Direct Cardiac Epigenetic Reprogramming through Codelivery of 5′Azacytidine and miR-133a Nanoformulation

Direct reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts to induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) is a promising approach to cardiac regeneration. However, the low yield of reprogrammed cells and the underlying epigenetic barriers limit its potential. Epigenetic control of gene regulation is a primary factor in maintaining cellular identities. For instance, DNA methylation controls cell differentiation in adults, establishing that epigenetic factors are crucial for sustaining altered gene expression patterns with subsequent rounds of cell division. This study attempts to demonstrate that 5′AZA and miR-133a encapsulated in PLGA-PEI nanocarriers induce direct epigenetic reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts to cardiomyocyte-like cells. The results present a cardiomyocyte-like phenotype following seven days of the co-delivery of 5′AZA and miR-133a nanoformulation into human cardiac fibroblasts. Further evaluation of the global DNA methylation showed a decreased global 5-methylcytosine (5-medCyd) levels in the 5′AZA and 5′AZA/miR-133a treatment group compared to the untreated group and cells with void nanocarriers. These results suggest that the co-delivery of 5′AZA and miR-133a nanoformulation can induce the direct reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts to cardiomyocyte-like cells in-vitro, in addition to demonstrating the influence of miR-133a and 5′AZA as epigenetic regulators in dictating cell fate.     

Accelerated weathering properties of compatibilized composites made from recycled HDPE and nonmetallic printed circuit board waste

The main aim of this work is to examine the influence of the contents of nonmetallic printed circuit board (PCB) waste component on the photodegradation of recycled high‐density polyethylene (rHDPE) composites. The properties tested were chemical changes, flexural properties, color stability, water absorption, leaching properties, and crystallinity changes of the composites after exposure to 2,000 h of accelerated weathering. Surface degradation for composites with nonmetallic PCB was less compared to unfilled rHDPE mainly because glass fibers covered almost the whole surface of specimens, acting as a protective layer, thus, slowing down the photodegradation reaction. Incorporation of compatibilizer in rHDPE/PCB composites had played an important role in resisting degradation due to UV exposure. All the composite samples became lighter in the early stages of weathering exposure; however, compatibilized composites showed less lightening and reduction on strength and modulus. Carbonyl index increases with exposure time indicating that the oxidation reaction continuously occurred during the aging process. Incorporation of compatibilizer had successfully reduced the water absorption uptake by the composites and effectively delayed some degradation properties of weathering. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43110.     

Electrochemical fabrication of Rh–Pd particles and electrocatalytic applications

Electrochemical deposition method was employed for the fabrication of rhodium–palladium (Rh–Pd) particles on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode surface. Surface morphological analysis of Rh–Pd film has been carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Here, the electrodeposited Rh–Pd particles were found in the average size range of 30–200 nm. The electrochemical activities of the Rh–Pd film have been investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) analysis. The Rh–Pd particles-modified GCE successfully detects the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) (in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS)) in the linear range in the lab (10–460 μM) and real samples (10–340 μM). The Rh–Pd particles-modified GCE possesses the good sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of H₂O₂ in lab and real samples.     

α-Glucosidase, α-amylase inhibition kinetics,in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion,and apoptosis inducing abilities of Ficus microcarpa L. f. and Ficus racemosa L. fruit polysaccharides

Food Science and Biotechnology - A rich source of nutrients, figs have a number of clinically validated benefits. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, and...     

Antimicrobial and anticoagulation activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized from the culture supernatant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Here, we describe biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by reduction of aqueous Ag⁺ ions with the culture supernatant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular level identification of the strain GS1 resembles P. aeruginosa. The nanoparticles synthesized by P. aeruginosa were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size-distribution of nanoparticles was determined using a particle-size analyzer and the average particle-size was found to be 80 nm. The biological activities of the synthesized silver nanoparticles like antimicrobial activity were confirmed against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and it have stable anti-coagulant effect.     

Effect of nickel doping on structural,optical, electrical and ethanol sensing properties of spray deposited nanostructured ZnO thin films

Undoped and nickel (Ni)-doped ZnO thin films were spray deposited on glass substrates at 523 K using 0.1 M of zinc acetate dihydrate and 0.002–0.01 M of nickel acetate tetrahydrate precursor solutions and subsequently annealed at 723 K. The effect of Ni doping in the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of nanostructured ZnO thin film was investigated using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), UV–vis Spectrophotometer and an Electrometer respectively. XRD patterns confirmed the polycrystalline nature of ZnO thin film with hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure and highly oriented along (002) plane. The crystallite size was found to be increased in the range of 15–31 nm as dopant concentration increased. The SEM image revealed the uniformly distributed compact spherical grains and denser in the case of doped ZnO thin films. All the films were highly transparent with average transmittance of 76%. The measured optical band gap was found to be varied from 3.21 to 3.09 eV. The influence of Ni doping in the room temperature ethanol sensing characteristics has also been reported.     

Tailored electrostrain and related properties in (1 − x)BaTiO3–xSrSnO3 Pb-free electroceramics

We report excellent electrostrain properties of (1 − x)BaTiO₃–xSrSnO₃ (BSTS) Pb-free electroceramics (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15), as well as the corresponding structural, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties. A tailored phase diagram of the pseudo-binary solid solution of BaTiO₃–SrSnO₃, which exhibits a nearly composition-independent orthorhombic–tetragonal polymorphic phase boundary close to room temperature, was obtained, and, in contrast to Ba(Ti_1−xSn_x)O₃, the appearance of the relaxor mode was accelerated in the phase transition of BSTS owing to the additional incorporation of Sr. Using these compositionally modified phase-related characteristics, desirable sets of electrostrain properties for actuator applications were obtained. Based on these results, we propose that BSTS is a promising candidate for Pb-free electroceramics for high-precision actuator applications near room temperature.     

Haptics in minimally invasive surgical simulation and training

Haptics is a valuable tool in minimally invasive surgical simulation and training. We discuss important aspects of haptics in MISST, such as haptic rendering and haptic recording and playback. Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionized many surgical procedures over the last few decades. MIS is performed using a small video camera, a video display, and a few customized surgical tools. In procedures such as gall bladder removal (laparoscopic cholesystectomy), surgeons insert a camera and long slender tools into the abdomen through small skin incisions to explore the internal cavity and manipulate organs from outside the body as they view their actions on a video display. Because the development of minimally invasive techniques has reduced the sense of touch compared to open surgery, surgeons must rely more on the feeling of net forces resulting from tool-tissue interactions and need more training to successfully operate on patients.