Extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim seed oil reduces hyperlipidemia in hamsters fed high-fat diet via activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ

Purpose: To investigate the anti-hyperlipidaemic effect of extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. seed oil (EZSO) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic hamsters.Methods: Following feeding with HFD for 30 days, hyperlipidemic hamsters were intragastrically treated with EZSO for 60 days. Serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density-lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C), nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were analyzed. Protein expression and location of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in liver were determined by Western blot and immunohistochemical assays, respectively.Results: EZSO at 5 and 10 g/kg significantly reduced levels of TG by 26 and 23 % (p < 0.05), TC by 19 % (p < 0.01) and 13 % (p < 0.01), LDL-C by 18 % (p < 0.05) and 21 % (p < 0.01), NO by 15 % (p < 0.01) and 31 % (p < 0.01), and MDA by 16 % (p < 0.05) and 30 % (p < 0.01), respectively, in serum of hyperlipidemic hamsters. However, EZSO did not show significant effect on HDL-C level in serum. Furthermore, EZSO at 5 and 10 g/kg markedly promoted protein expression of PPARγ by 71 % (p < 0.05) and 102 % (p < 0.01) in liver tissue of hyperlipidemic hamsters. EZSO also notably increased the content of PPARγ protein in the nucleus of liver cells of hyperlipidemic hamsters.Conclusion: These findings suggest that EZSO can reduce hyperlipidemia and improve oxidative stress in hyperlipidemic hamsters through activation of PPARγ, and that EZSO is a promising novel hypolipidemic health product.Keywords: Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ, Hyperlipidemia, Hamster, High-fat die

Wideband Transmitarray Antenna Using Compact 2-Bit Filtering Unit Cells

A wideband transmitarray (TA) antenna using compact 2-bit filtering unit cells is presented with the center frequency designed at 10 GHz. The presented TA antenna features wide bandwidth with a compact aperture size, filtering radiation performance, and low cross-polarization levels. A novel compact 2-bit phasing scheme is first proposed and illustrated by utilizing the resonating characteristics of resonators. Charging and discharging principle of a resonator is utilized to realize a 180° phase shift, while J-invertor originating from the coupling between resonators is utilized to realize a 90° phase shift. Based on the proposed phasing scheme, novel 2-bit compact filtering unit cells are designed with a compact four-copper-layer configuration. Finally, a high-gain TA antenna was designed, fabricated, and measured for radiation performance verification. Owing to the elaborately designed unit cells and the cut-off effect of the feed horn, a filtering radiation performance with flat in-band gain and high out-of-band suppressions is obtained. Measured results show that a flat 3dB gain bandwidth of 21.3% is achieved with a thin thickness of 0.11λ 0 . High suppressions of 34.3 dB and 30.1 dB are measured over the lower and upper out-of-bands. In addition, a low cross-polarization level of -38.5 dB is obtained for high-quality wireless communications

Magnetic properties of Mn doped ZnO tetrapod structures

Author name used in this publication: C. Surya2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

FePt@CoS2 yolk-shell nanocrystals as a potent agent to kill HeLa cells

In situ gap-mode Raman spectra were acquired in an electrochemical environment on a single-crystal gold electrode employing a Au(100)|4,4'-biphenyldithiol (BPDT)|Au-NP(55 nm) sandwich assembly. This geometry enabled an investigation of the influence of an applied electrochemical gate field on the conformational changes in nanojunctions, such as the torsion angle (phi) of molecules. A linear correlation between the intensity ratio I-C=C/ICring-S and cos(2) phi in 4,4'-BPDT-type molecular junctions was established and subsequently utilized to estimate the potential dependence of the torsion angle of the "flexible" molecule M1 at different potentials. The latter decreases as the potential (charge) becomes more negative, resulting in better pi-pi coupling, which correlates with enhanced junction conductance. The demonstrated spectroelectrochemical strategy and the direct correlation of the spectroscopic results with (single) molecular conductance studies may guide the selection and elucidation of functional molecules for potential applications in novel nanodevices

Genotyping-by-Sequencing of Gossypium hirsutum Races and Cultivars Uncovers Novel Patterns of Genetic Relationships and Domestication Footprints

Determining the genetic rearrangement and domestication footprints in Gossypium hirsutum cultivars and primitive race genotypes are essential for effective gene conservation efforts and the development of advanced breeding molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding. In this study, 94 accessions representing the 7 primitive races of G hirsutum, along with 9 G hirsutum and 12 Gossypium barbadense cultivated accessions were evaluated. The genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach was employed and 146 558 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were generated. Distinct SNP signatures were identified through the combination of selection scans and association analyses. Phylogenetic analyses were also conducted, and we concluded that the Latifolium, Richmondi, and Marie-Galante race accessions were more genetically related to the G hirsutum cultivars and tend to cluster together. Fifty-four outlier SNP loci were identified by selection-scan analysis, and 3 SNPs were located in genes related to the processes of plant responding to stress conditions and confirmed through further genome-wide signals of marker-phenotype association analysis, which indicate a clear selection signature for such trait. These results identified useful candidate gene locus for cotton breeding programs. </jats:p