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The redox flow battery (RFB) is a promising technology for the long-duration storage of energy from domestic- to utility-scale. A RFB stores charge in a liquid electrolyte that is charged and discharged in an electrochemical cell reactor. Since storage and reaction site are separated, energy and power of the system can be scaled independently via electrolyte tank and cell stack dimensions. Iron as one of earth’s most abundant elements is an attractive active material, especially in symmetric RFBs using the same electrolyte on both negative and positive side of the battery. One way to realize such a system is by combining iron with redox-active ligands in non-aqueous solvents.[1],[2] We study the iron tris(2,2’-bipyridine) complex which shows a metal-centred reversible oxidation and three ligand-based reductions that are solvent-dependent.[3] The influence of electrolyte composition on charge and discharge reactions as well as on viscosity and conductivity is further investigated. Charge-discharge cycling experiments are carried out in 3-electrode H-cell and flow cell setups. We determine failure modes for the positive side due to electrode kinetics and for the negative side due to solubility changes. We propose improvements to this non-aqueous RFB system based on the selection of electrode materials and cycling conditions. [1] J. Mun et al., J. Electrochem. Soc. 2018, 165, 215-219. [2] C. X. Cammack et al., DaltonTrans . 2021, 50, 858. [3] D. M. Cabral, P. C. Howlett, D. R. MacFarlane, Electrochim. Acta 2016, 220, 347-353.

Medicare's new payment system for physicians is causing anxiety because of the short stretch of road before their performance is judged for a raise or pay cut. In the long- term, though, Medicare and most everyone else want providers to leave that new system behind. It's value-based training wheels.

A large proportion of patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI) develop chronic central neuropathic pain. Previously, we and others have shown that sensorimotor training early after SCI can prevent the development of mechanical allodynia. To determine whether training initiated in the subchronic/chronic phase remains effective, correlates of below-level neuropathic pain were analyzed in the hindpaws 5–10 weeks after a moderate T11 contusion SCI (50 kDyn) in adult female C57BL/6 mice. In a comparison of SCI and sham mice 5 weeks post-injury, about 80% of injured animals developed mechanical hypersensitivity to light mechanical stimuli, whereas testing of noxious stimuli revealed hypo-responsiveness. Thermal sensitivity testing showed a decreased response latency after injury. Without intervention, mechanical and thermal hyper-responsiveness were evident until the end of the experiment (10 weeks). In contrast, treadmill training (2 × 15 min/day; 5 × /week) initiated 6 weeks post-injury resulted in partial amelioration of pain behavior and this effect remained stable. Analysis of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)–labeled fibers in lamina III-IV of the lumbar dorsal horn revealed an increase in labeling density after SCI. This was not due to changes in the number or size distribution of CGRP-labeled lumbar dorsal root ganglion neurons. Treadmill training reduced the CGRP-labeling density in the spinal cord of injured mice, whereas the density of non-peptidergic isolectin-B4 (IB4)(+) fibers showed no changes in lamina IIi and a slight reduction of sparse IB4 labeling in laminae III-IV. Thus, sensorimotor activity initiated in the subchronic/chronic phase of SCI remains effective in ameliorating pain behavior and influencing structural changes of the nociceptive system.

Below-level central neuropathic pain (CNP) affects a large proportion of spinal cord injured individuals. To better define the dynamic changes of the spinal cord neural network contributing to the development of CNP after spinal cord injury (SCI), we characterized the morphological and behavioral correlates of CNP in female C57BL/6 mice after a moderate T11 contusion SCI (50 kdyn) and the influence of moderate physical activity. Compared with sham-operated animals, injured mice developed mechanical allodynia 2 weeks post injury when tested with small-diameter von Frey hair filaments (0.16 g and 0.4 g filament), but presented hyporesponsiveness to noxious mechanical stimuli (1.4 g filament). The mechano-sensory alterations lasted up to 35 days post injury, the longest time point examined. The response latency to heat stimuli already decreased significantly 10 days post injury reaching a plateau 2 weeks later. In contrast, injured mice developed remarkable hyposensitivity to cold stimuli. Animals that underwent moderate treadmill training (2 × 15 minutes; 5 d/wk) showed a significant reduction in the response rate to light mechanical stimuli as early as 6 days after training. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) labeling in lamina III-IV of the dorsal horn revealed significant increases in CGRP-labeling density in injured animals compared with sham control animals. Importantly, treadmill training reduced CGRP-labeling density by about 50% (P < 0.01), partially reducing the injury-induced increases. Analysis of IB4-labeled nonpeptidergic sensory fibers revealed no differences between experimental groups. Abnormalities in temperature sensation were not influenced by physical activity. Thus, treadmill training partially resolves signs of below-level CNP after SCI and modulates the density of CGRP-labeled fibers.

Nurse educators are challenged to find meaningful methods to teach spirituality throughout the curriculum. Simulation is one teaching strategy that offers real-life situations in a less threatening environment. This article offers a simulation of a client in spiritual distress and describes student responses using the Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR) tool. Simulation can be used to help students develop critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills for spiritual care.

In my paper I will focus on the last years of the Nazi regime after the conclusion of mass deportations in the fall of 1942 in Vienna. This period has often been neglected in historic research of Jewish life in Austria during the Nazi regime, since it was indeed a very peculiar remnant of the Jewish population that was able to remain in Vienna under precarious circumstances. Most of these people defined Jewish by Nazi laws were living in so called ‘mixed marriages' with a non-Jewish (‘Aryan') partner or were protected by an ‘Aryan' parent. Since Jews were not allowed to be treated in hospitals nor to be accommodated in old-age homes, a small fragment of the Jewish population was able to remain in Vienna without the protection of an ‘Aryan' family member, working in the remaining institutions of the former Jewish community. After the deportation of the majority of the Austrian Jewish population, the Jewish community in Vienna was officially dissolved and reorganized as so-called ‘Council of elders' in Nove...

Progress toward fixing a broken back? Axon regeneration after a spinal cord injury requires interference with neuronal mechanisms to promote axon extension and early suppression of scar formation. Microtubule stabilization could provide, in principle, a basis for such intervention. Ruschel et al. used animal models of spinal cord injury, time-lapse imaging in vivo, primary neuronal cultures, and behavioral studies to tackle this challenge (see the Perspective by Tran and Silver). They showed that epothilone B, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved microtubule-stabilizing drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier, does promote functional axon regeneration, even after injury. Science , this issue p. 347 ; see also p. 285

Les signataires de cet article sont doctorant-es au sein de l’EA « Litterature, histoires, esthetique » de l’Universite Paris 8. Leurs recherches s’inscrivent dans la double dynamique du premier numero consacre a la litterature exposee (Litterature n° 160, 2010/4) et du master de creation litteraire de l’Universite Paris 8. Ce collectif a choisi la voie de l’auto-entretien pour tresser des liens entre leurs theses respectives, chacun-e prenant en charge une dimension specifique de la « litterature exposee » : les dispositifs poetiques, la performance, la conference-performance, la bande dessinee exposee, l’art contemporain du livre, la notion de terrain, le contrat S/M litteraire. Il en ressort un plaidoyer pour une approche pragmatique de la litterature.

Central sensitization and network hyperexcitability of the nociceptive system is a basic mechanism of neuropathic pain. We hypothesize that development of cortical hyperexcitability underlying neuropathic pain may involve homeostatic plasticity in response to lesion-induced somatosensory deprivation and activity loss, and can be controlled by enhancing cortical activity. In a mouse model of neuropathic pain, in vivo two-photon imaging and patch clamp recording showed initial loss and subsequent recovery and enhancement of spontaneous firings of somatosensory cortical pyramidal neurons. Unilateral optogenetic stimulation of cortical pyramidal neurons both prevented and reduced pain-like behavior as detected by bilateral mechanical hypersensitivity of hindlimbs, but corpus callosotomy eliminated the analgesic effect that was ipsilateral, but not contralateral, to optogenetic stimulation, suggesting involvement of inter-hemispheric excitatory drive in this effect. Enhancing activity by focally blocking cortical GABAergic inhibition had a similar relieving effect on the pain-like behavior. Patch clamp recordings from layer V pyramidal neurons showed that optogenetic stimulation normalized cortical hyperexcitability through changing neuronal membrane properties and reducing frequency of excitatory postsynaptic events. We conclude that development of neuropathic pain involves abnormal homeostatic activity regulation of somatosensory cortex, and that enhancing cortical excitatory activity may be a novel strategy for preventing and controlling neuropathic pain.

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) store energy in liquid redox-active electrolytes which are charged and discharged while flowing through an electrochemical cell. This separation of storage and reaction sites enables flexible scalability of power and energy density. [1] Research suggests that non-aqueous RFB systems offer a promising combination of cost and performance for stationary applications, such as storage of excess renewable energy from domestic- to grid-scale [2]. In this work, we investigate a RFB based on the iron(II)-tris(2,2’-bipyridine) bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide complex, which shows one metal-centred oxidation process and up to three ligand-centred reduction processes, providing 2.4 V cell potential [3]. Using the same active material on both positive and negative sides of the cell mitigates the detrimental effects of cross-over through the separator membrane. These redox processes are solvent-dependent [3] and their electrochemistry was studied in a range of aprotic single and mixed solvents, some already used in lithium-ion batteries [4]. Since energy density is determined by the cell potential and the concentration of the active material, the solubility of the reduced and oxidated states of the complex was examined by UV/vis spectroscopy. Furthermore, conductivity and viscosity were measured over a range of temperatures. In RFBs, the dynamic viscosity of the electrolyte influences not just the conductivity but also affects the power required to pump the electrolyte. Cost, safety and environmental impact were considered as well. References: [1] L. F. Arenas, C. Ponce de León, F. C. Walsh, J. Energy Storage 2017, 11, 119-153. [2] R. Dmello, J. D. Milshtein, F. R. Brushett, K. C. Smith, J. Power Sources 2016, 330, 261-272. [3] D. M. Cabral, P. C. Howlett, D. R. MacFarlane, Electrochim. Acta 2016, 220, 347-353. [4] K. Xu, Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 4303-4417. Figure 1

This is the second part of a review summarizing progress and prospects in gene therapy clinical research. Twenty key diseases/strategies are succinctly described and commented on by leaders in the field. This part includes clinical trials for skin diseases, neurological disorders, HIV/AIDS, ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency, haemophilia and cancer.

Grafting of cell-seeded alginate capillary hydrogels into a spinal cord lesion site provides an axonal bridge while physically directing regenerating axonal growth in a linear pattern. However, without an additional growth stimulus, bridging axons fail to extend into the distal host spinal cord. Here we examined whether a combinatory strategy would support regeneration of descending axons across a cervical (C5) lateral hemisection lesion in the rat spinal cord. Following spinal cord transections, Schwann cell (SC)-seeded alginate hydrogels were grafted to the lesion site and AAV5 expressing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) under control of a tetracycline-regulated promoter was injected caudally. In addition, we examined whether SC injection into the caudal spinal parenchyma would further enhance regeneration of descending axons to re-enter the host spinal cord. Our data show that both serotonergic and descending axons traced by biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) extend throughout the scaffolds. The number of regenerating axons is significantly increased when caudal BDNF expression is activated and transient BDNF delivery is able to sustain axons after gene expression is switched off. Descending axons are confined to the caudal graft/host interface even with continuous BDNF expression for 8 weeks. Only with a caudal injection of SCs, a pathway facilitating axonal regeneration through the host/graft interface is generated allowing axons to successfully re-enter the caudal spinal cord. Statement of Significance Recovery from spinal cord injury is poor due to the limited regeneration observed in the adult mammalian central nervous system. Biomaterials, cell transplantation and growth factors that can guide axons across a lesion site, provide a cellular substrate, stimulate axon growth and have shown some promise in increasing the growth distance of regenerating axons. In the present study, we combined an alginate biomaterial with linear channels with transplantation of Schwann cells within and beyond the lesion site and injection of a regulatable vector for the transient expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Our data show that only with the full combination axons extend across the lesion site and that expression of BDNF beyond 4 weeks does not further increase the number of regenerating axons.

On April 26-27, 2013, the Step by Step Foundation hosted the Second International Spinal Cord Repair Meeting at the Fira Barcelona Convention Center in Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain, highlighting some of the exciting research including clinical trials which show promise for treatments for this devastating disorder. This meeting brought together clinicians, clinical scientists and molecular biologists from more than 10 countries to evaluate current knowledge on clinical, cellular, and biomolecular aspects of spinal cord injury. A major goal of the conference in advancing the translation of research data to the clinic was to promote multi-pronged approaches for therapy of this complex problem.

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Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) secrete soluble factors that stimulate the surrounding microenvironment. Such paracrine effects might underlie the potential benefits of many stem cell therapies. We tested the hypothesis that MSC are able to enhance intrinsic cellular plasticity in the adult rat hippocampus.Rat bone marrow-derived MSC were labeled with very small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (VSOP), which allowed for non-invasive graft localization by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Moreover, MSC were transduced with lentiviral vectors to express the green fluorescent protein (GFP). The effects of bilateral MSC transplantation on hippocampal cellular plasticity were assessed using the thymidine analogs 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IdU). Behavioral testing was performed to examine the consequences of intrahippocampal MSC transplantation on locomotion, learning and memory, and anxiety-like and depression-like behavior.We found that intrahippocampal transplantation of MSC resulted in enhanced neurogenesis despite short-term graft survival. In contrast, systemic administration of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor citalopram increased cell survival but did not affect cell proliferation. Intrahippocampal transplantation of MSC did not impair behavioral functions in rats, but only citalopram exerted anti-depressant effects.This is the first study to examine the effects of intrahippocampal transplantation of allogeneic MSC on hippocampal structural plasticity and behavioral functions in rats combined with non-invasive cell tracking by MRI. We found that iron oxide nanoparticles can be used to detect transplanted MSC in the brain. Although graft survival was short, intrahippocampal transplantation of MSC resulted in long-term changes in hippocampal plasticity. Our results suggest that MSC can be used to stimulate adult neurogenesis.

SummaryNeural stem cells (NSCs) expressing GFP were embedded into fibrin matrices containing growth factor cocktails and grafted to sites of severe spinal cord injury. Grafted cells differentiated into multiple cellular phenotypes, including neurons, which extended large numbers of axons over remarkable distances. Extending axons formed abundant synapses with host cells. Axonal growth was partially dependent on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), but not Nogo signaling. Grafted neurons supported formation of electrophysiological relays across sites of complete spinal transection, resulting in functional recovery. Two human stem cell lines (566RSC and HUES7) embedded in growth-factor-containing fibrin exhibited similar growth, and 566RSC cells supported functional recovery. Thus, properties intrinsic to early-stage neurons can overcome the inhibitory milieu of the injured adult spinal cord to mount remarkable axonal growth, resulting in formation of new relay circuits that significantly improve function. These therapeutic properties extend across stem cell sources and species.

Study Type – Aetiology (case control) Level of Evidence 2b OBJECTIVE To evaluate the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms after various reconstruction techniques in rats, to improve the understanding of neuronal repair mechanisms after radical prostatectomy, as Schwann cell-seeded guidance tubes have been shown to promote cavernous nerve regeneration, and glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-overexpressing Schwann cells enhance nerve regenerative capacity. MATERIALS AND METHODS Segments (5 mm) of the cavernous nerve were excised bilaterally, followed by immediate bilateral microsurgical reconstruction. In four rats per group, the eight nerves were reconstructed by autologous nerve grafting (A), interposition of Schwann cell-seeded silicon tubes (B), or silicon tubes seeded with GDNF-hypersecreting Schwann cells (C). Further rats were either sham-operated (D) or had nerve excision without repair (E). Erectile function was evaluated after 6 weeks by re-laparotomy, electrical nerve stimulation and morphological evaluation of reconstructed nerves. NOS isoform mRNA expression was analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in tissue specimens taken from the corpora cavernosa. RESULTS GDNF-transduced Schwann cell grafts restored erectile function better than untransduced Schwann cell and autologous nerve grafts (88% vs 75% vs 38%; not significant). Tissue specimens in group C had the highest expression of neuronal NOS mRNA in relation to the neuronal marker PGP9.5 among all treatment groups (not significant). Compared to nerve grafts (A) and negative controls (E) nNOS/PGP9.5 expression was significantly higher (P < 0.05). Both inducible NOS and endothelial NOS expression did not differ significantly among the various groups. Morphological evaluation showed significantly larger cross-sectional areas and a higher percentage of neural tissue than in untransduced Schwann cell grafts (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Restoration of erectile function is paralleled by an increase of neuronal NOS expression in rats. Further experiments will determine the physiological role of neuronal NOS in erectile nerve repair processes.

Primate models of spinal cord injury differ from rodent models in several respects, including the relative size and functional neuroanatomy of spinal projections. Fundamental differences in scale raise the possibility that retrograde injury signals, and treatments applied at the level of the spinal cord that exhibit efficacy in rodents, may fail to influence neurons at the far greater distances of primate systems. Thus, we examined both local and remote neuronal responses to neurotrophic factor-secreting cell grafts placed within sites of right C7 hemisection lesions in the rhesus macaque. Six months after gene delivery of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) into C7 lesion sites, we found both local effects of growth factors on axonal growth, and remote effects of growth factors reflected in significant reductions in axotomy-induced atrophy of large pyramidal neurons within the primary motor cortex. Additional examination in a rodent model suggested that BDNF, rather than NT-3, mediated remote protection of corticospinal neurons in the brain. Thus, injured neural systems retain the ability to respond to growth signals over the extended distances of the primate CNS, promoting local axonal growth and preventing lesion-induced neuronal degeneration at a distance. Remote cortical effects of spinally administered growth factors could "prime" the neuron to respond to experimental therapies that promote axonal plasticity or regeneration.

A principal objective of spinal cord injury (SCI) research is the restoration of axonal connectivity to denervated targets. We tested the hypothesis that chemotropic mechanisms would guide regenerating spinal cord axons to appropriate brainstem targets. We subjected rats to cervical level 1 (C1) lesions and combinatorial treatments to elicit axonal bridging into and beyond lesion sites. Lentiviral vectors expressing neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) were then injected into an appropriate brainstem target, the nucleus gracilis, and an inappropriate target, the reticular formation. NT-3 expression in the correct target led to reinnervation of the nucleus gracilis in a dose-related fashion, whereas NT-3 expression in the reticular formation led to mistargeting of regenerating axons. Axons regenerating into the nucleus gracilis formed axodendritic synapses containing rounded vesicles, reflective of pre-injury synaptic architecture. Thus, we report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the reinnervation of brainstem targets after SCI and an essential role for chemotropic axon guidance in target selection.

Zusammenfassung: Von 123 Personen mit Hefepilz-positiven Stuhlbefunden, die im Rahmen einer Routineuntersuchung von Februar bis September 1984 untersucht wurden, konnten 38 Patienten, die uber 10 Tage mit Nystatin (Moronal®) behandelt wurden, langfristig beobachtet werden. Bei der Kontrolluntersuchung nach 3–4 Monaten konnten bei 34% (13/38 Patienten) keine Hefepilze mehr nachgewiesen werden. Die Bestimmung der Minimalen Hemmkonzentration (MHK) last keine Aussage uber einen Therapieerfolg zu. Bei Patienten, die bei der Kontroiluntersuchung einen Hefepilz-positiven Stuhlbefund aufwiesen, konnte eine signifikante Erhohung der MHK der Hefepilze um 1–2 Verdunnungsstufen festgestellt werden. Resistente Stamme wurden nicht beobachtet. Summary: From a total of 123 persons with positive yeast findings in their feces, found during a routine medical examination carried out from February to September 1984, it was possible to observe over an extended period of time 38 patients who had received treatment with Nystatin (Moronal®) over a period of 10 days. No yeasts could be found in 34% (13/18 patients) at the control examination after 3–4 months. The determination of minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) allows no statement to be made on therapy success. In patients showing positive yeast findings in their feces at the control examination, a significant increase of the MIC of the yeasts by 1–2 dilution steps could be established. Resistant strains were not observed.