Tailoring the reducibility and catalytic activity of CuO nanoparticles for low temperature CO oxidation

Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles have received considerable interest as active and inexpensive catalysts for various gas–solid reactions. The CuO reducibility and surface reactivity are of crucial importance for the high catalytic activity. Herein, we demonstrate that the reducibility and stability of CuO nanoparticles can be controlled and tailored for the high catalytic activity of CO oxidation. The synthesized CuO nanoparticles possessed enhanced reducibility in CO atmosphere at lower reduction temperature of 126 °C compared to 284 °C for that of reference CuO particles. Moreover, the CuO catalysts with tailored reducibility demonstrated a reaction rate of 35 μmol s⁻¹ g⁻¹ and an apparent activation energy of 75 kJ mol⁻¹. Furthermore, the tailored catalysts exhibited excellent long-term stability for CO oxidation for up to 48 h on stream. These readily-reducible CuO nanoparticles could serve as efficient, inexpensive and durable catalysts for CO oxidation at low temperatures.

Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles of tailored reducibility could be used as inexpensive, efficient and durable catalysts for CO oxidation at low temperature.     

Modulatory effects of Saussurea lappa root aqueous extract against ethephon‐induced kidney toxicity in male rats

Ethephon (2‐chloroethyl phosphonic acid) is a plant growth promoter used to control the plant growth process by liberating ethylene and stimulating the production of endogenous ethylene. Medicinal plants are sources of novel drug discovery targets. Costus (Saussurea lappa) has been used as traditional Chinese medicine. The current study was conducted to examine the possible modifying effects of costus (S. lappa) root aqueous extract against kidney toxicity induced by ethephon in male rats. A total of 50 adult male rats were divided into five groups (first, control; second, costus; third, ethephon; fourth, posttreated ethephon with costus; fifth, ethephon self‐healing). There is a significant increase in the serum levels of urea, creatinine, potassium ions, chloride ions, kidney injury, DNA damage, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expressions in treated rats with ethephon when compared to the control group. In contrast, the treated rats with ethephon revealed a significant decrease in the levels of sodium ions and an insignificant decrease in the calcium ions. Saussurea lappa extract modified these alterations when compared to the control group. As a result, costus root extract significantly reduced rat kidney toxicity after ethephon administration. We recommend costus to be included in diet for its valuable effects, and also producers and consumers should become more aware about the toxic effects of ethephon.     

A quantitative analysis of the effects of different harvesting,preparation, and injection methods on the integrity of fat cells

Background

The percentage of intact fat cells membrane obtained by even a well-known technique remains poorly studied. The purposes of this study were to evaluate and compare the structural effects of various harvesting, preparation, and injection methods on human fat cell integrity.

Methods

We enrolled 20 healthy females in this study, ages ranged from 20 to 41 years with an average age of 31?±?0.5 years. We harvested fat tissues from the abdomen and thigh of donors using two different methods: conventional and syringe liposuction; we treated the aspirated fat specimens within 30 min of harvesting by fine-mesh gauze or using centrifugation. We injected the prepared fat through small or large needle, and then obtained a specimen from each different method. We analyzed all fat graft samples by routine histological examination.

Results

There was a significant difference in the percentage of intact fat cells wall was observed in syringe aspiration (75.95?±?0.31 %) versus vacuum liposuction (56.43 %?±?0.67). There was a significant difference in the percentage of intact fat cells when using centrifugation versus fine-mesh gauze preparation. Also there was a significant difference in the percentage of intact fat cells observed when using large versus small needle for injection.

Conclusions

The highest intact adipocyte counts were in syringe suction, no centrifuge, and using large cannula, while the fewest intact adipocyte counts were in conventional liposuction, using centrifuge, and using small cannula. Level of Evidence: Level IV, prognostic study     

IL-15: a central regulator of celiac disease immunopathology

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) exerts many biological functions essential for the maintenance and function of multiple cell types. Although its expression is tightly regulated, IL-15 upregulation has been reported in many organ-specific autoimmune disorders. In celiac disease, an intestinal inflammatory disorder driven by gluten exposure, the upregulation of IL-15 expression in the intestinal mucosa has become a hallmark of the disease. Interestingly, because it is overexpressed both in the gut epithelium and in the lamina propria, IL-15 acts on distinct cell types and impacts distinct immune components and pathways to disrupt intestinal immune homeostasis. In this article, we review our current knowledge of the multifaceted roles of IL-15 with regard to the main immunological processes involved in the pathogenesis of celiac disease.     

Substance P and Arg-Pro-Lys-Pro-NH-C12-H25-induced mediator release from different mast cell subtypes of rat and guinea-pig

Histamine was released from mast cells in isolated perfused heart and kidney of the rat, but not from mast cells in guinea-pig tissues, by a substance P (SP) analogue (SP(1-4)-NH-C12H25), SP(1-4)-C12 for abbreviation. This peptide also released histamine from peritoneal mast cells and basophil leucocytes of the rat. Substance P itself was compared with SP(1-4)-C12 and some structurally related peptides and showed weaker activity. SP(1-4)-C12 also released leukotrienes C4, D4, E4 and thromboxane B2 from rat heart. However, there was little effect on heart rate and force of contraction and no effect on perfusion pressure (vascular resistance) of either rat heart or kidney. The findings demonstrate the structural requirements for histamine release by SP (a possible mediator of 'neurogenic' inflammation), the metabolic energy-dependence of the release process and the functional heterogeneity and interspecies differences in mast cell populations.     

Effect of endogenous and synthetic antioxidants on hydrogen peroxide-induced guinea-pig colon contraction

Objectives and design

The effects of the endogenous antioxidant α-lipoic acid on guinea pig colon smooth muscle contraction (Gpcc) induced by hydrogen peroxide were examined. Having previously shown that the histone deacetylase (HDAC) benzamide inhibitor MGCD0103 inhibits guinea-pig smooth muscle contraction, as do various sulfur-containing antioxidants, we asked whether hybrid compounds possessing both α-lipoic acid-derived antioxidant properties and HDAC inhibitory activity could inhibit Gpcc.

Materials and methods

Guinea pig colon (Gpc) was incubated at 37°C with Krebs buffer; the four stimulants—hydrogen peroxide, carbachol, histamine, and sodium fluoride—were added independently. The response to each stimulant alone was compared with that in the presence of each of the test compounds: MGCD0103, α-lipoic acid, and two of their hybrids, UCL M084 and UCL M109.

Results

NaF (10 mM), carbachol (0.05 μM), histamine (0.1 μM), and hydrogen peroxide (1 μM) produced Gpcc of about 50–60% above basal level. With the exception of MGCD0103 against hydrogen peroxide, all four test compounds at 1 μM—MGCD0103, α-lipoic acid, UCL M084, and UCL M109—produced a significant inhibition of 35–60% of Gpcc induced by hydrogen peroxide, NaF, and carbachol, although none reduced histamine or ovalbumin-induced Gpcc. Benzalkonium chloride (Bcl), a G-protein inhibitor, reduced the hydrogen peroxide-induced Gpcc by 35%.

Conclusions

Contraction by stimulants used to induce Gpcc is known to involve G-proteins. All four test compounds—MGCD0103, α-lipoic acid and two of their hybrids, UCL M084 and UCL M109—reduced Gpcc induced by NaF and carbachol, suggesting that G-protein pathway involvement is relevant to the action of the test compounds, as is also indicated by the Bcl-induced inhibition of hydrogen peroxide-induced contractions. Additionally, α-lipoic acid and the two hybrids showed >30% inhibition of hydrogen peroxide-induced contractions, consistent with the antioxidant properties of the 1,2-dithiolane ring.

     

Risk of malignancy in patients with celiac disease

PURPOSE: Studies from Europe have demonstrated an increased risk of malignancy, especially non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in patients with celiac disease. However, there are no data on the risk for similar patients in the United States. Our aim was to estimate the risk of malignancy in a cohort of patients with celiac disease compared with the general U.S. population and to determine if a gluten-free diet is protective. METHODS: Patients with celiac disease seen between July 1981 and January 2000 at a referral center were included. Standardized morbidity ratios (SMRs) (ratio of observed to expected) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated, using data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. RESULTS: Forty-three (11%) of 381 celiac disease patients had a diagnosis of cancer; 9 were after the diagnosis of celiac disease, 7 were simultaneous (during same month or admission), and 27 were before the diagnosis. The standardized morbidity ratio for all cancers combined was 1.5 (95% CI: 0.3 to 7.5), with significantly increased values for small bowel cancer (SMR = 34; 95% CI: 24 to 42), esophageal cancer (SMR = 12; 95% CI: 6.5 to 21), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (SMR = 9.1; 95% CI: 4.7 to 13), and melanoma (SMR = 5.0; 95% CI: 2.1 to 12). Following the diagnosis of celiac disease, patients were at increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma only (SMR = 6.2; 95% CI: 2.9 to 14), despite adherence to a gluten-free diet. The non-Hodgkin's lymphoma included both T-cell and B-cell types and occurred in both gastrointestinal (n = 5) and extraintestinal sites (n = 4). CONCLUSION: In this cohort of patients with celiac disease, we observed increased risks of small intestinal adenocarcinoma, esophageal cancer, melanoma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma persisted despite a gluten-free diet.