A straightforward route to tetrachloroauric acid from gold metal and molecular chlorine for nanoparticle synthesis

© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Aqueous solutions of tetrachloroauric acid of high purity and stability were synthesised using the known reaction of gold metal with chlorine gas. The straightforward procedure developed here allows the resulting solution to be used directly for gold nanoparticle synthesis. The procedure involves bubbling chlorine gas through pure water containing a pellet of gold. The reaction is quantitative and progressed at a satisfactory rate at 50 °C. The gold(III) chloride solutions produced by this method show no evidence of returning to metallic gold over at least twelve months. This procedure also provides a straightforward method to determine the concentration of the resulting solution using the initial mass of gold and volume of water

Antifungal and Antihepatotoxic Effects of Sepia Ink Extract against Oxidative Stress as a Risk Factor of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Neutropenic Mice.

Background: There is a great need for novel strategies to overcome the high mortality associated with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in immunocompromised patients. To evaluate the antifungal and antihepatotoxic potentials of Sepia ink extract, its effect on liver oxidative stress levels was analyzed against IPA in neutropenic mice using amphotercin B as a reference drug.Materials and Methods: Eighty neutropenic infected mice were randomly assigned into four main groups. The 1st group was treated with saline, neutropenic infected (NI), the 2nd group was treated with ink extract (200 mg/kg) (IE) and the 3rd group was treated with amphotericin B (150 mg/kg) (AMB) and 4th group was treated with IE plus AMB. Treatment was started at 24 h after fungal inoculation (1×109 conidia/ml).Results: The present study revealed good in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of IE against A. fumigatus. IE significantly reduced hepatic fungal burden and returns liver function and histology to normal levels. Compared with the untreated infected group, mice in the IE, AMB, and IE+ AMB groups had increased glutathione reduced (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at 24 and 72 h after inoculation with A. fumigatus conidia.Conclusion: It is then concluded that in combination with antifungal therapy (AMB), IE treatment can reduce hepatic fungal burden, alleviate hepatic granulomatous lesions and oxidative stress associated with IPA in neutropenic mice.Key words: Neutropenia; Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis; Amphotericin B; Antifungal; Sepia ink extract; Oxidative stress

Oxybutynin extended release for the management of overactive bladder: a clinical review

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition which negatively impacts the quality of life of afflicted patients. This can result in alterations in social interactions at home, in the workplace and in the community, often leading to depression and poor self esteem as well as loss of productivity. Traditional mainstays of treatment include both behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. Oxybutynin immediate release (IR) represents the first such medication approved by the FDA specifically for treatment of OAB in 1975. Nevertheless, bothersome side effects in addition to thrice daily dosing often led to treatment cessation which raised the question that patients may actually prefer to live with their OAB symptoms rather than incur side effects or complex dosing schemes. Pharmacological advances ultimately led to development of a long-acting formulation of oxybutynin in the form of oxybutynin extended release (ER) with the hope that this drug would maintain efficacy while decreasing bothersome side effects and improve compliance with the convenience of once daily dosing regimen. This paper will review the major clinical studies involving oxybutynin ER as well as its role in different patient populations and potential concerns with its use

Event-related potentials reveal the development of stable face representations from natural variability

Natural variability between instances of unfamiliar faces can make it difficult to reconcile two images as the same person. Yet for familiar faces, effortless recognition occurs even with considerable variability between images. To explore how stable face representations develop, we employed incidental learning in the form of a face sorting task. In each trial, multiple images of two facial identities were sorted into two corresponding piles. Following the sort, participants showed evidence of having learnt the faces, performing more accurately on a matching task with seen than unseen identities. Furthermore, ventral temporal event-related potentials were more negative in the N250 time range for previously-seen than previously-unseen identities. These effects appear to demonstrate some degree of abstraction, rather than simple picture learning, as the neurophysiological and behavioural effects were observed with novel images of the previously-seen identities. The results provide evidence of the development of facial representations, allowing a window onto natural mechanisms of face learning

Influence of Bound versus Non-Bound Stabilizing Molecules on the Thermal Stability of Gold Nanoparticles

© 2017 American Chemical Society. Knowledge concerning the sintering behavior of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) allows for improved nanomaterials for applications such as printed electronics, catalysis and sensing. In this study, we examined the ability of a range of compounds to stabilize AuNPs against thermal sintering and compared compounds with and without functional groups that anchor the molecules to the nanoparticle surface. Thermal stability was characterized in terms of the temperature of the sintering event (TSE) as well as thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. We show that anchored stabilizing compounds with high thermal stability are effective at preventing the sintering of AuNPs until the decomposition of the compound. A TSE of 390 °C was achieved using 1-pyrenebutanethiol as stabilizer. Of the unanchored stabilizers, which were combined with butanethiol-capped AuNPs, two were found to be particularly effective: oleylamine (TSE ≈ 300 °C) and a perylenedicarboximide derivative (TSE ≈ 540 °C), the latter conferring an unprecedented level of thermal stability on ligand-stabilized AuNPs. When selecting stabilizers without anchoring groups, our results demonstrate the importance of choosing those that have an affinity with the capping ligands on the AuNPs to ensure a uniform mixture of AuNPs and stabilizer within a film

Hypothalamic actions of neuromedin U.

The central nervous system and gut peptide neuromedin U (NMU) inhibits feeding after intracerebroventricular injection. This study explored the hypothalamic actions of NMU on feeding and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Intraparaventricular nucleus (intra-PVN) NMU dose-dependently inhibited food intake, with a minimum effective dose of 0.1 nmol and a robust effect at 0.3 nmol. Feeding inhibition was mapped by NMU injection into eight hypothalamic areas. NMU (0.3 nmol) inhibited food intake in the PVN (0-1 h, 59 ± 6.9% of the control value; P < 0.001) and arcuate nucleus (0-1 h, 76 ± 10.4% of the control value; P < 0.05). Intra-PVN NMU markedly increased grooming and locomotor behavior and dose-dependently increased plasma ACTH (0.3 nmol NMU, 24.8 ± 1.9 pg/ml; saline, 11.4 ± 1.0; P < 0.001) and corticosterone (0.3 nmol NMU, 275.4 ± 40.5 ng/ml; saline, 129.4 ± 25.0; P < 0.01). Using hypothalamic explants in vitro, NMU stimulated CRH (100 nM NMU, 5.9 ± 0.95 pmol/explant; basal, 3.8 ± 0.39; P < 0.01) and arginine vasopressin release (100 nM NMU, 124.5 ± 21.8 fmol/explant; basal, 74.5 ± 7.6; P < 0.01). Leptin stimulated NMU release (141.9 ± 20.4 fmol/explant; basal, 92.9 ± 9.4; P < 0.01). Thus, we describe a novel role for NMU in the PVN to stimulate the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and locomotor and grooming behavior and to inhibit feeding

Anti-inflammatory activity of Blutaparon portulacoides ethanolic extract against the inflammatory reaction induced by Bothrops jararacussu venom and isolated myotoxins BthTX-I and II

This article reports the anti-inflammatory effect of Blutaparon portulacoides (B. portulacoides), specifically the ethanolic extract of its aerial parts, on the edema formation and leukocyte influx caused by Bothrops jararacussu (B. jararacussu) snake venom and Bothropstoxin-I and II (BthTX-I and II) isolated from this venom as an alternative treatment for Bothrops snakebites. The anti-inflammatory effect of B. portulacoides ethanolic extract was compared with an animal group pretreated with dexamethasone. B. portulacoides ethanolic extract significantly inhibited paw edema induced by B. jararacussu venom and by BthTX-I and II. Also, results demonstrated that the extract caused a reduction of the leukocyte influx induced by BthTX-I. However, the extract was not capable of inhibiting the leukocyte influx induced by the venom and by BthTX-II. In conclusion, these results suggest that the ethanolic extract of this plant possess components able to inhibit or inactivate toxins present in B. jararacussu venom, including its myotoxins, responsible for the edema formation. However, the leukocyte migration caused by the venom and BthTX-II was not inhibited by the plant, probably due to the different mechanisms involved in the edema formation and leukocyte influx. This is the first report of B. portulacoides extract as anti-inflammatory against snake venoms and isolated toxins

Determining the relative contribution of retinal disparity and blur cues to ocular accommodation in Down syndrome

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) often exhibit hypoaccommodation alongside accurate vergence. This study investigates the sensitivity of the two systems to retinal disparity and blur cues, establishing the relationship between the two in terms of accommodative-convergence to accommodation (AC/A) and convergence-accommodation to convergence (CA/C) ratios. An objective photorefraction system measured accommodation and vergence under binocular conditions and when retinal disparity and blur cues were removed. Participants were aged 6–16 years (DS n = 41, controls n = 76). Measures were obtained from 65.9% of participants with DS and 100% of controls. Accommodative and vergence responses were reduced with the removal of one or both cues in controls (p < 0.007). For participants with DS, removal of blur was less detrimental to accommodative responses than removal of disparity; accommodative responses being significantly better when all cues were available or when blur was removed in comparison to when proximity was the only available cue. AC/A ratios were larger and CA/C ratios smaller in participants with DS (p < 0.00001). This study demonstrates that retinal disparity is the main driver to both systems in DS and illustrates the diminished influence of retinal blur. High AC/A and low CA/C ratios in combination with disparity-driven responses suggest prioritisation of vergence over accurate accommodation

Fetal gender determination through Y-STR analysis of maternal plasma during the third trimester of pregnancy

Background: The passage of nucleated cells between mother and fetus is well recognized (Lo et al., 1989, 1996). As well as, cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma or serum is at present widely investigated as a source of fetal genetic material (Stanghellini et al., 2006) [18]. There has been much recent interest in the use of DNA derived from plasma or serum (Boland, 1996). This DNA can be utilized for molecular diagnosis as well as prenatal sex discernment.Objective: To establish an easy, reliable, and completely safe method for fetal gender determination alternative to conventional exhausting current techniques applied in gynecologic hospitals and clinics, besides its further applications in forensic casework.Methods: EDTA-Blood samples were taken from 30 pregnant women all in the third trimester of pregnancy, then plasma was separated from each sample, from which DNA was isolated using a QIAamp DNA Mini Kit, with special modifications done in the extracting procedure to concentrate and obtain minute quantities of fetal DNA, together with maternal DNA, from maternal plasma. In addition, bloodstain samples were taken from the husbands of women who were pregnant with male fetuses from which DNA was isolated using a QIAamp DNA Micro Kit for comparison. DNA quantification was done using a Real-time PCR utilizing Quantifiler Duo Kit. PCR was done using an AmpFlSTR Y-Filer Kit, then amplified products were typed using a 3130 Genetic Analyzer.Results: Full and partial Y-STR profiles (6–17 STR loci) were obtained from all plasma samples taken from pregnant women with male fetuses, while negative Y-STR profiles (no single STR locus) were obtained from all plasma samples taken from pregnant women with female fetuses.Conclusion: It is recommended to use Y-STR profiling as an alternative technique for fetal gender determination during the third trimester of pregnancy, in addition to its significance in forensic casework.Keywords: Fetal gender; Maternal plasma; Y-STR analysis; Pregnancy; Forensic casewor

Low-level laser therapy decreases local effects induced by myotoxins isolated from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom

The prominent myotoxic effects induced by Bothrops jararacussu crude venom are due, in part, to its polycationic myotoxins, BthTX-I and BthTX-II. Both myotoxins have a phospholipase A2 structure: BthTX-II is an active enzyme Asp-49 PLA2, while BthTX-I is a Lys-49 PLA2 devoid of enzymatic activity. In this study, the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT), 685 nm laser at a dose of 4.2 J/cm2 on edema formation, leukocyte influx and myonecrosis caused by BthTX-I and BthTX-II, isolated from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom, was analyzed. BthTX-I and BthTX-II caused a significant edema formation, a prominent leukocyte infiltrate composed predominantly by neutrophils and myonecrosis in envenomed gastrocnemius muscle. LLLT significantly reduced the edema formation, neutrophil accumulation and myonecrosis induced by both myotoxins 24 hours after the injection. LLLT reduced the myonecrosis caused by BthTX-I and BthTX-II, respectively, by 60 and 43%; the edema formation, by 41 and 60.7%; and the leukocyte influx, by 57.5 and 51.6%. In conclusion, LLLT significantly reduced the effect of these snake toxins on the inflammatory response and myonecrosis. These results suggest that LLLT should be considered a potential therapeutic approach for treatment of local effects of Bothrops species venom.Fundação Vale Paraibana de Ensin