Synthesis and characterization of thermoplastic resin from sugar beet polysaccharides via one-step transesterification.

Lignocellulosic biomass-based plastics provide a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics by converting agricultural by-products into value-added materials, promoting a circular economy. This study investigates the development of thermoplastics from sugar beet pulp (SBP), a by-product rich in cellulose and pectin. A one-pot direct transesterification process was used to fully substitute hydroxy groups in SBP with acyl chains of varying lengths (C2-C10), achieving up to 96 % substitution.

Mechanisms Underlying Sensory Nerve-Predominant Damage by Methylmercury in the Peripheral Nervous System.

Sensory disturbances and central nervous system symptoms are important in patients with Minamata disease. In the peripheral nervous system of these patients, motor nerves are not strongly injured, whereas sensory nerves are predominantly affected. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the sensory-predominant impairment of the peripheral nervous system caused by methylmercury.

Cadmium Induces Vascular Endothelial Cell Detachment by Downregulating Claudin-5 and ZO-1 Levels.

Cadmium is a contributing factor to cardiovascular diseases and highly toxic to vascular endothelial cells. It has a distinct mode of injury, causing the de-endothelialization of regions in the monolayer structure of endothelial cells in a concentration-dependent manner. However, the specific molecules involved in the cadmium toxicity of endothelial cells remain unclear.

Protection of cultured vascular endothelial cells against cadmium cytotoxicity by simultaneous treatment or pretreatment with manganese.

Cadmium is a heavy metal that pollutes the environment and foods and is a risk factor for vascular disorders. We have previously demonstrated that pretreatment of vascular endothelial cells with zinc and copper protects the cells against cadmium cytotoxicity. In contrast, cadmium cytotoxicity was potentiated in cells following exposure to lead, thereby indicating that in vascular endothelial cells, cadmium cytotoxicity can be differentially modified by the co-occurrence of other heavy metals.

An intrinsically semi-permeable PDMS nanosheet encapsulating adipose tissue-derived stem cells for enhanced angiogenesis.

Cell encapsulation devices are expected to be promising tools that can control the release of therapeutic proteins secreted from transplanted cells. The protein permeability of the device membrane is important because it allows the isolation of transplanted cells while enabling the effectiveness of the device. In this study, we investigated free-standing polymeric ultra-thin films (nanosheets) as an intrinsically semi-permeable membrane made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).