bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) in Survival, Dormancy, Immunosuppression, Metastasis, and Treatments of Cancer Cells
Authors: Hsu Sheng-Kai , Chiu Chien-Chih , Dahms Hans-Uwe , Chou Chon-Kit , Cheng Chih-Mei , Chang Wen-Tsan , Cheng Kai-Chun , Wang Hui-Min David , Lin I-Ling
Published: May 2019

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has diverse functions, and especially misfolded protein modification is in the focus of this review paper. With a highly regulatory mechanism, called unfolded protein response (UPR), it protects cells from the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Nevertheless, not only does UPR modify improper proteins, but it also degrades proteins that are unable to recover. Three pathways of UPR, namely PERK, IRE-1, and ATF6, have a significant role in regulating stress-induced physiological responses in cells. The dysregulated UPR may be involved in diseases, such as atherosclerosis, heart diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and cancer. Here, we discuss the relation between UPR and cancer, considering several aspects including survival, dormancy, immunosuppression, angiogenesis, and metastasis of cancer cells. Although several moderate adversities can subject cancer cells to a hostile environment, UPR can ensure their survival. Excessive unfavorable conditions, such as overloading with misfolded proteins and nutrient deprivation, tend to trigger cancer cell death signaling. Regarding dormancy and immunosuppression, cancer cells can survive chemotherapies and acquire drug resistance through dormancy and immunosuppression. Cancer cells can also regulate the downstream of UPR to modulate angiogenesis and promote metastasis. In the end, regulating UPR through different molecular mechanisms may provide promising anticancer treatment options by suppressing cancer proliferation and progression.
Atorvastatin and Fenofibrate Increase the Content of Unsaturated Acyl Chains in HDL and Modify In Vivo Kinetics of HDL-Cholesteryl Esters in New Zealand White Rabbits
Authors: Flores-Castillo Cristóbal , Luna-Luna María , Carreón-Torres Elizabeth , López-Olmos Victoria , Frías Sara , Juárez-Oropeza Marco Antonio , Franco Martha , Fragoso José Manuel , Vargas-Alarcón Gilberto , Pérez-Méndez Óscar
Published: May 2019

Previous studies demonstrated modifications of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) structure and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I catabolism induced by the atorvastatin and fenofibrate combination. However, it remains unknown whether such structural and metabolic changes of HDL were related to an improvement of the HDL-cholesteryl esters (HDL-CE) metabolism. Therefore, we determined the structure of HDL and performed kinetic studies of HDL-CE radiolabeled with tritium in rabbits treated with atorvastatin, fenofibrate, and a combination of both drugs. The atorvastatin and fenofibrate combination increased the HDL size and the cholesterol and phospholipid plasma concentrations of the largest HDL subclasses. Moreover, the relative amount of unsaturated fatty acids contained in HDL increased, in detriment of saturated fatty acids as determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The transfers of cholesteryl esters (CE) from HDL to very low-density lipoproteins/low-density lipoproteins (VLDL/LDL) and vice versa were enhanced with atorvastatin, alone or in combination. Moreover, the direct elimination of CE from plasma via VLDL/LDL decreased with fenofibrate, whereas the direct elimination of CE via HDL augmented with the combination treatment. Taken together, the rise of unsaturated fatty acid content and the size increase of HDL, suggest that atorvastatin and fenofibrate induce more fluid HDL particles, which in turn favor an enhanced CE exchange between HDL and VLDL/LDL. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between the structure and function of HDL during the use of anti-dyslipidemic drugs.
New Materials Based on Cationic Porphyrins Conjugated to Chitosan or Titanium Dioxide: Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Efficacy
Authors: Castro Kelly A. D. F. , Moura Nuno M. M. , Figueira Flávio , Ferreira Rosalina I. , Simões Mário M. Q. , Cavaleiro José A. S. , Faustino M. Amparo F. , Silvestre Armando J. D. , Freire Carmen S. R. , Tomé João P. C. , Nakagaki Shirley , Almeida A. , Neves M. Graça P. M. S.
Published: May 2019

The post-functionalization of 5,10,15-tris(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)-20-(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin tri-iodide, known as a highly efficient photosensitizer (PS) for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), in the presence of 3- or 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, afforded two new tricationic porphyrins with adequate carboxylic pending groups to be immobilized on chitosan or titanium oxide. The structural characterization of the newly obtained materials confirmed the success of the porphyrin immobilization on the solid supports. The photophysical properties and the antimicrobial photodynamic efficacy of the non-immobilized porphyrins and of the new conjugates were evaluated. The results showed that the position of the carboxyl group in the mercapto units or the absence of these substituents in the porphyrin core could modulate the action of the photosensitizer towards the bioluminescent Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacterium. The antimicrobial activity was also influenced by the interaction between the photosensitizer and the type of support (chitosan or titanium dioxide). The new cationic porphyrins and some of the materials were shown to be very stable in PBS and effective in the photoinactivation of E. coli bacterium. The physicochemical properties of TiO2 allowed the interaction of the PS with its surface, increasing the absorption profile of TiO2, which enables the use of visible light, inactivating the bacteria more efficiently than the corresponding PS immobilized on chitosan.
Proteomic Analysis of MeJa-Induced Defense Responses in Rice against Wounding
Authors: Bertini Laura , Palazzi Luana , Proietti Silvia , Pollastri Susanna , Arrigoni Giorgio , Polverino de Laureto Patrizia , Caruso Carla
Published: May 2019

The role of jasmonates in defense priming has been widely recognized. Priming is a physiological process by which a plant exposed to low doses of biotic or abiotic elicitors activates faster and/or stronger defense responses when subsequently challenged by a stress. In this work, we investigated the impact of MeJA-induced defense responses to mechanical wounding in rice (Oryza sativa). The proteome reprogramming of plants treated with MeJA, wounding or MeJA+wounding has been in-depth analyzed by using a combination of high throughput profiling techniques and bioinformatics tools. Gene Ontology analysis identified protein classes as defense/immunity proteins, hydrolases and oxidoreductases differentially enriched by the three treatments, although with different amplitude. Remarkably, proteins involved in photosynthesis or oxidative stress were significantly affected upon wounding in MeJA-primed plants. Although these identified proteins had been previously shown to play a role in defense responses, our study revealed that they are specifically associated with MeJA-priming. Additionally, we also showed that at the phenotypic level MeJA protects plants from oxidative stress and photosynthetic damage induced by wounding. Taken together, our results add novel insight into the molecular actors and physiological mechanisms orchestrated by MeJA in enhancing rice plants defenses after wounding.
Mutual Information, the Linear Prediction Model, and CELP Voice Codecs
Authors: Gibson Jerry
Published: May 2019

We write the mutual information between an input speech utterance and its reconstruction by a code-excited linear prediction (CELP) codec in terms of the mutual information between the input speech and the contributions due to the short-term predictor, the adaptive codebook, and the fixed codebook. We then show that a recently introduced quantity, the log ratio of entropy powers, can be used to estimate these mutual informations in terms of bits/sample. A key result is that for many common distributions and for Gaussian autoregressive processes, the entropy powers in the ratio can be replaced by the corresponding minimum mean squared errors. We provide examples of estimating CELP codec performance using the new results and compare these to the performance of the adaptive multirate (AMR) codec and other CELP codecs. Similar to rate distortion theory, this method only needs the input source model and the appropriate distortion measure.
Physical and Mechanical Properties of a Bulk Lightweight Concrete with Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Beads and Soft Marine Clay
Authors: Wang Jianguo , Hu Bowen , Soon Jia Hwei
Published: May 2019

The variation of physical and mechanical properties of the lightweight bulk filling material with cement and expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads contents under different confining pressures is important to construction and geotechnical applications. In this study, a lightweight bulk filling material was firstly fabricated with Singapore marine clay, ordinary Portland cement and EPS. Then, the influences of EPS beads content, cement content, curing time and confining pressure on the mass density, stress–strain behavior and compressive strength of this lightweight bulk filling material were investigated by unconsolidated and undrained (UU) triaxial tests. In these tests, the mass ratios of EPS beads to dry clay (E/S) were 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 4% and the mass ratios of cement to dry clay (C/S) were 10% and 15%. Thirdly, a series of UU triaxial tests were performed at a confining pressure of 0 kPa, 50 kPa, 100 kPa, and 150 kPa after three curing days, seven curing days, and 28 curing days. The results show that the mass density of this lightweight bulk filling material was mainly controlled by the E/S ratio. Its mass density decreased by 55.6% for the C/S ratio 10% and 54.9% for the C/S ratio 15% when the E/S ratio increased from 0% to 4% after three curing days. Shear failure more easily occurred in the specimens with higher cement content and lower confining pressure. The relationships between compressive strength and mass density or failure strain could be quantified by the power function. Increasing cement content and reducing EPS beads content will increase mass density and compressive strength of this lightweight bulk filling material. The compressive strength with curing time can be expressed by a logarithmic function with fitting correlation coefficient ranging from 0.83 to 0.97 for five confining pressures. These empirical formulae will be useful for the estimation of physical and mechanical properties of lightweight concretes in engineering application.
Super-Toughed PLA Blown Film with Enhanced Gas Barrier Property Available for Packaging and Agricultural Applications
Authors: Jiang Yuanping , Yan Cong , Wang Kai , Shi Dawei , Liu Zhengying , Yang Mingbo
Published: May 2019

Polylactic acid (PLA) holds enormous potential as an alternative to the ubiquitous petroleum-based plastics to be used in packaging film and agricultural film. However, the poor viscoelastic behavior and its extremely low melt strength means it fails to meet the requirements in film blowing processing, which is the most efficient film processing method with the lowest costs. Also, the PLA’s brittleness and insufficient gas barrier properties also seriously limit PLA’s potential application as a common film material. Herein, special stereocomplex (SC) networks were introduced to improve the melt strength and film blowing stability of PLA; polyethylene glycol (PEG) was introduced to improve PLA’s toughness and gas barrier properties. Compared with neat poly(l-lactide) acid (PLLA), modified PLA is stable in the film blowing process and its film elongation at break increases more than 18 times and reaches over 250%, and its O2 permeability coefficient decreased by 61%. The resulting film material also has good light transmittance, which has great potential for green packaging applications, such as disposable packaging and agricultural films.
Nanomechanical and Material Properties of Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis: Effects of F-Doping
Authors: Tuyen Le Thi Cam , Jian Sheng-Rui , Tien Nguyen Thanh , Le Phuoc Huu
Published: May 2019

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) at a fixed substrate temperature of 400 °C and various Fluorine/Tin (F/Sn) atomic ratios of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0. Effects of F/Sn atomic ratios on structural-morphological, compositional, electrical, optical, and nanomechanical properties of the FTO thin films were systematically studied. The FTO films exhibited a tetragonal structure with preferred orientations of (110), (200), and (211), and polycrystalline morphology with spear-like or coconut shell-like particles on the surfaces. The presence of F-doping was confirmed by XPS results with clear F1s peaks, and F-concentration was determined to be 0.7% for F/Sn = 0.1 and 5.1% for F/Sn = 0.5. Moreover, the resistivity of FTO films reduced remarkably from 4.1 mΩcm at F/Sn = 0 to 0.7 mΩcm at F/Sn = 1, primarily due to the corresponding increase of carrier concentration from 2 × 1020 cm−3 to 1.2 × 1021 cm−3. The average optical transmittance of the films prepared at F/Sn of 0–0.5 was over 90%, and it decreased to 84.4% for the film prepared at F/Sn = 1. The hardness (H) and Young’s modulus (E) of the FTO films increased when the F/Sn ratios increased from 0 to 0.5, reaching maximum values of H = 12.3 ± 0.4 GPa, E = 131.7 ± 8.0 GPa at F/Sn = 0.5. Meanwhile, the H and E reduced considerably when the F/Sn ratio further increased to 1.0, following the inverse Hall-Petch effect approximately, suggesting that the grain boundary effect played a primary role in manipulating the nanomechanical properties of the FTO films. Furthermore, favorable mechanical properties with large H/Ef and H 3 / E f 2 ratios were found for the FTO film prepared at F/Sn = 0.5, which possessed high crystallinity, large grain size, and compact morphology.
A Primary Study of Variable Polarity Plasma Arc Welding Using a Pulsed Plasma Gas
Authors: Lu Zhenyang , Zhang Wang , Jiang Fan , Chen Shujun , Yan Zhaoyang
Published: May 2019

A process variant of variable polarity plasma arc welding (VPPAW), that is, the pulsed plasma gas VPPAW process, was developed. The pulsed plasma gas was transmitted into the variable polarity plasma arc through a high-frequency solenoid valve to modify the output of the plasma arc. The collection of arc electrical characteristics, arc shapes, and weld formation from VPPAW, double-pulsed VPPAW (DP-VPPAW), and pulsed plasma gas VPPAW (PPG-VPPAW) was carried out to examine if the pulsed plasma gas was able to play a positive role in improving the stability and quality of the VPPAW process. The arc voltage shows that the pulsed plasma gas had a greater influence on the electrode positive polarity voltage. The lower the plasma gas frequency was, the lower the arc voltage fluctuation frequency was and the greater the arc voltage fluctuation amplitude was. From the arc image, it could be observed that the arc core length had a short decrease during the general rising trend after plasma gas was turned on. The arc core width only had a slight change due to the restriction of the torch orifice. Compared with pulsed current wave, the pulsed plasma gas could better enhance the fluidity of the molten pool to reduce porosity during aluminum keyhole welding.
Mesostructural Modeling of Dynamic Modulus and Phase Angle Master Curves of Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixture
Authors: Gu Linhao , Chen Luchuan , Zhang Weiguang , Ma Haixia , Ma Tao
Published: May 2019

The main objective of this paper was to develop a mesostructure-based finite element model of rubber modified asphalt mixture to predict both the dynamic modulus master curve and phase angle master curve under a large frequency range. The asphalt mixture is considered as a three-phase material consisting of aggregate, asphalt mortar, and air void. The mesostructure of the asphalt mixture was digitized by a computed tomography (CT) scan and implemented into finite element software. The 2S2P1D model was used to obtain the viscoelastic information of an asphalt mortar under a large range of frequencies and temperatures. The continuous spectrum of the 2S2P1D model was converted to a discrete spectrum and characterized by the generalized Maxwell model for numerical simulation. The Prony series parameters of the generalized Maxwell model and the elastic modulus of the aggregates were inputted into the finite element analysis as material properties. The dynamic modulus tests of a rubber modified asphalt mortar and asphalt mixture were conducted under different temperatures and loading frequencies. The dynamic modulus master curve and phase angle master curve of both asphalt mortar and asphalt mixture were constructed. The frequency of the finite element simulations of the dynamic modulus tests ranged from 10−6 to 104. The dynamic modulus and phase angle of the asphalt mixture was calculated and the master curves were compared with the master curves obtained from the experimental data. Furthermore, the effect of the elastic modulus of aggregates on the master curves was analyzed. Acceptable agreement between dynamic modulus master curves obtained from experimental data and simulation results was achieved. However, large errors between phase angle master curves appeared at low frequencies. A method was proposed to improve the prediction of the phase angle master curve by adjusting the equilibrium modulus of the asphalt mortar.
Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Approaches for Predicting Buckling Damage of Steel Columns Under Axial Compression
Authors: Le Lu Minh , Ly Hai-Bang , Pham Binh Thai , Le Vuong Minh , Pham Tuan Anh , Nguyen Duy-Hung , Tran Xuan-Tuan , Le Tien-Thinh
Published: May 2019

This study aims to investigate the prediction of critical buckling load of steel columns using two hybrid Artificial Intelligence (AI) models such as Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System optimized by Genetic Algorithm (ANFIS-GA) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization (ANFIS-PSO). For this purpose, a total number of 57 experimental buckling tests of novel high strength steel Y-section columns were collected from the available literature to generate the dataset for training and validating the two proposed AI models. Quality assessment criteria such as coefficient of determination (R2), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) were used to validate and evaluate the performance of the prediction models. Results showed that both ANFIS-GA and ANFIS-PSO had a strong ability in predicting the buckling load of steel columns, but ANFIS-PSO (R2 = 0.929, RMSE = 60.522 and MAE = 44.044) was slightly better than ANFIS-GA (R2 = 0.916, RMSE = 65.371 and MAE = 48.588). The two models were also robust even with the presence of input variability, as investigated via Monte Carlo simulations. This study showed that the hybrid AI techniques could help constructing an efficient numerical tool for buckling analysis.
Experimental and Computational Study to Reveal the Potential of Non-Polar Constituents from Hizikia fusiformis as Dual Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B and α-Glucosidase Inhibitors
Authors: Seong Su Hui , Nguyen Duc Hung , Wagle Aditi , Woo Mi Hee , Jung Hyun Ah , Choi Jae Sue
Published: May 2019

Hizikia fusiformis (Harvey) Okamura is an edible marine alga that has been widely used in Korea, China, and Japan as a rich source of dietary fiber and essential minerals. In our previous study, we observed that the methanol extract of H. fusiformis and its non-polar fractions showed potent protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and α-glucosidase inhibition. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the active ingredient in the methanol extract of H. fusiformis. We isolated a new glycerol fatty acid (13) and 20 known compounds including 9 fatty acids (1–3, 7–12), mixture of 24R and 24S-saringosterol (4), fucosterol (5), mixture of 24R,28R and 24S,28R-epoxy-24-ethylcholesterol (6), cedrusin (14), 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-[2-hydroxy -4-(3-hydroxypropyl)phenoxy]-1,3-propanediol (15), benzyl alcohol alloside (16), madhusic acid A (17), glycyrrhizin (18), glycyrrhizin-6’-methyl ester (19), apo-9′-fucoxanthinone (20) and tyramine (21) from the non-polar fraction of H. fusiformis. New glycerol fatty acid 13 was identified as 2-(7′- (2″-hydroxy-3″-((5Z,8Z,11Z)-icosatrienoyloxy)propoxy)-7′-oxoheptanoyl)oxymethylpropenoic acid by spectroscopic analysis using NMR, IR, and HR-ESI-MS. We investigated the effect of the 21 isolated compounds and metabolites (22 and 23) of 18 against the inhibition of PTP1B and α-glucosidase enzymes. All fatty acids showed potent PTP1B inhibition at low concentrations. In particular, new compound 13 and fucosterol epoxide (6) showed noncompetitive inhibitory activity against PTP1B. Metabolites of glycyrrhizin, 22 and 23, exhibited competitive inhibition against PTP1B. These findings suggest that H. fusiformis, a widely consumed seafood, may be effective as a dietary supplement for the management of diabetes through the inhibition of PTP1B.
Protective Effect of Thymosin β4 against Abdominal Aortic Ischemia–Reperfusion-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats
Authors: Yaman Onur M. , Guner Ibrahim , Guntas Gulcan , Sonmez Osman Fuat , Tanriverdi Gamze , Cakiris Aris , Aksu Ugur , Akyol Sibel , Guzel Elif , Uzun Hafize , Yelmen Nermin , Sahin Gulderen
Published: May 2019

Background and objectives: Ischemia–reperfusion (IR) caused by infrarenal abdominal aorta cross-clamping is an important factor in the development of ischemia–reperfusion injury in various distant organs. Materials and Methods: We investigated potential antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects of thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) in a rat model of abdominal aortic surgery-induced IR. Tβ4 (10 mg/kg, intravenous (i.v.)) was administered to rats with IR (90-min ischemia, 180-min reperfusion) at two different periods. One group received Tβ4 1 h before ischemia, and the other received 15 min before the reperfusion period. Results: Results were compared to control and non-Tβ4-treated rats with IR. Serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue levels of oxidant parameters were higher, while antioxidant levels were lower in the IR group compared to control. IR also increased inflammatory cytokine levels. Tβ4 reverted these parameters in both Tβ4-treated groups compared to the untreated IR group. Conclusions: Since there is no statistical difference between the prescribed results of both Tβ4-treated groups, our study demonstrates that Tβ4 reduced lung oxidative stress and inflammation following IR and prevented lung tissue injury regardless of timing of administration.
Lower Vitamin D Levels, but Not VDR Polymorphisms, Influence Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Brazilian Population Independently of Obesity
Authors: Rodrigues Kathryna Fontana , Pietrani Nathalia Teixeira , Bosco Adriana Aparecida , de Sousa Maira Cândida Rodrigues , Silva Ieda de Fátima Oliveira , Silveira Josianne Nicácio , Gomes Karina Braga
Published: May 2019

Background and Objectives: Vitamin D levels have been associated with a diversity of diseases, including obesity. Vitamin D presents a pleiotropic action, and can regulate insulin secretion and inflammatory responses. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms are involved in the gene expression regulation and have been associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to evaluate the association between the polymorphisms ApaI (rs7975232), BsmI (rs1544410), FokI (rs10735810), and TaqI (rs731236) in the VDR gene in people diagnosed with T2DM, and plasma 25-hydroxivitamin D levels [25(OH)D]. Materials and Methods: A total of 101 T2DM patients and 62 gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) matched non-diabetic controls were included in this study. Molecular analyzes were performed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The plasma 25(OH)D levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Results: The plasma 25(OH)D levels were lower in T2DM patients (17.2 (16.6) ng/mL) when compared with the control subjects (30.8 (16.2) ng/mL, p < 0.0001), independently of obesity status. We found no difference between genotypic and allelic frequencies of the VDR polymorphisms when comparing the T2DM group and control group (p > 0.05 for all), and did not show any association with plasma 25(OH)D levels. Conclusions: These results suggest that T2DM is associated with lower plasma 25(OH)D levels, which are not related to BMI and VDR gene polymorphisms.
TRP Channels as Lower Urinary Tract Sensory Targets
Authors: Andersson Karl-Erik
Published: May 2019

Several members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily, including TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV4, TRM4, TRPM8 and TRPA1, are expressed in the lower urinary tract (LUT), not only in neuronal fibers innervating the bladder and urethra, but also in the urothelial and muscular layers of the bladder and urethral walls. In the LUT, TRP channels are mainly involved in nociception and mechanosensory transduction. Animal studies have suggested the therapeutic potential of several TRP channels for the treatment of both bladder over- and underactivity and bladder pain disorders,; however translation of this finding to clinical application has been slow and the involvement of these channels in normal human bladder function, and in various pathologic states have not been established. The development of selective TRP channel agonists and antagonists is ongoing and the use of such agents can be expected to offer new and important information concerning both normal physiological functions and possible therapeutic applications.
Breast Cancer Metabolomics: From Analytical Platforms to Multivariate Data Analysis. A Review
Authors: Silva Catarina , Perestrelo Rosa , Silva Pedro , Tomás Helena , Câmara José S.
Published: May 2019

Cancer is a major health issue worldwide for many years and has been increasing significantly. Among the different types of cancer, breast cancer (BC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women being a disease caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Nowadays, the available diagnostic tools have aided in the early detection of BC leading to the improvement of survival rates. However, better detection tools for diagnosis and disease monitoring are still required. In this sense, metabolomic NMR, LC-MS and GC-MS-based approaches have gained attention in this field constituting powerful tools for the identification of potential biomarkers in a variety of clinical fields. In this review we will present the current analytical platforms and their applications to identify metabolites with potential for BC biomarkers based on the main advantages and advances in metabolomics research. Additionally, chemometric methods used in metabolomics will be highlighted.
Analysis of the Downscaling Effect and Definition of the Process Fingerprints in Micro Injection of Spiral Geometries
Authors: Luca Antonio , Riemer Oltmann
Published: May 2019

Microinjection moulding has been developed to fulfil the needs of mass production of micro components in different fields. A challenge of this technology lies in the downscaling of micro components, which leads to faster solidification of the polymeric material and a narrower process window. Moreover, the small cavity dimensions represent a limit for process monitoring due to the inability to install in-cavity sensors. Therefore, new solutions must be found. In this study, the downscaling effect was investigated by means of three spiral geometries with different cross sections, considering the achievable flow length as a response variable. Process indicators, called “process fingerprints”, were defined to monitor the process in-line. In the first stage, a relationship between the achievable flow length and the process parameters, as well as between the process fingerprints and the process parameters, was established. Subsequently, a correlation analysis was carried out to find the process indicators that are mostly related to the achievable flow length.
Reaction Systems and Synchronous Digital Circuits
Authors: Shang Zeyi , Verlan Sergey , Petre Ion , Zhang Gexiang
Published: May 2019

A reaction system is a modeling framework for investigating the functioning of the living cell, focused on capturing cause–effect relationships in biochemical environments. Biochemical processes in this framework are seen to interact with each other by producing the ingredients enabling and/or inhibiting other reactions. They can also be influenced by the environment seen as a systematic driver of the processes through the ingredients brought into the cellular environment. In this paper, the first attempt is made to implement reaction systems in the hardware. We first show a tight relation between reaction systems and synchronous digital circuits, generally used for digital electronics design. We describe the algorithms allowing us to translate one model to the other one, while keeping the same behavior and similar size. We also develop a compiler translating a reaction systems description into hardware circuit description using field-programming gate arrays (FPGA) technology, leading to high performance, hardware-based simulations of reaction systems. This work also opens a novel interesting perspective of analyzing the behavior of biological systems using established industrial tools from electronic circuits design.
UHPLC-UV/Vis Quantitative Analysis of Hydroxylated and O-prenylated Coumarins in Pomegranate Seed Extracts
Authors: Fiorito Serena , Ianni Federica , Preziuso Francesca , Epifano Francesco , Scotti Luca , Bucciarelli Tonino , Genovese Salvatore
Published: May 2019

A simple and rapid analytical UHPLC methodology with spectrophotometric (UV/Vis) detection, coupled with different extraction procedures, has been perfected to investigate the presence of biologically active O-prenylated umbelliferone derivatives, such as auraptene and umbelliprenin, in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) seed extracts. Absolute ethanol was the most efficient extraction solvent in terms of yields, after a short ultrasound-assisted. The highest concentration values recorded under these experimental conditions were 1.99 μg/g of dry extract and 6.53 μg/g for auraptene and umbelliprenin, respectively. The parent metabolite umbelliferone was also detected (0.67 μg/g). The extraction and UHPLC analytical methodology set up in the present study proved to be an efficient, powerful, and versatile technique for the simultaneous qualitative analysis and quantification of oxyprenylated coumarins in pomegranate seed extracts. The characterization of such secondary metabolites in the mentioned phytopreparation represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first example in the literature.
Metabolites of Medicarpin and Their Distributions in Rats
Authors: Wang Hong-Yan , Li Teng , Ji Rui , Xu Feng , Liu Guang-Xue , Li Yao-Li , Shang Ming-Ying , Cai Shao-Qing
Published: May 2019

Medicarpin is a bioactive pterocarpan that has been attracting increasing attention in recent years. However, its metabolic fate in vivo is still unknown. To clarify its metabolism and the distribution of its metabolites in rats after oral administration, the HPLC-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn technique was used. A total of 165 new metabolites (13 phase I and 152 phase II metabolites) were tentatively identified, and 104, 29, 38, 41, 74, 28, 24, 15, 42, 8, 10, 3, and 17 metabolites were identified in urine, feces, plasma, the colon, intestine, stomach, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, heart, brain, and thymus, respectively. Metabolic reactions included demethylation, hydrogenation, hydroxylation, glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, glycosylation, and vitamin C conjugation. M1 (medicarpin glucuronide), M5 (vestitol-1’-O-glucuronide) were distributed to 10 organs, and M1 was the most abundant metabolite in seven organs. Moreover, we found that isomerization of medicarpin must occur in vivo. At least 93 metabolites were regarded as potential new compounds by retrieving information from the Scifinder database. This is the first detailed report on the metabolism of ptercarpans in animals, which will help to deepen the understanding of the metabolism characteristics of medicarpin in vivo and provide a solid basis for further studies on the metabolism of other pterocarpans in animals.
An Eco-Friendly Technique: Solvent-Free Microwave Synthesis and Docking Studies of Some New Pyridine Nucleosides and Their Pharmacological Significance
Authors: Alrobaian Majed , Azwari Sana Al , Belal Amany , Eldeab Hany A.
Published: May 2019

Two series of novel 5-arylazo-3-cyano-2-(2″,3″,4″,6″-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-galacto pyranosyloxy) pyridines and 3-cyano-2-(2″,3″,4″,6″-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-galactopyranosyloxy) pyridines were synthesized in high yields utilizing a microwave-assisted synthesis tool guided by the principles of green chemistry. The chemical structures of the new substances were confirmed on the basis of their elemental analysis and spectroscopic data (FT-IR, 1D, 2D-NMR). Activity against different bacterial strains was studied. The anticancer potential of the new compounds is also discussed. Molecular docking was used as a tool in this research work to get better insight into the possible interactions, affinities, and expected modes of binding of the most promising derivatives of the potential chemotherapeutic target (DHFR).
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant Activities, and HPLC Determination of the Major Components of Verbena carolina (Verbenaceae)
Authors: Lara-Issasi Gonzalo , Salgado Cecilia , Pedraza-Chaverri José , Medina-Campos Omar N. , Morales Agustín , Águila Marco A. , Avilés Margarita , Rivero-Cruz Blanca E. , Navarro Víctor , Ríos-Gómez Ramiro , Aguilar María Isabel
Published: May 2019

Verbena carolina L. (Verbenaceae) is used as a decoction in Mexican folk medicine with applications against digestive problems and for dermatological infections. The present work firstly reported HPLC analysis, as well as the free radical scavenging capacity of the extracts and isolated compounds. Antimicrobial analyses of these substances against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi and the fungi Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. rubrum were also tested, as well as the acute oral toxicity in mice of aqueous extracts. Major secondary metabolites in V. carolina extracts were isolated by conventional phytochemical methods which consisted of three terpenoids ((1), (3) and (4)) and four phenolic compounds ((2), (4)–(6)). Their contents were determined by HPLC in six different samples from different locations. The results indicated that ursolic acid (1), hispidulin (2), verbenaline (3), hastatoside (4), verbascoside (5), hispidulin 7-O-β-d-glucuronopyranoside (6) and pectolinaringenin-7-O-α-d-glucuronopyranoside (7) were the main constituents and ranged from 0.17 to 3.37 mg/g of dried plant, with verbascoside being the most abundant and with a significant antioxidant activity in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hispidulin was the only active compound against T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum. The aqueous extract showed no significant toxicity (LD50: > 5000 mg/mL). To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive report of the chemical characterization of V. carolina and also of the activity of its constituents towards reactive oxygen species and dermatophytes, and its safety for consumption.
Simultaneous Determination of Acrylamide and Hydroxymethylfurfural in Extruded Products by LC-MS/MS Method
Authors: Jozinović Antun , Šarkanj Bojan , Ačkar Đurđica , Panak Balentić Jelena , Šubarić Domagoj , Cvetković Tanja , Ranilović Jasmina , Guberac Sunčica , Babić Jurislav
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study was to develop a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in corn snack products enriched with food industry by-products: brewer’s spent grain (BSG), sugar beet pulp (SBP) and apple pomace (AP). Development of the method included the study of different sources for ionization, different mobile phases, different extraction conditions as well as different methods of sample preparation. Finally, the single LC-MS/MS method was developed for the analysis of both analytes in one step with a duration of 20 min using a simple single-step extraction. The method with apparent recoveries of 91.4 and 90.4 for acrylamide and HMF, respectively, was applied for the analysis of non-extruded and extruded samples. The obtained results shown that the acrylamide content was <LOD (limit of detection) for all raw materials and non-extruded mixtures, while HMF increased proportionally to the content of added by-products in the mixtures. After the extrusion process, quantification of the acrylamide could be done in all samples. A higher amount of by-products entails higher contents of acrylamide and HMF, with the most significant effect in AP extrudates, where the highest content of HMF (6069 ± 789 ng/g) and acrylamide (5.37 ± 0.50 ng/g) in samples with 15% AP was observed.
ACPred: A Computational Tool for the Prediction and Analysis of Anticancer Peptides
Authors: Schaduangrat Nalini , Nantasenamat Chanin , Prachayasittikul Virapong , Shoombuatong Watshara
Published: May 2019

Anticancer peptides (ACPs) have emerged as a new class of therapeutic agent for cancer treatment due to their lower toxicity as well as greater efficacy, selectivity and specificity when compared to conventional small molecule drugs. However, the experimental identification of ACPs still remains a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. Therefore, it is desirable to develop and improve upon existing computational models for predicting and characterizing ACPs. In this study, we present a bioinformatics tool called the ACPred, which is an interpretable tool for the prediction and characterization of the anticancer activities of peptides. ACPred was developed by utilizing powerful machine learning models (support vector machine and random forest) and various classes of peptide features. It was observed by a jackknife cross-validation test that ACPred can achieve an overall accuracy of 95.61% in identifying ACPs. In addition, analysis revealed the following distinguishing characteristics that ACPs possess: (i) hydrophobic residue enhances the cationic properties of α-helical ACPs resulting in better cell penetration; (ii) the amphipathic nature of the α-helical structure plays a crucial role in its mechanism of cytotoxicity; and (iii) the formation of disulfide bridges on β-sheets is vital for structural maintenance which correlates with its ability to kill cancer cells. Finally, for the convenience of experimental scientists, the ACPred web server was established and made freely available online.
Microbial Corrosion Resistance and Antibacterial Property of Electrodeposited Zn–Ni–Chitosan Coatings
Authors: Zhai Xiaofan , Ren Yadong , Wang Nan , Guan Fang , Agievich Maria , Duan Jizhou , Hou Baorong
Published: May 2019

Microbial corrosion is a universal phenomenon in salt water media such as seawater and wastewater environments. As a kind of efficient protective metal coating for steel, the damage of the Zn–Ni alloy coating was found to be accelerated under microbial corrosive conditions. To solve this problem, chitosan, which is considered a natural product with high antibacterial efficiency, was added to Zn–Ni electrolytes as a functional ingredient of electrodeposited Zn–Ni–chitosan coatings. It was found that the addition of chitosan significantly and negatively shifted the electrodeposition potentials and influenced the Ni contents, the phase composition, and the surface morphologies. By exposing the coatings in a sulfate-reducing bacteria medium, the microbial corrosion resistance was investigated. The results showed that compared to the Zn–Ni alloy coating, Zn–Ni–chitosan coatings showed obvious inhibiting effects on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and the corrosion rates of these coatings were mitigated to some degree. Further research on the coatings immersed in an Escherichia coli-suspended phosphate buffer saline medium showed that the bacteria attachment on the coating surface was effectively reduced, which indicated enhanced antibacterial properties. As a result, the Zn–Ni–chitosan coatings showed remarkably enhanced anticorrosive and antibacterial properties.
Insecticidal Activity of Four Lignans Isolated from Phryma leptostachya
Authors: Li Yankai , Wei Jiaqi , Fang Jiameng , Lv Wenbo , Ji Yufei , Aioub Ahmed A.A. , Zhang Jiwen , Hu Zhaonong
Published: May 2019

A new lignan (T4) and three known lignans (T1, T2, and T3) were isolated from the methanol extract of the roots of Phryma leptostachya using bioassay-guided method, and their structures were identified as phrymarolin I (T1), II (T2), haedoxan A (T3), and methyl 4-((6a-acetoxy-4-(6-methoxybenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)tetrahydro-1H,3H-furo[3,4–c]furan-1-yl)oxy)-1-hydroxy-2,2-dimethoxy-5-oxocyclopent-3-ene-1-carboxylate (T4) byNMR and ESI-MS spectral data. Bioassay results revealed that haedoxan A exhibited remarkably high insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata with a stomach toxicity LC50 value of 17.06 mg/L and a topical toxicity LC50 value of 1123.14 mg/L at 24 h, respectively. Phrymarolin I and compound T4 also showed some stomach toxicity against M. separata with KD50 values of 3450.21 mg/L at 4 h and 2807.10 mg/L at 8 h, respectively. In addition, phrymarolin I and haedoxan A exhibited some stomach toxicity against Plutella xylostella with an LC50 value of 1432.05 and 857.28 mg/L at 48 h, respectively. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that lignans from P. leptostachya are promising as a novel class of insecticides or insecticide lead compounds for developing botanical pesticides.
Better Sleep Experience for the Critically Ill: A Comprehensive Strategy for Designing Hospital Soundscapes
Authors: Birdja Dilip , Özcan Elif
Published: May 2019

In this paper, the sleep phenomenon is considered in relation to critical care soundscapes with the intention to inform hospital management, medical device producers and policy makers regarding the complexity of the issue and possible modes of design interventions. We propose a comprehensive strategy based on soundscape design approach that facilitates a systematic way of tackling the auditory quality of critical care settings in favor of better patient sleep experience. Future research directions are presented to tackle the knowledge deficits in designing for critical care soundscapes that cater for patient sleep. The need for scientifically-informed design interventions for improving patient sleep experience in critical care is highlighted. The value of the soundscape design approach for resolving other sound-induced problems in critical care and how the approach allows for patient-centred innovation that is beyond the immediate sound issue are further discussed.
Novel Quasi-Solid-State Electrolytes based on Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Fiber Membranes for Highly Efficient and Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Cheng Fan , Ou Ying , Liu Guoliang , Zhao Li , Dong Binghai , Wang Shimin , Wen Sheng
Published: May 2019

To obtain new highly efficient and stable quasi-solid dye-sensitized solar cells (QS-DSSCs) that can meet the requirements for the large-scale commercial application of solar cells, we have developed a novel quasi-solid-state electrolyte, based on an electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The structure and properties of electrospun PVDF membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), thermogravimetric (TG), and mechanical testing. The results indicate that the electrospun PVDF membrane has a three-dimensional network structure with extremely high porosity, which not only acts as a barrier to prevent electrolyte leakage but also provides a channel for the transmission of ions in the electrolyte, thereby effectively guaranteeing the high photoelectric conversion efficiency of the cells. The membrane was observed to withstand the conditions of hot-press (110 °C), and exhibited good thermal stability and mechanical strength, which are critical for the long-term stability and safety of the cells. The photovoltaic characteristics and stabilities of QS-DSSCs were compared with DSSCs based on an ionic liquid electrolyte (L-DSSC). QS-DSSCs with an 80 μm thick nanofiber electrolyte membrane showed a conversion efficiency of 8.63%, whereas an identical cell based on the corresponding ionic liquid electrolyte showed an efficiency of 9.30%. The stability test showed that, under indoor and outdoor conditions, after 390 h, the L-DSSCs failed. Meanwhile, the QS-DSSCs also maintained 84% and 77% of the original efficiency. The results show that, compared to the liquid electrolyte, the design of the quasi-solid electrolytes based on electrospun PVDF nanofiber membrane not only demonstrates the high conversion efficiency of DSSCs but also enhances the stability of the DSSCs, which provides the possibility for the fabrication of solar cells with higher efficiency and stability.
Magnetic Nanoparticles Functionalized Few-Mode-Fiber-Based Plasmonic Vector Magnetometer
Authors: Chen Yaofei , Sun Weiting , Zhang Yaxin , Liu Guishi , Luo Yunhan , Dong Jiangli , Zhong Yongchun , Zhu Wenguo , Yu Jianhui , Chen Zhe
Published: May 2019

In this work, we demonstrate a highly-sensitive vector magnetometer based on a few-mode-fiber-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor functionalized by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in liquid. To fabricate the sensor, a few-mode fiber is side-polished and coated with a gold film, forming an SPR sensor that is highly sensitive to the surrounding refractive index. The vector magnetometer operates based on the mechanism whereby the intensity and orientation of an external magnetic field alters the anisotropic aggregation of the MNPs and thus the refractive index around the fiber SPR device. This, in turn, shifts the resonance wavelength of the surface plasmon. Experimental results show the proposed sensor is very sensitive to magnetic-field intensity and orientation (0.692 nm/Oe and −11.917 nm/°, respectively). These remarkable sensitivities to both magnetic-field intensity and orientation mean that the proposed sensor can be used in applications to detect weak magnetic-field vectors.
Reply to “Comment on Comprehensive Nutritional and Dietary Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Randomized, Controlled 12-Month Trial, Nutrients 2018, 10, 369”
Authors: Adams James B. , Audhya Tapan , Geis Elizabeth , Gehn Eva , Fimbres Valeria , Pollard Elena L. , Mitchell Jessica , Ingram Julie , Hellmers Robert , Laake Dana , Matthews Julie S. , Li Kefeng , Naviaux Jane C. , Naviaux Robert K. , Adams Rebecca L. , Coleman Devon M. , Quig David W.
Published: May 2019

We thank Vorland et al [...]