Oleoylethanolamide and Palmitoylethanolamide Protect Cultured Cortical Neurons Against Hypoxia.

Introduction: Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy is defined as a neurological syndrome where the newborn suffers from acute ischemia and hypoxia during the perinatal period. New therapies are needed. The acylethanolamides, oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), possess neuroprotective properties, and they could be effective against perinatal HI. These lipid mediators act through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors subtype α (PPARα), or transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV), such as TRPV subtype 1 and 4. Materials and Methods: The objectives of this study were to discern: (1) the neuroprotective role of OEA and PEA in parietotemporal cortical neurons of newborn rats and mice subjected to hypoxia, and (2) the role of the receptors, PPARα, TRPV1, and TRPV4, in neuroprotective effects. Cell culture of cortical neurons and the lactate dehydrogenase assay was carried out. The role of receptors was discerned by using selective antagonist and agonist ligands, as well as knockout (KO) PPARα mice. Results: The findings indicate that OEA and PEA exert neuroprotective effects on cultured cortical neurons subjected to a hypoxic episode. These protective effects are not mediated by the receptors, PPARα, TRPV1, or TRPV4, because neither PPARα KO mice nor receptor ligands significantly modify OEA and PEA-induced effects. Blocking TRPV4 with RN1734 is neuroprotective per se, and cotreatment with OEA and PEA is able to enhance neuroprotective effects of the acylethanolamides. Since stimulating TRPV4 was devoid of effects on OEA and PEA-induced protective effects, effects of RN1734 cotreatment seem to be a consequence of additive actions. Conclusion: The lipid mediators, OEA and PEA, exert neuroprotective effects on cultured cortical neurons subjected to hypoxia. Coadministration of OEA or PEA, and the TRPV4 antagonist RN1734 is able to enhance neuroprotective effects. These in vitro results could be of utility for developing new therapeutic tools against perinatal HI.

Flow Synthesis of Silver Nanowires for Semitransparent Solar Cell Electrodes: A Life Cycle Perspective.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) were prepared on a 5 g scale using either the well-known batch synthesis following the polyol method or a new flow synthesis method. The AgNWs were employed as semitransparent electrode materials in organic photovoltaics and compared to traditional printed silver electrodes based on micron sized silver flakes using life cycle analysis and environmental impact analysis methods. The life cycle analysis of AgNWs confirms that they provide an avenue to low-impact semitransparent electrodes. We find that the benefit of AgNWs in terms of embodied energy is less pronounced than generally assumed but that the toxicological and environmental benefits are significant.

Effects of acute and repeated cocaine on markers for neural plasticity within the mesolimbic system in rats.

RATIONALE: Repeated cocaine is known to induce morphological changes in dopaminergic circuits that are known to participate on cocaine-induced addictive changes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to discern if acute or repeated regimens of daily cocaine (10 mg/kg) lead to reliable changes in the expression of some protein markers for neural plasticity such as synaptophysin, p21-Arc, alpha-tubulin (α-tubulin), and stathmin, in the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit. Well-known changes in tyrosine hydroxylase and protein kinase A were used for confirming biochemical effects of repeated cocaine. Animals were subjected to three treatments: acute injection, 3-day injections, or sensitizing cocaine during 3 days followed by challenging doses at days 8 and 18. RESULTS: The findings revealed that sensitizing regimen of cocaine increases stathmin levels within the nucleus accumbens at day 18 of treatment, not day 8, without changes of synaptophysin, p21-Arc, or α-tubulin. This neural plasticity change seems not to be related to the development of motor sensitization. Other neural regions such as prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and ventral tegmental area were not found to be affected. Repeated cocaine led to well-known short-term augmentation of tyrosine-hydroxylase and protein kinase A expressions in the nucleus accumbens, as well as maintained upregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase in the ventral tegmental area. CONCLUSIONS: As stathmin is an important regulatory protein of microtubule dynamics, this protein change would be linked to morphological changes after repeated cocaine. It was confirmed that upregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase within the ventral tegmental area may participate on the development of motor sensitization.

25th anniversary article: Rise to power--OPV-based solar parks.

A solar park based on polymer solar cells is described and analyzed with respect to performance, practicality, installation speed, and energy payback time. It is found that a high voltage installation where solar cells are all printed in series enables an installation rate in Watts installed per minute that far exceed any other PV technology in existence. The energy payback time for the practical installation of polymer solar cell foil on a wooden 250 square meter platform in its present form is 277 days when operated in Denmark and 180 days when operated in southern Spain. The installation and de-installation rate is above 100 m min⁻¹, which, with the present performance and web width, implies installation of >200 W min⁻¹. In comparison, this also exceeds the overall manufacturing speed of the polymer solar cell foil with a width of 305 mm which is currently 1 m min⁻¹ for complete encapsulated and tested foil. It is also significant that simultaneous installation and de-installation which enables efficient schemes for decommissioning and recycling is possible. It is highlighted where research efforts should most rationally be invested in order to make grid electricity from OPV a reality (and it is within reach).

Effect of oral health dental state and risk of malnutrition in elderly people.

AIM: To determine the risk of malnutrition in both institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly people of the region of Murcia in Spain. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 465 participants (213 men and 252 women) aged 65 years or older, and representative of the population of the region of Murcia in Spain. The nutritional condition was determined with the Mini Nutritional Assessment screening tool. The following clinical oral health variables were recorded: number of teeth in the mouth, use of removable dentures and hygiene. RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition was 7% in the study population, whereas the risk of malnutrition was 49%. A greater prevalence was recorded in the older and in the institutionalized participants. There were no significant differences in terms of malnutrition or the risk of malnutrition between the participants with or without dentures or between the dentate or edentulous participants. CONCLUSIONS: Age and institutionalization are parameters to be taken into account for detecting the risk of malnutrition in elderly people.

Roll-to-Roll Processing of Inverted Polymer Solar Cells using Hydrated Vanadium(V)Oxide as a PEDOT:PSS Replacement.

The use of hydrated vanadium(V)oxide as a replacement of the commonly employed hole transporting material PEDOT:PSS was explored in this work. Polymer solar cells were prepared by spin coating on glass. Polymer solar cells and modules comprising 16 serially connected cells were prepared using full roll-to-roll (R2R) processing of all layers. The devices were prepared on flexible polyethyleneterphthalate (PET) and had the structure PET/ITO/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/V2O5·(H2O)n/Ag. The ITO and silver electrodes were processed and patterned by use of screen printing. The zinc oxide, P3HT:PCBM and vanadium(V)oxide layers were processed by slot-die coating. The hydrated vanadium(V)oxide layer was slot-die coated using an isopropanol solution of vanadyl-triisopropoxide (VTIP). Coating experiments were carried out to establish the critical thickness of the hydrated vanadium(V)oxide layer by varying the concentration of the VTIP precursor over two orders of magnitude. Hydrated vanadium(V)oxide layers were characterized by profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) for completed modules was up to 0.18%, in contrast to single cells where efficiencies of 0.4% were achieved. Stability tests under indoor and outdoor conditions were accomplished over three weeks on a solar tracker.