Effects of hysterectomy on sexual receptivity, food intake, running wheel activity, and hypothalamic estrogen and progestin receptors in rats.

Ovariectomized-hysterectomized (OH) CD rats given sequential treatments with 2 μg of estradiol benzoate (EB) and .5 mg of progesterone (P) showed significantly higher lordosis quotients than ovariectomized (OV) Ss in 2 tests, 1 and 2 wks after surgery. To test whether the effects of hysterectomy persist, 3 groups of OV and OH Ss received weekly injections of EB, EB?+?P, or sesame oil for 4 wks, were given 2 μg of EB followed 24 hrs later by .5 mg of P, and tested for receptivity. Only the OH Ss that had received hormones for 4 wks showed a significantly higher lordosis score than OV Ss. The effects of hysterectomy on food intake, weight gain, and running wheel activity were also tested. After 1 wk of 2 μg/day EB, OH Ss lost significantly more weight and consumed less food than OV Ss, but by 2 wks the effects of hysterectomy were no longer evident. Treatment with .5 μg/day EB resulted in a significant loss in weight and food intake in OH Ss throughout the experiment. OH Ss implanted with Silastic capsules containing EB were significantly more active in running wheels than OV Ss over the 1st 9 days, but by Day 23 the activity of both groups was similar. 24 hrs following a single injection of EB, hypothalamic-preoptic area cell nuclear estrogen receptors and cytoplasmic progestin receptors were significantly higher in OH than in OV Ss. Possible mechanisms by which hysterectomy might act to enhance hormone-dependent behaviors are discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fluidization Behavior of Cohesive Ca(OH)2 Powders Mixed with Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles

Dry mixing with hydrophobic silica nanopowders was used to improve the fluidization quality of Ca(OH)₂ particles which belong to the Geldart C group and, thus, normally cannot be fluidized. Three parameters, i.e., sieved size of Ca(OH)₂ particles and sieved size and weight percentage of SiO₂ nanoparticles were selected for experiments. A direct proportionality was found between the coverage quality of materials over each other and the fluidization behavior of their corresponding adsorbents. Optimum SiO₂ size and concentration values were determined for the improvement of Ca(OH)₂ fluidizability. The sieved size of Ca(OH)₂ powder had no consequential effect on the coverage quality. The Richarson‐Zaki equation and fractal analysis combined with a modified Richardson‐Zaki approach were proposed for prediction of the fluidization quality and agglomerate size.     

Bioinspired Composite Microfibers for Skin Adhesion and Signal Amplification of Wearable Sensors

A facile approach is proposed for superior conformation and adhesion of wearable sensors to dry and wet skin. Bioinspired skin‐adhesive films are composed of elastomeric microfibers decorated with conformal and mushroom‐shaped vinylsiloxane tips. Strong skin adhesion is achieved by crosslinking the viscous vinylsiloxane tips directly on the skin surface. Furthermore, composite microfibrillar adhesive films possess a high adhesion strength of 18 kPa due to the excellent shape adaptation of the vinylsiloxane tips to the multiscale roughness of the skin. As a utility of the skin‐adhesive films in wearable‐device applications, they are integrated with wearable strain sensors for respiratory and heart‐rate monitoring. The signal‐to‐noise ratio of the strain sensor is significantly improved to 59.7 because of the considerable signal amplification of microfibrillar skin‐adhesive films.     

Application of Box–Behnken Design in the Optimization of In Situ Surfactant-Based Solid Phase Extraction Method for Spectrophotometric Determination of Quinoline Yellow in Food and Water Samples

In this work, a simple, rapid and sensitive method using in situ surfactant-based solid phase extraction (ISS-SPE) combined with UV–vis spectrophotometry has been developed for the preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of quinoline yellow in food and water samples. The Box–Behnken design was employed to optimize the extraction efficiency. The variables of interest were pH, surfactant volume, extraction time and NaI volume. In the optimal conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the range of 10.0–750 μg L^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9982. The limit of detection (LOD) was 2.1 μg L^?1, and the preconcentration factor was calculated to be 51.8.     

Preparation of nano-sized Pb2+ imprinted polymer and its application as the chemical interface of an electrochemical sensor for toxic lead determination in different real samples

In this work, a new nano-structured ion imprinted polymer (IIP) was synthesized by copolymerization of methacrylic acid-Pb(2+) complex and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate according to the precipitation polymerization. Methacrylic acid acted as both functional monomer and complexing agent to create selective coordination sites in a cross-linked polymer. A carbon paste electrode modified with IIP-nanoparticles was used for fabrication of a Pb(2+) sensitive electrode. Differential pulse stripping voltammetry method was applied as the determination technique, after open circuit sorption of Pb(2+) on the electrode and its reduction to metallic form. The IIP modified electrode showed a considerably higher response, compared to the electrode embedded with non-imprinted polymer (NIP). This indicated that the suitable recognition sites were created in the IIP structure in the polymerization stage. Various factors, effective on the response behavior of the electrode, were investigated and optimized. The introduced sensor showed a linear range of 1.0 × 10(-9) to 8.1 × 10(-7)M and detection limit of 6.0 × 10(-10)M (S/N=3). The sensor was successfully applied for the trace lead determination in different samples.     

Functional characterization of the human interleukin-15 receptor alpha chain and close linkage of IL15RA and IL2RA genes

Interleukins-2 and -15 (IL-2 and IL-15) are cytokines with overlapping but distinct biological effects. Their receptors share two subunits (the IL-2R beta and -gamma chains) that are essential for signal transduction. The IL-2 receptor requires an additional IL-2-specific alpha subunit for high affinity IL-2 binding. Recently, a murine IL-15-specific alpha subunit was identified, cloned, and shown to be structurally related to IL-2R alpha. However, the murine IL-15R alpha alone bound IL-15 with a 1000-fold higher affinity than that seen with IL-2R alpha and IL-2. We now extend these studies into the human system with the isolation of three differentially spliced human IL-15R alpha variants that are all capable of high affinity binding of IL-15. The cytoplasmic domain of IL-15R alpha, like that of IL-2R alpha, is dispensable for mitogenic signaling, suggesting that the primary role of the alpha chains is to confer high affinity binding. At high concentrations, IL-15, like IL-2, is able to signal through a complex of IL-2R beta and -gamma in the absence of the alpha subunit. Furthermore, the IL15RA and IL2RA genes have a similar intron-exon organization and are closely linked in both human and murine genomes. However, the distribution of expression of the IL-15R alpha is much wider than that of the IL-2R alpha, suggesting a broader range of cellular targets for IL-15.     

Recent Advances in Wearable Transdermal Delivery Systems

Wearable transdermal delivery systems have recently received tremendous attention due to their noninvasive, convenient, and prolonged administration of pharmacological agents. Here, the material prospects, fabrication processes, and drug‐release mechanisms of these types of therapeutic delivery systems are critically reviewed. The latest progress in the development of multifunctional wearable devices capable of closed‐loop sensation and drug delivery is also discussed. This survey reveals that wearable transdermal delivery has already made an impact in diverse healthcare applications, while several grand challenges remain.