Exploring the Role of Metabolic Hormones in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of motor neurons. Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between metabolic dysregulation and ALS pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between metabolic hormones and disease progression in ALS patients.

Lead-Free Perovskite Thin Films for Gas Sensing through Surface Acoustic Wave Device Detection.

Thin film technology shows great promise in fabricating electronic devices such as gas sensors. Here, we report the fabrication of surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors based on thin films of (1 - x) Ba(TiZr)O(BaCa)TiO (BCTZ50, x = 50) and Polyethylenimine (PEI). The layers were deposited by two laser-based techniques, namely pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for the lead-free material and matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) for the sensitive polymer.

Lead-Free Perovskite Thin Films with Tailored Pockels-Kerr Effects for Photonics.

Pockels and Kerr effects are linear and nonlinear electro-optical effects, respectively, used in many applications. The modulation of the refractive index is employed in different photonic circuits. However, the greatest challenge is in photonic elements for quantum computing at room temperature.

Enantioselective binding of carvedilol to human serum albumin and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein.

Carvedilol, a highly protein-bound beta-blocker, is used in therapy as a racemic mixture of its two enantiomers that exhibit different pharmacological activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stereoselective nature of its binding to the two major plasma proteins: albumin and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein. The determination of the plasma protein-binding degree for carvedilol and its enantiomers was achieved using ultrafiltration for the separation of the free fraction, followed by LC-MS/MS quantification, using two different developed and validated methods in terms of stationary phase: achiral C18 type and chiral ovomucoid type.

Is it Time to Migrate to Liquid Chromatography Automated Platforms in the Clinical Laboratory? A Brief Point of View.

Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry already started to surpass the major drawbacks in terms of sensitivity, specificity and cross-reactivity that some analytical methods used in the clinical laboratory exhibit. This hyphenated technique is already preferred for specific applications while finding its own place in the clinical laboratory setting. However, large-scale usage, high-throughput analysis and lack of automation emerge as shortcomings that liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry still has to overrun in order to be used on a larger scale in the clinical laboratory.

Laser Processed Hybrid Lead-Free Thin Films for SAW Sensors.

In this study we report the specific interaction of various gases on the modified surface of acoustic wave devices for gas sensor applications, using the piezoelectric ceramic material BaSrTiO (BST), with different concentrations of Sr. For enhancing the sensitivity of the sensor, the conductive polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) was deposited on top of BST thin films. Thin films of BST were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and integrated into a test heterostructure with PEI thin films deposited by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) and interdigital Au electrodes (IDT).

Contrast Medium-Induced Encephalopathy After Coronary Angiography- Case Report.

Introduction: Contrast-induced encephalopathy represents a rare, reversible complication that appears after intravenous or intra-arterial exposure to contrast agents. There is no consensus in the literature regarding the mechanism of action. However, the theoretical mechanism is set around the disruption of the blood-brain barrier and the contrast agents' chemical properties.

Thickness-Dependent Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Properties of Self-Assembled Nanostructured LaFeO Perovskite Thin Films.

Tuning the intrinsic structural and stoichiometric properties by different means is used for increasing the green energy production efficiency of complex oxide materials. Here, we report on the formation of self-assembled nanodomains and their effects on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of LaFeO (LFO) epitaxial thin films as a function of layer's thickness. The variation with the film's thickness of the structural parameters such as in-plane and out-of-plane crystalline coherence length and the coexistence of different epitaxial orientation-<100>SrTiO//<001> LFO, <100>SrTiO//<110> LFO and [110] LFO//[10] STO, as well as the appearance of self-assembled nanodomains for film's thicknesses higher than 14 nm, is presented.

The Influence of the Structural and Morphological Properties of WO Thin Films Obtained by PLD on the Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting Reaction Efficiency.

Due to its physical and chemical properties, the n-type tungsten oxide (WO) semiconductor is a suitable photoanode for water decomposition reaction. The responses of the photoelectrochemical PEC water-splitting properties as an effect of structural and optical changes of WO thin films, as well as the nature of electrolyte solutions, were studied in this work. The WO thins films have been obtained by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on silicon (Si(001)) covered with platinum substrates using three different laser wavelengths.

Combining Fluorinated Polymers with Ag Nanoparticles as a Route to Enhance Optical Properties of Composite Materials.

Polymer-based nanocomposites have recently received considerable attention due to their unique properties, which makes them feasible for applications in optics, sensors, energy, life sciences, etc. The present work focuses on the synthesis of nanocomposites consisting of a polytetrafluorethylene-like matrix in which metallic nano-silver are embedded, by using multiple magnetron plasmas. By successively exposing the substrate to separate RF magnetrons using as combination of target materials polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and silver, individual control of each deposition process is insured, allowing obtaining of structures in which silver nanoparticles are entrapped in-between two PTFE layers with given thicknesses.

Determination of iohexol by capillary blood microsampling and UHPLC-MS/MS.

One of the most important tools used to evaluate kidney function in the context of chronic kidney disease or other renal function related pathologies is the exploration of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Iohexol is up to this moment a good candidate molecule for the GFR assessment since it exhibits minimum protein binding rates and minimum extra-renal clearance, being neither secreted nor reabsorbed at the tubular level. This study proposes and evaluates a new LC-MS/MS method for the iohexol determination from capillary blood, prelevated using volumetric absorbative microsampling (VAMS) systems.

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a predictive biomarker in acute kidney injury.

Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a protein that was found to be overexpressed in acute kidney injury (AKI). The rise in NGAL concentration, both in urine or plasma, appears earlier than for other classical renal function markers such as serum creatinine, thus making it a suitable marker for early pathology detection. The aim of this study was to develop a method involving tryptic digestion, solid phase extraction and LC-MS/MS analysis to analyze NGAL in plasma medium using an isotope labeled surrogate protein, containing NGAL signature tags, as internal standard (QPrEST).

Impact of thickness variation on structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Zr)O epitaxial thin films.

It is shown that the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Ba(TiZr)O-x(BaCa)TiO (x = 0.45) (BCTZ 45) epitaxial thin films have a nontrivial dependence on film thickness. BCTZ 45 epitaxial films with different thicknesses (up to 400 nm) have been deposited on SrTiO by pulsed laser deposition and investigated by different combined techniques: conventional and off-axis X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and dielectric and piezoforce microscopy.

High Permittivity (1 - x)Ba(Zr(0.2)Ti(0.8))O3 - x(Ba(0.7)Ca(0.3))TiO3 (x = 0.45) Epitaxial Thin Films with Nanoscale Phase Fluctuations.

Epitaxial (1 - x)Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)TiO3 - x(Ba0.

Electrically stimulated osteogenesis on Ti-PPy/PLGA constructs prepared by laser-assisted processes.

This work describes a versatile laser-based protocol for fabricating micro-patterned, electrically conductive titanium-polypyrrole/poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid (Ti-PPy/PLGA) constructs for electrically stimulated (ES) osteogenesis. Ti supports were patterned using fs laser ablation in order to create high spatial resolution microstructures meant to provide mechanical resistance and physical cues for cell growth. Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) was used to coat the patterned Ti supports with PPy/PLGA layers acting as biocompatible surfaces having chemical and electrical properties suitable for cell differentiation and mineralization.

Nanostructuring of GeTiO amorphous films by pulsed laser irradiation.

Laser pulse processing of surfaces and thin films is a useful tool for amorphous thin films crystallization, surface nanostructuring, phase transformation and modification of physical properties of thin films. Here we show the effects of nanostructuring produced at the surface and under the surface of amorphous GeTiO films through laser pulses using fluences of 10-30 mJ/cm(2). The GeTiO films were obtained by RF magnetron sputtering with 50:50 initial atomic ratio of Ge:TiO2.