Synthesis of K2Se solar cell dopant in liquid NH3 by solvated electron transfer to elemental selenium

This study explores the rich chemistry of elemental selenium reduction to monoselenide anions. The simplest possible homogeneous electron transfer occurs with free electrons, which is only possible in plasmas; however, alkali metals in liquid ammonia can supply unbound electrons at much lower temperatures, allowing in situ analysis. Here, solvated electrons reduce elemental selenium to K2Se, a compound relevant for alkali metal doping of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell material. It is proposed that the reaction follows pseudo first-order kinetics with an inner-sphere or outer-sphere oxidation semi reaction mechanism depending on the concentration of solvated electrons

Formation of Cu3BiS3 thin films via sulfurization of Bi-Cu metal precursors

Thin films of Cu 3BiS 3 have been produced by conversion of stacked and co-electroplated Bi-Cu metal precursors in the presence of elemental sulfur vapor. The roles of sulfurization temperature and heating rate in achieving single-phase good quality layers have been explored. The potential loss of Bi during the treatments has been investigated, and no appreciable compositional difference was found between films sulfurized at 550°C for up to 16 h. The structural, morphological and photoelectrochemical properties of the layers were investigated in order to evaluate the potentials of the compound for application in thin film photovoltaics. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The global burden of scabies: a cross-sectional analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.

Background Numerous population-based studies have documented high prevalence of scabies in overcrowded settings, particularly among children and in tropical regions. We provide an estimate of the global burden of scabies using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2015. Methods We identified scabies epidemiological data sources from an extensive literature search and hospital insurance data and analysed data sources with a Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2·1, to yield prevalence estimates. We combined prevalence estimates with a disability weight, measuring disfigurement, itch, and pain caused by scabies, to produce years lived with disability (YLDs). With an assumed zero mortality from scabies, YLDs were equivalent to disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). We estimated DALYs for 195 countries divided into 21 world regions, in both sexes and 20 age groups, between 1990 and 2015. Findings Scabies was responsible for 0·21% of DALYs from all conditions studied by GBD 2015 worldwide. The world regions of east Asia (age-standardised DALYs 136·32), southeast Asia (134·57), Oceania (120·34), tropical Latin America (99·94), and south Asia (69·41) had the greatest burden of DALYs from scabies. Mean percent change of DALY rate from 1990 to 2015 was less than 8% in all world regions, except North America, which had a 23·9% increase. The five individual countries with greatest scabies burden were Indonesia (age-standardised DALYs 153·86), China (138·25), Timor-Leste (136·67), Vanuatu (131·59), and Fiji (130·91). The largest standard deviations of age-standardised DALYs between the 20 age groups were observed in southeast Asia (60·1), Oceania (58·3), and east Asia (56·5), with the greatest DALY burdens in children, adolescents, and the elderly. Interpretation The burden of scabies is greater in tropical regions, especially in children, adolescents, and elderly people. As a worldwide epidemiological assessment, GBD 2015 provides broad and frequently updated measures of scabies burden in terms of skin effects. These global data might help guide research protocols and prioritisation efforts and focus scabies treatment and control measures. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Absence of an association of human polyomavirus and papillomavirus infection with lung cancer in China: a nested case–control study

BACKGROUND: Studies of human polyomavirus (HPyV) infection and lung cancer are limited and those regarding the association of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and lung cancer have produced inconsistent results. METHODS: We conducted a nested case–control study to assess the association between incident lung cancer of various histologies and evidence of prior infection with HPyVs and HPVs. We selected serum from 183 cases and 217 frequency matched controls from the Yunnan Tin Miner’s Cohort study, which was designed to identify biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer. Using multiplex liquid bead microarray (LBMA) antibody assays, we tested for antibodies to the VP1 structural protein and small T antigen (ST-Ag) of Merkel cell, KI, and WU HPyVs. We also tested for antibodies against HPV L1 structural proteins (high-risk types 16, 18, 31, 33, 52, and 58 and low-risk types 6 and 11) and E6 and E7 oncoproteins (high risk types 16 and 18). Measures of antibody reactivity were log transformed and analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: We found no association between KIV, WUV, and MCV antibody levels and incident lung cancer (P-corrected for multiple comparisons >0.10 for all trend tests). We also found no association with HPV-16, 18, 31, 33, 52, and 58 seropositivity (P-corrected for multiple comparisons >0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Future studies of infectious etiologies of lung cancer should look beyond HPyVs and HPVs as candidate infectious agents. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2381-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Regulates the Expression of IL-6 and CCL5 in Prostate Tumour Cells by Activating the MAPK Pathways1

The interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the chemokine CCL5 are implicated in the development and progression of several forms of tumours including that of the prostate. The expression of the prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is augmented in high-grade and metastatic tumors. Observations of the clinical behaviour of prostate tumors suggest that the increased secretion of IL-6 and CCL5 and the higher expression of PSMA may be correlated. We hypothesized that PSMA could be endowed with signalling properties and that its stimulation might impact on the regulation of the gene expression of IL-6 and CCL5. We herein demonstrate that the cross-linking of cell surface PSMA with specific antibodies activates the small GTPases RAS and RAC1 and the MAPKs p38 and ERK1/2 in prostate carcinoma LNCaP cells. As downstream effects of the PSMA-fostered RAS-RAC1-MAPK pathway activation we observed a strong induction of NF-κB activation associated with an increased expression of IL-6 and CCL5 genes. Pharmacological blockade with specific inhibitors revealed that both p38 and ERK1/2 participate in the phenomenon, although a major role exerted by p38 was evident. Finally we demonstrate that IL-6 and CCL5 enhanced the proliferative potential of LNCaP cells synergistically and in a dose-dependent manner and that CCL5 functioned by receptor-mediated activation of the STAT5-Cyclin D1 pro-proliferative pathway. The novel functions attributable to PSMA which are described in the present report may have profound influence on the survival and proliferation of prostate tumor cells, accounting for the observation that PSMA overexpression in prostate cancer patients is related to a worse prognosis

Design, Development and Evaluation of rK28-Based Point-of-Care Tests for Improving Rapid Diagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis

Visceral Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani is endemic in several parts of South Asia, East Africa, South and Central America. It is a vector-borne disease transmitted by bites of infected sand flies and often fatal in the absence of chemotherapy. Timely diagnosis is an essential first step in providing proper patient care and in controlling transmission. VL diagnosis in East Africa and Latin America are currently based on microscopic confirmation of parasites in tissue aspirates. The Kalazar Detect rapid test is widely used as a confirmatory test in India with very high accuracy, but sensitivity issues have severely limited its usefulness in the African sub-continent. Direct Agglutination Test is another confirmatory test used widely in East Africa and offers high sensitivity but is not field-friendly. We report on the design of a novel synthetic fusion protein capable of sequestering antibodies against three different Leishmania donovani antigens and the development of point-of-care tests for improving VL diagnosis. We believe the ease of use of these rapid tests and their high accuracy in detecting VL cases could make them useful as a first-line test, thereby eliminating the need for painful biopsies and ensuring better patient care

Involvement of ubiquitin-editing protein A20 in modulating in-flammation in rat cochlea associated with silver nanoparti-cles-induced CD68 up-regulation and TLR4 activation

The manuscript was just accepted for publication on Nanoscale Research Letters