Ultraviolet Radiation, Aging and the Skin: Prevention of Damage by Topical cAMP Manipulation

Being the largest and most visible organ of the body and heavily influenced by environmental factors, skin is ideal to study the long-term effects of aging. Throughout our lifetime, we accumulate damage generated by UV radiation. UV causes inflammation, immune changes, physical changes, impaired wound healing and DNA damage that promotes cellular senescence and carcinogenesis. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and among the malignancies of highest increasing incidence over the last several decades. Melanoma incidence is directly related to age, with highest rates in individuals over the age of 55 years, making it a clear age-related disease. In this review, we will focus on UV-induced carcinogenesis and photo aging along with natural protective mechanisms that reduce amount of realized solar radiation dose and UV-induced injury. We will focus on the theoretical use of forskolin, a plant-derived pharmacologically active compound to protect the skin against UV injury and prevent aging symptoms by up-regulating melanin production. We will discuss its use as a topically-applied root-derived formulation of the Plectranthus barbatus (Coleus forskolii) plant that grows naturally in Asia and that has long been used in various Aryuvedic teas and therapeutic preparations

Magnetic and structural properties of GeMn films: precipitation of intermetallic nanomagnets

We present a comprehensive study relating the nanostructure of Ge_0.95Mn_0.05 films to their magnetic properties. The formation of ferromagnetic nanometer sized inclusions in a defect free Ge matrix fabricated by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy is observed down to substrate temperatures T_S as low as 70 deg. Celsius. A combined transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis of the films identifies the inclusions as precipitates of the ferromagnetic compound Mn_5Ge_3. The volume and amount of these precipitates decreases with decreasing T_S. Magnetometry of the films containing precipitates reveals distinct temperature ranges: Between the characteristic ferromagnetic transition temperature of Mn_5Ge_3 at approximately room temperature and a lower, T_S dependent blocking temperature T_B the magnetic properties are dominated by superparamagnetism of the Mn_5Ge_3 precipitates. Below T_B, the magnetic signature of ferromagnetic precipitates with blocked magnetic moments is observed. At the lowest temperatures, the films show features characteristic for a metastable state.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B 74 (01.12.2006). High resolution images ibide

Potential therapeutic effects of natural heme oxygenase-1 inducers in cardiovascular diseases.

Significance: Many physiological effects of natural antioxidants, their extracts or their major active components, have been reported in recent decades. Most of these compounds are characterized by a phenolic structure, similar to that of α-tocopherol, and present antioxidant properties that have been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Polyphenols may increase the capacity of endogenous antioxidant defenses and modulate the cellular redox state. Such effects may have wide-ranging consequences for cellular growth and differentiation. Critical Issues: The majority of in vitro and in vivo studies conducted so far have attributed the protective effect of bioactive polyphenols to their chemical reactivity toward free radicals and their capacity to prevent the oxidation of important intracellular components. One possible protective molecular mechanism of polyphenols is nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) activation, which in turn regulates a number of detoxification enzymes. Recent Advances: Among the latter, the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway is likely to contribute to the established and powerful antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols. In this context, it is interesting to note that induction of HO-1 expression by means of natural compounds contributes to prevention of cardiovascular diseases in various experimental models. Future Directions: The focus of this review is on the role of natural HO-1 inducers as a potential therapeutic strategy to protect the cardiovascular system against various stressors in several pathological conditions

Geological and geophysical investigation of Kamil crater, Egypt

We detail the Kamil crater (Egypt) structure and refine the impact scenario, based on the geological and geophysical data collected during our first expedition in February 2010. Kamil Crater is a model for terrestrial small-scale hypervelocity impact craters. It is an exceptionally well-preserved, simple crater with a diameter of 45 m, depth of 10 m, and rayed pattern of bright ejecta. It occurs in a simple geological context: flat, rocky desert surface, and target rocks comprising subhorizontally layered sandstones. The high depth-to-diameter ratio of the transient crater, its concave, yet asymmetric, bottom, and the fact that Kamil Crater is not part of a crater field confirm that it formed by the impact of a single iron mass (or a tight cluster of fragments) that fragmented upon hypervelocity impact with the ground. The circular crater shape and asymmetries in ejecta and shrapnel distributions coherently indicate a direction of incidence from the NW and an impact angle of approximately 30 to 45 . Newly identified asymmetries, including the off-center bottom of the transient crater floor downrange, maximum overturning of target rocks along the impact direction, and lower crater rim elevation downrange, may be diagnostic of oblique impacts in well-preserved craters. Geomagnetic data reveal no buried individual impactor masses >100 kg and suggest that the total mass of the buried shrapnel >100 g is approximately 1050–1700 kg. Based on this mass value plus that of shrapnel >10 g identified earlier on the surface during systematic search, the new estimate of the minimum projectile mass is approximately 5 t.Published1842–18683.8. Geofisica per l'ambienteJCR Journalrestricte

Wide-band optical field concentrator for low-index core propagation

We propose a novel chirped structure consisting of a low index polymer core bounded by modulated multilayer claddings, to realize an optical field concentrator with virtually zero propagation losses in a wide spectral range, independent of wave polarization. In spite of the absence of the total internal reflection mechanism, properly designed multilayer claddings ensure the achievement of unitary transmittance in a wide spectral range, including the widely used wavelengths for optical communications. Several cladding geometries obtained by varying the thicknesses of the cladding layers are reported and discussed.Comment: submitted to the Journal of the European Optical Societ

Numerical modeling of the impact of pump wavelength on Yb-doped fiber amplifier performance

Ytterbium-doped optical amplifiers have become common tools for industrial applications due to their high efficiency, relatively low cost and potentially very high output power level. The efficiency of an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier depends mainly on the absorption of pump radiation, and, therefore, optimum pump wavelengths have been proposed such as 915 nm. However, the semiconductor pump diodes batch supplied by manufacturers may exhibit a spread in the output wavelength. This paper theoretically investigates the performance of Yb-doped amplifiers for different pump wavelengths and defines the pump power penalty when the pump source does not emit at the optimum wavelength. The penalty has been defined as normalized excess pump power required to achieve the desired gain