Hybrid organic-inorganic light-emitting electrochemical cells using fluorescent polymer and ionic liquid blend as an active layer

We demonstrate enhanced device performance by using a blend of emissive polymer and mobile ionic liquid molecules in hybrid organic-inorganic polymeric light-emitting electrochemical cells with high air stability. The mobile anions and cations redistributed near each electrode/active layer interface make ohmic contacts, thereby enhancing current density and electroluminescence efficiency at relatively low operating voltage.open12

Efficient hybrid organic-inorganic light emitting diodes with self-assembled dipole molecule deposited metal oxides

We investigate the effect of self-assembled dipole molecules (SADMs) on ZnO surface in hybrid organic-inorganic polymeric light-emitting diodes (HyPLEDs). Despite the SADM being extremely thin, the magnitude and orientation of SADM dipole moment effectively influenced the work function of the ZnO. As a consequence, the charge injection barrier between the conduction band of the ZnO and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of poly(9,9(')-dioctylfluorene)-co-benzothiadiazole could be efficiently controlled resulting that electron injection efficiency is remarkably enhanced. The HyPLEDs modified with a negative dipolar SADM exhibited enhanced device performances, which correspond to approximately a fourfold compared to those of unmodified HyPLEDs.open442

Phagosome Escape of Rough Mycobacterium abscessus Strains in Murine Macrophage via Phagosomal Rupture Can Lead to Type I Interferon Production and Their Cell-To-Cell Spread

Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MAB) is a rapidly growing mycobacterium(RGM) whose clinical significance as an emerging human pathogen has been increasing worldwide. It has two types of colony morphology, a smooth (S) type, producing high glycopeptidolipid (GPL) content, and a rough (R) type, which produces low levels of GPLs and is associated with increased virulence. However, the mechanism responsible for their difference in virulence is poorly known. By ultrastructural examination of murine macrophages infected, we found that MAB-R strains could replicate more actively in the macrophage phagosome than the S variants and that they could escape into cytosol via phagosomal rupture. The cytosolic access of MAB-R strains via phagosomal rupture led to enhanced Type I interferon (IFN) production and cell death, which resulted in their cell-to-cell spreading. This behavior can provide an additional niche for the survival of MAB-R strains. In addition, we found that their enhancement of cell death mediated cell spreading are dependent on Type I IFN signaling via comparison of wild-type and IFNAR1 knockout mice. In conclusion, our data indicated that a transition of MAB-S strains into MAB-R variants increased their virulence via enhanced Type I IFN production, which led to enhanced survival in infected macrophage via cell death mediated cell-to-cell spreading. This result provides not only a novel insight into the difference in virulence between MAB-R and -S variants but also hints to their treatment strategy

Impulsive Action and Impulsive Choice Are Differentially Expressed in Rats Depending on the Age at Exposure to a Gambling Task

Impulsivity is considered an important feature associated with the development of numerous psychiatric disorders, including addictions. In the behavioral approach, impulsivity can be broadly divided into two distinct subtypes: impulsive action and choice. In the present study, we used a rodent version of the gambling task (rGT) to examine how impulsive action and impulsive choice are differentially influenced by difference in age at exposure (i.e., late adolescents/young adults vs. mature adults) to rGT. Rats were trained in a touch-screen chamber to learn the relationships between 4 light signals on the window of the screen and accompanying reward outcomes or punishments associated with different magnitudes and probabilities. Depending on their stabilized pattern of preference when allowed free choice, rats were categorized into risk-averse or risk-seeking group. While undergoing a series of experimental schemes, including extinction, re-acquisition, and acute cocaine injection, rats were re-tested for their premature response during inter-trial interval and choice preference toward the 4 different windows in rGT. Notably, rats exposed early, compared with those exposed late, to rGT showed increased impulsive action, particularly during re-acquisition period, in all sub-groups. In contrast, rats exposed late, compared with those exposed early, to rGT showed increased impulsive choice after acute cocaine injection, but these results were only obtained in a sub-group pre-categorized as high impulsive and risk-averse. These results suggest that different aspects of impulsivity can be differentially expressed during decision-making, and differentially influenced by the age at exposure to a gambling task

Taurine in drinking water recovers learning and memory in the adult APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a lethal progressive neurological disorder affecting the memory. Recently, US Food and Drug Administration mitigated the standard for drug approval, allowing symptomatic drugs that only improve cognitive deficits to be allowed to accelerate on to clinical trials. Our study focuses on taurine, an endogenous amino acid found in high concentrations in humans. It has demonstrated neuroprotective properties against many forms of dementia. In this study, we assessed cognitively enhancing property of taurine in transgenic mouse model of AD. We orally administered taurine via drinking water to adult APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model for 6 weeks. Taurine treatment rescued cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice up to the age-matching wild-type mice in Y-maze and passive avoidance tests without modifying the behaviours of cognitively normal mice. In the cortex of APP/PS1 mice, taurine slightly decreased insoluble fraction of Aβ. While the exact mechanism of taurine in AD has not yet been ascertained, our results suggest that taurine can aid cognitive impairment and may inhibit Aβ-related damages.MIT International Science and Technology InitiativesKorea Health Industry Development Institute (H14C04660000)Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Open Research 2E24582)Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Flagship 2E25023

Effect of young exosomes injected in aged mice

Introduction: Exosomes, nano-sized extracellular vesicles, are known to circulate through the blood stream to transfer molecular signals from tissue to tissue. Methods: To determine whether exosomes affect aging in animals, we primarily identified the changes in exosomal miRNA contents during the aging process. In exosomes from 12-month-old mice, mmu-miR-126-5p and mmu-miR-466c-5p levels were decreased and mmu-miR-184-3p and mmu-miR-200b-5p levels were increased significantly compared with those of 3-month-old mice. Their levels in exosomes were partially correlated with those in tissues: levels of only mmu-miR-126-5p and mmu-miR-466c-5p in lungs and/or liver were decreased, but those of mmu-miR-184-3p and mmu-miR-200b-5p in tissues did not coincide with those of exosomes. Results and discussion: In the aged tissues injected with young exosomes isolated from serum, mmu-miR-126b-5p levels were reversed in the lungs and liver. Expression changes in aging-associated molecules in young exosome-injected mice were obvious: p16(Ink4A), MTOR, and IGF1R were significantly downregulated in the lungs and/or liver of old mice. In addition, telomerase-related genes such as Men1, Mre11a, Tep1, Terf2, Tert, and Tnks were significantly upregulated in the liver of old mice after injection of young exosomes. Conclusion: These results indicate that exosomes from young mice could reverse the expression pattern of aging-associated molecules in aged mice. Eventually, exosomes may be used as a novel approach for the treatment and diagnosis of aging animals.1

A set of stage-specific gene transcripts identified in EK stage X and HH stage 3 chick embryos

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The embryonic developmental process in avian species is quite different from that in mammals. The first cleavage begins 4 h after fertilization, but the first differentiation does not occur until laying of the egg (Eyal-Giladi and Kochav (EK) stage X). After 12 to 13 h of incubation (Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) stage 3), the three germ layers form and germ cell segregation in the early chick embryo are completed. Thus, to identify genes associated with early embryonic development, we compared transcript expression patterns between undifferentiated (stage X) and differentiated (HH stage 3) embryos.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microarray analysis primarily showed 40 genes indicating the significant changes in expression levels between stage X and HH stage 3, and 80% of the genes (32/40) were differentially expressed with more than a twofold change. Among those, 72% (23/32) were relatively up-regulated at stage X compared to HH stage 3, while 28% (9/32) were relatively up-regulated at HH stage 3 compared to stage X. Verification and gene expression profiling of these GeneChip expression data were performed using quantitative RT-PCR for 32 genes at developmental four points; stage X (0 h), HH stage 3 (12 h), HH stage 6 (24 h), and HH stage 9 (30 h). Additionally, we further analyzed four genes with less than twofold expression increase at HH stage 3. As a result, we identified a set of stage-specific genes during the early chick embryo development; 21 genes were relatively up-regulated in the stage X embryo and 12 genes were relatively up-regulated in the HH stage 3 embryo based on both results of microarray and quantitative RT-PCR.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We identified a set of genes with stage-specific expression from microarray Genechip and quantitative RT-PCR. Discovering stage-specific genes will aid in uncovering the molecular mechanisms involved the formation of the three germ layers and germ cell segregation in the early chick embryos.</p