Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is common among the elderly; it is responsible for 60-80% of all dementia cases. AD is characterized by cognitive decline, behavioural and psychological symptoms, and reductions in functioning and independence. Because of its progressive neurodegenerative nature and unknown aetiology, the burden of AD becomes increasingly significant ...

The ruthenium-catalyzed hydroarylation of alkynes with benzamides proceeds regio- and stereoselectively through a directed C-H bond cleavage. Preliminary mechanistic investigations indicate that the reaction involves amide-directed ortho-metalation, carbometalation of alkyne, and protonolysis. Similarly, phenylazoles also add to alkynes regioselectively.

Methane and molecular hydrogen desorption from a methyl and hydrogen exposed Cu(001) surface is investigated. Both gaseous products are observed nearly simultaneously within two temperature regimes separated by more than 100K. The lower temperature desorption, at ~325K, is believed to result from two processes which compete for adsorbed atomic hydrogen: ...

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α plays a central role in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A subgroup of patients with PsA do not respond to anti-TNF-α antibodies but respond to TNF receptor p75-Fc IgG fusion protein (etanercept), which also neutralizes lymphotoxin (LT)-α. It has been suggested that LT-α might be involved in the ...

Proline is typically the most abundant amino acid present in grape juice and wine. The amount present is influenced by viticultural and winemaking factors and can be of diagnostic importance. A method for rapid routine quantitation of proline would therefore be of benefit for wine researchers and the industry in ...

Based on first-principles lattice dynamics and electron-phonon coupling calculations, B(2)C sheets are predicted to be a two-dimensional (2D) phonon-mediated superconductors with a relatively high transition temperature (T(c)). The electron-phonon coupling parameter was calculated to be 0.92 and it is mainly contributed by low frequency out-of-plane phonon modes and electronic states ...

Two lupeol-type pentacyclic triterpenoids characterised as lup-20(29)-en-3β-ol-27-oic acid (moruslupenoic acid A) and lup-12, 20(29)-dien-3β-ol-26-oic acid (moruslupenoic acid B) and lanst-5, 24-dien-3β-yl acetate (moruslanosteryl acetate) along with the known triterpenoidal phytoconstituents α-amyrin acetate, β-amyrin-β-D-glucopyranoside and betulinic acid have been isolated from the stem bark of Morus alba L. (Moraceae). The structures ...

Resveratrol (RES), a well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammation compound, is abundant in red wine and exerts numerous pharmacological effects, including hepatoprotection and cadioprotection. Unfortunately, RES is restricted in clinical application due to poor dissolution property and adsorption. In addition, red wine as a supplement for preventing disease is not recommended for ...

The first detectable activities of radioiodine (131)I, and radiocaesium (134)Cs and (137)Cs in the air over Central Poland were measured in dust samples collected by the ASS-500 station in the period of 21(st) to 24(th) of March, 2011. However, the highest activity of both fission products, (131)I and (137)Cs: 8.3 ...

Background: Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) are rare causes of pulmonary hypertension. There is no proven medical therapy to treat these diseases, and lung transplantation is thought to be the only cure. Administration of vasodilators including epoprostenol sometimes causes massive pulmonary edema and could be fatal ...

The natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) receptor is mainly situated on the surface of NK and CD8(+) αβ T cells that are involved in the defense against viral agents and in cancer immunosurveillance. The G>A transition (Thr72Ala) (rs2255336) located in the NKG2D region encoding the transmembrane part of ...

A simple and fast method has been developed and validated to measure glyphosate (GLYP) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), which were previously derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC-Cl), in maize plants using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to fluorescence (FLD) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detection. The method has shown to be consistent, ...

A new synthesis approach has been developed to control the morphology of Mn- and Ni-containing carbonate precursors. Through a controlled release of the precipitate, the carbonate precursors form in a "non-classical crystallization" process similar to the natural crystallization of CaCO(3), resulting in shapes tunable from microcubes to microspheres. The oriented ...

The concentration of copper ions in biological systems is tightly regulated by metallochaperone proteins which are responsible for Cu(I) delivery to designated locations in the cell. These proteins contain a unique motif (MXCXXC) that binds Cu(I) very tightly and specifically but at the same time allows efficient metal transfer to ...

A high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitation of two major rotenoids, boeravinone E and boeravinone B, in Boerhaavia diffusa extract and its formulation. Chromatographic separation was carried out on an Inertsil ODS-3 column by using gradient mobile phase containing 0.1% v/v orthophosphoric acid in ...

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) represents an increasing health issue worldwide. Regenerative medicine (RM) has raised the hope for introducing revolutionary therapies in clinical practice. Detection of autologus cell sources can improve accessibility to RM strategies. Objectives: to assess the presence and biological potential of mesehchymal stem cells in three tissues (subchondral ...

In this paper we investigate experimentally a wide range of situations where charge inversion, i.e., overcompensation of the surface charge of a colloidal particle by the countercharge, can occur. To that end, the electrophoretic mobility of sodium montmorillonite, silica and polystyrene latex as functions of pH and concentration of different ...

Multilayer epitaxial graphene was obtained from a 6H-SiC(001) substrate subjected to a temperature gradient from 1250 to 1450 °C. Scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray diffraction were used to identify the structure and morphology of the surface, from which the formation of a metastable phase was inferred. By a comparison between microscopy ...

Adsorption, stability and organization kinetics of organo-phosphonic acids on single crystalline alumina surfaces were investigated by means of AFM based imaging, nanoshaving and nanografting. AFM friction and phase imaging have shown that chemical etching and subsequent annealing led to heterogeneities on single crystalline surfaces with (0001) orientation. Self-assembly and stability ...

The electronic structure of Bernal-stacked graphite subject to tilted magnetic fields is studied theoretically. The minimal nearest-neighbor tight-binding model with the Peierls substitution is employed to describe the structure of Landau levels. We show that, while the orbital effect of the in-plane component of the magnetic field is negligible for ...

UVB radiation from sunlight induce an acute corneal inflammation, photokeratitis, accompanied by changes in corneal hydration. We employed a method of ultrasonic pachymetry for daily examination of central corneal thickness as an index of corneal hydration of the rabbit cornea repeatedly irradiated by UVB radiation (312 nm, daily dose of ...

Traditional density functional theory (DFT) and dispersion-corrected DFT calculations are performed to investigate the metal-organic framework zinc 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane tetrafluoroterephthalate (Znbpetpa). Without dispersion correction, straightening of the zigzag C-O-Zn chain connecting the secondary building units across the diagonal of the unit cell is observed, accompanied by a large anisotropic expansion of ...

Background: The effectiveness of epinephrine administration for cardiac arrests has been shown in animal models, but the clinical effect is still controversial. Methods and Results: A prospective, population-based, observational study in Osaka involved consecutive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients from January 2007 through December 2009. We evaluated the outcomes among ...

High thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes (NTs) is attractive for the heat removal applications. However, the problem of efficient thermal coupling to the heater/cooler still needs to be resolved. We study near-field electromagnetic tunneling as a mechanism of heat transfer across the interface. We report interface thermal (Kapitza) conductance between ...

An efficient and straightforward method for the preparation of highly enantiomerically enriched β,γ-unsaturated α-amino acid derivatives by a Lewis acid promoted diastereoselective Petasis reaction of vinylboronic acid, N-tert-butanesulfinamide, and glyoxylic acid has been developed. The synthetic utilities of the approach were demonstrated by the rapid and convenient construction of challenging ...

The development of effective sensor elements relies on the ability of a chromophore to bind an analyte selectively and then study the binding through changes in spectroscopic signals. In this report the ability of Zn(II) Tetraphenyl Porphyrin (ZnTPP) to selectively bind nitrite over nitrate ions is examined. The results of ...

Alteration in calcium and phosphate levels predisposes to increase in carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) as in chronic kidney disease. However, information on CIMT changes is lacking in patients with sporadic idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (SIH) which is also a disorder of altered calcium and phosphate levels and hence, we planned this ...

Quantum confinement of the perpendicular motion of electrons in single-crystalline metallic superconducting nanofilms splits the conduction band into a series of single-electron subbands. A distinctive feature of such a nanoscale multi-band superconductor is that the energetic position of each subband can vary significantly with changing nanofilm thickness, substrate material, protective ...

The paucity of boron-containing heteroalkene complexes prompted us to explore the coordination of phosphino-boranes. Complexes {[R2PB(C6F5)2]Pt(PPh3)2} (R = Cy, tBu) were obtained by ethylene displacement. Spectroscopic and crystallographic data indicate the symmetric side-on coordination of the phosphino-borane to Pt. Thorough analysis of the bonding situation by computational means reveals important ...

Laboratory tests performed by molecular methods are increasing in volume and complexity at an unprecedented rate. Molecular tests have a broad set of applications, and most recently have been advocated as the mechanism by which providers can further tailor treatments to the individual patient. As the momentum behind molecular testing ...

BACKGROUND: Despite superior diagnostic accuracy of high-sensitivity cardiac troponins, their prognostic value has not been validated against conventional cardiac troponins. OBJECTIVE: To test the prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), compared with conventional cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in the setting of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes. METHODS: At ...

Posttranslational attachment of geranylgeranyl isoprenoids to RabGTPases, the key organizers of intracellular vesicular transport, is essential for their function. Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (RabGGTase) is responsible for prenylation of Rab proteins. Recently, RabGGTase inhibitors have been proposed to be potential therapeutics for treatment of cancer and osteoporosis. However, the development of ...

We demonstrated that single-crystalline cobalt monoxide (CoO) hollow spheres and octahedra could be selectively synthesized via thermal decomposition of cobalt(ii) acetylacetonate in 1-octadecene solvent in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine. The morphologies and sizes of as-prepared CoO nanocrystals could be controlled by adjusting the reaction parameters. Cobalt oxide ...

Adequate cellular in-growth into biomaterials is one of the fundamental requirements of scaffolds used in regenerative medicine. Type I collagen is the most commonly used material for soft tissue engineering, because it is non-immunogenic and a highly porous network for cellular support can be produced. However, in general, adequate cell ...

The electric polarization in the multiferroic GaFeO(3) system is determined from its electronic structure using first principles methods and the modern theory of polarization. By carefully following the electric polarization on a path connecting the polar and centrosymmetric structures, it is found to be  - 25 μC cm(-2), which is ten times larger ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN; CD147, basigin) is an inducer of the expression of several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We reported previously that blocking EMMPRIN activity reduced neuroinflammation and severity of disease in an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). METHODS: To improve upon EMMPRIN ...

Purpose:BRCA genes are associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. Guidelines worldwide currently recommend BRCA genetic testing in asymptomatic individuals only if they belong to "high-risk" families. However, population screening for BRCA1/2 may be the logical next step in populations with a high prevalence of founder mutations, such as Ashkenazi ...

Context: Water-in-oil microemulsions (w/o ME) are ideal for parenteral drug delivery. However, no such formulations have been tested for biocompatibility in in vitro cell cultures. Furthermore, sterilization of w/o MEs is a challenging process that has not been previously developed and validated. Purpose: To formulate pharmaceutically relevant water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion's ...

Ligand profiling is an emerging computational method for predicting the most likely targets of a bioactive compound and therefore anticipating adverse reactions, side effects and drug repurposing. A few encouraging successes have already been reported using ligand 2-D similarity searches and protein-ligand docking. The current study describes the use of ...

Several important ambiguities in immittance spectroscopy (IS) model data-fitting results are identified and illustrated by means of complex-nonlinear-least-squares (CNLS) fits of experimental and synthetic frequency response data. A well-known intrinsic ambiguity, following from Maxwell's electromagnetic equations, arises from the indistinguishability in external measurements of conduction and displacement currents. Usual fit ...

We demonstrate the use of artificial nanomachines for effective interaction, collection, transport and removal of oil droplets. The simple nanomachine-enabled oil collection method is based on modifying microtube-engines with a superhydrophobic layer able to adsorb oil by means of its strong adhesion to a long chain of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) ...

Development of small synthetic transcription factors is important for future cellular engineering and therapeutics. This article describes the chemical synthesis of α-aminoisobutyric acid (aib) substituted, conformationally constrained, helical peptide mimics of Cro protein from bacteriophage λ that encompasses the DNA recognition elements. The aib substituted constrained helical peptide monomer shows ...

Cultivation of Cordyceps indigotica, an entomopathogenic fungus, in the presence of suberoyl bis-hydroxamic acid (an HDAC inhibitor) greatly activated its polyketide synthesis apparatus to afford six novel aromatic polyketides, indigotides C-F (1-4), 13-hydroxyindigotide A (5), and 8-O-methylindigotide B (6). The structures of these compounds were determined by NMR spectroscopic analyses. ...

A recent finding of a bacterial strain (GFAJ-1) that can rely on arsenic instead of phosphorus raised the questions of if and how arsenate can replace phosphate in biomolecules that are essential to sustain cell life. Apart from questions related to chemical stability, there are those of the structural and ...

We report on a systematic investigation of molecular conjugation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) protein onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and the subsequent binding behavior to its antibody (anti-TNF). We employ a combination of physical and spectroscopic characterization methods, including electrospray-differential mobility analysis, dynamic light scattering, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, attenuated total ...

Purpose: To report the diagnosis of a case of recurrent iris fungal granuloma presumed to be an iris tuberculoma in a 10-year-old girl. Design: Case report Methods: Retrospective medical chart review including serological and microbiological investigative results Results: A patient presented with iris mass associated with anterior uveitis. Serological tests ...

The aim of the study was to investigate age-related changes in postural responses to platform translation with 3 various velocities. We focused on the influence of linear velocity using the smoothed profile of platform acceleration (till 100 cm.s(-2)). Eleven healthy young (20-31 years) and eleven healthy elderly (65-76 years) subjects ...

Delignified Arundo donaxl was sequentially extracted with DMSO, saturated barium hydroxide and 1.0 M aqueous NaOH solution. The yields of the soluble fractions were 10.2, 6.7 and 10.0% (w/w), respectively, of the dry Arundo donaxl materials. The DMSO-, Ba(OH)2- and NaOH-soluble hemicellulosic fractions were further fractionated into two subfractions by ...

The PduO-type adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP):corrinoid adenosyltransferase from Lactobacillus reuteri (LrPduO) catalyzes the transfer of the adenosyl-group of ATP to Co(1+)cobalamin (Cbl) and Co(1+)cobinamide (Cbi) substrates to synthesize adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) and adenosylcobinamide (AdoCbi(+)), respectively. Previous studies revealed that to overcome the thermodynamically challenging Co(2+) → Co(1+) reduction, the enzyme drastically weakens ...

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in industrialized countries. Treatment with statins is effective in primary prevention in patients at high cardiovascular risk. Statins are inhibitors of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and are classed as lipid-lowering drugs. In 2010, atorvastatin was the biggest-selling drug in the world ($US10.73 billion). ...