Characterization and Performance Enhancement of Cement-Based Thermoelectric Materials.

Thermoelectric materials enable the direct conversion of thermal to electrical energy. One application of this is ambient heat energy harvesting where relatively stable temperature gradients existing between the inside and outside of a building could be utilized to produce electricity. Buildings can thus change from energy consumers to energy generators. This could ultimately help reduce the surface temperatures and energy consumption of buildings, especially in urban areas. In this paper, research work carried out on developing and characterizing a cement-based thermoelectric material is presented. Cement-based samples are doped with different metal oxides (Bi2O3 and Fe2O3) to enhance their thermoelectric properties, which are defined through their Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. The study also discusses the positive impact of moisture content on the electrical conductivity.

Publication of abstracts presented at the Irish Paediatric Association conference.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of abstracts presented at medical conferences that are subsequently published is a potentially useful surrogate for the quality of the material presented. The mean publication percentage for paediatric conference abstracts reported in the literature is 39%. The publication of abstracts presented at the Irish Paediatric Association's (IPA) annual conference have not previously been explored. AIM: To identify the subsequent publication proportion for abstracts presented at the IPA annual conference and to identify factors associated with a higher likelihood of publication. METHODS: As 95% of publications occur within 5 years of conference presentation, abstracts from the 2008 to 2012 IPA conferences were selected for analysis. A PubMed/Medline search was conducted using the author's names and, if required, abstract keywords. For comparability with previous studies, articles were deemed published if they were full journal articles, contained at least one similar author and reported similar outcomes. RESULTS: Over the 5-year study period, 584 IPA abstracts were presented. The percentage of abstracts published was 19.7%. One hundred and fifteen articles were published in 45 different journals; 31 (27%) of these were published in the Irish Medical Journal. The percentage of abstracts published was significantly higher for oral presentations (23% vs. 15%; p = 0.012), university-associated abstracts (31% vs. 16%; p < 0.001) and interventional studies (52% vs. 18%; p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, only university association and interventional studies remained significantly associated with publication. CONCLUSION: The percentage of IPA abstracts that were published was low when compared internationally. Further analysis is required to explore the reasons underpinning this.

Urothelial carcinoma of an allograft ureter 10 years after deceased donor kidney transplantation.

The incidence of urothelial carcinoma (UC; formerly transitional cell carcinoma) is higher among renal transplant recipients compared with the general population. Upper urinary tract UC (UUT-UC) of allograft urothelium is a rare event with approximately 40 cases reported in the literature. Herein, we describe the clinical presentation and management of UUT-UC in a transplant ureter 10 years after deceased donor kidney transplantation.

miR-17 overexpression in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells decreases interleukin-8 production.

Interleukin (IL)-8 levels are higher than normal in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways, causing neutrophil infiltration and non-resolving inflammation. Overexpression of microRNAs that target IL-8 expression in airway epithelial cells may represent a therapeutic strategy for cystic fibrosis. IL-8 protein and mRNA were measured in cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and bronchial brushings (n=20 per group). miRNAs decreased in the cystic fibrosis lung and predicted to target IL-8 mRNA were quantified in ßENaC-transgenic, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (Cftr)-/- and wild-type mice, primary cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells and a range of cystic fibrosis versus non-cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cell lines or cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, Pseudomonas-conditioned medium or cystic fibrosis bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The effect of miRNA overexpression on IL-8 protein production was measured. miR-17 regulates IL-8 and its expression was decreased in adult cystic fibrosis bronchial brushings, ßENaC-transgenic mice and bronchial epithelial cells chronically stimulated with Pseudomonas-conditioned medium. Overexpression of miR-17 inhibited basal and agonist-induced IL-8 protein production in F508del-CFTR homozygous CFTE29o(-) tracheal, CFBE41o(-) and/or IB3 bronchial epithelial cells. These results implicate defective CFTR, inflammation, neutrophilia and mucus overproduction in regulation of miR-17. Modulating miR-17 expression in cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells may be a novel anti-inflammatory strategy for cystic fibrosis and other chronic inflammatory airway diseases.

Isolation and identification of cell-specific microRNAs targeting a messenger RNA using a biotinylated anti-sense oligonucleotide capture affinity technique.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate expression by translational repression or messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation. Although numerous bioinformatic prediction models exist to identify miRNA-mRNA interactions, experimental validation of bona fide interactions can be difficult and laborious. Few methods can comprehensively identify miRNAs that target a single mRNA. We have developed an experimental approach to search for miRNAs targeting any mRNA using a capture affinity assay involving a biotinylated DNA anti-sense oligonucleotide. This method identifies miRNAs targeting the full length of the mRNA. The method was tested using three separate mRNA targets: alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) mRNA, interleukin-8 mRNA and secretory leucoprotease inhibitor mRNA. AAT mRNA-specific and total miRNAs from three different cell lines (monocytic THP-1, bronchial epithelial 16HBE14o- and liver HepG2 cells) were profiled, and validation studies revealed that AAT mRNA-specific miRNAs functionally target the AAT mRNA in a cell-specific manner, providing the first evidence of innate miRNAs selectively targeting and modulating AAT mRNA expression. Interleukin-8 and secretory leucoprotease inhibitor mRNAs and their cognate miRNAs were also successfully captured using this approach. This is a simple and an efficient method to potentially identify miRNAs targeting sequences within the full length of a given mRNA transcript.

microRNAs in asthma: potential therapeutic targets.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Asthma is a global disease affecting millions of people. Current treatments are largely symptomatic and, although often effective, can be associated with various side effects. microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are regulatory RNAs that affect protein synthesis. They represent new therapeutic targets, and medicines that target specific miRNAs may have potential in the treatment of asthma. RECENT FINDINGS: There have been a number of studies in the field of miRNA that implicate specific miRNAs in the pathophysiology of asthma. For example, studies using mouse models have identified miRNAs that are altered in response to allergen challenge. Certain miRNAs that are involved in the regulation of interleukin-13 and the TH2 response, key components of the asthmatic response, have been shown to be amenable to modulation by premiRs and antimiRs. Other studies have identified miRNAs that are implicated in bronchial smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness and proliferation. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in miRNA responsive elements within asthma susceptibility genes, and also in miRNAs themselves, can also contribute to the asthma phenotype. SUMMARY: Developing miRNA-based medicines to treat the pulmonary manifestations of asthma could yield therapeutics with new properties that have the potential to treat both the inflammation and hyperresponsivesness associated with this disease.