PPAR-Gamma Activation May Inhibit the In Vivo Degeneration of Bioprosthetic Aortic and Aortic Valve Grafts under Diabetic Conditions.

Background: We aimed to examine the anti-calcification and anti-inflammatory effects of pioglitazone as a PPAR-gamma agonist on bioprosthetic-valve-bearing aortic grafts in a rat model of diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: DM was induced in male Wistar rats by high-fat diet with an intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection. The experimental group received additional pioglitazone, and controls received normal chow without STZ ( = 20 each group).

Gold catalysis: in situ EXAFS study of homogeneous oxidative esterification.

Gold complexes were prepared and investigated as catalysts for the oxidative esterification of aldehydes. Stabilisation by pyridine ligands gave good conversions and the in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) study of the reactions indicated that the reaction mixtures contained only mononuclear gold species. Thus, this is the first proof for a homogeneous gold-catalysed oxidation reaction; the presence of nanoparticles could be excluded experimentally.