Three-dimensional porous chromium oxide single crystals have been prepared by aminosilylation of the surface silanols of the template, SBA-15, anchoring of dichromic acid to the grafted amine groups, thermal decomposition of inorganic and organic compounds, and removal of the silica framework with HF.

Single-crystal Cr2O3 with regular mesopores has been synthesized using mesoporous silica KIT-6 as a template and characterized by using XRD, HRTEM and nitrogen adsorption/desorption.

Rationale: Cardioprotective pathways may involve a mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mitoK ATP ) channel but its composition is not fully understood. Objective: We hypothesized that the mitoK ATP channel contains a sulfonylurea receptor (SUR)2 regulatory subunit and aimed to identify the molecular structure. Methods and Results: Western blot analysis in cardiac mitochondria detected a 55-kDa mitochondrial SUR2 (mitoSUR2) short form, 2 additional short forms (28 and 68 kDa), and a 130-kDa long form. RACE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends) identified a 1.5-Kb transcript, which was generated by a nonconventional intraexonic splicing ( Key Words: K ATP channel Ⅲ SUR2 Ⅲ ischemia Ⅲ intraexonic splicing Ⅲ mitochondria A lternative splicing generates multiple mRNAs from a single gene, which are subsequently translated into diverse proteins with different structures and functions. 1 Up to 60% of mammalian genes are alternatively spliced. 2 Eukaryotic ion channel genes are known to have multiple splice variants. The ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels are ubiquitously distributed in many tissue types. Sarcolemmal K ATP (sarcK ATP ) channels consist of a potassium inward-rectifier pore-forming subunit (Kir6.0) and a sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) regulatory subunit. 3 Various isoforms and splice variants for the SUR genes have been reported. 4,5 The cardiac muscle splice variant (SUR2A) differs from the vascular smooth muscle splice variant (SUR2B) in the alternative use of the SUR2 C-terminal exon. 6,7 Subtypes of splice variants for SUR2A or SUR2B that lack exon 14 or exon 17 exist in mice 7,8 and humans. 9 Moreover, sarcolemmal SUR short variants are found in heart 10 and pancreatic ␤ cells. 11,12 The copresence of multiple splice variants increases the functional diversity and genetic complexity of K ATP channels.In addition to a sarcolemmal location, 13 the K ATP channel is present in the inner membrane of mitochondria (mitoK ATP ). 14 Both forms of channels are involved in cardioprotective pathways, 15 but earlier pharmacological evidence suggests that the mitoK ATP channel is more critical in conferring protection. 16,17 However, the molecular composition of the mitoK ATP channel is uncertain, hampering present efforts in elucidating its role in preconditioning signaling. 18 Putative mitoK ATP channel subunits in the sizes of 55 and 63

Given the advent of massively parallel DNA sequencing, human microbiome is analyzed comprehensively by metagenomic approaches. However, the inter- and intra-individual variability and stability of the human microbiome remain poorly characterized, particularly at the intra-day level. This issue is of crucial importance for studies examining the effects of microbiome on human health. Here, we focused on bacteriome of oral plaques, for which repeated, time-controlled sampling is feasible. Eighty-one supragingival plaque subjects were collected from healthy individuals, examining multiple sites within the mouth at three time points (forenoon, evening, and night) over the course of 3 days. Bacterial composition was estimated by 16S rRNA sequencing and species-level profiling, resulting in identification of a total of 162 known bacterial species. We found that species compositions and their relative abundances were similar within individuals, and not between sampling time or tooth type. This suggests that species-level oral bacterial composition differs significantly between individuals, although the number of subjects is limited and the intra-individual variation also occurs. The majority of detected bacterial species (98.2%; 159/162), however, did not fluctuate over the course of the day, implying a largely stable oral microbiome on an intra-day time scale. In fact, the stability of this data set enabled us to estimate potential interactions between rare bacteria, with 40 co-occurrences supported by the existing literature. In summary, the present study provides a valuable basis for studies of the human microbiome, with significant implications in terms of biological and clinical outcomes.