Low-dose lithium feeding increases the SERCA2a-to-phospholamban ratio, improving SERCA function in murine left ventricles.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) has been shown to improve cardiac SERCA2a function. Lithium can inhibit GSK3, but therapeutic doses used in treating bipolar disorder can have toxic effects. It has not been determined whether subtherapeutic doses of lithium can improve cardiac SERCA function.

Differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from human embryonic stem cells on vitronectin-derived synthetic peptide acrylate surface.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are being studied for cell replacement therapies, including the treatment of acute spinal cord injury. Current methods of differentiating OPCs from hESCs require complex, animal-derived biological extracellular matrices (ECMs). Defined, low-cost, robust, and scalable culture methods will need to be developed for the widespread deployment and commercialization of hESC-derived cell therapies.

Synthetic peptide-acrylate surfaces for long-term self-renewal and cardiomyocyte differentiation of human embryonic stem cells.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have two properties of interest for the development of cell therapies: self-renewal and the potential to differentiate into all major lineages of somatic cells in the human body. Widespread clinical application of hESC-derived cells will require culture methods that are low-cost, robust, scalable and use chemically defined raw materials. Here we describe synthetic peptide-acrylate surfaces (PAS) that support self-renewal of hESCs in chemically defined, xeno-free medium.

[CH4 absorption and its affecting factors in a wheat field with conservation tillage].

In order to understand the relationships between CH4 fluxes and its affecting factors in a wheat field with conservation tillage, the CH4 fluxes in two wheat fields, one with conservation tillage and the another with conventional tillage, were measured in situ by static chamber-GC method, with soil temperature and soil moisture and inorganic nitrogen contents determined at the same time. The results showed that these two fields had an obvious and similar seasonal variation pattern of CH4 fluxes, but the average and seasonal CH4 absorption fluxes differed significantly. In the growth period of wheat, the fields were the sink of CH4, and the CH4 absorption fluxes was in the order of conventional tillage with no straw returning (CN) > conventional tillage with straw returning (CS) > subsoiling with straw returning (PS) > harrowing with straw returning (HS) > rotary tillage with straw returning (RS) > no tillage with straw covered (NS).

Spectroscopic studies of mitochondrial NADH fluorescence signals in brain slices.

Dysfunction of mitochondria links a variety of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and other neurodegenerative diseases. The primary respiratory chain substrate reduced form nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is an important regulator of respiratory chain function in mitochondria and, because of its fluorescent properties, has been used to assess mitochondrial pathophysiology in cells and tissues. However, assessment of changes in tissue NADH has been limited to qualitative analysis primarily because hemoglobin (Hb) interferes with NADH fluorescence measurements by absorbing both excitation and emission light.

[Study of the factors effecting surface-enhanced Raman scattering reporter-labeled immunogold colloids].

The applications of the high sensitivity of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) in labeled immunoassay have proved to be very useful. In the sandwich structure of "immobile antibody-antigen-labeled antibody", the authors prepared the labeled antibody by attaching gold nanoparticles, which was first labeled with molecule that had SERS signal, to the antibody. In this article, colloids were labeled with Raman reporter thiophenol through S-Au bond on gold and formed surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) reporter-labeled gold colloids.

Quantitative analysis of brain NADH in the presence of hemoglobin using microfiber spectrofluorometry: a pre-calibration approach.

Dysfunction of mitochondria links a variety of central nervous system disorders and other neurodegenerative diseases. The primary respiratory chain substrate reduced-form nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is an important regulator of respiratory chain function in mitochondria and, because of its fluorescent properties, has been used to assess mitochondrial pathophysiology in cells and tissues. However, assessment of changes in tissue NADH has been limited to qualitative analysis primarily because hemoglobin (Hb) interferes with NADH fluorescence measurements by absorbing both excitation and emission light.

[The applications of SERS to labeled immunoassay].

Combining the high sensitivity of a variety of readout technologies with the specific adsorption between antibody and antigen, labeled immunoassay possesses a remarkable effect in microanalysis. The discovery and confirmation of Surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) made Raman spectroscopy a powerful tool in many research fields, especially in biomedicine. In this report, the authors describe the applications of the high sensitivity of SERS to labeled immunoassay, and introduce some work in this field by our laboratory.

[Confocal microprobe Raman spectroscopic study of electrochemical reduction of benzene on a platinum electrode].

The electrochemical reduction of benzene on a smooth Pt electrode has been studied by confocal microprobe Raman spectroscopy. The results show that benzene can be reduced directly to cyclohexane, which is insoluble in water, adhered onto the electrode surface to form the third phase. After the drops have been formed on the electrode surface, the relative concentration of benzene to cyclohexane in the drops will rather increase with prolonging the time at a certain electrode potential, although it decreases with the negative shift of the electrode potential at first.