We show that contrary to this common belief, the recent advances of high-performance interference filters makes the FT-Raman design a valid alternative to dispersive Raman spectrometers for samples selleck chemical which do not luminesce. We critically compare the performance of our spectrometer to two dispersive ones: a

home-built single channel and a state-of-the-art charge coupled device-based instruments. We demonstrate a similar or even better sensitivity than the charge coupled device-based dispersive spectrometer particularly when the laser power density is considered. The instrument possesses all the known advantages of the FT principle of spectral accuracy, high throughput, and economic design. We also discuss the general considerations, which helps the community reassess the utility of the different Raman spectrometer designs. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“Nutritional programming is the process through which variation in the quality or quantity of nutrients consumed during pregnancy exerts permanent effects upon the developing fetus. Programming of fetal development is considered to be an important risk factor for non-communicable diseases of

adulthood, including coronary heart disease and other disorders related to insulin resistance. The study of programming in relation to disease processes has selleck chemicals been advanced by development of animal models, which have utilized restriction or over-feeding of specific nutrients in either rodents or sheep. These consistently demonstrate the biological plausibility of the nutritional programming hypothesis and, importantly, provide tools with which to examine the mechanisms through which programming may occur. Studies of animals subject to undernutrition in utero generally exhibit changes in the structure of key organs such as the kidney, heart and brain. These appear consistent with remodelling of development, associated with disruption of cellular proliferation

and differentiation. Whilst the causal pathways which extend from this tissue remodelling to disease can be easily understood, the processes which lead to this disordered organ development are poorly defined. Even minor variation in maternal nutritional status is capable of producing important shifts in the fetal environment. It is suggested that these environmental changes are Selleck BI6727 associated with altered expression of key genes, which are responsible for driving the tissue remodelling response and future disease risk. Nutrition-related factors may drive these processes by disturbing placental function, including control of materno-fetal endocrine exchanges, or the epigenetic regulation of gene expression.”
“Background. The use of expanded criteria donor (ECD) kidneys has been encouraged to enlarge the donor pools due to the shortage of donors. However, a major concern with ECD kidneys is poor long-term graft survival.