48 research outputs found
Leben und Zusammenleben der Sprachgruppen in Südtirol: Auswirkungen von Autonomie und Minderheitenschutz auf Schule und Bevölkerung
Effect of TP on Biochemical Indicators. (DOCX 14Ă‚Â kb
Global Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Insulin/Akt/mTORC1/S6K Signaling in Rat Hepatocytes
Insulin resistance is a hallmark
of type 2 diabetes. Although multiple
genetic and physiological factors interact to cause insulin resistance,
deregulated signaling by phosphorylation is a common underlying mechanism.
In particular, the specific phosphorylation-dependent regulatory mechanisms
and signaling outputs of insulin are poorly understood in hepatocytes,
which represents one of the most important insulin-responsive cell
types. Using primary rat hepatocytes as a model system, we performed
reductive dimethylation (ReDi)-based quantitative mass spectrometric
analysis and characterized the phosphoproteome that is regulated by
insulin as well as its key downstream kinases including Akt, mTORC1,
and S6K. We identified a total of 12 294 unique, confidently
localized phosphorylation sites and 3805 phosphorylated proteins in
this single cell type. Detailed bioinformatic analysis on each individual
data set identified both known and previously unrecognized targets
of this key insulin downstream effector pathway. Furthermore, integrated
analysis of the hepatic Akt/mTORC1/S6K signaling axis allowed the
delineation of the substrate specificity of several close-related
kinases within the insulin signaling pathway. We expect that the data
sets will serve as an invaluable resource, providing the foundation
for future hypothesis-driven research that helps delineate the molecular
mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and related
metabolic syndrome
Rational Design of Ternary-Phase Polymer Solar Cells by Controlling Polymer Phase Separation
In
this article, we report a novel route to control the ternary-phase
morphology of the active layer of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Two
typical polymers with complementary absorption ranges, i.e. polyÂ(3-hexylthiophene)
(P3HT) and polyÂ[(4,4′-bisÂ(2-ethylhexyl)ÂdithienolÂ[3,2-<i>b</i>:2′,3′-<i>d</i>]Âsilole)-2,6-diyl-<i>alt</i>-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-4,7-diyl] (PSBTBT), are selected
to obtain ternary phase system by blending with (6,6)-phenyl-C71 butyric
acid methyl ester (PC<sub>71</sub>BM). A more than three times increase
of power conversion efficiency is observed by tuning the morphologies
of ternary phase with high second polymer loading. Different from
the traditional disordered intermixing morphologies, the existence
of submicrometer scale domains of polymer-rich phases are observed
for P3HT and PSBTBT, respectively. The measurements of photoluminescence
quenching demonstrate that with the morphology varying from intermixed
to hierarchical morphology, the interactions between two polymers
changing from charge transfer (CT) to fluorescence resonant energy
transfer (FRET); at the same time charge transfer mainly occurs at
polymers and PC<sub>71</sub>BM interfaces. The photophysical process
here is different from previous reports. A model named hierarchical
interpenetrating networks model (HINM) is proposed to describe the
optimal active layer of ternary-phase PSCs. Further Kelvin probe force
microscopy (KPFM) results demonstrate the reason for our relatively
low efficiency is limited by PSBTBT charge transport in blend matrix.
We believe that this novel route for controlling morphology could
be further optimized and would provide new thoughts and opportunities
in the area of PSCs
Protein Nanocages for Delivery and Release of Luminescent Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes
In
this report, noncovalent encapsulation of hydrophobic rutheniumÂ(II)
polyridyl complexes, RuÂ(bpy)<sub>2</sub>dppz<sup>2+</sup> and RuÂ(phen)<sub>2</sub>dppz<sup>2+</sup>, into apoferritin cavity was achieved with
high loading contents by effective prevention of Ru complex-induced
protein aggregation, without disruption of protein native architecture.
The Ru-loaded luminescent nanocomposites have demonstrated improved
water solubility, easy manipulation, reduced cytotoxicity, and enhanced
cellular uptake as compared to the nontreated Ru complexes
Protein Nanocages for Delivery and Release of Luminescent Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes
In
this report, noncovalent encapsulation of hydrophobic rutheniumÂ(II)
polyridyl complexes, RuÂ(bpy)<sub>2</sub>dppz<sup>2+</sup> and RuÂ(phen)<sub>2</sub>dppz<sup>2+</sup>, into apoferritin cavity was achieved with
high loading contents by effective prevention of Ru complex-induced
protein aggregation, without disruption of protein native architecture.
The Ru-loaded luminescent nanocomposites have demonstrated improved
water solubility, easy manipulation, reduced cytotoxicity, and enhanced
cellular uptake as compared to the nontreated Ru complexes
Robot-Assisted Right Middle Lobectomy
Robot-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is a feasible procedure, based on the authors’ previous experience. Their hospital has carried out robot-assisted thoracic surgery since May 2015, and accomplished over 400 cases of thoracic surgery through June 2017. This includes, but is not limited to, benign and malignant lung tumors, benign and malignant esophageal disease, mediastinal masses, and thymoma. This video demostrates a successful robot-assisted right middle lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer.<div>The patient was a 73-year-old woman who was admitted for a nodule in the right lung, which was found during a health checkup two years ago. She had no symptoms such as fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, or hoarseness. Recent CT scanning showed the nodule had enlarged to 1.8 cm, with lobulated edges and pleural indentation. Moreover, it had an abnormally high metabolic performance on PET/CT. The surgery time was about 50 minutes. The patient was discharged on postoperative day four without any perioperative complications. The pathological stage was T1bN0M0 (invasive adenocarcinoma, stage IA2).<br></div
Transduction efficiency of Ad-eGFP, pc-Ad-eGFP and ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP with A549 cells.
<p>(A) A549 cells were seeded into 96-well plates (10<sup>4</sup> cells/well) and infected after 24 h incubation with 10<sup>4</sup> particles per cell of Ad-eGFP, pc-Ad-eGFP and ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP in DMEM/10% fetal calf serum (FCS). Cellular GFP fluorescence was visualized 48 h post-infection using a Nikon TI-S microscope and photographed with a Nikon camera. (i) Uninfected cells; infection with (ii) Ad-eGFP, (iii) pc-Ad-eGFP, and (iv) ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP. (B) After A549 cells were infected for 48 h as described above, the medium was removed, the cells lysed with 100 ml Triton X-100 (0.2% in H<sub>2</sub>O) and GFP fluorescence was measured (λ<sub>ex</sub> 488 nm and λ<sub>em</sub> 538 nm) with a Fluoroskan fluorescence plate reader (Multiskan GO, Thermo Scientific). The columns depict the following: (i) uninfected cells, (ii) Ad-eGFP, (iii) pc-Ad-eGFP, and (iv) ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP. Data are the means ± SEM. *P<0.05 compared with i, <sup>#</sup>P<0.05 compared with iii (C) A549 cells were trypsinized, aliquoted at (2×10<sup>5</sup> cells)/(2 ml DMEM/10% FCS) and incubated in 6-well plates at 37°C until 90% confluence was reached; subsequently, 10<sup>9</sup> particles Ad-eGFP, pc-Ad-eGFP or ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP labeled with PI were added. Cells were trypsinized, centrifuged (2 min, 1500 g) and washed in PBS 48 h later. Association of PI-labeled virus with cells was measured using a Coulter EPICS XL flow cytometer with an argon laser (λ<sub>ex</sub> 540 nm and λ<sub>em</sub> 625 nm). The fluorescence profile of control cells (black line) or cells infected with virus (red line), pc-virus (yellow line) or ACPP-pc-virus (purple line).</p
Conjugated Polymer–Small Molecule Alloy Leads to High Efficient Ternary Organic Solar Cells
Ternary organic solar cells are promising
candidates for bulk heterojunction
solar cells; however, improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE)
is quite challenging because the ternary system is complicated on
phase separation behavior. In this study, a ternary organic solar
cell (OSC) with two donors, including one polymer (PTB7-Th), one small
molecule (<i>p</i>-DTSÂ(FBTTH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>),
and one acceptor (PC<sub>71</sub>BM), is fabricated. We propose the
two donors in the ternary blend forms an alloy. A notable averaged
PCE of 10.5% for ternary OSC is obtained due to the improvement of
the fill factor (FF) and the short-circuit current density (<i>J</i><sub>sc</sub>), and the open-circuit voltage (<i>V</i><sub>oc</sub>) does not pin to the smaller <i>V</i><sub>oc</sub> of the corresponding binary blends. A highly ordered face-on
orientation of polymer molecules is obtained due to the formation
of an alloy structure, which facilitates the enhancement of charge
separation and transport and the reduction of charge recombination.
This work indicates that a high crystallinity and the face-on orientation
of polymers could be obtained by forming alloy with two miscible donors,
thus paving a way to largely enhance the PCE of OSCs by using the
ternary blend strategy
Selective infection of ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP in MMP-overexpressing cells and control.
<p>HBE(control), A549, MDA-MB-231 and HepG2 cells were seeded into 96-well plates (10<sup>4</sup> cells per well) and after 24 h were infected with 10<sup>4</sup> particles per cell of ACPP-pc-Ad-eGFP in DMEM/10% FCS (A549, MDA-MB-231) or RRPMI-1640/10% FCS (HBE, HepG2). The supernatant was removed 4 h after infection and incubated with 200 µl DMEM/10% FCS (A549, MDA-MB-231) or RRPMI-1640/10% FCS (HBE, HepG2) for an additional 48 h before fluorescence was measured. The columns depict the following: i, HBE; ii, A549; iii, MDA-MB-231; and iv, HepG2. Data are the means ± SEM. *P<0.05 compared with the HBE cell.</p
Targeted Gene Delivery to Macrophages by Biodegradable Star-Shaped Polymers
In this report, two biodegradable
star-shaped polyasparamide derivatives
and four analogues modified with either mannose or folic acid moiety
for preferential targeting of a difficult-to-transfect immune cell
type, i.e., macrophage, have been synthesized. Each of the prepared
star polymers complexes with plasmid DNA to form nanosized particles
featuring a core–shell-like morphology. Mannose or folate functionalized
star polymers can greatly improve the transfection performance on
a macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. As a result, a combination of targeting
ligand modification and topological structures of gene carriers is
a promising strategy for immune cells-based gene therapy