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The visualization of accurate colour information using quantum dots has been explored for decades, and commercial products employing environmentally friendly materials are currently available as backlights1. However, next-generation electroluminescent displays based on quantum dots require the development of an efficient and stable cadmium-free blue-light-emitting device, which has remained a challenge because of the inferior photophysical properties of blue-light-emitting materials2,3. Here we present the synthesis of ZnSe-based blue-light-emitting quantum dots with a quantum yield of unity. We found that hydrofluoric acid and zinc chloride additives are effective at enhancing luminescence efficiency by eliminating stacking faults in the ZnSe crystalline structure. In addition, chloride passivation through liquid or solid ligand exchange leads to slow radiative recombination, high thermal stability and efficient charge-transport properties. We constructed double quantum dot emitting layers with gradient chloride content in a light-emitting diode to facilitate hole transport, and the resulting device showed an efficiency at the theoretical limit, high brightness and long operational lifetime. We anticipate that our efficient and stable blue quantum dot light-emitting devices can facilitate the development of electroluminescent full-colour displays using quantum dots.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is heterogeneous, but existing methods for capturing this heterogeneity through dimensionality reduction and unsupervised clustering have limitations when it comes to extracting intricate atrophy patterns. In this study, we propose a deep learning based self-supervised framework that characterizes complex atrophy features using latent space representation. It integrates feature engineering, classification, and clustering to synergistically disentangle heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease. Through this representation learning, we trained a clustered latent space with distinct atrophy patterns and clinical characteristics in AD, and replicated the findings in prodromal Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, we discovered that these clusters are not solely attributed to subtypes but also reflect disease progression in the latent space, representing the core dimensions of heterogeneity, namely progression and subtypes. Furthermore, longitudinal latent space analysis revealed two distinct disease progression pathways: medial temporal and parietotemporal pathways. The proposed approach enables effective latent representations that can be integrated with individual-level cognitive profiles, thereby facilitating a comprehensive understanding of AD heterogeneity.
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Doença de Alzheimer , Atrofia , Encéfalo , Aprendizado Profundo , Progressão da Doença , Humanos , Doença de Alzheimer/patologia , Doença de Alzheimer/diagnóstico por imagem , Atrofia/patologia , Idoso , Feminino , Masculino , Encéfalo/patologia , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagem , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética/métodos , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Aprendizado de Máquina SupervisionadoRESUMO
Background: This study investigates the effects of a 12-week circuit exercise program on blood pressure, vascular function, and inflammatory cytokines in older obese women with sarcopenia. Methods: Twenty-eight older obese women with sarcopenia (mean age: 78.2 ± 3.7 years) were randomly divided into an exercise group (EG, n = 14) and a control group (CG, n = 14). The EG participated in a 12-week circuit exercise training regimen, conducted three times weekly, with each session lasting between 45 to 75 minutes (progressively increased over time). The CG was advised to maintain their regular daily routines throughout the intervention period. All dependent variables, including blood pressure, vascular function, and inflammation cytokines, were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. Results: Positive changes were observed in the EG in body composition (body fat mass; p < 0.001, body fat percentage; p < 0.01, free-fat mass; p < 0.01), blood pressure (heart rate; p < 0.05, rate pressure product; p < 0.01), vascular function (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity; p < 0.05, flow-mediated dilation; p < 0.001), and inflammation cytokines (interleukin-6; p < 0.05). In the CG, there was an increase in body fat mass (p < 0.05) and body fat percentage (p < 0.05), while no changes were observed in other variables. Conclusions: The 12-week circuit exercise program significantly reduced blood pressure, improved vascular function, and decreased inflammatory cytokines in obese older women with sarcopenia. However, individual variations in response highlight the need for personalized exercise regimens.
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The implantation of good-quality embryos to the receptive endometrium is essential for successful live birth through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The higher the quality of embryos, the higher the live birth rate per cycle, and so efforts have been made to obtain as many high-quality embryos as possible after fertilization. In addition to an effective controlled ovarian stimulation process to obtain high-quality embryos, the composition of the embryo culture medium in direct contact with embryos in vitro is also important. During embryonic development, under the control of female sex hormones, the fallopian tubes and endometrium create a microenvironment that supplies the nutrients and substances necessary for embryos at each stage. During this process, the development of the embryo is finely regulated by signaling molecules, such as growth factors and cytokines secreted from the epithelial cells of the fallopian tube and uterine endometrium. The development of embryo culture media has continued since the first successful human birth through IVF in 1978. However, there are still limitations to mimicking a microenvironment similar to the reproductive organs of women suitable for embryo development in vitro. Efforts have been made to overcome the harsh in vitro culture environment and obtain high-quality embryos by adding various supplements, such as antioxidants and growth factors, to the embryo culture medium. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of studies on the effect of supplementation in different clinical situations such as old age, recurrent implantation failure (RIF), and unexplained infertility; in addition, anticipation of the potential benefits from individuation is rising. This article reviews the effects of representative supplements in culture media on embryo development.
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Fator Estimulador de Colônias de Granulócitos e Macrófagos , Melatonina , Feminino , Humanos , Gravidez , Meios de Cultura/química , Meios de Cultura/farmacologia , Citocinas , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like I , Melatonina/farmacologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Active surveillance (AS) of low-risk T1a papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is generally accepted as an alternative to immediate surgery. The cut-off in the size criterion for AS has recently been extended in select individuals, especially older patients. We evaluated the clinicopathological differences of T1b PTC according to age to investigate the possibility of AS in older patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From a cohort study of 1269 patients undergoing lobectomy for PTC, 1223 PTC patients with T1 stage disease (tumor ≤ 2 cm) were enrolled. The clinicopathological characteristics between T1a and T1b patients according to age were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 1223 T1 cases, 918 (75.1%) were T1a (≤ 1 cm) and 305 (34.9%) T1b (> 1 and ≤ 2 cm). T1b PTC was associated with male sex, minimal extrathyroidal extension, lymphovascular invasion, occult central lymph node (LN) metastasis, and a higher number of metastatic LNs than T1a. However, in patients over 55 years of age, the clinicopathological features of the patients with T1a and T1b PTC were not significantly different except for minimal extrathyroidal extension, although many clinicopathological differences were observed in patients under 55 years of age. CONCLUSION: The clinicopathological features of patients with T1b PTC over 55 years of age are similar to those with T1a PTC and less aggressive than those with T1b PTC under 55 years of age. These findings suggest that AS may be possible in patients with T1b PTC over 55 years of age without high-risk features on preoperative examinations.
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Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide , Conduta Expectante , Idoso , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos de Coortes , Metástase Linfática , Estudos Retrospectivos , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide/cirurgia , Câncer Papilífero da Tireoide/patologia , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/cirurgia , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/patologia , Tireoidectomia , FemininoRESUMO
Background: This study investigated the effects of 12-week resistance training on body composition, blood pressure, blood lipid levels, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), isokinetic muscle function, and hemorheological properties in middle-aged obese women. Methods: Twenty-eight obese women with a mean age of 50.79 ± 5.80 years were randomly assigned to the control (CON, n = 13) or experimental (EXP, n = 15) group. The EXP group underwent a resistance training program composed of warm-up, main resistance exercise (deadlift, barbell squat, seated leg extension, and lying leg curl, bench press, preacher bench biceps curl, barbell rowing, and dumbbell shoulder press), and cool-down. The resistance exercise consisted of three sets of 8-10 repetitions (reps) performed with 70-80% of 1-rep maximum, and reps and sets were increased every 3 weeks. The training frequency was 80 min, 3 days per week for 12 weeks. The CON group maintained their daily lifestyle without training. All participants underwent measurements of body composition (weight, body mass index, lean body mass, fat mass, and % body fat), blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure), blood lipid levels (triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), CSA of the muscles (quadriceps, hamstring, and total thigh muscle), isokinetic muscle function (peak torque [PT], relative PT, mean power, and total work [TW]), and hemorheological properties (erythrocyte deformability and aggregation) before and after 12 weeks of training. Results: The EXP group showed a significant improved muscle function, including PT (p < 0.001), relative PT (p < 0.001) in extension 60°/s, TW (p < 0.001) in extension 180°/s, and TW (p = 0.018) in flexion 180°/s. Regarding hemorheological properties, the EXP group showed significant improvement in erythrocyte aggregation (p < 0.001) and deformability (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study verified that our resistance training program resulted in greater muscle function, decreased fat mass, and improved hemorheological properties. Clinical Trial Registration: This study was registered with cris.nih.go.kr (No. KCT0007412).
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Issues of fairness and consistency in Taekwondo poomsae evaluation have often occurred due to the lack of an objective evaluation method. This study proposes a three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural network-based action recognition model for an objective evaluation of Taekwondo poomsae. The model exhibits robust recognition performance regardless of variations in the viewpoints by reducing the discrepancy between the training and test images. It uses 3D skeletons of poomsae unit actions collected using a full-body motion-capture suit to generate synthesized two-dimensional (2D) skeletons from desired viewpoints. The 2D skeletons obtained from diverse viewpoints form the training dataset, on which the model is trained to ensure consistent recognition performance regardless of the viewpoint. The performance of the model was evaluated against various test datasets, including projected 2D skeletons and RGB images captured from diverse viewpoints. Comparison of the performance of the proposed model with those of previously reported action recognition models demonstrated the superiority of the proposed model, underscoring its effectiveness in recognizing and classifying Taekwondo poomsae actions.
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Pigs are susceptible to cold stress due to the absence of brown fat caused by the partial deletion of uncoupling protein 1 during their evolution. Some local pig breeds in China exhibit potential cold adaptability, but research has primarily focused on fat and intestinal tissues. Skeletal muscle plays a key role in adaptive thermogenesis in mammals, yet the molecular mechanism of cold adaptation in porcine skeletal muscle remains poorly understood. This study investigated the cold adaptability of two pig breeds, Mashen pigs (MS) and Large White pigs (LW), in a four-day cold (4 °C) or normal temperature (25 °C) environment. We recorded phenotypic changes and collected blood and longissimus dorsi muscle for transcriptome sequencing. Finally, the PRSS8 gene was randomly selected for functional exploration in porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells. A decrease in body temperature and body weight in both LW and MS pigs under cold stress, accompanied by increased shivering frequency and respiratory frequency, were observed. However, the MS pigs demonstrated stable physiological homeostasis, indicating a certain level of cold adaptability. The LW pigs primarily responded to cold stress by regulating their heat production and glycolipid energy metabolism. The MS pigs exhibited a distinct response to cold stress, involving the regulation of heat production, energy metabolism pathways, and robust mitochondrial activity, as well as a stronger immune response. Furthermore, the functional exploration of PRSS8 in porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells revealed that it affected cellular energy metabolism and thermogenesis by regulating ERK phosphorylation. These findings shed light on the diverse transcriptional responses of skeletal muscle in LW and MS pigs under cold stress, offering valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation in pigs.
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Resposta ao Choque Frio , Termogênese , Suínos , Animais , Resposta ao Choque Frio/genética , Termogênese/genética , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Peso Corporal , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , MamíferosRESUMO
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are recognized as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Generally, most CVDs can be prevented by addressing behavioral risk factors, including smoking, unhealthy diet and obesity, lack of physical activity, and alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is important to have a healthy lifestyle by performing regular physical activity to improve cardiovascular health and diseases. However, a majority of adults worldwide do not meet the minimum recommendations for regular aerobic exercise, and overweight and obesity ratio continues to rise. In addition, obese individuals, with a high prevalence of CVDs, have a lower participation rate for exercise because of the strain on the musculoskeletal system. Hypoxic therapy, including exposure or exercise intervention under hypoxia, has been utilized as a new therapeutic modality for cardiovascular benefit and amelioration of CVDs. Hypoxic therapy shows various physiological and pathophysiological properties, including increased appetite suppression and dietary intake reduction, increased energy consumption, improved glycogen storage, enhanced fatty acid oxidation, improved myocardial angiogenesis or ventricular remodeling, augmentation of blood flow within the skeletal muscle vascular beds, and reduction of the burden on the musculoskeletal system making it applicable to patients with CVDs and obesity with attenuated cardiovascular function. In particular, hypoxic therapy is very effective in improving cardiovascular benefits and preventing CVDs by enhancing arterial function, vascular endothelial function, and hemorheological properties. These observations indicate that hypoxic therapy may be an important and essential strategy for improving cardiovascular health and reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
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PURPOSE: The increased glucose metabolism of cancer cells is the basis for 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). However, due to its coarse image resolution, PET is unable to resolve the metabolic role of cancer-associated stroma, which often influences the metabolic reprogramming of a tumor. This study investigates the use of radioluminescence microscopy for imaging FDG uptake in engineered 3D tumor models with high resolution. METHOD: Multicellular tumor spheroids (A549 lung adenocarcinoma) were co-cultured with GFP-expressing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) within an artificial extracellular matrix to mimic a tumor and its surrounding stroma. The tumor model was constructed as a 200-µm-thin 3D layer over a transparent CdWO4 scintillator plate to allow high-resolution imaging of the cultured cells. After incubation with FDG, the radioluminescence signal was collected by a highly sensitive widefield microscope. Fluorescence microscopy was performed using the same instrument to localize endothelial and tumor cells. RESULTS: Simultaneous and co-localized brightfield, fluorescence, and radioluminescence imaging provided high-resolution information on the distribution of FDG in the engineered tissue. The microvascular stromal compartment as a whole took up a large fraction of the FDG, comparable to the uptake of the tumor spheroids. In vitro gamma counting confirmed that A549 and HUVEC cells were both highly glycolytic with rapid FDG uptake kinetics. Despite the relative thickness of the tissue constructs, an average spatial resolution of 64 ± 4 µm was achieved for imaging FDG. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of imaging the distribution of FDG uptake in engineered in vitro tumor models. With its high spatial resolution, the method can separately resolve tumor and stromal components. The approach could be extended to more advanced engineered cancer models but also to surgical tissue slices and tumor biopsies.
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Fluordesoxiglucose F18 , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Células Endoteliais , Humanos , Microscopia , Tomografia por Emissão de Pósitrons , Compostos RadiofarmacêuticosRESUMO
Fertility preservation is an emerging discipline, which is of substantial clinical value in the care of young patients with cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation may induce ovarian damage in prepubertal girls and young women. Although many studies have explored the mechanisms implicated in ovarian toxicity during cancer treatment, its molecular pathophysiology is not fully understood. Chemotherapy may accelerate follicular apoptosis and follicle reservoir utilization and damage the ovarian stroma via multiple molecular reactions. Oxidative stress and the radiosensitivity of oocytes are the main causes of gonadal damage after radiation treatment. Fertility preservation options can be differentiated by patient age, desire for conception, treatment regimen, socioeconomic status, and treatment duration. This review will help highlight the importance of multidisciplinary oncofertility strategies for providing high-quality care to young female cancer patients.
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Criopreservação/métodos , Tratamento Farmacológico/estatística & dados numéricos , Preservação da Fertilidade/métodos , Neoplasias/complicações , Ovário/fisiologia , Insuficiência Ovariana Primária/prevenção & controle , Radioterapia/efeitos adversos , Feminino , Humanos , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias/radioterapia , Insuficiência Ovariana Primária/etiologia , Insuficiência Ovariana Primária/patologiaRESUMO
Female endocrinological symptoms, such as premature ovarian inefficiency (POI) are caused by diminished ovarian reserve and chemotherapy. The etiology of POI remains unknown, but this can lead to infertility. This has accelerated the search for master regulator genes or other molecules that contribute as enhancers or silencers. The impact of regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) on POI has gained attention; however, their regulatory function in this condition is not well known. RNA sequencing was performed at four stages, 2-(2 W), 6-(6 W), 15-(15 W), and 20-(20 W) weeks, on ovarian tissue samples and 5058 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Gene expression and enrichment were analyzed based on the gene ontology and KEGG databases, and their association with other proteins was assessed using the STRING database. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed to identify the key target genes. The DEGs were most highly enriched in 6 W and 15 W groups. Figla, GDF9, Nobox, and Pou51 were significantly in-creased at 2 W compared with levels at 6 W and 20 W, whereas the expression of Foxo1, Inha, and Taf4b was significantly de-creased at 20 W. Ccnd2 and Igf1 expression was maintained at similar levels in each stage. In total, 27 genes were upregulated and 26 genes interacted with miRNAs; moreover, stage-specific upregulated and downregulated interactions were demonstrated. Increased and decreased miRNAs were identified at each stage in the ovaries. The constitutively expressed genes, Ccnd2 and Igf1, were identified as the major targets of many miRNAs (p < 0.05), and Fshr and Foxo3 interacted with miRNAs, namely mmu-miR-670-3p and mmu-miR-153-3p. miR-26a-5p interacted with Piwil2, and its target genes were downregulated in the 20 W mouse ovary. In this study, we aimed to identify key miRNAs and their target genes encompassing the reproductive span of mouse ovaries using mRNA and miRNA sequencing. These results indicated that gene sets are regulated in the reproductive stage-specific manner via interaction with miRNAs. Furthermore, consistent expression of Ccnd2 and Igf1 is considered crucial for the ovarian reserve and is regulated by many interactive miRNAs.
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Proteínas Argonautas/metabolismo , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Redes Reguladoras de Genes , MicroRNAs/genética , Reserva Ovariana , Transcriptoma , Animais , Proteínas Argonautas/genética , Feminino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Mapas de Interação de Proteínas , Análise de Sequência de RNARESUMO
Accompanied by increased life span, aging-associated diseases, such as metabolic diseases and cancers, have become serious health threats. Recent studies have documented that aging-associated diseases are caused by prolonged cellular stresses such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, mitochondrial stress, and oxidative stress. Thus, ameliorating cellular stresses could be an effective approach to treat aging-associated diseases and, more importantly, to prevent such diseases from happening. However, cellular stresses and their molecular responses within the cell are typically mediated by a variety of factors encompassing different signaling pathways. Therefore, a target-based drug discovery method currently being used widely (reverse pharmacology) may not be adequate to uncover novel drugs targeting cellular stresses and related diseases. The connectivity map (CMap) is an online pharmacogenomic database cataloging gene expression data from cultured cells treated individually with various chemicals, including a variety of phytochemicals. Moreover, by querying through CMap, researchers may screen registered chemicals in silico and obtain the likelihood of drugs showing a similar gene expression profile with desired and chemopreventive conditions. Thus, CMap is an effective genome-based tool to discover novel chemopreventive drugs.
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Descoberta de Drogas/métodos , Estresse do Retículo Endoplasmático/efeitos dos fármacos , Resposta ao Choque Térmico/efeitos dos fármacos , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Hipóxia Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Simulação por Computador , Humanos , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Mitocôndrias/patologia , Resposta a Proteínas não Dobradas/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
The dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) provides a physical and biological interface between the epidermis and the dermis. In addition to providing a structural integrity, the DEJ also acts as a passageway for molecular transport. Based on the recently reported importance of the DEJ in skin aging, novel peptide derivatives have been tested for their effects on basement membrane (BM) protein expressions in cultured human epidermal keratinocytes. As a result, protein expressions of collagen XVII, laminin and nidogen were stimulated by the test peptide and peptides complex. Further ex vivo evaluation using excised human skin, confirmed that the topical application of the peptides complex significantly increased dermal collagen expression, as well as expressions of collagen XVII and laminin. Interestingly, while the origin of the laminin protein is epidermal keratinocytes, the immunohistochemical staining of skin showed that laminin was only detected in the uppermost layer of the dermis, which suggests a tight assembly of laminin protein onto the dermal side of the DEJ. These results suggest that a peptide complex could improve the structural properties of the DEJ through its ability to stimulate BM proteins. In order to evaluate the anti-wrinkle benefits of the peptide complex in vivo, a clinical study was performed on 22 healthy Asian female volunteers older than 40 years. As a result, significant improvements in skin wrinkles for all of the five sites were observed after two weeks, as assessed by skin topographic measurements. Collectively, these results demonstrate the anti-aging efficacy of the peptides complex.
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Membrana Basal/efeitos dos fármacos , Queratinócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Peptídeos/farmacologia , Envelhecimento da Pele/efeitos dos fármacos , Pele/efeitos dos fármacos , Adulto , Autoantígenos/análise , Linhagem Celular , Colágeno Tipo I/análise , Feminino , Humanos , Queratinócitos/química , Queratinócitos/citologia , Laminina/análise , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Colágenos não Fibrilares/análise , Pele/química , Pele/citologia , Colágeno Tipo XVIIRESUMO
Critical considerations in engineering biomaterials for rotator cuff repair include bone-tendon-like mechanical properties to support physiological loading and biophysicochemical attributes that stabilize the repair site over the long-term. In this study, UV-crosslinkable polyurethane based on quadrol (Q), hexamethylene diisocyante (H), and methacrylic anhydride (M; QHM polymers), which are free of solvent, catalyst, and photoinitiator, is developed. Mechanical characterization studies demonstrate that QHM polymers possesses phototunable bone- and tendon-like tensile and compressive properties (12-74 MPa tensile strength, 0.6-2.7 GPa tensile modulus, 58-121 MPa compressive strength, and 1.5-3.0 GPa compressive modulus), including the capability to withstand 10 000 cycles of physiological tensile loading and reduce stress concentrations via stiffness gradients. Biophysicochemical studies demonstrate that QHM polymers have clinically favorable attributes vital to rotator cuff repair stability, including slow degradation profiles (5-30% mass loss after 8 weeks) with little-to-no cytotoxicity in vitro, exceptional suture retention ex vivo (2.79-3.56-fold less suture migration relative to a clinically available graft), and competent tensile properties (similar ultimate load but higher normalized tensile stiffness relative to a clinically available graft) as well as good biocompatibility for augmenting rat supraspinatus tendon repair in vivo. This work demonstrates functionally graded, bone-tendon-like biomaterials for interfacial tissue engineering.
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Interferon-tau (IFNT), a type I interferon (IFN), is known as pregnancy recognition signaling molecule secreted from the ruminant conceptus during the preimplantation period. Type I IFNs, such as IFN-alpha and IFN-beta, are known to activate cell-death pathways as well as induce apoptosis. In cows, induction of apoptosis with DNA fragmentation is induced by IFNT in cultured bovine endometrial epithelial cells. However, the status of cell-death pathways in the bovine endometrium during the preimplantation period still remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the different cell-death pathways, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy, in uterine tissue obtained from pregnant cows and in vitro cultured endometrial epithelial cells with IFNT stimulation. The expression of CASP7, 8, and FADD (apoptosis-related genes) was significantly higher in pregnant day 18 uterine tissue in comparison to non-pregnant day 18 tissue. The expression of CASP4, 11, and NLRP3 (pyroptosis-related genes) was significantly higher in the pregnant uterus in comparison to non-pregnant uterus. In contrast, autophagy-related genes were not affected by pregnancy. We also investigated the effect of IFNT on the expression of cell-death pathway-related genes, as well as DNA fragmentation in cultured endometrial epithelial cells. Similar to its effects in pregnant uterine tissue, IFNT affected the increase of apoptosis-related (CASP8) and pyroptosis-related genes (CASP11), but did not affect autophagy-related gene expression. IFNT also increased γH2AX-positive cells, which is a marker of DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that apoptosis- and pyroptosis-related genes are induced by IFNT in the pregnant bovine endometrial epithelial cells.
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Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Autofagia/efeitos dos fármacos , Endométrio/efeitos dos fármacos , Interferon Tipo I/farmacologia , Proteínas da Gravidez/farmacologia , Piroptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Caspase 7/metabolismo , Caspase 8/metabolismo , Bovinos , Fragmentação do DNA/efeitos dos fármacos , Endométrio/metabolismo , Feminino , GravidezRESUMO
Silver dimetal chalcogenide (Ag-V-VI2 ) ternary quantum dots (QDs) are emerging lead-free materials for optoelectronic devices due to their NIR band gaps, large absorption coefficients, and superior electronic properties. However, thin film-based devices of the ternary QDs still lag behind due to the lack of understanding of the surface chemistry, compared to that of lead chalcogenide QDs even with the same crystal structure. Herein the surface ligand interactions of AgSbS2 QDs, synthesized with 1-dodecanethiol used as a stabilizer, are studied. For nonpolar (1 0 0) surfaces, it is suggested that the thiolate ligands are associated with the crystal lattices, thus preventing surface oxidation by protecting sulfur after air-exposure, as confirmed through optical and surface chemical analysis. Otherwise, silver rich (1 1 1) surfaces are passivated by thiolate ligands, allowing ligand exchange processes for the conductive films. This in-depth investigation of the surface chemistry of ternary QDs will prompt the performance enhancement of their optoelectronic devices.
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In pesticide residue analysis, relatively low-sensitivity traditional detectors, such as UV, diode array, electron-capture, flame photometric, and nitrogen-phosphorus detectors, have been used following classical sample preparation (liquid-liquid extraction and open glass column cleanup); however, the extraction method is laborious, time-consuming, and requires large volumes of toxic organic solvents. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method was introduced in 2003 and coupled with selective and sensitive mass detectors to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. Compared to traditional detectors, mass spectrometers are still far more expensive and not available in most modestly equipped laboratories, owing to maintenance and cost-related issues. Even available, traditional detectors are still being used for analysis of residues in agricultural commodities. It is widely known that the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method is incompatible with conventional detectors owing to matrix complexity and low sensitivity. Therefore, modifications using column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction instead of dispersive solid-phase extraction for cleanup have been applied in most cases to compensate and enable the adaptation of the extraction method to conventional detectors. In gas chromatography, the matrix enhancement effect of some analytes has been observed, which lowers the limit of detection and, therefore, enables gas chromatography to be compatible with the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method. For liquid chromatography with a UV detector, a combination of column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction was found to reduce the matrix interference and increase the sensitivity. A suitable double-layer column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction might be the perfect solution, instead of a time-consuming combination of column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction. Therefore, replacing dispersive solid-phase extraction with column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction in the cleanup step can make the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method compatible with traditional detectors for more sensitive, effective, and green analysis.
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Técnicas de Química Analítica/economia , Técnicas de Química Analítica/instrumentação , Resíduos de Praguicidas/análise , Cromatografia Gasosa/economia , Cromatografia Gasosa/instrumentação , Cromatografia Líquida/economia , Cromatografia Líquida/instrumentação , Produtos Agrícolas/química , Extração Líquido-Líquido/economia , Extração Líquido-Líquido/instrumentação , Extração em Fase Sólida/economia , Extração em Fase Sólida/instrumentaçãoRESUMO
This study was undertaken to develop and validate a single multiresidue method for the monitoring of ten multiclass emerging contaminants, viz. ceftiofur, clopidol, florfenicol, monensin, salinomycin, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamethoxazole, tiamulin, and tylosin in agricultural soil. Samples were extracted using an acetate-buffered, modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric analysis in positive ion mode. Separation on an Eclipse Plus C18 column was conducted in gradient elution mode using a mobile phase of methanol (A) and distilled water (B), each containing 0.1% formic acid and 5 mM ammonium formate. The linearity of the matrix-matched calibrations, expressed as determination coefficients, was good, with R2 ≥ 0.9908. The limits of quantification were in the range 0.05-10 µg/kg. Blank soil samples spiked with 4 × and 20 × the limit of quantification provided recovery rates of 60.2-120.3% (except sulfamethoxazole spiked at 4 × the limit of quantification, which gave 131.9%) with a relative standard deviation < 13% (except clopidol spiked at 20 × the limit of quantification, which gave 25.2%). This method was successfully applied to the monitoring of 51 field-incurred agricultural loamy-sand soil samples collected from 17 provincial areas throughout the Korean Peninsula. The detected and quantified drugs were clopidol (≤ 4.8 µg/kg), sulfathiazole (≤ 7.7 µg/kg), sulfamethazine (≤ 6.6 µg/kg), tiamulin (≤ 10.0 µg/kg), and tylosin (≤ 5.3 µg/kg). The developed method is simple and versatile, and can be used to monitor various classes of veterinary drugs in soil.