Gardnerritter5761

etabolically highly active fat depot that plays a previously unrecognized role in the pathogenesis of hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in advanced obesity.AlN nucleation layers are the basement of GaN-on-Si structures grown for light-emitting diodes, high frequency telecommunication and power switching systems. In this context, our work aims to understand the origin of propagation losses in GaN-on-Si High Electron Mobility Transistors at microwaves frequencies, which are critical for efficient devices and circuits. AlN/Si structures are grown by Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy. Acceptor dopant in-diffusion (Al and Ga) into the Si substrate is studied by Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy and is mainly located in the first 200 nm beneath the interface. In this region, an acceptor concentration of a few 1018 cm-3 is estimated from Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) measurements while the volume hole concentration of several 1017 cm-3 is deduced from sheet resistance. Furthermore, the combination of scanning capacitance microscopy and scanning spreading resistance microscopy enables the 2D profiling of both the p-type conductive channel and the space charge region beneath the AlN/Si interface. We demonstrate that samples grown at lower temperature exhibit a p-doped conductive channel over a shallower depth which explains lower propagation losses in comparison with those synthesized at higher temperature. Our work highlights that this p-type channel can increase the propagation losses in the high-frequency devices but also that a memory effect associated with the previous sample growths with GaN can noticeably affect the physical properties in absence of proper reactor preparation. Hence, monitoring the acceptor dopant in-diffusion beneath the AlN/Si interface is crucial for achieving efficient GaN-on-Si microwave power devices.Down syndrome is a complex genetic disorder caused by the presence of three copies of the chromosome 21 in humans. The most common models, carrying extra-copies of overlapping fragments of mouse chromosome 16 that is syntenic to human chromosome 21, are Ts2Cje, Ts1Cje and Ts1Rhr mice. In electrophysiological analyses using hippocampal slices, we found that the later phase of the depolarization during tetanic stimulation, which was regulated by GABAB receptors, was significantly smaller in Ts1Cje and Ts2Cje mice than that in WT controls but not in Ts1Rhr mice. Furthermore, isolated GABAB receptor-mediated inhibitory synaptic responses were larger in Ts1Cje mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report that directly shows the enhancement of GABAB receptor-mediated synaptic currents in Ts1Cje mice. These results suggest that GABAB receptor-mediated synaptic inhibition was enhanced in Ts1Cje and Ts2Cje mice but not in Ts1Rhr mice. The Cbr1 gene, which is present in three copies in Ts1Cje and Ts2Cje but not in Ts1Rhr, encodes carbonyl reductase that may facilitate GABAB-receptor activity through a reduction of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Interestingly, we found that a reduction of PGE2 and an memory impairment in Ts1Cje mice were alleviated when only Cbr1 was set back to two copies (Ts1Cje;Cbr1+/+/-). However, the GABAB receptor-dependent enhancement of synaptic inhibition in Ts1Cje was unaltered in Ts1Cje;Cbr1+/+/- mice. These results indicate that Cbr1 is one of the genes responsible for DS cognitive impairments and the gene(s) other than Cbr1, which is included in Ts1Cje but not in Ts1Rhr, is responsible for the GABAB receptor-dependent over-inhibition.Pomace seed extract loaded vesicles were prepared as promising technological and green solution to exploit agri-food wastes and by-products, and develop high value-added products for human health. An antioxidant extract rich in bioactive compounds (epicatechins, catechin, gallic acid, quercetin and procynidins) was obtained from the seeds isolated from the pomace of Cannonau red grape cultivar. The extract was incorporated into phospholipid vesicles ad hoc formulated for intestinal delivery, by combining them, for the first time, whit a maltodextrin (Glucidex). Glucidex-transfersomes, glucidex-hyalurosomes and glucidex-hyalutransferomes were prepared, characterized and tested. Glucidex-liposomes were used as reference. All vesicles were small in size (~ 150 nm), homogeneously dispersed and negatively charged. Glucidex-transfersomes and especially glucidex-hyalutransfersomes disclosed an unexpected resistance to acidic pH and high ionic strength, as they maintained their physico-chemical properties (size and size distribution) after dilution at pH 1.2 simulating the harsh gastric conditions. Vesicles were highly biocompatible and able to counteract the oxidative damages induced in Caco-2 cells by using hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, they promoted the formation of Lactobacillus reuteri biofilm acting as prebiotic formulation. Amprenavir inhibitor Overall results suggest the potential of glucidex-hyalutransfersomes as food supplements for the treatment of intestinal disorders.Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is among the most common dose-limiting adverse effects of cancer treatment, leading to dose reduction and discontinuation of life-saving chemotherapy and a permanently impaired quality of life for patients. Currently, no effective treatment or prevention is available. Senescence induced during cancer treatment has been shown to promote the adverse effects. Here, we show that cisplatin induces senescent-like neuronal cells in primary culture and in mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG), as determined by the characteristic senescence markers including senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, accumulation of cytosolic p16INK4A and HMGB1, as well as increased expression of p16Ink4a, p21, and MMP-9. The accumulation of senescent-like neuronal cells in DRG is associated with cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in mice. To determine if depletion of senescent-like neuronal cells may effectively mitigate CIPN, we used a pharmacological 'senolytic' agent, ABT263, which inhibits the anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-2 and BCL-xL and selectively kills senescent cells. Our results demonstrated that clearance of DRG senescent neuronal cells reverses CIPN, suggesting that senescent-like neurons play a role in CIPN pathogenesis. This finding was further validated using transgenic p16-3MR mice, which permit ganciclovir (GCV) to selectively kill senescent cells expressing herpes simplex virus 1 thymidine kinase (HSV-TK). We showed that CIPN was alleviated upon GCV administration to p16-3MR mice. Together, the results suggest that clearance of senescent DRG neuronal cells following platinum-based cancer treatment might be an effective therapy for the debilitating side effect of CIPN.Context, the information surrounding an experience, can significantly alter the meaning and the affective responses to events. Yet the biological mechanisms through which context modulate experiences are not entirely understood. Here, we hypothesized that the µ-opioid system-extensively implicated in placebo effects, a clinical phenomenon thought to rely on contextual processing-modulates the effects of contextual information on emotional attributions in patients with depression. To test this hypothesis, 20 unmedicated patients with depression completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of one dose of 50 mg of naltrexone, or placebo immediately before completing two sessions of the Contextual Framing fMRI task. This task captures effects of valenced contextual cues (pleasant vs. unpleasant) on emotional attribution (the rating of subtle emotional faces fearful, neutral, or happy). Behaviorally, we found that emotional attribution was significantly moderated by the interaction between contextual cues and subtle emotional faces, such that participants' ratings of valenced faces (fearful and happy), compared to neutral, were more negative during unpleasant, compared to pleasant context cues. link2 At a neural level, context-induced blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the dorsal anterior cingulate, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, significantly moderated the effects of context on emotional attribution, and were blunted by naltrexone. Furthermore, the effects of naltrexone on emotional attribution were partially abolished in more severely depressed patients. Our results provide insights into the molecular alterations underlying context representation in patients with depression, providing pivotal early data for future treatment studies.An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.Decline in episodic memory performance usually causes the first clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. At present, Alzheimer's disease can only be diagnosed at a very late stage when neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment is already irreversible. New early disease markers are needed for earlier and more efficient Alzheimer's disease intervention. To identify early disease markers, we implemented a genome-wide bisulphite sequencing method for the analysis of plasma cell-free DNA methylation profiles and compared differences associated with episodic memory performance in Finnish twin pairs. A noticeable amount of cell-free DNA was present in plasma, however, the amounts as well as the genomic coverage of these fragments varied substantially between individuals. link3 We found no significant markers associated with episodic memory performance in the twins' plasma cell-free DNA methylation profiles. Furthermore, our results indicate that due to the low genomic coverage of cell-free DNA fragments and the variety in these fragments between individuals, the implemented genome-wide bisulphite sequencing method is not optimal for comparing cell-free DNA methylation differences between large groups of individuals.Herein, we report the electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) characteristics of ZnO nanorods (NRs) prepared via the hydrothermal method with different initial Zn2+ concentrations (0.03, 0.07, and 0.1 M). Diameter of the resultant ZnO NRs were 50, 70 and 85 nm, respectively. Contact angle (CA) measurements showed that the Teflon-coated ZnO NRs with diameters of 85 nm prepared from the 0.1 M solution had the highest CA (137°). During the EWOD studies, on the application of a voltage of 250 V, the water CA decreased to 78°, which demonstrates the potential application of this material in EWOD electronics. Furthermore, we explained the relationship between the applied voltage and CA based on the substrate nanostructures and our newly developed NR-on-film wetting model. In addition, we further validated our model by introducing the homo-composite dielectric structure, which is a composite of thin layered ZnO/Teflon and nano-roded ZnO/Teflon.In this study, bismuth oxychloride/graphene oxide (BiOCl-GO) composite was fabricated by facile one pot hydrothermal method. The pure BiOCl and BiOCl-GO composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The synthesized composite was then assessed for photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium (DCF) in visible as well as direct solar light and UV irradiation. Results indicated that the photocatalytic removal efficiency of DCF was significantly affected by dose of catalysts, pH value and source of light. The results reveled that degradation efficiency of BiOCl-GO for DCF reduced from 100 to 34.4% with the increases in DCF initial concentration from 5 mg L-1 to 25 mg L-1. The solar light degradation of DCF using BiOCl-GO was achieved with apparent rate constant 0.0037 min-1. The effect of scavengers study revealed that superoxide ions and holes were mainly responsible for DCF degradation. The regeneration study indicates that BiOCl-GO composite can be successfully recycled up to the five cycles.