TiO2 Nanosols Applied Directly on Textiles Using Different Purification Treatments

Self-cleaning applications using TiO₂ coatings on various supporting media have been attracting increasing interest in recent years. This work discusses the issue of self-cleaning textile production on an industrial scale. A method for producing self-cleaning textiles starting from a commercial colloidal nanosuspension (nanosol) of TiO₂ is described. Three different treatments were developed for purifying and neutralizing the commercial TiO₂ nanosol: washing by ultrafiltration; purifying with an anion exchange resin; and neutralizing in an aqueous solution of ammonium bicarbonate. The different purified TiO₂ nanosols were characterized in terms of particle size distribution (using dynamic light scattering), electrical conductivity, and ζ potential (using electrophoretic light scattering). The TiO₂-coated textiles’ functional properties were judged on their photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB), used as a stain model. The photocatalytic performance of the differently treated TiO₂-coated textiles was compared, revealing the advantages of purification with an anion exchange resin. The study demonstrated the feasibility of applying commercial TiO₂ nanosol directly on textile surfaces, overcoming problems of existing methods that limit the industrial scalability of the process.     

Recent advances in preclinical in vitro approaches towards quantitative prediction of hepatic clearance and drug-drug interactions involving organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B transporters

Hepatic uptake mediated by organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 and 1B3 can serve as a major elimination pathway for various anionic drugs and as a site of drug-drug interactions (DDIs). This article provides an overview of the in vitro approaches used to predict human hepatic clearance (CL_h) and the risk of DDIs involving OATP1Bs. On the basis of the so-called extended clearance concept, in vitro–in vivo extrapolation methods using human hepatocytes as in vitro systems have been used to predict the CL_h involving OATP1B-mediated hepatic uptake. CL_h can be quantitatively predicted using human donor lots possessing adequate OATP1B activities. The contribution of OATP1Bs to hepatic uptake can be estimated by the relative activity factor, the relative expression factor, or selective inhibitor approaches, which offer generally consistent outcomes. In OATP1B1 inhibition assays, substantial substrate dependency was observed. The time-dependent inhibition of OATP1B1 was also noted and may be a mechanism underlying the in vitro–in vivo differences in the inhibition constant of cyclosporine A. Although it is still challenging to quantitatively predict CL_h and DDIs involving OATP1Bs from only preclinical data, understanding the utility and limitation of the current in vitro methods will pave the way for better prediction.     

Interrelationships Between BDNF,Superoxide Dismutase,and Cognitive Impairment in Drug-Naive First-Episode Patients With Schizophrenia

The pathogenesis and etiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) remains unclear. Accumulating studies showed that complex interrelationships between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and an imbalanced redox system has a crucial role in the psychopathology of SCZ. However, the influence of the interrelationships of BDNF and superoxide dismutase (SOD) on cognitive impairment and clinical symptomatology in drug-naive first-episode (DNFE) SCZ patients has not been studied thoroughly. Serum BDNF levels, plasma total SOD, manganese-SOD (Mn-SOD), copper/zinc-containing SOD (CuZn-SOD) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured in 327 DNFE patients with SCZ and 391 healthy controls. Cognitive functions were measured using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological status (RBANS) and clinical symptoms were evaluated by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Compared with the controls, the DNFE patients had increased activities of total SOD and CuZn-SOD, and reduced levels of BDNF and MDA. BDNF levels were positively correlated with CuZn-SOD activity in patients. In addition, we found that elevated Mn-SOD and CuZn-SOD activities were related to PANSS depression factor. Moreover, an interactive effect of BDNF levels and Mn-SOD activity was associated with attentional index score in the patients. Therefore, our findings suggested that interrelationships between BDNF and antioxidant mechanisms might underlie the pathological mechanisms of cognitive impairments and symptomatology in the DNFE patients with SCZ.     

高血压及高血压合并糖尿病的患者血浆可溶性NRP-1与SOD浓度的变化

探讨高血压和高血压合并糖尿病患者血浆可溶性神经纤毛蛋白-1（NRP-1）的浓度与超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性的变化。