Light-based devices for the treatment of facial erythema and telangiectasia

Facial erythema is one of the most common outpatient complaints in dermatology. There are various causes of facial erythema and several devices are available for its treatment. Pulsed dye laser (PDL) and intense pulsed light (IPL) are the two common light devices used for these conditions. In this review, we evaluated the literature to assess efficacy of IPL versus PDL in facial erythema and telangiectasia. We searched published articles including clinical trials or reviews articles, case series, and case reports. Electronic databases (MEDLINE and PubMed) were searched to retrieve the articles. Reference lists of selected articles were also considered for the review. Articles published in English language until June 2021 were considered for this review

Золь-гель синтез наночастинок оксиду титану для фотонних і трансформаторних застосувань

Наночастинки титану мають кілька промислових застосувань, включаючи косметику, оптичні, фотонні та електричні пристрої. Однак промислове виробництво цих частинок є важким і складним процесом і залежить від різноманітних фізичних характеристик, таких, наприклад, як температура. Це дослідження описує миттєвий промисловий метод виробництва наночастинок оксиду титану за допомогою вологого хімічного золь-гель синтезу. Аналіз синтезованих наночастинок оксиду титану за допомогою рентгенівської дифрактонограми (XRD) та інфрачервоної спектроскопії з перетворенням Фур’є (FTIR) виявив сильний дифракційний пік під кутом Брегга 25°, який можна віднести до фази анатазу оксиду титану, і вібраційні зв’язки при 463 см – 1 , що підтверджує наявність оксиду титану. Морфологію цих наночастинок діоксиду титану досліджували за допомогою скануючого електронного мікроскопа з емісією поля (FESEM), який визначив розмір частинок приблизно 37 нм. За допомогою спектроскопії дифузного відбиття (DRS) було вивчено оптичні властивості синтезованих наночастинок і визначено, що їх ширина забороненої зони становить 3,37 еВ. За кімнатної температури вимірювали діелектричну проникність і втрати наночастинок оксиду титану як функцію частоти. Крім того, частинки оксиду титану були змішані з трансформаторним маслом для оцінки його діелектричної міцності на пробій для кращих ізоляційних властивостей.Titania nanoparticles have several industrial applications, including cosmetics, optical, photonic, and electrical devices. However, industrial production of these particles is difficult, complicated, and dependent on a variety of physical characteristics such as temperature and infrastructure availability. This research describes an instant industrial method for producing titania nanoparticles using a wet chemical sol-gel synthesis. X-ray diffractogram (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of as-synthesized titania nanoparticles revealed a strong diffraction peak at Bragg angle 25°, which can be attributed to the titania anatase phase, and vibration bonds at 463 cm – 1, which confirms the presence of titania. The morphology of these titania nanoparticles was examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), which determined the particle size to be around 37 nm. Using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), the optical properties of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were studied, and their band gap was determined to be 3.37 eV. At room temperature, the dielectric constant and loss of titania nanoparticles were measured as a function of frequency. Additionally, titania particles were mixed into transformer oil to assess its dielectric breakdown strength for better insulating properties

Experimental investigation of overall cooling effectiveness on combustion chamber liner with and without impingement holes

The gas turbine combustor liner which is subjected to high temperature requires efficient cooling. In earlier days concept of slot film cooling is utilized in the combustion liners and in modern combustors multiple row film cooling (effusion cooling) is mainly used. This study aims at the experimental investigation of overall film cooling effectiveness of an effusion plate with and without impingement holes at the backside. The experiments are done at different blowing ratios and the surface temperature measurements are taken using infrared thermography. The effusion and impingement holes are arranged in staggered manner on two parallel plates and each effusion hole is surrounded by four impingement holes. Effusion holes are drilled at an angle of 27° and the impingement plate is kept at a distance of 6D away from the effusion plate. The experiments are done on the effusion plate with and without impingement plate at the backside. The results show, increase in cooling effectiveness as the blowing ratio increases. The comparative results shows that at a particular blowing ratio the overall cooling effectiveness is higher for effusion plate with impingement holes at the backside due to the higher convective heat transfer coefficients produced by the impinging jets at the cold side of the effusion plate

De Novo Sequencing and Hybrid Assembly of the Biofuel Crop <i>Jatropha curcas</i> L.: Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Geminivirus Resistance

Jatropha curcas is an important perennial, drought tolerant plant that has been identified as a potential biodiesel crop. We report here the hybrid de novo genome assembly of J. curcas generated using Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies, and identification of quantitative loci for Jatropha Mosaic Virus (JMV) resistance. In this study, we generated scaffolds of 265.7 Mbp in length, which correspond to 84.8% of the gene space, using Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) analysis. Additionally, 96.4% of predicted protein-coding genes were captured in RNA sequencing data, which reconfirms the accuracy of the assembled genome. The genome was utilized to identify 12,103 dinucleotide simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, which were exploited in genetic diversity analysis to identify genetically distinct lines. A total of 207 polymorphic SSR markers were employed to construct a genetic linkage map for JMV resistance, using an interspecific F2 mapping population involving susceptible J. curcas and resistant Jatropha integerrima as parents. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis led to the identification of three minor QTLs for JMV resistance, and the same has been validated in an alternate F2 mapping population. These validated QTLs were utilized in marker-assisted breeding for JMV resistance. Comparative genomics of oil-producing genes across selected oil producing species revealed 27 conserved genes and 2986 orthologous protein clusters in Jatropha. This reference genome assembly gives an insight into the understanding of the complex genetic structure of Jatropha, and serves as source for the development of agronomically improved virus-resistant and oil-producing lines

ApoE and ApoE Nascent-Like HDL Particles at Model Cellular Membranes: Effect of Protein Isoform and Membrane Composition

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), an important mediator of lipid transportation in plasma and the nervous system, plays a large role in diseases such as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's. The major allele variants ApoE3 and ApoE4 differ only by one amino acid. However, this difference has major consequences for the physiological behaviour of each variant. In this paper, we follow (i) the initial interaction of lipid-free ApoE variants with model membranes as a function of lipid saturation, (ii) the formation of reconstituted High-Density Lipoprotein-like particles (rHDL) and their structural characterisation, and (iii) the rHDL ability to exchange lipids with model membranes made of saturated lipids in the presence and absence of cholesterol [1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) with and without 20 mol% cholesterol]. Our neutron reflection results demonstrate that the protein variants interact differently with the model membranes, adopting different protein conformations. Moreover, the ApoE3 structure at the model membrane is sensitive to the level of lipid unsaturation. Small-angle neutron scattering shows that the ApoE containing lipid particles form elliptical disc-like structures, similar in shape but larger than nascent or discoidal HDL based on Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1). Neutron reflection shows that ApoE-rHDL do not remove cholesterol but rather exchange saturated lipids, as occurs in the brain. In contrast, ApoA1-containing particles remove and exchange lipids to a greater extent as occurs elsewhere in the body

The role of high airway pressure and dynamic strain on ventilator-induced lung injury in a heterogeneous acute lung injury model

Abstract Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome causes a heterogeneous lung injury with normal and acutely injured lung tissue in the same lung. Improperly adjusted mechanical ventilation can exacerbate ARDS causing a secondary ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). We hypothesized that a peak airway pressure of 40 cmH2O (static strain) alone would not cause additional injury in either the normal or acutely injured lung tissue unless combined with high tidal volume (dynamic strain). Methods Pigs were anesthetized, and heterogeneous acute lung injury (ALI) was created by Tween instillation via a bronchoscope to both diaphragmatic lung lobes. Tissue in all other lobes was normal. Airway pressure release ventilation was used to precisely regulate time and pressure at both inspiration and expiration. Animals were separated into two groups: (1) over-distension + high dynamic strain (OD + HDS, n = 6) and (2) over-distension + low dynamic strain (OD + LDS, n = 6). OD was caused by setting the inspiratory pressure at 40 cmH2O and dynamic strain was modified by changing the expiratory duration, which varied the tidal volume. Animals were ventilated for 6 h recording hemodynamics, lung function, and inflammatory mediators followed by an extensive necropsy. Results In normal tissue (NT), OD + LDS caused minimal histologic damage and a significant reduction in BALF total protein (p < 0.05) and MMP-9 activity (p < 0.05), as compared with OD + HDS. In acutely injured tissue (ALIT), OD + LDS resulted in reduced histologic injury and pulmonary edema (p < 0.05), as compared with OD + HDS. Conclusions Both NT and ALIT are resistant to VILI caused by OD alone, but when combined with a HDS, significant tissue injury develops

DIAPH1-MFN2 interaction regulates mitochondria-SR/ER contact and modulates ischemic/hypoxic stress

Abstract Inter-organelle contact and communication between mitochondria and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) maintain cellular homeostasis and are profoundly disturbed during tissue ischemia. We tested the hypothesis that the formin Diaphanous-1 (DIAPH1), which regulates actin dynamics, signal transduction and metabolic functions, contributes to these processes. We demonstrate that DIAPH1 interacts directly with Mitofusin-2 (MFN2) to shorten mitochondria-SR/ER distance, thereby enhancing mitochondria-ER contact in cells including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and macrophages. Solution structure studies affirm the interaction between the Diaphanous Inhibitory Domain and the cytosolic GTPase domain of MFN2. In male rodent and human cardiomyocytes, DIAPH1-MFN2 interaction regulates mitochondrial turnover, mitophagy, and oxidative stress. Introduction of synthetic linker construct, which shorten the mitochondria-SR/ER distance, mitigated the molecular and functional benefits of DIAPH1 silencing in ischemia. This work establishes fundamental roles for DIAPH1-MFN2 interaction in the regulation of mitochondria-SR/ER contact networks. We propose that targeting pathways that regulate DIAPH1-MFN2 interactions may facilitate recovery from tissue ischemia