572, 1982), here termed Sa, whose activity is independent of the hormone. Nuclease footprinting revealed that purified glucocorticoid receptor bound at multiple discrete sites within and at the borders of the tandemly repeated sequence motif that defines Sa. The Sa and Sg activities stimulated the apparent efficiency of cognate or heterologous promoter utilization, individually providing modest enhancement and in concert yielding higher levels of activity. A deletion mutant lacking most of the tandem repeat but retaining a single receptor footprint sequence lost Sa activity but still conferred Sg activity. The two enhancer components could also be distinguished physiologically: both were operative within cultured rat fibroblasts, but only Sg activity was detectable in rat exocrine pancreas cells. Therefore, the sequence determinants of Sa and Sg activity may be interdigitated, and when both components are active, the receptor and a putative Sa factor can apparently bind and act simultaneously. We concluded that MoMSV enhancer activity is effected by at least two distinct binding factors, suggesting that combinatorial regulation of promoter function can be mediated even from a single genetic element. Images PMID:3023887
Kim, Young-Kee; Bae, Jin-Hye; Oh, Byung-Keun; Lee, Won Hong; Choi, Jeong-Woo
2002-04-01
Proteolysis is one of the main enzymatic reactions involved in waste activated sludge (WAS) digestion. In this study, proteases excreted from Bacillus stearothermophilus (ATCC 31197) were classified, and an enhancement of protease activity was achieved using economical chemical additives for WAS digestion. Proteases excreted from B. stearothermophilus were classified into two families: serine and metallo-proteases. Various metal ions were investigated as additives which could potentially enhance protease activity. It was observed that Ca2+ and Fe2+ could markedly activate these enzymes. These results were applied to thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) of industrial WAS using B. stearothermophilus. The addition of these divalent ions enhanced the degradation performance of the TAD process in terms of reducing the total suspended solids (TSSs), the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content, and the intracellular and extracellular protein concentrations. The best result, with respect to protein reduction in a digestion experiment, was obtained by the addition of 2 mM Ca2+. Therefore, a proposed TAD process activated by calcium addition can be successfully used for industrial and municipal WAS digestion to the upgrading of TAD process performance.
Pan, Yongming; Xu, Jianqin; Chen, Cheng; Chen, Fangming; Jin, Ping; Zhu, Keyan; Hu, Chenyue W; You, Mengmeng; Chen, Minli; Hu, Fuliang
2018-01-01
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia characterized by aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) and neuronal loss. One of the risk factors for AD is high cholesterol levels, which are known to promote Aβ deposition. Previous studies have shown that royal jelly (RJ), a product of worker bees, has potential neuroprotective effects and can attenuate Aβ toxicity. However, little is known about how RJ regulates Aβ formation and its effects on cholesterol levels and neuronal metabolic activities. Here, we investigated whether RJ can reduce cholesterol levels, regulate Aβ levels and enhance neuronal metabolic activities in an AD rabbit model induced by 2% cholesterol diet plus copper drinking water. Our results suggest that RJ significantly reduced the levels of plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and decreased the level of Aβ in rabbit brains. RJ was also shown to markedly ameliorate amyloid deposition in AD rabbits from Aβ immunohistochemistry and thioflavin-T staining. Furthermore, our study suggests that RJ can reduce the expression levels of β-site APP cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and increase the expression levels of low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) and insulin degrading enzyme (IDE). In addition, we found that RJ remarkably increased the number of neurons, enhanced antioxidant capacities, inhibited activated-capase-3 protein expression, and enhanced neuronal metabolic activities by increasing N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and glutamate and by reducing choline and myo-inositol in AD rabbits. Taken together, our data demonstrated that RJ could reduce cholesterol levels, regulate Aβ levels and enhance neuronal metabolic activities in AD rabbits, providing preclinical evidence that RJ treatment has the potential to protect neurons and prevent AD.
Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance inaugural annual report, 2014.
Zurynski, Yvonne A; McRae, Jocelynne E; Quinn, Helen E; Wood, Nicholas J; Macartney, Kristine K
2016-09-30
The Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network is a hospital-based active surveillance system employing prospective case ascertainment of selected uncommon vaccine preventable diseases and potential adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). PAEDS enhances other Australian surveillance systems by providing prospective detailed clinical and laboratory data for the same child. Specialist surveillance nurses screen hospital admissions, emergency department records, laboratory and other data, to prospectively identify hospitalised children aged under 15 years in 5 paediatric tertiary referral hospitals in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Standardised protocols and case definitions are used across all sites. Conditions under surveillance include vaccine preventable diseases: acute flaccid paralysis, varicella, pandemic and seasonal influenza and pertussis, and potential AEFIs: febrile seizures and intussusception. PAEDS also conducts surveillance for acute childhood encephalitis. Since August 2007, PAEDS has recruited a total of 6,227 hospitalised cases in total, for all conditions. From January to December 2014, there were 1,220 cases recruited across all conditions. Key outcomes include: enhanced acute flaccid paralysis surveillance to reach World Health Organization targets; supporting varicella and influenza vaccination in children; confirmation of a known low risk of febrile seizures following the 1st dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine but no increased risk of febrile seizures after measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine, and a slightly increased risk of developing intussusception 1-7 days after rotavirus vaccination in infants aged less than 3 months. Acute childhood encephalitis data facilitated rapid investigation and response to the enterovirus 71 outbreak in 2013-2014. PAEDS provides unique policy-relevant data. This is the first of planned PAEDS annual reports to Communicable Diseases
Xie, Sheng; Manuguri, Sesha; Proietti, Giampiero; Romson, Joakim; Fu, Ying; Inge, A. Ken; Wu, Bin; Zhang, Yang; Häll, Daniel; Ramström, Olof; Yan, Mingdi
2017-01-01
We report the modular formulation of ciprofloxacin-based pure theranostic nanodrugs that display enhanced antibacterial activities, as well as aggregation-induced emission (AIE) enhancement that was successfully used to image bacteria. The drug derivatives, consisting of ciprofloxacin, a perfluoroaryl ring, and a phenyl ring linked by an amidine bond, were efficiently synthesized by a straightforward protocol from a perfluoroaryl azide, ciprofloxacin, and an aldehyde in acetone at room temperature. These compounds are propeller-shaped, and upon precipitation into water, readily assembled into stable nanoaggregates that transformed ciprofloxacin derivatives into AIE-active luminogens. The nanoaggregates displayed increased luminescence and were successfully used to image bacteria. In addition, these nanodrugs showed enhanced antibacterial activities, lowering the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by more than one order of magnitude against both sensitive and resistant Escherichia coli. The study represents a strategy in the design and development of pure theranostic nanodrugs for combating drug-resistant bacterial infections. PMID:28743748
Silver enhances antibiotic activity against gram-negative bacteria.
Morones-Ramirez, J Ruben; Winkler, Jonathan A; Spina, Catherine S; Collins, James J
2013-06-19
A declining pipeline of clinically useful antibiotics has made it imperative to develop more effective antimicrobial therapies, particularly against difficult-to-treat Gram-negative pathogens. Silver has been used as an antimicrobial since antiquity, yet its mechanism of action remains unclear. We show that silver disrupts multiple bacterial cellular processes, including disulfide bond formation, metabolism, and iron homeostasis. These changes lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species and increased membrane permeability of Gram-negative bacteria that can potentiate the activity of a broad range of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria in different metabolic states, as well as restore antibiotic susceptibility to a resistant bacterial strain. We show both in vitro and in a mouse model of urinary tract infection that the ability of silver to induce oxidative stress can be harnessed to potentiate antibiotic activity. Additionally, we demonstrate in vitro and in two different mouse models of peritonitis that silver sensitizes Gram-negative bacteria to the Gram-positive-specific antibiotic vancomycin, thereby expanding the antibacterial spectrum of this drug. Finally, we used silver and antibiotic combinations in vitro to eradicate bacterial persister cells, and show both in vitro and in a mouse biofilm infection model that silver can enhance antibacterial action against bacteria that produce biofilms. This work shows that silver can be used to enhance the action of existing antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria, thus strengthening the antibiotic arsenal for fighting bacterial infections.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor activation enhances BMP-2-induced osteoblast differentiation
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sato, Chieri; Iwasaki, Tsuyoshi, E-mail: tsuyo-i@huhs.ac.jp; Kitano, Sachie
Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We investigated the role of S1P signaling for osteoblast differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Both S1P and FTY enhanced BMP-2-stimulated osteoblast differentiation by C2C12 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer S1P signaling enhanced BMP-2-stimulated Smad and ERK phosphorylation by C2C12 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MEK/ERK signaling is a pathway underlying S1P signaling for osteoblast differentiation. -- Abstract: We previously demonstrated that sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor-mediated signaling induced proliferation and prostaglandin productions by synovial cells from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. In the present study we investigated the role of S1P receptor-mediated signaling for osteoblast differentiation. We investigated osteoblast differentiation using C2C12 myoblasts, a cell line derived from murinemore » satellite cells. Osteoblast differentiation was induced by the treatment of bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-2 in the presence or absence of either S1P or FTY720 (FTY), a high-affinity agonist of S1P receptors. Osteoblast differentiation was determined by osteoblast-specific transcription factor, Runx2 mRNA expression, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin production by the cells. Smad1/5/8 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation was examined by Western blotting. Osteocalcin production by C2C12 cells were determined by ELISA. Runx2 expression and ALP activity by BMP-2-stimulated C2C12 cells were enhanced by addition of either S1P or FTY. Both S1P and FTY enhanced BMP-2-induced ERK1/2 and Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation. The effect of FTY was stronger than that of S1P. S1P receptor-mediated signaling on osteoblast differentiation was inhibited by addition of mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) 1/2 inhibitor, indicating that the S1P receptor-mediated MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway enhanced BMP-2-Smad signaling. These results indicate that S1P
Gaming is related to enhanced working memory performance and task-related cortical activity.
Moisala, M; Salmela, V; Hietajärvi, L; Carlson, S; Vuontela, V; Lonka, K; Hakkarainen, K; Salmela-Aro, K; Alho, K
2017-01-15
Gaming experience has been suggested to lead to performance enhancements in a wide variety of working memory tasks. Previous studies have, however, mostly focused on adult expert gamers and have not included measurements of both behavioral performance and brain activity. In the current study, 167 adolescents and young adults (aged 13-24 years) with different amounts of gaming experience performed an n-back working memory task with vowels, with the sensory modality of the vowel stream switching between audition and vision at random intervals. We studied the relationship between self-reported daily gaming activity, working memory (n-back) task performance and related brain activity measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results revealed that the extent of daily gaming activity was related to enhancements in both performance accuracy and speed during the most demanding (2-back) level of the working memory task. This improved working memory performance was accompanied by enhanced recruitment of a fronto-parietal cortical network, especially the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In contrast, during the less demanding (1-back) level of the task, gaming was associated with decreased activity in the same cortical regions. Our results suggest that a greater degree of daily gaming experience is associated with better working memory functioning and task difficulty-dependent modulation in fronto-parietal brain activity already in adolescence and even when non-expert gamers are studied. The direction of causality within this association cannot be inferred with certainty due to the correlational nature of the current study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
NanoCluster Beacons as reporter probes in rolling circle enhanced enzyme activity detection
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Juul, Sissel; Obliosca, Judy M.; Liu, Cong; Liu, Yen-Liang; Chen, Yu-An; Imphean, Darren M.; Knudsen, Birgitta R.; Ho, Yi-Ping; Leong, Kam W.; Yeh, Hsin-Chih
2015-04-01
As a newly developed assay for the detection of endogenous enzyme activity at the single-catalytic-event level, Rolling Circle Enhanced Enzyme Activity Detection (REEAD) has been used to measure enzyme activity in both single human cells and malaria-causing parasites, Plasmodium sp. Current REEAD assays rely on organic dye-tagged linear DNA probes to report the rolling circle amplification products (RCPs), the cost of which may hinder the widespread use of REEAD. Here we show that a new class of activatable probes, NanoCluster Beacons (NCBs), can simplify the REEAD assays. Easily prepared without any need for purification and capable of large fluorescence enhancement upon hybridization, NCBs are cost-effective and sensitive. Compared to conventional fluorescent probes, NCBs are also more photostable. As demonstrated in reporting the human topoisomerases I (hTopI) cleavage-ligation reaction, the proposed NCBs suggest a read-out format attractive for future REEAD-based diagnostics.As a newly developed assay for the detection of endogenous enzyme activity at the single-catalytic-event level, Rolling Circle Enhanced Enzyme Activity Detection (REEAD) has been used to measure enzyme activity in both single human cells and malaria-causing parasites, Plasmodium sp. Current REEAD assays rely on organic dye-tagged linear DNA probes to report the rolling circle amplification products (RCPs), the cost of which may hinder the widespread use of REEAD. Here we show that a new class of activatable probes, NanoCluster Beacons (NCBs), can simplify the REEAD assays. Easily prepared without any need for purification and capable of large fluorescence enhancement upon hybridization, NCBs are cost-effective and sensitive. Compared to conventional fluorescent probes, NCBs are also more photostable. As demonstrated in reporting the human topoisomerases I (hTopI) cleavage-ligation reaction, the proposed NCBs suggest a read-out format attractive for future REEAD-based diagnostics. Electronic
Mulej Bratec, Satja; Xie, Xiyao; Schmid, Gabriele; Doll, Anselm; Schilbach, Leonhard; Zimmer, Claus; Wohlschläger, Afra; Riedl, Valentin; Sorg, Christian
2015-12-01
Cognitive emotion regulation is a powerful way of modulating emotional responses. However, despite the vital role of emotions in learning, it is unknown whether the effect of cognitive emotion regulation also extends to the modulation of learning. Computational models indicate prediction error activity, typically observed in the striatum and ventral tegmental area, as a critical neural mechanism involved in associative learning. We used model-based fMRI during aversive conditioning with and without cognitive emotion regulation to test the hypothesis that emotion regulation would affect prediction error-related neural activity in the striatum and ventral tegmental area, reflecting an emotion regulation-related modulation of learning. Our results show that cognitive emotion regulation reduced emotion-related brain activity, but increased prediction error-related activity in a network involving ventral tegmental area, hippocampus, insula and ventral striatum. While the reduction of response activity was related to behavioral measures of emotion regulation success, the enhancement of prediction error-related neural activity was related to learning performance. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, an area involved in regulation, was specifically increased during emotion regulation and likewise related to learning performance. Our data, therefore, provide first-time evidence that beyond reducing emotional responses, cognitive emotion regulation affects learning by enhancing prediction error-related activity, potentially via tegmental dopaminergic pathways. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Joseph, Rodney P; Pekmezi, Dori; Dutton, Gareth R; Cherrington, Andrea L; Kim, Young-Il; Allison, Jeroan J; Durant, Nefertiti H
2016-03-01
This study evaluated a culturally relevant, social cognitive theory-based, Internet-enhanced physical activity (PA) pilot intervention developed for overweight/obese African American (AA) female college students. Using a 3-month, single group, pretest-posttest design, participants accessed a culturally relevant PA promotion website and engaged in four moderate-intensity PA sessions each week. Study completers (n = 25, mean age = 21.9 years) reported a decrease in sedentary screen time (p < .0001); however, no changes in moderate-to-vigorous PA were reported (p = .150). A significant increase in self-regulation for PA (p < .0001) and marginally significant increases in social support (p = .052) and outcome expectations (p = .057) for PA were observed. No changes in body mass index (p = .162), PA enjoyment (p = .151), or exercise self-efficacy (p = .086) were reported. Findings of this exploratory study show some preliminary support for Internet-enhanced approaches to promote PA among overweight/obese AA women. Future studies with larger samples are needed to further explore culturally relevant Internet-enhanced PA programs in this underserved population. © The Author(s) 2014.
Making lasting memories: Remembering the significant
McGaugh, James L.
2013-01-01
Although forgetting is the common fate of most of our experiences, much evidence indicates that emotional arousal enhances the storage of memories, thus serving to create, selectively, lasting memories of our more important experiences. The neurobiological systems mediating emotional arousal and memory are very closely linked. The adrenal stress hormones epinephrine and corticosterone released by emotional arousal regulate the consolidation of long-term memory. The amygdala plays a critical role in mediating these stress hormone influences. The release of norepinephrine in the amygdala and the activation of noradrenergic receptors are essential for stress hormone-induced memory enhancement. The findings of both animal and human studies provide compelling evidence that stress-induced activation of the amygdala and its interactions with other brain regions involved in processing memory play a critical role in ensuring that emotionally significant experiences are well-remembered. Recent research has determined that some human subjects have highly superior autobiographic memory of their daily experiences and that there are structural differences in the brains of these subjects compared with the brains of subjects who do not have such memory. Understanding of neurobiological bases of such exceptional memory may provide additional insights into the processes underlying the selectivity of memory. PMID:23754441
Pan, D; Pan, L-Z; Hill, R; Marcato, P; Shmulevitz, M; Vassilev, L T; Lee, P W K
2011-09-27
Naturally oncolytic reovirus preferentially kills cancer cells, making it a promising cancer therapeutic. Mutations in tumour suppressor p53 are prevalent in cancers, yet the role of p53 in reovirus oncolysis is relatively unexplored. Human cancer cell lines were exposed to Nutlin-3a, reovirus or a combination of the two and cells were processed for reovirus titration, western blot, real-time PCR and apoptosis assay using Annexin V and 7-AAD staining. Confocal microscopy was used to determine translocation of the NF-κB p65 subunit. We show that despite similar reovirus replication in p53(+/+) and p53(-/-) cells, stabilisation of p53 by Nutlin-3a significantly enhanced reovirus-induced apoptosis and hence virus release and dissemination while having no direct effect on virus replication. Enhanced apoptosis by Nutlin-3a was not observed in p53(-/-) or p53 knockdown cells; however, increased expression of Bax and p21 are required. Moreover, elevated NF-κB activation in reovirus-infected cells following Nutlin-3a treatment was necessary for enhanced reovirus-induced apoptosis, as synergistic cytotoxicity was overcome by specific NF-κB inhibitors. Nutlin-3a treatment enhances reovirus-induced apoptosis and virus spread through p53-dependent NF-κB activation, and combination of reovirus and Nutlin-3a might represent an improved therapy against cancers harbouring wild-type p53.
Sun, Raymond Wai-Yin; Zhang, Ming; Li, Dan; Li, Mian; Wong, Alice Sze-Tsai
2016-10-01
An anti-cancer active gold(III) pyrrolidinedithiocarbamato complex [(PDTC)Au III Cl 2 ] (1) has been synthesized and characterized by means of X-ray crystallography. Compared to the pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate ligand itself, this gold(III) complex displays an up to 33-fold higher anti-cancer potency towards a panel of cancer cell lines including the cisplatin-resistant ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780cis). As demonstrated by a set of Transwell® assay-based cytotoxicity experiments, incorporating this gold(III) complex in a zinc-based biodegradable metal-organic framework (MOF) displays a significant enhancement in anti-cancer activity towards A2780cis than the gold(III) complex alone. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Fasting Enhances TRAIL-Mediated Liver Natural Killer Cell Activity via HSP70 Upregulation
Dang, Vu T. A.; Tanabe, Kazuaki; Tanaka, Yuka; Tokumoto, Noriaki; Misumi, Toshihiro; Saeki, Yoshihiro; Fujikuni, Nobuaki; Ohdan, Hideki
2014-01-01
Acute starvation, which is frequently observed in clinical practice, sometimes augments the cytolytic activity of natural killer cells against neoplastic cells. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the enhancement of natural killer cell function by fasting in mice. The total number of liver resident natural killer cells in a unit weight of liver tissue obtained from C57BL/6J mice did not change after a 3-day fast, while the proportions of tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)+ and CD69+ natural killer cells were significantly elevated (n = 7, p <0.01), as determined by flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, we found that TRAIL− natural killer cells that were adoptively transferred into Rag-2−/− γ chain−/− mice could convert into TRAIL+ natural killer cells in fasted mice at a higher proportion than in fed mice. Liver natural killer cells also showed high TRAIL-mediated antitumor function in response to 3-day fasting. Since these fasted mice highly expressed heat shock protein 70 (n = 7, p <0.05) in liver tissues, as determined by western blot, the role of this protein in natural killer cell activation was investigated. Treatment of liver lymphocytes with 50 µg/mL of recombinant heat shock protein 70 led to the upregulation of both TRAIL and CD69 in liver natural killer cells (n = 6, p <0.05). In addition, HSP70 neutralization by intraperitoneally injecting an anti- heat shock protein 70 monoclonal antibody into mice prior to fasting led to the downregulation of TRAIL expression (n = 6, p <0.05). These findings indicate that acute fasting enhances TRAIL-mediated liver natural killer cell activity against neoplastic cells through upregulation of heat shock protein 70. PMID:25356750
Facile synthesis of ferromagnetic Ni doped CeO2 nanoparticles with enhanced anticancer activity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Abbas, Fazal; Jan, Tariq; Iqbal, Javed; Ahmad, Ishaq; Naqvi, M. Sajjad H.; Malik, Maaza
2015-12-01
NixCe1-xO2 (where x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.07) nanoparticles were synthesized by soft chemical method and were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD and Raman results indicated the formation of single phase cubic fluorite structure for the synthesized nanoparticles. Ni dopant induced excessive structural changes such as decrease in crystallite size as well as lattice constants and enhancement in oxygen vacancies in CeO2 crystal structure. These structural variations significantly influenced the optical and magnetic properties of CeO2 nanoparticles. The synthesized NixCe1-xO2 nanoparticles exhibited room temperature ferromagnetic behavior. Ni doping induced effects on the cytotoxicity of CeO2 nanoparticles were examined against HEK-293 healthy cell line and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cancer cell line. The prepared NixCe1-xO2 nanoparticles demonstrated differential cytotoxicity. Furthermore, anticancer activity of CeO2 nanoparticles observed to be significantly enhanced with Ni doping which was found to be strongly correlated with the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The prepared ferromagnetic NixCe1-xO2 nanoparticles with differential cytotoxic nature may be potential for future targeted cancer therapy.
Li, Wenbo; Zhao, Sheng; Wu, Nan; Zhong, Junwen; Wang, Bo; Lin, Shizhe; Chen, Shuwen; Yuan, Fang; Jiang, Hulin; Xiao, Yongjun; Hu, Bin; Zhou, Jun
2017-07-19
Wearable active sensors have extensive applications in mobile biosensing and human-machine interaction but require good flexibility, high sensitivity, excellent stability, and self-powered feature. In this work, cellular polypropylene (PP) piezoelectret was chosen as the core material of a sensitivity-enhanced wearable active voiceprint sensor (SWAVS) to realize voiceprint recognition. By virtue of the dipole orientation control method, the air layers in the piezoelectret were efficiently utilized, and the current sensitivity was enhanced (from 1.98 pA/Hz to 5.81 pA/Hz at 115 dB). The SWAVS exhibited the superiorities of high sensitivity, accurate frequency response, and excellent stability. The voiceprint recognition system could make correct reactions to human voices by judging both the password and speaker. This study presented a voiceprint sensor with potential applications in noncontact biometric recognition and safety guarantee systems, promoting the progress of wearable sensor networks.
Peshdary, Vian
2017-01-01
Firemaster® 550 (FM550) is a chemical mixture currently used as an additive flame retardant in commercial products, and is comprised of 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tertrabromobenzoate (TBB), bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and isopropylated triphenyl phosphate (IPTP). Animal and in vitro studies suggest that FM550, TPP and IPTP may have adipogenic effects and may exert these effects through PPARγ activation. Using murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, we investigated the detailed expression of transcription factors and adipogenic markers in response to FM550 and its components. Further we investigated the mechanism of action of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) on downstream targets of the receptor by focussing on the mature adipocyte marker, adipocyte protein 2 (aP2). In addition, we set to elucidate the components responsible for the adipogenic effects seen in the FM550 mixture. We show that FM550 and its components TPP, IPTP, and TBPH, but not TBB induced lipid accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, despite displaying enhanced lipid accumulation, TBPH did not alter the mRNA or protein expression of terminal differentiation markers. In contrast, FM550, TPP, and IPTP treatment enhanced lipid accumulation, and mRNA and protein expression of terminal differentiation markers. To further delineate the mechanisms of action of FM550 and its components we focussed on aP2 promoter activity. For this purpose we used the enhancer region of the mouse aP2 promoter using a 584-bp reporter construct containing an active PPRE located 5.4 kb away from the transcription start site of aP2. Exposure to FM550, IPTP, and TPP significantly increased PPARγ mediated aP2 enhancer activity. Furthermore, we show that TPP- and IPTP-dependent upregulation of aP2 was significantly inhibited by the selective PPARγ antagonist GW9662. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that IPTP and TPP treatment
Wang, Yuting; Cheng, Jing; Yu, Suye; Alcocer, Enric Juan; Shahid, Muhammad; Wang, Ziyuan; Pan, Wei
2016-01-01
Here we report a high efficiency photocatalyst, i.e., Mn2+-doped and N-decorated ZnO nanofibers (NFs) enriched with vacancy defects, fabricated via electrospinning and a subsequent controlled annealing process. This nanocatalyst exhibits excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity and an apparent quantum efficiency up to 12.77%, which is 50 times higher than that of pure ZnO. It also demonstrates good stability and durability in repeated photocatalytic degradation experiments. A comprehensive structural analysis shows that high density of oxygen vacancies and nitrogen are introduced into the nanofibers surface. Hence, the significant enhanced visible photocatalytic properties for Mn-ZnO NFs are due to the synergetic effects of both Mn2+ doping and N decorated. Further investigations exhibit that the Mn2+-doping facilitates the formation of N-decorated and surface defects when annealing in N2 atmosphere. N doping induce the huge band gap decrease and thus significantly enhance the absorption of ZnO nanofibers in the range of visible-light. Overall, this paper provides a new approach to fabricate visible-light nanocatalysts using both doping and annealing under anoxic ambient. PMID:27600260
El Zaafarany, Ghada M; Awad, Gehanne A S; Holayel, Samar M; Mortada, Nahed D
2010-09-15
Transfersomes are highly efficient edge activator (EA)-based ultraflexible vesicles capable of, non-invasively, trespassing skin by virtue of their high, self-optimizing deformability. This investigation presents different approaches for the optimization of Transfersomes for enhanced transepidermal delivery of Diclofenac sodium (DS). Different methods of preparation, drug and lipid concentrations and vesicle compositions were employed, resulting in ultraflexible vesicles with diverse membrane characteristics. Evaluation of Transfersomes was implemented in terms of their shapes, sizes, entrapment efficiencies (EE%), relative deformabilities and in vitro skin permeation. Transfersomes prepared with 95:5% (w/w) (PC:EA) ratio showed highest EE% (Span 85>Span 80>Na cholate>Na deoxycholate>Tween 80). Whereas, those prepared using 85:15% (w/w) ratio showed highest deformability (Tween 80 was superior to bile salts and spans). Transfersomes were proved significantly superior in terms of, the amount of drug deposited in the skin and the amount permeated, with an enhancement ratio of 2.45, when compared to a marketed product. The study proved that the type and concentration of EA, as well as, the method of preparation had great influences on the properties of Transfersomes. Hence, optimized Transfersomes can significantly increase transepidermal flux and prolong the release of DS, when applied non-occlusively. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
New approaches to enhance active steering system functionalities: preliminary results
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Serarslan, Benan
2014-09-01
An important development of the steering systems in general is active steering systems like active front steering and steer-by-wire systems. In this paper the current functional possibilities in application of active steering systems are explored. A new approach and additional functionalities are presented that can be implemented to the active steering systems without additional hardware such as new sensors and electronic control units. Commercial active steering systems are controlling the steering angle depending on the driving situation only. This paper introduce methods for enhancing active steering system functionalities depending not only on the driving situation but also vehicle parameters like vehicle mass, tyre and road condition. In this regard, adaptation of the steering ratio as a function of above mentioned vehicle parameters is presented with examples. With some selected vehicle parameter changes, the reduction of the undesired influences on vehicle dynamics of these parameter changes has been demonstrated theoretically with simulations and with real-time driving measurements.
Li, Xiuping; Hou, Ranran; Yue, Chanjuan; Liu, Jie; Gao, Zhenzhen; Chen, Jin; Lu, Yu; Wang, Deyun; Liu, Cui; Hu, Yuanliang
2016-05-01
Epimedium polysaccharide (EPS) and isatis root polysaccharide (IRPS) were extracted, purified, and selenizingly modified by nitric acid-sodium selenite method to obtain nine selenizing EPSs (sEPSs), sEPS1-sEPS9 and nine selenizing IRPSs (sIRPSs), sIRPS1-sIRPS9, respectively. Their effects on chicken peripheral lymphocyte proliferation in vitro were compared by MTT assay. The results showed that selenium polysaccharides at appropriate concentration could promote lymphocyte proliferation more significantly than unmodified polysaccharides, sEPS5 and sIRPS5 with stronger actions were picked out and injected into the chickens vaccinated with Newcastle disease vaccine in vivo tests. The peripheral lymphocyte proliferation and serum antibody titer were determined. The results showed that sEPS5 and sIRPS5 could elevate serum antibody titer and promote lymphocyte proliferation more significantly than unmodified polysaccharides, sEPS5 possessed the strongest efficacy. These results indicate that selenylation modification can significantly enhance the immune-enhancing activity of EPS and IRPS, and sEPS5 can be as a new-type immunopotentiator of chickens.
Using animal models to determine the significance of complement activation in Alzheimer's disease
Loeffler, David A
2004-01-01
Complement inflammation is a major inflammatory mechanism whose function is to promote the removal of microorganisms and the processing of immune complexes. Numerous studies have provided evidence for an increase in this process in areas of pathology in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. Because complement activation proteins have been demonstrated in vitro to exert both neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects, the significance of this process in the development and progression of AD is unclear. Studies in animal models of AD, in which brain complement activation can be experimentally altered, should be of value for clarifying this issue. However, surprisingly little is known about complement activation in the transgenic animal models that are popular for studying this disorder. An optimal animal model for studying the significance of complement activation on Alzheimer's – related neuropathology should have complete complement activation associated with senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (if present), and dystrophic neurites. Other desirable features include both classical and alternative pathway activation, increased neuronal synthesis of native complement proteins, and evidence for an increase in complement activation prior to the development of extensive pathology. In order to determine the suitability of different animal models for studying the role of complement activation in AD, the extent of complement activation and its association with neuropathology in these models must be understood. PMID:15479474
Fowles, Jonathon R; Shields, Chris; d'Entremont, Lisette; McQuaid, Stephanie; Barron, Brittany; Dunbar, Peggy
2014-12-01
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of enhancing support for physical activity counselling and exercise participation at diabetes centres in Nova Scotia on physical activity and exercise behaviours and clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In all, 180 patients at 8 diabetes centres participated in this observational study. A range of enhanced supports for exercise were offered at these centres. A kinesiologist was added to the diabetes care team to primarily provide extra physical activity counselling and exercise classes. Patient physical activity and exercise levels, efficacy perceptions and mean glycated hemoglobin (A1C) were evaluated at baseline and 6 months. We compared changes in these variables for patients who participated in the enhanced supports versus patients who did not. Participants who attended exercise classes (n=46), increased moderate physical activity by 27% and doubled resistance exercise participation (1.0±1.8 to 2.0±2.1 days per week) whereas those who did not attend exercise classes (n=49) reduced moderate physical activity by 26% and did not change resistance exercise participation (interactions, p=0.04 and p=0.07, respectively). Patients who received resistance band instruction (n=15) from a kinesiologist had reductions in A1C (from 7.5±1.4 to 7.1±1.2; p=0.04), whereas other subgroups did not have significant changes in A1C. Offering enhanced support for exercise at diabetes centres produced improvements in physical activity and exercise in type 2 diabetes patients. Resistance band instruction from a kinesiologist combined with participating in a walking and resistance training program improved glycemic control, which underscores the importance of including exercise professionals in diabetes management. Copyright © 2014 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Image enhancement filters significantly improve reading performance for low vision observers
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lawton, T. B.
1992-01-01
As people age, so do their photoreceptors; many photoreceptors in central vision stop functioning when a person reaches their late sixties or early seventies. Low vision observers with losses in central vision, those with age-related maculopathies, were studied. Low vision observers no longer see high spatial frequencies, being unable to resolve fine edge detail. We developed image enhancement filters to compensate for the low vision observer's losses in contrast sensitivity to intermediate and high spatial frequencies. The filters work by boosting the amplitude of the less visible intermediate spatial frequencies. The lower spatial frequencies. These image enhancement filters not only reduce the magnification needed for reading by up to 70 percent, but they also increase the observer's reading speed by 2-4 times. A summary of this research is presented.
Light-activated endosomal escape using upconversion nanoparticles for enhanced delivery of drugs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gnanasammandhan, Muthu Kumara; Bansal, Akshaya; Zhang, Yong
2013-02-01
Nanoparticle-based delivery of drugs has gained a lot of prominence recently but the main problem hampering efficient delivery of payload is the clearing or degradation of nanoparticles by endosomes. Various strategies have been used to overcome this issue and one such effective solution is Photochemical Internalization (PCI). This technique involves the activation of certain photosensitizing compounds by light, which accumulate specifically in the membranes of endocytic vesicles. The activated photosensitizers induce the formation of reactive oxygen species which in turn induces localized disruption of endosomal membranes. But the drawback of this technique is that it needs blue light for activation and hence confined to be used only in in-vitro systems due to the poor tissue penetration of blue light. Here, we report the use of Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNs) as a transducer for activation of the photosensitizer, TPPS 2a. NIR light has good tissue penetrating ability and thus enables PCI in greater depths. Highly monodisperse, uniformly-sized, sub-100 nm, biocompatible upconversion nanoparticles were synthesized with a mesoporous silica coating. These UCNs activated TPPS 2a efficiently in solution and in cells. Paclitaxel, an anti-cancer drug was used as a model drug and was loaded into the mesoporous silica coating. B16F0 cells transfected with drug-loaded UCNs and irradiated with NIR showed significantly higher nanoparticle uptake and in turn higher cell death caused by the delivered drug. This technique can be used to enhance the delivery of any therapeutic molecule and thus increase the therapeutic efficiency considerably.
Zhou, Wei; Zhu, Xuan Xuan; Yin, Ai Ling; Cai, Bao Chang; Wang, Hai Dan; Di, Liuqing; Shan, Jin Jun
2014-01-01
Background: Forsythoside A (FTA), one of the main active ingredients in Shuang–Huang–Lian (SHL), possesses strong antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral effects, and its pharmacological effects was higher than that of other ingredients, but the absolute bioavailability orally was approximately 0.72%, which was significantly low, influencing clinical efficacies of its oral preparations seriously. Materials and Methods: In vitro Caco-2 cell and in vivo pharmacokinetics study were simultaneously performed to investigate the effects of absorption enhancers based on tight junctions: sodium caprate and water-soluble chitosan on the intestinal absorption of FTA, and the eventual mucosal epithelial damage resulted from absorption enhancers was evaluated by MTT test and morphology observation, respectively. The pharmacological effects such as antivirus activity improvement by absorption enhancers were verified by MDCK damage inhibition rate after influenza virus propagation. Results: The observations from in vitro Caco-2 cell showed that the absorption of FTA in SHL could be improved by absorption enhancers. Meanwhile, the absorption enhancing effect of water-soluble chitosan may be almost saturable up to 0.0032% (w/v), and sodium caprate at concentrations up to 0.64 mg/mL was safe, but water-soluble chitosan at different concentrations was all safe for these cells. In pharmacokinetics study, water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg improved the bioavailability of FTA in SHL to the greatest extent, and was safe for gastrointestine from morphological observation. Besides, treatment with SHL with water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg prevented MDCK damage after influenza virus propagation better significantly than that of control. Conclusion: Water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg might be safe and effective absorption enhancer for improving the bioavailability of FTA and the antivirus activity in vitro in SHL. PMID:24695554
Zhou, Wei; Zhu, Xuan Xuan; Yin, Ai Ling; Cai, Bao Chang; Wang, Hai Dan; Di, Liuqing; Shan, Jin Jun
2014-01-01
Forsythoside A (FTA), one of the main active ingredients in Shuang-Huang-Lian (SHL), possesses strong antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral effects, and its pharmacological effects was higher than that of other ingredients, but the absolute bioavailability orally was approximately 0.72%, which was significantly low, influencing clinical efficacies of its oral preparations seriously. In vitro Caco-2 cell and in vivo pharmacokinetics study were simultaneously performed to investigate the effects of absorption enhancers based on tight junctions: sodium caprate and water-soluble chitosan on the intestinal absorption of FTA, and the eventual mucosal epithelial damage resulted from absorption enhancers was evaluated by MTT test and morphology observation, respectively. The pharmacological effects such as antivirus activity improvement by absorption enhancers were verified by MDCK damage inhibition rate after influenza virus propagation. The observations from in vitro Caco-2 cell showed that the absorption of FTA in SHL could be improved by absorption enhancers. Meanwhile, the absorption enhancing effect of water-soluble chitosan may be almost saturable up to 0.0032% (w/v), and sodium caprate at concentrations up to 0.64 mg/mL was safe, but water-soluble chitosan at different concentrations was all safe for these cells. In pharmacokinetics study, water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg improved the bioavailability of FTA in SHL to the greatest extent, and was safe for gastrointestine from morphological observation. Besides, treatment with SHL with water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg prevented MDCK damage after influenza virus propagation better significantly than that of control. Water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg might be safe and effective absorption enhancer for improving the bioavailability of FTA and the antivirus activity in vitro in SHL.
Alvarez-Meza, Andres M.; Orozco-Gutierrez, Alvaro; Castellanos-Dominguez, German
2017-01-01
We introduce Enhanced Kernel-based Relevance Analysis (EKRA) that aims to support the automatic identification of brain activity patterns using electroencephalographic recordings. EKRA is a data-driven strategy that incorporates two kernel functions to take advantage of the available joint information, associating neural responses to a given stimulus condition. Regarding this, a Centered Kernel Alignment functional is adjusted to learning the linear projection that best discriminates the input feature set, optimizing the required free parameters automatically. Our approach is carried out in two scenarios: (i) feature selection by computing a relevance vector from extracted neural features to facilitating the physiological interpretation of a given brain activity task, and (ii) enhanced feature selection to perform an additional transformation of relevant features aiming to improve the overall identification accuracy. Accordingly, we provide an alternative feature relevance analysis strategy that allows improving the system performance while favoring the data interpretability. For the validation purpose, EKRA is tested in two well-known tasks of brain activity: motor imagery discrimination and epileptic seizure detection. The obtained results show that the EKRA approach estimates a relevant representation space extracted from the provided supervised information, emphasizing the salient input features. As a result, our proposal outperforms the state-of-the-art methods regarding brain activity discrimination accuracy with the benefit of enhanced physiological interpretation about the task at hand. PMID:29056897
Cotten, Steven W; Kornegay, Joe N; Bogan, Daniel J; Wadosky, Kristine M; Patterson, Cam; Willis, Monte S
2013-01-01
Recent studies suggest that inhibiting the protein myostatin, a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass, may improve outcomes in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy by enhancing muscle mass. When the dystrophin-deficient golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dog was bred with whippets having a heterozygous mutation for the myostatin gene, affected GRMD dogs with decreased myostatin (GRippets) demonstrated an accelerated physical decline compared to related affected GRMD dogs with full myostatin. To examine the role of the ubiquitin proteasome and calpain systems in this accelerated decline, we determined the expression of the muscle ubiquitin ligases MuRF1, Atrogin-1, RNF25, RNF11, and CHIP: the proteasome subunits PSMA6, PSMB4, and PSME1: and calpain 1/2 by real time PCR in the cranial sartorius and vastus lateralis muscles in control, affected GRMD, and GRippet dogs. While individual affected GRMD and GRippet dogs contributed to an increased variability seen in ubiquitin ligase expression, neither group was significantly different from the control group. The affected GRMD dogs demonstrated significant increases in caspase-like and trypsin-like activity in the cranial sartorius; however, all three proteasome activities in the GRippet muscles did not differ from controls. Increased variability in calpain 1 and calpain 2 expression and activity in the affected GRMD and GRippet groups were identified, but no statistical differences from the control group were seen. These studies suggest a role of myostatin in the disease progression of GRMD, which does not significantly involve key components of the ubiquitin proteasome and calpain systems involved in the protein quality control of sarcomere and other structural skeletal muscle proteins.
Qiu, Hailong; Yang, Chunhui; Shao, Wei; Damasco, Jossana; Wang, Xianliang; Ågren, Hans; Prasad, Paras N.; Chen, Guanying
2014-01-01
The luminescence efficiency of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles is of particular importance for their embodiment in biophotonic and photonic applications. Here, we show that the upconversion luminescence of typically used NaYF4:Yb3+30%/Tm3+0.5% nanoparticles can be enhanced by ~240 times through a hierarchical active core/active shell/inert shell (NaYF4:Yb3+30%/Tm3+0.5%)/NaYbF4/NaYF4 design, which involves the use of directed energy migration in the second active shell layer. The resulting active core/active shell/inert shell nanoparticles are determined to be about 11 times brighter than that of well-investigated (NaYF4:Yb3+30%/Tm3+0.5%)/NaYF4 active core/inert shell nanoparticles when excited at ~980 nm. The strategy for enhanced upconversion in Yb3+/Tm3+-codoped NaYF4 nanoparticles through directed energy migration might have implications for other types of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles. PMID:28348285
Qiu, Hailong; Yang, Chunhui; Shao, Wei; Damasco, Jossana; Wang, Xianliang; Ågren, Hans; Prasad, Paras N; Chen, Guanying
2014-01-03
The luminescence efficiency of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles is of particular importance for their embodiment in biophotonic and photonic applications. Here, we show that the upconversion luminescence of typically used NaYF₄:Yb 3+ 30%/Tm 3+ 0.5% nanoparticles can be enhanced by ~240 times through a hierarchical active core/active shell/inert shell (NaYF₄:Yb 3+ 30%/Tm 3+ 0.5%)/NaYbF₄/NaYF₄ design, which involves the use of directed energy migration in the second active shell layer. The resulting active core/active shell/inert shell nanoparticles are determined to be about 11 times brighter than that of well-investigated (NaYF₄:Yb 3+ 30%/Tm 3+ 0.5%)/NaYF₄ active core/inert shell nanoparticles when excited at ~980 nm. The strategy for enhanced upconversion in Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ -codoped NaYF₄ nanoparticles through directed energy migration might have implications for other types of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles.
Wang, Y; Zheng, Y; Wang, Z; Li, J; Wang, Z; Zhang, G; Yu, J
2013-12-01
Oestrogen has been proven to significantly enhance osteogenic potency, while oestrogen deficiency usually leads to impaired osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, little is known concerning direct effects of oestrogen on differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). In this study, human DPSCs were isolated and treated with 10(-7) m 17β-oestradiol (E2). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and alizarin red staining were performed. Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red showed that E2 treatment significantly enhanced ALP activity and mineralization ability of DPSCs, but had no effect on cell proliferation. Real-time RT-PCR and western blot assay demonstrated that odonto/osteogenic markers (ALP, RUNX2/RUNX2, OSX/OSX, OCN/OCN and DSPP/DSP) were significantly upregulated in the cells after E2 treatment. Moreover, phosphorylation of cytoplasmic IκBα/P65 and expression of nuclear P65 were enhanced in a time-dependent manner following E2 treatment, suggesting activation of NF-κB signaling. Conversely, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway suppressed E2-mediated upregulation of odonto/osteogenic markers, indicating that the NF-κB pathway was pivotal for E2-mediated differentiation. These findings provide evidence that 10(-7) m 17β-oestradiol promoted odonto/osteogenic differentiation of human DPSCs via activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. © 2013 The Authors. Cell Proliferation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Drenkard, L.; Cohen, A. L.; McCorkle, D. C.; dePutron, S.; Zicht, A.
2011-12-01
Many corals living under the relatively acidic conditions of naturally high-CO2 reefs are calcifying as fast or faster than their conspecifics on naturally low CO2 reefs. These observations are inconsistent with most experimental work that shows a negative impact of ocean acidification on coral calcification. We investigated the link between coral nutritional (energetic) status and the calcification response to significantly elevated CO2. Juveniles of the Atlantic brooding coral, Favia fragum were reared for three weeks under fully crossed CO2 and feeding conditions: ambient (μar =1.6+-0.2) and high CO2 (μar =3.7+-0.3); fed and unfed. In most measured parameters, the effect of feeding is much stronger than the effect of CO2. Nutritionally enhanced (fed) corals, regardless of CO2 condition, have higher concentrations of total lipid and their skeletons are both significantly larger and more developmentally advanced than those of corals relying solely on autotrophy. In measurements of corallite weight, where the impact of CO2 is most apparent, no statistical difference is observed between unfed corals under ambient CO2 conditions and fed corals reared under 1600 ppm CO2. Our results suggest that coral energetic status, which can be enhanced by heterotrophic feeding but depleted by stressors such as bleaching, will play a key role in the coral response to ocean acidification and thus, in the resilience of reef ecosystems under climate change.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Butler, Andrew J.; James, Thomas W.; James, Karin Harman
2011-01-01
Everyday experience affords us many opportunities to learn about objects through multiple senses using physical interaction. Previous work has shown that active motor learning of unisensory items enhances memory and leads to the involvement of motor systems during subsequent perception. However, the impact of active motor learning on subsequent…
Wu, Yaobin; Wang, Ling; Guo, Baolin; Shao, Yongpin; Ma, Peter X
2016-05-01
Myelination of Schwann cells (SCs) is critical for the success of peripheral nerve regeneration, and biomaterials that can promote SCs' neurotrophin secretion as scaffolds are beneficial for nerve repair. Here we present a biomaterials-approach, specifically, a highly tunable conductive biodegradable flexible polyurethane by polycondensation of poly(glycerol sebacate) and aniline pentamer, to significantly enhance SCs' myelin gene expression and neurotrophin secretion for peripheral nerve tissue engineering. SCs are cultured on these conductive polymer films, and the biocompatibility of these films and their ability to enhance myelin gene expressions and sustained neurotrophin secretion are successfully demonstrated. The mechanism of SCs' neurotrophin secretion on conductive films is demonstrated by investigating the relationship between intracellular Ca(2+) level and SCs' myelination. Furthermore, the neurite growth and elongation of PC12 cells are induced by adding the neurotrophin medium suspension produced from SCs-laden conductive films. These data suggest that these conductive degradable polyurethanes that enhance SCs' myelin gene expressions and sustained neurotrophin secretion perform great potential for nerve regeneration applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Eviction of linker histone H1 by NAP-family histone chaperones enhances activated transcription.
Zhang, Qian; Giebler, Holli A; Isaacson, Marisa K; Nyborg, Jennifer K
2015-01-01
In the Metazoan nucleus, core histones assemble the genomic DNA to form nucleosome arrays, which are further compacted into dense chromatin structures by the linker histone H1. The extraordinary density of chromatin creates an obstacle for accessing the genetic information. Regulation of chromatin dynamics is therefore critical to cellular homeostasis, and histone chaperones serve as prominent players in these processes. In the current study, we examined the role of specific histone chaperones in negotiating the inherently repressive chromatin structure during transcriptional activation. Using a model promoter, we demonstrate that the human nucleosome assembly protein family members hNap1 and SET/Taf1β stimulate transcription in vitro during pre-initiation complex formation, prior to elongation. This stimulatory effect is dependent upon the presence of activators, p300, and Acetyl-CoA. We show that transcription from our chromatin template is strongly repressed by H1, and that both histone chaperones enhance RNA synthesis by overcoming H1-induced repression. Importantly, both hNap1 and SET/Taf1β directly bind H1, and function to enhance transcription by evicting the linker histone from chromatin reconstituted with H1. In vivo studies demonstrate that SET/Taf1β, but not hNap1, strongly stimulates activated transcription from the chromosomally-integrated model promoter, consistent with the observation that SET/Taf1β is nuclear, whereas hNap1 is primarily cytoplasmic. Together, these observations indicate that SET/Taf1β may serve as a critical regulator of H1 dynamics and gene activation in vivo. These studies uncover a novel function for SET that mechanistically couples transcriptional derepression with H1 dynamics. Furthermore, they underscore the significance of chaperone-dependent H1 displacement as an essential early step in the transition of a promoter from a dense chromatin state into one that is permissive to transcription factor binding and robust
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yan, Xiaodong; Liu, Yuan; Scheel, Kyle R.; Li, Yong; Yu, Yunhua; Yang, Xiaoping; Peng, Zhonghua
2018-03-01
The electrochemical properties of catalyst materials are highly dependent on the materials structure and architecture. Herein, nano-on-micro Cu electrodes are fabricated by growing Cu microcrystals on Ni foam substrate, followed by introducing Cu nanocrystals onto the surface of the Cu microcrystals. The introduction of Cu nanocrystals onto the surface of Cu microcrystals is shown to dramatically increase the electrochemically active surface area and thus significantly enhances the catalytic activity of the catalyst electrode towards electro-oxidation of hydrazine. The onset potential (-1.04 V vs. Ag/AgCl) of the nano-on-micro Cu electrode is lower than those of the reported Cu-based catalysts under similar testing conditions, and a current density of 16 mA·cm-2, which is 2 times that of the microsized Cu electrode, is achieved at a potential of -0.95 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Moreover, the nano-on-micro Cu electrode demonstrates good long-term stability.
Activated prostaglandin D2 receptors on macrophages enhance neutrophil recruitment into the lung
Jandl, Katharina; Stacher, Elvira; Bálint, Zoltán; Sturm, Eva Maria; Maric, Jovana; Peinhaupt, Miriam; Luschnig, Petra; Aringer, Ida; Fauland, Alexander; Konya, Viktoria; Dahlen, Sven-Erik; Wheelock, Craig E.; Kratky, Dagmar; Olschewski, Andrea; Marsche, Gunther; Schuligoi, Rufina; Heinemann, Akos
2016-01-01
Background Prostaglandin (PG) D2 is an early-phase mediator in inflammation, but its action and the roles of the 2 D-type prostanoid receptors (DPs) DP1 and DP2 (also called chemoattractant receptor–homologous molecule expressed on TH2 cells) in regulating macrophages have not been elucidated to date. Objective We investigated the role of PGD2 receptors on primary human macrophages, as well as primary murine lung macrophages, and their ability to influence neutrophil action in vitro and in vivo. Methods In vitro studies, including migration, Ca2+ flux, and cytokine secretion, were conducted with primary human monocyte-derived macrophages and neutrophils and freshly isolated murine alveolar and pulmonary interstitial macrophages. In vivo pulmonary inflammation was assessed in male BALB/c mice. Results Activation of DP1, DP2, or both receptors on human macrophages induced strong intracellular Ca2+ flux, cytokine release, and migration of macrophages. In a murine model of LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation, activation of each PGD2 receptor resulted in aggravated airway neutrophilia, tissue myeloperoxidase activity, cytokine contents, and decreased lung compliance. Selective depletion of alveolar macrophages abolished the PGD2-enhanced inflammatory response. Activation of PGD2 receptors on human macrophages enhanced the migratory capacity and prolonged the survival of neutrophils in vitro. In human lung tissue specimens both DP1 and DP2 receptors were located on alveolar macrophages along with hematopoietic PGD synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme of PGD2 synthesis. Conclusion For the first time, our results show that PGD2 markedly augments disease activity through its ability to enhance the proinflammatory actions of macrophages and subsequent neutrophil activation. PMID:26792210
Activated prostaglandin D2 receptors on macrophages enhance neutrophil recruitment into the lung.
Jandl, Katharina; Stacher, Elvira; Bálint, Zoltán; Sturm, Eva Maria; Maric, Jovana; Peinhaupt, Miriam; Luschnig, Petra; Aringer, Ida; Fauland, Alexander; Konya, Viktoria; Dahlen, Sven-Erik; Wheelock, Craig E; Kratky, Dagmar; Olschewski, Andrea; Marsche, Gunther; Schuligoi, Rufina; Heinemann, Akos
2016-03-01
Prostaglandin (PG) D2 is an early-phase mediator in inflammation, but its action and the roles of the 2 D-type prostanoid receptors (DPs) DP1 and DP2 (also called chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on T(H)2 cells) in regulating macrophages have not been elucidated to date. We investigated the role of PGD2 receptors on primary human macrophages, as well as primary murine lung macrophages, and their ability to influence neutrophil action in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies, including migration, Ca(2+) flux, and cytokine secretion, were conducted with primary human monocyte-derived macrophages and neutrophils and freshly isolated murine alveolar and pulmonary interstitial macrophages. In vivo pulmonary inflammation was assessed in male BALB/c mice. Activation of DP1, DP2, or both receptors on human macrophages induced strong intracellular Ca(2+) flux, cytokine release, and migration of macrophages. In a murine model of LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation, activation of each PGD2 receptor resulted in aggravated airway neutrophilia, tissue myeloperoxidase activity, cytokine contents, and decreased lung compliance. Selective depletion of alveolar macrophages abolished the PGD2-enhanced inflammatory response. Activation of PGD2 receptors on human macrophages enhanced the migratory capacity and prolonged the survival of neutrophils in vitro. In human lung tissue specimens both DP1 and DP2 receptors were located on alveolar macrophages along with hematopoietic PGD synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme of PGD2 synthesis. For the first time, our results show that PGD2 markedly augments disease activity through its ability to enhance the proinflammatory actions of macrophages and subsequent neutrophil activation. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Galichet, Christophe; Lovell-Badge, Robin; Rizzoti, Karine
2010-01-01
Nestin-Cre mice express Cre recombinase under control of the rat nestin promoter and central nervous system (CNS) enhancer. While endogenous Nestin is expressed in some other tissues including the pituitary gland, Nestin-Cre mice induce recombination predominantly in the CNS. For this reason, they have been widely used to explore gene function or cell fate in the latter. Pituitary hormonal deficiencies, or hypopituitarism, are associated with a wide range of symptoms and with a significant morbidity. These can have a neural and/or a pituitary origin as the gland's secretions are controlled by the hypothalamus. We report here that Nestin-Cre mice themselves are affected by mild hypopituitarism. Hence, physiological consequences are expected, especially in combination with defects resulting from Cre mediated deletion of any gene under investigation. To further investigate the origin of this phenotype, we re-examined the activity of the transgene. We compared it with expression of Nestin itself in the context of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis, especially in the light of a recent report showing pituitary Nestin-Cre activity, which contrasts with previous data. Our results disagree with those of this recent study and do not support the claim that Nestin positive cells are present in the pituitary anlagen, the Rathke's pouch (RP). Moreover we did not observe any significant activity in the post-natal pituitary, in agreement with the initial report. PMID:20625432
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Tongwei; Cao, Changqian; Tang, Xu; Cai, Yao; Yang, Caiyun; Pan, Yongxin
2017-01-01
Magnetoferritin (M-HFn) is a biomimetic magnetic nanoparticle with a human heavy-chain ferritin (HFn) shell, trapping a magnetite (Fe3O4) core that has inherited peroxidase-like activity. In this study, cobalt-doped M-HFn nanoparticles (M-HFn-Co x Fe3-x O4) with different amounts of cobalt were successfully synthesized. Experimental results indicate that the controlled doping of a certain amount of cobalt into the magnetite cores of M-HFn nanoparticles enhances its peroxidase-like catalytic activity and efficacy for visualizing tumour tissues. For example, compared with sample Co0 (without cobalt doping), the peroxidase-like activity of the cobalt-doped nanoparticle sample Co60 (with a cobalt doping molar percentage of ˜34.2%) increases 1.7 times, and has the maximal reaction velocity (V max) values. Moreover, after a one-step incubation with Co60 nanoparticles, and using the peroxidase substrate 3,3‧-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) for colour development, the tumour tissues of breast, colorectal, stomach and pancreas tumours showed a deeper brown colour with clear boundaries between the healthy and tumourous cells. Therefore, this suggests that the cobalt-doped magnetoferritin nanoparticles enhance peroxidase activity and tumour tissue visualization.
Zhang, Tongwei; Cao, Changqian; Tang, Xu; Cai, Yao; Yang, Caiyun; Pan, Yongxin
2017-01-27
Magnetoferritin (M-HFn) is a biomimetic magnetic nanoparticle with a human heavy-chain ferritin (HFn) shell, trapping a magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) core that has inherited peroxidase-like activity. In this study, cobalt-doped M-HFn nanoparticles (M-HFn-Co x Fe 3-x O 4 ) with different amounts of cobalt were successfully synthesized. Experimental results indicate that the controlled doping of a certain amount of cobalt into the magnetite cores of M-HFn nanoparticles enhances its peroxidase-like catalytic activity and efficacy for visualizing tumour tissues. For example, compared with sample Co0 (without cobalt doping), the peroxidase-like activity of the cobalt-doped nanoparticle sample Co60 (with a cobalt doping molar percentage of ∼34.2%) increases 1.7 times, and has the maximal reaction velocity (V max ) values. Moreover, after a one-step incubation with Co60 nanoparticles, and using the peroxidase substrate 3,3'-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) for colour development, the tumour tissues of breast, colorectal, stomach and pancreas tumours showed a deeper brown colour with clear boundaries between the healthy and tumourous cells. Therefore, this suggests that the cobalt-doped magnetoferritin nanoparticles enhance peroxidase activity and tumour tissue visualization.
Zhang, Kun; Zhang, Yinyin; Feng, Weijing; Chen, Renhua; Chen, Jie; Touyz, Rhian M; Wang, Jingfeng; Huang, Hui
2017-10-01
Vascular calcification (VC) is an important predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a key mechanism of VC. Recent studies show that IL-18 (interleukin-18) favors VC while TRPM7 (transient receptor potential melastatin 7) channel upregulation inhibits VC. However, the relationship between IL-18 and TRPM7 is unclear. We questioned whether IL-18 enhances VC and osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs through TRPM7 channel activation. Coronary artery calcification and serum IL-18 were measured in patients by computed tomographic scanning and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Primary rat VSMCs calcification were induced by high inorganic phosphate and exposed to IL-18. VSMCs were also treated with TRPM7 antagonist 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate or TRPM7 small interfering RNA to block TRPM7 channel activity and expression. TRPM7 currents were recorded by patch-clamp. Human studies showed that serum IL-18 levels were positively associated with coronary artery calcium scores ( r =0.91; P <0.001). In VSMCs, IL-18 significantly decreased expression of contractile markers α-smooth muscle actin, smooth muscle 22 α, and increased calcium deposition, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of osteogenic differentiation markers bone morphogenetic protein-2, Runx2 (runt-related transcription factor 2), and osteocalcin ( P <0.05). IL-18 increased TRPM7 expression through ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) signaling activation, and TRPM7 currents were augmented by IL-18 treatment. Inhibition of TRPM7 channel by 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate or TRPM7 small interfering RNA prevented IL-18-enhanced osteogenic differentiation and VSMCs calcification. These findings suggest that coronary artery calcification is associated with increased IL-18 levels. IL-18 enhances VSMCs osteogenic differentiation and subsequent VC induced by β-glycerophosphate via TRPM7 channel activation
Frank, Jan; Schiborr, Christina; Kocher, Alexa; Meins, Jürgen; Behnam, Dariush; Schubert-Zsilavecz, Manfred; Abdel-Tawab, Mona
2017-03-01
Curcumin, the active constituent of Curcuma longa L. (family Zingiberaceae), has gained increasing interest because of its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-rheumatic properties associated with good tolerability and safety up to very high doses of 12 g. Nanoscaled micellar formulations on the base of Tween 80 represent a promising strategy to overcome its low oral bioavailability. We therefore aimed to investigate the uptake and transepithelial transport of native curcumin (CUR) vs. a nanoscaled micellar formulation (Sol-CUR) in a Caco-2 cell model. Sol-CUR afforded a higher flux than CUR (39.23 vs. 4.98 μg min -1 cm -2 , respectively). This resulted in a higher P app value of 2.11 × 10 -6 cm/s for Sol-CUR compared to a P app value of 0.56 × 10 -6 cm/s for CUR. Accordingly a nearly 9.5 fold higher amount of curcumin was detected on the basolateral side at the end of the transport experiments after 180 min with Sol-CUR compared to CUR. The determined 3.8-fold improvement in the permeability of curcumin is in agreement with an up to 185-fold increase in the AUC of curcumin observed in humans following the oral administration of the nanoscaled micellar formulation compared to native curcumin. The present study demonstrates that the enhanced oral bioavailability of micellar curcumin formulations is likely a result of enhanced absorption into and increased transport through small intestinal epithelial cells.
Surfaces of Fluorinated Pyridinium Block Copolymers with Enhanced Antibacterial Activity
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Krishnan,S.; Ward, R.; Hexemer, A.
2006-01-01
Polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) copolymers were quaternized with 1-bromohexane and 6-perfluorooctyl-1-bromohexane. Surfaces prepared from these polymers were characterized by contact angle measurements, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The fluorinated pyridinium surfaces showed enhanced antibacterial activity compared to their nonfluorinated counterparts. Even a polymer with a relatively low molecular weight pyridinium block showed high antimicrobial activity. The bactericidal effect was found to be related to the molecular composition and organization in the top 2-3 nm of the surface and increased with increasing hydrophilicity and pyridinium concentration of the surface.
Enhancement of dynamin polymerization and GTPase activity by Arc/Arg3.1
Byers, Christopher E.; Barylko, Barbara; Ross, Justin A.; Southworth, Daniel R.; James, Nicholas G.; Taylor, Clinton A.; Wang, Lei; Collins, Katie A.; Estrada, Armando; Waung, Maggie; Tassin, Tara C.; Huber, Kimberly M.; Jameson, David.M.; Albanesi, Joseph P.
2015-01-01
BACKGROUND The Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein, Arc, is an immediate-early gene product implicated in various forms of synaptic plasticity. Arc promotes endocytosis of AMPA type glutamate receptors and regulates cytoskeletal assembly in neuronal dendrites. Its role in endocytosis may be mediated by its reported interaction with dynamin 2 (Dyn2), a 100 kDa GTPase that polymerizes around the necks of budding vesicles and catalyzes membrane scission. METHODS Enzymatic and turbidity assays are used in this study to monitor effects of Arc on dynamin activity and polymerization. Arc oligomerization is measured using a combination of approaches, including size exclusion chromatography, sedimentation analysis, dynamic light scattering, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. RESULTS We present evidence that bacterially-expressed His6-Arc facilitates the polymerization of Dyn2 and stimulates its GTPase activity under physiologic conditions (37°C and 100 mM NaCl). At lower ionic strength Arc also stabilizes pre-formed Dyn2 polymers against GTP-dependent disassembly, thereby prolonging assembly-dependent GTP hydrolysis catalyzed by Dyn2. Arc also increases the GTPase activity of Dyn3, an isoform of implicated in dendrite remodeling, but does not affect the activity of Dyn1, a neuron-specific isoform involved in synaptic vesicle recycling. We further show in this study that Arc (either His6-tagged or untagged) has a tendency to form large soluble oligomers, which may function as a scaffold for dynamin assembly and activation. CONCLUSIONS and GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE The ability of Arc to enhance dynamin polymerization and GTPase activation may provide a mechanism to explain Arc-mediated endocytosis of AMPA receptors and the accompanying effects on synaptic plasticity. This study represents the first detailed characterization of the physical properties of Arc. PMID:25783003
MiR-155 enhances phagocytic activity of β-thalassemia/HbE monocytes via targeting of BACH1.
Srinoun, Kanitta; Nopparatana, Chamnong; Wongchanchailert, Malai; Fucharoen, Suthat
2017-11-01
Abnormal red blood cell (RBC) clearance in β-thalassemia is triggered by activated monocytes. Recent reports indicate that miRNA (miR-) plays a role in monocyte activation. To study phagocytic function, we co-cultured monocytes of normal, non-splenectomized and splenectomized β-thalassemia/HbE individuals with RBCs obtained from normal, non-splenectomized and splenectomized β-thalassemia/HbE individuals. The phagocytic activity of β-thalassemia/HbE monocytes co-cultured with β-thalassemia/HbE RBCs was significantly higher than that of normal monocytes co-cultured with normal RBCs. Upregulation of monocyte miR-155 was observed in β-thalassemia/HbE patients. Increased miR-155 was associated with reductions in BTB and CNC Homology1 (BACH1) target gene expression and increased phagocytic activity of β-thalassemia/HbE monocytes. Taken together, these findings suggested that increased miR-155 expression in activated monocytes leads to enhanced phagocytic activity via BACH-1 regulation in β-thalassemia/HbE. This provides novel insights into the phagocytic clearance of abnormal RBCs in β-thalassemia/HbE.
Modafinil enhances thalamocortical activity by increasing neuronal electrotonic coupling
Urbano, Francisco J.; Leznik, Elena; Llinás, Rodolfo R.
2007-01-01
Modafinil (Provigil, Modiodal), an antinarcoleptic and mood-enhancing drug, is shown here to sharpen thalamocortical activity and to increase electrical coupling between cortical interneurons and between nerve cells in the inferior olivary nucleus. After irreversible pharmacological block of connexin permeability (i.e., by using either 18β-glycyrrhetinic derivatives or mefloquine), modafinil restored electrotonic coupling within 30 min. It was further established that this restoration is implemented through a Ca2+/calmodulin protein kinase II-dependent step. PMID:17640897
Basak, Akash; Abouelhassan, Yasmeen; Kim, Young S; Norwood, Verrill M; Jin, Shouguang; Huigens, Robert W
2018-06-19
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and surface-attached biofilms continue to play a significant role in human health and disease. Innovative strategies are needed to identify new therapeutic leads to tackle infections of drug-resistant and tolerant bacteria. We synthesized a focused library of 14 new halogenated quinolines to investigate the impact of ClogP values on antibacterial and biofilm-eradication activities. During these investigations, we found select polar appendages at the 2-position of the HQ scaffold were more well-tolerated than others. We were delighted to see multiple compounds display enhanced activities against the major human pathogen S. epidermidis. In particular, HQ 2 (ClogP = 3.44) demonstrated enhanced activities against MRSE 35984 planktonic cells (MIC = 0.59 μM) compared to MRSA and VRE strains in addition to potent MRSE biofilm eradication activities (MBEC = 2.35 μM). Several of the halogenated quinolines identified here reported low cytotoxicity against HeLa cells with minimal hemolytic activity against red blood cells. We believe that halogenated quinoline small molecules could play an important role in the development of next-generation antibacterial therapeutics capable of targeting and eradicating biofilm-associated infections. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Butler, Andrew J; James, Thomas W; James, Karin Harman
2011-11-01
Everyday experience affords us many opportunities to learn about objects through multiple senses using physical interaction. Previous work has shown that active motor learning of unisensory items enhances memory and leads to the involvement of motor systems during subsequent perception. However, the impact of active motor learning on subsequent perception and recognition of associations among multiple senses has not been investigated. Twenty participants were included in an fMRI study that explored the impact of active motor learning on subsequent processing of unisensory and multisensory stimuli. Participants were exposed to visuo-motor associations between novel objects and novel sounds either through self-generated actions on the objects or by observing an experimenter produce the actions. Immediately after exposure, accuracy, RT, and BOLD fMRI measures were collected with unisensory and multisensory stimuli in associative perception and recognition tasks. Response times during audiovisual associative and unisensory recognition were enhanced by active learning, as was accuracy during audiovisual associative recognition. The difference in motor cortex activation between old and new associations was greater for the active than the passive group. Furthermore, functional connectivity between visual and motor cortices was stronger after active learning than passive learning. Active learning also led to greater activation of the fusiform gyrus during subsequent unisensory visual perception. Finally, brain regions implicated in audiovisual integration (e.g., STS) showed greater multisensory gain after active learning than after passive learning. Overall, the results show that active motor learning modulates the processing of multisensory associations.
Hu, Ling-Ya; Chen, Li-Xian; Liu, Meng-Ting; Wang, Ai-Jun; Wu, Lan-Ju; Feng, Jiu-Ju
2017-05-01
Theophylline as a naturally alkaloid is commonly employed to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Herein, a facile theophylline-assisted green approach was firstly developed for synthesis of PtAu nanospheres/reduced graphene oxide (PtAu NSs/rGO), without any surfactant, polymer, or seed involved. The obtained nanocomposites were applied for the catalytic reduction and removal of highly toxic chromium (VI) using formic acid as a model reductant at 50°C, showing the significantly enhanced catalytic activity and improved recyclability when compared with commercial Pt/C (50%) and home-made Au nanocrystals supported rGO (Au NCs/rGO). It demonstrates great potential applications of the catalyst in wastewater treatment and environmental protection. The eco-friendly route provides a new platform to fabricate other catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Kraus, Michael W; Chen, Serena
2009-07-01
Extending research on the automatic activation of goals associated with significant others, the authors hypothesized that self-verification goals typically pursued with significant others are automatically elicited when a significant-other representation is activated. Supporting this hypothesis, the activation of a significant-other representation through priming (Experiments 1 and 3) or through a transference encounter (Experiment 2) led participants to seek feedback that verifies their preexisting self-views. Specifically, significant-other primed participants desired self-verifying feedback, in general (Experiment 1), from an upcoming interaction partner (Experiment 2), and relative to acquaintance-primed participants and favorable feedback (Experiment 3). Finally, self-verification goals were activated, especially for relational self-views deemed high in importance to participants' self-concepts (Experiment 2) and held with high certainty (Experiment 3). Implications for research on self-evaluative goals, the relational self, and the automatic goal activation literature are discussed, as are consequences for close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chen, Tong; Wu, Yu-wei; Lu, Hui
Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) are multipotent progenitor cells with multi-lineage differentiation potential including osteogenesis and adipogenesis. While significant progress has been made in understanding the transcriptional control of hASC fate, little is known about how hASC differentiation is regulated by the autocrine loop. The most abundant adipocytokine secreted by adipocytes, adiponectin (APN) plays a pivotal role in glucose metabolism and energy homeostasis. Growing evidence suggests a positive association between APN and bone formation yet little is known regarding the direct effects of APN on hASC osteogenesis. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the varied osteogenic effects and regulatorymore » mechanisms of APN in the osteogenic commitment of hASCs. We found that APN enhanced the expression of osteoblast-related genes in hASCs, such as osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, and runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2, also known as CBFa1), in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This was further confirmed by the higher expression levels of alkaline phosphatase and increased formation of mineralization nodules, along with the absence of inhibition of cell proliferation. Importantly, APN at 1 μg/ml was the optimal concentration, resulting in maximum deposition of calcium nodules, and was significant superior to bone morphogenetic protein 2. Mechanistically, we found for the first time that APN increased nuclear translocation of the leucine zipper motif (APPL)-1 as well as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation, which were reversed by pretreatment with APPL1 siRNA. Our results indicate that APN promotes the osteogenic differentiation of hASCs by activating APPL1-AMPK signaling, suggesting that manipulation of APN is a novel therapeutic target for controlling hASC fate. - Highlights: • Adiponectin enhances osteogenic differentiation in human adipose-derived stem cells. • The knock-down of APPL1 block the
Pan, Yongming; Xu, Jianqin; Chen, Cheng; Chen, Fangming; Jin, Ping; Zhu, Keyan; Hu, Chenyue W.; You, Mengmeng; Chen, Minli; Hu, Fuliang
2018-01-01
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia characterized by aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) and neuronal loss. One of the risk factors for AD is high cholesterol levels, which are known to promote Aβ deposition. Previous studies have shown that royal jelly (RJ), a product of worker bees, has potential neuroprotective effects and can attenuate Aβ toxicity. However, little is known about how RJ regulates Aβ formation and its effects on cholesterol levels and neuronal metabolic activities. Here, we investigated whether RJ can reduce cholesterol levels, regulate Aβ levels and enhance neuronal metabolic activities in an AD rabbit model induced by 2% cholesterol diet plus copper drinking water. Our results suggest that RJ significantly reduced the levels of plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and decreased the level of Aβ in rabbit brains. RJ was also shown to markedly ameliorate amyloid deposition in AD rabbits from Aβ immunohistochemistry and thioflavin-T staining. Furthermore, our study suggests that RJ can reduce the expression levels of β-site APP cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and increase the expression levels of low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) and insulin degrading enzyme (IDE). In addition, we found that RJ remarkably increased the number of neurons, enhanced antioxidant capacities, inhibited activated-capase-3 protein expression, and enhanced neuronal metabolic activities by increasing N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and glutamate and by reducing choline and myo-inositol in AD rabbits. Taken together, our data demonstrated that RJ could reduce cholesterol levels, regulate Aβ levels and enhance neuronal metabolic activities in AD rabbits, providing preclinical evidence that RJ treatment has the potential to protect neurons and prevent AD. PMID:29556189
Ngan, Shing-Chung; Hu, Xiaoping; Khong, Pek-Lan
2011-03-01
We propose a method for preprocessing event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that can lead to enhancement of template-free activation detection. The method is based on using a figure of merit to guide the wavelet shrinkage of a given fMRI data set. Several previous studies have demonstrated that in the root-mean-square error setting, wavelet shrinkage can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of fMRI time courses. However, preprocessing fMRI data in the root-mean-square error setting does not necessarily lead to enhancement of template-free activation detection. Motivated by this observation, in this paper, we move to the detection setting and investigate the possibility of using wavelet shrinkage to enhance template-free activation detection of fMRI data. The main ingredients of our method are (i) forward wavelet transform of the voxel time courses, (ii) shrinking the resulting wavelet coefficients as directed by an appropriate figure of merit, (iii) inverse wavelet transform of the shrunk data, and (iv) submitting these preprocessed time courses to a given activation detection algorithm. Two figures of merit are developed in the paper, and two other figures of merit adapted from the literature are described. Receiver-operating characteristic analyses with simulated fMRI data showed quantitative evidence that data preprocessing as guided by the figures of merit developed in the paper can yield improved detectability of the template-free measures. We also demonstrate the application of our methodology on an experimental fMRI data set. The proposed method is useful for enhancing template-free activation detection in event-related fMRI data. It is of significant interest to extend the present framework to produce comprehensive, adaptive and fully automated preprocessing of fMRI data optimally suited for subsequent data analysis steps. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Qin, Wen; Li, Wei-Guang; Gong, Xu-Jin; Huang, Xiao-Fei; Fan, Wen-Biao; Zhang, Duoying; Yao, Peng; Wang, Xiao-Ju; Song, Yang
2017-08-01
To determine the potential effects of seasonal changes on water temperature and water quality upon removal of ammonium and organic carbon pollutants and to characterize the variations in microbial characteristics, a pilot-scale activated carbon filter biologically enhanced with heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria was investigated for 528 days. The results show that 69.2 ± 28.6% of ammonium and 23.1 ± 11.6% of the dissolved organic carbon were removed by the biologically enhanced activated carbon (BEAC) reactor. It is shown that higher biodegradable dissolved organic carbon enhances ammonium removal, even at low temperatures. The C/N ratio consumed by the BEAC reactor reached a steady value (i.e., 3.3) after 2 months of operation. Despite seasonal fluctuations and competition of the indigenous community, the heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria (Acinetobacter sp. HRBLi 16 and Acinetobacter harbinensis strain HITLi 7) remained relatively stable. The amount of carbon source was the most significant environmental parameter and dramatically affected the microbial community compositions in the BEAC reactor. The present study provides new insights into the application of a BEAC reactor for ammonium removal from drinking water, resisting strong seasonal changes.
Teague, Heather; Harris, Mitchel; Fenton, Jenifer; Lallemand, Perrine; Shewchuk, Brian M.; Shaikh, Saame Raza
2014-01-01
EPA and DHA are not biologically equivalent; however, their individual activity on B cells is unknown. We previously reported fish oil enhanced murine B-cell activity in obesity. To distinguish between the effects of EPA and DHA, we studied the ethyl esters of EPA and DHA on murine B-cell function as a function of time. We first demonstrate that EPA and DHA maintained the obese phenotype, with no improvements in fat mass, adipose inflammatory cytokines, fasting insulin, or glucose clearance. We then tested the hypothesis that EPA and DHA would increase the frequency of splenic B cells. EPA and DHA differentially enhanced the frequency and/or percentage of select B-cell subsets, correlating with increased natural serum IgM and cecal IgA. We next determined the activities of EPA and DHA on ex vivo production of cytokines upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation of B cells. EPA and DHA, in a time-dependent manner, enhanced B-cell cytokines with DHA notably increasing IL-10. At the molecular level, EPA and DHA differentially enhanced the formation of ordered microdomains but had no effect on Toll-like receptor 4 mobility. Overall, the results establish differential effects of EPA and DHA in a time-dependent manner on B-cell activity in obesity, which has implications for future clinical studies. PMID:24837990
Active Learning with Rationales for Identifying Operationally Significant Anomalies in Aviation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sharma, Manali; Das, Kamalika; Bilgic, Mustafa; Matthews, Bryan; Nielsen, David Lynn; Oza, Nikunj C.
2016-01-01
A major focus of the commercial aviation community is discovery of unknown safety events in flight operations data. Data-driven unsupervised anomaly detection methods are better at capturing unknown safety events compared to rule-based methods which only look for known violations. However, not all statistical anomalies that are discovered by these unsupervised anomaly detection methods are operationally significant (e.g., represent a safety concern). Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have to spend significant time reviewing these statistical anomalies individually to identify a few operationally significant ones. In this paper we propose an active learning algorithm that incorporates SME feedback in the form of rationales to build a classifier that can distinguish between uninteresting and operationally significant anomalies. Experimental evaluation on real aviation data shows that our approach improves detection of operationally significant events by as much as 75% compared to the state-of-the-art. The learnt classifier also generalizes well to additional validation data sets.
Yassin, Mohammed A; Mustafa, Kamal; Xing, Zhe; Sun, Yang; Fasmer, Kristine Eldevik; Waag, Thilo; Krueger, Anke; Steinmüller-Nethl, Doris; Finne-Wistrand, Anna; Leknes, Knut N
2017-06-01
Functionalizing polymer scaffolds with nanodiamond particles (nDPs) has pronounced effect on the surface properties, such as improved wettability, an increased active area and binding sites for cellular attachment and adhesion, and increased ability to immobilize biomolecules by physical adsorption. This study aims to evaluate the effect of poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (poly(LLA-co-CL)) scaffolds, functionalized with nDPs, on bone regeneration in a rat calvarial critical size defect. Poly(LLA-co-CL) scaffolds functionalized with nDPs are also compared with pristine scaffolds with reference to albumin adsorption and seeding efficiency of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Compared with pristine scaffolds, the experimental scaffolds exhibit a reduction in albumin adsorption and a significant increase in the seeding efficiency of BMSCs (p = 0.027). In the calvarial defects implanted with BMSC-seeded poly(LLA-co-CL)/nDPs scaffolds, live imaging at 12 weeks discloses a significant increase in osteogenic metabolic activity (p = 0.016). Microcomputed tomography, confirmed by histological data, reveals a substantial increase in bone volume (p = 0.021). The results show that compared with conventional poly(LLA-co-CL) scaffolds those functionalized with nDPs promote osteogenic metabolic activity and mineralization capacity. It is concluded that poly(LLA-co-CL) composite matrices functionalized with nDPs enhance osteoconductivity and therefore warrant further study as potential scaffolding material for bone tissue engineering. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Enhanced antibacterial activity through the controlled alignment of graphene oxide nanosheets.
Lu, Xinglin; Feng, Xunda; Werber, Jay R; Chu, Chiheng; Zucker, Ines; Kim, Jae-Hong; Osuji, Chinedum O; Elimelech, Menachem
2017-11-14
The cytotoxicity of 2D graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) is highly important for engineered applications and environmental health. However, the isotropic orientation of GBNs, most notably graphene oxide (GO), in previous experimental studies obscured the interpretation of cytotoxic contributions of nanosheet edges. Here, we investigate the orientation-dependent interaction of GBNs with bacteria using GO composite films. To produce the films, GO nanosheets are aligned in a magnetic field, immobilized by cross-linking of the surrounding matrix, and exposed on the surface through oxidative etching. Characterization by small-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy confirms that GO nanosheets align progressively well with increasing magnetic field strength and that the alignment is effectively preserved by cross-linking. When contacted with the model bacterium Escherichia coli , GO nanosheets with vertical orientation exhibit enhanced antibacterial activity compared with random and horizontal orientations. Further characterization is performed to explain the enhanced antibacterial activity of the film with vertically aligned GO. Using phospholipid vesicles as a model system, we observe that GO nanosheets induce physical disruption of the lipid bilayer. Additionally, we find substantial GO-induced oxidation of glutathione, a model intracellular antioxidant, paired with limited generation of reactive oxygen species, suggesting that oxidation occurs through a direct electron-transfer mechanism. These physical and chemical mechanisms both require nanosheet penetration of the cell membrane, suggesting that the enhanced antibacterial activity of the film with vertically aligned GO stems from an increased density of edges with a preferential orientation for membrane disruption. The importance of nanosheet penetration for cytotoxicity has direct implications for the design of engineering surfaces using GBNs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fu, Yanhui; Liang, Wei; Guo, Jinqiu; Tang, Hua; Liu, Shuaishuai
2018-02-01
A novel MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) decorated g-C3N4/Ag heterostructured photocatalyst has been synthesized via a two-step method including in situ microemulsion-assisted reduction and wetness impregnation method. The obtained heterostructure photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectrosxopy (PL). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible-light irradiation. The MoS2 QDs decorated hybrid photocatalysts exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance. The concentration of Ag and MoS2 QDs showing the optimal photocatalytic performance was determined to be 10% and 0.3% respectively, which exceeded the photocatalytic performance of pure g-C3N4 by more than 4.7 times. Recycling experiments confirmed that the hybrid catalysts had superior cycle performance and stability. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of MoS2 QDs decorated g-C3N4/Ag hybrid photocatalysts can be mainly ascribed to enhanced visible-light absorption, the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers and the stronger oxidation and reduction ability through a Z-scheme system composed of g-C3N4, Ag and MoS2 QDs, in which Ag nanoparticles act as the charge separation center. The evidence of the Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism of the composite photocatalysts was obtained from the active species trapping experiments.
[Significant increase of glucose transport activity in breast cancer].
Li, Juan; Yang, Shou-jing; Zhao, Xi-long; Zhang, Ya-qing; Li, Kai-nan; Cui, Ji-hong; Li, Jing
2008-02-01
To study the expression level and significance of glucose transporter 1 (Glut-1) in normal breast tissue, adenosis, adenoma and breast carcinoma. A total of 147 cases of female breast tissue samples, including 92 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, 26 cases of breast fibroadenoma, 24 cases of breast adenosis and 5 cases of normal breast tissues, were collected for quantitative detection of the expression of Glut-1 protein by immunohistochemistry (EnVision method) and Western blot, and its mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In normal breast tissue and benign lesions of the breast, Glut-1 was undetectable or only weakly detectable in cytoplasm of ductal and acinar epithelia. In contrast, the intensity of Glut-1 staining was significantly higher in invasive ductal carcinomas (P = 0.0002) with protein expression predominantly in cellular membrane and lesser in cytoplasm. Western blot and RT-PCR analyses showed that the expression of Glut-1 protein and mRNA were significantly increased in invasive ductal carcinoma than fibroadenoma (P =0.001 for protein; P <0.05 for mRNA) and adenosis (P =0.001 for protein; P < 0.05 for mRNA). There was a significant difference among groups (P = 0.0002 for protein; P = 0.0001 for mRNA). Glucose transport activity, as indicated by Glut-1 protein and its mRNA expression, significantly increases in breast carcinoma than non-cancerous lesions. The over-expression of Glut-1 in breast carcinoma is tightly coupled with tumor cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, implying that Glut-1 may serve as a new marker in the early diagnosis and prognostication of breast malignancy as well as a new therapeutic target.
Shrimali, Rajeev; Ahmad, Shamim; Berrong, Zuzana; Okoev, Grigori; Matevosyan, Adelaida; Razavi, Ghazaleh Shoja E; Petit, Robert; Gupta, Seema; Mkrtichyan, Mikayel; Khleif, Samir N
2017-08-15
We previously demonstrated that in addition to generating an antigen-specific immune response, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)-based immunotherapy significantly reduces the ratio of regulatory T cells (Tregs)/CD4 + and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment. Since Lm-based immunotherapy is able to inhibit the immune suppressive environment, we hypothesized that combining this treatment with agonist antibody to a co-stimulatory receptor that would further boost the effector arm of immunity will result in significant improvement of anti-tumor efficacy of treatment. Here we tested the immune and therapeutic efficacy of Listeria-based immunotherapy combination with agonist antibody to glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor-related protein (GITR) in TC-1 mouse tumor model. We evaluated the potency of combination on tumor growth and survival of treated animals and profiled tumor microenvironment for effector and suppressor cell populations. We demonstrate that combination of Listeria-based immunotherapy with agonist antibody to GITR synergizes to improve immune and therapeutic efficacy of treatment in a mouse tumor model. We show that this combinational treatment leads to significant inhibition of tumor-growth, prolongs survival and leads to complete regression of established tumors in 60% of treated animals. We determined that this therapeutic benefit of combinational treatment is due to a significant increase in tumor infiltrating effector CD4 + and CD8 + T cells along with a decrease of inhibitory cells. To our knowledge, this is the first study that exploits Lm-based immunotherapy combined with agonist anti-GITR antibody as a potent treatment strategy that simultaneously targets both the effector and suppressor arms of the immune system, leading to significantly improved anti-tumor efficacy. We believe that our findings depicted in this manuscript provide a promising and translatable strategy that can enhance the overall
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Peng, Biyu; Zhang, Shengsen; Yang, Siyuan
2014-08-15
The prepared g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Cu{sub 2}O composite exhibited the enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation due to the stronger ability in separation of electron–hole pairs, which was proven by the transient photocurrent measurement. - Highlights: • The coupled Cu{sub 2}O with g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} of narrow-band-gap semiconductor has been designed. • g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Cu{sub 2}O is prepared via an alcohol-aqueous based on chemical precipitation method. • g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Cu{sub 2}O exhibits the enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible-light. • The enhanced photocatalytic activity is proven by the transient photocurrent test. • A mechanism for the visible-light-driven photocatalysis of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Cu{submore » 2}O is revealed. - Abstract: To overcome the drawback of low photocatalytic efficiency brought by electron–hole pairs recombination and narrow photo-response range, a novel g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Cu{sub 2}O composite photocatalyst was designed and prepared successfully. Compared with bare Cu{sub 2}O and g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}, the g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Cu{sub 2}O composite exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for acid orange-II (AO-II) degradation under visible light irradiation. Based on energy band positions, the mechanism of enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity was proposed.« less
GATA simple sequence repeats function as enhancer blocker boundaries.
Kumar, Ram P; Krishnan, Jaya; Pratap Singh, Narendra; Singh, Lalji; Mishra, Rakesh K
2013-01-01
Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) account for ~3% of the human genome, but their functional significance still remains unclear. One of the prominent SSRs the GATA tetranucleotide repeat has preferentially accumulated in complex organisms. GATA repeats are particularly enriched on the human Y chromosome, and their non-random distribution and exclusive association with genes expressed during early development indicate their role in coordinated gene regulation. Here we show that GATA repeats have enhancer blocker activity in Drosophila and human cells. This enhancer blocker activity is seen in transgenic as well as native context of the enhancers at various developmental stages. These findings ascribe functional significance to SSRs and offer an explanation as to why SSRs, especially GATA, may have accumulated in complex organisms.
Knop, J
1980-12-01
Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase (VCN) enhances the immune response of lymphocytes in various systems, such as antigen- and mitogen-induced blastogenesis, mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) and tumor-cell response. We used macrophage-depleted and reconstituted murine lymph-node T-cells to investigate the effect of VCN on macrophage-T-lymphocyte co-operation in Con-A-induced lymphocyte activation. In unfractionated lymph-node cells VCN enhanced the Con-A-induced lymphocyte activation as measured by 3H-thymidine (3H-dThd) incorporation. Removing macrophages from the cells resulted in a significantly diminished response. In addition the enhancing effect of VCN was greatly reduced. Reconstitution of the lymphocyte cultures with macrophages in increasing numbers and from various sources rstored the lymphocyte response and the enhancing effect of VCN. VCN proved to be most efficient in cultures reconstituted with normal peritoneal macrophages. Some effect was also observed using bone-marrow-derived (BM) macrophages. However, higher numbers of normal PE macrophages in the presence of VCN inhibited lymphocyte activation, and inhibition by thioglycollate-broth-induced macrophages was considerably increased by VCN. These results suggest that VCN acts by increasing the efficiency of macrophage-T lymphocyte interaction.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ratova, Marina; Kelly, Peter J.; West, Glen T.; Tosheva, Lubomira; Edge, Michele
2017-01-01
Titanium dioxide - bismuth tungstate composite materials were prepared by pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering of bismuth and tungsten metallic targets in argon/oxygen atmosphere onto anatase and rutile titania nanoparticles. The use of an oscillating bowl placed beneath the two magnetrons arranged in a co-planar closed field configuration enabled the deposition of bismuth tungstate onto loose powders, rather than a solid substrate. The atomic ratio of the bismuth/tungsten coatings was controlled by varying the power applied to each target. The effect of the bismuth tungstate coatings on the phase, optical and photocatalytic properties of titania was investigated by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and an acetone degradation test. The latter involved measurements of the rate of CO2 evolution under visible light irradiation of the photocatalysts, which indicated that the deposition of bismuth tungstate resulted in a significant enhancement of visible light activity, for both anatase and rutile titania particles. The best results were achieved for coatings with a bismuth to tungsten atomic ratio of 2:1. In addition, the mechanism by which the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 nanoparticles was enhanced by compounding it with bismuth tungstate was studied by microwave cavity perturbation. The results of these tests confirmed that such enhancement of the photocatalytic properties is due to more efficient photogenerated charge carrier separation, as well as to the contribution of the intrinsic photocatalytic properties of Bi2WO6.
O'Harte, F P; Mooney, M H; Kelly, C M; Flatt, P R
1998-10-01
Monoglycated cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) (glucitol-Asp1 adduct) modified at the NH2-terminus was prepared under hyperglycemic conditions, purified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and characterized by mass spectrometry (Mr 1228.4 Da) and peptide sequencing. CCK-8 (100 nmol/kg, i.p.) significantly (P < 0.001) reduced voluntary food intake of fasted mice for up to 30 min after its administration, compared with saline-administered controls. Glycated CCK-8 reduced food intake at 30-120 min (P < 0.01 to P < 0.001) and significantly reduced feeding compared with CCK-8 from 60 to 120 min (P < 0.01). In vitro plasma degradation studies indicated that glycated CCK-8 was resistant to the normal rapid enzymatic conversion to CCK fragments. This study demonstrated that CCK-8 is a potent short-term inhibitor of food intake, and that structural modification of this peptide by amino-terminal glycation leads to enhanced satiating activity, partially due to increased resistance to serum aminopeptidase degradation.
Enhancement of the antifungal activity of antimicrobial drugs by Eugenia uniflora L.
Santos, Karla K A; Matias, Edinardo F F; Tintino, Saulo R; Souza, Celestina E S; Braga, Maria F B M; Guedes, Gláucia M M; Costa, José G M; Menezes, Irwin R A; Coutinho, Henrique Douglas Melo
2013-07-01
Candidiasis is the most frequent infection by opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. Ethanol extract from Eugenia uniflora was assayed, for its antifungal activity, either alone or combined with four selected chemotherapeutic antimicrobial agents, including anphotericin B, mebendazole, nistatin, and metronidazole against these strains. The obtained results indicated that the association of the extract of E. uniflora to metronidazole showed a potential antifungal activity against C. tropicalis. However, no synergistic activity against the other strains was observed, as observed when the extract was associated with the other, not enhancing their antifungal activity.
Enhancement of the Antifungal Activity of Antimicrobial Drugs by Eugenia uniflora L.
Santos, Karla K.A.; Matias, Edinardo F.F.; Tintino, Saulo R.; Souza, Celestina E.S.; Braga, Maria F.B.M.; Guedes, Gláucia M.M.; Costa, José G.M.; Menezes, Irwin R.A.
2013-01-01
Abstract Candidiasis is the most frequent infection by opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. Ethanol extract from Eugenia uniflora was assayed, for its antifungal activity, either alone or combined with four selected chemotherapeutic antimicrobial agents, including anphotericin B, mebendazole, nistatin, and metronidazole against these strains. The obtained results indicated that the association of the extract of E. uniflora to metronidazole showed a potential antifungal activity against C. tropicalis. However, no synergistic activity against the other strains was observed, as observed when the extract was associated with the other, not enhancing their antifungal activity. PMID:23819641
Oriowo, Mabayoje A; Oommen, Elsie; Khan, Islam
2011-11-01
Experimentally-induced hyperthyroidism in rodents is associated with signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of thyroxine-induced pulmonary hypertension on the contractile response of the pulmonary artery to 5-HT and the possible underlying signaling pathway. 5-HT concentration-dependently contracted artery segments from control and thyroxine-treated rats with pD(2) values of 5.04 ± 0.19 and 5.34 ± 0.14, respectively. The maximum response was significantly greater in artery segments from thyroxine-treated rats. Neither BW 723C86 (5-HT(2B)-receptor agonist) nor CP 93129 (5-HT(1B)-receptor agonist) contracted ring segments of the pulmonary artery from control and thyroxine-treated rats at concentrations up to 10(-4)M. There was no significant difference in the level of expression of 5-HT(2A)-receptor protein between the two groups. Ketanserin (3 × 10(-8)M) produced a rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to 5-HT in both groups with equal potency (-logK(B) values were 8.1 ± 0.2 and 7.9 ± 0.1 in control and thyroxine-treated rats, respectively). Nifedipine (10(-6)M) inhibited 5-HT-induced contractions in artery segments from control and thyroxine-treated rats and was more effective against 5-HT-induced contraction in artery segments for thyroxine-treated rats. The calcium-activated chloride channel blocker, niflumic acid (10(-4)M) also inhibited 5-HT-induced contractions in artery segments from control and thyroxine-treated rats and was more effective against 5-HT-induced contraction in artery segments for thyroxine-treated rats. It was concluded that hyperthyroidism enhanced 5-HT-induced contractions of the rat pulmonary artery by a mechanism involving increased activity of calcium-activated chloride channels. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Lactic acid bacteria: promising supplements for enhancing the biological activities of kombucha.
Nguyen, Nguyen Khoi; Dong, Ngan Thi Ngoc; Nguyen, Huong Thuy; Le, Phu Hong
2015-01-01
Kombucha is sweetened black tea that is fermented by a symbiosis of bacteria and yeast embedded within a cellulose membrane. It is considered a health drink in many countries because it is a rich source of vitamins and may have other health benefits. It has previously been reported that adding lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) strains to kombucha can enhance its biological functions, but in that study only lactic acid bacteria isolated from kefir grains were tested. There are many other natural sources of lactic acid bacteria. In this study, we examined the effects of lactic acid bacteria from various fermented Vietnamese food sources (pickled cabbage, kefir and kombucha) on kombucha's three main biological functions: glucuronic acid production, antibacterial activity and antioxidant ability. Glucuronic acid production was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, antibacterial activity was assessed by the agar-well diffusion method and antioxidant ability was evaluated by determining the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity. Four strains of food-borne pathogenic bacteria were used in our antibacterial experiments: Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19111, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 and Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778. Our findings showed that lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from kefir are superior to those from other sources for improving glucuronic acid production and enhancing the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of kombucha. This study illustrates the potential of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from kefir as biosupplements for enhancing the bioactivities of kombucha.
Yu, Shui-Xing; Chen, Wei; Liu, Zhen-Zhen; Zhou, Feng-Hua; Yan, Shi-Qing; Hu, Gui-Qiu; Qin, Xiao-Xia; Zhang, Jie; Ma, Ke; Du, Chong-Tao; Gu, Jing-Min; Deng, Xu-Ming; Han, Wen-Yu; Yang, Yong-Jun
2018-01-01
The intestinal mucosal barrier is critical for host defense against pathogens infection. Here, we demonstrate that the mixed lineage kinase-like protein (MLKL), a necroptosis effector, promotes intestinal epithelial barrier function by enhancing inflammasome activation. MLKL -/- mice were more susceptible to Salmonella infection compared with wild-type counterparts, with higher mortality rates, increased body weight loss, exacerbated intestinal inflammation, more bacterial colonization, and severe epithelial barrier disruption. MLKL deficiency promoted early epithelial colonization of Salmonella prior to developing apparent intestinal pathology. Active MLKL was predominantly expressed in crypt epithelial cells, and experiments using bone marrow chimeras found that the protective effects of MLKL were dependent on its expression in non-hematopoietic cells. Intestinal mucosa of MLKL -/- mice had impaired caspase-1 and gasdermin D cleavages and decreased interleukin (IL)-18 release. Moreover, administration of exogenous recombinant IL-18 rescued the phenotype of increased bacterial colonization in MLKL -/- mice. Thus, our results uncover the role of MLKL in enhancing inflammasome activation in intestinal epithelial cells to inhibit early bacterial colonization.
Yu, Shui-Xing; Chen, Wei; Liu, Zhen-Zhen; Zhou, Feng-Hua; Yan, Shi-Qing; Hu, Gui-Qiu; Qin, Xiao-Xia; Zhang, Jie; Ma, Ke; Du, Chong-Tao; Gu, Jing-Min; Deng, Xu-Ming; Han, Wen-Yu; Yang, Yong-Jun
2018-01-01
The intestinal mucosal barrier is critical for host defense against pathogens infection. Here, we demonstrate that the mixed lineage kinase-like protein (MLKL), a necroptosis effector, promotes intestinal epithelial barrier function by enhancing inflammasome activation. MLKL−/− mice were more susceptible to Salmonella infection compared with wild-type counterparts, with higher mortality rates, increased body weight loss, exacerbated intestinal inflammation, more bacterial colonization, and severe epithelial barrier disruption. MLKL deficiency promoted early epithelial colonization of Salmonella prior to developing apparent intestinal pathology. Active MLKL was predominantly expressed in crypt epithelial cells, and experiments using bone marrow chimeras found that the protective effects of MLKL were dependent on its expression in non-hematopoietic cells. Intestinal mucosa of MLKL−/− mice had impaired caspase-1 and gasdermin D cleavages and decreased interleukin (IL)-18 release. Moreover, administration of exogenous recombinant IL-18 rescued the phenotype of increased bacterial colonization in MLKL−/− mice. Thus, our results uncover the role of MLKL in enhancing inflammasome activation in intestinal epithelial cells to inhibit early bacterial colonization. PMID:29456533
Overweight adult cats have significantly lower voluntary physical activity than adult lean cats.
de Godoy, Maria Rc; Shoveller, Anna K
2017-12-01
Objectives The objectives of the current pilot study were to evaluate whether body condition score (BCS) and body weight are significantly related to physical activity counts, and to evaluate potential interaction between BCS and voluntary physical activity measured over a 14 day period. Methods Ten (five lean, five overweight), neutered, adult American Shorthair cats were selected for this study (median age 4 ± 0.5 years). Cats with a BCS of ⩽3.0 were considered lean, whereas cats with a BCS >3.0 were considered overweight, using a 5-point scale. Cats were housed in a free-living environment with indoor/outdoor access and were individually fed once daily a commercially available dry extruded diet and allowed 1 h to eat. Voluntary physical activity was measured consecutively for 14 days using the Actical Activity Monitors that were worn parallel to the ribs and attached via a harness. Results Lean cats had a greater mean total daily voluntary physical activity ( P = 0.0059), and a greater voluntary physical activity during light ( P = 0.0023) and dark ( P = 0.0446) periods, with overweight cats having 60% of the physical activity of lean cats. Lean cats were more active before feeding and during animal care procedures. These data suggest that lean cats have a greater anticipatory physical activity prior to feeding and are more eager to have social interaction with humans than overweight cats. A significant interaction was observed between day of physical activity measurement and BCS for total daily voluntary physical activity ( P = 0.0133) and activity during the light period ( P = 0.0016) where lean cats were consistently more active than overweight cats. In general, cats were more active during weekdays vs weekends. Conclusions and relevance The results of this study suggest that overweight cats are less active than lean cats and that voluntary physical activity level appears to be influenced by social interaction with humans.
Murata, Koichiro; Morino, Katsutaro; Ida, Shogo; Ohashi, Natsuko; Lemecha, Mengistu; Park, Shi-Young; Ishikado, Atsushi; Kume, Shinji; Choi, Cheol Soo; Sekine, Osamu; Ugi, Satoshi; Maegawa, Hiroshi
2018-01-08
O-GlcNAcylation is a post-translational modification that is characterized by the addition of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to proteins by O-GlcNAc transferase (Ogt). The degree of O-GlcNAcylation is thought to be associated with glucotoxicity and diabetic complications, because GlcNAc is produced by a branch of the glycolytic pathway. However, its role in skeletal muscle has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we created skeletal muscle-specific Ogt knockout (Ogt-MKO) mice and analyzed their glucose metabolism. During an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, blood glucose was slightly lower in Ogt-MKO mice than in control Ogt-flox mice. High fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance were reversed in Ogt-MKO mice. In addition, 12-month-old Ogt-MKO mice had lower adipose and body mass. A single bout of exercise significantly reduced blood glucose in Ogt-MKO mice, probably because of higher AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) protein expression. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide, an AMPK activator, resulted in a more marked decrease in blood glucose levels in Ogt-MKO mice than in controls. Finally, Ogt knockdown by siRNA in C2C12 myotubes significantly increased protein expression of AMPKα, glucose uptake and oxidation. In conclusion, loss of O-GlcNAcylation facilitates glucose utilization in skeletal muscle, potentially through AMPK activation. The inhibition of O-GlcNAcylation in skeletal muscle may have an anti-diabetic effect, through an enhancement of glucose utilization during exercise. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Li, Yuanyuan; Leneghan, Darren B; Miura, Kazutoyo; Nikolaeva, Daria; Brian, Iona J; Dicks, Matthew D J; Fyfe, Alex J; Zakutansky, Sarah E; de Cassan, Simone; Long, Carole A; Draper, Simon J; Hill, Adrian V S; Hill, Fergal; Biswas, Sumi
2016-01-08
Transmission-blocking vaccines (TBV) target the sexual-stages of the malaria parasite in the mosquito midgut and are widely considered to be an essential tool for malaria elimination. High-titer functional antibodies are required against target antigens to achieve effective transmission-blocking activity. We have fused Pfs25, the leading malaria TBV candidate antigen to IMX313, a molecular adjuvant and expressed it both in ChAd63 and MVA viral vectors and as a secreted protein-nanoparticle. Pfs25-IMX313 expressed from viral vectors or as a protein-nanoparticle is significantly more immunogenic and gives significantly better transmission-reducing activity than monomeric Pfs25. In addition, we demonstrate that the Pfs25-IMX313 protein-nanoparticle leads to a qualitatively improved antibody response in comparison to soluble Pfs25, as well as to significantly higher germinal centre (GC) responses. These results demonstrate that antigen multimerization using IMX313 is a very promising strategy to enhance antibody responses against Pfs25, and that Pfs25-IMX313 is a highly promising TBV candidate vaccine.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Han, Qiaofeng; Yang, Zhen; Wang, Li; Shen, Zichen; Wang, Xin; Zhu, Junwu; Jiang, Xiaohong
2017-05-01
It is very significant to develop CH3COO(BiO) (denoted as BiOAc) based photocatalysts for the removal of pollutants due to its non-toxicity and availability. We previously reported that BiOAc exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under UV light irradiation. Herein, by an ion exchange approach, BiOI/BiOAc heterojunction could be easily obtained. The as-prepared heterojunction possessed enhanced photodegradation activity for multiple dyes including RhB and methyl orange (MO) under visible light illumination in comparison with individual materials. Good visible-light photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction could be attributed to the increased visible light response, effective charge transfer from the modified band position and close interfacial contact due to partial ion exchange method.
He, Weiwei; Wu, Haohao; Wamer, Wayne G; Kim, Hyun-Kyung; Zheng, Jiwen; Jia, Huimin; Zheng, Zhi; Yin, Jun-Jie
2014-09-10
An effective way for promoting photocatalytic activity of a semiconductor is deposition of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) onto it. In this paper, we deposited Ag and Pd onto ZnO NPs to form ZnO/Ag and ZnO/Pd hybrid nanostructures. It was found that both Ag and Pd nanocomponents can greatly enhance the photocatalytic activity and phototoxicity of ZnO toward human skin cells. Using electron spin resonance spectroscopy with spin trapping and spin labeling techniques, we observed that either deposition of Ag or Pd resulted in a significant increase in photogenerated electrons and holes and production of reactive oxygen species including hydroxyl radicals, superoxide, and singlet oxygen. We compared the enhancing effects of Ag and Pd and found that Pd is more effective than Ag in promoting the generation of hydroxyl radicals and holes and the photocatalytic activity of ZnO. Conversely, Ag is more effective than Pd in enhancing electron transfer and the generation of superoxide and singlet oxygen. The mechanism underlying the differences in the effects of Ag and Pd may be related to differences in Fermi levels for Ag and Pd and band bending accompanied by effects on Schottky barriers. The results of these studies provide information valuable for designing hybrid nanomaterials having photocatalytic and photobiological activities useful for applications such as water purification and formulation of antibacterial products.
Chen, Liang; Miao, Yanyan; Chen, Lin; Xu, Jing; Wang, Xinxing; Zhao, Han; Shen, Yi; Hu, Yi; Bian, Yunpeng; Shen, Yuanyuan; Chen, Jutao; Zha, Yingying; Wen, Long-Ping; Wang, Ming
2014-11-01
Engineered nanomaterials are known to exhibit diverse and sometimes unexpected biological effects. Fullerene nanoparticles have been reported to specifically bind to and elicit persistent activation of hippocampal Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a multimeric intracellular serine/threonine kinase central to Ca(2+) signal transduction and critical for synaptic plasticity, but the functional consequence of that modulation is unknown. Here we show that low doses of fullerene C60 nanocrystals (Nano C60), delivered through intrahippocampal infusion and without any obvious cytotoxicity in hippocampal neuronal cells, enhance the long-term potentiation (LTP) of rats. Intraperitoneal injection of 320 μg/kg of Nano C60, once daily for 10 days, also enhanced spatial memory of rats in addition to an increase of LTP. In parallel, both the IH and IP administration of Nano C60 increased the autonomous activity and the level of threonine 286 (T286) autophosphorylation of CaMKII, enhanced post-synaptic AMPA/NMDA ratio, and triggered time-dependent activation of ERK and CREB. Our results reveal a striking and highly unexpected ability of Nano C60 in positively modulating learning and memory, an effect that is most likely manifested through locking CaMKII in an active conformation, and may have significant implications for the potential therapeutic applications of fullerene C60, a classic engineered nanomaterial. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hierarchy within the mammary STAT5-driven Wap super-enhancer
Zeng, Xianke; Wang, Chaochen; Metser, Gil; Hennighausen, Lothar
2016-01-01
Super-enhancers comprise of dense transcription factor platforms highly enriched for active chromatin marks. A paucity of functional data led us to investigate their role in the mammary gland, an organ characterized by exceptional gene regulatory dynamics during pregnancy. ChIP-Seq for the master regulator STAT5, the glucocorticoid receptor, H3K27ac and MED1, identified 440 mammary-specific super-enhancers, half of which were associated with genes activated during pregnancy. We interrogated the Wap super-enhancer, generating mice carrying mutations in STAT5 binding sites within its three constituent enhancers. Individually, only the most distal site displayed significant enhancer activity. However, combinatorial mutations showed that the 1,000-fold gene induction relied on all enhancers. Disabling the binding sites of STAT5, NFIB and ELF5 in the proximal enhancer incapacitated the entire super-enhancer, suggesting an enhancer hierarchy. The identification of mammary-specific super-enhancers and the mechanistic exploration of the Wap locus provide insight into the complexity of cell-specific and hormone-regulated genes. PMID:27376239