Rediscovering vitamin D

Over the past 2 years there has been a radical change in standard clinical practice with respect to vitamin D. As a result of a growing body of knowledgeable physicians are assessing the vitamin D nutritional status of their patients and prescribing aggressive repletion regimens of a vitamin D supplement. The present paper summarizes some basic information about this essential nutrient and reviews some of the more recent data implicating vitamin D deficiency in disease etiology with an emphasis on cardiovascular disease and cancer. Finally a rational approach to the dosing of vitamin D in different patient populations is provided

Microstructure and Electrochemical Properties of a LaMgAlMnCoNi Based Alloy for Ni/MH Batteries

[EN] The microstructure and electrochemical properties of a La0.7Mg0.3Al0.3Mn0.4Co0.5Ni3.8 hydrogen storage alloy have been studied. The anode was prepared using a mixture of the ingot alloy in the as-cast state with carbon black and polytetrafiuoroethylene (PTFE) as a binder. A Ni(OH)(2) electrode was used as the cathode of the square-type test cell. A separator was used together with a 6M KOH electrolyte. Microstructure and phase composition of the alloy have been investigated using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). A niobium-containing alloy has also been included for a comparison.Ferreira, E.; Serra Alfaro, JM.; Casini, J.; Takiishi, H.; Faria, R. (2012). Microstructure and Electrochemical Properties of a LaMgAlMnCoNi Based Alloy for Ni/MH Batteries. Materials Science Forum. 727-728:80-84. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.727-728.80S8084727-728F. Feng, M. Geng and D.O. Northwood: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Vol. 26 (2001), p.725.A.K. Shukla, S. Venugopalan and B. Hariprakash: Journal of Power Sources Vol. 100 (2001), p.125.K. Hong: Journal of Alloys and Compounds Vol. 321(2001), p.307.H. Pan, Q. Jin, M. Gao, Y. Liu, R. Li and Y. Lei: Journal of Alloys and Compounds Vol. 373 (2004), p.237.H. Pan, X. Wu, M. Gao, N. Chen, Y. Yue and Y. Lei: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Vol. 31 (2006), p.517.T. Ozaki, H.B. Yang, T. Iwaki, S. Tanase, T. Sakai, H. Fukunaga, N. Matsumoto, Y. Katayama, T. Tanaka, T. Kishimoto and M. Kuzuhara: Journal of Alloys and Compounds Vols. 408-412 (2006), p.294.H. Pan, N. Chen, M. Gao, R. Li, Y. Lei and Q. Wan: J. Alloys and Comp. Vol. 397 (1-2) (2005), p.306.Y.F. Liu, H.G. Pan, R. Li and Y.Q. Lei: Materials Science Forum Vol. 473-470 (2005), p.2457.R. Tang, Y.N. Liu, C.C. Zhu, J.W. Zhu and G. Yu: Intermetallic Vol. 361(4) (2006), p.14

Preparation and characterization of Bi0.4Te3.0Sb1.6 nanoparticles and their thin films

In this article, we perform a preliminary study for assembling micro-size thermoelectric devices with low-cost fabrication by a preparation of nanoparticles and their thin films. Bi0.4Te3.0Sb1.6 nanoparticles with an average size of approximately 50 nm are fabricated by a beads-milling method. The nanoparticle solution is prepared by mixing with toluene and a surfactant, and thin films with 1 μm thick are deposited on Al2O3 substrates by a printing method. The thin films are sintered at temperatures ranging from 300 to 500 oC for 60 minutes in hydrogen ambient. We investigate the thin film structures and the thermoelectric properties at room temperature. As the sintering temperature increases, hexagonal-shaped crystals are grown on the film surface while the atomic composition is almost constant throughout all the sintering temperatures. The XRD patterns indicate that all the nanoparticle thin films are found to mostly exhibit the same XRD intensities and have multiple peaks correspond to each other. The in-plane electrical conductivity of the thin films increases but the Seebeck coefficient decreases as the sintering temperature increases. As a result, the best performance of the thermoelectric power factor of 1.3 μW/(cm K2) is achieved at a sintering temperature of 350 oC

Low doses of anti-CD3, ciclosporin A and the vitamin D analogue, TX527, synergise to delay recurrence of autoimmune diabetes in an islet-transplanted NOD mouse model of diabetes

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies remain the most promising immune therapy for reversing recent-onset type 1 diabetes. However, current clinical trials have revealed their major drawback, namely the narrow therapeutic window in which low doses are ineffective and higher doses that preserve functional beta cell mass cause side effects. Strategies that sidestep these limitations while preserving or improving anti-CD3's therapeutic efficiency are essential. We hypothesised that combining a potent vitamin D(3) analogue (TX527), ciclosporin A (CsA) and anti-CD3 would act to lower the dose while maintaining or even boosting therapeutic efficacy to counteract autoimmune destruction of transplanted islets. METHODS: This study involved the use of syngeneic islet transplantation, immunofluorescence microscopy, immune phenotyping by flow cytometry, RT-PCR analysis, and in vitro and in vivo suppression assays. RESULTS: Combination therapy with TX527, CsA and anti-CD3 was well tolerated on the basis of weight, bone and calcium variables. Remarkably, combining all three agents at sub-therapeutic doses greatly reduced recurrent autoimmune responses to a grafted islet mass (mean ± SEM: 79.5 ± 18.6 days; p < 0.01), by far exceeding the therapeutic efficacy of monotherapy (24.8 ± 7.3 days for anti-CD3) and dual therapy (25.5 ± 12.4 days for anti-CD3+CsA). Combination therapy surpassed anti-CD3 monotherapy in reducing islet infiltration by effector/memory phenotype CD8(+) T cells, as well as by reducing proinflammatory cytokine responses and increasing the frequency of T regulatory cells that were functional in vitro and in vivo, and acted in a cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Combining the immunomodulatory actions of anti-CD3 mAb with CsA and the vitamin D(3) analogue, TX527, delivers therapeutic efficacy in an islet-transplanted NOD mouse model of diabetes.status: publishe

A study of Pr-Fe-B magnets produced by a low-cost powder method and the hydrogen decrepitation process

Sintered Pr-based magnets were produced using a new laboratory technique for powder handling. Unlike the conventional procedure for preparing sintered permanent magnets in the laboratory, the powder technique used in this investigation does not require a glove box. The effects of processing parameters on the magnetic properties of Pr-based sintered magnets prepared using the hydrogen decrepitation process have been studied. Specifically, the effects of sintering temperature and milling time for processing Pr16Fe76B8 magnets have been investigated. Pr16Fe76B8 magnets with the best magnetic properties were sintered between 1015 °C to 1075 °C