(C) 2009 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) has been crosslinked using 4,4′-diazidobenzophenone bisazide to improve its selleck chemical and physical

stability over time. Crosslinking PTMSP renders it insoluble in good solvents for the uncrosslinked polymer. Gas permeability and fractional free volume decreased as crosslinker content increased, while gas sorption was unaffected by crosslinking. Therefore, the reduction in permeability upon crosslinking PTMSP was due to decrease in diffusion coefficient. Compared with the pure PTMSP membrane, the permeability of the crosslinked membrane is initially reduced for all gases tested due to the crosslinking. By adding nanoparticles (fumed silica, titanium dioxide), the permeability is again increased; permeability reductions due to crosslinking could be offset by adding nanoparticles to the membranes. Increased selectivity is documented for the gas pairs O(2)/N(2), H(2)/N(2), CO(2)/N(2), CO(2)/CH(4). and H(2)/CH(4) using crosslinking and addition of nanoparticles. Crosslinking is successful in maintaining the permeability Stem Cell Compound Library and selectivity of PTMSP membranes and PTMSP/filler nanocomposites over time. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 3078-3088, 2009″
“The

oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) is considered as a key step in the development of atherosclerosis. Oxysterols such as 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC) have been reported to be partially responsible for the cytotoxicity of oxLDL and induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress which eventually causes apoptosis. We aimed to investigate whether ER stress is induced by 7-KC and can be prevented by the kimchi methanol extract (KME) in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. ER stress induced by 7-KC was characterized by the activation of ER stress markers (GRP78, CHOP, and ATF6). ER stress could aggravate macrophage apoptosis, as assessed Pim inhibitor by caspase-3 activity.

ER stress and apoptosis were inhibited by the KME and glutathione (GSH). We conclude that 7-KC causes aberrant ER stress and apoptosis, all of which are inhibited by KME and GSH. The inhibitory expression of ER stress markers highlights its new protective role against oxLDL-induced ER stress, apoptosis, and subsequent atherosclerosis.”
“Background: The bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is a widely practiced vaccine, which is useful for prophylaxis against tuberculosis. Disseminated BCG infection (BCG-osis) is one of the most important complications of this vaccine and can be seen in patients with an underlying immunodeficiency. This study was performed to determine the underlying defects in patients with BCG-osis.