A Coordinating Small Organic Molecule with Tunable Lower Critical Solution Temperature for Efficient Management of Solar Radiation.

Structurally well-defined small molecules with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior offer enormous prospects for fine-tuning their phase transition properties to be "on-demand" applied in the specific scene but are still underexplored. Herein, a novel amphiphilic small LCST molecule is rationally designed and synthesized. The molecule, namely TG, features a conjugation of multiple short ethylene glycol (EG) chains with the functional coordinating terpyridine (Tpy) moiety. The molecule TG demonstrates excellent LCST behavior down to 0.05 × 10-3 m in a water solution. And a cloud point Tcp = 30.9 °C with a very short thermal hysteresis ΔT = 0.2 °C and good reversibility can be achieved when c = 0.1 × 10-3 m. The excellent LCST properties of TG have enabled its successful performance as the smart window for solar radiation management with the ∆Tlum, ∆TIR, and ∆Tsol being 83.6%, 49.1%, and 67.2%, respectively. Moreover, the presence of Tpy moiety in TG enables its coordination with Ru3+ and the resulting complex also exhibits modulated LCST behavior with different concentration-dependent Tcp. These studies would provide novel small-molecule-based scaffolds for constructing better solar radiation management systems as well as other thermal-responsive smart materials.

Effects of ultrasound on estradiol level, bone mineral density, bone biomechanics and matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression in ovariectomized rabbits.

The aim of the present study was to observe the effect of ultrasound (US) on estradiol level, bone mineral density (BMD), bone biomechanics and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) expression in ovariectomized (OVX) rabbits. A total of 28 virgin New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned into the following groups: Control (control group), ovariectomy (OVX group), ovariectomy with ultrasound therapy (US group) and ovariectomy with estrogen replacement therapy group (ERT group). At 8 weeks after ovariectomy, the US group received ultrasound treatment while the ERT group were orally treated with conjugated estrogens, and the control and OVX groups remained untreated. The estradiol level, BMD and bone biomechanics, cartilage histology and the MMP-13 expression were analyzed after the intervention. The results indicate that the US treatment increased estradiol level, BMD and bone biomechanical function. Furthermore, the US treatment appeared to improve the recovery of cartilage morphology and decreased the expression of MMP-13 in OVX models. Furthermore, the results suggest that 10 days of US therapy was sufficient to prevent the reduction of estradiol, BMD and bone biomechanical function, to protect osteoarthritis cartilage structure, and to reduce MMP-13 transcription and expression in OVX rabbits. Therefore, US treatment may be a potential treatment for postmenopausal osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Effects of electroacupuncture on bone mineral density, oestradiol level and osteoprotegerin ligand expression in ovariectomised rabbits.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on the oestradiol level, bone mineral density and osteoprotegerin ligand (OPGL) expression, and to explore whether EA might be a complementary method to prevent and treat osteoporosis. METHODS: A total of 21 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: a normal control (NC) group undergoing no surgery or EA; an ovariectomised (OVX) group, in which rabbits were ovariectomised but did not receive EA; an EA group, in which rabbits were ovariectomised and treated with EA. Acupuncture was applied at ST35, BL20 and BL23 points bilaterally. EA (10 Hz, 2 mA) was applied bilaterally at BL20 and BL23 for 30 min a day for 14 days. After 14 days, all animals were killed. OPGL expression level was determined by immunohistochemistry. Blood serum levels of oestradiol were measured by ELISA and bone mineral density was detected by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: After ovariectomy, the bone mineral density and oestradiol level decreased significantly in the OVX group compared with the NC group (p=0.001), whereas the OPGL expression level increased. After EA, the bone mineral density and oestradiol level increased compared with the OVX group (p=0.049 and p=0.012, respectively). The OPGL level OPGL level in the EA group was lower than that in the OVX group (p=0.022). CONCLUSIONS: EA restored bone mineral density towards normal and was associated with increased plasma oestradiol level and reduced OPGL expression in an ovariectomised rabbit model of osteoporosis.