Quantification and histochemical localization of secondary metabolites during development in Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae).

Histolocalization and quantification of secondary metabolites established the occurrence of alkaloids, phenols and acetogenins in various plant organs of A. muricata at different stages of plant growth. Annona muricata L.

BubbleDrive, a low-volume incubation chamber for acute brain slices.

Acute brain slices are a common and useful preparation in experimental neuroscience. A wide range of incubation chambers for brain slices exists but only a few are designed with very low volumes of the bath solution in mind. Such chambers are necessary when high-cost chemicals are to be added to the solution or when small amounts of substances released by the slice are to be collected for analysis.

Probing Neuropeptide Volume Transmission In Vivo by Simultaneous Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Release and Optical Sensing.

Neuropeptides are abundant signaling molecules in the central nervous system. Yet remarkably little is known about their spatiotemporal spread and biological activity. Here, we developed an integrated optical approach using Plasmonic nAnovesicles and cell-based neurotransmitter fluorescent engineered reporter (CNiFER), or PACE, to probe neuropeptide signaling in the mouse neocortex.

Printed microfluidic sweat sensing platform for cortisol and glucose detection.

Wearable sweat biosensors offer compelling opportunities for improved personal health monitoring and non-invasive measurements of key biomarkers. Inexpensive device fabrication methods are necessary for scalable manufacturing of portable, disposable, and flexible sweat sensors. Furthermore, real-time sweat assessment must be analyzed to validate measurement reliability at various sweating rates.

Brain extracellular space of the naked mole-rat expands and maintains normal diffusion under ischemic conditions.

Brain extracellular space (ECS) forms a conduit for diffusion, an essential mode of molecular transport between brain vasculature, neurons and glia. ECS volume is reduced under conditions of hypoxia and ischemia, contributing to impaired extracellular diffusion and consequent neuronal dysfunction and death. We investigated the ECS volume fraction and diffusion permeability of the African naked mole-rat (NM-R; Heterocephalus Glaber), a rodent with a remarkably high tolerance for hypoxia and ischemia.

Antitumour activity of Annona muricata L. leaf methanol extracts against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma and Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites mediated tumours in Swiss albino mice.

The use of plants as a source of sedative or treatment for cancer is reasonably widespread worldwide. Linn exhibits a vast array of medicinal and ethno-pharmaceutical benefits, attributed by different plant parts. The activity of this plant is regarded to the bio-production of secondary metabolites like alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, and most unique group of compounds, namely, annonaceous acetogenins.

evaluation of L. (Soursop) leaf methanol extracts on inhibition of tumorigenicity and metastasis of breast cancer cells.

Purpose: The present study evaluates the anti-tumorigenic potential of leaf methanol extracts of (LMAM).

Materials And Methods: The cytotoxic activity was assessed in MCF-7 cells by MTT assay at various concentrations ranging from 25-250µg/mL. MCF-7 cells were treated with 50 and 100 µg/mL LMAM for 24 h.

Integrity of White Matter is Compromised in Mice with Hyaluronan Deficiency.

Brain white matter is the means of efficient signal propagation in brain and its dysfunction is associated with many neurological disorders. We studied the effect of hyaluronan deficiency on the integrity of myelin in murine corpus callosum. Conditional knockout mice lacking the hyaluronan synthase 2 were compared with control mice.

ECS Dynamism and Its Influence on Neuronal Excitability and Seizures.

Seizure activity is governed by changes in normal neuronal physiology that lead to a state of neuronal hyperexcitability and synchrony. There is a growing body of research and evidence suggesting that alterations in the volume fraction (α) of the brain's extracellular space (ECS) have the ability to prolong or even initiate seizures. These ictogenic effects likely occur due to the ECS volume being critically important in determining both the concentration of neuroactive substances contained within it, such as ions and neurotransmitters, and the effect of electric field-mediated interactions between neurons.

Photonic Resins: Designing Optical Appearance via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly.

Despite a huge variety of methodologies having been proposed to produce photonic structures by self-assembly, the lack of an effective fabrication approach has hindered their practical uses. These approaches are typically limited by the poor control in both optical and mechanical properties. Here we report photonic thermosetting polymeric resins obtained through brush block copolymer (BBCP) self-assembly.

Direct Printing of Graphene Electrodes for High-Performance Organic Inverters.

Scalable fabrication of high-resolution electrodes and interconnects is necessary to enable advanced, high-performance, printed, and flexible electronics. Here, we demonstrate the direct printing of graphene patterns with feature widths from 300 μm to ∼310 nm by liquid-bridge-mediated nanotransfer molding. This solution-based technique enables residue-free printing of graphene patterns on a variety of substrates with surface energies between ∼43 and 73 mN m.

Direct Imprinting of Scalable, High-Performance Woodpile Electrodes for Three-Dimensional Lithium-Ion Nanobatteries.

The trend of device downscaling drives a corresponding need for power source miniaturization. Though numerous microfabrication methods lead to successful creation of submillimeter-scale electrodes, scalable approaches that provide cost-effective nanoscale resolution for energy storage devices such as on-chip batteries remain elusive. Here, we report nanoimprint lithography (NIL) as a direct patterning technique to fabricate high-performance TiO nanoelectrode arrays for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) over relatively large areas.

Rapid, Large-Area Synthesis of Hierarchical Nanoporous Silica Hybrid Films on Flexible Substrates.

We report a simple strategy for the creation of large-area nanoporous hybrid films of silica, carbon, and gold on polyethylene terephthalate via photothermal processing. This method enables the selective heating of light-absorbing thin films on low-temperature substrates using sub-millisecond light pulses generated by a xenon flash lamp. The film contains gold nanoparticles as the nanoheaters to convert light energy to heat, a sacrificial block copolymer surfactant to generate mesopores, and cross-linked polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as the silica source to form the skeleton of the porous structure.

Identifying Quality Indicators Used by Patients to Choose Secondary Health Care Providers: A Mixed Methods Approach.

Background: Patients in health systems across the world can now choose between different health care providers. Patients are increasingly using websites and apps to compare the quality of health care services available in order to make a choice of provider. In keeping with many patient-facing platforms, most services currently providing comparative information on different providers do not take account of end-user requirements or the available evidence base.