Iron (II/III) perchlorate electrolytes for electrochemically harvesting low-grade thermal energy.

Remarkable advances have recently been made in the thermocell array with series or parallel interconnection, however, the output power from the thermocell array is mainly limited by the electrolyte performance of an n-type element. In this work, we investigate iron (II/III) perchlorate electrolytes as a new n-type electrolyte and compared with the ferric/ferrous cyanide electrolyte at its introduction with platinum as the electrodes, which has been the benchmark for thermocells. In comparison, the perchlorate electrolyte (Fe2+/Fe3+) exhibits a high temperature coefficient of redox potential of +1.76 mV/K, which is complementary to the cyanide electrolyte (Fe(CN)63-/Fe(CN)64-) with the temperature coefficient of -1.42 mV/K. The power factor and figure of merit for the electrolyte are higher by 28% and 40%, respectively, than those for the cyanide electrolyte. In terms of device performance, the thermocell using the perchlorate electrolyte provides a power density of 687 mW/m2 that is 45% higher compared to the same device but with the cyanide electrolyte for a small temperature difference of 20 °C. The advent of this high performance n-type electrolyte could open up new ways to achieve substantial advances in p-n thermocells as in p-n thermoelectrics, which has steered the way to the possibility of practical use of thermoelectrics.

Anti-rotavirus effects by combination therapy of stevioside and Sophora flavescens extract.

Anti-rotaviral activities of Sophora flavescens extract (SFE) and stevioside (SV) from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni either singly or in various combinations were examined in vitro and in vivo using a porcine rotavirus G5[P7] strain. Combination of SFE and SV inhibited in vitro virus replication more efficiently than each single treatment. In the piglet model, SV had no effect on rotavirus enteritis, whereas SFE improved but did not completely cure rotaviral enteritis. Interestingly, combination therapy of SFE and SV alleviated diarrhea, and markedly improved small intestinal lesion score and fecal virus shedding. Acute toxicity tests including the piglet lethal dose 50, and body weight, organ weight and pathological changes for the combination therapy did not show any adverse effect on the piglets. These preliminary data suggest that the combination therapy of SV and SFE is a potential curative medication for rotaviral diarrhea in pigs. Determination of the efficacy of this combination therapy in other species including humans needs to be addressed in the future.

Therapeutic roles of heme oxygenase-1 in metabolic diseases: curcumin and resveratrol analogues as possible inducers of heme oxygenase-1.

Metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance, type II diabetes, and obesity, are associated with a low-grade chronic inflammation (inflammatory stress), oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Because the integration of these stresses is critical to the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, agents and cellular molecules that can modulate these stress responses are emerging as potential targets for intervention and treatment of metabolic diseases. It has been recognized that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays an important role in cellular protection. Because HO-1 can reduce inflammatory stress, oxidative stress, and ER stress, in part by exerting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects, HO-1 has been suggested to play important roles in pathogenesis of metabolic diseases. In the present review, we will explore our current understanding of the protective mechanisms of HO-1 in metabolic diseases and present some emerging therapeutic options for HO-1 expression in treating metabolic diseases, together with the therapeutic potential of curcumin and resveratrol analogues that have their ability to induce HO-1 expression.

The effects of 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser irradiation under the different treatment conditions for skin rejuvenation: quantitative and histologic analyses.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate heat distributions and evaluate degrees of tissue damages histologically after transmitting therapeutic lasers to find optimum ranges for skin rejuvenation. BACKGROUND DATA: To treat skin aging, many researchers attempted to evaluate treatment effects for the different approaches. The noninvasive skin rejuvenation method was mostly employed to optimize the therapeutic effects by quantifying the laser conditions. However, current approaches produced low reliability for predicting tissue damage. METHODS: We transmitted the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser into a skin-mimicking phantom and pig skin samples according to the different fluences and spot diameters, and analyzed its internal-external temperatures. For histologic analyses, we also stained pig skin samples with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and compared degrees of tissue damage. The spot diameter conditions were classified into 5, 8, and 10 mm, and the fluence conditions were divided into 26, 30, and 36 J/cm(2). In addition, the pulse duration was set to 30 ms. RESULTS: In our experiments, the conditions of a spot diameter of 5 mm with a fluence of 36 J/cm(2) and a spot diameter of 10 mm with a fluence of 26 J/cm(2) yielded the maximum surface temperatures>40°C. Regarding histologic evaluations, we also found that the degrees of internal thermal injuries are worsened as spot diameters and fluences increased. CONCLUSIONS: We selected the optimum treatment conditions for skin rejuvenation as being the laser condition of a spot diameter of 5 mm with a fluence of 36 J/cm(2) and a spot diameter of 10 mm with a fluence of 26 J/cm(2).

Anti-rotaviral effects of Glycyrrhiza uralensis extract in piglets with rotavirus diarrhea.

BACKGROUND: Since rotavirus is one of the leading pathogens that cause severe gastroenteritis and represents a serious threat to human and animal health, researchers have been searching for cheap, safe, and effective anti-rotaviral drugs. There is a widespread of interest in using natural products as antiviral agents, and among them, licorice derived from Glycyrrhiza spp. has exerted antiviral properties against several viruses. In this study, anti-rotaviral efficacy of Glycyrrhiza uralensis extract (GUE) as an effective and cheaper remedy without side-effects was evaluated in colostrums-deprived piglets after induction of rotavirus diarrhea. METHODS: Colostrums-deprived piglets were inoculated with porcine rotavirus K85 (G5P[7]) strain. On the onset of diarrhea, piglets were treated with different concentration of GUE. To evaluate the antiviral efficacy of GUE, fecal consistency score, fecal virus shedding and histological changes of the small intestine, mRNA expression levels of inflammation-related cytokines (IL8, IL10, IFN-ß, IFN-γ and TNF-α), signaling molecules (p38 and JNK), and transcription factor (NFκB) in the small intestine and spleen were determined. RESULTS: Among the dosages (100-400 mg/ml) administrated to animals, 400 mg/ml of GUE cured diarrhea, and markedly improved small intestinal lesion score and fecal virus shedding. mRNA expression levels of inflammation-related cytokines (IL8, IL10, IFN-ß, IFN-γ and TNF-α), signaling molecules (p38 and JNK), and transcription factor (NFκB) in the small intestine and spleen were markedly increased in animals with RVA-induced diarrhea, but dose- dependently decreased in GUE treated animals after RVA-induced diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: GUE cures rotaviral enteritis by coordinating antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. Therapy of this herbal medicine can be a viable medication for curing rotaviral enteritis in animals and humans.