Ferroelectric Bi4Ti3012 thin films have been grown on MgO ( 100) and MgO( 110) substrates by the pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction studies show that the films on both substrates have preferential crystallographic orientation such that most of their c axes are close to the substrate normal direction. The film on MgO( 110) shows quadratic and hysteretic electro-optic characteristics with...

Electronic and structural properties of ultrathin MgO layers grown on epi-taxial Fe(110) films were investigated at room temperature by means of spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger-electron spectroscopy, and low energy electron diffraction. The spin polarization at the Fermi level of the Fe(110) film decreases abruptly with increasing thickness of MgO layer up to 7 ˚ A. This behavio...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity associated with diabetes. Although impairment of the cell response to hypoxia due to destabilization of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), which regulates the expression of genes that help cells to cope with low oxygen tension, has been implicated in diabetes-associated...

Close lattice matching with a MgAl2O4 (0 0 1) substrate has been used to synthesize thin films of a rare spinel-like polymorph of MgO (b-MgO) that is unstable in bulk form. The film is produced by spin casting an acetate-substituted Mg-ethoxide precursor, which forms a crystalline magnesium acetate phase at room temperature. Pyrolysis of most organic constituents occurs during continuous heatin...

Nanocomposite membranes composed of polymer and inorganic nanoparticles are a novel method to enhance gas separation performance. In this study, membranes were fabricated from polysulfone (PSf) containing magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles and gas permeation properties of the resulting membranes were investigated. Membranes were prepared by solution blending and phase inversion methods. Morpho...

BACKGROUND Hyperglycemia and increased levels of methylglyoxal (MGO) can trigger the development of vascular complications in diabetes. Resveratrol and quercetin are red wine polyphenols with known beneficial cardiovascular properties, including an antioxidant capacity. This study evaluated whether resveratrol and/or quercetin could prevent in vitro-induced diabetic changes in neurogenic and va...

Influenza A and B virus infections are serious public health concerns globally. However, the concerns regarding influenza B infection have been underestimated. The currently used anti-influenza drugs have not provided equal efficacy for both influenza A and B viruses. Susceptibility to neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors has been observed to be lower for influenza B viruses than for influenza A virus...

ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channels regulate plasma membrane excitability. The Kir6.1/SUR2B isoform of K(ATP) channels is expressed in vascular smooth muscles and plays an important role in vascular tone regulation. This K(ATP) channel is targeted by several reactive species. One of them is methylglyoxal (MGO), which is overly produced with persistent hyperglycemia and contributes to diabetic ...

Gene therapy and RNA delivery require a nanoparticle (NP) to stabilize these nucleic acids when administered in vivo. The presence of degradative hydrolytic enzymes within these environments limits the nucleic acids' pharmacologic activity. This study compared the effects of nanoscale ZnO and MgO in the protection afforded to DNA and RNA from degradation by DNase, serum or tumor homogenate. For...

Long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) leads to histological changes in the peritoneal membrane. Angiogenesis and inflammation caused by glucose degradation products (GDPs) play crucial roles in peritoneal fibrosis. One such GDP is methylglyoxal (MGO), which enhances the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs bind to their receptor (RAGE) and activate nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), w...