Suppressive effect of azithromycin on Plasmodium berghei mosquito stage development and apicoplast replication

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Azithromycin (AZM) is a macrolide antibiotic that displays an excellent safety profile even in children and pregnant women and has been shown to have anti-malarial activity against blood stage <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. This study evaluated the transmission-blocking effect of AZM using a rodent malaria model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>AZM-treated mice infected with <it>Plasmodium berghei </it>were exposed to <it>Anopheles stephensi </it>mosquitoes, followed by the observation of parasite development at different phases in the mosquito, i.e., ookinetes in the midgut, oocysts on the midgut, and sporozoites in the midgut and salivary glands. Furthermore, to evaluate the effect on organelle replication of each stage, quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The inhibitory effect of AZM was noticeable in both gametocyte-ookinete transformation in the midgut and sporozoite production in the oocyst, while the latter was most remarkable among all the developmental phases examined. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that AZM suppressed apicoplast replication at the period of sporozoite production in oocysts.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AZM inhibits parasite development in the mosquito stage, probably through the same mechanism as in the liver and blood stages. Such a multi-targeting anti-malarial, along with its safety, would be ideal for mass drug administration in malaria control programmes.</p

Photoelectron energy-loss functions of SrTiO3, BaTiO3, and TiO2: Theory and experiment

We compare experimental O 1s electron energy-loss structures below 30 eV of single crystalline SrTiO3 ,BaTiO3, and TiO2 with their theoretical electron energy-loss functions. The photoelectron energy-loss structuresof in situ fractured surface in ultrahigh vacuum can be approximated by a sum of four components forSrTiO3 and BaTiO3, and of three components for TiO2. Electronic structures were calculated from first principlesusing the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method in the local-density approximation. Themomentum matrix elements between Bloch functions were evaluated to determine the electron energy-lossfunctions. The theoretical electron energy-loss functions agree well with experimental spectra except a structureat around 20 eV of SrTiO3 and that at around 18 eV of BaTiO3. The difference of high binding energypeaks is explained from the positions of semicore states

Deposition of boehmite on carbon nanofibers using aluminum alkoxide and its thermal transformation

We attempted to prepare carbon nanofibers (CNFs) bonded chemically with alumina particles using acid-treated CNFs and aluminum secbutoxide. The structure and morphology of the boehmite deposited on the CNFs, the boundary between the CNFs and the deposited boehmite, and the thermal transformation of the deposited boehmite were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The boehmite deposited not only particulately on the CNFs but also in a film-like manner on parts of the CNFs. In addition, the boehmite could deposit not only on the disordered inner walls of the CNFs but also on the ordered inner walls. By heating at 1200 degrees C, the boehmite on the CNFs was transformed into alpha-alumina and theta-alumina. At this time, some alumina particles, particularly those formed on the ordered inner walls of CNFs, fell out of the CNFs, and only those alumina particles which might chemically bond with CNFs remained on the CNFs. Finally, CNFs dotted with alumina particles with a size of <50 nm were obtained. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.ArticleCERAMICS INTERNATIONAL. 41(10):13171-13178 (2015)journal articl

Solubilities and diffusion coefficients of high boiling compounds in supercritical carbon dioxide

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科生産プロセスA brief introduction of the data sources and the applications of correlation methods for the solubilities and diffusion coefficients of hig-boiling compounds (mainly in solid state) in supercritical carbon dioxide are reviewed. Empirical equations, equations of state, solution models, and the Monte Carlo simulation for the calculation of solubilities in supercritical carbon dioxide are discussed. The application of empirical equation based on the Stokes-Einstein model, rough hard sphere theory, Schmidt number correlation, and molecular dynamics simulation for the calculation of diffusion coefficients in supercritical carbon dioxide at infinite dilution condition are reviewed. Further, the application of the Darken equation and the Leffler and Cullinan equation for the calculation of concentration dependence of diffusion coefficients in supercritical carbon dioxide is presented. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved