Novel Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles as Non‐Viral Vectors for the Glial Cell Line‐Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene

Nanoparticles (NPs) of synthetic hydroxyapatite (Hap) and natural bone mineral (NBM) are rendered magnetic by treatment with iron ions using a wet‐chemical process. The magnetic NPs (mNPs), which are about 300 nm in diameter, display superparamagnetic properties in a superconducting quantum interference device, with a saturation magnetization of about 30 emu g^?1. X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal that the magnetic properties of the NPs are the result of the hetero‐epitaxial growth of magnetite on the Hap and NBM crystallites. The mNPs display a high binding affinity for plasmid DNA in contrast to magnetite NPs which do not bind the plasmid well. The mHap and mNBM NPs result in substantial increases in the transfection of rat marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells with the gene for glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), with magnetofection compared to transfection in the absence of a magnet. The amount of GDNF recovered in the medium approaches therapeutic levels despite the small amount of plasmid delivered by the NPs.     

What is the evidence that osteoarthritis is genetically determined?

Although for many years it was speculated that osteoarthritis was genetically determined, little data were available to support this contention. A major problem with early work was a lack of consistency in the definition of osteoarthritis. Based on a radiographical definition of osteoarthritis, which is currently the optimal method for epidemiological and genetic studies, data from a recent twin study have provided an estimate of the hereditable component of osteoarthritis to be in the order of 50 to 65%. In addition, sophisticated molecular biology techniques are being increasingly used to explore potential genetic abnormalities in cartilage and matrix components in osteoarthritis. These exciting new data are examined as we address the role of genetic factors in osteoarthritis.     

Reliability of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

Examined the reliability of G. B. Spanier's (1976) Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). 158 middle-aged men and women completed the DAS on 2 occasions separated by approximately 2 wks. Separate alpha and stability coefficients were calculated for each of the 4 DAS subscales as well as the Total score. Coefficients alpha ranged from .70 (for the 4-item Affectional Expression subscale) to .95 (for the 32-item Total score), Mdn?=?.87. Stability coefficients ranged from .75 (Affectional Expression) to .87 (Total), Mdn?=?.81. Partial correlations revealed that the stability of the DAS was not influenced by Ss' age, educational attainment, number of children, relationship duration, or the length of the test–retest interval. Results suggest the DAS and its 4 subscales are internally consistent and stable over the interval examined in this study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Excitotoxic lesions of the parabrachial nuclei prevent conditioned taste aversions and sodium appetite in rats.

Electrolytic lesions of the parabrachial nuclei (PBN) disrupt conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in the rat, but it is not known whether this effect is due to damaging axons of passage or to destruction of intrinsic neurons. We tested 10 rats with electrophysiologically guided, ibotenic acid lesions of the PBN (PBNx) to determine whether they could acquire an LiCl-induced CTA to l-alanine (0.3 M) or demonstrate a sodium appetite following furosemide treatment and overnight access to sodium deficient chow. Vehicle-treated and nonsurgical controls were included in the design. PBNx rats failed to develop a CTA, even after 3 conditioning trials. Moreover, more than 8 months later, a subset of the PBNx rats were again unable to learn a CTA using NaCl as the conditional stimulus (CS). After the furosemide treatment, the control rats drank an average of 20.3 ml of strong salt in 24 hr. The PBNx rats drank virtually no NaCl during the first 2 hr and averaged only 4.0 ml in 24 hr. In the PBN, damage to neuronal somata is more critical than interrupting fibers of passage for producing deficits in taste-guided behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiwavelength Bragg gratings and their application to optical MUX/DEMUX devices

A concept of synergetic multiwavelength Bragg gratings as a platform for planar integrated optical devices is proposed and used to make a planar multiplexer/demultiplexer for wavelength-division multiplexing. In first experiments, the devices with 4-16 channels were made on SiON planars with single-layer lithography. Almost flat-top transfer function and 28-dB isolation were achieved for a four-channel device. The gratings with custom designed bandgaps could be also used to connect multiple optical devices in lightwave integrated circuits.     

The fast removal of low concentration of cadmium(II) from aqueous media by chelating polymers with salicylaldehyde units

Poly[4-(4-vinylbenzyloxy)-2-hydrobenzaldehyde], PVBH, a salicylaldehyde chelating functional group-based polymer has been found to be capable of the removal of low concentration of cadmium metal ion in ppb level from aqueous media. The adsorption fits best with the Langmuir model, indicating the monolayer coverage of the metal ion on the surface of chelating polymer. The R_L values have indicated the favorable adsorption in the range of all the ppb concentrations studied. The kinetic study has revealed a very fast adsorption process with the rate following the pseudo-second-order.