202 research outputs found
Сложность алгоритмов криптографической системы Эль–Гамаля и ихэффективность
Objective. - Electrical remodeling as well as atrial contractile dysfunction after the conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm (SR) are mainly caused by a reduction of the inward L-type Ca2+ current (ICaL). We investigated whether the expression of L-type Ca2+-channel subunits was reduced in atrial myocardium of AF patients. Methods. - Right atrial appendages were obtained from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CAD, n = 35) or mitral valve surgery (MVD, n = 37). Seventeen of the CAD patients and 18 of the MVD patients were in chronic (>3 months) AF, whereas the others were in SR. The protein expression of the L-type Ca2+-channel subunits {alpha}1C and {beta}2 was quantified by western blot analysis. Furthermore, we measured the density of dihydropyridine (DHP)-binding sites of the L-type Ca2+ channel using 3H-PN220-100 as radioligand. Results. - Surprisingly, the {alpha}1C and the {beta}2-subunit expression was not altered in atrial myocardium of AF patients. Also, the DHP-binding site density was unchanged. Conclusion. - The protein expression of the L-type Ca2+-channel subunits {alpha}1C or {beta}2 is not reduced in atrial myocardium of AF patients. Therefore, the reduced ICaL might be due to downregulation of other accessory subunits ({alpha}2{delta}), expression of aberrant subunits, changes in channel trafficking or alterations in channel function
Remodelling of human atrial K+ currents but not ion channel expression by chronic β-blockade
Chronic β-adrenoceptor antagonist (β-blocker) treatment in patients is associated with a potentially anti-arrhythmic prolongation of the atrial action potential duration (APD), which may involve remodelling of repolarising K+ currents. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic β-blockade on transient outward, sustained and inward rectifier K+ currents (ITO, IKSUS and IK1) in human atrial myocytes and on the expression of underlying ion channel subunits. Ion currents were recorded from human right atrial isolated myocytes using the whole-cell-patch clamp technique. Tissue mRNA and protein levels were measured using real time RT-PCR and Western blotting. Chronic β-blockade was associated with a 41% reduction in ITO density: 9.3 ± 0.8 (30 myocytes, 15 patients) vs 15.7 ± 1.1 pA/pF (32, 14), p < 0.05; without affecting its voltage-, time- or rate dependence. IK1 was reduced by 34% at −120 mV (p < 0.05). Neither IKSUS, nor its increase by acute β-stimulation with isoprenaline, was affected by chronic β-blockade. Mathematical modelling suggested that the combination of ITO- and IK1-decrease could result in a 28% increase in APD90. Chronic β-blockade did not alter mRNA or protein expression of the ITO pore-forming subunit, Kv4.3, or mRNA expression of the accessory subunits KChIP2, KChAP, Kvβ1, Kvβ2 or frequenin. There was no reduction in mRNA expression of Kir2.1 or TWIK to account for the reduction in IK1. A reduction in atrial ITO and IK1 associated with chronic β-blocker treatment in patients may contribute to the associated action potential prolongation, and this cannot be explained by a reduction in expression of associated ion channel subunits
Water Soluble Hyperbranched Polymers from Controlled Radical Homopolymerization of PEG Diacrylate
Hyperbranched PEG-based polymers were synthesized through homopolymerization of PEG diacrylate via enhanced intermolecular branching and showed a concentration-dependent thermoresponsive property.</p
The transition from linear to highly branched poly(beta-amino ester)s: Branching matters for gene delivery
Nonviral gene therapy holds great promise but has not delivered treatments for clinical application to date. Lack of safe and efficient gene delivery vectors is the major hurdle. Among nonviral gene delivery vectors, poly(beta-amino ester)s are one of the most versatile candidates because of their wide monomer availability, high polymer flexibility, and superior gene transfection performance both in vitro and in vivo. However, to date, all research has been focused on vectors with a linear structure. A well-accepted view is that dendritic or branched polymers have greater potential as gene delivery vectors because of their three-dimensional structure and multiple terminal groups. Nevertheless, to date, the synthesis of dendritic or branched polymers has been proven to be a well-known challenge. We report the design and synthesis of highly branched poly(beta-amino ester)s (HPAEs) via a one-pot "A2 + B3 + C2"&-type Michael addition approach and evaluate their potential as gene delivery vectors. We find that the branched structure can significantly enhance the transfection efficiency of poly(beta-amino ester)s: Up to an 8521-fold enhancement in transfection efficiency was observed across 12 cell types ranging from cell lines, primary cells, to stem cells, over their corresponding linear poly(beta-amino ester)s (LPAEs) and the commercial transfection reagents polyethyleneimine, SuperFect, and Lipofectamine 2000...This work was funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), a Technology Innovation and Development Award (14/TIDA/2367), an Industry Fellowship (15/IFA/3037), the Principal Investigator Program [10/IN.1/B2981(T)], an Investigator Award (12/IP/1688), the Health Research Board of Ireland (HRA-POR-2013-412), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (130-0401180007). The atomic force microscope used for this work was funded by SFI (SFI07/IN1/B931
In situ Forming Hyperbranched PEG—Thiolated Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels With Honey-Mimetic Antibacterial Properties
The rapidly increasing resistance of bacteria to currently approved antibiotic drugs makes surgical interventions and the treatment of bacterial infections increasingly difficult. In recent years, complementary strategies to classical antibiotic therapy have, therefore, gained importance. One of these strategies is the use of medicinal honey in the treatment of bacterially colonized wounds. One of the several bactericidal effects of honey is based on the in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide through the activity of the enzyme glucose oxidase. The strategy underlying this work is to mimic this antibacterial redox effect of honey in an injectable, biocompatible, and rapidly forming hydrogel. The hydrogel was obtained by thiol–ene click reaction between hyperbranched polyethylene glycol diacrylate (HB PEGDA), synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and thiolated hyaluronic acid (HA-SH). After mixing 500 µL HB PEGDA (10%, w/w) and 500 µL HA-SH (1%, w/w) solutions, hydrogels formed in ∼60 s (HB PEGDA/HA-SH 10.0–1.0), as assessed by the tube inverting test. The HB PEGDA/HA-SH 10.0–1.0 hydrogel (200 µL) was resistant to in vitro dissolution in water for at least 64 days, absorbing up to 130 wt% of water. Varying glucose oxidase (GO) amounts (0–500 U/L) and constant glucose content (2.5 wt%) were loaded into HB PEGDA and HA-SH solutions, respectively, before hydrogel formation. Then, the release of H2O2 was evaluated through a colorimetric pertitanic acid assay. The GO content of 250 U/L was selected, allowing the formation of 10.8 ± 1.4 mmol H2O2/L hydrogel in 24 h, under static conditions. The cytocompatibility of HB PEGDA/HA-SH 10.0–1.0 hydrogels loaded with different GO activities (≤ 500 U/L) at a constant glucose amount (2.5 wt%) was investigated by in vitro assays at 24 h with L929 and HaCaT cell lines, according to DIN EN ISO 10993-5. The tests showed cytocompatibility for GO enzyme activity up to 250 U/L for both cell lines. The antibacterial activity of HB PEGDA/HA-SH 10.0–1.0 hydrogels loaded with increasing amounts of GO was demonstrated against various gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and S. epidermidis), antibiotic-resistant gram-positive bacteria (MRSA and MRSE), gram-negative bacteria (P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and A. baumanii), and antibiotic-resistant gram-negative strains (P. aeruginosa and E. coli) using agar diffusion tests. For all gram-positive bacterial strains, increasing efficacy was measured with increasing GO activity. For the two P. aeruginosa strains, efficacy was shown only from an enzyme activity of 125 U/L and for E. coli and A. baumanii, efficacy was shown only from 250 U/L enzyme activity. HB PEGDA/HA-SH 10.0–1.0 hydrogels loaded with ≤250 U/L GO and 2.5 wt% glucose are promising formulations due to their fast-forming properties, cytocompatibility, and ability to produce antibacterial H2O2, warranting future investigations for bacterial infection treatment, such as wound care
Antimicrobial and Cytotoxicity Evaluations of Hydrogen peroxide - Towards Clinical Application of Antimicrobial Biomaterials for Wound Dressings
Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.
Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention
Automated T2* maps of the heart and liver in comparison to manual analysis for iron overload assessment in the All Iron Detected (AID) multicenter study
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