Col4a3-/- Mice on Balb/C Background Have Less Severe Cardiorespiratory Phenotype and SGLT2 Over-Expression Compared to 129x1/SvJ and C57Bl/6 Backgrounds

Alport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary renal disorder with no etiological therapy. In the preclinical Col4a3^-/- model of AS, disease progression and severity vary depending on mouse strain. The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) is emerging as an attractive therapeutic target in cardiac/renal pathologies, but its application to AS remains untested. This study investigates cardiorespiratory function and SGLT2 renal expression in Col4a3^-/- mice from three different genetic backgrounds, 129x1/SvJ, C57Bl/6 and Balb/C. male Col4a3^-/- 129x1/SvJ mice displayed alterations consistent with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Female, but not male, C57Bl/6 and Balb/C Col4a3^-/- mice exhibited mild changes in systolic and diastolic function of the heart by echocardiography. Male C57Bl/6 Col4a3^-/- mice presented systolic dysfunction by invasive hemodynamic analysis. All strains except Balb/C males demonstrated alterations in respiratory function. SGLT2 expression was significantly increased in AS compared to WT mice from all strains. However, cardiorespiratory abnormalities and SGLT2 over-expression were significantly less in AS Balb/C mice compared to the other two strains. Systolic blood pressure was significantly elevated only in mutant 129x1/SvJ mice. The results provide further evidence for strain-dependent cardiorespiratory and hypertensive phenotype variations in mouse AS models, corroborated by renal SGLT2 expression, and support ongoing initiatives to develop SGLT2 inhibitors for the treatment of AS.     

Immunsuppressiva-Antigen-Konjugate. VIII. Darstellung von 6-Mercaptopurin-Protein-Konjugaten nach dem Azid-Verfahren

Immunosuppressant-Antigen Conjugates. VIII. Preparation of 6-Thiopurine-Protein Conjugates by the Azide Method 6-Carboxymethyl-thiopurine was coupled with human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum globuline in the presence of a water soluble carbodiimide. Under these conditions, reaction of HSA with the carbodiimide led to electrophoretically detectable changes. Therefore, further conjugates were prepared by the azide method. The used azides, N-(6-benzylthiopurin- and 6-methylthiopurin-9-yl)-acetyl azide, were obtained from the hydrazides. The prepared conjugates contained upto 4.2% thiopurine, determined by spectrophotometry. It was not possible to obtain an azide from purinyl-(6)-thioacethydrazide.     

Canadian Field Soils I. Mineral Composition by XRD/XRF Measurements

Forty Canadian soils were laboratory tested for the presence of quartz and other minerals using X-ray diffraction/X-ray fluorescence techniques. On average, the highest quartz content was observed in soil samples from sites in Nova Scotia followed by Prince Edward Island sites, whereas soil sample from British Columbia sites had the lowest quartz content. The second most abundant mineral was albite that mainly occurred in soil samples from Ontario and Quebec sites. Illite was the third most abundant and prevailed in soils mainly from British Columbia and New Brunswick sites. Soil samples from British Columbia sites had the highest combined clay and silt content and were composed of illite, albite, kaolinite, and chlorite. The lowest clay content was found in the samples from the Quebec sites. The highest microcline (a potassium feldspar) content was observed in Quebec, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island sites. In contrast to other provinces, samples from Quebec and Ontario sites also included amphibole. Soil samples from Saskatchewan and Manitoba sites also comprised carbonates, i.e., calcite and dolomite. Iron oxides (e.g., goethite) were present in all soils, except the Quebec sites, but their occurrence was rather insignificant.     

Sensitivity to zinc of Mediterranean woody species important for restoration

Heavy metals have increased in natural woodlands and shrublands over the last several decades as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. However, our knowledge of the effects of these elements on woody species is scarce. In this study, we examined the responses of six Mediterranean woody species to increasing levels of zinc in hydroponic culture and discussed the possible implications for the restoration of contaminated sites. The species used, Pinus pinea L., Pinus pinaster Ait., Pinus halepensis Mill., Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast., Rhamnus alaternus L. and Quercus suber L. represent a climatic gradient from dry sub-humid to semi-arid conditions. Zinc concentrations in shoots ranged from 53 μg g^− 1 in Q. suber to 382 μg g^− 1 in T. articulata and were well below the levels found in roots. Zinc inhibited root elongation and root biomass and changed the root length distribution per diameter class, but the magnitude of the effects was species-specific. Only P. halepensis and Q. suber showed toxicity symptoms in aboveground parts. Species more characteristic from xeric environments (T. articulata, R. alaternus and P. halepensis) were more sensitive to zinc than species from mesic environments (Q. suber, P. pinaster and P. pinea). According to the Zn responses and bioaccumulation, Q. suber P. pinea and P. halepensis are the best candidates for field trials to test the value of woody species to restore contaminated sites. None of the species tested seemed suitable for phytoremediation.     

Upscaling and automation of electrophysiology: toward high throughput screening in ion channel drug discovery

Effective screening of large compound libraries in ion channel drug discovery requires the development of new electrophysiological techniques with substantially increased throughputs compared to the conventional patch clamp technique. Sophion Bioscience is aiming to meet this challenge by developing two lines of automated patch clamp products, a traditional pipette-based system called Apatchi-1, and a silicon chip-based system QPatch. The degree of automation spans from semi-automation (Apatchi-1) where a trained technician interacts with the system in a limited way, to a complete automation (QPatch 96) where the system works continuously and unattended until screening of a full compound library is completed. The performance of the systems range from medium to high throughputs.     

Exciton-polariton transition induced by elastic exciton-exciton collisions in ultrahigh quality AIGaAs alloys

The stationary and time-resolved polariton radiation in ultrahigh quality AIGaAs layers have been studied. It has been found that elastic exciton-exciton collisions lead to the appearance of a low-energy line of polariton radiation. We show that the rate of exciton-to-polariton transitions caused by elastic exciton-exciton collisions is determined not only by the density of the excitonic gas, but also by its temperature; this is in accordance with existing theoretical predictions. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Ordered Mesoporous In2O3: Synthesis by Structure Replication and Application as a Methane Gas Sensor

The synthesis and characterization of ordered mesoporous In₂O₃ materials by structure replication from hexagonal mesoporous SBA‐15 silica and cubic KIT‐6 silica is presented. Variation of the synthesis parameters allows for different pore sizes and pore wall thicknesses in the products. The In₂O₃ samples turn out to be stable up to temperatures between 450 °C and 650 °C; such high thermal stability is necessary for their application as gas sensors. Test measurements show a high sensitivity to methane gas in concentrations relevant for explosion prevention. The sensitivity is shown to be correlated not only with the surface‐to‐volume ratio, but also with the nanoscopic structural properties of the materials.