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  • OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY To identify the pathogenic gene and mutation site of a Chinese family with congenital cataract. METHODS Eight family members and 100 controls were employed, and targeted exome sequencing was used to identify the genetically pathogenic factor of the proband. RESULTS Targeted next-generation sequencing identified a novel missense mutation c.209A>C (p.Q70P) of CRYBB1 gene in the family. Sanger sequencing results showed that this heterozygous mutation was a causative mutation, which was not found in unaffected family members and healthy controls. Bioinformatics predicts that the effect of this mutation on protein function is probably harmful. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that c.209A>C of CRYBB1 gene is a pathogenic mutation in the family of congenital nuclear cataract in this study. This is the first report that this mutation leads to congenital nuclear cataract, which broadens the mutation spectrum of CRYBB1 gene in congenital nuclear cataract.Background In AUGUSTUS, patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and/or those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) had less bleeding with apixaban than vitamin K antagonist (VKA) and with placebo than aspirin, however, the number of ischemic events was numerically higher with placebo. The aim of this analysis is to assess the tradeoff of risk (bleeding) and benefit (ischemic events) over time with apixaban versus VKA and aspirin versus placebo. Methods In AUGUSTUS, 4614 patients with AF and recent ACS and/or PCI on a P2Y12 inhibitor were randomized to blinded aspirin or placebo and to open-label apixaban or VKA for 6 months. In a post-hoc analysis, we compared the risk of 3 composite bleeding outcomes and 3 composite ischemic outcomes from randomization through 30 days and from 30 days to 6 months with apixaban and VKA and with aspirin and placebo. Results Compared with VKA, apixaban had either lower or similar risk of bleeding and ischemic outcomes fromr an ACS and/or PCI in patients with AF receiving oral anticoagulation. Clinical Trial Registration URL https//clinicaltrials.gov Unique Identifier NCT02415400.Objectives This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of suicidal ideation and associated factors in older persons with dementia living at home in eight European countries, and its association with quality of life. Furthermore, changes in suicidal ideation over time were investigated.Methods This cohort study (n = 1,223) was part of the European "RightTimePlaceCare" project conducted in 2010-2013. Participating countries were Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Baseline and follow-up data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression.Results The occurrence of suicidal ideation in the participating countries varied between 6% and 24%. Factors significantly (p  less then  0.0018) associated with suicidal ideation using bivariate analysis were nationality, depressive symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, agitation, anxiety, apathy, disinhibition, irritability, night-time behaviour disturbances, anxiolytics and anti-dementia medication. In the multivariate regression analysis, country of origin, moderate stage of the dementia, depressive and delusional symptoms, and anti-dementia medication were significantly associated with suicidal ideation (p  less then  0.05). Over time, suicidal ideation decreased from severe to mild or became absent in 54% of the persons with dementia.Conclusion It is essential that professionals identify older persons with dementia and suicidal ideation and depressive and other psychological symptoms in order to give them appropriate treatment and provide relief for their informal caregivers. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/way-309236-a.html We emphasize the importance of identifying suicidal ideation, irrespective of depressive symptoms, and specifically of paying attention to persons with moderate dementia. Living with the informal caregiver seems to be associated with staying stable without suicidal ideation.Background and Objectives Based on the results of past research on emotion regulation and positive behavioral change via self-affirmation, it was hypothesized that self-affirmation should help socially anxious individuals to reduce social anxiety symptoms. The effectiveness of a brief self-affirmation intervention framed in terms of implementation intentions (if-then plans with self-affirming cognitions) was compared against forming non-affirming implementation intentions (with distraction as a way of coping) and inactive control condition. Additionally, it was tested whether mental contrasting can augment the impact of the self-affirmation intervention.Design/Methods Participants (N = 198, aged 18-45) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention conditions (self-affirming implementation intention, mental contrasting with self-affirming implementation intention, or non-affirming implementation intention) or an inactive control-group. Social anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline and at one-week post-intervention.Results The difference between the interventions and the control group was substantial. However, there were no differences in the reduction of overall social anxiety levels between the interventions. Each of the interventions produced a statistically significant reduction in social anxiety (Cohen's ds from -.40 to -.50).Conclusions The results indicate no advantage for self-affirming over non-affirming implementation intentions in reducing social anxiety symptoms. Moreover, no superiority of mental contrasting was found.Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises about 10-20% of all diagnosed breast cancers. Increasing evidence shows that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, can influence the development, progression, and prognosis of TNBC In Vivo and In Vitro; however, clinical evidence supporting the effect of ω-3PUFAs on TNBC is lacking. Research has demonstrated that ω-3PUFAs can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathway, and that ω-3PUFAs can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. Using ω-3PUFA supplementation in addition to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer may result in enhanced anti-tumor effects that will be particularly applicable to difficult to treat phenotypes such as TNBC. The aim of the current review was to summarize the evidence-base supporting the antitumor effects of omega-3 PUFAs in TNBC.
    OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY To identify the pathogenic gene and mutation site of a Chinese family with congenital cataract. METHODS Eight family members and 100 controls were employed, and targeted exome sequencing was used to identify the genetically pathogenic factor of the proband. RESULTS Targeted next-generation sequencing identified a novel missense mutation c.209A>C (p.Q70P) of CRYBB1 gene in the family. Sanger sequencing results showed that this heterozygous mutation was a causative mutation, which was not found in unaffected family members and healthy controls. Bioinformatics predicts that the effect of this mutation on protein function is probably harmful. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that c.209A>C of CRYBB1 gene is a pathogenic mutation in the family of congenital nuclear cataract in this study. This is the first report that this mutation leads to congenital nuclear cataract, which broadens the mutation spectrum of CRYBB1 gene in congenital nuclear cataract.Background In AUGUSTUS, patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and/or those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) had less bleeding with apixaban than vitamin K antagonist (VKA) and with placebo than aspirin, however, the number of ischemic events was numerically higher with placebo. The aim of this analysis is to assess the tradeoff of risk (bleeding) and benefit (ischemic events) over time with apixaban versus VKA and aspirin versus placebo. Methods In AUGUSTUS, 4614 patients with AF and recent ACS and/or PCI on a P2Y12 inhibitor were randomized to blinded aspirin or placebo and to open-label apixaban or VKA for 6 months. In a post-hoc analysis, we compared the risk of 3 composite bleeding outcomes and 3 composite ischemic outcomes from randomization through 30 days and from 30 days to 6 months with apixaban and VKA and with aspirin and placebo. Results Compared with VKA, apixaban had either lower or similar risk of bleeding and ischemic outcomes fromr an ACS and/or PCI in patients with AF receiving oral anticoagulation. Clinical Trial Registration URL https//clinicaltrials.gov Unique Identifier NCT02415400.Objectives This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of suicidal ideation and associated factors in older persons with dementia living at home in eight European countries, and its association with quality of life. Furthermore, changes in suicidal ideation over time were investigated.Methods This cohort study (n = 1,223) was part of the European "RightTimePlaceCare" project conducted in 2010-2013. Participating countries were Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Baseline and follow-up data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression.Results The occurrence of suicidal ideation in the participating countries varied between 6% and 24%. Factors significantly (p  less then  0.0018) associated with suicidal ideation using bivariate analysis were nationality, depressive symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, agitation, anxiety, apathy, disinhibition, irritability, night-time behaviour disturbances, anxiolytics and anti-dementia medication. In the multivariate regression analysis, country of origin, moderate stage of the dementia, depressive and delusional symptoms, and anti-dementia medication were significantly associated with suicidal ideation (p  less then  0.05). Over time, suicidal ideation decreased from severe to mild or became absent in 54% of the persons with dementia.Conclusion It is essential that professionals identify older persons with dementia and suicidal ideation and depressive and other psychological symptoms in order to give them appropriate treatment and provide relief for their informal caregivers. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/way-309236-a.html We emphasize the importance of identifying suicidal ideation, irrespective of depressive symptoms, and specifically of paying attention to persons with moderate dementia. Living with the informal caregiver seems to be associated with staying stable without suicidal ideation.Background and Objectives Based on the results of past research on emotion regulation and positive behavioral change via self-affirmation, it was hypothesized that self-affirmation should help socially anxious individuals to reduce social anxiety symptoms. The effectiveness of a brief self-affirmation intervention framed in terms of implementation intentions (if-then plans with self-affirming cognitions) was compared against forming non-affirming implementation intentions (with distraction as a way of coping) and inactive control condition. Additionally, it was tested whether mental contrasting can augment the impact of the self-affirmation intervention.Design/Methods Participants (N = 198, aged 18-45) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention conditions (self-affirming implementation intention, mental contrasting with self-affirming implementation intention, or non-affirming implementation intention) or an inactive control-group. Social anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline and at one-week post-intervention.Results The difference between the interventions and the control group was substantial. However, there were no differences in the reduction of overall social anxiety levels between the interventions. Each of the interventions produced a statistically significant reduction in social anxiety (Cohen's ds from -.40 to -.50).Conclusions The results indicate no advantage for self-affirming over non-affirming implementation intentions in reducing social anxiety symptoms. Moreover, no superiority of mental contrasting was found.Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises about 10-20% of all diagnosed breast cancers. Increasing evidence shows that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, can influence the development, progression, and prognosis of TNBC In Vivo and In Vitro; however, clinical evidence supporting the effect of ω-3PUFAs on TNBC is lacking. Research has demonstrated that ω-3PUFAs can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathway, and that ω-3PUFAs can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. Using ω-3PUFA supplementation in addition to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer may result in enhanced anti-tumor effects that will be particularly applicable to difficult to treat phenotypes such as TNBC. The aim of the current review was to summarize the evidence-base supporting the antitumor effects of omega-3 PUFAs in TNBC.
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  • These results also demonstrate that HCAR1 in the brain is a potential therapeutic target in an experimental in vitro model of glutamate damage, which is strongly associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common hematological malignancy among adults and is characterized by accumulation of immature myeloid cells. Different genetic factors have role in the occurrence of AML. Among different proteins, RUNX1 and BAALC are involved in the development AML. It has been shown that BAALC overexpression is a factor that indicate shorter disease free survival in a subset of AML patients. RUNX1 has been implicated in the development of breast, prostate, lung, and skin cancers. The aim of this study is determination of the prevalence of common polymorphisms in BAALC (rs6999622 and rs62527607) and RUNX1 (rs13051066 and rs61750222) in AML patients compared with healthy subjects. A total of 100 AML patients and 100 healthy control subjects were included in our study. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood and the polymorphisms were genotyped by applying ARMS and PCR-RFLP methods. Finally, data was analyzed using SPPSS software. Our results demonstrate a significant association between the RUNX1 rs13051066 and AML in the co-dominant (odd ratio = 6.66, 95% Cl = 1.85-25, p = .006) and dominant (GT + TT versus GG odd ratio = 6.15, 95% CI = 1.73-21.87, p = .002) models. The RUNX1 rs13051066 polymorphism is associated with risk of AML in Iranian population. Future studies should consider larger sample size for assessment of RUNX1 gene polymorphisms, and employ cytogenetic and molecular analyses in AML patients from different ethnic origins. In view of the current demand for rapid detection and identification of pathogens, point-of-care testing (POCT) with fast portability, low consumption, and increased sensitivity and specificity has become more and more popular. The emerging nucleic acid isothermal amplification technology (NAIAT) has shown potential advantages in the development of rapid microbial detection. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/CAL-101.html In this study, a micro-detection slide system was developed based on the NAIAT of various nucleic acids of shrimp pathogens. The system included a micro-detection slide with 48 identical detecting cells precoated with all detection reagents, except the sample template. The process of producing the micro-detection slides mainly combined super-hydrophobic/super-oleophobic and super-hydrophilic materials to obtain separated spaces for detection, and aerosol pollution was eliminated in the form of water-in-oil. The micro-detection slide system was capable of simultaneously detecting 4 groups of samples and 8 important shrimp pathogens and is a relatively low-cost, portable, and high-throughput nucleic acid (RNA and DNA) detection technology. The establishment of this technology will provide key technical support for the construction of biosecurity systems for healthy shrimp culture. The pharma industry designs increasingly less cytochrome P450 dependent and more metabolically stable drugs, and consequently UGT-metabolism becomes more frequently involved. This study compares two glucuronidation RAF-scaling approaches, product formation and substrate depletion, regarding their potential for prediction of in vivo DDI and the relative contribution of UGT-mediated phase II reactions in an industrial setting. RAFs were developed for UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A9, 2B7 and 2B15 recombinant UGT isoforms and a large 150-donor pooled human liver microsome batch. The RAF-values ranged from small values of 0.06 (UGT1A3), over 0.24 and 0.48 (UGT1A9 and UGT1A4), to values around 1 (1.11 for UGT2B7, 1.14 for UGT1A1), and high RAFs of 4.8 (UGT1A6) and 6.57 (UGT2B15). Both approaches identified the same primarily involved isoforms (≥75% relative contribution) of five clinical reference compounds (raloxifene, haloperidol, laropiprant, telmisartan and naloxone), in concordance with reported in vitro (R2=0.65) and clinical results for UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A9, 2B7 and 2B15. This study is distinctive in that it's reporting the glucuronide formation in addition to substrate depletion. The product formation approach proved more sensitive and enables UGT phenotyping of slowly metabolized drugs, additionally it allows identification of structurally different glucuronides. Poor solubility and low dissolution rate of pharmaceuticals in many cases largely limit their bioavailability and efficacy. One of the promising approaches to improve dissolution behavior is to develop new multicomponent solid forms. Herein we use this strategy to synthesize new multicomponent solids of dapsone (DAP), which belongs to BCS class IV, with a series of hydroxybenzoic acid coformers. A new salt of DAP with 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid (26DHBA) and four eutectics with other hydroxybenzoic acids were reported through comprehensive characterizations using PXRD, DSC, and vibrational spectroscopy techniques. The salt formation was evidenced by the presence of ionic interactions detected using FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy, and the stoichiometric ratio was determined to be 11. Binary phase diagrams were established to determine the composition of eutectics. The cause for salt and eutectic selection was further understood by computing molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surface where 26DHBA shows the greatest acidity. Moreover, the powder dissolution study and microenvironment pH measurement reveal that both salt and eutectics of DAP display improvements on the dissolution rate and equilibrium concentration in which the acidity of coformers plays a dominant role. Our findings provide a direction for future coformer screening of multicomponent solids with improved pharmaceutical properties. Despite advances in cancer treatment modalities, DNA still stands as one of the targets for anticancer agents. DNA minor groove binders (MGBs) represent an important investigational chemotherapeutic class with promising cytotoxic capacity. Herein this study reports the potent cytotoxic effect of a series of repurposed flexible bis-imidamides 1-4, triaryl bis-guanidine 5 and bis-N-substituted guanidines 6,7 having a 1,4-diphenoxybenzene scaffold backbone on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Of these compounds, imidamide 4 was chosen for further in-vitro, in-vivo and molecular dynamics (MD) studies owing to its promising anti-tumor activity, with IC50 values on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines of 1.9 and 2.08 μM, respectively. Annexin V/propidium iodide apoptosis assay revealed apoptosis induction on imidamide 4 treated MCF-7 cells. RT-PCR assay results demonstrated the proapoptotic effect of compound 4 through increase of mRNA levels of the pro-apoptotic genes; p53, PUMA, and Bax, and inhibiting the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene expression in MCF-7 cells.
    These results also demonstrate that HCAR1 in the brain is a potential therapeutic target in an experimental in vitro model of glutamate damage, which is strongly associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common hematological malignancy among adults and is characterized by accumulation of immature myeloid cells. Different genetic factors have role in the occurrence of AML. Among different proteins, RUNX1 and BAALC are involved in the development AML. It has been shown that BAALC overexpression is a factor that indicate shorter disease free survival in a subset of AML patients. RUNX1 has been implicated in the development of breast, prostate, lung, and skin cancers. The aim of this study is determination of the prevalence of common polymorphisms in BAALC (rs6999622 and rs62527607) and RUNX1 (rs13051066 and rs61750222) in AML patients compared with healthy subjects. A total of 100 AML patients and 100 healthy control subjects were included in our study. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood and the polymorphisms were genotyped by applying ARMS and PCR-RFLP methods. Finally, data was analyzed using SPPSS software. Our results demonstrate a significant association between the RUNX1 rs13051066 and AML in the co-dominant (odd ratio = 6.66, 95% Cl = 1.85-25, p = .006) and dominant (GT + TT versus GG odd ratio = 6.15, 95% CI = 1.73-21.87, p = .002) models. The RUNX1 rs13051066 polymorphism is associated with risk of AML in Iranian population. Future studies should consider larger sample size for assessment of RUNX1 gene polymorphisms, and employ cytogenetic and molecular analyses in AML patients from different ethnic origins. In view of the current demand for rapid detection and identification of pathogens, point-of-care testing (POCT) with fast portability, low consumption, and increased sensitivity and specificity has become more and more popular. The emerging nucleic acid isothermal amplification technology (NAIAT) has shown potential advantages in the development of rapid microbial detection. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/CAL-101.html In this study, a micro-detection slide system was developed based on the NAIAT of various nucleic acids of shrimp pathogens. The system included a micro-detection slide with 48 identical detecting cells precoated with all detection reagents, except the sample template. The process of producing the micro-detection slides mainly combined super-hydrophobic/super-oleophobic and super-hydrophilic materials to obtain separated spaces for detection, and aerosol pollution was eliminated in the form of water-in-oil. The micro-detection slide system was capable of simultaneously detecting 4 groups of samples and 8 important shrimp pathogens and is a relatively low-cost, portable, and high-throughput nucleic acid (RNA and DNA) detection technology. The establishment of this technology will provide key technical support for the construction of biosecurity systems for healthy shrimp culture. The pharma industry designs increasingly less cytochrome P450 dependent and more metabolically stable drugs, and consequently UGT-metabolism becomes more frequently involved. This study compares two glucuronidation RAF-scaling approaches, product formation and substrate depletion, regarding their potential for prediction of in vivo DDI and the relative contribution of UGT-mediated phase II reactions in an industrial setting. RAFs were developed for UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A9, 2B7 and 2B15 recombinant UGT isoforms and a large 150-donor pooled human liver microsome batch. The RAF-values ranged from small values of 0.06 (UGT1A3), over 0.24 and 0.48 (UGT1A9 and UGT1A4), to values around 1 (1.11 for UGT2B7, 1.14 for UGT1A1), and high RAFs of 4.8 (UGT1A6) and 6.57 (UGT2B15). Both approaches identified the same primarily involved isoforms (≥75% relative contribution) of five clinical reference compounds (raloxifene, haloperidol, laropiprant, telmisartan and naloxone), in concordance with reported in vitro (R2=0.65) and clinical results for UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A9, 2B7 and 2B15. This study is distinctive in that it's reporting the glucuronide formation in addition to substrate depletion. The product formation approach proved more sensitive and enables UGT phenotyping of slowly metabolized drugs, additionally it allows identification of structurally different glucuronides. Poor solubility and low dissolution rate of pharmaceuticals in many cases largely limit their bioavailability and efficacy. One of the promising approaches to improve dissolution behavior is to develop new multicomponent solid forms. Herein we use this strategy to synthesize new multicomponent solids of dapsone (DAP), which belongs to BCS class IV, with a series of hydroxybenzoic acid coformers. A new salt of DAP with 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid (26DHBA) and four eutectics with other hydroxybenzoic acids were reported through comprehensive characterizations using PXRD, DSC, and vibrational spectroscopy techniques. The salt formation was evidenced by the presence of ionic interactions detected using FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy, and the stoichiometric ratio was determined to be 11. Binary phase diagrams were established to determine the composition of eutectics. The cause for salt and eutectic selection was further understood by computing molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surface where 26DHBA shows the greatest acidity. Moreover, the powder dissolution study and microenvironment pH measurement reveal that both salt and eutectics of DAP display improvements on the dissolution rate and equilibrium concentration in which the acidity of coformers plays a dominant role. Our findings provide a direction for future coformer screening of multicomponent solids with improved pharmaceutical properties. Despite advances in cancer treatment modalities, DNA still stands as one of the targets for anticancer agents. DNA minor groove binders (MGBs) represent an important investigational chemotherapeutic class with promising cytotoxic capacity. Herein this study reports the potent cytotoxic effect of a series of repurposed flexible bis-imidamides 1-4, triaryl bis-guanidine 5 and bis-N-substituted guanidines 6,7 having a 1,4-diphenoxybenzene scaffold backbone on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Of these compounds, imidamide 4 was chosen for further in-vitro, in-vivo and molecular dynamics (MD) studies owing to its promising anti-tumor activity, with IC50 values on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines of 1.9 and 2.08 μM, respectively. Annexin V/propidium iodide apoptosis assay revealed apoptosis induction on imidamide 4 treated MCF-7 cells. RT-PCR assay results demonstrated the proapoptotic effect of compound 4 through increase of mRNA levels of the pro-apoptotic genes; p53, PUMA, and Bax, and inhibiting the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene expression in MCF-7 cells.
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  • Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming very common in numerous manufacturing industries; especially where it is difficult to connect a sensor to a sink. This is an evolving issue for researchers attempting to contribute to the proliferation of WSNs. Monitoring a WSN depends on the type of collective data the sensor nodes have acquired. It is necessary to quantify the performance of these networks with the help of network reliability measures to ensure the stable operation of WSNs. Reliability plays a key role in the efficacy of any large-scale application of WSNs. The communication reliability in a wireless sensor network is an influential parameter for enhancing network performance for secure, desirable, and successful communication. The reliability of WSNs must incorporate the design variables, coverage, lifetime, and connectivity into consideration; however, connectivity is the most important factor, especially in a harsh environment on a large scale. The proposed algorithm is a one-step approach, which starts with the recognition of a specific spanning tree only. It utilizes all other disjoint spanning trees, which are generated directly in a simple manner and consume less computation time and memory. A binary decision illustration is presented for the enumeration of K-coverage communication reliability. In this paper, the issue of computing minimum spanning trees was addressed and it is a pertinent method for further evaluating reliability for WSNs. This paper inspects the reliability of WSNs and proposes a method for evaluating the flow-oriented reliability of WSNs. Further, a modified approach for the sum-of-disjoint products to determine the reliability of WSN from the enumerated minimal spanning trees is proposed. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ar-c155858.html The proposed algorithm when implemented for different sizes of WSNs demonstrates its applicability to WSNs of various scales. The proposed methodology is less complex and more efficient in terms of reliability.Here, we present 11.5 years of monthly treatment statistics showing an overall intake of 5127 infected dogs between June 2008 and December 2019, as well as more detailed datasets from more recent, less protracted time periods for the examination of mortality risk, seasonality, and resource requirements in the mass treatment of canine parvovirus (CPV) in a private animal shelter. The total survival rate of animals during the study period was 86.6% (n = 4438/5127 dogs survived) with the probability of survival increasing to 96.7% after five days of treatment (with 80% of fatalities occurring in that period). A distinct parvovirus season peaking in May and June and troughing in August, September, December, and January was observed, which could have contributed as **** as 41 animals peak-to-trough in the monthly population (with a potential, smaller season occurring in October). Low-weight and male animals were at higher risk for death, whereas age was not a significant contributing factor. Treatment time averaged 9.03 h of total care during a seven-day median treatment duration. These findings, taken together, demonstrate that canine parvovirus can be successfully treated in a sustainable manner within a shelter setting using a largely volunteer workforce.The total number of white blood cells (WBCs) is related the immune system. In mammals, it is affected by the body mass, but it is unclear how the numbers of different WBC types correlate with this parameter. We analyzed the effect of body mass on WBC number and ratio in felids, where species are similar in diet (warm-blood vertebrates) and reproductive strategy (promiscuity). Based on zoo veterinary data (ZIMS database) we analyzed the effect of body mass on WBC number and neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio in 26 species of felids. The number of WBCs correlated with the body masses of animals large cats had more WBC, which may be due to greater risks of infection associated with larger body surface, lifespan and home range size. For the first time we found obvious differences in the number of WBC types. Large cats also had more neutrophils and monocytes but fewer lymphocytes than smaller cats. The ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes is greater in large felids. This phenomenon may be related to diet (relative prey size and kill utilization time), which suggests regular contact of large cats with bacterial and protozoal pathogens in contrast to the small cats.Compaction index is one of the most important technological parameters during asphalt pavement construction which may be negatively affected by wrong asphalt paving machine set, weather conditions, or the mix temperature. Presented laboratory study analyzes the asphalt mix properties in case of inappropriate compaction. The reference mix was designed for AC 11 S wearing layer (asphalt concrete for wearing layer with maximum grading of 11 mm). Asphalt mix samples used in the tests were prepared using Marshall device with the compaction energy of 2 × 20, 2 × 35, 2 × 50, and 2 × 75 blows as well as in a roller compactor where the slabs were compacted to various heights 69.3 mm (+10% of nominal height), 66.2 mm (+5%), 63 mm (nominal), and 59.9 mm (-5%) which resulted in different compaction indexes. Afterwards the samples were cored from the slabs. Both Marshall samples and cores were tested for air void content, stiffness modulus in three temperatures, indirect tensile strength, and resistance to water and frost indicated by ITSR value. It was found that either insufficient or excessive level of compaction can cause negative effect on the road surface performance.During the last years, attention and controversy have been present for the first commercially available equipment being used in Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI), a new cardiac diagnostic tool which opens up a new field of diagnostic possibilities. Previous knowledge and criteria of cardiologists using intracardiac Electrograms (EGM) should be revisited from the newly available spatial-temporal potentials, and digital signal processing should be readapted to this new data structure. Aiming to contribute to the usefulness of ECGI recordings in the current knowledge and methods of cardiac electrophysiology, we previously presented two results First, spatial consistency can be observed even for very basic cardiac signal processing stages (such as baseline wander and low-pass filtering); second, useful bipolar EGMs can be obtained by a digital processing operator searching for the maximum amplitude and including a time delay. In addition, this work aims to demonstrate the functionality of ECGI for cardiac electrophysiology from a twofold view, namely, through the analysis of the EGM waveforms, and by studying the ventricular repolarization properties.
    Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are becoming very common in numerous manufacturing industries; especially where it is difficult to connect a sensor to a sink. This is an evolving issue for researchers attempting to contribute to the proliferation of WSNs. Monitoring a WSN depends on the type of collective data the sensor nodes have acquired. It is necessary to quantify the performance of these networks with the help of network reliability measures to ensure the stable operation of WSNs. Reliability plays a key role in the efficacy of any large-scale application of WSNs. The communication reliability in a wireless sensor network is an influential parameter for enhancing network performance for secure, desirable, and successful communication. The reliability of WSNs must incorporate the design variables, coverage, lifetime, and connectivity into consideration; however, connectivity is the most important factor, especially in a harsh environment on a large scale. The proposed algorithm is a one-step approach, which starts with the recognition of a specific spanning tree only. It utilizes all other disjoint spanning trees, which are generated directly in a simple manner and consume less computation time and memory. A binary decision illustration is presented for the enumeration of K-coverage communication reliability. In this paper, the issue of computing minimum spanning trees was addressed and it is a pertinent method for further evaluating reliability for WSNs. This paper inspects the reliability of WSNs and proposes a method for evaluating the flow-oriented reliability of WSNs. Further, a modified approach for the sum-of-disjoint products to determine the reliability of WSN from the enumerated minimal spanning trees is proposed. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ar-c155858.html The proposed algorithm when implemented for different sizes of WSNs demonstrates its applicability to WSNs of various scales. The proposed methodology is less complex and more efficient in terms of reliability.Here, we present 11.5 years of monthly treatment statistics showing an overall intake of 5127 infected dogs between June 2008 and December 2019, as well as more detailed datasets from more recent, less protracted time periods for the examination of mortality risk, seasonality, and resource requirements in the mass treatment of canine parvovirus (CPV) in a private animal shelter. The total survival rate of animals during the study period was 86.6% (n = 4438/5127 dogs survived) with the probability of survival increasing to 96.7% after five days of treatment (with 80% of fatalities occurring in that period). A distinct parvovirus season peaking in May and June and troughing in August, September, December, and January was observed, which could have contributed as much as 41 animals peak-to-trough in the monthly population (with a potential, smaller season occurring in October). Low-weight and male animals were at higher risk for death, whereas age was not a significant contributing factor. Treatment time averaged 9.03 h of total care during a seven-day median treatment duration. These findings, taken together, demonstrate that canine parvovirus can be successfully treated in a sustainable manner within a shelter setting using a largely volunteer workforce.The total number of white blood cells (WBCs) is related the immune system. In mammals, it is affected by the body mass, but it is unclear how the numbers of different WBC types correlate with this parameter. We analyzed the effect of body mass on WBC number and ratio in felids, where species are similar in diet (warm-blood vertebrates) and reproductive strategy (promiscuity). Based on zoo veterinary data (ZIMS database) we analyzed the effect of body mass on WBC number and neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio in 26 species of felids. The number of WBCs correlated with the body masses of animals large cats had more WBC, which may be due to greater risks of infection associated with larger body surface, lifespan and home range size. For the first time we found obvious differences in the number of WBC types. Large cats also had more neutrophils and monocytes but fewer lymphocytes than smaller cats. The ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes is greater in large felids. This phenomenon may be related to diet (relative prey size and kill utilization time), which suggests regular contact of large cats with bacterial and protozoal pathogens in contrast to the small cats.Compaction index is one of the most important technological parameters during asphalt pavement construction which may be negatively affected by wrong asphalt paving machine set, weather conditions, or the mix temperature. Presented laboratory study analyzes the asphalt mix properties in case of inappropriate compaction. The reference mix was designed for AC 11 S wearing layer (asphalt concrete for wearing layer with maximum grading of 11 mm). Asphalt mix samples used in the tests were prepared using Marshall device with the compaction energy of 2 × 20, 2 × 35, 2 × 50, and 2 × 75 blows as well as in a roller compactor where the slabs were compacted to various heights 69.3 mm (+10% of nominal height), 66.2 mm (+5%), 63 mm (nominal), and 59.9 mm (-5%) which resulted in different compaction indexes. Afterwards the samples were cored from the slabs. Both Marshall samples and cores were tested for air void content, stiffness modulus in three temperatures, indirect tensile strength, and resistance to water and frost indicated by ITSR value. It was found that either insufficient or excessive level of compaction can cause negative effect on the road surface performance.During the last years, attention and controversy have been present for the first commercially available equipment being used in Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI), a new cardiac diagnostic tool which opens up a new field of diagnostic possibilities. Previous knowledge and criteria of cardiologists using intracardiac Electrograms (EGM) should be revisited from the newly available spatial-temporal potentials, and digital signal processing should be readapted to this new data structure. Aiming to contribute to the usefulness of ECGI recordings in the current knowledge and methods of cardiac electrophysiology, we previously presented two results First, spatial consistency can be observed even for very basic cardiac signal processing stages (such as baseline wander and low-pass filtering); second, useful bipolar EGMs can be obtained by a digital processing operator searching for the maximum amplitude and including a time delay. In addition, this work aims to demonstrate the functionality of ECGI for cardiac electrophysiology from a twofold view, namely, through the analysis of the EGM waveforms, and by studying the ventricular repolarization properties.
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  • 02 and 2.83 mg/h, respectively. Based on indoor activities and local outdoor air quality in Singapore, this study recommended opening the window when awake and closing it during sleep to lower indoor bioaerosol exposure. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a melanoma subtype associated with atypical locations on the hands and feet and advanced disease at diagnosis. There is a limited understanding of whether the survival is similar for nail, non-nail, lower limb and upper limb ALM patients. We therefore explored clinicopathologic characteristics and melanoma-specific survival of ALM patients according to tumour location. METHODS A prospectively collected cohort study was performed of all primary invasive cutaneous acral lentiginous melanomas with known thickness and tumour location reviewed at a tertiary referral centre over 21 years. RESULTS A total of 101 ALM patients were reviewed from 1994 until 2016. The majority of cases (82/101) occurred on the feet. Hand ALMs were thicker and more likely to be ulcerated than feet ALMs (P = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively); however, survival was not statistically different between these two groups (univariate HR 0.48 P = 0.11, 95% CI, 0.20-1.17; multivariate HR 0.67 P = 0.40, 95% CI, 0.27-1.69, respectively). Non-nail ALM patients had longer survival when compared to nail ALM on univariate analysis (HR 0.40, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.90) which was accounted for by Breslow thickness and ulceration (multivariate HR 0.56, 95% CI, 0.24 to 1.34). CONCLUSIONS The reduced melanoma-specific survival in nail ALM patients was likely due to their greater thickness and ulceration. Although hand ALMs are thicker and more frequently ulcerated, this is likely due to the higher proportion of nail ALMs present in this location. © 2020 The Australasian College of Dermatologists.OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the existing form of 5-hydroxy-4-methoxycanthin-6-one (PQ-A) in vivo after oral administration and the effects on its pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution by colitis. METHODS A rapid HPLC-MS/MS method was established to simultaneously determine PQ-A and its main metabolite, 1-methoxicabony-β-carboline (PQ-B), in biological samples acquired from normal and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitic rats administered orally with PQ-A. Then, the pharmacokinetics of both PQ-A and PQ-B, and tissue distribution of PQ-A in the above two states were analysed. KEY FINDINGS The pharmacokinetic results showed that the prototype of PQ-A was the main existing form in both physiological and pathological conditions. And significant difference between the above two status in pharmacokinetics of PQ-A was observed, such as higher exposure and longer elimination in colitis than that in normal rats. It suggested that the pharmacokinetics of medications for colitis was affected by enteritis. The tissue distribution studies displayed that PQ-A mainly accumulated in intestinal tract. Especially, the distribution of PQ-A in intestinal tract was increased obviously in colitic rats. CONCLUSIONS These results contributed to further illuminate the ADME process of PQ-A in different status and were prospected to be the reference to the clinical application of similar medicines in pathological states. © 2020 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.The number of children who were born after their parents were diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumor is increasing, but it remains largely unknown regarding the academic performance of these children. We aimed to investigate whether children of survivors with childhood or adolescent CNS tumor were associated with poor academic performance. Children of survivors of CNS tumor were identified by combining the nationwide Swedish Cancer Register and the Multi-Generation Register, and those who have completed compulsory education in Sweden between 1989 and 2015 were included in our study. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/2-hydroxybenzylamine.html "Poor academic performance" was defined as a z-score of the academic performance below the 10th percentile. Conditional logistic regression and quantile regression were used to examine the association. A total of 655 children were born after their parental diagnosis of CNS tumor and they had 1.39 times higher risk of achieving poor academic performance as compared to the matched comparisons (95% CI = 1.10-1.76). The poor academic performance was even more pronounced in boys, among those with a paternal diagnosis of CNS tumor and those with a parental ependymoma. The observed association differed depending on preterm birth. In addition, the strength of the association declined with the increased quantiles of academic performance z-score. Our data suggest that parental CNS tumor affects the subsequent academic achievements among children born after the parental tumor. © 2020 The Authors. International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC.BACKGROUND Psoriasis prevalence is increasing among elderly subjects. Elderly psoriasis patients represent a challenge for dermatologists due to multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, immune senescence which lead to increased possibility of adverse events, drug interactions and susceptibility to cancers and infections. Therefore, conventional systemic therapies are often contraindicated with biologics appearing as mainstay for moderate-to-severe disease. However, data on efficacy and safety of biologics in elderly are scant. AIM To evaluate efficacy and safety of secukinumab in elderly psoriasis patients over a 2-year period. METHODS A real-life retrospective observational study was performed on patients ≥ 65 years with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who were treated with secukinumab at the Psoriasis Care Unit of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy from June 2016 to June 2019. RESULTS Mean PASI reduced from 11.4±6.3 at baseline to 2.1±1.7 at week 24, up to 1.7±1.9 at week 96 (p less then 0.001 for all follow-up visits), with a final mean PASI score reduction of 85.1%. A similar trend was noted for the BSA score, whose values were 27.5±15.7 at baseline and decreased to 6.8±5.0 at week 24, and up to 3.3±2.5 at week 96 (p less then 0.001 at all follow-up visits), with a final mean BSA score reduction of 88.0%. Registered AEs did not lead to secukinumab discontinuation, except for one patient (3.4%). CONCLUSION Secukinumab can be a safe and effective treatment for elderly psoriasis patients which show multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, and common multiple previous systemic treatment failures including biologics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
    02 and 2.83 mg/h, respectively. Based on indoor activities and local outdoor air quality in Singapore, this study recommended opening the window when awake and closing it during sleep to lower indoor bioaerosol exposure. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a melanoma subtype associated with atypical locations on the hands and feet and advanced disease at diagnosis. There is a limited understanding of whether the survival is similar for nail, non-nail, lower limb and upper limb ALM patients. We therefore explored clinicopathologic characteristics and melanoma-specific survival of ALM patients according to tumour location. METHODS A prospectively collected cohort study was performed of all primary invasive cutaneous acral lentiginous melanomas with known thickness and tumour location reviewed at a tertiary referral centre over 21 years. RESULTS A total of 101 ALM patients were reviewed from 1994 until 2016. The majority of cases (82/101) occurred on the feet. Hand ALMs were thicker and more likely to be ulcerated than feet ALMs (P = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively); however, survival was not statistically different between these two groups (univariate HR 0.48 P = 0.11, 95% CI, 0.20-1.17; multivariate HR 0.67 P = 0.40, 95% CI, 0.27-1.69, respectively). Non-nail ALM patients had longer survival when compared to nail ALM on univariate analysis (HR 0.40, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.90) which was accounted for by Breslow thickness and ulceration (multivariate HR 0.56, 95% CI, 0.24 to 1.34). CONCLUSIONS The reduced melanoma-specific survival in nail ALM patients was likely due to their greater thickness and ulceration. Although hand ALMs are thicker and more frequently ulcerated, this is likely due to the higher proportion of nail ALMs present in this location. © 2020 The Australasian College of Dermatologists.OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the existing form of 5-hydroxy-4-methoxycanthin-6-one (PQ-A) in vivo after oral administration and the effects on its pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution by colitis. METHODS A rapid HPLC-MS/MS method was established to simultaneously determine PQ-A and its main metabolite, 1-methoxicabony-β-carboline (PQ-B), in biological samples acquired from normal and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitic rats administered orally with PQ-A. Then, the pharmacokinetics of both PQ-A and PQ-B, and tissue distribution of PQ-A in the above two states were analysed. KEY FINDINGS The pharmacokinetic results showed that the prototype of PQ-A was the main existing form in both physiological and pathological conditions. And significant difference between the above two status in pharmacokinetics of PQ-A was observed, such as higher exposure and longer elimination in colitis than that in normal rats. It suggested that the pharmacokinetics of medications for colitis was affected by enteritis. The tissue distribution studies displayed that PQ-A mainly accumulated in intestinal tract. Especially, the distribution of PQ-A in intestinal tract was increased obviously in colitic rats. CONCLUSIONS These results contributed to further illuminate the ADME process of PQ-A in different status and were prospected to be the reference to the clinical application of similar medicines in pathological states. © 2020 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.The number of children who were born after their parents were diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumor is increasing, but it remains largely unknown regarding the academic performance of these children. We aimed to investigate whether children of survivors with childhood or adolescent CNS tumor were associated with poor academic performance. Children of survivors of CNS tumor were identified by combining the nationwide Swedish Cancer Register and the Multi-Generation Register, and those who have completed compulsory education in Sweden between 1989 and 2015 were included in our study. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/2-hydroxybenzylamine.html "Poor academic performance" was defined as a z-score of the academic performance below the 10th percentile. Conditional logistic regression and quantile regression were used to examine the association. A total of 655 children were born after their parental diagnosis of CNS tumor and they had 1.39 times higher risk of achieving poor academic performance as compared to the matched comparisons (95% CI = 1.10-1.76). The poor academic performance was even more pronounced in boys, among those with a paternal diagnosis of CNS tumor and those with a parental ependymoma. The observed association differed depending on preterm birth. In addition, the strength of the association declined with the increased quantiles of academic performance z-score. Our data suggest that parental CNS tumor affects the subsequent academic achievements among children born after the parental tumor. © 2020 The Authors. International Journal of Cancer published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of UICC.BACKGROUND Psoriasis prevalence is increasing among elderly subjects. Elderly psoriasis patients represent a challenge for dermatologists due to multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, immune senescence which lead to increased possibility of adverse events, drug interactions and susceptibility to cancers and infections. Therefore, conventional systemic therapies are often contraindicated with biologics appearing as mainstay for moderate-to-severe disease. However, data on efficacy and safety of biologics in elderly are scant. AIM To evaluate efficacy and safety of secukinumab in elderly psoriasis patients over a 2-year period. METHODS A real-life retrospective observational study was performed on patients ≥ 65 years with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who were treated with secukinumab at the Psoriasis Care Unit of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy from June 2016 to June 2019. RESULTS Mean PASI reduced from 11.4±6.3 at baseline to 2.1±1.7 at week 24, up to 1.7±1.9 at week 96 (p less then 0.001 for all follow-up visits), with a final mean PASI score reduction of 85.1%. A similar trend was noted for the BSA score, whose values were 27.5±15.7 at baseline and decreased to 6.8±5.0 at week 24, and up to 3.3±2.5 at week 96 (p less then 0.001 at all follow-up visits), with a final mean BSA score reduction of 88.0%. Registered AEs did not lead to secukinumab discontinuation, except for one patient (3.4%). CONCLUSION Secukinumab can be a safe and effective treatment for elderly psoriasis patients which show multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, and common multiple previous systemic treatment failures including biologics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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  • EVO reduced the susceptibility to DSS-induced destruction of epithelial integrity and severe inflammatory response, and regulated the gut microbiota and metabolites. Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) alleviated DSS-induced colitis, increased the abundance of L. acidophilus and the level of acetate. Furthermore, gavaged with L. acidophilus reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, promoted the increase of goblet cells and the secretion of antimicrobial peptides, regulated the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and increased the level of acetate. Our results indicated that EVO mitigation of DSS-induced colitis is associated with increased in L. acidophilus and protective acetate production, which may be a promising strategy for treating UC.The vascular endothelium is one of the first barriers encountered by drugs and xenobiotics, which, once administered, enter the blood stream and diffuse to all organs through blood vessels. The continuous exposure of endothelial cells to drugs and chemical compounds turns out to be a huge risk for the cardiovascular system, as these substances could compromise endothelial vitality and function and create irreparable, localized or systemic damages. For this reason, a special attention should be paid to the safety of developing drugs on the cardiovascular system. In this study we focused our attention on carbonic anhydrase (CA)-IX inhibitors. CA-IX is an enzyme over-expressed in tumor cells in response to hypoxia, which is involved in pH control of the neoplastic mass microenvironment and in tumor progression. Specifically, we evaluated the safety on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) of CA-IX inhibitor AA-06-05, compared to its lead compound SLC-0111, for which the efficacy on tumor cells has already been proven. In this analysis we detected an impairment in viability and mitochondrial metabolism of HUVECs treated with AA-06-05 (but not with SLC-0111) in the concentration range 1-10 μM. These data were accompanied by an increase in the expression of the cell cycle negative regulator, p21, and a down-regulation of the pro-survival proteins ERK1/2 and AKT, both in their phosphorylated and total forms. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/anlotinib-al3818.html The data obtained document the likelihood for CA-IX inhibitor AA-06-05 to be developed as new anticancer drug, but a particular attention should be paid to its potential side effects on endothelial cells due to its targeting on other CA isoforms as CA-I, with ubiquitous localization and physiological significance.The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) is a membrane receptor for VEGF-A, placenta growth factor (PlGF) and VEGF-B that plays a crucial role in melanoma invasiveness, vasculogenic mimicry and tumor-associated angiogenesis. Furthermore, activation of VEGFR-1 is involved in the mobilization of myeloid progenitors from the bone marrow that infiltrate the tumor. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages have also been involved in tumor progression and resistance to cancer treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We have recently demonstrated that the anti-VEGFR-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) D16F7 developed in our laboratories is able to inhibit melanoma growth in preclinical in vivo models and to reduce monocyte/macrophage progenitor mobilization and tumor infiltration by myeloid cells. Aim of the study was to investigate whether the anti-VEGFR-1 mAb D16F7 affects the activity of protumoral M2 macrophages in vitro in response to PlGF and inhibits the recruitmetumor infiltration by pro-tumoral macrophages and for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy with ICIs.Aberrant activation of Wnt signaling plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Chlorquinaldol (CQD) is a topical antimicrobial agent used to treat skin infections. Little is known about the anticancer activity of CQD and its underlying mechanisms. In this study, CQD was demonstrated to inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling through targeting the downstream part of this pathway. The results showed that CQD could inhibit the acetylation of β-catenin and disrupt the interaction of β-catenin with T-cell factor 4 (TCF4), leading to reduced binding of β-catenin to the promoters of Wnt target genes and downregulation of the expression of these target genes. Moreover, treatment with CQD suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and stemness of CRC cells. In APCmin/+ **** and CRC cell xenografts, administration of CQD suppressed tumor growth and the expression of Wnt target genes c-****and Leucine-rich G protein-coupled receptor-5 (LGR5). These results strongly suggest that CQD may be a promising therapeutic agent in the treatment of CRC.The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype is a clinically and epidemiologically important lineage further subdivided into ancient/ancestral and modern strains. In our previous study in western Siberia, we identified VNTR-based clusters within the early ancient sublineage of the Beijing genotype characterized by an unexpectedly high rate of extensive drug resistance (XDR). Here, we analyzed next generation sequencing data in order to gain insight into genomic signatures underlying drug resistance of these strains. In total, 184 genomes of the Beijing early ancient sublineage from Russia (16), China (15), Japan (36), Korea (25), Vietnam (18), Thailand (73), USA (1 isolate) were used for phylogenetic analysis. The drug-resistant profile was deduced genotypically. The Russian isolates were distributed in two clusters and were all drug resistant, mainly pre-XDR and XDR. The largest of these clusters included only Russian isolates from remote locations in both Asian and European parts of the country. All isolates had a quadruple drug resistance (to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and streptomycin) due to the 6-mutation signature (KatG Ser315Thr, KatG Ile335Val, RpoB Ser450Leu, RpoC Asp485Asn, EmbB Gln497Arg, RpsL Lys43Arg). In most samples, it was complemented with additional and different pncA, gyrA, rrs mutations leading to the pre-XDR/XDR genotype. Phylogenomic analysis suggests a distant origin of this Russian resistant cluster in the early 1970s but location and circumstances are yet to be clarified.
    EVO reduced the susceptibility to DSS-induced destruction of epithelial integrity and severe inflammatory response, and regulated the gut microbiota and metabolites. Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) alleviated DSS-induced colitis, increased the abundance of L. acidophilus and the level of acetate. Furthermore, gavaged with L. acidophilus reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, promoted the increase of goblet cells and the secretion of antimicrobial peptides, regulated the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and increased the level of acetate. Our results indicated that EVO mitigation of DSS-induced colitis is associated with increased in L. acidophilus and protective acetate production, which may be a promising strategy for treating UC.The vascular endothelium is one of the first barriers encountered by drugs and xenobiotics, which, once administered, enter the blood stream and diffuse to all organs through blood vessels. The continuous exposure of endothelial cells to drugs and chemical compounds turns out to be a huge risk for the cardiovascular system, as these substances could compromise endothelial vitality and function and create irreparable, localized or systemic damages. For this reason, a special attention should be paid to the safety of developing drugs on the cardiovascular system. In this study we focused our attention on carbonic anhydrase (CA)-IX inhibitors. CA-IX is an enzyme over-expressed in tumor cells in response to hypoxia, which is involved in pH control of the neoplastic mass microenvironment and in tumor progression. Specifically, we evaluated the safety on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) of CA-IX inhibitor AA-06-05, compared to its lead compound SLC-0111, for which the efficacy on tumor cells has already been proven. In this analysis we detected an impairment in viability and mitochondrial metabolism of HUVECs treated with AA-06-05 (but not with SLC-0111) in the concentration range 1-10 μM. These data were accompanied by an increase in the expression of the cell cycle negative regulator, p21, and a down-regulation of the pro-survival proteins ERK1/2 and AKT, both in their phosphorylated and total forms. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/anlotinib-al3818.html The data obtained document the likelihood for CA-IX inhibitor AA-06-05 to be developed as new anticancer drug, but a particular attention should be paid to its potential side effects on endothelial cells due to its targeting on other CA isoforms as CA-I, with ubiquitous localization and physiological significance.The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) is a membrane receptor for VEGF-A, placenta growth factor (PlGF) and VEGF-B that plays a crucial role in melanoma invasiveness, vasculogenic mimicry and tumor-associated angiogenesis. Furthermore, activation of VEGFR-1 is involved in the mobilization of myeloid progenitors from the bone marrow that infiltrate the tumor. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages have also been involved in tumor progression and resistance to cancer treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We have recently demonstrated that the anti-VEGFR-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) D16F7 developed in our laboratories is able to inhibit melanoma growth in preclinical in vivo models and to reduce monocyte/macrophage progenitor mobilization and tumor infiltration by myeloid cells. Aim of the study was to investigate whether the anti-VEGFR-1 mAb D16F7 affects the activity of protumoral M2 macrophages in vitro in response to PlGF and inhibits the recruitmetumor infiltration by pro-tumoral macrophages and for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy with ICIs.Aberrant activation of Wnt signaling plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Chlorquinaldol (CQD) is a topical antimicrobial agent used to treat skin infections. Little is known about the anticancer activity of CQD and its underlying mechanisms. In this study, CQD was demonstrated to inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling through targeting the downstream part of this pathway. The results showed that CQD could inhibit the acetylation of β-catenin and disrupt the interaction of β-catenin with T-cell factor 4 (TCF4), leading to reduced binding of β-catenin to the promoters of Wnt target genes and downregulation of the expression of these target genes. Moreover, treatment with CQD suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and stemness of CRC cells. In APCmin/+ mice and CRC cell xenografts, administration of CQD suppressed tumor growth and the expression of Wnt target genes c-Myc and Leucine-rich G protein-coupled receptor-5 (LGR5). These results strongly suggest that CQD may be a promising therapeutic agent in the treatment of CRC.The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype is a clinically and epidemiologically important lineage further subdivided into ancient/ancestral and modern strains. In our previous study in western Siberia, we identified VNTR-based clusters within the early ancient sublineage of the Beijing genotype characterized by an unexpectedly high rate of extensive drug resistance (XDR). Here, we analyzed next generation sequencing data in order to gain insight into genomic signatures underlying drug resistance of these strains. In total, 184 genomes of the Beijing early ancient sublineage from Russia (16), China (15), Japan (36), Korea (25), Vietnam (18), Thailand (73), USA (1 isolate) were used for phylogenetic analysis. The drug-resistant profile was deduced genotypically. The Russian isolates were distributed in two clusters and were all drug resistant, mainly pre-XDR and XDR. The largest of these clusters included only Russian isolates from remote locations in both Asian and European parts of the country. All isolates had a quadruple drug resistance (to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and streptomycin) due to the 6-mutation signature (KatG Ser315Thr, KatG Ile335Val, RpoB Ser450Leu, RpoC Asp485Asn, EmbB Gln497Arg, RpsL Lys43Arg). In most samples, it was complemented with additional and different pncA, gyrA, rrs mutations leading to the pre-XDR/XDR genotype. Phylogenomic analysis suggests a distant origin of this Russian resistant cluster in the early 1970s but location and circumstances are yet to be clarified.
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  • Ideal morphological features are of particular importance to produce high performance all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), in which active blends generally involve unfavorable phase separation due to complicated intermixing. Developing a suitable processing solvent and additive is an effective and versatile approach to manipulate the morphology of the blends. This study demonstrates the synergistic effects of the processing solvent and additive on the photovoltaic performances of all-PSCs composed of a conjugated copolymer J71 donor and a typical N2200 acceptor. A low boiling point chloroform (CF) solvent combined with 1% 1,8-diiodoctane (DIO) additive was identified as the optimal processing condition to treat the J71N2200 blends. Consequently, the all-PSCs prepared from CF + 1% DIO processing achieved an outstanding efficiency of 9.34% with an ultrahigh fill factor of 77.86%, which is among the top values for the current all-PSC systems. Owing to the low JSC, just a moderate efficiency of 7.28% was achieved for the device prepared from chlorobenzene (CB) + 1% DIO processing despite its high FF. The electron microscopy tests revealed that the CF solvent was superior to the CB solvent to obtain uniform morphologies and the addition of the DIO additive could further lead to more favorable phase separation and domain size. Moreover, the results of charge generation, transport, and recombination analysis correlate well with the remarkable photovoltaic properties. Our results highlight the critical significance of selecting the appropriate processing solvent and additive to produce high performance all-PSCs.The new linker molecule (H2O3PCH2)2N-CH2C6H4SO3H, (4-[bis(phosphonomethyl)amino]methylbenzene-sulfonic acid, H5L), bearing both phosphonic and sulfonic acid groups, was employed for the synthesis of new coordination polymers (CPs). Four new CPs of composition [Mg(H3L)(H2O)2]·H2O (1), [Mg2(HL)(H2O)6]·2H2O (2), [Ba(H3L)(H2O)]·H2O (3) and [Pb2(HL)]·H2O (4), were discovered using high-throughput methods and all structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). With increasing ionic radius of the metal ion, an increase in coordination number from CN = 6 (Mg2+) to CN = 9 (Ba2+) and an increase in the dimensionality of the network from 1D to 3D is observed. This is reflected in the composition of the IBU and the number of metal ions that are connected by each linker molecule, i.e. from three in 1 to ten in 4. The connection of the IBUs leads to 1D and 2D structures in 1 and 2 with non-coordinating sulfonate groups, while 3 and 4 crystallise in MOF-type structures and coordination of the sulfonate groups is observed. The compounds exhibit thermal stabilities between 200 (2) and 345 °C (4) as proven by variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD) measurements. Title compound 4 contains micropores of 4 × 2 Å and reversible H2O uptake of 50 mg g-1 was demonstrated by vapour sorption measurements, making it the first porous metal phosphonatosulfonate. Detailed characterisation, i.e. CHNS and TG analysis as well as NMR and IR spectroscopy measurements confirm the phase purity of the title compounds.An iridium(i)-catalyzed hydration/esterification of 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids is described. Various 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids could be used in this process to furnish aromatic ortho-acyloxyketones via a regio- and stereo-selective addition reaction followed by intramolecular rearrangement. This protocol features mild reaction conditions and broad substrate scope. Further transformations were conducted to demonstrate the synthetic application.Reaction of FeIII(O2Ë™-)(TPP) with 2,3-dimethylindole at -40 °C gives the ring-opened, dioxygenated N-(2-acetyl-phenyl)-acetamide product. The reaction was monitored in situ by low-temperature UV-vis and 1H NMR spectroscopies. This work demonstrates that a discrete iron(iii)(superoxo) porphyrin is competent to carry out indole oxidation, as proposed for the tryptophan and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenases.BACKGROUND Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a progressive autoimmune disorder caused by the production of antibodies directed against acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), resulting in muscle weakness and fatigue. This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of grilled nux vomica (GNV) in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS Rat 97-116 peptides were used to mediate disease in the EAMG model in SPF female Lewis rats. The treatment groups received grilled nux vomica (75 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, and 225 mg/kg). The autoantibody and inflammatory cytokines levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RNA profiling was performed on high-dose and model group rats. Profiling results and TLR-4/NF-kappaB signaling were validated by q-PCR and Western blot analysis. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/trastuzumab-deruxtecan.html RESULTS The results showed that GNV could attenuate the symptoms of EAMG rats. There was a decreased level of AChR-ab, IFN-γ, TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-17 levels, and an increased level of TGF-ß1. In total, 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), consisting of 175 upregulated DEGs and 60 downregulated DEGs, were identified. Functional annotation demonstrated that DEGs were largely associated with leukocyte cell-cell adhesion, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, muscle contraction, and cardiac muscle contraction pathway. Rac2, Itgb2, Lcp2, Myl3, and Tnni1 were considered as hub genes with a higher degree value in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The q-PCR and Western blot results of hub genes were consistent with RNA profiles. GNV treatment also significantly reduced the TLR-4 and NF-kappaB p65 protein expression in EAMG rats. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that grilled nux vomica ameliorates EAMG by depressing the TLR-4/NF-kappaB signaling pathway, and hub genes may serve as potential targets for MG treatment.Bipedal animals have diverse morphologies and advanced locomotion abilities. Terrestrial birds, in particular, display agile, efficient, and robust running motion, in which they exploit the interplay between the body segment masses and moment of inertias. On the other hand, most legged robots are not able to generate such versatile and energy-efficient motion and often disregard trunk movements as a means to enhance their locomotion capabilities. Recent research investigated how trunk motions affect the gait characteristics of humans, but there is a lack of analysis across different bipedal morphologies. To address this issue, we analyze avian running based on a spring-loaded inverted pendulum model with a pronograde (horizontal) trunk. We use a virtual point based control scheme and modify the alignment of the ground reaction forces to assess how our control strategy influences the trunk pitch oscillations and energetics of the locomotion. We derive three potential key strategies to leverage trunk pitch motions that minimize either the energy fluctuations of the center of mass or the work performed by the hip and leg.
    Ideal morphological features are of particular importance to produce high performance all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), in which active blends generally involve unfavorable phase separation due to complicated intermixing. Developing a suitable processing solvent and additive is an effective and versatile approach to manipulate the morphology of the blends. This study demonstrates the synergistic effects of the processing solvent and additive on the photovoltaic performances of all-PSCs composed of a conjugated copolymer J71 donor and a typical N2200 acceptor. A low boiling point chloroform (CF) solvent combined with 1% 1,8-diiodoctane (DIO) additive was identified as the optimal processing condition to treat the J71N2200 blends. Consequently, the all-PSCs prepared from CF + 1% DIO processing achieved an outstanding efficiency of 9.34% with an ultrahigh fill factor of 77.86%, which is among the top values for the current all-PSC systems. Owing to the low JSC, just a moderate efficiency of 7.28% was achieved for the device prepared from chlorobenzene (CB) + 1% DIO processing despite its high FF. The electron microscopy tests revealed that the CF solvent was superior to the CB solvent to obtain uniform morphologies and the addition of the DIO additive could further lead to more favorable phase separation and domain size. Moreover, the results of charge generation, transport, and recombination analysis correlate well with the remarkable photovoltaic properties. Our results highlight the critical significance of selecting the appropriate processing solvent and additive to produce high performance all-PSCs.The new linker molecule (H2O3PCH2)2N-CH2C6H4SO3H, (4-[bis(phosphonomethyl)amino]methylbenzene-sulfonic acid, H5L), bearing both phosphonic and sulfonic acid groups, was employed for the synthesis of new coordination polymers (CPs). Four new CPs of composition [Mg(H3L)(H2O)2]·H2O (1), [Mg2(HL)(H2O)6]·2H2O (2), [Ba(H3L)(H2O)]·H2O (3) and [Pb2(HL)]·H2O (4), were discovered using high-throughput methods and all structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). With increasing ionic radius of the metal ion, an increase in coordination number from CN = 6 (Mg2+) to CN = 9 (Ba2+) and an increase in the dimensionality of the network from 1D to 3D is observed. This is reflected in the composition of the IBU and the number of metal ions that are connected by each linker molecule, i.e. from three in 1 to ten in 4. The connection of the IBUs leads to 1D and 2D structures in 1 and 2 with non-coordinating sulfonate groups, while 3 and 4 crystallise in MOF-type structures and coordination of the sulfonate groups is observed. The compounds exhibit thermal stabilities between 200 (2) and 345 °C (4) as proven by variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD) measurements. Title compound 4 contains micropores of 4 × 2 Å and reversible H2O uptake of 50 mg g-1 was demonstrated by vapour sorption measurements, making it the first porous metal phosphonatosulfonate. Detailed characterisation, i.e. CHNS and TG analysis as well as NMR and IR spectroscopy measurements confirm the phase purity of the title compounds.An iridium(i)-catalyzed hydration/esterification of 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids is described. Various 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids could be used in this process to furnish aromatic ortho-acyloxyketones via a regio- and stereo-selective addition reaction followed by intramolecular rearrangement. This protocol features mild reaction conditions and broad substrate scope. Further transformations were conducted to demonstrate the synthetic application.Reaction of FeIII(O2Ë™-)(TPP) with 2,3-dimethylindole at -40 °C gives the ring-opened, dioxygenated N-(2-acetyl-phenyl)-acetamide product. The reaction was monitored in situ by low-temperature UV-vis and 1H NMR spectroscopies. This work demonstrates that a discrete iron(iii)(superoxo) porphyrin is competent to carry out indole oxidation, as proposed for the tryptophan and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenases.BACKGROUND Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a progressive autoimmune disorder caused by the production of antibodies directed against acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), resulting in muscle weakness and fatigue. This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of grilled nux vomica (GNV) in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS Rat 97-116 peptides were used to mediate disease in the EAMG model in SPF female Lewis rats. The treatment groups received grilled nux vomica (75 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, and 225 mg/kg). The autoantibody and inflammatory cytokines levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RNA profiling was performed on high-dose and model group rats. Profiling results and TLR-4/NF-kappaB signaling were validated by q-PCR and Western blot analysis. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/trastuzumab-deruxtecan.html RESULTS The results showed that GNV could attenuate the symptoms of EAMG rats. There was a decreased level of AChR-ab, IFN-γ, TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-17 levels, and an increased level of TGF-ß1. In total, 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), consisting of 175 upregulated DEGs and 60 downregulated DEGs, were identified. Functional annotation demonstrated that DEGs were largely associated with leukocyte cell-cell adhesion, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, muscle contraction, and cardiac muscle contraction pathway. Rac2, Itgb2, Lcp2, Myl3, and Tnni1 were considered as hub genes with a higher degree value in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The q-PCR and Western blot results of hub genes were consistent with RNA profiles. GNV treatment also significantly reduced the TLR-4 and NF-kappaB p65 protein expression in EAMG rats. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that grilled nux vomica ameliorates EAMG by depressing the TLR-4/NF-kappaB signaling pathway, and hub genes may serve as potential targets for MG treatment.Bipedal animals have diverse morphologies and advanced locomotion abilities. Terrestrial birds, in particular, display agile, efficient, and robust running motion, in which they exploit the interplay between the body segment masses and moment of inertias. On the other hand, most legged robots are not able to generate such versatile and energy-efficient motion and often disregard trunk movements as a means to enhance their locomotion capabilities. Recent research investigated how trunk motions affect the gait characteristics of humans, but there is a lack of analysis across different bipedal morphologies. To address this issue, we analyze avian running based on a spring-loaded inverted pendulum model with a pronograde (horizontal) trunk. We use a virtual point based control scheme and modify the alignment of the ground reaction forces to assess how our control strategy influences the trunk pitch oscillations and energetics of the locomotion. We derive three potential key strategies to leverage trunk pitch motions that minimize either the energy fluctuations of the center of mass or the work performed by the hip and leg.
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  • Only High Standards, which has a focus on striving for excellence, had negative associations with unhelpful academic outcomes. Two of the four subscales that measured PC (Discrepancy, Doubts about Actions) were negatively related to academic performance, and Discrepancy shared a negative association with helpful academic outcomes. All PC subscales were positively associated with unhelpful academic outcomes. As such, PC are maladaptive for successful learning and a distinction between PS and healthy pursuit of excellence is worth further exploration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).[Correction Notice An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 32(10) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2020-72093-001). In the article "Examining the 'Traditional Background Hypothesis' for the MMPI-2-RF L-r Scores in a Muslim Faith-Based Sample," by R. Michael Bagby, Karin A. Onno, Ardeshir Mortezaei, and Martin Sellbom (Psychological Assessment, 2020, Vol. 32, No. 10, pp. 991-995, http//dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/pas0000941), the word "not" was missing in the abstract from the text "(b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were not included or measured independently." The correct sentence should have read as follows "(b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were not included or measured independently." All versions of this article have been corrected.] The traditional background hypothesis (TBH) is a long-standing belief associated with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) L scale; a validity scale, which appearsentified as believers in the Muslim faith (N = 267), the examination of which expands the scope beyond those of the Christian-Judeo faith. Consistent with previous results, the mean L-r (MMPI/MMPI-2 L scale counterpart on the MMPI-2-Restructured Form) was 56.41 T. Higher L-r scale scores were associated with increasing strength in the Muslim faith, and although increasing L-r scores were primarily associated with impression management, increasing Muslim-based faith values had a nontrivial influence on L-r scores and especially in the moderate score range of this scale. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).Proper assessment and diagnosis of eating disorders (EDs) are critical to determine to whom prevention and treatment efforts should be targeted, the extent to which treatment is working, and when an individual has recovered. Although existing ED diagnostic interviews have numerous strengths, they also have certain limitations, including poor internal consistency, low discriminant validity, and poor factor-structure replicability. The purpose of the current study was to address problems of past ED diagnostic interviews through the creation of a new clinician-rated interview-the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory-Clinician-Rated Version (EPSI-CRV). The EPSI-CRV was designed to measure dimensional constructs assessed in the self-report version of the EPSI and generate current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) diagnoses. Participants were community-recruited adults with a DSM-5 ED (N = 257). Participants completed self-report and interview-based measures of eating, mood, and anxiety disorders and self-report measures of psychiatric impairment. The EPSI-CRV demonstrated evidence for interrater reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and a good-fitting factor structure. EPSI-CRV dimensions showed concurrent validity for distinguishing among ED diagnoses. Baseline EPSI-CRV dimensions significantly predicted psychiatric impairment at baseline but not at 1-year follow-up. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/XL184.html Although some scales had lower internal consistency than ideal, internal consistency values were similar to those of other established diagnostic measures. The EPSI-CRV appears to represent a promising new interview that can be used across a variety of clinical and research settings. Interested readers can access the EPSI-CRV and relevant training materials here https//kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/29616. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).Many children in need do not receive the psychoeducational evaluation services they need, with an estimated 15% of all students struggling with attentional or learning difficulties that are unassessed, and thus unaddressed, during "normal" times. Such evaluations have largely halted during the COVID-19 crisis, with questionable psychometrics of usable measures and clinicians largely unprepared to administer them. Remote, online psychoeducational evaluations have the potential to decrease this access problem by allowing for evaluations to continue during the crisis, as well as redistributing (geographically and potentially socioeconomically) evaluators to populations disproportionately without access. The present study evaluated the equivalence of a remote, online administration procedure for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) with traditional, in-person administration. Results revealed no significant differences-and, therefore, method effects-between the full-scale IQ and index scores between the administration procedures. One subtest did reveal a significant method effect, with children performing more poorly on the remote, online version of the test. Although imperfect, the remote, online procedure is a viable alternative for the traditional, in-person administration of the WISC-V, especially during this time of crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
    The comprehension of irony can be affected after brain injuries. The cognitive mechanisms accounting for such disorders remain yet unclear. The heterogeneity of cognitive profiles of brain-damaged individuals and the use of independent tests to measure the links between these mechanisms and the comprehension of irony might contribute to this lack of clarity. The present study aimed to further explore the underlying mechanisms of irony-understanding disorders (i.e., context processing, executive functions [EF], and theory of mind Tom_jones_45 Jones) in patients with brain lesions.

    We used a paradigm manipulating these mechanisms within an irony task to identify different patterns of pragmatic performance associated with cognitive profiles. We administered this task and standard neuropsychological tests assessing EF and ToM to 30 participants with acquired brain injury (ABI) and 30 healthy control (HC) participants.

    A cluster analysis revealed that two thirds of the participants with ABI (3 subgroups out of 4) presented atypical pragmatic and neuropsychological patterns.
    Only High Standards, which has a focus on striving for excellence, had negative associations with unhelpful academic outcomes. Two of the four subscales that measured PC (Discrepancy, Doubts about Actions) were negatively related to academic performance, and Discrepancy shared a negative association with helpful academic outcomes. All PC subscales were positively associated with unhelpful academic outcomes. As such, PC are maladaptive for successful learning and a distinction between PS and healthy pursuit of excellence is worth further exploration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).[Correction Notice An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 32(10) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2020-72093-001). In the article "Examining the 'Traditional Background Hypothesis' for the MMPI-2-RF L-r Scores in a Muslim Faith-Based Sample," by R. Michael Bagby, Karin A. Onno, Ardeshir Mortezaei, and Martin Sellbom (Psychological Assessment, 2020, Vol. 32, No. 10, pp. 991-995, http//dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/pas0000941), the word "not" was missing in the abstract from the text "(b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were not included or measured independently." The correct sentence should have read as follows "(b) direct assessments of strength of faith or positive impression management were not included or measured independently." All versions of this article have been corrected.] The traditional background hypothesis (TBH) is a long-standing belief associated with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) L scale; a validity scale, which appearsentified as believers in the Muslim faith (N = 267), the examination of which expands the scope beyond those of the Christian-Judeo faith. Consistent with previous results, the mean L-r (MMPI/MMPI-2 L scale counterpart on the MMPI-2-Restructured Form) was 56.41 T. Higher L-r scale scores were associated with increasing strength in the Muslim faith, and although increasing L-r scores were primarily associated with impression management, increasing Muslim-based faith values had a nontrivial influence on L-r scores and especially in the moderate score range of this scale. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).Proper assessment and diagnosis of eating disorders (EDs) are critical to determine to whom prevention and treatment efforts should be targeted, the extent to which treatment is working, and when an individual has recovered. Although existing ED diagnostic interviews have numerous strengths, they also have certain limitations, including poor internal consistency, low discriminant validity, and poor factor-structure replicability. The purpose of the current study was to address problems of past ED diagnostic interviews through the creation of a new clinician-rated interview-the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory-Clinician-Rated Version (EPSI-CRV). The EPSI-CRV was designed to measure dimensional constructs assessed in the self-report version of the EPSI and generate current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) diagnoses. Participants were community-recruited adults with a DSM-5 ED (N = 257). Participants completed self-report and interview-based measures of eating, mood, and anxiety disorders and self-report measures of psychiatric impairment. The EPSI-CRV demonstrated evidence for interrater reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and a good-fitting factor structure. EPSI-CRV dimensions showed concurrent validity for distinguishing among ED diagnoses. Baseline EPSI-CRV dimensions significantly predicted psychiatric impairment at baseline but not at 1-year follow-up. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/XL184.html Although some scales had lower internal consistency than ideal, internal consistency values were similar to those of other established diagnostic measures. The EPSI-CRV appears to represent a promising new interview that can be used across a variety of clinical and research settings. Interested readers can access the EPSI-CRV and relevant training materials here https//kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/29616. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).Many children in need do not receive the psychoeducational evaluation services they need, with an estimated 15% of all students struggling with attentional or learning difficulties that are unassessed, and thus unaddressed, during "normal" times. Such evaluations have largely halted during the COVID-19 crisis, with questionable psychometrics of usable measures and clinicians largely unprepared to administer them. Remote, online psychoeducational evaluations have the potential to decrease this access problem by allowing for evaluations to continue during the crisis, as well as redistributing (geographically and potentially socioeconomically) evaluators to populations disproportionately without access. The present study evaluated the equivalence of a remote, online administration procedure for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) with traditional, in-person administration. Results revealed no significant differences-and, therefore, method effects-between the full-scale IQ and index scores between the administration procedures. One subtest did reveal a significant method effect, with children performing more poorly on the remote, online version of the test. Although imperfect, the remote, online procedure is a viable alternative for the traditional, in-person administration of the WISC-V, especially during this time of crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). The comprehension of irony can be affected after brain injuries. The cognitive mechanisms accounting for such disorders remain yet unclear. The heterogeneity of cognitive profiles of brain-damaged individuals and the use of independent tests to measure the links between these mechanisms and the comprehension of irony might contribute to this lack of clarity. The present study aimed to further explore the underlying mechanisms of irony-understanding disorders (i.e., context processing, executive functions [EF], and theory of mind [ToM]) in patients with brain lesions. We used a paradigm manipulating these mechanisms within an irony task to identify different patterns of pragmatic performance associated with cognitive profiles. We administered this task and standard neuropsychological tests assessing EF and ToM to 30 participants with acquired brain injury (ABI) and 30 healthy control (HC) participants. A cluster analysis revealed that two thirds of the participants with ABI (3 subgroups out of 4) presented atypical pragmatic and neuropsychological patterns.
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  • Surface functionalization is a key factor for determining the performance of nanomaterials in a range of applications and their fate when released to the environment. Nevertheless, it is still relatively rare that surface groups or coatings are quantified using methods that have been carefully optimized and validated with a multi-method approach. We have quantified the surface groups on a set of commercial ZnO nanoparticles modified with three different reagents ((3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane, caprylsilane and stearic acid). This study used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) of evolved gases and quantitative solution 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for quantification purposes with 13C-solid state NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to confirm assignments. Unmodified materials from the same suppliers were examined to assess possible impurities and corrections. The results demonstrate that there are significant mass losses from the unmodified samplespplier. These results highlight the importance of developing reliable methods to detect and quantify surface functional groups and the importance of a multi-method approach.Multidrug resistance (MDR) that occurs in cancer cells constitutes one of the major reasons for chemotherapy failure. The main molecular mechanism of MDR is overexpression of protein transporters from the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily, such as ABCB1 (multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1), P-glycoprotein). At the expense of ATP hydrolysis, ABCB1 pumps a diverse range of substrates (including anticancer drugs) out of the cell, thereby reducing their intracellular concentration. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/anlotinib-al3818.html In the present study, the ability of two patented disiloxanes (SILA-409 and SILA-421) to reverse drug resistance in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines LoVo and LoVo/Dx was investigated. It was demonstrated that both compounds in concentrations of 0.5-1 µM strongly increased the sensitivity of LoVo/Dx cells to doxorubicin. By means of an accumulation test in which rhodamine 123 was used as an ABCB1 substrate analogue, both organosilicon compounds were also shown to inhibit ABCB1 transport activity. The intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin was also increased, and more drug entered the cellular nuclei of resistant cells in the presence of the studied compounds. In conclusion, both SILA-409 and SILA-421 were demonstrated to be effective MDR reversal agents in resistant human colon cancer cells.Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systematic chronic inflammatory disease. The disease mechanism remains unclear and may have resulted from autoimmune problems caused by genetic predisposing and pathogen infection. In clinical practice, selection of the initial treatment is based on the degree of disease activity, and treatment plans will be added gradually according to increased severity of the disease. However, treatment results can be unclear and treatment process uncertain and ambiguous, which can cause healthcare quality to become worse. This study attempts to combine expert opinions to construct various classifiers using a number of data mining techniques to analyze the different prognosis of two patient groups, by predicting whether the inflammatory indicator erythrocyte sedimentation rates of these two groups will be within the normal range with different medication strategies. Clinical data were collected for construction of different classifiers and we evaluate the prediction accuracy rate of each classifier afterwards. The optimum prediction model is selected from these classifiers to predict the prognosis of RA within these treatment strategies and analyze various results. The results show the accuracy rate of the prediction model by Logistic, SVM and DT module were 0.7927, 07829 and 0.9094, respectively. In the RA complications dataset, the accuracy rate of were 0.9393, 0.9290 and 0.9812, respectively. Futhermore, gain ratio was used to further analyze the rules and to discover which branch nodes are the most importance factor. The results of this study are helpful for formulation and development of guidelines for clinical RA treatments, and implementation of a decision support system by using the prediction model can assist medical staff to make correct decisions in the disease's early stage.Baseline drift spectra are used for quantitative and qualitative analysis, which can easily lead to inaccurate or even wrong results. Although there are several baseline correction methods based on penalized least squares, they all have one or more parameters that must be optimized by users. For this purpose, an automatic baseline correction method based on penalized least squares is proposed in this paper. The algorithm first linearly expands the ends of the spectrum signal, and a Gaussian peak is added to the expanded range. Then, the whole spectrum is corrected by the adaptive smoothness parameter penalized least squares (asPLS) method, that is, by turning the smoothing parameter λ of asPLS to obtain a different root-mean-square error (RMSE) in the extended range, the optimal λ is selected with minimal RMSE. Finally, the baseline of the original signal is well estimated by asPLS with the optimal λ. The paper concludes with the experimental results on the simulated spectra and measured infrared spectra, demonstrating that the proposed method can automatically deal with different types of baseline drift.Background People with intellectual disabilities (IDs) constitute a high-risk group in relation to several diseases. Promoting their health literacy (HL) could be highly beneficial in the management of health information and making informed decisions. However, there are varying ranges of cognitive, communication and literacy levels in people with IDs. According to our literature review, a HL concept for this target group has not been adequately conceptualized. Methods To increase knowledge about the target group, adapted HL results from three innovative (research) projects are presented. Results The key factors are a) target group orientation; b) social context and everyday life; c) individual resources, like communication and literacy levels; d) a multi-modal strategy to strengthen HL; and e) the self-determination and participation of people with IDs. Conclusions The projects illustrate that the HL of people with IDs has been successfully addressed by taking these key factors into account. A target-group-orientated HL concept could affect more than positive health outcomes; it could also empower a high-risk group in relation to health problems.
    Surface functionalization is a key factor for determining the performance of nanomaterials in a range of applications and their fate when released to the environment. Nevertheless, it is still relatively rare that surface groups or coatings are quantified using methods that have been carefully optimized and validated with a multi-method approach. We have quantified the surface groups on a set of commercial ZnO nanoparticles modified with three different reagents ((3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane, caprylsilane and stearic acid). This study used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) of evolved gases and quantitative solution 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for quantification purposes with 13C-solid state NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to confirm assignments. Unmodified materials from the same suppliers were examined to assess possible impurities and corrections. The results demonstrate that there are significant mass losses from the unmodified samplespplier. These results highlight the importance of developing reliable methods to detect and quantify surface functional groups and the importance of a multi-method approach.Multidrug resistance (MDR) that occurs in cancer cells constitutes one of the major reasons for chemotherapy failure. The main molecular mechanism of MDR is overexpression of protein transporters from the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily, such as ABCB1 (multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1), P-glycoprotein). At the expense of ATP hydrolysis, ABCB1 pumps a diverse range of substrates (including anticancer drugs) out of the cell, thereby reducing their intracellular concentration. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/anlotinib-al3818.html In the present study, the ability of two patented disiloxanes (SILA-409 and SILA-421) to reverse drug resistance in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines LoVo and LoVo/Dx was investigated. It was demonstrated that both compounds in concentrations of 0.5-1 µM strongly increased the sensitivity of LoVo/Dx cells to doxorubicin. By means of an accumulation test in which rhodamine 123 was used as an ABCB1 substrate analogue, both organosilicon compounds were also shown to inhibit ABCB1 transport activity. The intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin was also increased, and more drug entered the cellular nuclei of resistant cells in the presence of the studied compounds. In conclusion, both SILA-409 and SILA-421 were demonstrated to be effective MDR reversal agents in resistant human colon cancer cells.Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systematic chronic inflammatory disease. The disease mechanism remains unclear and may have resulted from autoimmune problems caused by genetic predisposing and pathogen infection. In clinical practice, selection of the initial treatment is based on the degree of disease activity, and treatment plans will be added gradually according to increased severity of the disease. However, treatment results can be unclear and treatment process uncertain and ambiguous, which can cause healthcare quality to become worse. This study attempts to combine expert opinions to construct various classifiers using a number of data mining techniques to analyze the different prognosis of two patient groups, by predicting whether the inflammatory indicator erythrocyte sedimentation rates of these two groups will be within the normal range with different medication strategies. Clinical data were collected for construction of different classifiers and we evaluate the prediction accuracy rate of each classifier afterwards. The optimum prediction model is selected from these classifiers to predict the prognosis of RA within these treatment strategies and analyze various results. The results show the accuracy rate of the prediction model by Logistic, SVM and DT module were 0.7927, 07829 and 0.9094, respectively. In the RA complications dataset, the accuracy rate of were 0.9393, 0.9290 and 0.9812, respectively. Futhermore, gain ratio was used to further analyze the rules and to discover which branch nodes are the most importance factor. The results of this study are helpful for formulation and development of guidelines for clinical RA treatments, and implementation of a decision support system by using the prediction model can assist medical staff to make correct decisions in the disease's early stage.Baseline drift spectra are used for quantitative and qualitative analysis, which can easily lead to inaccurate or even wrong results. Although there are several baseline correction methods based on penalized least squares, they all have one or more parameters that must be optimized by users. For this purpose, an automatic baseline correction method based on penalized least squares is proposed in this paper. The algorithm first linearly expands the ends of the spectrum signal, and a Gaussian peak is added to the expanded range. Then, the whole spectrum is corrected by the adaptive smoothness parameter penalized least squares (asPLS) method, that is, by turning the smoothing parameter λ of asPLS to obtain a different root-mean-square error (RMSE) in the extended range, the optimal λ is selected with minimal RMSE. Finally, the baseline of the original signal is well estimated by asPLS with the optimal λ. The paper concludes with the experimental results on the simulated spectra and measured infrared spectra, demonstrating that the proposed method can automatically deal with different types of baseline drift.Background People with intellectual disabilities (IDs) constitute a high-risk group in relation to several diseases. Promoting their health literacy (HL) could be highly beneficial in the management of health information and making informed decisions. However, there are varying ranges of cognitive, communication and literacy levels in people with IDs. According to our literature review, a HL concept for this target group has not been adequately conceptualized. Methods To increase knowledge about the target group, adapted HL results from three innovative (research) projects are presented. Results The key factors are a) target group orientation; b) social context and everyday life; c) individual resources, like communication and literacy levels; d) a multi-modal strategy to strengthen HL; and e) the self-determination and participation of people with IDs. Conclusions The projects illustrate that the HL of people with IDs has been successfully addressed by taking these key factors into account. A target-group-orientated HL concept could affect more than positive health outcomes; it could also empower a high-risk group in relation to health problems.
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  • We present a patient who presented to the emergency department with a bisphosphonate-induced femoral fracture (BIFF). Clinical presentation, pathogenesis and management of BIFF are discussed. We also highlight the importance of imaging the contralateral femur, as these patients may need prophylactic surgical fixation of the contralateral femur. © 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.INTRODUCTION Diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are challenging to assess. Non-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) offers a safe alternative in patients with renal impairment. The study objective is to evaluate accuracy of lower limb quiescent-interval single-shot (QISS) MRA and pedal QISS-arterial spin-labelled (ASL) MRA for detection of significant stenosis in diabetic patients with PAD. METHODS Combined QISS and QISS-ASL MRA was performed in 32 diabetic PAD patients (20 male, 12 female; mean 69 years; 8 with critical ischaemia). Two readers assessed haemodynamically significant (>50%) stenosis and diagnostic confidence on MRA, against digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard, with subgroup analysis of patients with severe renal impairment (n = 7). Inter-reader agreement of stenosis and diagnostic confidence were evaluated. Test-retest reproducibility was evaluated in 10 subjects who underwent repeat MRA on a different day. RESULTS At DSA, 262/645 segments (40.6%) had haemodynamically significant stenoses. MRA accuracy was 78.1% (478/612) and 75.6% (464/614), sensitivity 64.7% (161/249) and 77.5% (193/249), and specificity 87.3% (317/363) and 74.2% (271/365) for 2 readers. MRA accuracy was 80.9% and 80.7% for readers 1 and 2, respectively, in patients with severe renal impairment. QISS MRA but not pedal QISS-ASL MRA was considered of diagnostic image quality. Inter-reader agreement was moderate for stenosis (ĸ = 0.60) and diagnostic confidence (ĸ = 0.41). Test-retest reproducibility was high (ĸ = 0.87) and moderate (ĸ = 0.54) for individual readers. CONCLUSIONS Quiescent-interval single-shot MRA has reasonable accuracy in a diabetic PAD population with high burden of disease, providing a non-contrast option in patients with renal impairment. QISS-ASL MRA requires further optimisation to be clinically feasible. © 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.INTRODUCTION To evaluate the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous thermal ablation alone or in combination with cementoplasty for pain palliation and local tumour control of renal cell carcinoma osseous metastases. METHODS Imaging-guided thermal ablation was performed in 59 renal cell carcinoma osseous metastatic tumours in 23 patients (concomitant cementoplasty in 43 tumours) selected following multidisciplinary consultations to achieve local tumour control and pain palliation (75%, 44/59) or pain palliation alone (25%, 15/59) in this retrospective study. Tumour characteristics, procedural details and complications were documented. Pain palliation was assessed using pre- and post-procedural Numeric Rating Scale scores at 1-week, 1-month, 3-month and 6-month time intervals. Pre- and post-procedural cross-sectional imaging was reviewed to assess local tumour control rates at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month post-treatment time intervals. RESULTS All procedures were technically successful and performed as pre-operatively planned. The median pre- and post-procedural Numeric Rating Scale scores were 8.0 and 3.0 (at all time intervals), respectively (P  less then  0.001). Local tumour control rates were 100% (40/40), 100% (36/36) and 85% (28/33) at ≥3 months, ≥6 months and ≥12 months post-procedural time intervals, respectively. There was 1 minor complication (1.7%, 1/59). CONCLUSIONS Percutaneous thermal ablation alone or in combination with cementoplasty is safe and effective for pain palliation and local tumour control of renal cell carcinoma osseous metastases. © 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.OBJECTIVES To describe haemodynamic resuscitation practices in ED patients with suspected sepsis and hypotension. METHODS This was a prospective, multicentre, observational study conducted in 70 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand between September 2018 and January 2019. Consecutive adults presenting to the ED during a 30-day period at each site, with suspected sepsis and hypotension (systolic blood pressure  less then 100 mmHg) despite at least 1000 mL fluid resuscitation, were eligible. Data included baseline demographics, clinical and laboratory variables and intravenous fluid volume administered, vasopressor administration at baseline and 6- and 24-h post-enrolment, time to antimicrobial administration, intensive care admission, organ support and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS A total of 4477 patients were screened and 591 were included with a mean (standard deviation) age of 62 (19) years, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 15.2 (6.6) and a median (interquartile range) systolic blood pressure of 94 mmHg (87-100). Median time to first intravenous antimicrobials was 77 min (42-148). https://www.selleckchem.com/products/GDC-0449.html A vasopressor infusion was commenced within 24 h in 177 (30.2%) patients, with noradrenaline the most frequently used (n = 138, 78%). A median of 2000 mL (1500-3000) of intravenous fluids was administered prior to commencing vasopressors. The total volume of fluid administered from pre-enrolment to 24 h was 4200 mL (3000-5661), with a range from 1000 to 12 200 mL. Two hundred and eighteen patients (37.1%) were admitted to an intensive care unit. Overall in-hospital mortality was 6.2% (95% confidence interval 4.4-8.5%). CONCLUSION Current resuscitation practice in patients with sepsis and hypotension varies widely and occupies the spectrum between a restricted volume/earlier vasopressor and liberal fluid/later vasopressor strategy. © 2020 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.Internalization of the "thin ideal" is a risk factor for eating pathology. It is unclear how pervasive the thin ideal is among young Chinese. In the current study, 97 participants reported their subjective willingness to be thin and their eating-disorder-related weight-controlling behaviors, and then finished a picture judgment task to implicitly detect their perception of the importance of thinness to attractiveness. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the data. Among female participants, 79.59% wanted a thinner body. Participants' level of willingness to be thin correlated positively with frequency of eating-disorder-related weight-controlling behaviors, r = .47, p  less then  .05. In the implicit task, the judgment of others' attractiveness correlated negatively with body mass index (BMI) evaluation, and this relationship was stronger for women's pictures than for men's pictures. Additionally, an individual's willingness to be thin enhanced the relationship between BMI evaluation and attractiveness judgment.
    We present a patient who presented to the emergency department with a bisphosphonate-induced femoral fracture (BIFF). Clinical presentation, pathogenesis and management of BIFF are discussed. We also highlight the importance of imaging the contralateral femur, as these patients may need prophylactic surgical fixation of the contralateral femur. © 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.INTRODUCTION Diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are challenging to assess. Non-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) offers a safe alternative in patients with renal impairment. The study objective is to evaluate accuracy of lower limb quiescent-interval single-shot (QISS) MRA and pedal QISS-arterial spin-labelled (ASL) MRA for detection of significant stenosis in diabetic patients with PAD. METHODS Combined QISS and QISS-ASL MRA was performed in 32 diabetic PAD patients (20 male, 12 female; mean 69 years; 8 with critical ischaemia). Two readers assessed haemodynamically significant (>50%) stenosis and diagnostic confidence on MRA, against digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard, with subgroup analysis of patients with severe renal impairment (n = 7). Inter-reader agreement of stenosis and diagnostic confidence were evaluated. Test-retest reproducibility was evaluated in 10 subjects who underwent repeat MRA on a different day. RESULTS At DSA, 262/645 segments (40.6%) had haemodynamically significant stenoses. MRA accuracy was 78.1% (478/612) and 75.6% (464/614), sensitivity 64.7% (161/249) and 77.5% (193/249), and specificity 87.3% (317/363) and 74.2% (271/365) for 2 readers. MRA accuracy was 80.9% and 80.7% for readers 1 and 2, respectively, in patients with severe renal impairment. QISS MRA but not pedal QISS-ASL MRA was considered of diagnostic image quality. Inter-reader agreement was moderate for stenosis (ĸ = 0.60) and diagnostic confidence (ĸ = 0.41). Test-retest reproducibility was high (ĸ = 0.87) and moderate (ĸ = 0.54) for individual readers. CONCLUSIONS Quiescent-interval single-shot MRA has reasonable accuracy in a diabetic PAD population with high burden of disease, providing a non-contrast option in patients with renal impairment. QISS-ASL MRA requires further optimisation to be clinically feasible. © 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.INTRODUCTION To evaluate the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous thermal ablation alone or in combination with cementoplasty for pain palliation and local tumour control of renal cell carcinoma osseous metastases. METHODS Imaging-guided thermal ablation was performed in 59 renal cell carcinoma osseous metastatic tumours in 23 patients (concomitant cementoplasty in 43 tumours) selected following multidisciplinary consultations to achieve local tumour control and pain palliation (75%, 44/59) or pain palliation alone (25%, 15/59) in this retrospective study. Tumour characteristics, procedural details and complications were documented. Pain palliation was assessed using pre- and post-procedural Numeric Rating Scale scores at 1-week, 1-month, 3-month and 6-month time intervals. Pre- and post-procedural cross-sectional imaging was reviewed to assess local tumour control rates at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month post-treatment time intervals. RESULTS All procedures were technically successful and performed as pre-operatively planned. The median pre- and post-procedural Numeric Rating Scale scores were 8.0 and 3.0 (at all time intervals), respectively (P  less then  0.001). Local tumour control rates were 100% (40/40), 100% (36/36) and 85% (28/33) at ≥3 months, ≥6 months and ≥12 months post-procedural time intervals, respectively. There was 1 minor complication (1.7%, 1/59). CONCLUSIONS Percutaneous thermal ablation alone or in combination with cementoplasty is safe and effective for pain palliation and local tumour control of renal cell carcinoma osseous metastases. © 2020 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.OBJECTIVES To describe haemodynamic resuscitation practices in ED patients with suspected sepsis and hypotension. METHODS This was a prospective, multicentre, observational study conducted in 70 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand between September 2018 and January 2019. Consecutive adults presenting to the ED during a 30-day period at each site, with suspected sepsis and hypotension (systolic blood pressure  less then 100 mmHg) despite at least 1000 mL fluid resuscitation, were eligible. Data included baseline demographics, clinical and laboratory variables and intravenous fluid volume administered, vasopressor administration at baseline and 6- and 24-h post-enrolment, time to antimicrobial administration, intensive care admission, organ support and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS A total of 4477 patients were screened and 591 were included with a mean (standard deviation) age of 62 (19) years, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 15.2 (6.6) and a median (interquartile range) systolic blood pressure of 94 mmHg (87-100). Median time to first intravenous antimicrobials was 77 min (42-148). https://www.selleckchem.com/products/GDC-0449.html A vasopressor infusion was commenced within 24 h in 177 (30.2%) patients, with noradrenaline the most frequently used (n = 138, 78%). A median of 2000 mL (1500-3000) of intravenous fluids was administered prior to commencing vasopressors. The total volume of fluid administered from pre-enrolment to 24 h was 4200 mL (3000-5661), with a range from 1000 to 12 200 mL. Two hundred and eighteen patients (37.1%) were admitted to an intensive care unit. Overall in-hospital mortality was 6.2% (95% confidence interval 4.4-8.5%). CONCLUSION Current resuscitation practice in patients with sepsis and hypotension varies widely and occupies the spectrum between a restricted volume/earlier vasopressor and liberal fluid/later vasopressor strategy. © 2020 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.Internalization of the "thin ideal" is a risk factor for eating pathology. It is unclear how pervasive the thin ideal is among young Chinese. In the current study, 97 participants reported their subjective willingness to be thin and their eating-disorder-related weight-controlling behaviors, and then finished a picture judgment task to implicitly detect their perception of the importance of thinness to attractiveness. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the data. Among female participants, 79.59% wanted a thinner body. Participants' level of willingness to be thin correlated positively with frequency of eating-disorder-related weight-controlling behaviors, r = .47, p  less then  .05. In the implicit task, the judgment of others' attractiveness correlated negatively with body mass index (BMI) evaluation, and this relationship was stronger for women's pictures than for men's pictures. Additionally, an individual's willingness to be thin enhanced the relationship between BMI evaluation and attractiveness judgment.
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  • © Association for Behavior Analysis International 2020.Composting systems are poised to make a significant impact on waste-management strategies and greatly contribute to global sustainability efforts. However, risk of contamination by potentially detrimental compounds must be overcome before these systems can be widely adopted. Behavior analytic approaches to waste disposal adherence have consisted of antecedent and consequence strategies; many such strategies require continual oversight and significant investment of resources to maintain effectiveness. This project describes a field study that investigated a purely antecedent-based approach to nudge proper organic recycling on a university campus. Using a multiple-baseline design across dining sites, we demonstrate the efficacy of enhanced compost bins (i.e., green colored bins with a hinged door and an accompanying placard indicating site-specific materials that can and cannot be composted) to reduce product contamination by inorganic or unsuitable organic refuse. Implications for future research and suggestions for university implementation are discussed. © Association for Behavior Analysis International 2019.Direct service professionals (DSPs) provide the majority of treatment to individuals with developmental disabilities in community and residential settings; however, their ability to implement high-quality care is often limited by workplace factors and stress. The present study examined the effect of a verbal and written performance feedback intervention and the addition of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based training program on the frequency and technical competence of active treatment provided by DSPs using a multiple-baseline design across 5 participants. Each participant demonstrated an increase in active treatment and technical performance following the implementation of both feedback-only and feedback plus ACT training interventions. Self-reported levels of psychological flexibility, workplace stress, and job satisfaction remained relatively stable for all participants from baseline to intervention despite the increased performance of the DSPs. Implications of the inclusion of an ACT-based training program with traditional behavior-analytic workplace interventions are discussed. © Association for Behavior Analysis International 2019.To investigate the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota of **** treated with Folium senna decoction gavage combined with restraint and tail pinch stress. Ten healthy male Kunming **** were chosen and randomly divided into control group and model group, with five **** in each group. **** in the control group were raised regularly, while **** in the model group were treated by feeding with Folium senna decoction, restraint in a constraint tube and tail pinch with a clip for 7 days. Intestinal contents from the jejunum to ileum were collected, and DNA was extracted from each mouse. The characteristics of the intestinal microbial species were analysed by PacBio Sequel-based 16S rRNA sequencing. Result showed that alpha diversity indices in the model group were higher than those in the control group, and the Simpson index differed significantly (P  0.05). In the control group, Candidatus arthromitus sp. SFB-mouse and Lactobacillus johnsonii were the dominant species. In the model group, Staphylococcus lentus, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Candidatus arthromitus sp. SFB-mouse and Lactobacillus murinus were included. Furthermore, LEfSe analysis showed that the relative abundances of Escherichia sp. BBDP27, Helicobacter ganmani, Bacteroides vulgatus and Lactobacillus intestinalis in the model group were higher than those in the control group (P  less then  0.05 or P  less then  0.01). In conclusion, Folium senna decoction gavage combined with restraint and tail pinch stress increased the intestinal microbiota diversity. Strains associated with intestinal diseases, including Bacteroides vulgatus, Helicobacter ganmani, Staphylococcus lentus and Lactobacillus murinus, were significantly enriched, while strains beneficial to health, such as Candidatus arthromitus sp. SFB-mouse and Lactobacillus johnsonii, were significantly depleted. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2020.Alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) as a pretreatment effectively enhances the increasing enzymatic digestibility of oil palm trunk (OPT) for conversion to biofuels and bioproducts in the biorefinery processes. The effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration (1-5%), temperature (50-90 °C), and time (30-90 min) were studied to find out the optimum condition for the removal of lignin. The optimum condition attained at 70 °C, 30 min, and 3% H2O2 g /g of biomass not only increased the cellulose content from 38.67% in raw material to 73.96% but also removed lignin and hemicellulose up to 50% and 57.12%, respectively. The AHP-treated fibers subjected to enzyme hydrolysis showed significant improvement in glucose concentration that increased from 11.77 (± 0.84) g/L (raw material) to 46.15 (± 0.32) g/L with 59.82% enzyme digestibility at 96 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) were employed to analyze the morphology and structural changes of untreated and AHP-treated fibers. SEM results showed disruption of the intact OPT structure resulting in increase of enzyme accessibility to cellulose. The FT-IR identified changes in peaks which indicated structural transformation and dissolution of both lignin and hemicellulose molecules caused by AHP treatment. The black liquor obtained from AHP treatment contained about 5.13 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of dry sample of total phenolic content (TPC) and an antioxidant activity of 59.80% and 65.51% inhibitions of DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. Hence, it is a sustainable approach to utilize waste for the recovery of multiple value-added products during pretreatment process. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2020.FSCJ conducted a risk assessment of fluxametamide (CAS No. 928783-29-3), an isoxazoline insecticide, based on results from various studies. The data used in the assessment include the fate in animals, fate in plants, residues in crops, subacute toxicity, subacute neurotoxicity, chronic toxicity, combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity, carcinogenicity, two-generation reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, and genotoxicity. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/nedisertib.html Alveolar macrophage accumulation, vacuolated epithelial cells in the small intestine, and hepatocellular vacuolation are observed in various toxicity studies. Increased incidences of thyroid follicular cell adenoma in male rats and of hepatocellular adenoma in male **** were observed in carcinogenicity studies. However, a genotoxic mechanism was unlikely to be involved in the tumor increases. FSCJ specified an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.0085 mg/kg bw per day, applying a safety factor of 100 to the NOAEL, 0.85 mg/kg bw per day, that was derived from the two-year combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity study in rats.
    © Association for Behavior Analysis International 2020.Composting systems are poised to make a significant impact on waste-management strategies and greatly contribute to global sustainability efforts. However, risk of contamination by potentially detrimental compounds must be overcome before these systems can be widely adopted. Behavior analytic approaches to waste disposal adherence have consisted of antecedent and consequence strategies; many such strategies require continual oversight and significant investment of resources to maintain effectiveness. This project describes a field study that investigated a purely antecedent-based approach to nudge proper organic recycling on a university campus. Using a multiple-baseline design across dining sites, we demonstrate the efficacy of enhanced compost bins (i.e., green colored bins with a hinged door and an accompanying placard indicating site-specific materials that can and cannot be composted) to reduce product contamination by inorganic or unsuitable organic refuse. Implications for future research and suggestions for university implementation are discussed. © Association for Behavior Analysis International 2019.Direct service professionals (DSPs) provide the majority of treatment to individuals with developmental disabilities in community and residential settings; however, their ability to implement high-quality care is often limited by workplace factors and stress. The present study examined the effect of a verbal and written performance feedback intervention and the addition of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based training program on the frequency and technical competence of active treatment provided by DSPs using a multiple-baseline design across 5 participants. Each participant demonstrated an increase in active treatment and technical performance following the implementation of both feedback-only and feedback plus ACT training interventions. Self-reported levels of psychological flexibility, workplace stress, and job satisfaction remained relatively stable for all participants from baseline to intervention despite the increased performance of the DSPs. Implications of the inclusion of an ACT-based training program with traditional behavior-analytic workplace interventions are discussed. © Association for Behavior Analysis International 2019.To investigate the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota of mice treated with Folium senna decoction gavage combined with restraint and tail pinch stress. Ten healthy male Kunming mice were chosen and randomly divided into control group and model group, with five mice in each group. Mice in the control group were raised regularly, while mice in the model group were treated by feeding with Folium senna decoction, restraint in a constraint tube and tail pinch with a clip for 7 days. Intestinal contents from the jejunum to ileum were collected, and DNA was extracted from each mouse. The characteristics of the intestinal microbial species were analysed by PacBio Sequel-based 16S rRNA sequencing. Result showed that alpha diversity indices in the model group were higher than those in the control group, and the Simpson index differed significantly (P  0.05). In the control group, Candidatus arthromitus sp. SFB-mouse and Lactobacillus johnsonii were the dominant species. In the model group, Staphylococcus lentus, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Candidatus arthromitus sp. SFB-mouse and Lactobacillus murinus were included. Furthermore, LEfSe analysis showed that the relative abundances of Escherichia sp. BBDP27, Helicobacter ganmani, Bacteroides vulgatus and Lactobacillus intestinalis in the model group were higher than those in the control group (P  less then  0.05 or P  less then  0.01). In conclusion, Folium senna decoction gavage combined with restraint and tail pinch stress increased the intestinal microbiota diversity. Strains associated with intestinal diseases, including Bacteroides vulgatus, Helicobacter ganmani, Staphylococcus lentus and Lactobacillus murinus, were significantly enriched, while strains beneficial to health, such as Candidatus arthromitus sp. SFB-mouse and Lactobacillus johnsonii, were significantly depleted. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2020.Alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) as a pretreatment effectively enhances the increasing enzymatic digestibility of oil palm trunk (OPT) for conversion to biofuels and bioproducts in the biorefinery processes. The effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration (1-5%), temperature (50-90 °C), and time (30-90 min) were studied to find out the optimum condition for the removal of lignin. The optimum condition attained at 70 °C, 30 min, and 3% H2O2 g /g of biomass not only increased the cellulose content from 38.67% in raw material to 73.96% but also removed lignin and hemicellulose up to 50% and 57.12%, respectively. The AHP-treated fibers subjected to enzyme hydrolysis showed significant improvement in glucose concentration that increased from 11.77 (± 0.84) g/L (raw material) to 46.15 (± 0.32) g/L with 59.82% enzyme digestibility at 96 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) were employed to analyze the morphology and structural changes of untreated and AHP-treated fibers. SEM results showed disruption of the intact OPT structure resulting in increase of enzyme accessibility to cellulose. The FT-IR identified changes in peaks which indicated structural transformation and dissolution of both lignin and hemicellulose molecules caused by AHP treatment. The black liquor obtained from AHP treatment contained about 5.13 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of dry sample of total phenolic content (TPC) and an antioxidant activity of 59.80% and 65.51% inhibitions of DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. Hence, it is a sustainable approach to utilize waste for the recovery of multiple value-added products during pretreatment process. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2020.FSCJ conducted a risk assessment of fluxametamide (CAS No. 928783-29-3), an isoxazoline insecticide, based on results from various studies. The data used in the assessment include the fate in animals, fate in plants, residues in crops, subacute toxicity, subacute neurotoxicity, chronic toxicity, combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity, carcinogenicity, two-generation reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, and genotoxicity. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/nedisertib.html Alveolar macrophage accumulation, vacuolated epithelial cells in the small intestine, and hepatocellular vacuolation are observed in various toxicity studies. Increased incidences of thyroid follicular cell adenoma in male rats and of hepatocellular adenoma in male mice were observed in carcinogenicity studies. However, a genotoxic mechanism was unlikely to be involved in the tumor increases. FSCJ specified an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.0085 mg/kg bw per day, applying a safety factor of 100 to the NOAEL, 0.85 mg/kg bw per day, that was derived from the two-year combined chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity study in rats.
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  • The superior catalytic activity of the CuMgAl-I sample is attributed to the synergistic effect between the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and ultrasonic irradiation. The HRTEM analysis of the used CuMgAl-I catalyst revealed the evidence for the cavitation collapse, which causes localized deformation and surface erosion. Moreover, the synthesized catalysts also exhibited robust sustainable activity that resisted deactivation over repeated usage. The present example of ultrasonic-assisted catalyzed organic synthesis represents a novel strategy for the solvent-free green synthesis of nitro-alcohols by the Henry reaction with 100% atom economy. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Mallotus repandus (M. repandus) is traditionally used to treat muscle pain, itching, fever, rheumatic arthritis, and a variety of liver disorders. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity and the antioxidant potential of the ethyl acetate stem extract of M. repandus (ESMR) against d-galactosamine (d-GalN)-induced hepatopathy, along with a possible mechanism of action in rats. In vivo hepatoprotective activity of ESMR was examined using d-galactosamine (d-GalN)-induced hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats. For this purpose, levels of serum diagnostic markers, activity of hepatic antioxidant enzymes, and liver histo-architecture were employed to assess the protective efficacy of ESMR. Furthermore, the total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents were quantitated, and the antioxidant capacity of the extract was evaluated using different methods such as 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (OH•) scavenging assaibited free radicals with IC50 values of 94.47 ± 0.51, 127.33 ± 0.36, 164.12 ± 0.45, and 254.14 ± 0.35 μg/mL in DPPH, NO, H2O2, and OH• free radical scavenging assays, respectively. These findings highlight the protective role of ESMR against hepatic injury induced by d-GalN, which may be attributed to its higher antioxidant properties, thereby scientifically justifying its traditional use. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.It is highly desirable to design high-efficiency stable and low-price catalysts in the electrocatalysis field. Herein, we reported a cobalt phosphide (Co2P)-loaded reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite catalyst (rGO/Co2P) prepared via the convenient hydrothermal and H2 reduction methods. The rGO/Co2P catalyst reduced at 800 °C (rGO/Co2P-800) shows superior electrocatalytic activities for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH solution, achieving an overpotential of 134 and 378 mV, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Moreover, the catalyst can not only maintain stability for a long time in alkaline solution but also in acid media because of the protection of the rGO layers. The superior performance of this catalyst is attributed to the synergy between the carbon layer and transition-metal phosphides. The Co2P nanoparticles have a high degree of dispersion, which prevents agglomeration, thereby exposing more active sites. Moreover, rGO protects the exposed metal particles while providing more electroconductivity to the material. This work provides an efficient route for the development of bifunctional electrocatalysts with excellent performance and stability, which provides new ideas toward overall water splitting. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.According to the WHO, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been integral to the recent reduction in deaths due to Plasmodium falciparum malaria. ACT-resistant strains are an emerging problem and have evolved altered developmental stages, reducing exposure of the most susceptible stages to artemisinin drugs in popular ACTs. Lipophilicity, log K ow, is a guide in understanding and predicting pharmacokinetic properties such as terminal half-life which alters drug exposure. Consistent log K ow values are not necessarily available for artemisinin derivatives designed to extend terminal half-life, increase bioavailability, and reduce neurotoxicity. For other drugs used in ACTs, an assortment of experimental and computational log K ow values are available in the literature and in some cases, do not account for subtle but important differences between closely related structures such as between diastereomers. Quantum chemical methods such as density functional theory (DFT) used with an implicit solvent thalpy and entropy results in correct prediction that α-DHA is favored in aqueous environments compared to β-DHA. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mitoquinone-mesylate.html Predictions made regarding experimental drugs have implications regarding their potential use in response to artemisinin drug-resistant strains. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.A new melatonin sulfonate derivative sodium 4-(3-(2-acetamidoethyl)-5-methoxy-1H-indol-1-yl) butane-1-sulfonate (MLTBS) with higher water solubility (695 times) and lower cytotoxicity than natural melatonin (MLT) was synthesized, yet with the same sleep aid function. The poor solubility of MLT in water has been improved with a simple chemical reaction, which solves the poor solubility of melatonin in water, overcoming the safety problem caused by adding organic reagents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol to increase the solubility. Moreover, the modified MLT still has the same sleep aid effect as the natural MLT and higher biological safety. As a novel potential drug for sleep aid, the new MLT derivative could also flourish the application and research of this molecule in medicine and biology. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Engineering proteins to enhance thermal stability is a widely utilized approach for creating industrially relevant biocatalysts. The development of new experimental datasets and computational tools to guide these engineering efforts remains an active area of research. Thus, to complement the previously reported measures of T 50 and kinetic constants, we are reporting an expansion of our previously published dataset of mutants for β-glucosidase to include both measures of T M and ΔΔG. For a set of 51 mutants, we found that T 50 and T M are moderately correlated, with a Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank coefficient of 0.58 and 0.47, respectively, indicating that the two methods capture different physical features. The performance of predicted stability using nine computational tools was also evaluated on the dataset of 51 mutants, none of which are found to be strong predictors of the observed changes in T 50, T M, or ΔΔG. Furthermore, the ability of the nine algorithms to predict the production of isolatable soluble protein was examined, which revealed that Rosetta ΔΔG, FoldX, DeepDDG, PoPMuSiC, and SDM were capable of predicting if a mutant could be produced and isolated as a soluble protein.
    The superior catalytic activity of the CuMgAl-I sample is attributed to the synergistic effect between the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and ultrasonic irradiation. The HRTEM analysis of the used CuMgAl-I catalyst revealed the evidence for the cavitation collapse, which causes localized deformation and surface erosion. Moreover, the synthesized catalysts also exhibited robust sustainable activity that resisted deactivation over repeated usage. The present example of ultrasonic-assisted catalyzed organic synthesis represents a novel strategy for the solvent-free green synthesis of nitro-alcohols by the Henry reaction with 100% atom economy. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Mallotus repandus (M. repandus) is traditionally used to treat muscle pain, itching, fever, rheumatic arthritis, and a variety of liver disorders. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity and the antioxidant potential of the ethyl acetate stem extract of M. repandus (ESMR) against d-galactosamine (d-GalN)-induced hepatopathy, along with a possible mechanism of action in rats. In vivo hepatoprotective activity of ESMR was examined using d-galactosamine (d-GalN)-induced hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats. For this purpose, levels of serum diagnostic markers, activity of hepatic antioxidant enzymes, and liver histo-architecture were employed to assess the protective efficacy of ESMR. Furthermore, the total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents were quantitated, and the antioxidant capacity of the extract was evaluated using different methods such as 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (OH•) scavenging assaibited free radicals with IC50 values of 94.47 ± 0.51, 127.33 ± 0.36, 164.12 ± 0.45, and 254.14 ± 0.35 μg/mL in DPPH, NO, H2O2, and OH• free radical scavenging assays, respectively. These findings highlight the protective role of ESMR against hepatic injury induced by d-GalN, which may be attributed to its higher antioxidant properties, thereby scientifically justifying its traditional use. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.It is highly desirable to design high-efficiency stable and low-price catalysts in the electrocatalysis field. Herein, we reported a cobalt phosphide (Co2P)-loaded reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite catalyst (rGO/Co2P) prepared via the convenient hydrothermal and H2 reduction methods. The rGO/Co2P catalyst reduced at 800 °C (rGO/Co2P-800) shows superior electrocatalytic activities for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH solution, achieving an overpotential of 134 and 378 mV, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Moreover, the catalyst can not only maintain stability for a long time in alkaline solution but also in acid media because of the protection of the rGO layers. The superior performance of this catalyst is attributed to the synergy between the carbon layer and transition-metal phosphides. The Co2P nanoparticles have a high degree of dispersion, which prevents agglomeration, thereby exposing more active sites. Moreover, rGO protects the exposed metal particles while providing more electroconductivity to the material. This work provides an efficient route for the development of bifunctional electrocatalysts with excellent performance and stability, which provides new ideas toward overall water splitting. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.According to the WHO, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been integral to the recent reduction in deaths due to Plasmodium falciparum malaria. ACT-resistant strains are an emerging problem and have evolved altered developmental stages, reducing exposure of the most susceptible stages to artemisinin drugs in popular ACTs. Lipophilicity, log K ow, is a guide in understanding and predicting pharmacokinetic properties such as terminal half-life which alters drug exposure. Consistent log K ow values are not necessarily available for artemisinin derivatives designed to extend terminal half-life, increase bioavailability, and reduce neurotoxicity. For other drugs used in ACTs, an assortment of experimental and computational log K ow values are available in the literature and in some cases, do not account for subtle but important differences between closely related structures such as between diastereomers. Quantum chemical methods such as density functional theory (DFT) used with an implicit solvent thalpy and entropy results in correct prediction that α-DHA is favored in aqueous environments compared to β-DHA. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mitoquinone-mesylate.html Predictions made regarding experimental drugs have implications regarding their potential use in response to artemisinin drug-resistant strains. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.A new melatonin sulfonate derivative sodium 4-(3-(2-acetamidoethyl)-5-methoxy-1H-indol-1-yl) butane-1-sulfonate (MLTBS) with higher water solubility (695 times) and lower cytotoxicity than natural melatonin (MLT) was synthesized, yet with the same sleep aid function. The poor solubility of MLT in water has been improved with a simple chemical reaction, which solves the poor solubility of melatonin in water, overcoming the safety problem caused by adding organic reagents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol to increase the solubility. Moreover, the modified MLT still has the same sleep aid effect as the natural MLT and higher biological safety. As a novel potential drug for sleep aid, the new MLT derivative could also flourish the application and research of this molecule in medicine and biology. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Engineering proteins to enhance thermal stability is a widely utilized approach for creating industrially relevant biocatalysts. The development of new experimental datasets and computational tools to guide these engineering efforts remains an active area of research. Thus, to complement the previously reported measures of T 50 and kinetic constants, we are reporting an expansion of our previously published dataset of mutants for β-glucosidase to include both measures of T M and ΔΔG. For a set of 51 mutants, we found that T 50 and T M are moderately correlated, with a Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank coefficient of 0.58 and 0.47, respectively, indicating that the two methods capture different physical features. The performance of predicted stability using nine computational tools was also evaluated on the dataset of 51 mutants, none of which are found to be strong predictors of the observed changes in T 50, T M, or ΔΔG. Furthermore, the ability of the nine algorithms to predict the production of isolatable soluble protein was examined, which revealed that Rosetta ΔΔG, FoldX, DeepDDG, PoPMuSiC, and SDM were capable of predicting if a mutant could be produced and isolated as a soluble protein.
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