14 research outputs found
Effects of Boron Purity, Mg Stoichiometry and Carbon Substitution on Properties of Polycrystalline MgB
By synthesizing MgB using boron of different nominal purity we found
values of the residual resistivity ratio () from 4 to
20, which covers almost all values found in literature. To obtain high values
of , high purity reagents are necessary. With the isotopically pure boron
we obtained the highest 20 for the stoichiometric compound. We also
investigated MgB samples with 0.8 1.2. For the range
MgB up to MgB we found average values
of between 14 and 24. For smaller variations in stoichiometry () . All of our data point to the conclusion that high
() and low () are intrinsic
material properties associated with high purity MgB. In addition we have
performed initial work on optimizing the formation of carbon doped MgB
via the use of BC. Nearly single phase material can be formed by reaction
of nominal Mg(BC) for 24 hours at . The
for this composition is between and (depending on
criterion).Comment: accepted to Physica C, special MgB2 issu
Rescue of spinal muscular atrophy mouse models with AAV9-Exon-specific U1 snRNA
Spinal Muscular Atrophy results from loss-of-function mutations in SMN1 but correcting aberrant splicing of SMN2 offers hope of a cure. However, current splice therapy requires repeated infusions and is expensive. We previously rescued SMA mice by promoting the inclusion of a defective exon in SMN2 with germline expression of Exon-Specific U1 snRNAs (ExspeU1). Here we tested viral delivery of SMN2 ExspeU1s encoded by adeno-associated virus AAV9. Strikingly the virus increased SMN2 exon 7 inclusion and SMN protein levels and rescued the phenotype of mild and severe SMA mice. In the severe mouse, the treatment improved the neuromuscular function and increased the life span from 10 to 219 days. ExspeU1 expression persisted for 1 month and was effective at around one five-hundredth of the concentration of the endogenous U1snRNA. RNA-seq analysis revealed our potential drug rescues aberrant SMA expression and splicing profiles, which are mostly related to DNA damage, cell-cycle control and acute phase response. Vastly overexpressing ExspeU1 more than 100-fold above the therapeutic level in human cells did not significantly alter global gene expression or splicing. These results indicate that AAV-mediated delivery of a modified U1snRNP particle may be a novel therapeutic option against SMA