Activation of silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 by human chorionic gonadotropin exerts a therapeutic effect on hepatic injury and inflammation.

Unlabelled: Incidence and prevalence of inflammatory liver diseases has increased over the last years, but therapeutic options are limited. Pregnancy induces a state of immune tolerance, which can result in spontaneous improvement of clinical symptoms of certain autoimmune diseases including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We investigated the immune-suppressive mechanisms of the human pregnancy hormone, chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), in the liver.

Molybdenum trioxide nanoparticles with intrinsic sulfite oxidase activity.

Sulfite oxidase is a mitochondria-located molybdenum-containing enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate in the amino acid and lipid metabolism. Therefore, it plays a major role in detoxification processes, where defects in the enzyme cause a severe infant disease leading to early death with no efficient or cost-effective therapy in sight. Here we report that molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanoparticles display an intrinsic biomimetic sulfite oxidase activity under physiological conditions, and, functionalized with a customized bifunctional ligand containing dopamine as anchor group and triphenylphosphonium ion as targeting agent, they selectively target the mitochondria while being highly dispersible in aqueous solutions.

Piezoelectric actuator design for MR elastography: implementation and vibration issues.

Background: MR elastography (MRE) is an emerging technique for tumor diagnosis. MRE actuation devices require precise mechanical design and radiofrequency engineering to achieve the required mechanical vibration performance and MR compatibility.

Method: A method of designing a general-purpose, compact and inexpensive MRE actuator is presented.