Dexamethasone negatively regulates phenobarbitone-activated transcription but synergistically enhances cytoplasmic levels of cytochrome P-450b/e messenger RNA

Dexamethasone has a potentiating effect on phenobarbitone mediated induction of cytochrome P-450b + e mRNAs in adult rat liver. However, the glucocorticoid inhibits phenobarbitone-activated transcription of cytochrome P-450b + e mRNAs by 60-70%. This inhibitory effect is evident in run-off transcription of the endogenous genes as well as in the transcription of an added cloned gene fragment. Dexamethasone inhibits the phenobarbitone-mediated increase in the binding of a transcription factor(s) to the upstream region of the gene as evidenced by gel retardation and Southwestern blot analysis. The glucocorticoid does not stabilize the phenobarbitone-induced polyribosomal cytochrome P-450b + e mRNAs but appears to stabilize the nuclear transcripts. It is proposed that a negative element may mediate the action of dexamethasone at the level of nuclear transcription and stabilization of the nuclear transcript may account for the potentiating effect of the glucocorticoid on phenobarbitone-mediated increase in cytochrome P-450b + e mRNAs in the cytoplasm of the adult rat liver. However, the cytochrome P-450b protein levels are slightly lower in phenobarbitone + dexamethasone treatment than in phenobarbitone-treated liver microsomes.

Stereospecific construction of multiple contiguous quaternary carbons. Total synthesis of (±)-cis,anti,cis-1,8,12,12-tetramethyl-4-oxatricyclo[6.4.0.02,6]dodecan-3-ol, a thapsane isolated from Thapsia villosa var minor

The details of the first total synthesis of a natural thapsane lg containing three contiguous quaternary carbon atoms, starting from cyclogeraniol (9) '5 described. The Claisen rearrangement of 9 with methoxypropene in the presence of a catalytic amount of propionic acid produced ketone 10. Rhodium acetate-catalyzed intramolecular cyclopropanation of a-diazo-&keto ester 12, obtained from 10 via 8-keto ester 8, furnished cyclopropyl keto ester 7. Lithium in liquid ammonia reductive cleavage of cyclopropyl compound 7 gave a 1:l mixture of hydrindanone 6 and keto1 13. Wittig methylenation of 6 furnished ester 21. Epoxidation of 21, followed by BF3-OEt2-catalyzed rearrangement of epoxide 23 afforded hemiacetal 25. Treatment of hemiacetal 25 with triethylsilane in trifluoroacetic acid furnished lactone 22, a degradation product of various thapsanes. Finally, DIBAH reduction of lactone 22 generated the thapsane

Synthesis of Functionalized Dihydrothiophenes from Doubly Activated Cyclopropanes Using Tetrathiomolybdate as the Sulfur Transfer Reagent

A number of doubly activated cyclopropanes were synthesized starting from various substituted bromosulfonium bromides in good yield. Regioselective ring-opening of cyclopropanes with tetrathiomolybdate as the sulfur transfer reagent gave dihydrothiophenes in excellent yield.

A large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel in alpha T3-1 pituitary gonadotrophs

The Ca2+-activated K+ channel in endocrine cells is responsible for membrane hyperpolarization and rhythmic firing of action potentials. The probability of opening of this channel is sensitive to intracellular-free Ca2+ concentration. In this study we have identified one such large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel in alpha T3-1 pituitary gonadotroph cell. This channel is ohmic with a unit conductance of 170 pS in symmetrical KCl (135 mM) and its current reverses near zero millivolts. When more than one channel is present in the patch membrane they open and close independent of each other, exhibiting no cooperativity between them as expected of a binomial distribution. The regulatory mechanism of this channel in modulating hormone secretion from alpha T3-1 gonadotroph cells is indicated.

DNA cleavage by intercalatable cobalt-bispicolylamine complexes activated by visible light

Two intercalatable Co-II-complexes of anthryl or anthraquinone attached bispicolylamine derivatives cleave plasmid pTZ19R DNA spontaneously upon exposure to visible light under ambient conditions.

Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and Raman studies of Eu3+ activated Gd2O3 nanorods

Eu3+ (8 mol%) activated gadolinium oxide nanorods have been prepared by hydrothermal method without and with surfactant, cityl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies reveal that the as-formed product is in hexagonal Gd(OH)(3):Eu phase and subsequent heat treatment at 350 and 600 degrees C transforms the sample to monoclinic GdOOH:Eu and cubic Gd2O3:Eu phases, respectively. The structural data and refinement parameters for cubic Gd2O3:Eu nanorods were calculated by the Rietveld refinement. SEM and TEM micrographs show that as-obtained Gd(OH)(3):Eu consists of uniform nanorods in high yield with uniform diameters of about 15 nm and lengths of about 50-150 nm. The temperature dependent morphological evolution of Gd2O3:Eu without and with CTAB surfactant was studied. FTIR studies reveal that CTAB surfactant plays an important role in converting cubic Gd2O3:Eu to hexagonal Gd(OH)(3):Eu. The strong and intense Raman peak at 489 cm(-1) has been assigned to A(g) mode, which is attributed to the hexagonal phase of Gd2O3. The peak at similar to 360 cm(-1) has been assigned to the combination of F-g and E-g modes, which is mainly attributed to the cubic Gd2O3 phase. The shift in frequency and broadening of the Raman modes have been attributed to the decrease in crystallite dimension to the nanometer scale as a result of phonon confinement. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermo and photoluminescence properties of Eu3+ activated hexagonal, monoclinic and cubic gadolinium oxide nanorods

Different phases of Eu3+ activated gadolinium oxide (Gd (OH)(3), GdOOH and Gd2O3) nanorods have been prepared by the hydrothermal method with and without cityl trimethyl ammonium bromide (GAB) surfactant. Cubic Gd2O3:Eu (8 mol%) red phosphor has been prepared by the dehydration of corresponding hydroxide Gd(OH)(3):Eu after calcinations at 350 and 600 degrees C for 3 h, respectively. When Eu3+ ions were introduced into Gd(OH)(3), lattice sites which replace the original Gd3+ ions, a strong red emission centered at 613 nm has been observed upon UV illumination, due to the intrinsic Eu3+ transition between D-5(0) and F-7 configurations. Thermoluminescence glow curves of Gd (OH)(3): Eu and Gd2O3:Eu phosphors have been recorded by irradiating with gamma source ((CO)-C-60) in the dose range 10-60 Gy at a heating rate of 6.7 degrees C sec(-1). Well resolved glow peaks in the range 42-45, 67-76,95-103 and 102-125 degrees C were observed. When gamma-irradiation dose increased to 40 Gy, the glow peaks were reduced and with increase in gamma-dose (50 and 60 Gy) results the shift in first two glow peak temperatures at about 20 degrees C and a new shouldered peak at 86 degrees C was observed. It is observed that there is a shift in glow peak temperatures and variation in intensity, which is mainly attributed to different phases of gadolinium oxide. The trapping parameters namely activation energy (E), order of kinetics (b) and frequency factor were calculated using peak shape and the results are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental results of an activated carbon-HFC 134a adsorption cooling system for thermal management of electronics

Results of performance measurement of a small cooling capacity laboratory model of an adsorption refrigeration system for thermal management of electronics are compiled. This adsorption cooler was built with activated carbon as the adsorbent and HFC 134a as the refrigerant to produce a cooling capacity under 5 W using waste heat up to 90 degrees C. The thermal compression process is obtained from an ensemble of four solid sorption compressors. Parametric study was conducted with cycle times of 16 and 20 min, heat source temperatures from 73 to 87 degrees C and cooling loads from 3 to 4.9W. Overall system performance is analyzed using two indicators, namely, cooling effectiveness and normalized exergetic efficiency. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oxidation of Sulfur Dioxide in Aqueous Suspensions of Activated Carbon

Sulfur dioxide in aqueous solutions at low pH levels exists both in molecular SO2(aq) and in hydrolyzed ionic form HSO3-. Experiments indicate that only HSO3- is the reacting species in the oxidation catalyzed by activated carbon, while SO2(aq) deactivates by competing with HSO3 for the active sites of the catalyst particles. A mechanism is proposed and a rate model is developed that also accounts for the effect of sulfuric acid (product of the oxidation) on the solubility of sulfur dioxide. It predicts first order in HSO3-, half order in dissolved oxygen, and a linear deactivation effect of SO2(aq), which are confirmed by experimental data. The deactivation reaches a constant level corresponding to saturation of the active sites by SO2(aq). Activation energy for the oxidation is 93.55 kJ mol(-1) and for deactivation is 21.4 kJ mol(-1).

Mechanically activated synthesis of nanocrystalline powders of ferroelectric bismuth vanadate

Mechanical milling of a stoichiometric mixture of Bi2O3 and V2O5 yielded nanosized powders of bismuth vanadate, Bi2VO5.5 (BN). Structural evolution of the desired BiV phase, through an intermediate product (BiVO4), was monitored by subjecting the powders, ball milled for various durations to X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies. XRD studies indicate that the relative amount of the BiV phase present in the ball-milled mixture increases with increase in milling time and its formation reaches completion within 54 h of milling. Assynthesized powders were found to stabilize in the high-temperature tetragonal (gamma) phase. DTA analyses of the powders milled for various durations suggest that the BN phase-formation temperature decreases with increase in milling time. The nanometric size (30 nm) of the crystallites in the final product was confirmed by TEM and XRD studies. TEM studies clearly demonstrate the growth of BiV on Bi2O3 crystallites. (C) 1999 Academic Press.

Structure and activity cyclase activated of OK-GC: A kidney receptor-guanylate cyclase activated by guanylin peptides

Uroguanylin, guanylin, and lymphoguanylin are small peptides that activate renal and intestinal receptor guanylate cyclases (GC). They are structurally similar to bacterial heat-stable enterotoxins (ST) that cause secretory diarrhea. Uroguanylin, guanylin, and ST elicit natriuresis, kaliuresis, and diuresis by direct actions on kidney GC receptors. A 3,762-bp cDNA characterizing a uroguanylin/guanylin/ST receptor was isolated from opossum kidney (OK) cell RNA/cDNA. This kidney cDNA (OK-GC) encodes a mature protein containing 1,049 residues sharing 72.4�75.8% identity with rat, human, and porcine forms of intestinal GC-C receptors. COS or HEK-293 cells expressing OK-GC receptor protein were activated by uroguanylin, guanylin, or ST13 peptides. The 3.8-kb OK-GC mRNA transcript is most abundant in the kidney cortex and intestinal mucosa, with lower mRNA levels observed in urinary bladder, adrenal gland, and myocardium and with no detectable transcripts in skin or stomach mucosa. We propose that OK-GC receptor GC participates in a renal mechanism of action for uroguanylin and/or guanylin in the physiological regulation of urinary sodium, potassium, and water excretion. This renal tubular receptor GC may be a target for circulating uroguanylin in an endocrine link between the intestine and kidney and/or participate in an intrarenal paracrine mechanism for regulation of kidney function via the intracellular second messenger, cGMP.

Structure and activity of OK-GC: a kidney receptor guanylate cyclase activated by guanylin peptides

Uroguanylin, guanylin, and lymphoguanylin are small peptides that activate renal and intestinal receptor guanylate cyclases (GC). They are structurally similar to bacterial heat-stable enterotoxins (ST) that cause secretory diarrhea. Uroguanylin, guanylin, and ST elicit natriuresis, kaliuresis, and diuresis by direct actions on kidney GC receptors. A 3,762-bp cDNA characterizing a uroguanylin/guanylin/ST receptor was isolated from opossum kidney (OK) cell RNA/cDNA. This kidney cDNA (OK-GC) encodes a mature protein containing 1,049 residues sharing 72.4-75.8% identity with rat, human, and porcine forms of intestinal GC-C receptors. COS or HEK-293 cells expressing OK-GC receptor protein were activated by uroguanylin, guanylin, or ST13 peptides. The 3.8-kb OK-GC mRNA transcript is most abundant in the kidney cortex and intestinal mucosa, with lower mRNA levels observed in urinary bladder, adrenal gland, and myocardium and with no detectable transcripts in skin or stomach mucosa. We propose that OK-GC receptor GC participates in a renal mechanism of action for uroguanylin and/or guanylin in the physiological regulation of urinary sodium, potassium, and water excretion. This renal tubular receptor GC may be a target for circulating uroguanylin in an endocrine link between the intestine and kidney and/or participate in an intrarenal paracrine mechanism for regulation of kidney function via the intracellular second messenger, cGMP.

Adsorption of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane on Activated Charcoal

This paper presents adsorption isotherms for HFC-134a on activated charcoal, in the temperature range of 273-353 K and for pressures up to 0.65 MPa, measured using the volumetric method. Three samples of charcoals with widely varying surface areas were chosen. The shapes of the isotherms,obtained from the experimental data were similar in all cases and comparable to those reported in the literature. Adsorption parameters were evaluated from the isotherms using the Dubinin-Astakhov (DA) equation. The concentration dependence of the isosteric enthalpies of adsorption is extracted from the data.

Preparation of transparent conductive oxide films by activated reactive evaporation

Indium-tin oxide films have been deposited by reactive electron beam evaporation of ln+Sn alloy both in neutral and ionized oxygen environments. A low-energy ion source (fabricated in-house) has been used. Films deposited with neutral oxygen exhibited very low optical transmittance (5% at 550 nm). Highly transparent (85%) and low-resistivity (5 X 10(-4) Omega cm) films have been deposited in ionized oxygen at ambient substrate temperature. Optical and electrical properties of the films have been studied as a function of deposition parameters. (C) 2002 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.