Facile Microemulsion Synthesis of Vanadium-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles to Analyze the Compositional, Optical, and Electronic Properties.

In this work, microemulsion method has been followed to synthesize vanadium-doped Zn1-xVxO (with x = 0.0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.10) nanoparticles. The prepared samples are characterized by several techniques to investigate the structural, morphology, electronic, functional bonding, and optical properties. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis confirms the wurtzite phase of the undoped and V-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Variation in the lattice parameters ensures the incorporation of vanadium in the lattice of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that by increasing contents of V ions, the average particle size increases gradually. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the V L3,2 edge, oxygen K-edge, and Zn L3,2 edge reveals the presence and effect of vanadium contents in the Zn host lattice. Furthermore, the existence of chemical bonding and functional groups are also asserted by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). UV⁻Visible analysis shows that by increasing V⁺ contents, a reduction up to 2.92 eV in the energy band gap is observed, which is probably due to an increase in the free electron concentration and change in the lattice parameters.

Parathryoid hormone related peptide causing hypercalcaemia in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing. In addition, its presentation without bony metastasis as a part of paraneoplastic syndrome is recognised but uncommon. This unusual presentation of HCC is highlighted in the case of a 63 years old lady, who presented with lethargy and tiredness and hypercalcaemia due to secretion of parathryoid hormone related peptide (PTHrP). Further imaging showed 11 cm hepatic mass, with normal alpha fetoprotein. She underwent partial hepatectomy and is doing well since then. Malignant hypercalcaemia is thought to arise from the secretion of PTHrP which is synthesised by tumour cells and has a similar action to parathyroid hormone. Early recognition of this uncommon condition can lead to complete cure as seen in our patient.

The potential use of bone marrow stromal cells for cochlear cell therapy.

This study investigated the potential of bone-marrow stromal cell transplantation for cell replacement therapy in the cochlea. Bone-marrow stromal cells labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein were injected into the perilymphatic space of normal cochleae in mice. Histological analysis 2 weeks after transplantation demonstrated that transplanted cells settled within the cochlear tissues, especially in the spiral ligament and the spiral limbus, although most transplants were located in the perilymphatic space. Some of the transplanted cells expressed the cochlear gap-junction protein connexin 26. These findings indicate the potential of bone-marrow stromal cells for delivering therapeutic molecules and for the restoration of cochlear cells, particularly in the spiral ligament and the spiral limbus.

Changes in the amplitude and timing of the hemodynamic response associated with prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle.

Disruption of the early stages of information processing in limbic brain circuits may underlie symptoms of severe neuropsychiatric disorders. Prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle (PPI) is diminished in many of these disorders and may reflect the disruption of this CNS function. PPI is associated with brain activity in many of the same regions in humans as it is in laboratory animals, suggesting that neuroimaging studies in humans may help localize deficits that can then be elucidated in animal models. In this article, we employed a rapid presentation event-related design during continuous EPI BOLD scanning to examine hemodynamic response functions (HRFs) associated with PPI. Fourteen healthy participants listened to 100 pulse alone and 100 prepulse combined with pulse (prepulse-pulse) trials. PPI is the normalized difference in the startle response to the two trial types. Following the prepulse-pulse trials, the amplitudes of the HRFs in auditory cortices and in the anterior insula were increased, while in the cerebellum, thalamus and anterior cingulate, they were decreased, relative to the pulse alone trials. In addition, the timing of the prepulse-pulse responses was delayed in the auditory cortices, anterior insula and cerebellum. Finally, PPI measured outside the scanner was predicted by the difference in BOLD responses between trial types in the anterior insula and in the cerebellum. The results suggest that prepulse inhibition, and by extension early stages of information processing, modulate both the amplitude as well as timing of neural activity.