Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) Impairs Purinergic Induced Intracellular Calcium Increase and Nitric Oxide Release in Endothelial Cells

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a diet derived compound directly introduced through foodstuff, or endogenously synthesized from its precursors, primarily choline, L-carnitine, and ergothioneine. New evidence outlines high TMAO plasma concentrations in patients with overt cardiovascular disease, but its direct role in pathological development is still controversial. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the role of TMAO in affecting key intracellular factors involved in endothelial dysfunction development, such as reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial health, calcium balance, and nitric oxide release using bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAE-1). Cell viability and oxidative stress indicators were monitored after acute and prolonged TMAO treatment. The role of TMAO in interfering with the physiological purinergic vasodilatory mechanism after ATP stimulation was defined through measurements of the rise of intracellular calcium, nitric oxide release, and eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1179 (eNOSSer1179). TMAO was not cytotoxic for BAE-1 and it did not induce the rise of reactive oxygen species and impairment of mitochondrial membrane potential, either in the basal condition or in the presence of a stressor. In contrast, TMAO modified the purinergic response affecting intracellular ATP-induced calcium increase, nitric oxide release, and eNOSSer1179. Results obtained suggest a possible implication of TMAO in impairing the endothelial-dependent vasodilatory mechanism

Correlated electron-hole plasma in organometal perovskites

Organic-inorganic perovskites are a class of solution-processed semiconductors holding promise for the realization of low-cost efficient solar cells and on-chip lasers. Despite the recent attention they have attracted, fundamental aspects of the photophysics underlying device operation still remain elusive. Here we use photoluminescence and transmission spectroscopy to show that photoexcitations give rise to a conducting plasma of unbound but Coulomb-correlated electron-hole pairs at all excitations of interest for light-energy conversion and stimulated optical amplification. The conductive nature of the photoexcited plasma has crucial consequences for perovskite-based devices: in solar cells, it ensures efficient charge separation and ambipolar transport while, concerning lasing, it provides a low threshold for light amplification and justifies a favourable outlook for the demonstration of an electrically driven laser. We find a significant trap density, whose cross-section for carrier capture is however low, yielding a minor impact on device performance

Indagación sobre el lugar de la economía política en los proyectos filosóficos de Smith y Hegel

El presente trabajo se propone explorar el lugar de la economía política en los proyectos filosóficos de Adam Smith y G. W. F. Hegel, procurando retomar el contenido teórico ínsito en algunas de sus principales obras. Para ello, se buscará mostrar cómo ambos autores, ante la necesidad de trascender las relaciones sociales directas, desembocan en el estudio de las relaciones mercantiles. Hacia el final del artículo, se dedicarán unas breves reflexiones a las dificultades con las que tropiezan en la consecución de esta empresa y a la relevancia de su legado teórico

Indagación sobre el lugar de la economía política en los proyectos filosóficos de Smith y Hegel

El presente trabajo se propone explorar el lugar de la economía política en los proyectos filosóficos de Adam Smith y G. W. F. Hegel, procurando retomar el contenido teórico ínsito en algunas de sus principales obras. Para ello, se buscará mostrar cómo ambos autores, ante la necesidad de trascender las relaciones sociales directas, desembocan en el estudio de las relaciones mercantiles. Hacia el final del artículo, se dedicarán unas breves reflexiones a las dificultades con las que tropiezan en la consecución de esta empresa y a la relevancia de su legado teórico