“
“The global epidemic of type 2 diabetes
demands the rapid evaluation of new and accessible interventions. This study investigated whether Aegle marmelos fruit aqueous extract (AMF; 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) improves insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and beta-cell dysfunction in high fat diet fed-streptozotocin (HFD-STZ)-induced diabetic rats by modulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma) expression. The serum levels of glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin PKC412 resistance (HOMA-IR), homeostasis model assessment of beta-cell function (HOMA-B), lipid profile, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were evaluated. Further, the TBARS level and SOD activity in pancreatic tissue and PPAR gamma protein expression in liver were assessed. In addition, histopathological and ultrastructural studies were performed to validate the effect of AMF on beta-cells. The HFD-STZ treated rats showed a significant increase in the serum levels of glucose, AR-13324 molecular weight insulin, HOMA-IR, TNF-alpha, IL-6, dyslipidemia with a concomitant decrease in HOMA-B and PPAR gamma expression. Treatment with AMF for 21 days in diabetic rats positively modulated the altered parameters in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, AMF prevented inflammatory changes and beta-cell damage along with a reduction in mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum swelling. These findings suggest that the protective
effect of AMF in type 2 diabetic rats is due to the preservation of beta-cell function and insulin-sensitivity through increased PPAR gamma expression. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“Carbon nanowalls (CNWs), vertically standing graphene sheets, grown by the radical injection plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system were analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The refractive indexes (n), extinction coefficients SB273005 in vivo (k), and optical band gaps (E(g)) of evolutionary growth layers were evaluated using the Tauc-Lorentz model with the effective medium approximation. It was
observed that an amorphous carbon interfacial layer with n of 1.9-2.0 was formed prior to the growth of CNWs with n of 1.2-1.5. Moreover, the imaginary parts of complex dielectric functions analyzed using the Tauc-Lorentz model indicate the possibility that the CNWs have semiconducting features. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics”
“Cobalt nanoparticles and cobalt-gold core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized via reverse-micelle microemulsion method with emphasis on size control. Cobalt nanoparticles become easily oxidized therefore coating a gold shell on cobalt nanoparticles was necessary and can effectively reduce the oxidation of Co while maintaining most of its magnetic properties. Controlling the size of nanoparticles was performed by adjusting the water to surfactant ratio of reverse micelle solution during synthesis.