Morphologic changes in the urethral epithelium in an ethanol-drinking rat strain (UChA and UChB)

The extreme use of ethanol causes metabolic and pathologic changes in testes and urogenital system in different animal species. The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyses the conversion of ethanol into carcinogenic metabolite acetaldehyde which is partly excreted into the urine. However, papers relating the chronic ethanol consumption to the urethral morphology are unknown. This work evaluates the toxic effect of the chronic ethanol ingestion on the urethral epithelium of UChA and UChB rats. Conventional techniques of histology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural analysis were used. The analysis showed the presence of lipid drops and intercellular spaces in the epithelial cells in the urethra of UChA and UChB rats compared to control rats. Urethral neuroendocrine cell were observed and characterized for presenting vesicles containing electron-dense granules associated with nervous fibers. We conclude that the chronic consumption of ethanol induces the presence lipid drops in the epithelial cells of the urethra of UChA and UChB rats. The NE cells of the urethra of UChA and UChB rats did not show alterations under chronic effect of the ethanol.     

Reversibly self-assembled pH-responsive PEG-p(CL-g-TMC) polymersomes

Polymersomes have gained much interest within the biomedical field as drug delivery systems due to their ability to transport and protect cargo from the harsh environment inside the body. For an improved drug efficacy, control over cargo release is however also an important factor to take into account. An often employed method is to incorporate pH sensitive groups in the vesicle membrane, which induce disassembly and content release when the particles have reached a target site in the body with the appropriate pH, such as the acidic microenvironment of tumor tissue or the endosome. In this paper, biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(caprolactone-gradient-trimethylene carbonate)-based polymeric vesicles have been developed with disassembly features at mild acidic conditions. Modifying the polymer backbone with imidazole moieties results in vesicle disassembly upon protonation due to the lowered pH. Furthermore, upon increasing the pH efficient re-assembly into vesicles is observed due to the switchable amphiphilic nature of the polymer. When this re-assembly process is conducted in presence of cargo, enhanced encapsulation is achieved. Furthermore, the potency of the polymeric system for future biomedical applications such as adjuvant delivery is demonstrated.     

Chemical depth profiling and 3D reconstruction of III–V heterostructures selectively grown on non‐planar Si substrates by MOCVD

The chemical characterization of novel 3D architectures with nanometre‐scale dimensions is extremely challenging. The chemical composition of InGaAs/AlAs quantum wells selectively grown in SiO₂ trenches, 100–300 nm wide, is studied. Combining high lateral resolution 3D ToF‐SIMS analysis and Auger measurements, the chemical composition of individual trenches was obtained confirming the uniformity of these III–V heterostructures. These results correlate well with an average approach using SIMS depth profiling. The effects of ion beam orientation on the surface topography of confined structures were highlighted. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An Investigation of Photo‐ and Pressure‐Induced Effects in a Pair of Isostructural Two‐Dimensional Spin‐Crossover Framework Materials

Two new isostructural iron(II) spin‐crossover (SCO) framework (SCOF) materials of the type [Fe(dpms)₂(NCX)₂] (dpms=4,4′‐dipyridylmethyl sulfide; X=S ( SCOF‐6(S) ), X=Se ( SCOF‐6(Se) )) have been synthesized. The 2D framework materials consist of undulating and interpenetrated rhomboid (4,4) nets. SCOF‐6(S) displays an incomplete SCO transition with only approximately 30 % conversion of high‐spin (HS) to low‐spin iron(II) sites over the temperature range 300–4 K (T_1/2=75 K). In contrast, the NCSe^? analogue, SCOF‐6(Se) , displays a complete SCO transition (T_1/2=135 K). Photomagnetic characterizations reveal quantitative light‐ induced excited spin‐state trapping (LIESST) of metastable HS iron(II) sites at 10 K. The temperature at which the photoinduced stored information is erased is 58 and 50 K for SCOF‐6(S) and SCOF‐6(Se) , respectively. Variable‐pressure magnetic measurements were performed on SCOF‐6(S) , revealing that with increasing pressure both the T_1/2 value and the extent of spin conversion are increased; with pressures exceeding 5.2 kbar a complete thermal transition is achieved. This study confirms that kinetic trapping effects are responsible for hindering a complete thermally induced spin transition in SCOF‐6(S) at ambient pressure due to an interplay between close T_1/2 and T(LIESST) values.     

Ultra-lightweight paper foams: processing and properties

A methodology for producing a low density cellulose-based foam has been developed by combining a surfactant with pulp, mixing at high velocity to entrain air, and then drying in a non-restrained fashion. The structure of the foam, characterized through optical microscopy and X-ray computed tomographic microscopy, consists of pulp fibres in random orientations surrounding air bubbles along with large void spaces. Through careful design of experiments, the effect of fibre type, length distribution, surfactant, and air content on the mechanical behavior and permeability of the foam material was investigated. The results indicate that foamed cellulose materials can be produced at a strength of one-half the tensile strength of a standard handsheet, but having a relative density of only one percent. No chemical additives were used to enhance the strength of these samples as the properties of the foam material are enhanced simply through variation of the process parameters. Thus, a strong cellulose-based foam, with a density as low as 10 mg/cm³, can be fabricated using standard papermaking infrastructure and hence at low cost.     

Chemo‐ and Magnetotaxis of Self‐Propelled Light‐Emitting Chemo‐electronic Swimmers

Miniaturized autonomous chemo‐electronic swimmers, based on the coupling of spontaneous oxidation and reduction reactions at the two poles of light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), are presented as chemotactic and magnetotactic devices. In homogeneous aqueous media, random motion caused by a bubble‐induced propulsion mechanism is observed. However, in an inhomogeneous environment, the self‐propelled devices exhibit positive chemotactic behavior, propelling themselves along a pH or ionic strength gradient (?pH and ?I, respectively) in order to reach a thermodynamically higher active state. In addition, the intrinsic permanent magnetic moment of the LED allows self‐orientation in the terrestrial magnetic field or following other external magnetic perturbations, which enables a directional motion control coupled with light emission. The interplay between chemotaxis and magnetotaxis allows fine‐tuning of the dynamic behavior of these swimmers.