The goal of this work was to study the effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) modified with ionic liquid (IL) on properties of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) composites. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/py-60.html GnPs were decorated with IL or were modified in bulk directly during rubber mix preparation. The ionic liquid used was 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate (BMPFB). The textural properties were studied to confirm surface modification of GnPs with BMPFB. In these investigations, the impact of the concentration of GnPs and the effect of the method of GnPs' modification with IL on elastomers properties are described. Some thermal measurements (e.g., differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry) were conducted to characterize the thermal stability or the vulcanization process of the investigated samples. Complementary experimental techniques were used to investigate the properties of the obtained elastomers, specifically tensile testing, and electrical and barrier property measurements. The deposition of IL on the GnPs' surface positively influenced the mechanical and barrier properties of elastomers. However, samples containing graphene nanoplatelets modified from solution were characterized by less electrical conductivity. SEM analysis was additionally performed to investigate GnPs' dispersion within SBR composites.The ideal immunosuppressive regimen should provide for excellent immunosuppression with no side effects. Yet, current immunosuppressive therapy regimens commonly used in clinical applications fail to meet this criterion. One of the complications caused by immunosuppressive drugs is mineralization disorders in hard tissues. In this study, we evaluated the effects of three immunosuppressive therapies used after transplantation on the levels of potassium, iron, chromium, zinc, aluminum, sodium and molybdenum in the bones and teeth of female rats and their offspring. The study was conducted on 32 female Wistar rats, subjected to immunosuppressive regimens (cyclosporine A, mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone; tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone; and cyclosporine A, everolimus and prednisone). The hard tissues of rats were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES, ICAP 7400 Duo, Thermo Scientific) equipped with a concentric nebulizer and a cyclonic spray chamber. All the immunosuppressive regimens included in the study affected the concentrations of the studied minerals in hard tissues of female rats and their offspring. The therapy based on cyclosporine A, everolimus and prednisone led to a decline in the levels of iron in bone, zinc in teeth, and molybdenum in the bone and teeth of mothers, while in the offspring, it caused a decline of bone potassium, with a decrease in iron and increase of molybdenum in teeth. Moreover, the regimen caused an increase in aluminum and chromium in the teeth and aluminum in the bones of the offspring, and consequently, it seems to be the therapy with the most negative impact on the mineral metabolism in hard tissues.Proton dynamics in Pd77Ag23 membranes is investigated by means of various neutron spectroscopic techniques, namely Quasi Elastic Neutron Scattering, Incoherent Inelastic Neutron Scattering, Neutron Transmission, and Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering. Measurements carried out at the ISIS spallation neutron source using OSIRIS, MARI and VESUVIO spectrometers were performed at pressures of 1, 2, and 4 bar, and temperatures in the 330-673 K range. The energy interval spanned by the different instruments provides information on the proton dynamics in a time scale ranging from about 102 to 10-4 ps. The main finding is that the macroscopic diffusion process is determined by microscopic jump diffusion. In addition, the vibrational density of states of the H atoms in the metal lattice has been determined for a number of H concentrations and temperatures. These measurements follow a series of neutron diffraction experiments performed on the same sample and thus provide a complementary information for a thorough description of structural and dynamical properties of H-loaded Pd-Ag membranes.Psychosocial stress, especially when chronic or excessive, can increase disease risk and accelerate biological aging. Although the underlying mechanisms are unclear, in vivo studies have associated exposure to stress and glucocorticoid stress hormones with shorter telomere length. However, the extent to which prolonged glucocorticoid exposure can shorten telomeres in controlled experimental settings remains unknown. Using a well-characterized cell line of human fibroblasts that undergo gradual telomere shortening during serial passaging in culture, we show that prolonged exposure (up to 51 days) to either naturalistic levels of the human endogenous glucocorticoid cortisol or the more potent synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone is not sufficient to accelerate telomere shortening. While our findings await extension in other cell types and biological contexts, they indicate that the in vivo association of psychosocial stress with telomere shortening is unlikely to be mediated by a direct and universal glucocorticoid effect on telomere length.Malaysian national morbidity surveys on diabetic prevalence have shown ethnical variation among prediabetic and diabetic populations. In our attempt to understand this variation, we studied the α-tocopherol, insulin resistance, β-cell function and receptor of advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) levels, as risk factors of type 2 diabetes, among the different ethnicities. In total, 299 subjects of Malay, Chinese, Indian and aboriginal Orang Asli (OA) heritage were recruited from urban and rural areas of Malaysia by stratified random sampling. Serum α-tocopherol concentrations were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and insulin concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In subjects with pre-diabetes, OAs had the highest α-tocopherol level, followed by Chinese and Malays (0.8938, 0.8564 and 0.6948 respectively; p less then 0.05). In diabetic subjects, Malays had significantly higher RAGE levels compared to Chinese and Indians (5579.31, 3473.40 and 3279.52 pg/mL respectively, p = 0.001). Low α-tocopherol level (OR = 3.021, p less then 0.05) and high insulin resistance (OR = 2.423, p less then 0.05) were linked strongly to the development of pre-diabetes. Low β-cell function (OR = 5.657, p less then 0.001) and high RAGE level (OR = 3.244, p less then 0.05) were linked strongly to the development of diabetes from pre-diabetes. These factors might be involved in the development of diabetes, along with genetic and environmental factors.Convenient and efficient routes to construct hybrid molecules containing diterpene alkaloid lappaconitine and pyrimidine fragments are reported. One route takes place via first converting of lappaconitine to 1-ethynyl-lappaconitine, followed by the Sonogashira cross-coupling-cyclocondensation sequences. The other involves the palladium-catalyzed carbonylative Sonogashira reaction of 5'-iodolappaconitine with aryl acetylene and Mo (CO)6 as the CO source in acetonitrile and subsequent cyclocondensation reaction of the generated alkynone with amidines. The reaction proceeded cleanly in the presence of the PdCl2-(1-Ad)2PBn∙HBr catalytic system. The protocol provides mild reaction conditions, high yields, and high atom and step-economy. Pharmacological screening of lappaconitine-pyrimidine hybrids for antinociceptive activity in vivo revealed that these compounds possessed high activity in experimental pain models, which was dependent on the nature of the substituent in the 2 and 6 positions of the pyrimidine nucleus. Docking studies were undertaken to gain insight into the possible binding mode of these compounds with the voltage-gated sodium channel 1.7. The moderate toxicity of the leading compound 12 (50% lethal dose (LD50) value was more than 600 mg/kg in vivo) and cytotoxicity to cancer cell lines in vitro encouraged the further design of therapeutically relevant analogues based on this novel type of lappaconitine-pyrimidine hybrids.Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a well-known marker of hepatobiliary and bone disorders, has recently been discovered to be a biochemical marker of cardiometabolic diseases and chronic low-grade inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the association of serum ALP level with knee osteoarthritis in the general population. The study included 3060 men and women aged ≥50 years who participated in the 2009-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The participants were categorized into three groups based on log-transformed serum ALP level as follows T1 (1.74-2.32), T2 (2.33-2.43), and T3 (2.44-3.01). Their radiographs were evaluated by two well-trained radiologists using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading system. After excluding those with KL Grade 0, we categorized the remaining participants into two groups, a severe osteoarthritis group (KL Grade 4) and a non-severe osteoarthritis group (KL Grades 1 to 3). The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of severe osteoarthritis according to the tertiles of log-transformed serum ALP levels of patients with osteoarthritis were calculated using a weighted multivariate logistic regression analysis. Compared with T1, the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for severe osteoarthritis of the T3 serum ALP group was 1.613 (1.087-2.394; p = 0.018) after adjusting for the confounding variables. Conclusively, serum ALP activity was independently and positively associated with severe knee osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older adults.The synthesis of well-defined polypeptides exhibiting complex macromolecular architectures requires the use of monomers that can be orthogonally deprotected, containing primary amines that will be used as the initiator for the Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxy anhydrides. The synthesis and characterization of the novel monomer Nε-9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-l-Lysine N-carboxy anhydride (Nε-Fmoc-l-Lysine NCA), as well as the novel linear Poly(Nε-Fmoc-l-Lys)n homopolypeptide and Poly(l-Lysine)78-block-[Poly(l-Lysine)10-graft-Poly(l-Histidine)15] block-graft copolypeptide, are presented. The synthesis of the graft copolypeptide was conducted via ROP of the Nε-Boc-l-Lysine NCA while using n-hexylamine as the initiator, followed by the polymerization of Nε-Fmoc-l-Lysine NCA. The last block was selectively deprotected under basic conditions, and the resulting ε-amines were used as the initiating species for the ROP of Nim-Trityl-l-Histidine NCA. Finally, the Boc- and Trt- groups were deprotected by TFA. High Vacuum Techniques were applied to achieve the conditions that are required for the synthesis of well-defined polypeptides. The molecular characterization indicated that the polypeptides exhibited high degree of molecular and compositional homogeneity. Finally, Dynamic Light Scattering, ζ-potential, and Circular Dichroism measurements were used in order to investigate the ability of the polypeptide to self-assemble in different conditions. This monomer opens avenues for the synthesis of polypeptides with complex macromolecular architectures that can define the aggregation behavior, and, therefore, can lead to the synthesis of "smart" stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for controlled drug delivery applications.