Comparative Raman studies of human and animal lenses

Issued as Progress report, Project no. G-33-A10 (continues G-33-A09; continued by G-33-A11

Comparative Raman studies of human and animal lenses

Issued as Progress report, Project no. G-33-A08 (continues G-33-A07; continued by G-33-A09

Laser-excited Raman spectroscopy of biopolymers

Issued as Research plan, Project no. G-33-60

Laser-excited Raman spectroscopy of biopolymers

Issued as Report, and Final report, Project G-33-G1

Functionalization of zirconia ceramic with fibronectin proteins enhanced bioactivity and osteogenic response of osteoblast-like cells

Introduction: To overcome the genuine bioinert properties of zirconia ceramic, functionalization of the surface with the bioactive protein fibronectin was conducted.Methods: Glow discharge plasma (GDP)-Argon was first used to clean the zirconia surface. Then allylamine was treated at three different powers of 50 W, 75 W, and 85 W and immersed into 2 different fibronectin concentrations (5 µg/ml and 10 µg/ml).Results and Discussion: After surface treatment, irregularly folded protein-like substances were attached on the fibronectin coated disks, and a granular pattern was observed for allylamine grafted samples. Infrared spectroscopy detected C-O, N-O, N-H, C-H, and O-H functional groups for fibronectin treated samples. Surface roughness rose and hydrophilicity improved after the surface modification, with MTT assay showing the highest level of cell viability for the A50F10 group. Cell differentiation markers also showed that fibronectin grafted disks with A50F10 and A85F10 were the most active, which in turn encouraged late-stage mineralization activity on 21d. Up-regulation of osteogenic related mRNA expression from 1d to 10d can be observed in RT-qPCR data for ALP, OC, DLX5, SP7, OPG and RANK biomarkers. These physical and biological properties clearly indicate that an allylamine and fibronectin composite grafted surface significantly stimulated the bioactivity of osteoblast-like cells, and can be utilized for future dental implant applications

Serotonin receptor HTR6-mediated mTORC1 signaling regulates dietary restriction-induced memory enhancement

Dietary restriction (DR; sometimes called calorie restriction) has profound beneficial effects on physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes in animals and in humans. We have explored the molecular mechanism of DR-induced memory enhancement and demonstrate that dietary tryptophan-a precursor amino acid for serotonin biosynthesis in the brain-and serotonin receptor 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 6 (HTR6) are crucial in mediating this process. We show that HTR6 inactivation diminishes DR-induced neurological alterations, including reduced dendritic complexity, increased spine density, and enhanced long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal neurons. Moreover, we find that HTR6-mediated mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling is involved in DR-induced memory improvement. Our results suggest that the HTR6-mediated mTORC1 pathway may function as a nutrient sensor in hippocampal neurons to couple memory performance to dietary intake

Comparative Raman studies of human and animal lenses

Issued as Progress reports no. [1-2], Project no. G-33-A06 (continuation of G-33-A05; continued by G-33-A07

Laser-excited raman and temperature-jump dynamic studies of enzymes

Issued as Terminal report, Project no. G-33-630 (formerly B-1597.

Laser-excited raman spectroscopy of biopolymers

Issued as Summary progress report. Project no. G-33-654Continued as Project no. G-33-67