Molecular Orientation Behavior of Lyotropic Liquid Crystal-Carbon Dot Hybrids in Microfluidic Confinement.

Lyotropic liquid crystals represent an important class of anisotropic colloid systems. Their integration with optically active nanoparticles can provide us with responsive luminescent media that offer new fundamental and applied solutions for biomedicine. This paper analyzes the molecular-level behavior of such composites represented by tetraethylene glycol monododecyl ether and nanoscale carbon dots in microfluidic channels.

Pluronic P123/DMSO Lyotropic Liquid Crystal for Incorporating Bioactive Substances for Topical Application.

Lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) have attracted considerably growing interest in drug delivery applications over the last years. The structure of LLC matrices is complementary to cell membranes and provides an efficient, controlled, and selective release of drugs. In this work, a complex of experimental methods was used to characterize binary LLCs Pluronic P123/DMSO and triple LLC systems Pluronic P123/DMSO/Ibuprofen, which are interesting as transdermal drug delivery systems.

Efficient delivery of the immunodominant genes of African swine fever virus by adeno-associated virus serotype 2.

Background And Aim: Adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) represents a promising basis for developing a virus-vector vaccine against African swine fever (ASF). This study aimed to create genetic constructs based on AAV2 to deliver the immunodominant genes of ASF virus (ASFV) and to evaluate their functionality . The efficiency and specificity of transgene expression, as well as their non-toxicity in cells of target animals, were evaluated.

Viral Vector Vaccines Against ASF: Problems and Prospectives.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs, with mortality rates a primary focus as they can reach up to 100%. The widespread and colossal economic losses from ASF have impacts on the development of animal husbandry practices in most countries within Africa, Asia, and Europe. Currently, a variety of approaches toward the development of vaccines against ASF are being employed.

Photoelectromagnetic Effect Induced by Terahertz Laser Radiation in Topological Crystalline Insulators PbSnTe.

Topological crystalline insulators form a class of semiconductors for which surface electron states with the Dirac dispersion relation are formed on surfaces with a certain crystallographic orientation. PbSnTe alloys belong to the topological crystalline phase when the SnTe content exceeds 0.35, while they are in the trivial phase at < 0.

Distinction between electron states formed at topological insulator interfaces with the trivial phase and vacuum.

In this paper, we show that electron states formed in topological insulators at the interfaces topological phase-trivial phase and topological phase-vacuum may possess different properties. This is demonstrated on an example of heterostructures based on thick topological HgCdTe films, in which the PT-symmetric terahertz photoconductivity is observed. It is shown that the effect originates from features of the interface topological film-trivial buffer/cap layer.

Non-local terahertz photoconductivity in the topological phase of HgCdTe.

We report on observation of strong non-local photoconducitivity induced by terahertz laser pulses in non-zero magnetic field in heterostructures based on HgCdTe films being in the topological phase. While the zero-field non-local photoconductivity is negligible, it is strongly enhanced in magnetic fields ~ 0.05 T resulting in appearance of an edge photocurrent that exceeds the respective dark signal by orders of magnitude.

Apparent PT-symmetric terahertz photoconductivity in the topological phase of HgCdTe-based structures.

We show that the terahertz (THz) photoconductivity in the topological phase of HgCdTe-based structures exhibits the apparent PT- (parity-time) symmetry whereas the P-symmetry and the T-symmetry, separately, are not conserved. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the P- and T-symmetry breaking may not be related to any type of the sample anisotropy. This result contradicts the apparent symmetry arguments and means that there exists an external factor that interacts with the sample electronic system and breaks the symmetry.

Non-equilibrium electron transport induced by terahertz radiation in the topological and trivial phases of Hg Cd Te.

Terahertz photoconductivity in heterostructures based on n-type Hg Cd Te epitaxial films both in the topological phase ( < 0.16, inverted band structure, zero band gap) and the trivial state ( > 0.16, normal band structure) has been studied.

Electron energy relaxation under terahertz excitation in (Cd Zn )As Dirac semimetals.

We demonstrate that measurements of the photo-electromagnetic effect using terahertz laser radiation provide an argument for the existence of highly conductive surface electron states with a spin texture in Dirac semimetals (Cd Zn )As. We performed a study on a range of (Cd Zn )As mixed crystals undergoing a transition from the Dirac semimetal phase with an inverse electron energy spectrum to trivial a semiconductor with a direct spectrum in the crystal bulk by varying the composition . We show that for the Dirac semimetal phase, the photo-electromagnetic effect amplitude is defined by the number of incident radiation quanta, whereas for the trivial semiconductor phase, it depends on the laser pulse power, irrespective of wavelength.

Genome-wide association study identifies three novel genetic markers associated with elite endurance performance.

To investigate the association between multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), aerobic performance and elite endurance athlete status in Russians. By using GWAS approach, we examined the association between 1,140,419 SNPs and relative maximal oxygen consumption rate ([Formula: see text]O2max) in 80 international-level Russian endurance athletes (46 males and 34 females). To validate obtained results, we further performed case-control studies by comparing the frequencies of the most significant SNPs (with P < 10(-5)-10(-8)) between 218 endurance athletes and opposite cohorts (192 Russian controls, 1367 European controls, and 230 Russian power athletes).

N,N-dimethyldodecylamine oxide self-organization in the presence of lanthanide ions in aqueous and aqueous-decanol solutions.

The article represents the results of research in self-organization of new lanthanide systems in water-decanol medium. The systems are based on N,N-dimethyldodecylamine oxide, a zwitterionic surfactant. The study covers the complex formation of lanthanide ions with C12DMAO molecules and the influence of Ln(III) ions and medium composition on surfactant association in diluted solutions.

Differential expression of ADAM15 and ADAM17 metalloproteases in the rat brain after severe hypobaric hypoxia and hypoxic preconditioning.

The ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) are a family of membrane-anchored glycoproteins capable of shedding a multitude of proteins from the cell surface. Although ADAMs are being considered as crucial modulators of physiological and pathophysiological processes, their roles in neuronal death/survival are largely unexplored. In the present study, changes in brain expression of ADAM15 and ADAM17 (TACE) have been quantitatively examined in rats in response to injurious severe hypoxia (SH) and in animals which acquired hypoxic tolerance through preconditioning to mild hypoxia prior SH.

Mesogenic and luminescent properties of lyotropic liquid crystals containing Eu(III) and Tb(III) ions.

Lyotropic metallomesogens containing trivalent rare-earth metal ions have unique attractive behavior due to the combination of some specific properties of the lanthanide ions with anisotropic supramolecular organization liquid crystal and provide new promises in biochemistry and materials science. In this article, we have studied the liquid crystal and luminescence properties of lyotropic systems containing Eu(III) and Tb(III) ions based on nonionic surfactants. The type, the structural parameters of the mesophases, and the structure of a liquid crystal complex have been investigated using polarized optical microscopy (POM), X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared.

Postnatal ontogeny of the glucocorticoid receptor in the hippocampus.

Corticosteroid hormones are important intrinsic factors that not only mediate the response to stress but also largely contribute to the main physiological processes. The biological actions of these steroids involve, first of all, the activation of specific receptors, namely mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. These two receptor types govern a flexible and well-balanced mechanism that leads to the often opposing changes in the cell.

E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF31 cooperates with DAX-1 in transcriptional repression of steroidogenesis.

Genetic and experimental evidence points to a critical involvement of the atypical mammalian orphan receptor DAX-1 in reproductive development and steroidogenesis. Unlike conventional nuclear receptors, DAX-1 appears not to function as a DNA-bound transcription factor. Instead, it has acquired the capability to act as a transcriptional corepressor of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1).

Expression of glucocorticoid receptor in the brain of rats during postnatal ontogeny.

Expression of glucocorticoid receptor protein in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of male and female rats during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd weeks of life was studied by Western blot hybridization. In the frontal cortex, the concentration of receptor protein progressively increased from the 1st to the 3rd week of life; in females, expression of 94-kDa protein significantly surpassed that in males during the 1st week of life. In the hippocampus, expression of 94-kDa and 82-kDa proteins during the 1st week of life was higher in males.

Involvement of nuclear progesterone receptors in the formation of anxiety in female mice.

We report here studies on the delayed effects of exogenous progesterone on the formation of anxiety in female mice. Ovariectomized female mice were given seven days of replacement therapy either with the two main ovarian hormones-progesterone and estradiol benzoate-or with progesterone only; levels of anxiety were measured six hours later in the elevated plus-maze. The role of nuclear progesterone receptors in controlling the level of anxiety was assessed by giving some mice injections of the synthetic progesterone receptor blocker mifepristone 2 h before the last dose of hormones.

A prospero-related homeobox gene Prox-1 is expressed during postnatal brain development as well as in the adult rodent brain.

Prox-1, a prospero-related homeobox gene, is known to be an important transcription factor during embryogenesis. However, very little is known about Prox-1 expression and functions in the adult nervous system. Here we have investigated the expression pattern of Prox-1 mRNA and protein during postnatal brain development and in adult rat and mouse brains using in situ hybridization (ISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting.

[Participation of progesterone receptors in plus-maze behavior in female mice].

The current study tested delayed effect pf progesterone on the anxiety level of female mice. The elevated plus maze (EPM) behavior was assessed in ovariectomized mice injected for 7 days with estradiol benzoate and progesterone or progesterone alone after 6 hrs of the last treatment. One group of ovariectomized mice was injected with progesterone receptor blocker Mifepristone before 2 hrs of the last treatment.

[Influence of prenatal stress on the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity: the role of the brain glycocorticoid receptors].

The effects of prenatal stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and brain glycocorticoid receptors were studied in neonatal male and female offspring, as well as the influence of neonatal glycocorticoid receptors blockade on hormonal stress reactivity of adult rats. The results showed that there were sexual differences in plasma corticosterone level and corticosteroid binding in the cortex and hypothalamus of 5-day old control rats. Prenatal stress increased basal level of corticosterone in female rats, decreased corticosterone binding in hypothalamus and hippocampus of male and female rats, and increased corticosteroid receptor level in the male cortex.

Expression of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampal region of the rat brain during postnatal development.

Circulating glucocorticoids, of which their concentration is largely under the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, acting through the glucocorticoid receptors (GR) regulate a large variety of pivotal functions of the organism such as growth, development, immune- and stress-response. The main mechanism of regulation of the HPA axis activity is via negative feedback at all levels of the HPA axis itself as well as at the extra-hypothalamic level, a central part of which is the hippocampus. During neonatal development, the HPA axis of rats undergoes a period of hyporesponsiveness (SHRP)-when most stress stimuli fail to induce stress-response.

The role of sex steroids in forming anxiety states in female mice.

Natural fluctuations in sex hormones during the ovarian cycle have enormous influences on ongoing psychological status in the female body. We report here studies of the effects of exogenous sex steroids on anxiety levels in female mice, as evaluated in the elevated cross maze test. Female NMRI mice were subjected to bilateral oophorectomy and one week later received s.

[Analysis of insertion-deletion polymorphism in serotonin transporter gene in men of different ethnic appurtenance with acute alcoholic psychosis].

Analysis of insertion-deletion polymorphism of serotonin vector gene (SLC6A4) was carried out in Russian and Tatar men with acute alcoholic psychosis. Significant interpopulation differences in the distribution of SLC6A4 genotype and allele frequencies were revealed. A relationship of L/S gene with the disease was detected in Russians and Tatars, but the presence of heterozygotic genotype was associated with early onset of chronic alcoholization and development of acute alcoholic psychosis in Tatars and with later alcoholization and disease development in Russians.