The asymmetric innervation of the circular and longitudinal muscle of the mouse colon differently modulates myogenic slow phasic contractions.

Background: Neuromuscular transmission has been extensively studied in the circular layer of the mouse colon where a co-transmission of purines acting on P2Y receptors and NO has been previously described. However, the corresponding mechanisms in the longitudinal layer are less known.

Methods: Electrophysiological and myography techniques were used to evaluate spontaneous phasic contractions (SPC) and neural-mediated responses in the proximal, mid, and distal colon devoid of CD1 mice.

Irradiation Effects on Polymer-Grafted Gold Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy.

In the context of cancer treatment, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are considered as very promising radiosensitizers. Here, well-defined polymer-grafted AuNPs were synthesized and studied under gamma irradiation to better understand the involved radiosensitizing mechanisms. First, various water-soluble and well-defined thiol-functionalized homopolymers and copolymers were obtained through atom transfer radical polymerization.

Covalent grafting of chitosan onto stainless steel through aryldiazonium self-adhesive layers.

Although the conventional methods for strong attachment of chitosan onto stainless steel require many steps in different solvents, it has been demonstrated in this work that covalent grafting of chitosan on a steel surface can be easily achieved through the formation of a self-adhesive surface based on aryldiazonium seed layers. Initially, a polyaminophenyl layer is grafted on a stainless steel surface by means of the one-step GraftFast(TM) process (diazonium induced anchoring process). The grafted aminophenyl groups are then converted to an aryldiazonium seed layer by simply dipping the substrate in a sodium nitrite acidic solution.

A H-evolving photocathode based on direct sensitization of MoS3 with an organic photovoltaic cell.

An organic solar cell based on a poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT): phenyl-C-butyric acid (PCBM) bulk hetero-junction was directly coupled with molybdenum sulfide resulting in the design of a new type of photocathode for the production of hydrogen. Both the light-harvesting system and the catalyst were deposited by low-cost solution-processed methods, i.e.

Nano-Electrochemistry and Nano-Electrografting with an Original Combined AFM-SECM.

This study demonstrates the advantages of the combination between atomic force microscopy and scanning electrochemical microscopy. The combined technique can perform nano-electrochemical measurements onto agarose surface and nano-electrografting of non-conducting polymers onto conducting surfaces. This work was achieved by manufacturing an original Atomic Force Microscopy-Scanning ElectroChemical Microscopy (AFM-SECM) electrode.