Anthropometric Changes in Female Participants Enrolled in a Combined Aerobic and Resistance Training Program for Longer than 1 Year: A Cohort Study.

Background: To analyze the anthropometric changes in women who had participated in a combined resistance and aerobic training program for more than a year and to determine the effect of the exercise on weight loss.

Methods: A total of 9,128 women aged between 20 and 60 years who registered in the Curves program, which employs a combination of resistance and aerobic training exercises, and who participated for more than 1 year were included in our analysis. The women were divided into groups according to exercise frequency: <1, 1, 2, and ≥3 days/week.

Altered microstructure of the splenium of corpus callosum is associated with neurodevelopmental impairment in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease in preterm infants with significant morbidities, including neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). This study aimed to investigate whether NEC is associated with (1) brain volume expansion and white matter maturation using diffusion tensor imaging analysis and (2) NDI compared with preterm infants without NEC.

Methods: We included 86 preterm infants (20 with NEC and 66 without NEC) with no evidence of brain abnormalities on trans-fontanelle ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging at term-equivalent age (TEA).

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Is Associated with Altered Brain Volumes and White Matter Microstructure in Preterm Infants.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), an inflammatory disease involving disrupted lung development, is associated with neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants.

Objective: This study examined the brain volume and white matter (WM) microstructure in preterm infants at term-equivalent age and explored the effects of BPD on brain development.

Method: We studied 56 preterm infants (33 with BPD and 23 without BPD) with no evidence of focal abnormalities on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age.

Synthesis and application of virus-based hybrid nanomaterials.

A virus is a nanoscaled biomolecular substance composed of genes, protecting capsid proteins, and envelopes. The nanoscale dimensions and surface functionalities of virions have been exploited to attract and assemble inorganic and organic materials to produce functional nanomaterials with large surface areas. Genetic modifications of virus capsid proteins lead to the selective deposition and controlled growth of inorganic substances producing organized virus-based hybrid materials.

Surface functionalized silica as a toolkit for studying aqueous phase palladium adsorption and mineralization on thiol moiety in the absence of external reducing agents.

Biological templates such as virions or protein assemblies have several surface functional groups that can complicate the elucidation of the fundamental mechanism(s) governing the sorption and mineralization of metals on the surface of the template. Surface functionalized silica nanoclusters with hydroxyl, amine, or thiol groups serve as surrogates for understanding the interaction between individual amino acid functionalities and inorganic precursors. Analysis of palladium ion uptake on the functionalized silica enabled the investigation of a new palladium mineralization strategy using thiol surface moieties in the absence of external reducing agents.

Biotemplated aqueous-phase palladium crystallization in the absence of external reducing agents.

A new synthetic strategy enabling highly controlled aqueous-phase palladium crystallization on the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is demonstrated without the addition of external reducing agents. This low cost, solution processing method yields continuous and uniform coatings of polycrystalline palladium on TMV, creating highly uniform palladium nanowires of tens of nanometers in thickness and hundreds of nanometers in length. Our approach utilizes a palladium chloride precursor to produce metallic Pd coatings on TMV without the need for an external reducing agent.

Quantitative study of Au(III) and Pd(II) ion biosorption on genetically engineered Tobacco mosaic virus.

One major obstacle in the mineralization of metal onto biologically derived templates is the lack of fundamental information pertaining to the relationship between metal ion loading and overall metal deposition onto the biotemplate. This study focuses on Au(III) and Pd(II) biosorption on the genetically-modified model biological template Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV1Cys). Metal ion (Au(III) or Pd(II)) loading on the TMV1Cys template was measured as a function of the equilibrium concentration of Au(III) or Pd(II) ions in solution at several temperatures.

Analysis of Gene Expression in 4,4'-Methylenedianiline-induced Acute Hepatotoxicity.

4,4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA) is an aromatic amine that is widely used in the industrial synthetic process. Genotoxic MDA forms DNA adducts in the liver and is known to induce liver damage in human and rats. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms associated with MDA-induced hepatotoxicity, we have identified genes differentially expressed by microarray approach.

Coagulation of tobacco mosaic virus in alcohol-water-LiCl solutions.

The coagulation and colloidal stability of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in alcohol-water-LiCl solutions were studied. Without the addition of LiCl salt, the coagulation was promoted by the increase of hydrophobicity of the alcohols that is proportional to their alkyl chain length and concentration. Addition of the LiCl salt reduced the electrostatic repulsion between TMV particles resulting in coagulation in methanol-water and ethanol-water solutions.

Effects of acetaminophen on hepatic gene expression in mice.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most commonly used drugs for the safe and effective treatment of fever and pain. However, it is a well-established hepatotoxin. The objective of this study was to identify alternation in various genes in liver of mice after administration of low and high doses of APAP.

Effects of phalloidin on hepatic gene expression in mice.

An attempt has been made to identify molecular markers of intrahepatic cholestasis in mice employing phalloidin as a cholestatic agent. Phalloidin was administered to BALB/c mice at three predetermined dose: 250 microg/kg, 500 microg/kg, and 1 mg/kg for 1, 3, and 7 days. Liver function was estimated to confirm cholestasis.