Surface Chemical Modification of Poly(Methylphenylphosphazene)

Summary The surface reactivity of poly(methylphenylphosphazene), PMPP, and its derivatives containing silane, PMPP-SiH, and alcohol, PMPP-OH, substituents was investigated. These polymers were fabricated into films by casting from THF solutions and reactions were carried out at the interface between solid film samples and solutions. The surface of PMPP was successfully modified by deprotonation under dilute conditions followed by reactions with RMe₂SiCl [where R = CH=CH₂, and H]. While surfaces of PMPP-OH were not readily modified, those containing Si-H groups reacted with oxygen when heated and with carbon tetrachloride. The polymer surfaces were examined by contact angle measurements, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We dedicate the paper to Christopher W. Allen in recognition of his outstanding contributions to inorganic ring and polymer chemistry.     

Resources for health: A primary-care-based diet and physical activity intervention targeting urban Latinos with multiple chronic conditions.

Objective: The Resources for Health trial evaluates a social-ecologically based lifestyle (physical activity and diet) intervention targeting low-income, largely Spanish-speaking patients with multiple chronic conditions. Design: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 200 patients recruited from an urban community health center and assigned to intervention and usual care conditions. Intervention involved 2 face-to-face, self-management support and community linkage sessions with a health educator, 3 follow-up phone calls, and 3 tailored newsletters. Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes measured at 6-months were changes in dietary behavior and physical activity. Changes in multilevel support for healthy living were evaluated as a secondary outcome. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, language, and number of chronic conditions, significant intervention effects were observed for dietary behavior and multilevel support for healthy lifestyles but not for physical activity. Conclusion: The Resources for Health intervention provides an effective and practical model for improving health behavior among low-income, Spanish-speaking patients with multiple chronic conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Low-Intensity and Long-Term Aerobic Exercise on the Psoas Muscle of mdx Mice: An Experimental Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle disease characterized by the absence of the protein dystrophin, which causes a loss of sarcolemma integrity, determining recurrent muscle injuries, decrease in muscle function, and progressive degeneration. Currently, there is a need for therapeutic treatments to improve the quality of life of DMD patients. Here, we investigated the effects of a low-intensity aerobic training (37 sessions) on satellite cells, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α protein (PGC-1α), and different types of fibers of the psoas muscle from mdx mice (DMD experimental model). Wildtype and mdx mice were randomly divided into sedentary and trained groups (n = 24). Trained animals were subjected to 37 sessions of low-intensity running on a motorized treadmill. Subsequently, the psoas muscle was excised and analyzed by immunofluorescence for dystrophin, satellite cells, myosin heavy chain (MHC), and PGC-1α content. The minimal Feret’s diameters of the fibers were measured, and light microscopy was applied to observe general morphological features of the muscles. The training (37 sessions) improved morphological features in muscles from mdx mice and caused an increase in the number of quiescent/activated satellite cells. It also increased the content of PGC-1α in the mdx group. We concluded that low-intensity aerobic exercise (37 sessions) was able to reverse deleterious changes determined by DMD.     

Poly(methylphenylphosphazene)–Graft–Poly(methyl Methacrylate) Copolymers Via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was used to graft poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, onto poly(methylphenylphosphazene), [(Me)(Ph)PN] _n , PMPP. A two-step process was used to convert a portion of the methyl substituents on [(Me)(Ph)PN] _n to –CH₂C(CH₃)₂OH groups and then to bromoalkyl groups, –CH₂C(CH₃)₂OC(=O)C(CH₃)₂Br, the latter of which served as initiation sites for ATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of CuCl/bipyridine. Variations in the length of the grafted chains were investigated and the graft copolymers were compared to the parent polymer and blends of similar composition. The new bromoalkyl derivatives of [(Me)(Ph)PN] _n and the PMPP–graft–PMMA copolymers were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We dedicate this paper to Professor Harry R. Allcock for consistently maintaining the highest standards in his creative, pioneering work in inorganic rings and polymers.     

Fabrication of microfluidic devices containing patterned microwell arrays

A rapid fabrication and prototyping technique to incorporate microwell arrays with sub-10 μm features within a single layer of microfluidic circuitry is presented. Typically, the construction of devices that incorporate very small architecture within larger components has required the assembly of multiple elements to form a working device. Rapid, facile production of a working device using only a single layer of molded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a glass support substrate is achieved with the reported fabrication technique. A combination of conventional wet-chemical etching for larger (≥20 μm) microchannel features and focused ion beam (FIB) milling for smaller (≤10 μm) microwell features was used to fabricate a monolithic glass master mold. PDMS/glass hybrid chips were then produced using simple molding and oxygen plasma bonding methods. Microwell structures were loaded with 3 μm antibody-functionalized dye-encoded polystyrene spheres, and a sandwich immunoassay for common cytokines was performed to demonstrate proof-of-principle. Potential applications for this device include highly parallel multiplexed sandwich immunoassays, DNA/RNA hybridization analyses, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The fabrication technique described can be used for rapid prototyping of devices wherever submicrometer- to micrometer-sized features are incorporated into a microfluidic device.     

Correlates of body image dissatisfaction among overweight women seeking weight loss.

Predictors of body image dissatisfaction (BID) among obese people are poorly understood. In 79 obese women seeking weight reduction, associations with BID of self-esteem, youth teasing, adult teasing, and internalization of sociocultural appearance standards (ISAS) were studied. Analyses revealed that only self-esteem, adult teasing, and ISAS predicted BID. Results highlight the importance of adulthood self-esteem and interpersonal--cultural context--rather than childhood experiences--in predicting adulthood BID. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exercise and cancer: Linkages with obesity?

This review examines possible protection against various types of tumors from both occupational and leisure‐time physical activity. A growing number of well‐controlled studies suggest that both hard physical work and an active leisure reduce the overall incidence of cancer. Benefit is demonstrated most clearly for colonic tumors; here, benefit persists after control of the data for body mass index, and a likely mechanism is the speeding of colonic transit, with a resulting decrease in exposure to carcinogens. There are occasional reports of protection against tumors of the breast, reproductive tract, and other body organs. In some of these latter sites, potential mechanisms of protection include a suppression of sex hormone secretion and a reduction of body fat depots, where androgens are converted to toxic estrogen derivatives. While vigorous athletic participation may well modulate hormone output, a reduction of body fat is a more likely explanation of any benefit from more moderate physical activity. Protection against cancer is unlikely to become a major argument for an active lifestyle, but it is nevertheless a useful byproduct of physical activity undertaken with other health objectives.