Links between Immune Cells from the Periphery and the Brain in the Pathogenesis of Epilepsy: A Narrative Review

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the pathogenesis of epilepsy is linked to neuroinflammation and cerebrovascular dysfunction. Peripheral immune cell invasion into the brain, along with these responses, is implicitly involved in epilepsy. This review explored the current literature on the association between the peripheral and central nervous systems in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, and highlights novel research directions for therapeutic interventions targeting these reactions. Previous experimental and human studies have demonstrated the activation of the innate and adaptive immune responses in the brain. The time required for monocytes (responsible for innate immunity) and T cells (involved in acquired immunity) to invade the central nervous system after a seizure varies. Moreover, the time between the leakage associated with blood–brain barrier (BBB) failure and the infiltration of these cells varies. This suggests that cell infiltration is not merely a secondary disruptive event associated with BBB failure, but also a non-disruptive event facilitated by various mediators produced by the neurovascular unit consisting of neurons, perivascular astrocytes, microglia, pericytes, and endothelial cells. Moreover, genetic manipulation has enabled the differentiation between peripheral monocytes and resident microglia, which was previously considered difficult. Thus, the evidence suggests that peripheral monocytes may contribute to the pathogenesis of seizures.     

DSC and synchrotron-radiation X-ray diffraction studies on crystallization and polymorphic behavior of palm stearin in bulk and oil-in-water emulsion states

The crystallization and polymorphic behavior of palm stearin (PS) in a bulk state and in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion droplets (average diameter, 1.7±0.3 μm) was observed by using DSC, optical microscopy, and in situ X-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation (SR-XRD). For the bulk sample the DSC measurements revealed three main exothermic peaks at approximately 31 (large), 21 (small) and 3°C (medium) on cooling, and broad endothermic peaks at approximate −3 (small), 8, 15 to 25 (medium), and 37 and 53°C upon heating. The SR-XRD patterns taken during cooling from 60 to −5°C clarified that the DSC exothermic peaks around 31 and 3°C corresponded to crystallization of the α form of high-melting and low-melting fractions, respectively, and that the occurrence of β′ corresponded to the small exothermic peak around 21°C. The XR-XRD patterns taken during heating from −5 to 60°C demonstrated that the DSC endothermic peaks corresponded to the following transformation processes: melting of α of the low-melting fraction (−3°C), melt-mediated transformation from α to ∇′ (15–25°C), melting of β′ (36°C), and melting of β (53°C) of the high-melting fraction. As for the O/W emulsion sample, the DSC and SR-XRD measurements during the cooling and heating processes exhibited basically the same behavior as that of PS in the bulk state, except that β′ did not crystallize during the cooling process, and the temperatures of crystallization of α, melt-mediated α→β′→β transformation, and melting of β were lower in the emulsion droplets than in the bulk state.     

An apparent ensemble effect in the oxidative coupling of methane on hydroxyapatites with incorporated lead

The introduction of small quantities of lead into calcium hydroxyapatite catalysts produces marked increases in the selectivity to C₂₊ hydrocarbons, while the conversion of methane remains relatively constant. Small surface concentrations of lead are sufficient to achieve C₂₊ selectivities of 80 and 90%, with oxygen and nitrous oxide, respectively, in contrast with 18 and 46%, respectively, obtained in the absence of lead. Since surface concentration of lead species sufficient to stabilize pairs of methyl radicals in close proximity to each other would be expected to facilitate the formation of C₂ hydrocarbons, an ensemble effect appears to be extant.     

Proposed Phenomenological PTCR Model and Accompanying Phenomenological PTCR Chart

The positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) behavior of semiconductive BaTiO₃ is well explained by the Heywang model, which predicts the resistivity behavior above the Curie point based on the acceptor state density at the grain boundaries, the charge carrier density, and the energy gap, E _s, between the conduction band and the acceptor levels. However, the relationship between these parameters and the production parameters (sintering time, composition, and cooling rate) is not well understood. Recently, the present authors have found that E _s can be increased by thorough oxidation. This increase is attributed to a change in the oxidation state of the acceptor. Based on this finding and results from the literature, a phenomenological PTCR model and an accompanying PTCR chart for acceptor–donor-codoped BaTiO₃ are proposed to clarify this relationship. The PTCR chart clarifies that acceptor dopant concentrations, oxidation time, and oxygen partial pressure during oxidation or cooling can be optimized simultaneously to obtain optical PTCR properties.     

Experimental Evaluation of the Acceptor-States Compensation in Positive-Temperature-Coefficient-Type Barium Titanate

Experimental evidence shows that the acceptor-state levels in Sb-doped positive-temperature-coefficient-type BaTiO₃ are compensated up to a critical acceptor-state density. Using the slope of the natural logarithm of the resistivity with respect to 1/ T , instead of maximum resistivity as a measure for the acceptor-state density, it is possible to estimate this critical value. The value obtained (4.2 × 10¹⁷ m⁻²) is believed to be the first reported estimate based on experimental data. It is in good agreement with the estimate of 6 × 10¹⁷ m⁻² (first reported by Jonker) obtained from the spontaneous polarization of BaTiO₃. This shows that the ferroelectric behavior of BaTiO₃ is indeed a feasible explanation for the low resistivity below the Curie point, as proposed by Jonker.     

Microporous carbons prepared from cationic surfactant-resorcinol/formaldehyde composites

Microporous carbons have been synthesized by the carbonization of cationic surfactant-resorcinol/formaldehyde (RF) composites, which were themselves formed by electrostatic organic-organic interaction. The porous structure produced by the decomposition of the surfactant plays an important role for the gasification of the RF polymer at higher temperatures. The pore size of the carbon prepared from tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPAB)-RF, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (C₁₆TAB)-RF and decyltrimethylammonium bromide (C₁₀TAB)-RF mixtures can be estimated as 0.53 nm from the Horvath-Kawazoe method using N₂ adsorption isotherms. Their pore size distributions were very narrow, showing that the microporous carbons derived from surfactant-RF mixture may have promise as adsorbents and membrane materials.     

Recoverable shear strain of liquid crystal‐forming concentrated hydroxypropyl cellulose solutions

The recoverable shear strain (S_R) for the liquid crystal‐forming hydroxypropyl cellulose solutions was determined by means of a concentric cylinder rotational apparatus as functions of shear stress prior to recovery and concentration of the solutions at 30°C. S_R greatly depended on shear stress and concentration; the phase of the solution (the single phase or biphase) governed the dependences of S_R on stress and concentration. S_R increased with increasing stress for the single phase and decreased for the biphase. S_R seemed to be related to the die swell (B): S_R ∝ Bⁿ. S_R exhibited a maximum and a minimum with respect to concentration. S_R for the cellulosic cholesteric liquid crystalline solutions was greater than that for the isotropic solutions. A model was proposed for explaining the greater S_R. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 865–872, 2002     

Influence of the nigrosine dye on the thermal behavior of polyamide 66

To reveal the effect of the nigrosine dye, that the addition of the dye lowers the crystallization point (T_c) of molten polyamide resins with substantially no shift in the melting point (T_m), thus suppressing the crystallization enhancement of the crystalline nucleation agents, the characteristics of polyamide 66 (PA‐66) containing nigrosine dye EX (N‐EX) were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that the addition of N‐EX reduced the crystallization rate and T_c of molten PA‐66 with substantially no shift in T_m, and the crystallization enthalpy per unit of weight of PA‐66 was substantially constant. T_c of molten PA‐66 was lowered with an increase in the amount of N‐EX and reached its maximum at 13 wt % N‐EX. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the glass‐transition temperature and the secondary glass‐transition temperature increased with an increasing amount of the dye. On the other hand, the DSC and X‐ray diffraction results indicated that no dye molecule was present in the crystal structure of PA‐66. This effect of the nigrosine dye on PA‐66 is in contrast to those of crystalline nucleation agents, plasticizers, and antiplasticizers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 3270–3274, 2006     

Polymerization of macromers

Summary The possibility of group transfer polymerization of methyl methacrylate-terminated polystyrene macromer (MA-PSt) was explored by using 1-methoxy-1-(trimethylsiloxy)-2-methyl-1-propene and tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate as initiator and catalyst, respectively. The results obtained at the polymerization temperature of 0°C were undesirable. However, the oligomerization at -78°C gave almost quantitatively oligo(MA-PSt) of which the degree of polymerization was in good agreement with the mole ratio of macromer to initiator. The GPC curve of oligo(MA-PSt) was sharp and symmetrical. In addition, it was shown by the copolymerization with methyl methacrylate that the polymerizability of the macromer was markedly enhanced in the presence of methyl methacrylate comonomer.     

Structural characterization of 1,2-polybutadiene by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy: 2. Sequence distribution of 1,2-unit in hydrogenated polybutadienes

The configurational sequences of 1,2-unit in a series of hydrogenated syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadienes were determined in relation to the sequence distribution of 1,2- and 1,4-units on the basis of the ¹³C-n.m.r. signal assignment of the methyl carbons. The observed triad distributions of 1,2- and 1,4-units and configurational distributions of the 1,2-unit are in good agreement with the calculated distributions from transition probabilities. The number average sequence lengths of the 1,2-unit and the 1,2-unit in the racemic addition are 5.7 to 8.0 and 4.1 to 5.4, respectively. From the extrapolation of the plot of the number average sequence length against the crystallinity of the starting 1,2-polybutadienes, the minimum sequence length for crystallization is estimated to be 3.7 for the 1,2-unit in the racemic addition.