Highly Transparent Ka-/W-Band Electromagnetic Shielding Films Based on Double-Layered Metal Meshes.

An electromagnetic (EM) wave-shielding film exhibiting high performance in high-frequency bands, such as the Ka- and W-bands, was fabricated by using double-layered metal meshes. The double-layered shielding (DLS) film consists of metallic micromesh and nanomesh electrodes (NMEs) on the upper and lower surfaces of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film, respectively. The micromesh electrodes (MMEs) were fabricated such that they possessed a thickness higher than the line width, and they thus exhibited excellent electromagnetic wave-shielding performance in addition to optical transmittance. Moreover, the nanomesh electrodes helped prevent the deterioration of the shielding performance owing to the increase in frequency, which was possible by decreasing the aperture size of the mesh-type electrodes. The shielding effectiveness (SE) of the double-layered metal-mesh film was evaluated by using a shielding measurement system that is optimized for high frequencies. In addition, optical transmittance and flexibility tests were conducted. The results confirm that the double-layered shielding film exhibited a shielding effectiveness of more than 50 dB at an optical transmittance of 90% and a stable bending resistance of up to 5000 cycles at a radius of curvature of 6 mm. Double-layered metal-mesh films with such excellent performance are expected to be widely used in diverse applications such as the automobile, medical, and military industries.

Mechanically Stable Flexible Organic Photovoltaics with Silver Nanomesh for Indoor Applications.

Enhanced device performance of flexible organic solar cells (FOSCs) was achieved according to the development of organic solar cells (OSCs). OSCs are promising candidates as energy sources for low-power supply systems such as the Internet of Things (IoT) under indoor lighting environments. To apply FOSCs to flexible or wearable applications, they must be mechanically stable. In this study, we fabricated FOSCs with silver nanomesh (AgNM) as the bottom transparent conductive electrode (TCE). Instead of indium tin oxide (ITO), AgNMs were prepared using three pitches of 25, 50, and 100 µm with a square pattern, using a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate. Notably, the device using AgNMs with a pitch of 25 µm exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.93% under 1 sun illumination and 17.91% under 1000 lux of light-emitting diode (LED) light conditions. Flexible devices using AgNMs maintained over 92% of their initial PCE under 1 sun illumination (PCE decreased to 12.98 from 14.04%) and over 92% when tested under 1000 lux of LED light illumination (PCE decreased to 16.57 from 17.91%) after 1000 instances of bending. These results demonstrate the advantages of using AgNMs as an alternative TCE under both 1 sun and indoor lightning environments and are promising candidates for flexible applications.

A broad-spectrum and highly potent human monoclonal antibody cocktail for rabies prophylaxis.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is highly effective in preventing disease progression of rabies when used in timely and appropriate manner. The key treatment for PEP is infiltration of rabies immune globulin (RIG) into lesion site after bite exposure, besides wound care and vaccination. Unfortunately, however, RIG is expensive and its supply is limited. Currently, several anti-rabies virus monoclonal antibody (mAb) products are under development as alternatives to RIG, and two recently received regulatory approval in India. In this study, fully human mAbs that recognize different rabies virus glycoprotein conformational antigenic site (II and III) were created from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of heathy vaccinated subjects. These mAbs neutralized a diverse range of lyssavirus types. As at least two anti-rabies virus mAbs are recommended for use in human PEP to ensure broad coverage against diverse lyssaviruses and to minimize possible escape variants, two most potent mAbs, NP-19-9 and 11B6, were selected to be used as cocktail treatment. These two mAbs were broadly reactive to different types of lyssaviruses isolates, and were shown to have no interference with each other. These results suggest that NP-19-9 and 11B6 are potent candidates to be used for PEP, suggesting further studies involving clinical studies in human.

High-performance flexible transparent nanomesh electrodes.

A cost-effective process for producing high-performance Ag-paste-based flexible transparent nanomesh electrodes (FTNEs) was developed by optimizing their linewidth, pitch, and height. These nanomesh electrodes, with a linewidth of several hundred nanometers and a pitch of 10-200 µm on a PET substrate, achieved wide ranges of transmittance (83.1%-98.8%) and sheet resistance (1.2-30.9 Ω/sq) and a figure of merit (992-1619) superior to those of indium tin oxide and silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes. Our evaluation of their flexibility (testing up to 50 000 cycles) and their electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness verifies the applicability of these FTNEs to various flexible optoelectronic devices.

Development and characterization of novel chimeric monoclonal antibodies for broad spectrum neutralization of rabies virus.

Current post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies virus infection has several limitations in terms of supply, cost, safety, and efficacy. Attempts to replace human or equine rabies immune globulins (HRIG or ERIG) have been made by several companies and institutes. We developed potent monoclonal antibodies to neutralize a broad spectrum of rabies viruses by screening hybridomas received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Two kinds of chimeric human antibodies (chimeric #7 and #17) were constructed by cloning the variable regions from selected hybridomas and the constant region of a human antibody. Two antibodies were bound to antigenic site III and I/IV, respectively, and were able to neutralize 51 field isolates of rabies virus that were isolated at different times and places such as Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Australia. These two antibodies neutralize rabies viruses with high efficacy in an in vivo test using Syrian hamster and mouse models and show low risk for adverse immunogenicity.

Hyperglycemia decreases the expression of ATP synthase ß subunit and enolase 2 in glomerular epithelial cells.

Glomerular epithelial cells (GECs) are known to play a key role in maintaining the structure and function of the glomerulus. GEC injury induced by hyperglycemia is present in early-stage diabetic nephropathy (DN), which is the most common cause of renal failure. In an attempt to identify target proteins involved in the pathogenesis of GEC injury at early DN, we performed the proteomic analysis using primary cultures of GECs, prepared from the dissected rat glomeruli. The protein expression profiles in the two-dimensional electrophoresis gels were compared between GECs treated for three days with normal glucose (5 mM) and those with high glucose (30 mM) concentrations. These concentrations correspond to blood glucose concentrations under normoglycemia and hyperglycemia, respectively. Proteins with differential expression levels were identified using ESI-Q-TOF tandem mass spectrometry. The primary GECs cultured in hyperglycemic conditions showed cellular hypertrophy and increased production of reactive oxygen species, both of which reflect the GEC injury. Our proteomic analysis identified eight proteins with differential expression profiles, depending on glucose concentrations. Among them, we selected ATP synthase ß subunit and enolase 2 that are related to energy metabolism and are down-regulated under hyperglycemia, and confirmed that hyperglycemia decreased the expression levels of ATP synthase ß subunit and enolase 2 proteins by western blotting analysis. Hyperglycemia may impair mitochondrial function and alter glycolysis in GECs by down-regulating the expression of ATP synthase ß subunit and enolase 2. The present study may provide a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of GEC injury in early DN.

Comparison of tear proteins between healthy and early diabetic retinopathy patients.

OBJECTIVES: To identify potential prognostic or diagnostic marker tear proteins for early diabetic retinopathy (DR) and to investigate the pathogenesis of this disease using proteomics techniques. DESIGN AND METHODS: The tear proteins expressed in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus without the retinopathy symptoms, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and healthy volunteers were analyzed by 2-DE. The differentially expressed proteins in patients were identified by ESI-Q-TOF and confirmed by Western blotting. RESULTS: Proteins which were differentially expressed with statistical significance (P<0.05) in two diabetic groups as compared to those in healthy group were selected and identified by ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS. Among these proteins, three proteins (LCN-1, HSP27 and B2M) were found to exhibit a progressive reduction in two disease groups. The expression levels of which might be useful as diagnostic biomarkers of DR were verified by Western blotting CONCLUSIONS: Proteomic analysis using tear is a novel approach that can provide insight into possible biomarker and the pathogenesis of early DR.

Comparative analysis of serum proteomes of patients with cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVES: To monitor increases or decreases in cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related proteins that will be released from the deposits or plaque on the inner wall of blood vessels. DESIGN AND METHODS: Protein profiles of sera from healthy subjects and CVD patients were determined via 2-DE. Differentially expressed spots in CVD patients were identified by ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS. Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), ceruloplasmin, and hemopexin were confirmed by Western blotting and RBP4 was further verified by ELISA. RESULTS: Approximately, 400 spots were detected in each gel via comparisons of the serum proteome. Among these spots, 19 spots were selected and identified by ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS (P<0.05). The expression levels of RBP4 and ceruloplasmin were higher in CVD patients by Western blotting. The level of immunoreactive RBP4 in CVD patients was higher than that in healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The three proteins identified in the present study may constitute potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of CVD in patients.

Differentially expressed proteins of mesenchymal stem cells derived from human cord blood (hUCB) during osteogenic differentiation.

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) represent promising candidates for the development of future cellular therapy strategies. MSCs have been found to be able to differentiate into various tissues. One of the primary limitations in our understanding of the biology of human MSCs is the absence of prospective markers required for the monitoring of lineage-specific differentiation. hUCB-derived MSCs have been found to have significantly greater osteogenic potential. In this study, we focused on proteins that were differentially expressed during osteogenic differentiation of hUCB-MSCs. And we analyzed the protein expression inherent to osteogenic differentiation by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, ESI-Q-TOF, and Western blotting. Eleven differentially expressed spots were observed between the two groups (before and after differentiation) on the 2-DE map. These might also be proved as useful cytosolic biomarker proteins for osteogenesis, and might be employed in quality control of osteoblasts in cell-therapy applications.

Sample preparation method for plasma membrane proteome analysis.

The preparation of plasma membrane (PM) proteome samples is seriously difficult and time-consuming, owing to their profound hydrophobicity and low abundance. We have developed an efficient PM sample preparation method using Ultracentrifugation with Percoll and an aqueous two-phase extraction. The developed method was rapid (3 h) and provided high purities (26-fold of cell lysate) with a high yield (2.6% of whole cell lysate proteins). This method is especially useful for PM proteome studies using 2D gel electrophoresis.

Proteome analysis of the rat hepatic stellate cells under high concentrations of glucose.

To study the change in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) function under diabetic conditions, we cultured rat HSC in the presence of 5 and 30 mM glucose, which correspond to blood glucose concentrations during the early and late stages of diabetes, respectively. The differentially expressed HSC proteins were analyzed using 2-DE and ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS and confirmed with Western blotting. The changed protein expression will provide greater understanding of glycolysis in HSC at the high concentration of glucose.

Proteome analysis of serum from type 2 diabetics with nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a renal disease which develops as a consequence of diabetes mellitus. Microalbuminuria is the earliest clinical sign of DN. There are no specific diagnostic biomarkers for type 2 diabetics with nephropathy other than microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria. However, microalbuminuria does not constitute a sole independent indicator for type 2 diabetics with nephropathy, and thus, another screening method, such as a biomarker assay, is required in order to diagnose it more correctly. Therefore, we have utilized two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) to identify human serum protein markers for the more specific and accurate prediction of progressive nephropathy in type 2 diabetes patients, via comparisons of the serum proteome in three experimental groups: type 2 diabetes patients without microalbuminuria (DM, n = 30), with microalbuminuria (MA, n = 29), and with chronic renal failure (CRF, n = 31). As a result, proteins which were differentially expressed with statistical significance (p < 0.05) in MA and CRF groups as compared to those in DM group were selected and identified by ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS. Among these identified proteins, two proteins which might be useful as diagnostic biomarkers of type 2 diabetics with nephropathy were verified by Western blotting: extracellular glutathione peroxidase (eGPx) and apolipoprotein (ApoE) were found to exhibit a progressive reduction in MA and CRF groups. Notably, eGPx was further verified by ELISA using DM (n = 100) and MA (n = 96) patient samples. Collectively, our results show that the two proteins identified in this study may constitute potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetics with nephropathy.

The discovery of biomarkers for type 2 diabetic nephropathy by serum proteome analysis.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious kidney complication of diabetes, and constitutes the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. The earliest clinical evidence of DN is microalbuminuria, a term which refers to the appearance of small but abnormal amounts of albumin in the urine. However, screening methods for DN, such as biomarker assays, are yet to be developed for type 2 DN. In the present study, in an attempt to identify the biomarkers for initial diagnoses of type 2 DN, the protein profiles of human sera collected from 30 microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients were compared with those collected from 30 normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients, via 2-DE. As a result, a total of 18 spots were determined to have different protein levels in the microalbuminuric patients. Twelve spots had lower protein levels of approximately 50%, and the other six had higher levels of approximately 100-300% as compared to the spots of normoalbuminuric patients. These spots were identified with ESI-Q-TOF (ESI-quadrupole-TOF) MS. Among the identified proteins, vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) were verified by Western blotting. The results of this study indicate that the DBP may be employed as diagnostic and monitoring biomarkers of type 2 DN, contingent on further study into the matter.