Simultaneous Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering with a Kerr Gate for Fluorescence Suppression.

The combination of surface-enhanced and Kerr-gated Raman spectroscopy for the enhancement of the Raman signal and suppression of fluorescence is reported. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active gold substrates were demonstrated for the expansion of the surface generality of optical Kerr-gated Raman spectroscopy, broadening its applicability to the study of analytes that show a weak Raman signal in highly fluorescent media under (pre)resonant conditions. This approach is highlighted by the well-defined spectra of rhodamine 6G, Nile red, and Nile blue.

Effect of alkali-metal cation on oxygen adsorption at Pt single-crystal electrodes in non-aqueous electrolytes.

The effect of Group 1 alkali-metal cations (Na, K, and Cs) on the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-based electrolytes was investigated. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) utilising different Pt-electrode surfaces (polycrystalline Pt, Pt(111) and Pt(100)) was undertaken to investigate the influence of surface structure upon the ORR and OER. For K and Cs, negligible variation in the CV response (in contrast to Na) was observed using Pt(111), Pt(100) and Pt(poly) electrodes, consistent with a weak surface-metal/superoxide complex interaction.

Nanophase-photocatalysis: loading, storing, and release of HO using graphitic carbon nitride.

A blue light mediated photochemical process using solid graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) in ambient air/isopropanol vapour is suggested to be linked to "nanophase" water inclusions and is shown to produce approx. 50 μmol HO per gram of g-CN, which can be stored in the solid g-CN for later release for applications, for example, in disinfection or anti-bacterial surfaces.

Conditioning of desert sandy soil and investigation of the ameliorative effects of poultry manure and bentonite treatment rate on plant growth.

Soil is the base of any ecosystem since it conserves nutrients and water for plant roots including agriculture and plantations. In dry and semi-arid places across the world, including the UAE, sandy soils are common. Their fertility is extremely low, and production is hampered by a number of agronomic challenges.

Review of biosensing with whispering-gallery mode lasers.

Lasers are the pillars of modern optics and sensing. Microlasers based on whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) are miniature in size and have excellent lasing characteristics suitable for biosensing. WGM lasers have been used for label-free detection of single virus particles, detection of molecular electrostatic changes at biointerfaces, and barcode-type live-cell tagging and tracking.

Next-Generation Sequencing for Molecular Diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis in a Brazilian Cohort.

Cystic fibrosis (CF), an autosomal recessive genetic disease, is recognized as one of the most prevalent diseases in Caucasian populations. Epidemiological data show that the incidence of CF varies between countries and ethnic groups in the same region. CF occurs due to pathogenic variants in the gene encoding cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (), located on chromosome 7q31.

A Rare Potential Pathogenic Variant in the Gene is Found in a Brazilian Patient with Severe Childhood-Onset Obesity.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a pro-survival factor in the brain that also regulates energy balance. loss-of-function point mutations are responsible for haploinsufficiency, causing severe early-onset obesity. Up to date, only a few studies have sequenced this gene to search for rare mutations related to obesity.

Identification of a Rare and Potential Pathogenic Variant in a Brazilian Patient With Adulthood-Onset Severe Obesity.

Background: The melanocortinergic pathway orchestrates the energy homeostasis and impairments in this system often lead to an increase in body weight. Rare variants in the () gene resulting in partial or complete loss of function have been described with autosomal co-dominant inheritance. These mutations are the most common cause of non-syndromic monogenic obesity.

Association of the MC4R rs17782313 polymorphism with plasma ghrelin, leptin, IL6 and TNFα concentrations, food intake and eating behaviors in morbidly obese women.

Purpose: The rs17782313 variant of the MC4R gene plays an important role in the obesity phenotype. Studies that evaluate environmental factors and genetic variants associated with obesity may represent a great advance in understanding the development of this disease. This work seeks to assess the association of the polymorphism of MC4R rs17782313 on plasma parameters, including leptin, ghrelin, tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL6), and on the eating behaviors of morbidly obese women.

Extraction of a malpositioned maxillary anterior implant and simultaneous flapless ridge augmentation: a case report.

Periimplantitis in a malpositioned maxillary anterior implant is one of the most challenging situations in implant dentistry. Since the regenerative treatment can often be unpredictable and have esthetic consequences such as soft tissue recession due to flap raising, extraction is sometimes recommended. In order to place a new implant after extraction, a bone regeneration procedure must be carried out.

Regulation of mitochondrial activity controls the duration of skeletal muscle regeneration in response to injury.

Thyroid hormone is a major regulator of skeletal muscle development and repair, and also a key regulator of mitochondrial activity. We have previously identified a 43 kDa truncated form of the nuclear T3 receptor TRα1 (p43) which stimulates mitochondrial activity and regulates skeletal muscle features. However, its role in skeletal muscle regeneration remains to be addressed.

An isotopic study of dietary diversity in formative period Ancachi/Quillagua, Atacama Desert, northern Chile.

Objectives: To characterize the paleodiet of individuals from Formative Period (1500 B.C.-A.

Effects of Melatonin on the Defense to Acute Hypoxia in Newborn Lambs.

Neonatal lambs, as other neonates, have physiologically a very low plasma melatonin concentration throughout 24 h. Previously, we found that melatonin given to neonates daily for 5 days decreased heart weight and changed plasma cortisol and gene expression in the adrenal and heart. Whether these changes could compromise the responses to life challenges is unknown.

Generation of patient-specific pluripotent induced stem cell line UFRJi007-A from a Brazilian familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line were generated from erythroblasts of a Brazilian patient with familiar form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). NGS analysis demonstrated that patient carried a mutation in SOD1 gene, as well as a deletion in FUS gene. CytoTune™-iPS 2.

Use of an imaging station for rapid colony counting in radiobiology studies.

Colony counting by eye is time consuming and subjective. Here comparison between the measurements of proliferative growth inhibition in plates of radiation-treated cells by an imaging station correlated highly significantly with counts determined by eye. This would suggest that an imaging station could be a viable alternative for colony counting for doses over 200KBq.

The association of the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) rs9939609 polymorphism and the severe obesity in a Brazilian population.

Obesity occurs due to the interaction between the genetic background and environmental factors, including an increased food intake and a sedentary lifestyle. Nowadays, it is clear that there is a specific circuit, called leptin-melanocortin pathway, which stimulates and suppresses food intake and energy expenditure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of genetic variants related to appetite regulation and energy expenditure on severe obesity susceptibility and metabolic phenotypes in a Brazilian cohort.

Identification of a novel large deletion and other copy number variations in the CFTR gene in patients with Cystic Fibrosis from a multiethnic population.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR). There are over 2000 different pathogenic and non-pathogenic variants described in association with a broad clinical heterogeneity. The most common types of mutations in this gene are single nucleotide substitutions or small deletions and insertions.

Generation of four patient-specific pluripotent induced stem cell lines from two Brazilian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and two healthy subjects.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines were generated from erythroblasts of two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and two healthy individuals. One familial and one sporadic ALS patients were used, both with genetic alterations in VAPB gene. CytoTune™-iPS 2.

Identification of the start lost mutation in a morbidly obese Brazilian patient.

Background: gene () is an important regulator of food intake, body weight, and blood pressure. Mutations in are associated with the most common form of nonsyndromic monogenic obesity. variations have an autosomal co-/dominant model of inheritance.

Physicochemical Tools: Toward a Detailed Understanding of the Architecture of Targeted Radiotherapy Nanoparticles.

Targeted radiotherapy is proving to be an effective alternative to external beam radiotherapy for cancer treatment. Gold nanoparticles are biocompatible, commercially available, and readily functionalized, which makes them perfect candidates for the delivery of cytotoxic radionuclides labeled with antibodies to proteins abnormally expressed on cancer tissue. However, there is a lack of information regarding the efficacy of the successive modification steps involved in the functionalization process, as well as of the actual final state of the nanoparticles prior to preclinical tests, which results in a very inefficient screening and that will further impact on biological barriers, such as half-life interactions with serum proteins.

The three-layer technique for immediate implants on teeth without a buccal bone wall: a case report.

The buccal bone wall is the part of the socket of an anterior tooth that is most susceptible to resorption. Immediate implants offer advantages in terms of time, comfort, and esthetics, especially regarding the maintenance of the papillae architecture. However, the loss of the buccal bone wall is often a limitation for such a therapy.

Thyroid Hormone Action: The p43 Mitochondrial Pathway.

The possibility that several pathways are involved in the multiplicity of thyroid hormone physiological influences led to searches for the occurrence of T3 extra nuclear receptors. The existence of a direct T3 mitochondrial pathway is now well established. The demonstration that TRα1 mRNA encodes not only a nuclear thyroid hormone receptor but also two proteins imported into mitochondria with molecular masses of 43 and 28 kDa has provided new clues to understand the pleiotropic influence of iodinated hormones.