Epigenetic modulation as a therapeutic approach for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but progressive and currently incurable disease, which is characterized by vascular remodeling in association with muscularization of the arterioles, medial thickening and plexiform lesion formation. Despite our advanced understanding of the pathogenesis of PAH and the recent therapeutic advances, PAH still remains a fatal disease. In addition, the susceptibility to PAH has not yet been adequately explained. Much evidence points to the involvement of epigenetic changes in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases including cancer, peripheral hypertension and asthma. The knowledge gained from the epigenetic study of various human diseases can also be applied to PAH. Thus, the pursuit of novel therapeutic targets via understanding the epigenetic alterations involved in the pathogenesis of PAH, such as DNA methylation, histone modification and microRNA, might be an attractive therapeutic avenue for the development of a novel and more effective treatment. This review provides a general overview of the current advances in epigenetics associated with PAH, and discusses the potential for improved treatment through understanding the role of epigenetics in the development of PAH.     

Formation and removal of multi-layered fluorescence patterns in gold-ion doped glass

We report the formation of fluorescence patterns inside gold-doped glass medium by femtosecond-laser fabrication. Strong fluorescence images appeared from the irradiated multi-layered region after low temperature annealing. We removed the images by exposing the glass to an electric furnace or a CO₂ laser beam for high temperature annealing. The method was also applied to recording, reading, and erasing of fluorescence data by a femtosecond laser, a 405-nm laser diode, and a CO₂ laser respectively.     

Chern–Simons limit of the standing wave solutions for the Schrödinger equations coupled with a neutral scalar field

We show the existence of standing wave solutions to the Schrödinger equation coupled with a neutral scalar field. We also verify the Chern–Simons limit for these solutions. More precisely we prove that solutions to Eqs. (1.3)–(1.4) converge to the unique positive radially symmetric solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (1.6) as the coupling constant q goes to infinity.     

Dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark in the orthogonal dual-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

We have observed dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark on the signal intensity in the orthogonal dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. We applied pre-ablation and ablation laser pulses with significantly reduced energy for an aluminum metal in open air. Under this experimental condition, the well-known signal enhancement through the increase in ablated mass was negligible. The Al I and II emissions were investigated by both top-view and spatially-resolved side-view collection modes. In this low laser power regime, dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark on the signal intensity were clearly revealed. The principal factor of signal enhancement is the increase in temperature. Without the mass removal enhancement, effective rarefaction leads to decrease in the Al I emission intensity and simultaneous increase in the Al II emission intensity. This is attributed to the role of Saha equilibrium. Selective prolongation of emission lifetime only for the enclosed part of the analyte plasma in the rarefied region and other fluid-dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark have been visualized by wavelength-selected time-space correlation maps of plasma emissions.     

Gd-complexes of macrocyclic DTPA conjugates of 1,1'-bis(amino)ferrocenes as high relaxivity MRI blood-pool contrast agents (BPCAs)

We report the synthesis of macrocyclic DTPA conjugates of 1,1'-bis(amino)ferrocenes (1a-b) and their Gd-complexes [Gd(L)(H(2)O)] (2a-b, L = 1a-b) for use as new MRI blood-pool contrast agents. High R(1) relaxivity in HSA as well as high thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities is observed for 2a.     

The effect of TiCl4-treated TiO2 compact layer on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell

In order to prevent the charge recombination at the interface between the transparent-conducting oxide (TCO) substrate and electrolyte, a TiO₂ compact layer was deposited on the substrate by hydrolysis of TiCl₄ aqueous solution. Optimum thickness of the compact layer was found to be ∼25 nm, which showed ∼24% increase in the power-conversion efficiency compared with the bare cell. Impedance spectra indicated that the interfacial charge-transfer resistance of TCO/electrolyte interface was increased by more than a factor of three with the TiO₂ compact layer at 0.4 V. Moreover, the electron-carrier lifetime of the 25 nm-deposited cell was improved by a factor of five compared with the bare cell.     

Nano-graphite functionalized mesocellular carbon foam with enhanced intra-penetrating electrical percolation networks for high performance electrochemical energy storage electrode materials

Mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-F-C) is functionalized with hollow nanographite by a simple solution-phase method to enhance the intrapenetrating electrical percolation network. The electrical conductivity of the resulting material, denoted as MSU-F-C-G, is increased by a factor of 20.5 compared with the pristine MSU-F-C. Hollow graphite nanoparticles are well-dispersed in mesocellular carbon foam, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the d spacing of the (002) planes is 0.343 nm, which is only slightly larger than that of pure graphite (0.335 nm), suggesting a random combination of graphitic and turbostratic stacking. After nanographitic functionalization, the BET surface area and total pore volume decreased from 928 m(2) g(-1) and 1.5 cm(3) g(-1) to 394 m(2) g(-1) and 0.7 cm(3) g(-1), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis in air shows that the thermal stability of MSU-F-C-G is improved relative to that of MSU-F-C, and the one-step weight loss indicates that the nanographite is homogeneously functionalized on the MSU-F-C particles. When the resulting mesocellular carbon materials are used as electrode materials for an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), the specific capacitances (C(sp)) of the MSU-F-C and MSU-F-C-G electrodes at 4 mV s(-1) are 109 F g(-1) and 93 F g(-1), respectively. The MSU-F-C-G electrode exhibited a very high area capacitance (C(area), 23.5 μF cm(-2)) compared with that of the MSU-F-C electrode (11.7 μF cm(-2)), which is attributed to the enhanced intraparticle conductivity by the nanographitic functionalization. MSU-F-C-G exhibited high capacity retention (52%) at a very high scan rate of 512 mV s(-1), while only a 23% capacity retention at 512 mV s(-1) was observed in the case of the MSU-F-C electrode. When applied as an anode in a lithium ion battery, a significant increase in the initial efficiency (44%), high reversible discharge capacity (580 mA h g(-1)) in the lower voltage region, and a higher rate capability were observed. The high rate capability of the MSU-F-C-G electrode as charge storage was due to the low resistance derived from the nanographitic functionalization.     

Femtosecond laser bonding of glasses and ion migration in the interface

We report femtosecond laser bonding with strengths of a few MPa and the material mixing during the laser bonding process by using Sm³⁺- and Cr³⁺-doped glasses and 180 fs pulses at a repetition rate of 1 kHz from an amplified Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 785 nm. By analyzing fluorescence spectra taken around the interface using a confocal scanning microscope we observed the migration of Sm ions from the upper Sm-doped glass to the lower Cr-doped glass and the reduction from Sm³⁺ to Sm²⁺ ions just above the interface for the borate-borate material system. However, in Sm-doped borate-borosilicate, the laser bonding did not produce any reduction and migration of Sm³⁺ ions.