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Category: chemistry

Valproate-vitamin E co-treatment preserved cortico-callosal white matter integrities in cypermethrin co-exposed pentylene tetrazole induced seizure

Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures and neurological consequences, which may be associated with impaired myelin and glial integrity, and exacerbated by environmental neurotoxicants. Environmental neurotoxicants, such as Cypermethrin (CPM), may heighten these impairments, worsening seizure outcomes. This study investigates the effects of Cypermethrin (CPM) on Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures and the Vitamin E (Vit E) and valproate (VAP) co-interventions on myelin and glial integrity.

Histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), myelin basic protein (MBP), ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (OLIG-2) were conducted on cerebral white matter and corpus callosum tissues. The density of stained cells and immunoreactivity obtained with ImageJ was subjected to one-way analysis of variance.

Immunohistochemistry revealed that cypermethrin exposure in PTZ-induced seizure rats led to marked neuronal, oligodendroglial, and myelin loss, accompanied by substantial glial activation in both cerebral white matter and corpus callosum. Interventional ingestions of VAP and Vit E, especially when combined, substantially reduced both microglial activation and reactive astrogliosis, thereby consequently preventing oligodendrocyte and neuronal loss, thus preserving both cerebral white matter and callosal myelin.

Supercomputer modeling unlocks longstanding mystery of subducted oceanic slabs

An international research collaboration has harnessed supercomputing power to better understand how massive slabs of ancient ocean floors are shaped as they sink hundreds of kilometers below Earth’s surface.

Sophisticated computer models developed by researchers in the UK, Switzerland and the U.S. have cast new light on the complex physical interactions which govern the sliding and sinking of the ancient ocean floor, also referred to as subducted slabs, through Earth’s mantle, a process known as subduction.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow led the study. Their paper, “The Role of the Overriding Plate and Mantle Viscosity Structure on Deep Slab Morphology,” is published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

Spinel-type sulfide semiconductors achieve room-temperature light emission across violet to orange spectrum

A spinel-type sulfide semiconductor that can emit light from violet to orange at room temperature has been developed by researchers at Science Tokyo, overcoming the efficiency limitations of current LED and solar cell materials. The material, (Zn, Mg)Sc2S4, can be chemically tuned to switch between n-type and p-type conduction, leading to future pn homojunction devices. This versatile semiconductor offers a practical path toward the development of more efficient LEDs and solar cells.

Novel method for controlling Faraday rotation in conductive polymers

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed a novel method for controlling the optical rotation of conductive polymer polythiophene in a magnetic field at low voltage. This method combines the “Faraday rotation” phenomenon, in which a polarizing plane rotates in response to a magnetic field, with the electrochemical oxidation and reduction of conductive polymers.

The study is published in the journal Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals.

Conductive polymers possess various properties in addition to conductivity, with applications in light-emitting devices, electromagnetic wave shielding, and anticorrosion materials.

Molecular qubits can communicate at telecom frequencies

A team of scientists from the University of Chicago, the University of California Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has developed molecular qubits that bridge the gap between light and magnetism—and operate at the same frequencies as telecommunications technology. The advance, published today in Science, establishes a promising new building block for scalable quantum technologies that can integrate seamlessly with existing fiber-optic networks.

Because the new molecular qubits can interact at telecom-band frequencies, the work points toward future quantum networks—sometimes called the “.” Such networks could enable ultra-secure communication channels, connect quantum computers across long distances, and distribute quantum sensors with unprecedented precision.

Molecular qubits could also serve as highly sensitive quantum sensors; their tiny size and chemical flexibility mean they could be embedded in unusual environments—such as —to measure magnetic fields, temperature, or pressure at the nanoscale. And because they are compatible with silicon photonics, these molecules could be integrated directly into chips, paving the way for compact quantum devices that could be used for computing, communication, or sensing.

Meet Irene Curie, the Nobel-winning atomic physicist who changed the course of modern cancer treatment

The adage goes “like mother like daughter,” and in the case of Irene Joliot-Curie, truer words were never spoken. She was the daughter of two Nobel Prize laureates, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie, and was herself awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1935 together with her husband, Frederic Joliot.

While her parents received the prize for the discovery of natural radioactivity, Irene’s prize was for the synthesis of artificial radioactivity. This discovery changed many fields of science and many aspects of our everyday lives. Artificial radioactivity is used today in medicine, agriculture, energy production, food sterilization, industrial quality control and more.

We are two nuclear physicists who perform experiments at different accelerator facilities around the world. Irene’s discovery laid the foundation for our experimental studies, which use artificial radioactivity to understand questions related to astrophysics, energy, medicine and more.

Heat-rechargeable computation in DNA logic circuits and neural networks

Heat recharges enzyme-free DNA circuits, enabling complex logic operations and neural networks to perform multiple computations, offering a universal energy source for molecular machines and advancing autonomous behaviours in artificial chemical systems.

Experiment explores contribution of neural, epigenetic and behavioral factors to autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is estimated to be experienced by roughly 1 in 127 people worldwide. It is characterized by atypical patterns in brain development, which manifest in differences in communication, social interactions, behavior and responses to sensory information.

Past neuroscientific and suggest that a variety of factors contribute to the development of ASD. These can include , chemical alterations that influence the expressions of genes (i.e., epigenetic factors), differences in the structure of specific or neural circuits, and environmental factors, such as early life events or infections or immune responses during pregnancy.

Researchers at the Korea Brain Research Institute and University of Fukui in Japan recently carried out a study aimed at further exploring these different dimensions of ASD, focusing on , the communication between brain regions, epigenetic changes and behavioral patterns. Their findings, published in Translational Psychiatry, paint a clearer picture of the intricate underpinnings of the disorder and could inform the development of more precise tools for diagnosing it.

Outdoor air exposure to industrial solvent trichloroethylene may raise risk of Parkinson’s disease

Long-term exposure to the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) outdoors may be linked to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a large nationwide study published in Neurology.

TCE is a chemical used in metal degreasing, and other industrial applications. Although TCE has been banned for certain uses, it remains in use today as an industrial solvent and is a persistent environmental pollutant in air, water and soil across the United States. The study does not prove that TCE exposure causes Parkinson’s disease, it only shows an association.

“In this nationwide study of older adults, long-term exposure to trichloroethylene in outdoor air was associated with a small but measurable increase in Parkinson’s risk,” said study author Brittany Krzyzanowski, Ph.D., of Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. “These findings add to a growing body of evidence that environmental exposures may contribute to Parkinson’s disease.”

Entangled states enhance energy transfer in models of molecular systems

A study from Rice University, published in PRX Quantum, has found that energy transfers more quickly between molecular sites when it starts in an entangled, delocalized quantum state instead of from a single site. The discovery could lead to the development of more efficient light-harvesting materials that enhance the conversion of energy from light into other forms of energy.

Many , including photosynthesis, depend on rapid and efficient energy transfer following absorption. Understanding how quantum mechanical effects like entanglement influence these processes at room temperature could significantly change our approach to creating artificial systems that mimic nature’s efficiency.

“Delocalizing the initial excitation across multiple sites accelerates the transfer in ways that starting from a single site cannot achieve,” said Guido Pagano, the study’s corresponding author and assistant professor of physics and astronomy.

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