α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone directly increases the plasma calcitonin level and involves calcium metabolism in goldfish

International Aquatic Research - The effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) on calcium metabolism were examined with goldfish. The scales on the left side of goldfish bodies...     

Serum parathyroid hormone and calcitonin levels in racehorses with fracture

Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) levels in fractured racehorses were measured by radioimmunoassay. Racehorses with fracture of large bone such as the radius, third metacarpus, third carpus, digital bone or tibia, showed normal PTH level and elevated CT level in the serum. Serum PTH level was slightly higher in racehorses with sesamoid bone fracture compared to that of healthy racehorses, but not statistically significant. Moreover, serum CT level of racehorses with sesamoid bone fracture was significantly higher than that of healthy racehorses. Racehorses with sesamoid bone fracture and large bone fracture might be in different conditions of calcium regulation.     

Synthesis of self-pillared zeolite nanosheets by repetitive branching

Hierarchical zeolites are a class of microporous catalysts and adsorbents that also contain mesopores, which allow for fast transport of bulky molecules and thereby enable improved performance in petrochemical and biomass processing. We used repetitive branching during one-step hydrothermal crystal growth to synthesize a new hierarchical zeolite made of orthogonally connected microporous nanosheets. The nanosheets are 2 nanometers thick and contain a network of 0.5-nanometer micropores. The house-of-cards arrangement of the nanosheets creates a permanent network of 2- to 7-nanometer mesopores, which, along with the high external surface area and reduced micropore diffusion length, account for higher reaction rates for bulky molecules relative to those of other mesoporous and conventional MFI zeolites.