Bioelectricity最新文献

The ever-increasing annual consumption of electrical energy for daily activities will unavoidably harm the financial well-being of individuals. Nonetheless, the availability of fuel sources that generate electrical energy including fossil fuels, oil, and coal remains decreasing, which results in becoming scarcer than ever. Conversely, fruits are one of the strategies that shed light on renewable energy source alternatives, considering the increasing studies of developments of fruits as energy sources in the few past decades. In this study, we review the extensive body of literature on prospective and potential components of fruits that can produce renewable electrical energy sources. It focuses on a fundamental for a comprehensive understanding of types of fruits, the synthesis process, and the mechanisms governing that fruits can generate electrical energy sources. Furthermore, this study outlines the challenges, plausible solutions, and prospects of the potential fruits that are sources of renewable energy for simple electricity production.

The following is a brief report of the inaugural Worldwide Sodium Channels Conference, held in Grindelwald, Switzerland, in January 2024. This excellent in-person conference followed the highly successful online Worldwide Sodium Channel Seminars series which started following the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021. We present here our highlights of the 45 presentations delivered over the two-and-a-half-day conference, focusing on key outputs from each of the eight sessions.

Objective: To determine whether adjuvant transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibition with pirfenidone (PFD) can mitigate ureteral wall scarring and related complications in a rat model of upper urinary tract ablation with irreversible electroporation (IRE).

Methods: Transmural ablation of the ureter was performed with IRE in 24 rats. Post-IRE, animals were randomly assigned to receive PFD or no drug, followed by euthanasia at 2-, 5-, or 10-days. The complete urinary tract was extracted, and the dimensions of kidney and ureter were measured. Immunohistochemistry was performed to quantify collagen deposition, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) (myofibroblasts in ureter and kidney) and TGF-β (ureter only).

Results: Enlargement of the kidney and ureteral dilatation were apparent during gross necropsy of rats from both cohorts. The changes in anatomical measurements were significantly reduced in rats receiving PFD at Day 5 and 10 (p = 0.02 and 0.04, respectively). Collagen levels in the ureters gradually increased in rats from both cohorts at Day 2 and 5, but started to reduce by Day 10 in rats receiving PFD when compared with no treatment (p = 0.04). Myofibroblast levels and TGF-β staining in the ureters was lower in rats receiving PFD on Day 5 and 10, respectively (p < 0.01). Collagen levels and myofibroblast staining of the kidneys from rats receiving PFD was significantly lower than control on Days 5 and 10.

Conclusion: Adjuvant PFD can reduce myofibroblast activity and ureteral fibrosis at the site of IRE ablation, enabling safe soft tissue ablation adjacent or involving the upper urinary tract.

The Membrane Physiology Symposium was created with the goal of joining basic research with technology companies, where questions and conversations are open and welcomed in a universal language. For many years, academic physiology research areas have been naturally siloed into their own niche communities, which can surely be beneficial. Linking different technological application areas with varied research sectors is an integral formula for successful scientific breakthroughs. The meeting covers a wide variety of topics related to channelopathies, neurological and cardiac disease, drug development, and therapeutic applications, with research programs represented by core academic facilities, medical science institutions, small and large pharmaceutical enterprises, as well as novel cell-based and reagent providers. For this reason, gathering the brightest minds of all relevant fields in one integrative forum is essential for new avenues of discovery, development, and process optimization to occur.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is an innovative physical method for food processing characterized by low energy consumption and short processing time. This technology represents a sustainable procedure to extend food shelf-life, enhance mass transfer, or modify food structure. The main mechanism of action of PEF for food processing is the increment of the permeability of the cell membranes by electroporation. However, it has also been shown that PEF may modify the technological and functional properties of proteins. Generating a high-intensity electric field necessitates the flow of an electric current that may have side effects such as electrochemical reactions and temperature increments due to the Joule effect that may affect food components such as proteins. This article presents a critical review of the knowledge on the extraction of proteins assisted by PEF and the impact of these treatments on protein composition, structure, and functionality. The required research for understanding what happens to a protein when it is under the action of a high-intensity electric field and to know if the mechanism of action of PEF on proteins is different from thermal or electrochemical effects is underlying.