Microrna analysis of human decidua mesenchymal stromal cells from preeclampsia patients

Introduction: In preeclampsia (PE), human decidua mesenchymal stromal cells (hDMSCs) are exposed toabnormally high levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory factors circulating in the maternal blood. MicroRNAs(miRNAs) have been shown to have a significant impact on the differentiation, maturation and function ofmesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Our aim in the present study is firstly to investigate differentially expressedmiRNA levels to be used as a biomarker in the early detection of PE and secondly to investigate whether thosedifferentially expressed miRNAs in hDMSCs have an effect on the pathogenesis of PE.Methods: This study covers miRNA expression analysis of hDMSCs from 7 PE patient and 7 healthy pregnantwomen and is a preliminary study to investigate putative biomarkers. After cell culture and cell sorting, totalRNA including miRNAs were isolated from hDMSCs. Let-7b-3p, let-7f-1-3p, miR-191–3p, miR-550a-5p, miR-33b-3p and miR-425–3p were used for miRNA analysis and U6 snRNA was used for normalization of the samples.MiRNA analysis was performed by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) method and obtainedresults were evaluated statistically.Results: As a result of the analysis, it was observed that the levels of hsa-miR-33b-3p significantly (AUC: 0.93, p =0.04, fold change: 4.5) increased in hDMSC of PE patients compared to healthy controls. However, let-7b-3p, let-7f-1-3p, miR-191–3p, miR-550a-5p, and miR-425–3p were not considered as significant because they did notmeet the p < 0,05 requirement.Discussion: Within the scope of the study, it is predicted that miR-33b-3p (p = 0.004, AUC = 0.93) can be used asa biomarker in detecting PE

Fabrication and Characterization of Cross-linked Polybenzimidazole Based Membranes for High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells

In this study different types of crosslinked polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes were compared as high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFC). Cross-linking of PBI was performed with different cross-linkers including bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE), alpha-alpha'-dibromo-p-xylene (DBpX), and terephthalaldehyde (TPA). The crosslinked membranes have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, acid uptake and impedance analyses. The crosslinking of the PBI polymer matrix helps to improve the acid retention properties. PBI/BADGE presented the highest acid retention properties. Proton conductivities of the membranes were comparable to that of commercial membranes. Conductivity values up to 0.151 S.cm(-1) were obtained at 180 degrees C with PBI/DBpX membranes. Gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) were fabricated by an ultrasonic coating technique with 0.6 mg Pt.cm(-2) catalyst loading for both anode and cathode. The crosslinked membranes were tested in a single HT-PEMFC with a 5 cm(2) active area at 165 degrees C without humidification. PBI/BADGE crosslinked membranes demonstrated stability and high performance on single cell HT-PEMFC tests. The maximum power density for PBI/BADGE was determined as 0.123 W. cm(-2). As a result, the experimental results suggested that the PBI/ BADGE and PBI/DBpX cross-linked membranes are promising electrolyte options for HT-PEMFC