Heat Transport in Double-Bond Linear Chains of Fullerenes

Heat transport in one kind of double-bond linear chains of fullerenes （C60＇s） is investigated by the classical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics method. It is found that the negative differential thermal resistance （NDTR） is more likely to occur at larger temperature difference and shorter length. In addition, with the increase of the length, the thermal conductivity of the chains increases, and NDTR region shrinks and vanishes in the end. The temperature profiles reveal that a large temperature jump exists at a high-temperature boundary of the chains when NDTR occurs. These results may be helpful for designing thermal devices where low-dimensional C60 polymers can be used.

Association between heat stress and oxidative stress in poultry;mitochondrial dysfunction and dietary interventions with phytochemicals

Heat as a stressor of poultry has been studied extensively for many decades; it affects poultry production on a worldwide basis and has significant impact on well-being and production. More recently, the involvement of heat stress in inducing oxidative stress has received much interest. Oxidative stress is defined as the presence of reactive species in excess of the available antioxidant capacity of animal cells. Reactive species can modify several biologically cellular macromolecules and can interfere with cell signaling pathways. Furthermore, during the last decade, there has been an ever-increasing interest in the use of a wide array of natural feed-delivered phytochemicals that have potential antioxidant properties for poultry. In light of this, the current review aims to（1） summarize the mechanisms through which heat stress triggers excessive superoxide radical production in the mitochondrion and progresses into oxidative stress,（2） illustrate that this pathophysiology is dependent on the intensity and duration of heat stress,（3） present different nutritional strategies for mitigation of mitochondrial dysfunction, with particular focus on antioxidant phytochemicals.Oxidative stress that occurs with heat exposure can be manifest in all parts of the body; however, mitochondrial dysfunction underlies oxidative stress. In the initial phase of acute heat stress, mitochondrial substrate oxidation and electron transport chain activity are increased resulting in excessive superoxide production. During the later stage of acute heat stress, down-regulation of avian uncoupling protein worsens the oxidative stress situation causing mitochondrial dysfunction and tissue damage. Typically, antioxidant enzyme activities are upregulated. Chronic heat stress, however, leads to downsizing of mitochondrial metabolic oxidative capacity, up-regulation of avian uncoupling protein, a clear alteration in the pattern of antioxidant enzyme activities, and depletion of antioxidant reserves.Some phytochemicals, such as various types of flavonoids and related compounds, were shown to be beneficial in chronic heat-stressed poultry, but were less or not effective in non-heat-stressed counterparts. This supports the contention that antioxidant phytochemicals have potential under challenging conditions. Though substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the association between heat stress and oxidative stress, the means by which phytochemicals can alleviate oxidative stress have been sparsely explored.

Glucocorticoid receptor and heat shock protein 90 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asthmatics

Objective To investigate the expression of glucocerticoid receptor (GR) and heat shock protein 90(HSP90) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from steroid-sensitive (SS), steroiddependent (SD) and steroid-resistant (SR) asthmatics patients, and to evaluate the role of GR and HSP90in the pathogenesis of SR.Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the expressions of GR and HSP90 mRNA in PBMC stimulated with IL-2 and/or IL-4 from 10 normal volunteers,10 SS, 5 SD and 6 SR patients.Results The expressions of GR and HSP90 mRNA were the highest in PBMC from SR patients (0.730±0.171 and 1.122±0.165, respectively) compared with the normals (P＜0.05). The second was from SS patients (0.359±0.350 and 0.885±0.250, respectively). The lowest was from the SD patients (0.017±0.008 and 0.078 ± 0.039, respectively). The ratio of HSP90/GR in SR was significantly lower than that in the others, and it suggested that the expression of HSP90 mRNA was not sufficient in this group of patients. When PBMC from SS, SD and SR was incubated with IL-2 or IL-4 alone, no changes in GR and HSP90 mRNA expression were observed. While incubated with combination of IL-2 and IL-4, a significantly higher expression of GR mRNA was observed in all asthmatics, and a significantly higher expression of HSP90 mRNA was observed only in SS and SD patients.Conclusion The lowering of HSP90/GR ratio may be one of the causes of SR. IL-2 and IL-4 may play roles in the imbalance of HSP90/GR.