Effects of Calcination Temperature on the Phase Composition, Photocatalytic Degradation, and Virucidal Activities of TiO Nanoparticles.

The application of TiO nanoparticles in the photocatalytic treatment of chemically or biologically contaminated water is an attractive, albeit unoptimized, method for environmental remediation. Here, TiO nanoparticles with mixed brookite/rutile phases were synthesized and calcined at 300-1100 °C to investigate trends in photocatalytic performance. The crystallinity, crystallite size, and particle size of the calcined materials increased with calcination temperature, while the specific surface area declined significantly.

Islet isolation from adult designated pathogen-free pigs: use of the newer bovine nervous tissue-free enzymes and a revised donor selection strategy would improve the islet graft function.

Background: In clinical trials using adult porcine islet products, islets should be isolated from the designated pathogen-free (DPF) pigs under the current good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations. Our previous studies suggested that male DPF pigs are better donors than retired breeder pigs and histomorphometrical parameters of donor pancreas predict the porcine islet quality. We aimed to investigate whether the use of the newer bovine nervous tissue-free enzymes and a revised donor selection strategy could improve the islet graft function in the context of islet isolation with DPF pigs.

The sequential combination of a JNK inhibitor and simvastatin protects porcine islets from peritransplant apoptosis and inflammation.

Intraductal administration of a c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor enhances islet viability. However, its role in reducing the inflammatory response in islets is unknown. It is also unknown whether a JNK inhibitor could act in synergy with statins.

Enhanced prediction of porcine islet yield and posttransplant outcome using a combination of quantitative histomorphometric parameters and flow cytometry.

Prediction of islet yield and posttransplant outcome is essential for clinical porcine islet xenotransplantation. Although several histomorphometric parameters of biopsied porcine pancreases are predictive of islet yield, their role in the prediction of in vivo islet potency is unknown. We investigated which histomorphometrical parameter best predicts islet yield and function, and determined whether it enhanced the predictive value of in vitro islet function tests for the prediction of posttransplant outcome.

Parameters for successful pig islet isolation as determined using 68 specific-pathogen-free miniature pigs.

Background: Islet cell transplantation is a novel therapeutic modality for the cure of diabetes. Pig islet cells are an attractive substitute for human islet cells; however, they are known to be particularly difficult to isolate because of a weak islet capsule and a tendency to be fragmented during enzymatic digestion. Therefore, parameters favoring successful pig islet isolation were investigated using specific-pathogen-free (SPF) miniature pigs.