Exclusion-zone water inside and outside of plant xylem vessels.

The fourth phase of water has garnered increased attention within the scientific community due to its distinct properties that differentiate it from regular water. This unique state seems to arise potentially from a liquid crystalline structure, which has been observed near various hydrophilic surfaces to possess the capability of excluding microspheres. Consequently, it has been labeled as exclusion zone (EZ) water.

On the driver of blood circulation beyond the heart.

The heart is widely acknowledged as the unique driver of blood circulation. Recently, we discovered a flow-driving mechanism that can operate without imposed pressure, using infrared (IR) energy to propel flow. We considered the possibility that, by exploiting this mechanism, blood vessels, themselves, could propel flow.

A cortico-amygdala neural substrate for endocannabinoid modulation of fear extinction.

Preclinical and clinical studies implicate endocannabinoids (eCBs) in fear extinction, but the underlying neural circuit basis of these actions is unclear. Here, we employed in vivo optogenetics, eCB biosensor imaging, ex vivo electrophysiology, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mice to examine whether basolateral amygdala (BLA)-projecting medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons represent a neural substrate for the effects of eCBs on extinction. We found that photoexcitation of mPFC axons in BLA during extinction mobilizes BLA eCBs.

Do aqueous solutions contain net charge?

Solutions with high pH values are sometimes thought to contain net negative charge because of an excess of OH- groups, while solutions with low pH values are thought opposite. To follow up on these speculations, we used a simple electrochemical cell to study three types of solution: electrolyzed waters with differing pH values; acids and bases with different pH values; and various salt solutions. When electrolyzed waters of various pH values were tested against water of pH 7, we found that acidic waters were indeed positively charged, while basic waters were negatively charged.

Magnetic fields induce exclusion zones in water.

Hydrophilic materials immersed in aqueous solutions show near-surface zones that exclude suspended colloids and dissolved molecules. These exclusion zones (EZs) can extend for tens to hundreds of micrometers from hydrophilic surfaces and show physicochemical properties that differ from bulk water. Here we report that exposure of standard aqueous microsphere suspensions to static magnetic fields creates similar microsphere-free zones adjacent to magnetic poles.

Low frequency weak electric fields can induce structural changes in water.

Low frequency electric fields were exposed to various water samples using platinum electrodes mounted near the water surface. Responses were monitored using a spectro-radiometer and a contact-angle goniometer. Treatment of DI (deionized), EZ (Exclusion Zone), and bulk water with certain electromagnetic frequencies resulted in a drop of radiance persisting for at least half an hour.

Tell Me More®: A medical student focused humanistic communication model to enhance student professional identity formation through meaningful patient encounters.

Introduction: The Tell Me More (TMM)® program provides a template for guided interviews to help providers procure an expansive social history from patients and connect with them as people beyond their illness. (TMM)® may provide a dual benefit: it improves the patient's experience with their healthcare team and the medical students' experience in developing their identity as a physician. Our aim was to characterize the impact of the patient-student conversations in TMM® on the participating medical students through analysis of their written reflections throughout the program.

Acute kidney injury in pediatric patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19.

This study describes the incidence, associated clinical characteristics and outcomes of acute kidney injury in a pediatric cohort with COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). We performed a retrospective study of patients 18 years of age and under admitted to four New York hospitals in the Northwell Health System interned during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 9 and August 13, 2020. Acute kidney injury was defined and staged according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria.

Cells in New Light: Ion Concentration, Voltage, and Pressure Gradients across a Hydrogel Membrane.

The ionic compositions of the intra- and extracellular environments are distinct from one another, with K being the main cation in the cytosol and Na being the most abundant cation outside of the cell. Specific ions can permeate into and out of the cell at different rates, bringing about uneven distribution of charges and development of negative electric potential inside the cell. Each healthy cell must maintain a specific ion concentration gradient and voltage.

Propolis-induced exclusion of colloids: Possible new mechanism of biological action.

Propolis is a natural product originating from life activity of honeybees. It exhibits wide range of biological properties applicable in medicine, the food industry, and cosmetics. Chemically, propolis is a complex and variable mixture with more than 300 identified biologically active components.

Selective sub-nucleus effects of intra-amygdala oxytocin on fear extinction.

There is growing evidence that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) modulates fear and extinction in humans and rodents through actions in corticolimbic circuits including the central amygdala (CeA). Prior studies have, however, been limited to subjects that exhibit intact basal extinction, rather than extinction-impaired populations that could potentially therapeutically benefit from viable OT-targeting treatments. Here, we assessed the effects of pre-extinction training infusion of OT into the CeA, or basolateral amygdala (BLA), on extinction in an inbred mouse strain (S1) model of impaired extinction.

Surface-induced flow: A natural microscopic engine using infrared energy as fuel.

Fluid commonly flows in response to an external pressure gradient. However, when a tunnel-containing hydrogel is immersed in water, spontaneous flow occurs through the tunnel without any pressure gradient. We confirmed this flow in a wide range of plant- and animal-derived hydrogels.

Healthy fats and exclusion-zone size.

A fourth phase of water, labeled exclusion-zone or "EZ," extends from hydrophilic surfaces. Salient features include exclusion of colloidal and molecular solutes, and characteristic light absorbance at 270 nm. In cell systems, EZ water interfaces with membranes, macromolecules, and organelles, and its buildup appears to be vital for function.

Moving Water Droplets: The Role of Atmospheric CO and Incident Radiant Energy in Charge Separation at the Air-Water Interface.

One of the characteristics of aqueous interfaces is their negative charge, whose origin is still a subject of scientific debate. In this work, we provide spectroscopic evidence that bicarbonate anions, from dissolution of atmospheric CO, can be a source of negative charge at the air-water and/or solid-water interface. Also, interfacial charge separation, with a negatively charged droplet rim and positive charges gathering more toward the interior, makes water droplets receptive systems.

Interfacial water and its potential role in the function of sericin against biofouling.

Silk sericin is a globular protein whose resistance against fouling is important for applications in biomaterials and water-purification membranes. Here it is shown how sericin generates a water-exclusion zone that may facilitate antifouling behavior. Negatively charged microspheres were used to mimic the surface charge and hydrophobic domains in bacteria.

Increased anxiety-like behavior following circuit-specific catecholamine denervation in mice.

Parkinson's disease (PD) presents with a constellation of non-motor symptoms, notably increased anxiety, which are currently poorly treated and underrepresented in animal models of the disease. Human post-mortem studies report loss of catecholaminergic neurons in the pre-symptomatic phases of PD when anxiety symptoms emerge, and a large literature from rodent and human studies indicate that catecholamines are important mediators of anxiety via their modulatory effects on limbic regions such as the amygdala. On the basis of these observations, we hypothesized that anxiety in PD could result from an early loss of catecholaminergic inputs to the amygdala and/or other limbic structures.

Effect of Health-Promoting Agents on Exclusion-Zone Size.

It is now well-confirmed that hydrophilic surfaces including those within the cell generate structural changes in water. This interfacial water is ordered and acquires features different from the bulk. Amongst those features is the exclusion of colloidal and molecular solutes from extensive regions next to the hydrophilic surface, thereby earning it the label of "exclusion zone" (EZ) water.

Cooling of Pure Water at Room Temperature by Weak Electric Currents.

Flow of electrical current through water is expected to increase water temperature. We passed low-frequency alternating electric current through distilled, deionized water using platinum electrodes and found, instead, a diminution of temperature. The diminution was observed using both an infrared camera and a spectroradiometer, the latter allowing us to obtain spectral information.

Cued fear memory generalization increases over time.

Fear memory is a highly stable and durable form of memory, even over vast (remote) time frames. Nevertheless, some elements of fear memory can be forgotten, resulting in generalization. The purpose of this study is to determine how cued fear memory generalizes over time and measure underlying patterns of cortico-amygdala synaptic plasticity.

Exclusion zone and heterogeneous water structure at ambient temperature.

Earlier studies have reported the formation of an exclusion zone devoid of microspheres at the interface of water with a hydrophilic surface such as Nafion® or the hydrophilic ceramic powder. We now report the formation of a 'three-dimensional cell-like structured exclusion zone' in water prepared by two different methods. In the first, the hydrophilic powder was agitated with deionized water and allowed to rest (contact method).

Why Hydrogels Don't Dribble Water.

Hydrogels contain ample amounts of water, with the water-to-solid ratio sometimes reaching tens of thousands of times. How can so much water remain securely lodged within the gel? New findings imply a simple mechanism. Next to hydrophilic surfaces, water transitions into an extensive gel-like phase in which molecules become ordered.

Chronic Ethanol During Adolescence Impacts Corticolimbic Dendritic Spines and Behavior.

Background: Risk for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in adulthood is linked to alcohol drinking during adolescence, but understanding of the neural and behavioral consequences of alcohol exposure during adolescence remains incomplete. Here, we examined the neurobehavioral impact of adolescent chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) vapor exposure in mice.

Methods: C57BL/6J-background Thy1-EGFP mice were CIE-exposed during adolescence or adulthood and examined, as adults, for alterations in the density and morphology of dendritic spines in infralimbic (IL) cortex, prelimbic (PL) cortex, and basolateral amygdala (BLA).

Ice-Melting Dynamics: The Role of Protons and Interfacial Geometry.

The surface of ice plays a significant role in melting. To better understand the role of the surface, we studied the melting of ice using infrared imaging and pH-sensitive dyes. Ice was allowed to melt in baths of water of varying depths.