Ionothermal Synthesis of Metal-Organic Framework

Ionothermal synthesis employs ionic liquids for synthesis of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as solvent and template. The cations and anions of ionic liquids may be finely adjusted to produce a great variety of reaction environments and thus frameworks. Organisation of the structures synthesised from related ionic liquid combinations give rise to provocative chemical trends that may be used to predict future outcomes. Further analysis of their structures is possible by reducing the complex framework to its underlying topology, which by itself brings more precision to prediction. Through reduction, many seemingly different, but related classes of structures may be merged into larger groups and provide better understanding of the nanoscopic structures and synthesis conditions that gave rise to them. Ionothermal synthesis has promised to enable us to effectively plan the synthesis ahead for a given purpose. However, for its promise to be kept, several difficult limitations must be overcome, including the inseparable cations from the solvent that reside in the framework pore

Treadmill Exercise Alleviates Aging-induced Apoptosis in Rat Cardiac Myocytes

SummaryBackgroundThe incidence and prevalence of heart failure increases with age. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes to the pathogenesis of heart failure. In the end-stage of human heart failure, increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis is observed. Exercise training is one of the nonpharmacological treatments for chronic heart failure.MethodsIn the present study, we investigated the effect of treadmill exercise on the aging-induced apoptosis within cardiac myocytes in relation to the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) using rats. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and Western blotting for the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, HSP70, and phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) in the cardiac myocardium were conducted.ResultsAging induced apoptosis in the myocardium, which was confirmed by increased TUNEL-positive cells and the enhancement of Bax. Expression of HSP70 was suppressed and p-p38 expression was enhanced by aging. Treadmill exercise alleviated aging-induced apoptosis with enhancing HSP70 expression and suppressing p-p38 expression in the cardiac myocytes.ConclusionBased on the present results, it can be inferred that treadmill exercise can provide a cardioprotective effect on aging-induced apoptosis through the enhancement of HSP70 expression in the heart. Thus, regular exercise may be a useful strategy for preventing heart problems in the elderly

Akt1-Inhibitor of DNA binding2 is essential for growth cone formation and axon growth and promotes central nervous system axon regeneration.

Mechanistic studies of axon growth during development are beneficial to the search for neuron-intrinsic regulators of axon regeneration. Here, we discovered that, in the developing neuron from rat, Akt signaling regulates axon growth and growth cone formation through phosphorylation of serine 14 (S14) on Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2). This enhances Id2 protein stability by means of escape from proteasomal degradation, and steers its localization to the growth cone, where Id2 interacts with radixin that is critical for growth cone formation. Knockdown of Id2, or abrogation of Id2 phosphorylation at S14, greatly impairs axon growth and the architecture of growth cone. Intriguingly, reinstatement of Akt/Id2 signaling after injury in mouse hippocampal slices redeemed growth promoting ability, leading to obvious axon regeneration. Our results suggest that Akt/Id2 signaling is a key module for growth cone formation and axon growth, and its augmentation plays a potential role in CNS axonal regeneration

Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Like Nanoparticle Vaccination Induces Long-Term Protection Without Pulmonary Disease by Modulating Cytokines and T-cells Partially Through Alveolar Macrophages

The mechanisms of protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are poorly understood. Virus-like nanoparticles expressing RSV glycoproteins (eg, a combination of fusion and glycoprotein virus-like nanoparticles [FG VLPs]) have been suggested to be a promising RSV vaccine candidate. To understand the roles of alveolar macrophages (AMs) in inducing long-term protection, mice that were 12 months earlier vaccinated with formalin-inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) or FG VLPs were treated with clodronate liposome prior to RSV infection. FI-RSV immune mice with clodronate liposome treatment showed increases in eosinophils, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, interleukin (IL)-4+ T-cell infiltration, proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and, in particular, mucus production upon RSV infection. In contrast to FI-RSV immune mice with severe pulmonary histopathology, FG VLP immune mice showed no overt sign of histopathology and significantly lower levels of eosinophils, T-cell infiltration, and inflammatory cytokines, but higher levels of interferon-γ, which are correlated with protection against RSV disease. FG VLP immune mice with depletion of AMs showed increases in inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as eosinophils. The results in this study suggest that FG nanoparticle vaccination induces long-term protection against RSV and that AMs play a role in the RSV protection by modulating eosinophilia, mucus production, inflammatory cytokines, and T-cell infiltration

The Safety and Efficiency of the Ultrasound-guided Large Needle Core Biopsy of Axilla Lymph Nodes

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficiency of the Ultrasound (US)-guided large needle core biopsy of axilla lymph nodes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2004 to September 2005, 31 patients underwent the US-guided core biopsy for axilla lymph nodes. Twenty five lesions out of 31 were detected during breast US, and 6 of 31 cases were palpable. Lymph nodes were classified based on their shape and cortical morphology. The core biopsy of axilla lymph nodes was performed on suspicious lymph nodes found during breast ultrasonography to find out whether the patients had a history of breast cancer or not. Among the 31 patients, 16 patients were associated with breast cancer. The lesion sizes varied from 0.6 cm to 3.3 cm (mean=1.59+/-0.76 cm). US-guided core biopsies were performed with 14 G needles with an automated biopsy gun. Total 3 or 5 specimens were obtained. RESULTS: Among the 31 cases of axilla lymph nodes core biopsies, 11 cases showed malignant pathology. Seven out of 11 cases were metastatic lymph nodes from breast cancer; 2 cases were from primary unknown and 2 cases from lymphomas. On the other hand, 20 histopathologic results of axilla lesions were benign: subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis (n=2), dermatopathic lymphadenitis (n=1), reactive hyperplasia (n=10) and free of carcinoma (n=7). CONCLUSION: The US-guided large needle core biopsy of axilla lesions is safe and effective for the pathological evaluation. The core biopsy is believed to be easy to perform if suspicious lymph nodes or mass lesions are found in the axillaope

Ionothermal Synthesis of a Novel 3D Cobalt Coordination Polymer with a Uniquely Reported Framework: [BMI] 2

The framework of [RMI]2[Co2(BTC)2(H2O)2] (RMI = 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium, alkyl; ethyl (EMI); propyl (PMI); butyl (BMI)), which has uniquely occurred in ionothermal reactions of metal salts and H3BTC (1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid), an organic ligand, reappeared in this work. Ionothermal reaction of cobalt acetate and H3BTC with [BMI]Br ionic liquid as the reaction medium yielded the novel coordination polymer [BMI]2[Co2(BTC)2(H2O)2] (compound B2). Similar ionothermal reactions with different [EMI]Br and [PMI]Br as the reaction media have been previously reported to produce [EMI]2[Co3(BTC)2(OAc)2] (compound A1) and [PMI]2[Co2(BTC)2(H2O)2] (compound B1), respectively. In contrast with the trinuclear secondary building unit of A1, the framework structure of B1 and B2 consists of dinuclear secondary building units in common, but with subtle distinction posed by the different size of the incorporated cations. These structural differences amidst the frameworks showed interesting aspects, including guest and void volume, and were used to explain the chemical trend observed in the system. Moreover, the physicochemical properties of the newly synthesized compound have been briefly discussed

Ginseng Protects Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus by Modulating Multiple Immune Cells and Inhibiting Viral Replication

Ginseng has been used in humans for thousands of years but its effects on viral infection have not been well understood. We investigated the effects of red ginseng extract (RGE) on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection using in vitro cell culture and in vivo mouse models. RGE partially protected human epithelial (HEp2) cells from RSV-induced cell death and viral replication. In addition, RGE significantly inhibited the production of RSV-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) in murine dendritic and macrophage-like cells. More importantly, RGE intranasal pre-treatment prevented loss of mouse body weight after RSV infection. RGE treatment improved lung viral clearance and enhanced the production of interferon (IFN-γ) in bronchoalveolar lavage cells upon RSV infection of mice. Analysis of cellular phenotypes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids showed that RGE treatment increased the populations of CD8+ T cells and CD11c+ dendritic cells upon RSV infection of mice. Taken together, these results provide evidence that ginseng has protective effects against RSV infection through multiple mechanisms, which include improving cell survival, partial inhibition of viral replication and modulation of cytokine production and types of immune cells migrating into the lung

Replicating Adenovirus-SIV Immunization of Rhesus Macaques Induces Mucosal Dendritic Cell Activation and Function Leading to Rectal Immune Responses

Inducing strong mucosal immune responses by vaccination is important for providing protection against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). A replicating adenovirus type 5 host range mutant vector (Ad5hr) expressing SIV proteins induced mucosal immune responses in rectal tissue associated with delayed SIV acquisition in female rhesus macaques, but the initial mechanisms leading to the induced immunity have not been elucidated. As dendritic cells (DCs) are known to orchestrate both innate and adaptive effector immune cell responses, we investigated their role here. Rhesus macaques were immunized twice mucosally with a replicating Ad5hr expressing SIV Env, Gag, and Nef (Ad-SIV) or empty Ad5hr vector (Ad-Empty). DC subsets and their activation were examined in rectal tissue, blood, and LNs at 3 timepoints after each immunization. Plasmacytoid DCs, myeloid DCs, and Langerhans cells were significantly increased in the rectal mucosa, but only myeloid DCs were significantly increased in blood post-immunizations. All rectal DC subsets showed increased frequencies of cells expressing activation markers and cytokines post-immunization, blood DCs showed mixed results, and LN DCs showed few changes. Rectal DCs responded strongly to the vector rather than expressed SIV antigens, but rectal DC frequencies positively correlated with induced rectal antigen-specific memory T and B cells. These correlations were confirmed by in vitro co-cultures showing that rectal Ad-SIV DCs induced proliferation and antigen-specific cytokine production by autologous naïve T cells. Our results highlight the rapid response of DCs to Ad immunization and their role in mucosal immune activation and identify initial cellular mechanisms of the replicating Ad-SIV vaccine in the rhesus macaque model