Molten Salt Assisted Self Assembly (MASA): Synthesis of Mesoporous Metal Titanate (CoTiO₃, MnTiO₃, and Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) Thin Films and Monoliths

Mesoporous metal titanates are very important class of materials for clean energy applications, specifically transition metal titanates and lithium titanates. The molten salt assisted self-assembly (MASA) process offers a new synthetic route to produce mesoporous metal titanate thin films. The process is conducted as follows: first a clear solution that contains two solvents (namely the hydrated salt (Co­(NO₃)₂·6H₂O or Mn­(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, or LiNO₃·<i>x</i>H₂O, and ethanol), two surfactants (cethyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB, and 10-lauryl ether, C₁₂EO₁₀), an acid and titanium source (titanium tetrabutoxide, TTB) is prepared and then spin or spray coated over a substrate to form a thin or thick lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) film, respectively. Finally, the films are converted into transparent spongy mesoporous metal titanates by a fast calcination step. Three mesoporous metal titanates (namely, CoTiO₃, MnTiO₃, and Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) have been successfully synthesized and structurally/thermally characterized using microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, and thermal techniques. The mesoporous cobalt and manganese titanates are stable up to 500 °C and collapse at around 550 °C into nanocrystalline Co₃O₄–TiO₂ and Mn₂O₃–TiO₂; however, lithium titanate is stable up to 550 °C and crystalline even at 350 °C. The crystallinity and pore size of these titanates can be adjusted by simply controlling the annealing and/or calcination temperatures

Association between Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis and Myasthenia Gravis: A Cross-Sectional Study

<div><p>Purpose</p><p>To investigate the association between glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and myasthenia gravis (MG) using a cross-sectional survey in Japan.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We studied 363 patients with MG (female 68%; mean age, 57 ± 16 years) who were followed at six Japanese centers between April and July 2012. We evaluated the clinical information of MG and fractures, bone markers, and radiological assessment. Quality of life was measured using an MG-specific battery, MG-QOL15.</p><p>Results</p><p>Glucocorticoids were administered in 283 (78%) of 363 MG patients. Eighteen (6%) of 283 MG patients treated with prednisolone had a history of osteoporotic fractures. The duration of glucocorticoid therapy, but not the dose of prednisolone, was associated with the osteoporotic fractures in MG patients. Bone mineral density was significantly decreased in the MG patients with fractures. The multivariate analyses showed that the total quantitative MG score was the only independent factor associated with osteoporotic fractures (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.02–1.67, p = 0.03). MG patients who had experienced fractures reported more severe difficulties in activities of daily living.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis aggravates quality of life in patients with MG.</p></div

Quality of life was compared between myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with or without fractures using MG-QOL15 scores.

<p>The bar indicates the average.</p

Electrochemical Synthesis of Mesoporous Pt–Au Binary Alloys with Tunable Compositions for Enhancement of Electrochemical Performance

Mesoporous Pt–Au binary alloys were electrochemically synthesized from lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) containing corresponding metal species. Two-dimensional exagonally ordered LLC templates were prepared on conductive substrates from diluted surfactant solutions including water, a nonionic surfactant, ethanol, and metal species by drop-coating. Electrochemical synthesis using such LLC templates enabled the preparation of ordered mesoporous Pt–Au binary alloys without phase segregation. The framework composition in the mesoporous Pt–Au alloy was controlled simply by changing the compositional ratios in the precursor solution. Mesoporous Pt–Au alloys with low Au content exhibited well-ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructures, reflecting those of the original templates. With increasing Au content, however, the mesostructural order gradually decreased, thereby reducing the electrochemically active surface area. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction profiles, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and elemental mapping showed that both Pt and Au were atomically distributed in the frameworks. The electrochemical stability of mesoporous Pt–Au alloys toward methanol oxidation was highly improved relative to that of nonporous Pt and mesoporous Pt films, suggesting that mesoporous Pt–Au alloy films are potentially applicable as electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells. Also, mesoporous Pt–Au alloy electrodes showed a highly sensitive amperometric response for glucose molecules, which will be useful in next-generation enzyme-free glucose sensors

Characteristics of 283 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) treated with prednisolone

<p>*statistically significant</p><p>NTX, pyridinoline cross-linked amino-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen</p><p>BAP, bone isoform of alkaline phosphatase</p><p>Characteristics of 283 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) treated with prednisolone</p

Selective Inactivation of Bacteriophage in the Presence of Bacteria by Use of Ground Rh-Doped SrTiO₃ Photocatalyst and Visible Light

Bacteriophage (denoted as phage) infection in the bacterial fermentation industry is a major problem, leading to the loss of fermented products such as alcohol and lactic acid. Currently, the prevention of phage infection is limited to biological approaches, which are difficult to apply in an industrial setting. Herein, we report an alternative chemical approach using ground Rh-doped SrTiO₃ (denoted as g-STO:Rh) as a visible-light-driven photocatalyst. The g-STO:Rh showed selective inactivation of phage without bactericidal activity when irradiated with visible light (λ > 440 nm). After inactivation, the color of g-STO:Rh changed from gray to purple, suggesting that the Rh valence state partially changed from 3+ to 4+ induced by photocatalysis, as confirmed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. To study the effect of the Rh⁴⁺ ion on phage inactivation under visible-light irradiation, the survival rate of phage for g-STO:Rh was compared to that for ground Rh,Sb-codoped SrTiO₃ (denoted as g-STO:Rh,Sb), where the change of Rh valence state from 3+ to 4+ is almost suppressed under visible-light irradiation due to charge compensation by the Sb⁵⁺ ion. Only g-STO:Rh effectively inactivated phage, which indicated that Rh⁴⁺ ion induced by photocatalysis particularly contributed to phage inactivation under visible-light irradiation. These results suggested that g-STO:Rh has potential as an antiphage material in bacterial fermentation

Additional file 1: of A possible role of microglia-derived nitric oxide by lipopolysaccharide in activation of astroglial pentose-phosphate pathway via the Keap1/Nrf2 system

Quantification of metabolites in astroglial pentose-phosphate pathway by capillary-electrophoresis/electrospray ionization (CE/ESI) MS. (DOCX 20 kb

Establishment of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Centenarians for Neurodegenerative Disease Research

<div><p>Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology can be used to model human disorders, create cell-based models of human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, and in establishing therapeutic strategies. To detect subtle cellular abnormalities associated with common late-onset disease in iPSCs, valid control iPSCs derived from healthy donors free of serious late-onset diseases are necessary. Here, we report the generation of iPSCs from fibroblasts obtained immediately postmortem from centenarian donors (106- and 109-years-old) who were extremely healthy until an advanced age. The iPSCs were generated using a conventional method involving OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC, and then differentiated into neuronal cells using a neurosphere method. The expression of molecules that play critical roles in late-onset neurodegenerative diseases by neurons differentiated from the centenarian-iPSCs was compared to that of neurons differentiated from iPSCs derived from familial Alzheimer's disease and familial Parkinson's disease (PARK4: triplication of the α synuclein gene) patients. The results indicated that our series of iPSCs would be useful in neurodegeneration research. The iPSCs we describe, which were derived from donors with exceptional longevity who were presumed to have no serious disease risk factors, would be useful in longevity research and as valid super-controls for use in studies of various late-onset diseases.</p> </div

Characterization of the neurodegeneration-related molecules Aβ, α-synuclein, and tau protein in neurons differentiated from centenarian-iPSCs.

<p>(A) Secretion of Aβ40 and Aβ42 from neurons differentiated from iPSCs 100–1 #8 and 100–1 #16, and the neurodegenerative disease-specific iPSCs PARK4-4, PARK4-14, PS1-4, and PS2-2. (B) The ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 secreted from neurons differentiated from 100–1 iPSCs and neurodegenerative disease-specific iPSCs. The ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 secreted by neurons differentiated from both the PS1 and PS2 iPSCs was significantly higher than that of neurons differentiated from the other iPSCs. Significant differences among groups were examined using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey-Kramer's post hoc test (*<i>P</i><0.05).</p

Differentiation of centenarian-iPSCs into neurons.

<p>(A) Neural differentiation of iPSCs 100–1 #8 and 100–1 #16. Representative images of immunocytochemical staining for the early neuronal marker βIII-tubulin following neural differentiation. (B) Confocal images of co-staining with the mature neuron marker MAP-2 and the dopaminergic and noradrenergic neuronal marker tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Inserts show high magnifications of dotted white squares. Bar  = 20 μm. Cells were counterstained with DAPI (blue).</p