Seizure protein 6 controls glycosylation and trafficking of kainate receptor subunits GluK2 and GluK3

Seizure protein 6 (SEZ6) is required for the development and maintenance of the nervous system, is a major substrate of the protease BACE1 and is linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and psychiatric disorders, but its molecular functions are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that SEZ6 controls glycosylation and cell surface localization of kainate receptors composed of GluK2/3 subunits. Loss of SEZ6 reduced surface levels of GluK2/3 in primary neurons and reduced kainate-evoked currents in CA1 pyramidal neurons in acute hippocampal slices. Mechanistically, loss of SEZ6 in vitro and in vivo prevented modification of GluK2/3 with the human natural killer-1 (HNK-1) glycan, a modulator of GluK2/3 function. SEZ6 interacted with GluK2 through its ectodomain and promoted post-endoplasmic reticulum transport of GluK2 in the secretory pathway in heterologous cells and primary neurons. Taken together, SEZ6 acts as a new trafficking factor for GluK2/3. This novel function may help to better understand the role of SEZ6 in neurologic and psychiatric diseases

Patterns of active and passive smoking, and associated factors, in the South-east Anatolian Project (SEAP) region in Turkey

BACKGROUND: Smoking is an important health threat in Turkey. This study aimed to determine the frequency of and main factors associated with smoking in persons of 15 years and over, and the frequency of passive smoking in homes in the South-east Anatolian Project (SEAP) Region in Turkey. METHODS: A cross sectional design was employed. The sample waschosen by the State Institute of Statistics using a stratified cluster probability sampling method. 1126 houses representing the SEAP Region were visited. Questionnaires about tobacco smoking and related factors were applied to 2166 women and 1906 men (of 15 years old and above) in their homes. Face-to-face interview methods were employed. Participants were classified as current, ex, and non-smokers. The presence of a regular daily smoker in a house was used as an indication of passive smoking. The chi-square andlogistic regressionanalysis methods were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking, in those of 15 years and over, was 11.8% in women and 49.7% in men. The prevalence of current smokers was higher in urban (34.5 %) than in rural (22.8 %) regions. The mean of total cigarette consumption was 6.5 packs/year in women and 17.9 packs/year in men. There was at least one current smoker in 70.1% of the houses. CONCLUSION: Smoking is a serious problem in the South-eastern Anatolian Region. Male gender, middle age, a high level of education and urban residency were most strongly associated with smoking

Structural, Optical and Mössbauer Study of Ba1 − xCuxFe12O19 (0.5 ≤ x) Nano Hexaferrites

In this study, a novel Ba1-xCuxFe12O19 (0.5 x) nano-hexaferrites were prepared by a simple and cost-effective sol-gel auto-combustion method using barium nitrates, iron nitrate, copper (II) acetate monohydrate and citric acid, and its structural, optical properties and hyperfine interactions were reported. Structural properties were analyzed through XRD (X-ray diffraction), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and TEM (Transmission electron microscopy), while percent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and Mossbauer spectrometer were used for analyzing the optical and magnetic properties of the resultant products. The observed Mossbauer studies proved the ferromagnetic nature of nanoparticles (NPs) samples. The crystallite size (XRD) varies in a range of (23.30-35.12) nm. The direct optical energy band gap (E (g) ) of all samples were calculated by Tauc plots where the E (g) values are found in a small range of 1.97-2.15 eV. The experimental evidences signify the promising use of newly prepared nano-hexaferrites in the development of materials in various industrial devices and far better than the conventional available hexaferrites materials

Spatial-temporal variability and probabilistic health risk assessment of fluoride from lentic ecosystem, Türkiye

Thrace Region is a part of the Marmara Region of Türkiye. There are many natural and artificial stagnant water habitats in the region that are used for irrigation and drinking water supply. This study is intended to determine the spatial-temporal variability and probabilistic health risk of fluoride exposure in the water of stagnant water bodies in the Thrace region. A total of 33 stagnant water bodies were selected, and water samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons of 2021–2022. The fluoride levels were measured using a spectrophotometric method (wavelength is 588 nm). The fluoride accumulations varied from 0.16–0.64 mg/L for the natural lakes, 0.04–0.74 mg/L for the reservoirs, and 0.01–0.53 mg/L for the artificial ponds. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggested a level of fluoride in drinking water of 0.5 to 1.5 mg/L. The study area had a fluoride deficiency of less than 0.5 mg/L in natural water bodies during the wet season (87.87%) and the dry season (93.93%), which might be a potential threat to dental health. Estimation Daily Intake (EDI) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) widely used health risk assessment methods were applied to the data in the current research to describe the non-carcinogenic risk of fluoride. All the calculated hazard quotient (HQ) values, both in the dry and wet seasons and in all age groups, were recorded as below 1. Both teenagers and children living in the central part of the study area are at higher risk than infants and adults. To evaluate model uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulations were employed. The outcome of the sensitivity analysis revealed that the major risks to the health of the inhabitants are the high content of fluoride and their daily intake of water.</p

Oleylamine surface functionalized FeCo Fe2−O4 (0.0 ⩽y⩽ 1.0) nanoparticles

In this study, oleylamine (OAm) capped FeCoyFe2-yO4 (0.0 <= y <= 1.0) nanocomposites (NCs) were prepared via a polyol route. Effect of Co3+ ion substitution on structure, morphology and magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), scanning and transmission electron spectroscopy (SEM and TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and Mossbauer analyzer. All XRD patterns show the single phase spinel ferrite without any impurity. The crystallite size of the samples is within the range of 7.1-21.7 nm. FT-IR analysis showed that all products were successfully packed by OAm. Both SEM and TEM results confirmed that products have spherical morphology with small agglomeration. When Co3+ ions were substituted to the Fe3O4, Ms continued to decrease up to Co3+ content of y = 0.4. It was reported that Co3+ ions prefer to replace Fe2+ ions on octahedral side up to some concentration. Although the Mossbauer spectra for the all samples were composed of magnetic sextets, superparamagnetic particles are also formed for FeCo0.6Fe1.4O4, FeCo0.8Fe1.2O4 and FeCoFe2O4 samples. (C) 2016 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University