Greater Skeletal Gains in Ovary Intact Rats at Maturity Are Achieved by Supplementing a Standardized Extract of Butea monosperma Stem Bark that Confers Better Bone Conserving Effect following Ovariectomy and Concurrent Treatment Withdrawal

With a longitudinally designed study, we tested whether an acetone soluble fraction (ASF) from the stem bark of Butea monosperma resulted in maximizing bone gain in rats during growth and maturation and thus protected against osteopenia following ovariectomy (OVx) with concomitant treatment withdrawal. Female rats at weaning were given ASF (100 mg/kg/d) or vehicle for 12 weeks, and baseline skeletal parameters (micro-CT) and total plasma antioxidant status (TAS) were measured. At this stage, one group was OVx and the other group was sham operated. Vehicle group (untreated) after OVx was given E2 or continued with vehicle (OVx control). ASF group after OVx was given vehicle (ASF withdrawn, ASFW). After another 12 weeks, all groups were killed and various skeletal parameters were determined. ASF resulted in substantially better skeletal parameters and higher plasma TAS over control at maturity. Rats treated with ASF before OVx had reduced rates of bone loss compared to OVx control. Twelve weeks after OVx, the ASFW group exhibited better trabecular microarchitectural preservation, bone turnover profiles, increased cortical deposition, and biomechanical strength over the OVx control, and the effects were comparable to OVx + E2 group. ASF supplementation during skeletal growth could maximize bone accrual and could confer increased resistance to postOVx osteopenia despite treatment withdrawal

Greater Skeletal Gains in Ovary Intact Rats at Maturity Are Achieved by Supplementing a Standardized Extract of Butea monosperma

With a longitudinally designed study, we tested whether an acetone soluble fraction (ASF) from the stem bark of Butea monosperma resulted in maximizing bone gain in rats during growth and maturation and thus protected against osteopenia following ovariectomy (OVx) with concomitant treatment withdrawal. Female rats at weaning were given ASF (100 mg/kg/d) or vehicle for 12 weeks, and baseline skeletal parameters (micro-CT) and total plasma antioxidant status (TAS) were measured. At this stage, one group was OVx and the other group was sham operated. Vehicle group (untreated) after OVx was given E2 or continued with vehicle (OVx control). ASF group after OVx was given vehicle (ASF withdrawn, ASFW). After another 12 weeks, all groups were killed and various skeletal parameters were determined. ASF resulted in substantially better skeletal parameters and higher plasma TAS over control at maturity. Rats treated with ASF before OVx had reduced rates of bone loss compared to OVx control. Twelve weeks after OVx, the ASFW group exhibited better trabecular microarchitectural preservation, bone turnover profiles, increased cortical deposition, and biomechanical strength over the OVx control, and the effects were comparable to OVx + E2 group. ASF supplementation during skeletal growth could maximize bone accrual and could confer increased resistance to post-OVx osteopenia despite treatment withdrawal

Daidzein Prevents the Increase in CD4+CD28null T Cells and B Lymphopoesis in Ovariectomized Mice: A Key Mechanism for Anti-Osteoclastogenic Effect

Estrogen deficiency leads to an upregulation of TNF-α producing T cells and B-lymphopoesis which augments osteoclastogenesis. Estrogen deficiency also increases the population of premature senescent CD4+CD28null T cells which secrete a higher amount of TNF-α thus leading to enhanced osteoclastogenesis. Isoflavonoids like daidzein and genistein are found mostly in soybeans, legumes, and peas. These share structural similarity with 17β-stradiol (E2) and have osteoprotective role. This study explores the effect of daidzein (Daid) on the proliferation of TNF-α producing T cells, premature senescent T cells and B cell lymphopoesis under estrogen deficient conditions. For this study adult Balb/c mice were treated with Daid at 10 mg/kg body weight dose by oral gavage daily post ovariectomy (Ovx). After six weeks animals were autopsied and bone marrow and spleen cells were collected for FACS analysis. Blood serum was collected for ELISA. It was observed that Ovx mice treated with Daid for six weeks show reduction in Ovx induced expansion of CD4+ T cells in bone marrow and spleen when analysed by flow cytometry. Estrogen deficiency led to increased prevalence of TNF-α secreting CD4+CD28null T cells, however, treatment with Daid increased the percentage of CD4+CD28+ T cells. Co-culture of CD4+CD28null T cells and bone marrow resulted in enhanced osteoclastogenesis as evident by increased tartarate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) expression, an osteoclast marker. However, treatment with Daid resulted in reduced osteoclastogenesis in CD4+CD28null T cells and bone marrow cell co-culture. Daid also regulated B lymphopoesis and decreased mRNA levels of RANKL in B220+ cells. Taken together, we propose that one of the mechanisms by which Daid prevents bone loss is by reversing the detrimental immune changes as a result of estrogen deficiency

Origin of the high Seebeck coefficient of the misfit [Ca2CoO3]0.62[CoO2][Ca_{2}CoO_{3}]_{0.62} [CoO_{2}] cobaltate from site-specific valency and spin-state determinations

Layered misfit cobaltate [Ca2CoO3]0.62[CoO2], which emerged as an important thermoelectric material [A. C. Masset et al. Phys. Rev. B 62, 166 (2000)], has been explored extensively in the last decade for the exact mechanism behind its high Seebeck coefficient. Its complex crystal and electronic structures have inhibited consensus among such investigations. This situation has arisen mainly due to difficulties in accurate identification of the chemical state, spin state, and site symmetries in its two subsystems (rocksalt [Ca2CoO3] and triangular [CoO2]). By employing resonant photoemission spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy along with charge transfer multiplet simulations (at the Co ions), we have successfully identified the site symmetries, valencies, and spin states of the Co in both layers. Our site-symmetry observations explain the experimental value of the high Seebeck coefficient and also confirm that the carriers hop within the rocksalt layer, which is in contrast to earlier reports where hopping within triangular CoO2 layer has been held responsible for the large Seebeck coefficient

Insulator-metal transitions in the T\it{T} phase Cr doped and M1\it{M1} phase undoped VO2VO_2 thin films

$VO_2$ exhibits several insulating phases (monoclinic $\it{M1}$, $\it{M2}$ and triclinic $\it{T}$) and study of these phases are important for understanding true nature of the insulator to metal transition (IMT) in $VO_2$. These insulating phases have small but discernible crystallographic differences in the vanadium chains forming the dimers. Peculiarities of the electron localizations in the dimerized chains, for many of the probes such as NMR, makes it difficult to characterize the true character of these phases . Here we present the structural, electrical, ultrafast reflectivity, and electronic structure studies on the $\it{T}$ phase Cr doped $VO_2$ and the $\it{M1}$ phase pure $VO_2$ thin films, both grown by pulsed laser deposition in identical conditions. An intermediate $\it{M2}$ structure is observed in the Cr doped $VO_2$, while the pure $VO_2$ directly goes from the insulating monoclinic $\it{M1}$ structure to a metallic rutile $\it{R}$ structure, manifested from temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy. Temperature dependent electronic structure studies utilizing x-ray near edge absorption spectroscopy (XANES) reveal that all these insulating phases (monoclinic $\it{M1}$, $\it{M2}$ and triclinic $\it{T}$) have alike electronic structure which place these insulating phases into the list of the Mott-Hubbard insulators. This is a first combined experimental report on the electronic structure of all the three insulating phases, monoclinic $\it{M1}$, $\it{M2}$ and triclinic $\it{T}$

Daid treatment inhibits Ovx-induced oxidative stress in CD4⁺ T cells and TNF-α production by these cells.

<p>(A) Cellular ROS measurement was performed by incubating CD4⁺ T cells with DCF-DA followed by FACS analysis. (B) Circulating TNF-α levels were measured in various groups by ELISA. (C) TNF-α mRNA levels in the BM CD4⁺ T cells were measured in various groups by qPCR. N = 10 mice/group; data are presented as mean ± SEM; ^**<i>P</i><0.01 and ^***<i>P</i><0.001 compared with Ovx+vehicle group.</p

Sequences of real-time PCR primers.

<p>Sequences of real-time PCR primers.</p

Thymus and spleen weight in Balb/c mice.

<p>Daid treatment decreases Ovx-induced increase in thymus and spleen weight. N = 10 mice/group). Data are presented as mean ± SEM;</p><p>***<i>P</i><0.001 compared with Ovx+vehicle group.</p

μ-CT analysis of femur trabeculae of Balb/C Mice.

<p>Micro computed tomographic (µCT) determination of excised femora were carried out using the Sky Scan 1076 KCT scanner (Aartselaar, Belgium).Trabecular bone volume (BV/TV; %), trabecular separation (TbSp), trabecular number (TbN), and trabecular pattern factor were calculated by the mean intercept length method. N = 10 mice/group; data are presented as mean ± SEM;</p><p>*<i>P</i><0.05,</p><p>**<i>P</i><0.01,</p><p>***<i>P</i><0.001 compared with Ovx+vehicle group.</p