Tea Polyphenols Reducing Lipopolysaccharide-induced Inflammatory Responses in RAW264.7 Macrophages via NF-κB Pathway

The anti-inflammatory activity of tea polyphenols(TPs) in RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) was investigated in this paper. RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with different concentrations of TP(0, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL) and then stimulated by LPS. Another blank control group was set up. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with the nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) signaling pathway was investigated before and after TP treatment. Pretreatment of RAW264.7 cells with TP decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL-6) and interleukin 1 beta(IL-1β) pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, TP inhibited the phosphorylation of p65 and IκB by blocking the phosphorylation and the degradation of NF-κB inhibitor protein. In conclusion, TP exerts anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the release of inflammatory mediators via the NF-κB signaling pathway.     

Electrostatic cnoidal waves and soliton structures in multi‐ions plasmas

Using a reductive perturbation technique (RPT), the Korteweg‐de Vries (KdV) equation for nonlinear electrostatic waves in multi‐ion plasmas is derived with appropriate boundary conditions. Furthermore, compressive and rarefactive cnoidal wave and soliton solutions are discussed. In our model, the multi‐ion plasma consists of light dynamic warm ions, heavy cold ions, and inertialess electrons, which follows the Maxwell‐Boltzmann distribution. It is observed that in such an unmagnetized multi‐ion plasma, two characteristic electrostatic waves i.e., slow ion‐acoustic (SIA) waves and fast ion‐acoustic (FIA) waves, can propagate. The results are discussed by considering two types of multi‐ion plasmas i.e., H⁺–O⁺–e plasma and H^?–O⁺–e plasma that exist in space plasmas. It is found that for H⁺–O⁺–e plasma, the SIA cnoidal wave and soliton form both positive (compressive) and negative (rarefactive) potential pulses, which depend on the temperature and density of the light and warm ions. However, only electrostatic positive potential structures are obtained for FIA cnoidal wave and soliton in H⁺–O⁺–e plasma. In the case of H^?–O⁺–e plasma, the SIA cnoidal wave and soliton form only compressive structures, while the FIA cnoidal wave and soliton compose rarefactive structures. The effects of light ions' density and temperature on nonlinear potential structures are investigated in detail. The parametric results are also demonstrated, which are applicable to space and laboratory multi‐ion plasma situations.     

Assessment of bilayer silicene to probe as quantum spin and valley Hall effect

Silicene takes precedence over graphene due to its buckling type structure and strong spin orbit coupling. Motivated by these properties, we study the silicene bilayer in the presence of applied perpendicular electric field and intrinsic spin orbit coupling to probe as quantum spin/valley Hall effect. Using analytical approach, we calculate the spin Chern-number of bilayer silicene and then compare it with monolayer silicene. We reveal that bilayer silicene hosts double spin Chern-number as compared to single layer silicene and therefore accordingly has twice as many edge states in contrast to single layer silicene. In addition, we investigate the combined effect of intrinsic spin orbit coupling and the external electric field, we find that bilayer silicene, likewise single layer silicene, goes through a phase transitions from a quantum spin Hall state to a quantum valley Hall state when the strength of the applied electric field exceeds the intrinsic spin orbit coupling strength. We believe that the results and outcomes obtained for bilayer silicene are experimentally more accessible as compared to bilayer graphene, because of strong SO coupling in bilayer silicene.     

Shape coexistence in light se isotopes: evidence for oblate shapes

Lifetimes of states in the ground-state bands of (70)Se and (72)Se were measured using the recoil-distance Doppler shift method. The results deviate significantly from earlier measurements, requiring a revision of the conclusions drawn from a recent Coulomb excitation experiment concerning the shape of (70)Se. The new results lead to a coherent picture of shape coexistence in the neutron-deficient selenium and krypton isotopes. The coexistence and evolution of oblate and prolate shapes in this mass region is for the first time consistently described by new Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov-based configuration-mixing calculations which were performed using the Gogny D1S interaction.     

DSAM lifetimes of the ground state band in48Cr

Lifetimes have been determined in the ground state band in⁴⁸Cr and found in agreement with Shell Model calculations.     

Multiple octupole excitations in 148Gd

The lifetime and the -decay to the 0⁺ ground state of the lowest 3^- state in ¹⁴⁸Gd has been determined. The reduced strength B(E3, 3^- 0⁺)=41 (6) W.u. agrees well with the theoretical value from empirical shell model calculations and can be directly compared with the 12⁺ 9^- two-octupole-phonon one-octupole-phonon strength obtained in the same Recoil Distance Method lifetime measurement. The results of our search for a three octupole-phonon state built on the state is also reported. Received: 7 March 2000 / Accepted: 12 May 2000     

First evidence for triaxial superdeformation in 161Lu and 162Lu

High-spin states in ¹⁶¹Lu and ¹⁶²Lu have been investigated using the GASP γ-ray spectrometer array. Excited states in these nuclei have been populated through the ¹⁰⁰Mo(⁶⁵Cu, xn) reaction at a beam energy of 260 MeV. Four presumably triaxial superdeformed bands, three in ¹⁶²Lu and one in ¹⁶¹Lu, have been observed. This is the first evidence for triaxial superdeformation in the two isotopes. Received: 18 October 2002 / Accepted: 21 November 2002 / Published online: 4 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: bringel@iskp.uni-bonn.de RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. RID="c" ID="c"Present address: Physik Department, Technische Universit?t München, James Franck Str., D-85748 Garching, Germany. Communicated by D. Schwalm     

Titanium dioxide-tetra sulphonatophenyl porphyrin nanocomposites for target cellular bio-imaging and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the latest biomedical technologies used for treatment of various neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. However, there still exist some well-known problems regarding its efficacy, e.g. effective concentration of the drug at the desired sites, the irradiation light dosimetry and biocompatibility of the photosensitizer. The introduction of nanotechnology and nanomaterial like biocompatible nano-titania (i.e., nano-TiO₂) may facilitate to solve some of these problems. In this study we have explored the possibility of combining tetra sulphonatophenyl porphyrin (TSPP) with nano-titania (PT) for efficient PDT with least adverse effects. The spectroscopic properties of these nano-composites were characterized by using fluorescence and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopic study. The singlet oxygen quantum yield was determined by using 2,5-diphenyl-3,4-benzofuran (DPBF), while the effect of nano TiO₂ with TSPP on the synovial fibroblast cells from human (HSC) and rat models (RSC) were investigated by confocal laser microscopy and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Our results suggest that nano TiO₂ with TSPP can be readily utilized for effective PDT treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).     

Ascorbic Acid and Salicylic Acid Mitigate NaCl Stress in Caralluma tuberculata Calli

Plants exposed to salt stress undergo biochemical and morphological changes even at cellular level. Such changes also include activation of antioxidant enzymes to scavenge reactive oxygen species, while morphological changes are determined as deformation of membranes and organelles. Present investigation substantiates this phenomenon for Caralluma tuberculata calli when exposed to NaCl stress at different concentrations. Elevated levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) in NaCl-stressed calli dwindled upon application of non-enzymatic antioxidants; ascorbic acid (AA) and salicylic acid (SA). Many fold increased enzymes concentrations trimmed down even below as present in the control calli. Electron microscopic images accentuated several cellular changes upon NaCl stress such as plasmolysed plasma membrane, disruption of nuclear membrane, increased numbers of nucleoli, alteration in shape and lamellar membrane system in plastid, and increased number of plastoglobuli. The cells retrieved their normal structure upon exposure to non-enzymatic antioxidants. The results of the present experiments conclude that NaCl aggravate oxidative molecules that eventually alleviate antioxidant enzymatic system. Furthermore, the salt stress knocked down by applying ascorbic acid and salicylic acid manifested by normal enzyme level and restoration of cellular structure.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (+)-sordidin, the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus

Stereoselective synthesis of (1S,3R,5R,7S)-(+)-sordidin, the natural male-produced aggregation pheromone of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) starting from 5-benzyloxy-(2E)-pentene-1-ol is described. The key transformations employed in the synthesis are Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, Ueno-Stork cyclization, and Jacobsen kinetic resolution.