High-value zeolitic material from bagasse fly ash: utilization for dye elimination.

Bagasse fly ash (BFA), a sugar industry waste, was used to prepare zeolitic material (ZFA) by means of alkaline hydrothermal treatment. ZFA showed improved morphology as a result of this treatment. The adsorption of the reactive dyes turquoise blue (TB) and brilliant magenta (BM), on both BFA and ZFA, was investigated in a batch contact system.

Quantitative tissue characterization of infarct core and border zone in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy by magnetic resonance is associated with future cardiovascular events.

Objectives: This study evaluates how characterization of tissue heterogeneity of myocardial infarction by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is associated with cardiovascular events (CVE) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM).

Background: Prior studies demonstrated that the quantification of myocardial scar volume by CMR is superior to left ventricular end-diastolic volume, left ventricular end-systolic volume, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in predicting future CVE in ICM patients. Evaluation of infarct heterogeneity by measuring infarct core and border zones through CMR might have a higher association with CVE.

Identification of genes responsive to UV-A radiation in human lens epithelial cells using complementary DNA microarrays.

UV-A radiation produces cataract in animals, enhances photoaging of the lens and skin and increases the phototoxicity of drugs. However, the nature of genes that are activated or repressed after cellular exposure to UV-A radiation remains enigmatic. Because lens epithelial cells exposed to UV-A radiation undergo apoptosis 4 h after exposure to the stress, we sought to establish the change in gene expression in cells by UV-A radiation using gene expression profiling using complementary DNA microarrays containing about 12 000 genes.

The R116C mutation in alpha A-crystallin diminishes its protective ability against stress-induced lens epithelial cell apoptosis.

alphaA-crystallin is a small heat-shock protein expressed preferentially in the lens and is detected during the early stages of lens development. Recent work indicates that the expression of alphaA-crystallin enhances lens epithelial cell growth and resistance to stress conditions. Mutation of the arginine 116 residue to cysteine (R116C) in alphaA-crystallin has been associated with congenital cataracts in humans.