The involvement of 5-HT1B receptors in the inhibitory effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor on 2-deoxy-D-glucose-induced hyperphagia in rats

The inhibitory effects of a potent nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), on 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-induced hyperglycemia were investigated in rats. L-NAME significantly inhibited 2-DG-induced hyperglycemia, although N(G)-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester (D-NAME) did not affect it. A similar NO synthase inhibitor, N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), also inhibited 2-DG-induced hyperglycemia. The antagonistic effects of L-NAME are unrelated to the cholinergic system, since the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine did not affect 2-DG-induced hyperglycemia. The neuronal NO synthase inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) did not reduce 2-DG-induced hyperglycemia, but rather enhanced it. Our results suggest that NO may be involved in glucose homeostasis and that the inhibitory effects of L-NAME on 2-DG-induced hyperglycemia are not related to muscarinic receptors or neuronal NO synthase.     

Doubled layered ITO/SnO2 conducting glass for substrate of dye-sensitized solar cells

The effects of indium tin oxide (ITO) and ITO/SnO₂ conducting substrates on photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using nanocrystalline TiO₂ were studied. The decrease in fill factor of the DSCs was correlated to the increase in resistance of conducting substrate. The heat stability of ITO conducting glass was improved by depositing SnO₂ on ITO layer. The efficiency of the cells using double layered ITO/SnO₂ substrate remarkably increased comparing with that of the cells using ITO substrates. It is worth mentioning that increasing in sintering time, which enhanced the electronic contact between substrate and TiO₂, also modified the cell performance of MP-TiO₂ cells. Our experimental finding suggests that 3000 Å ITO substrate, which was covered by 1000 Å SnO₂ layer, exhibited the best properties for the DSCs.     

Scintillation properties of Tm-doped Lu3Al5O12 single crystals

Using the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method, Tm-doped Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ (Tm:LuAG) single crystals were grown to examine their scintillation properties. In transmittance spectra, they exhibited about 80% transparency in the wavelengths longer than 320 nm and five absorption lines due to Tm³⁺ 4f–4f transitions were observed. ²⁴¹Am α-ray excited radioluminescence spectra were measured and intense 4f–4f emission peaks were observed with the host emission. When excited by ¹³⁷Cs γ-Ray to obtain pulse height spectra, Tm 1% doped LuAG showed the highest light yield coupled with a photomultiplier (PMT) or a silicon avalanche photodiode (Si-APD). The light yield was estimated to be 5800 and 7300 photons/MeV for PMT and Si-APD, respectively. Decay time profiles consist of two exponential components and the fast and slow components are considered to be attributed to the host and the combination of the host and Tm³⁺ 4f–4f emission, respectively.     

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Nd-doped Lu3Al5O12 single crystals with different Nd concentrations

Nd 0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 3% doped Lu₃Al₅O₁₂ (Nd:LuAG) single crystals were grown in the nitrogen atmosphere by the micro-pulling down (μ-PD) method. The grown crystals had a single-phase confirmed by powder XRD analysis. In absorption spectra, some weak absorption lines due to Nd³⁺ 4f-4f transitions were observed and their intensity increased with the increase of Nd concentration. When excited by ²⁴¹Am α-ray, a broad emission peak due to defects in the host lattice at 320 nm and some sharp lines due to Nd³⁺ 4f-4f transitions at wavelength longer than 400 nm were observed. The decay time profiles of Nd:LuAG under γ-ray excitation were well approximated by two exponential function of 340-760 ns and 3-5 μs for each sample. By pulse height measurement using ¹³⁷Cs, Nd 0.5%:LuAG showed the highest light yield of 7600 ± 760 photons/MeV.     

Family M42 aminopeptidase from the syntrophic bacterium Symbiobacterium thermophilum: characterization using recombinant protein

The chromosomal DNA of the syntrophic thermophile Symbiobacterium thermophilum contains open reading frames of the genes encoding family M42 aminopeptidases, Pep1079, Pep1080, and Pep1081. To characterize these peptidases, the genes were cloned into Escherichia coli and overexpressed. Our experiments using the recombinant proteins confirmed that Pep1079, Pep1080, and Pep1081 are components of arginyl or lysinyl aminopeptidases that require Co2+ for enzymatic activity. Coexistence of Pep1079 and Pep1080 is necessary for expressing high peptidase activity. Pep1081 enhances the activity of Pep1079 and Pep1080.     

Numerical Simulation of Deflecting Flow in a Symmetric Enlarged Channel

Numerical results of three-dimensional separated flow and heat transfer in a rectangular channel with a suddenexpansion are presented in this paper.Numerical simulations of Navier-Stokes and energy equations are carriedout using the finite difference method.The results of three-dimensional calculations are compared with thetwo-dimensional ones,and effects of the aspect ratio of channel upon the flow are shown.The transition fromsymmetric to asymmetric flow appears at lower Reynolds number as increasing the aspect ratio.The details oflocal heat transfer characteristics in two different separated flow regions on two downstream walls are clarified.Two-dimensionality of the flow and heat transfer almost disappears for the aspect ratio considered.     

Characterization of silicon dioxide films on a 4H-SiC Si(0001) face by fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy

We used Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to characterize silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) films on a 4H-SiC(0001) Si face. We found that the peak frequency of the transverse optical (TO) phonon in SiO(2) films grown on a 4H-SiC substrate agrees well with that in SiO(2) films grown on a Si substrate, whereas the peak frequency of the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon in SiO(2) films on a 4H-SiC substrate is red-shifted by approximately 50 cm(-1) relative to that in SiO(2) films on a Si substrate. We concluded that this red-shift of the LO phonon is mainly caused by a change in inhomogeneity due to a decrease in density in the SiO(2) films. Furthermore, cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy results indicated that the channel mobility of the SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) decreases roughly in proportion to the increase in the intensity of the CL peak at 460 and 490 nm, which is attributed to the increase in the number of oxygen vacancy centers (OVCs). FT-IR and CL spectroscopies provide us with a large amount of data on OVCs in the SiO(2) films on a 4H-SiC substrate.     

Evaluation of glomerular filtration rate by camera-based method in both children and adults

We describe a method to evaluate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in both children and adults using 99mTc-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) and a gamma camera. METHODS: Renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-DTPA was performed in 40 children and 92 adults with various degrees of renal function. The percent renal uptake at 2-2.5 min after tracer arrival in the kidney was determined with background subtraction and correction for soft-tissue attenuation and was correlated by linear regression analysis with GFR measured from two blood samples. A perirenal region of interest was used for background subtraction. Renal depth was computed using the equations determined or validated on the basis of CT measurements, and the attenuation coefficient was set at 0.12. The obtained regression equation was used to predict GFR. Renal function was also assessed by the Gates' method. RESULTS: Percent renal uptake was closely correlated with GFR normalized for body surface area in all patients (y = 15.958x - 2.94; r = 0.939). GFR was successfully predicted using the regression equation in both children and adults. Gates' method severely overestimated GFR in children and provided less accurate values even in adults than our method. CONCLUSION: The method presented here requires neither blood sampling nor additional imaging and allows estimation of GFR in both children and adults.     

Neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions in gastrointestinal diseases

The adherence of neutrophils to the endothelium is a crucial early event in the inflammatory and immunological reaction. Neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions are known to be mediated by adhesion molecules that are expressed on each cell. Among the adhesion molecules expressed on leukocytes, the CD11/CD18 integrin family plays a major role in the adhesion and transendothelial migration of neutrophils. The two most extensively characterized endothelial cell adhesion molecules are intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin. These adhesion molecules are involved in the pathogenesis of several digestive diseases such as Helicobacter pylori, non steroidal anti inflammatory drug- or stress-induced gastric mucosal injury, inflammatory bowel diseases.