Co-activation of Gi and Gq proteins exerts synergistic effect on human platelet aggregation through activation of phospholipase C and Ca2+ signalling pathways

Our previous studies have shown that subthreshold concentrations of two platelet agonists exert synergistic effects on platelet aggregation. Here we studied the mechanism of synergistic interaction of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and epinephrine mediated platelet aggregation. We show that 5-HT had no or little effect on aggregation but it did potentiate the aggregation response of epinephrine. The synergistic interaction of 5-HT (1-5 microM) and epinephrine (0.5-2 microM) was inhibited by alpha2-adrenoceptor blocker (yohimbine; IC50= 0.4 microM), calcium channel blockers (verapamil and diltiazem with IC50 of 10 and 48 mM, respectively), PLC inhibitor (U73122; IC50=6 microM) and nitric oxide (NO) donor, SNAP (IC50=1.6 microM)). The data suggest that synergistic effects of platelet agonists are receptor-mediated and occur through multiple signalling pathways including the activation PLC/Ca2+ signalling cascades.     

Thermal degradation analysis of organotin(IV) esters

The di- and tri-organotin(IV) complexes of n-butyl hydrogenphthalate and (Z) 3-(4-nitrophenyl)-2-phenyl-2-propenoate were subjected to thermal decomposition by mean of thermogravimetry (TG). The decomposition occurred in steps and the kinetics of every set of reactions was determined using the method described by Coats and Redfern. These results were analyzed to establish the decomposition kinetics and, hence, to calculate the activation energies. The activation energies were also determined by applying the methods described by Horowitz and Metzger, which yielded comparable results. These results confirm that both the ligands act as bidentate in the solid state.     

On Weakly Periodic-Like Rings and Commutativity

A well-known theorm of Jacobson asserts that a ring R with the property that for every x in R there exists an integer n(x) > 1 such that x^n(x) = x is necessarily commutative. With this as motivation, we define an N₀-ring to be a ring which satisfies a weaker hypothesis than the “x^n(x) = x” condition in Jacobson’s Theorem. We consider commutativity of N₀-rings, usually with the additional hypothesis that the ground ring is also weakly periodic-like.     

Anisotropy of the electron mean free path in the thermal conductivity of very pure gallium

In order to determine the anisotropy of the bulk mean free pathl _b, we have measured the thermal conductivity of 6–9's pure gallium single crystals as a function of size and crystal orientation between 1.4 and 4.2°K. The results were analyzed by adapting the existing theory for the electrical conductivity of thin wires to the thermal case. The results show that the reciprocal of the bulk mean free path can be expressed as a linear function ofT ³ for all three orientations. The residual contributions to this quantity are highly anisotropic, as expected. The electron-phonon contributions are, on the other hand, nearly equal in magnitude and exhibit a ratio of 3:4:4 for the A:B:C axis, respectively. In addition, an unusual dependence upond ⁻², whered is the specimen diameter, was observed for the C-axis. It is possibly related to the fact that for this direction only 6% of the entire free electron Fermi surface takes part in conduction which, as a consequence, may be largely dominated by Umklapp scattering. Research sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Aerospace Research, United States Air Force under Grant No. AF-AFOSR 1051-66.     

A commutativity theorem

LetR be an associative ring with identity which satisfies the identities(xy) ^k =(yx) ^k and(xy) ^l =(yx) ^l , wherek andl are relatively prime positive integers, depending onx andy. ThenR is commutative. Moreover, examples are given which show thatR need not be commutative if either of the above identities is dropped. This theorem is also true for groups. Presented by N. S. Mendelsohn.     

Green Synthesis of CeO2 Nanoparticles from the Abelmoschus esculentus Extract: Evaluation of Antioxidant,Anticancer, Antibacterial,and Wound-Healing Activities

Metal oxide nanoparticles synthesized by the biological method represent the most recent research in nanotechnology. This study reports the rapid and ecofriendly approach for the synthesis of CeO₂ nanoparticles mediated using the Abelmoschus esculentus extract. The medicinal plant extract acts as both a reducing and stabilizing agent. The characterization of CeO₂ NPs was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The in vitro cytotoxicity of green synthesized CeO₂ was assessed against cervical cancerous cells (HeLa). The exposure of CeO₂ to HeLa cells at 10–125 µg/mL caused a loss in cellular viability against cervical cancerous cells in a dose-dependent manner. The antibacterial activity of the CeO₂ was assessed against S. aureus and K. pneumonia. A significant improvement in wound-healing progression was observed when cerium oxide nanoparticles were incorporated into the chitosan hydrogel membrane as a wound dressing.