Preparation and characterization of polymeric microspheres for Cr(VI) extraction

Microspheres (MS) from different polymers were prepared using two routes. Route A: process of phase inversion with solutions of polysulfone (PSf) in dichloromethane (DCM) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as additive. Different weight ratios of PSf-PVP were used in the MS preparation. Route B: MS were obtained by cross-linking in emulsion using a commercial silicone as raw material. The obtained MS were analysed according to their morphological-structural characteristics and in relation to their Cr(VI) extraction capacity using impregnated MS with Aliquat 336. The results obtained showed that MS prepared with PSf-PVP have both less specific surfaces and relative porosities when the proportion of PVP in the mixture is increased. Extraction tests of ion Cr(VI) indicated that synthesized MS have adequate structural characteristics and interesting adsorptive properties which give rise to impregnating selective extractants. Impregnated microspheres with Aliquat 336 prepared from 2:1 PSf-PVP ratio achieved the highest Cr(VI) extractive performance (92% of Cr extraction for contact time of 60 min) and the best breakthrough point in column tests (up to 10 h in the first cycle).Fil: Ochoa, Nelio Ariel. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Fisico Matematicas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisica. Laboratorio de Ciencias de Superficies y Medios Porosos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Illanes, Cristian Omar. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Fisico Matematicas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisica. Laboratorio de Ciencias de Superficies y Medios Porosos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Marchese, Jose. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Fisico Matematicas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisica. Laboratorio de Ciencias de Superficies y Medios Porosos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Basualto, C.. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Valenzuela, Fernando R.. Universidad de Chile; Chil

Bestrophin1 Channels are Insensitive to Ethanol and Do not Mediate Tonic GABAergic Currents in Cerebellar Granule Cells

The granule cell layer of the cerebellum functions in spatio-temporal encoding of information. Granule cells (GCs) are tonically inhibited by spillover of GABA released from Golgi cells and this tonic inhibition is facilitated by acute ethanol. Recently, it was demonstrated that a specialized Ca2+-activated anion-channel, bestrophin1 (Best1), found on glial cells, can release GABA that contributes up to 50–75% of the tonic GABAergic current. However, it is unknown if ethanol has any actions on Best1 function. Using whole-cell electrophysiology, we found that recombinant Best1 channels expressed in HEK-293 cells were insensitive to 40 and 80 mM ethanol. We attempted to measure the Best1-mediated component of the tonic current in slices using 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB). We confirmed that this agent blocks recombinant Best1 channels. Unexpectedly, we found that NPPB significantly potentiated the tonic current and the area and decay of GABAA-mediated spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic currents (IPSCs) in GCs in rodent slices under two different recording conditions. To better isolate the Best1-dependent tonic current component, we blocked the Golgi cell component of the tonic current with tetrodotoxin and found that NPPB similarly and significantly potentiated the tonic current amplitude and decay time of miniature IPSCs. Two other Cl−-channel blockers were also tested: 4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate (DIDS) showed no effect on GABAergic transmission, while niflumic acid (NFA) significantly suppressed the tonic current noise, as well as the mIPSC frequency, amplitude, and area. These data suggest that acute ethanol exposure does not modulate Best1 channels and these findings serve to challenge recent data indicating that these channels participate in the generation of tonic GABAergic currents in cerebellar GCs

Synchronized network activity in developing rat hippocampus involves regional hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel function.

The principal form of synchronized network activity in neonatal hippocampus consists of low frequency 'giant depolarizing potentials' (GDPs). Whereas contribution of both GABA and glutamate to their generation has been demonstrated, full understanding of the mechanisms underlying these synchronized activity bursts remains incomplete. A contribution of the h-current, conducted by HCN channels, to GDPs has been a topic of substantial interest. Here we focus on HCN1, the prevalent HCN channel isoform in neonatal hippocampus, and demonstrate an HCN1 spatiotemporal expression pattern in both CA3 principal cells and interneurons that correlates with the developmental profile of GDPs. Abrogation of HCN physiological function in CA3, via the selective I(h)-blocker ZD7288, disrupts GDP generation. Furthermore, ZD7288 specifically abolishes spontaneous bursting of the CA3 pyramidal cells at frequencies typical of GDPs without major influence on interneuronal firing. These findings support a pivotal role for HCN channels expressed by CA3 neurons, and particularly CA3 pyramidal cells, in GDP-related network synchronization

Prenatal alcohol exposure alters mRNA expression for stress peptides, glucocorticoid receptor function and immune factors in acutely stressed neonatal brain

BackgroundThe amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus are critical stress regulatory areas that undergo functional maturation for stress responding initially established during gestational and early postnatal brain development. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a consequence of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), results in cognitive, mood and behavioral disorders. Prenatal alcohol exposure negatively impacts components of the brain stress response system, including stress-associated brain neuropeptides and glucocorticoid receptors in the amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus. While PAE generates a unique brain cytokine expression pattern, little is known about the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and related proinflammatory signaling factors, as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines in PAE brain stress-responsive regions. We hypothesized that PAE sensitizes the early brain stress response system resulting in dysregulated neuroendocrine and neuroimmune activation.MethodsA single, 4-h exposure of maternal separation stress in male and female postnatal day 10 (PND10) C57Bl/6 offspring was utilized. Offspring were from either prenatal control exposure (saccharin) or a limited access (4 h) drinking-in-the-dark model of PAE. Immediately after stress on PND10, the hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus were collected, and mRNA expression was analyzed for stress-associated factors (CRH and AVP), glucocorticoid receptor signaling regulators (GAS5, FKBP51 and FKBP52), astrocyte and microglial activation, and factors associated with TLR4 activation including proinflammatory interleukin-1β (IL-1β), along with additional pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Select protein expression analysis of CRH, FKBP and factors associated with the TLR4 signaling cascade from male and female amygdala was conducted.ResultsThe female amygdala revealed increased mRNA expression in stress-associated factors, glucocorticoid receptor signaling regulators and all of the factors critical in the TLR4 activation cascade, while the hypothalamus revealed blunted mRNA expression of all of these factors in PAE following stress. Conversely, far fewer mRNA changes were observed in males, notably in the hippocampus and hypothalamus, but not the amygdala. Statistically significant increases in CRH protein, and a strong trend in increased IL-1β were observed in male offspring with PAE independent of stressor exposure.ConclusionPrenatal alcohol exposure creates stress-related factors and TLR-4 neuroimmune pathway sensitization observed predominantly in females, that is unmasked in early postnatal life by a stress challenge

Epidemiological Pathology of Dementia: Attributable-Risks at Death in the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study

Researchers from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Neuropathology Study carry out an analysis of brain pathologies contributing to dementia, within a cohort of elderly individuals in the UK who agreed to brain donation

Seed storage conditions change the germination pattern of clonal growth plants in Mediterranean salt marshes.

8 páginas, 4 tablas, 8 figuras.The effect of salinity level and extended exposure to different salinity and flooding conditions on germination patterns of three saltmarsh clonal growth plants (Juncus subulatus, Scirpus litoralis, and S. maritimus) was studied. Seed exposure to extended flooding and saline conditions significantly affected the outcome of the germination process in a different, though predictable, way for each species, after favorable conditions for germination were restored. Tolerance of the germination process was related to the average salinity level measured during the growth/germination season at sites where established individuals of each species dominated the species cover. No relationship was found between salinity tolerance of the germination process and seed response to extended exposure to flooding and salinity conditions. The salinity response was significantly related to the conditions prevailing in the habitats of the respective species during the unfavorable (nongrowth/nongermination) season. Our results indicate that changes in salinity and hydrology while seeds are dormant affect the outcome of the seed-bank response, even when conditions at germination are identical. Because these environmental-history-dependent responses differentially affect seed germination, seedling density, and probably sexual recruitment in the studied and related species, these influences should be considered for wetland restoration and managementFinancial support from the Spanish Ministry of the Environment (MMA, project 05/99) and the Junta de Andalucía (research group 4086)enabled us to carry out the present work.Peer reviewe

Seed storage conditions change the germination pattern of clonal growth plants in Mediterranean salt marshes.

8 páginas, 4 tablas, 8 figuras.The effect of salinity level and extended exposure to different salinity and flooding conditions on germination patterns of three saltmarsh clonal growth plants (Juncus subulatus, Scirpus litoralis, and S. maritimus) was studied. Seed exposure to extended flooding and saline conditions significantly affected the outcome of the germination process in a different, though predictable, way for each species, after favorable conditions for germination were restored. Tolerance of the germination process was related to the average salinity level measured during the growth/germination season at sites where established individuals of each species dominated the species cover. No relationship was found between salinity tolerance of the germination process and seed response to extended exposure to flooding and salinity conditions. The salinity response was significantly related to the conditions prevailing in the habitats of the respective species during the unfavorable (nongrowth/nongermination) season. Our results indicate that changes in salinity and hydrology while seeds are dormant affect the outcome of the seed-bank response, even when conditions at germination are identical. Because these environmental-history-dependent responses differentially affect seed germination, seedling density, and probably sexual recruitment in the studied and related species, these influences should be considered for wetland restoration and managementFinancial support from the Spanish Ministry of the Environment (MMA, project 05/99) and the Junta de Andalucía (research group 4086)enabled us to carry out the present work.Peer reviewe

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

Alcohol Exposure Decreases CREB Binding Protein Expression and Histone Acetylation in the Developing Cerebellum

Fetal alcohol exposure affects 1 in 100 children making it the leading cause of mental retardation in the US. It has long been known that alcohol affects cerebellum development and function. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear.We demonstrate that CREB binding protein (CBP) is widely expressed in granule and Purkinje neurons of the developing cerebellar cortex of naïve rats. We also show that exposure to ethanol during the 3(rd) trimester-equivalent of human pregnancy reduces CBP levels. CBP is a histone acetyltransferase, a component of the epigenetic mechanism controlling neuronal gene expression. We further demonstrate that the acetylation of both histone H3 and H4 is reduced in the cerebellum of ethanol-treated rats.These findings indicate that ethanol exposure decreases the expression and function of CBP in the developing cerebellum. This effect of ethanol may be responsible for the motor coordination deficits that characterize fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Integrating Clinical Probability into the Diagnostic Approach to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: An International Working Group Perspective

Background. When considering the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), experienced clinicians integrate clinical features that help to differentiate IPF from other fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, thus generating a “pre-test” probability of IPF. The aim of this international working group perspective was to summarize these features using a tabulated approach similar to chest HRCT and histopathologic patterns reported in the international guidelines for the diagnosis of IPF, and to help formally incorporate these clinical likelihoods into diagnostic reasoning to facilitate the diagnosis of IPF. Methods. The committee group identified factors that influence the clinical likelihood of a diagnosis of IPF, which was categorized as a pre-test clinical probability of IPF into “high” (70-100%), “intermediate” (30-70%), or “low” (0-30%). After integration of radiological and histopathological features, the post-test probability of diagnosis was categorized into “definite” (90-100%), “high confidence” (70-89%), “low confidence” (51-69%), or “low” (0-50%) probability of IPF. Findings. A conceptual Bayesian framework was created, integrating the clinical likelihood of IPF (“pre-test probability of IPF”) with the HRCT pattern, the histopathology pattern when available, and/or the pattern of observed disease behavior into a “post-test probability of IPF”. The diagnostic probability of IPF was expressed using an adapted diagnostic ontology for fibrotic interstitial lung diseases. Interpretation. The present approach will help incorporate the clinical judgement into the diagnosis of IPF, thus facilitating the application of IPF diagnostic guidelines and, ultimately improving diagnostic confidence and reducing the need for invasive diagnostic techniques