Abstract: Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the development of novel bioresorbable membranes for Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR). Hydroxyapatite of different resources in com-bination with chitosan has been used successfully. In this work, armored catfish (Pterygoplich-thys spp) bone as a source of hydroxyapatite is proposed; it was isolated through bone calcina-tion at a temperature of 1000 °C. The hydroxyapatite obtained was analyzed for its chemical composition by means of Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), its functional groups by Fouri-er Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), its crystallographic structures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (DRX) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the mor-phology of the particle. The composed membrane presents a major roughness morphology sur-face than the pristine chitosan membrane. The hydroxyapatite particles added to the polymeric matrix increased the mechanical tensile properties of the membrane. These findings confirm that armored catfish bones are a viable, economic, and environmentally friendly source of hydroxy-apatite, which combined with chitosan, is a suitable alternative to develop biocompatible GBR membranes after it is combined with chitosan.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used for the management of severe respiratory and cardiac failure, as well as bridge to definite treatment or transplantation. ECMO associated coagulopathy (EAC) is a frequent complication leading to high rates of thrombosis or severe haemorrhage, contributing to morbidity and mortality of patients. Understanding the pathophysiology of EAC is substantial for effectively managing patients on ECMO. We analyse the underlying mechanism of EAC and discuss the monitoring of coagulation profile, combining the viscoelastic point of care assays with the conventional coagulation laboratory tests.

In a blood purification technique continuous renal replacement therapy called CRRT , a porous hollow-fiber polymeric membrane is exposed to prolonged contact with blood. In that condition, like with any other submerged filtration membrane, hemofilter loses its properties over time and use which results in a rapid decline in flux. The most significant reason for this loss is the formation of a biofilm. Protein, blood cells and bacterial cells attach to the membrane surface in complex and fluctuating processes. Anticoagulation allows for longer patency of vascular access and a longer lifespan of the membrane. Other preventive measures include modification of the membrane itself. In this article, we focused on the role of nanoadditives in the mitigation of bio-fouling. Nanoparticles such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, silica effectively change surface properties towards more hydrophilic, affect pore size and distribution, decrease protein adsorption and damage bacteria cells. As a result, membranes modified with nanoparticles show better flow parameters, longer lifespan and increased hemocompatibility.

The mouth is a central feature of our face, without it we could not eat, breathe, nor communicate. A critical and early event in mouth formation is the creation of a “hole” which connects the digestive system and the external environment. This hole, which has also been called the primary or embryonic mouth in vertebrates, is initially covered by a 1-2 cell layer thick structure called the buccopharyngeal membrane. When the buccopharyngeal membrane does not rupture it impairs early mouth functions and may also lead to further craniofacial malformations. Using a chemical screen in an animal model (Xenopus laevis) and genetic data from humans, we determined that Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) could have a role in buccopharyngeal membrane rupture. We have determined that decreased Jak2 function, using antisense morpholinos or a pharmacological antagonist, caused a persistent buccopharyngeal membrane as well as the loss of jaw muscles. Surprisingly, we observed that the jaw muscle compartments were connected to the oral epithelium that is continuous with the buccopharyngeal membrane. Severing such connections resulted in buccopharyngeal membrane buckling and persistence. We also noted puncta accumulation of F-actin, an indicator of tension, in the buccopharyngeal membrane during perforation. Together the data has led us to a hypothesis where muscles are required to exert tension across the buccopharyngeal membrane, and such tension is necessary for its perforation.

Cellular membranes are essential for compartmentalization, maintenance of membrane permeability and fluidity in all three domains of life. Archaea belong to the third domain of life and have a distinct phospholipid composition. Membrane lipids of archaea are ether-linked molecules, specifically dialkyl glycerol diethers (DGDs) and glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs). Terbinafine has been proposed as an inhibitor of GDGT biosynthesis in Archaea based on radiolabel incorporation studies. Here, we have studied the early cellular responses of the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius to terbinafine whose membrane is mostly composed of the membrane-spanning GDGTs. Depletion of GDGTs and an accompanying accumulation of DGDs upon treatment with terbinafine was growth phase and dose dependent. Additionally, a major shift in the saturation of caldariellaquinones was observed, resulting in the accumulation of unsaturated molecules. Transcriptomic data indicated that terbinafine primarily targets the respiratory complex along with genes involved in motility, fatty acid metabolism and GDGT cyclization. Combined, these findings suggest that respiratory stress is the preliminary response of S.acidocaldarius to terbinafine while targeting multiple proteins involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis and saturation.

Pterygium is a common ocular disease caused by abnormal cellular proliferation leading to abnormal fibrovascular growth of the conjunctiva. The main treatment is surgical removal; however, despite the improvement of surgical techniques and development of adjuvant therapies, postoperative recurrence, which can be as high as 89%, remains a challenge. Currently, pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft remains the preferred surgical technique to decrease recurrence, especially when combined with ciclosporin eye drops. Nevertheless, there is no gold standard surgical technique to prevent pterygium recurrence. Therefore, this review aims to assess the safety, effectiveness and, applicability of platelet-rich fibrin membrane for primary pterygium surgery and assess its possible benefits in resource-limited settings.

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is an autosomal dominant disorder leading to left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). It can present with chest pain, syncope, breathlessness, or in some cases sudden cardiac death. Primarily, it is diagnosed based on echocardiographic findings but cardiac computed tomography (CT) or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be helpful in selected cases. In this case report, we discuss a case of a young-aged female patient previously diagnosed as HOCM and presented with chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations. Her echocardiography revealed severe asymmetrically hypertrophied left ventricle (LV) with normal function and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve was present and a subvalvular aortic membrane was also seen. The computed tomography (CT) was also performed showing severe asymmetrical hypertrophied and thickened trileaflet tricommissural aortic valve with no calcification or significant valvular aortic stenosis but there was a subaortic membrane (concentric only sparing anteriorly). The presence of subaortic membrane with HOCM is a rare finding and it can be a diagnostic challenge and untreated cases are susceptible to progressive heart failure and worsening of the symptoms by further increasing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). A thorough investigation and planning before surgical intervention is required to achieve optimal results.

The way in which a perforated structure is formed has attracted much interest in the porous membrane research community. This novel structure gives materials an excellent antifouling property as well as a low operating pressure and other benefits. Unfortunately, the current membrane fabrication methods usually involve multi-step processes and the use of organic solvents or additives. Our study is the first to offer a way to prepare perforated membrane by using a physical foaming technique with CO₂ as the blowing agent. We selected thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the base material because it is a biocompatible elastomer with excellent tensility, high abrasion resistance, and good elastic resilience. Various processing parameters, which included the saturation pressure, the foaming temperature, and the membrane thickness, were applied to adjust the TPU membrane’s perforated morphology. We proposed a possible formation mechanism of the perforated membrane. The as-prepared TPU membrane had good mechanical properties with a tensile strength of about 5 MPa and an elongation at break above 100%. Such mechanical properties make this novel membrane usable as a self-standing filter device. In addition, its straight-through channel structure can separate particles and meet different separation requirements.

Development of carbon nanomaterials for adsorption thus removal of organic pollutants from water is a progressive research subject. In this regard, carbon nanomaterials with bifunctionality towards polar and non-polar or even amphiphilic undesired materials is indeed attractive for further study and implementation. Here, we created carbon buckypaper adsorbents comprising amphiphilic (oxygenated amorphous carbon (a-COx)/graphite (G)) nanofilaments that can dynamically adsorb organic biomolecules (i.e. urease enzyme) and thus purify the wastewaters of relevant industries. Given the dynamic conditions of the test, the adsorbent was highly efficient in adsorption of the enzyme (88%) while permeable to water (2382 L.h-1.m-2), thus holds a great promise for further development and upscaling. A subsequent citric acid functionalization declined selectivity of the membrane to urease, implying the biomolecules adsorb mostly via graphitic domains rather than oxidized, polar amorphous carbon ones. The devised platform i.e. the urease functionalized buckypaper is optimally conductive (13 S.cm-1) and can be further employed as a biosensor. Accordingly, water treatment can be linked to biosensing via a nanostructured membrane.

The efficacy of chemotherapy depends on sensitivity and intrinsic or acquired drug resistance of cancer cells. The n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs) are considered chemosensitizing agents and revertants of multidrug resistance by pleiotropic mechanisms. The specific mechanisms are not fully understood, but nowadays, it is widely accepted that there are a complex network of mechanisms, including alteration in gene expression, modulation of cellular proliferation and differentiation, induction of apoptosis, generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. A crucial mechanism in the control of cell drug uptake and efflux is related to n-3 LCPUFA influence on membrane lipid composition. The incorporation of docosahexaenoic acid in the lipid rafts produces significant changes in their physical-chemical properties affecting content and functions of transmembrane proteins, such as growth factors, receptors and ATP-binding cassette transporters. Of note, n-3 LCPUFAs often impact on the lipid compositions more in chemoresistant cells than in chemosensitive cells, suggesting their adjuvant role in cancer treatment.

This study continued the analysis of immunization with the receptor binding domain (RBD) associated with the adjuvants Dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA) and Saponin (Sap) (RBD+DDA/Sap) or Aluminum hydroxide (AH) and outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) of Neisseria meningitidis (RBD+AH/OMV); from adult to old age and assessed maternal-fetal transference of antibodies. Outbred Swiss mice were immunized with 2 intramuscular (IM) doses with the antigenic preparations RBD+DDA/Sap, RBD+AH/OMV or RBD alone. The humoral immune response was evaluated using ELISA, avidity-ELISA, Immunoblotting and a Omicron-surrogate-neutralization assay (BA.1), while the cellular immune response was analyzed by ELISpot. Our previous work studied the IgG response; here, we verified that IgM levels were higher right after the immunization doses, but, as IgG, it persisted until 368 days after the immunization. The avidity of IgM increased from low to intermediate-to-high after the booster dose. RBD+DDA/Sap presented neutralizing indexes against Omicron at days 47 and 176, while RBD+AH/OMV showed neutralization on days 21, 47 and 176. Cellular response, measured 465 days after immunization, revealed IFN-Y and IL-4 secretion. The offspring of RBD+DDA/Sap had detectable antibodies, which decreased around 45 days after birth, the last point we analyzed. The results suggested that DDA/Sap is a promising adjuvant mixture to enhance humoral and cellular immune response against SARS-CoV-2, improving maternal-fetal transference of antibodies; cross-reactivity with Omicron variant; and the maintenance of antibodies for a long period.

Daylight usage in buildings improves visual comfort and lowers the final energy demand for artificial lighting. The question always occurs: how much conservation can you achieve? New upcoming or rare materials and constructions have a lack of information about their application. Therefore, the current work investigates the daylight performance of a multi-layer textile membrane roof with 2 300 m² on top of a sports hall. A translucent, thermal insulation with a glass fibre fleece between the roof membranes combines daylight usage and heating demand reduction. A sports hall with built year 2017 is selected as the case study building. The optical properties of the roof construction are measured. The (visual) light transmittance amounts to 0.72 % with a clean surface. An accordingly parametrized climate-based annual daylight modeling delivers daylight indicators for different construction scenarios. The results show that in comparison to only one glass facade, the additional translucent and thermally insulated membrane construction increases the annual daylight autonomy700/ continuous DA700 from 0/ 15 % to 1.5/ 38 %. In the roof covered areas of the sport field, this results in a reduction from 19.7 to 13.8 kWhel/m²/a electricity for the artificial lighting with dim control (30 % savings). Also, the influence of soiling on the light transmittance was determined with a relevant reduction of one layer about a factor 0.81. The novel results are of great value as a comparison and benchmark for planners and future buildings of similar type.

L-17 is a thiadiazine derivative with putative anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antidepressant-like properties. In this study, we applied combined in silico, ex vivo, and in vivo electrophysiology techniques to reveal the potential mechanism of action of L-17. PASS 10.4 Professional Extended software suggested that L-17 might have pro-cognitive, antidepressant, and antipsychotic effects. Docking energy assessment with AutoDockVina predicted that the binding affinities of L-17 to the serotonin transporter (SERT) and serotonin receptors 3 and 1A (5-HT3 and 5-HT1A) receptors are compatible to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine and selective antagonists of 5-HT3 and 5-HT1A receptors, granisetron and WAY100135, respectively. Acute pre-treatment with L-17 robustly increased c-Fos immunoreactivity in the amygdala (central nucleus), suggesting increased neuronal excitability in this brain area after L-17 administration. Acute L-17 also dose-dependently inhibited of 5-HT neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). This inhibition was partially reversed by subsequent administration of WAY100135, suggesting the involvement of extracellular 5-HT. Based on in silico predictions, c-Fos immunohistochemistry, and in vivo electrophysiology, we suggest that L-17 is a potent 5-HT reuptake inhibitor and/or partial 5-HT1A receptor antagonist. Thus, L-17 might be a representative of a new class of antidepressant drugs. Since L-17 also possesses neuro- and cardio-protective properties, it can be useful in post-stroke and post-myocardial infarction (MI) depression. In general, combined in silico predictions and ex vivo neurochemical and in vivo electrophysiological assessment might be a useful strategy for early preclinical assessment of the affectivity and neural mechanism in action of the novel CNS drugs.

Dicarbonyls are electrophiles able to generate the so-called advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Human exposure occurs via ingestion (e.g., food), inhalation (e.g., electronic cigarettes) and dysregulation of endogenous metabolic pathways (e.g., glycolysis). Biological systems can prevent AGEs formation via enzymatic and nonenzymatic reactions. However, the continuous exposure to dicarbonyls may cause the depletion of endogenous substrates and the beginning of AGEs accumulation (i.e., carbonylation). Since this process has been associated with multiple disorders, several studies advocated the use of dicarbonyl binders as food preservatives or as drugs aimed at mitigating carbonylation damages. As reported for other toxicants (e.g., HNE, acrolein), the screening of selective and potent binders can be performed by measuring the residual amount of a selected dicarbonyl substrate, upon its incubation with candidate binders. Unfortunately, naturally occurring dicarbonyls are poorly responsive to many detectors (e.g., UV or MS). For this reason, most of the screening methods that have been reported to date relies on indirect quantification upon derivatization. However, this strategy can potentially lead to inaccurate results since the tested compounds can affect the derivatization yield. Therefore, we herein reported the use of benzylglyoxal (BGO) as a convenient, UV responsive, dicarboyl surrogate. By using BGO as a substrate, we setup an easy and cheap chromatographic assay for the direct measurement of the binding activity towards dicarbonyls, without derivatization. The method was qualified by assessing the binding ability of some known dicarbonyl binders, obtaining results consistent with literature.

Arrestin-1, or visual arrestin, exhibits an exquisite selectivity for light-activated phosphorylated rhodopsin (P-Rh*) over its other functional forms. That selectivity is believed to be mediated by two well-established structural elements in the arrestin-1 molecule, the activation sensor detecting the active conformation of rhodopsin and the phosphorylation sensor responsive to the rhodopsin phosphorylation, which only active phosphorylated rhodopsin can engage simultaneously. However, in the crystal structure of the arrestin-1-rhodopsin complex there are arrestin-1 residues located close to rhodopsin, which do not belong to either sensor. Here we tested by site-directed mutagenesis the functional role of these residues in wild type arrestin-1 using direct binding assay to P-Rh* and light-activated unphosphorylated rhodopsin (Rh*). We found that many mutations either enhanced the binding only to Rh* or increased the binding to Rh* much more than to P-Rh*. The data suggest that the native residues in these positions act as binding suppressors, specifically inhibiting the arrestin-1 binding to Rh* and thereby increasing arrestin-1 selectivity for P-Rh*. This calls for the modification of a widely accepted model of the arrestin-receptor interactions.

Mucilage from Coccinia grandis was extracted, isolated by maceration technique and precipitated, accordingly. The mucilage was evaluated for its physicochemical, binding, and disintegrant properties in tablets using paracetamol as a model drug. The crucial physicochemical properties such as flow properties, solubility, swelling index, loss on drying, viscosity, pH, microbial load, cytotoxicity were evaluated and the compatibility was analysed using sophisticated instrumental methods (TGA, DTA, DSC, and FTIR). The binding properties of the mucilage were used at three different concentrations and compared with starch and PVP as standard binders. The disintegrant properties of mucilage were used at two different concentrations and compared with standard disintegrants MCCP, SSG, and CCS. The wet granulation technique was used for the preparation of granules and was evaluated for the flow properties. The tablets were punched and evaluated for their hardness, friability, assay, disintegration time, in vitro dissolution profiles. In vitro cytotoxicity study of the mucilage was performed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line using cytotoxic assay by MTT method. The outcome of the study indicated that the mucilage had good performance when compared with starch and PVP. Further, the mucilage acts as a good disintegrant than MCCP, SSG and CCS to paracetamol tablets. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation results demonstrated that the mucilage is non-cytotoxic to human cells and is safe.

The multi-material design and the adaptability of a modern process chain require joining connections with specifically adjustable mechanical, thermal, chemical or electrical properties, whereby previous considerations have focused primarily on the mechanical properties. With clinching, the multitude of possible combinations of requirements, materials and component or joint geometry makes it impossible to determine these joint properties empirically. As a result of the established and empirically based procedure, no model exists to date that considers all questions of joinability, i.e. the materials (suitability for joining), the design (joining safety) and the production (joining possibility) and allows a calculation of the achievable properties. It is therefore necessary to describe the physical properties of the joint as a function of the three bonding mechanisms force closure, form closure and material closure in relation to the application. This approach enables the illustration of the relationships along the causal chain "joint requirement - binding mechanism - joining parameters". In this way the adaptability of the mechanical joining technology can be improved. A geometric comparison is made using metallographic cross sections, of clinched joints of the combination of aluminum and steel. The torsional testing of the rotationally symmetric clinching points for detection of the mechanical stress state are qualified as examination method and technological test. By measuring the electrical resistance in the base material, in the clinch joint and during the production cycle (after clinching, before precipitation hardening and after precipitation hardening), this change in the stress state can also be detected.

Current therapeutic protocols for the treatment of HIV infection consist of the combination of diverse anti-retroviral drugs in order to reduce the selection of resistant mutants and to allow for the use of lower doses of each single agent to reduce toxicity. However, avoiding drugs interactions and patient compliance are issues not fully accomplished so far. In this respect the identification of single agents with multitarget potential might represent the ideal solution. Accordingly, a small library of biphenylhydrazo 4-arylthiazoles derivatives has been synthesised and evaluated to investigate the ability of the new derivatives to simultaneously inhibit both associated functions of HIV reverse transcriptase. All compounds were active towards the two functions, although at different concentrations. The substitution pattern on the biphenyl moiety appears relevant to determine the activity.

In silico analysis is a promising approach for understanding biological events in complex diseases. Herein, we report an in silico analysis of the entire genome of virus ZikaSPH2015 strain, which was performed in order to identify the occurrence of specific motifs on genomic sequence of Zika Virus that is able to bind and therefore, sequester host’s Transcription Factors (TFs) as well as subsequently predict a possible interactions within host genome. Accordingly to obtained results of this original computational work-flow it is possible to hypothesize that these TFs Binding Motifs might be able to explain the complex and heterogeneous phenotype presentation in Zika Virus affected fe-tus/newborns, as well as the less severe condition in adults. Moreover, the proposed in silico protocol identified thirty three different TFs same as the distribution of TFBSs (Transcription Factor Binding Sites) on ZikaSPH2015 strain, potentially able to influence genes and pathways with biological functions confirming that this approach could find potential answers on disease pathogenesis.

Vitamin D, unlike the micronutrients, vitamins A, E and K, is largely obtained, not from food, but by the action of solar UV light on its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, in skin. With the decline in UV light intensity in winter, most skin production of vitamin D occurs in summer. Because no defined storage organ or tissue has been found for vitamin D, it has been assumed that adequate vitamin D status in winter can only be maintained by oral supplementation. Skeletal muscle cells have now been shown to incorporate the vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) from blood into the cell cytoplasm where it binds to cytoplasmic actin. This intracellular DBP provides an array of specific binding sites for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) which diffuses into the cell from the extracellular fluid. When intracellular DBP undergoes proteolytic breakdown, the bound 25(OH)D is then released and diffuses back into blood. This uptake and release of 25(OH)D by muscle, accounts for the very long half-life of this metabolite in the circulation. As 25(OH)D concentration in blood declines in winter, its cycling in and out of muscle cells appears to be upregulated. Parathyroid hormone is the most likely factor enhancing the repeated cycling of 25(OH)D between skeletal muscle and blood. This mechanism appears to have evolved to maintain adequate vitamin D status in winter.

Vitamin D, unlike the micronutrients, vitamins A, E and K, is largely obtained, not from food, but by the action of solar UV light on its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, in skin. With the decline in UV light intensity in winter, most skin production of vitamin D occurs in summer. Because no defined storage organ or tissue has been found for vitamin D, it has been assumed that adequate vitamin D status in winter can only be maintained by oral supplementation. Skeletal muscle cells have now been shown to incorporate the vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) from blood into the cell cytoplasm where it binds to cytoplasmic actin. This intracellular DBP provides an array of specific binding sites for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) which diffuses into the cell from the extracellular fluid. When intracellular DBP undergoes proteolytic breakdown, the bound 25(OH)D is then released and diffuses back into blood. This uptake and release of 25(OH)D by muscle, accounts for the very long half-life of this metabolite in the circulation. As 25(OH)D concentration in blood declines in winter, its cycling in and out of muscle cells appears to be upregulated. Parathyroid hormone is the most likely factor enhancing the repeated cycling of 25(OH)D between skeletal muscle and blood. This mechanism appears to have evolved to maintain adequate vitamin D status in winter.

Tumor invasion, metastasis, and recrudesce remain a considerable challenge in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). Herein, we first identified that RBFOX3 (RNA binding protein fox-1 homolog 3) was significantly up-regulated in GC tissues and negatively linked to the survival rate of GC patients. RBFOX3 promoted cell division and cell cycle progression in vitro as well as in vivo. Furthermore, RBFOX3 increased cell invasion and migration ability. Interestingly, both the suppression of GC cell multiplication and invasion moderated by the silencing of RBFOX3 was rescued by HTERT up-regulation. Additionally, RBFOX3 augmented the resistance of GC cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) by repressing RBFOX3. Mechanistically, exogenous up-regulation of RBFOX3 triggered promoter activity and HTERT expression thereby enhancing the division and development of GC cells. Importantly, our findings revealed that RBFOX3 interacted with AP-2β to modulate the HTERT expression as demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation analysis. In conclusion, our study indicates that high expression of RBFOX3 promotes GC progression and development but predicts worse prognosis by stimulating HTERT signaling. Moreover, the results suggest that the RBFOX3/AP-2β/HTERT pathway is a novel target for the development of therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of GC reappearance and metastasis.

I have recently reiterated that the cross-bridge is a calcium ATPase that is inhibited by magnesium and this arises because in normal hearts Myosin binding Protein-C prevents the use of MgATP as rate limiting substrate ensuring that Ca²⁺ replaces Mg²⁺ in the excitation pathway. Here I revisit the studies on [Ca²⁺] dependency of ATPase and tension under diastolic stretch with a different conclusion on Hill coefficients. This reveals the underlying mechanisms of the Frank-Starling Law and Hypertrophic myopathy are not the same, the former being kinase controlled.

In an attempt to correct misunderstandings this article brings together the observations on Calcium, Myosin Binding Protein-C and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the basic function of cardiac muscle. A finding of many years ago is reiterated in a novel enzyme kinetic format with defined rate limiting step which makes CaATP the apparent substrate of the actomyosin cross-bridge. The relationship of these kinetics to recent observations on disruption of myosin binding protein-C is described along with how this bears on the understanding of the related cardiomyopathies.

Little is known about the association between equol and bioavailable testosterone (BT) in adults. We examined the associations of urinary equol concentrations with serum total, bioavailable and free testosterone (FT), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfide (DHEAS), free androgen index (FAI) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations. This cross-sectional study included 1904 women aged 59.7 years. Urinary equol and serum sex hormone concentrations were measured. Overall, urinary equol tended to be inversely associated with bioactive forms of androgenic indices (BT, FT or FAI) but not with total testosterone (TT) or DHEAS. Urinary equol was also positively associated with SHBG. In multi-covariate-adjusted analyses stratified by menopausal status, graded and inverse associations between urinary equol and bioactive forms of androgenic indices (BT, FT and FAI) were observed in postmenopausal women (all p-trends <0.05), but not in premenopausal women. A significant positive association between urinary equol and SHBG was observed only in postmenopausal women. No significant associations were observed between urinary equol and TT or DHEAS in either group. A path analysis indicated that these associations of equol with androgens in postmenopausal women might be mediated by SHBG. Our findings indicated urinary equol exhibited graded and inverse associations with BT or FT but not TT in women.

Ubiquitin binding domains (UBDs) are modular elements that bind non-covalently to ubiquitin and act as downstream effectors and amplifiers of the ubiquitination signal. With few exceptions, UBDs recognize the hydrophobic path centered on Ile44 (Leu-8, Ile-44, Val-70). Nevertheless, a variety of different orientations, which can be attributed to specific contacts between each UBD and surface residues surrounding the hydrophobic patch, specify how each class of UBD recognizes ubiquitin. Here, we describe the structure of a novel ubiquitin-binding domain that we identified in NEDD4 binding protein 1 (N4BP1). By performing protein sequence analysis, mutagenesis and NMR spectroscopy of the ¹⁵N isotopically labelled protein, we demonstrate that a Phe-Pro motif in N4BP1 recognizes the canonical hydrophobic patch of ubiquitin. This recognition mode resembles the molecular mechanism evolved in the CUE (Coupling of ubiquitin conjugation to ER degradation) domain family, where an invariant proline, usually following a phenylalanine, is required for binding to ubiquitin. Interestingly, the UBD of N4BP1 is evolutionary related to CUBAN (Cullin binding domain associating with NEDD8) (40% identity and 47% similarity), a protein module that also recognizes the ubiquitin-like NEDD8, which is the closest relative of ubiquitin (58% identity and 80% similarity). By performing circular dichroism and ¹⁵N NMR chemical shift perturbation of N4BP1 in complex with ubiquitin, we demonstrate that the UBD of N4BP1 lacks the NEDD8 binding properties observed in CUBAN and it recognizes the Ile44-centered patch of ubiquitin through a dedicated binding site, which share some of the features observed in the CUE domain family. Moreover, we show that, in addition to mediating the interaction with ubiquitin and ubiquitinated substrates, both the CUBAN and the UBD of N4BP1 are poly-ubiquitinated in cells. This modification is dependent on the presence of a functional domain. We believe that the structural and functional characterization of this novel UBD will allow a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing N4BP1 function, while at the same time providing a valuable tool for clarifying how the discrimination between ubiquitin and the highly related NEDD8 is achieved.

We review the basics of nuclear binding energy scheme assumed to be associated with the existence of a new strong elementary charge associated with square root of reciprocal of the strong coupling constant.

Coffee processing generates a huge amount of waste which contains many natural products. Here, we report the discovery of a panel novel cell-penetrating and metal-ion binding microproteins designated coffeetide cC1a-c and cL1-6 from the husk of two popular coffee plants, Coffea canephora and Coffea liberica, respectively. Combining sequence determination and database search, we showed that the prototypic coffeetide cC1a is a 37-residue, eight-cysteine microprotein with a hevein-like cysteine motif but without a chitin-binding domain. NMR determination of cC1a revealed a compact structure that confers it resistance to heat and proteolytic degradation. Disulfide mapping together with chemical synthesis revealed that cC1a has a ginsentide-like, and not a hevein-like, disulfide connectivity. In addition, transcriptomic analysis showed that the 98-residue micrcoproten-like coffeetide precursor contains a three-domain arrangement like ginsentide precursors. Molecular modeling together with experimental validation revealed a Mg2+ and Fe3+ binding pocket at the N-terminus formed by three glutamic acids. Importantly, cC1a is amphipathic with a continuous stretch of 19 apolar amino acids, and which enables its cell penetration to target intracellular proteins, despite being highly negatively charged. Our findings suggest that coffee by-products could provide a source of ginsentide-like bioactive peptides that have potential to target intracellular proteins.

Background: Recent developments in our understanding of the interactions between long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and cellular components have improved treatment approaches for various human diseases including cancer, vascular diseases, and neurological diseases. Although investigation of specific lncRNAs revealed their role in the metabolism of cellular RNA, our understanding of their contribution to post-transcriptional regulation is relatively limited. In this study, we explore the role of lncRNAs in modulating alternative splicing and their impact on downstream protein-RNA interaction networks. Results: Analysis of alternative splicing events across 39 lncRNA wildtype and knockout RNA-sequencing datasets from three human cell lines: HeLa (Cervical Cancer), K562 (Myeloid Leukemia), and U87 (Glioblastoma), resulted in high confidence (fdr < 0.01) identification of 4432 skipped exon events and 2474 retained intron events, implicating 759 genes to be impacted at post-transcriptional level due to the loss of lncRNAs. We observed that a majority of the alternatively spliced genes in a lncRNA knockout were specific to the cell type, in agreement with the finding that genes affected by alternative splicing also displayed enriched functions in a cell type specific manner. To understand the mechanism behind this cell-type specific alternative splicing patterns, we analyzed RNA binding protein (RBP)-RNA interaction profiles across the spliced regions. Conclusions: Despite limited RBP binding data across cell lines, alternatively spliced events detected in lncRNA perturbation experiments were associated with RBPs binding in proximal intron-exon junctions, in a cell type specific manner. The cellular functions affected by alternative splicing were also affected in a cell type specific manner. Based on the RBP binding profiles in HeLa and K562 cells, we hypothesize that several lncRNAs are likely to exhibit a sponge effect in disease contexts, resulting in the functional disruption of RBPs due to altered titration of the RBPs from their target loci. We propose that such lncRNA sponges can extensively rewire the post-transcriptional gene regulatory networks by altering the protein-RNA interaction landscape in a cell-type specific manner.

Background: Transcription factors (TFs) are main regulators of eukaryotic gene expression. The cooperative binding to genomic DNA of at least two TFs is the widespread mechanism of transcription regulation. Cooperating TFs can be revealed through the analysis of co-occurrence of their motifs. Methods: We applied Motifs Co-Occurrence Tool (MCOT) that predicted pairs of spaced or overlapped motifs (composite elements, CEs) for a single ChIP-seq dataset. We improved MCOT capability for prediction of asymmetric CEs with one of participating motifs possessing higher conservation than another does. Results: Analysis of 119 ChIP-seq datasets for 45 human TFs revealed that almost for all families of TFs the co-occurrence with an overlap between motifs of target TFs and more conserved partner motifs was significantly higher than that for less conserved partner motifs. The asymmetry toward partner TFs was the most clear for partner motifs of TFs from ETS family. Conclusion: Co-occurrence with an overlap of less conserved motif of a target TF and more conserved motifs of partner TFs explained a substantial portion of ChIP-seq data lacking conserved motifs of target TFs. Among other TF families, conservative motifs of TFs from ETS family were the most prone to mediate interaction of target TFs with its weak motifs in ChIP-seq.

Membrane-based sensors (MePSs) exhibit remarkable precision and sensitivity in detecting pressure changes. MePSs are commonly used to monitor catalytic reactions in solution, generating gas products crucial for signal amplification in bioassays. They also allow catalyst quantification by indirectly measuring the pressure generated by the gaseous products. This is particularly interesting to detect enzymes in biofluids associated with disease onset. To enhance the performance of a MePS, various structural factors influence membrane flexibility and response time, ultimately dictating the device's pressure sensitivity. In this study, we fabricated MePSs using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and investigated how structural modifications affect the Young's modulus (E) and residual stress (σ0) of the membranes. These modifications have a direct impact on the sensors' sensitivity to pressure variations, observed as a function of the volume of the chamber (Σ) or of the mechanical properties of the membrane itself (S). MePSs exhibiting the highest sensitivities were then employed to detect catalyst quantities inducing the dismutation of hydrogen peroxide, producing dioxygen as gaseous product. As a result, catalase enzyme was successfully detected using these optimized MePSs, achieving a remarkable sensitivity of (22.7 ± 1.2) µm/nM and a limit of detection (LoD) of 396 pM.

The separation of Li+ and [Bmim]+(1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium) by electrically driven membrane technology was studied. The effects of the types and modification processes of cation exchange membranes, current density, total cation concentration, temperature, and anion types on separation efficiency were investigated. The results indicated that it is feasible to achieve efficient separation of Li+ and [Bmim]+ using the selectivity of cation exchange membranes under electric field. Membrane CMX and the modified membrane A and B which obtained from the CMX showed obvious selective of Li+ from [Bmim]+. When the current density is 5 mA/cm2 and the feed concentrations of Li+ and [Bmim]+ are 0.3 mol/L and 0.2 mol/L, the selective transport coefficient of the modified membrane B can reach 6.2 in the first 120 minutes of the process. Reducing current density and increasing total cation concentration can improve separation efficiency. Lowering the temperature can improve the separation effect, but improvement is not obviously. Changing the anion of the feed from chloride ion to acetate has no effect on the separation.

Membrane nanotubes (NTs) are dynamic communication channels connecting spatially separated cells even over long distances and promoting the transport of different cellular cargos. NTs are also involved in the intercellular spread of different pathogens and the deterioration of some neuro-logical disorders. Transport processes via NTs may be controlled by cytoskeletal elements. NTs are frequently observed membrane projections in numerous mammalian cell lines including various immune cells, but their functional significance in the ‘antibody factory’ B cells is poorly elucidated. Here we report that as active channels, NTs of B cells can mediate bidirectional mitochondrial transport, promoted by the cooperation of two different cytoskeletal motor proteins, kinesin along microtubules and myosin VI along actin, and bidirectional transport processes are also supported by the heterogeneous arrangement of the main cytoskeletal filament systems of the NTs. We revealed that despite NTs and axons being different cell extensions the mitochondrial transport they mediate may exhibit significant similarities. Furthermore, we found that microtubules may improve the stability and lifespan of B cell NTs, while F-actin strengthens NTs by providing a structural framework for them. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the regulation of the major cells of humoral immune response to infections.

The air is a fundamental element for the life on Earth. Rapid urbanization and industrialization release large amounts of pollutants (harmful gases, microorganisms, and particulate matter, among others) into the atmosphere, leading to health hazards. Air filtration is still the most used and promising technique for protecting air against pollutants. The quality and efficiency of filtering process are dependent of material used for the filter and other filter’s properties. Several methods can be used for manufacturing filters, one of them uses fibrous membranes obtained through electrospinning from polymeric solutions. Electrospinning is a technique that combines the application of an electrostatic field to a moving fluid which results in the fibers formation. Electrospun membranes are constituted by fibers that the sizes spread on submicro and or nanometric scales. This review focuses on fiber membranes obtained by electrospinning for filtration of particulate matter. It is addressed the effect of solution, processing and ambient parameters on the morphology and dimensional characteristics of fiber membranes. The basic principles of air filtration and test and characterization of filter performance are presented. The research progress on electrospun nanofibers as air filters in recent years is summarized and examined. Finally, conclusion and future perspectives in electrospun fibers for air filtration are provided and discussed.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (IDO2) is a paralogue of IDO1, a tryptophan-degrading enzyme producing immunomodulatory molecules. However, the two proteins are unlikely to carry out the same functions. IDO2 shows little or no tryptophan catabolic activity and exerts contrasting immunomodulatory roles in a context-dependent manner, in both cancer and autoimmune diseases. The recently described potential non-enzymatic activity of IDO2 has suggested its possible involvement in alternative pathways resulting in either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects in different models. In a previous study on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues, we found that IDO2 expression, revealed at the plasma membrane level of tumor cells, was significantly associated with poor prognosis. In this study, the A549 human cell line, basally expressing IDO2, was used as an in vitro model of human lung adenocarcinoma to gain more insights on a possible alternative function of IDO2, different from the catalytic one. In these cells, immunocytochemistry and isopycnic sucrose gradient analyses confirmed the IDO2 protein localization in the cell membrane compartment, and immunoprecipitation of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins revealed that IDO2 can be targeted by kinase activities. The different localization than the cytosolic one and the phosphorylation state are the first indications for the signaling function of IDO2, suggesting that the IDO2 non-enzymatic role in cancer cells is worthy of deeper understanding.

Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is a complex tri-layer membrane that wraps droplets of lipids in milk. In recent years, it has attracted widespread attention due to its excellent bioactive functions and nutritional value. The milk fat globule membrane contains a diverse array of bioactive lipids, including cholesterol, phospholipids, and sphingolipids, which play pivotal roles in mediating the bioactivity of the milk fat globule membrane. We sequentially summarize the main lipid types in milk fat globule membrane in this comprehensive review and outline the characterization methods used to employed them. In this comprehensive review, we sequentially describe the types of major lipids found in the milk fat globule membrane and outline the characterization methods employed to study them. Additionally, we compare the structural disparities among glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and gangliosides, while introducing the formation of lipid rafts facilitated by cholesterol. The focus of this review revolves around an extensive evaluation of current research on lipid isolates from the milk fat globule membrane, as well as products containing milk fat globule membrane lipids, with respect to their impact on human health. Notably, we emphasize clinical trials encompassing a large number of participants. The summarized bioactive functions of milk fat globule membrane lipids encompass regulation of human growth and development, influence on intestinal health, inhibition of cholesterol absorption, enhancement of exercise capacity, and anti-cancer effects. By offering a comprehensive overview, the aim of this review is to provide valuable insights into the diverse biologically active functions exhibited by lipids in milk fat globule membrane.

Some of Iran's gas resources are known as sour gas because one of the major by-products of this gas is water. In fact, natural gas is combined with water vapor in underground reservoirs. In some areas, the amount of water vapor in natural gas is so high that it can be used as a source of drinking water. However, it should be noted that water vapor in natural gas may exacerbate corrosion in pipes and industrial equipment, and the combustion of more natural gas produces high temperatures that can lead to the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which They are the cause of air pollution. This is while the processed gas has a standard percentage composition in which the amount of water has the lowest position. The removal of moisture from natural gas is due to the need to prevent the reduction of the calorific value of the gas and also to purify the gas in order to achieve the necessary standards for delivering gas to petrochemicals, industries and domestic uses. The main goal of this research is to investigate the influencing parameters on zeolite TiO2 nanocomposite membranes in order to absorb moisture from gas. For this reason, with the construction of a TiZ-V membrane as a standard membrane, the result of the initial evaluation of a suitable membrane for gas dehumidification was made, and this membrane was placed as a standard for measuring the effect of the manufacturing parameters in a way that in each stage of membrane construction It was found that it was different from standard TiZ-V membrane only in terms of one parameter. This type of investigation made it possible to determine the effect of various effective parameters in membrane construction on efficiency. The findings showed that increasing the concentration of SiO2 has the greatest effect on increasing the water flux of the membrane. According to the other findings of this study, the effect of increasing the reaction time of the vapor phase carrier has been to reduce the process of paternity selectivity loss at higher pressures. Although due to the safety limitation of the equipment to measure the efficiency of the membrane at pressures higher than 7 bar, this measurement was not carried out, but charts were presented regarding the state of the water in the water, which were a measure of the superiority of the water in the water in comparison to the gas in the water, which is the higher water in the water It is an indicator of the appropriateness of the membrane's efficiency at its corresponding pressure, so that the examination of the difference between these two graphs shows the possibility of using the membrane at higher pressures

The present paper deals with the complex study of the CO2 capture from combined heat power plant flue gases using the efficient technological scheme design – membrane cascade type of «Continuous Membrane Column». In contrast to well-known multi-step or multi-stage process designs, the cascade type of separation unit provides several advantages. That apparatus conceptually refers to the distillation columns. Here, the separation process is implemented in it by creating two counter current flows. In one of them is depleted by the high-permeable component in a continuous mode, meanwhile the other one is enriched. Taking into account, that the circulating flows rate overcome the withdrawn ones, there is a multiplicative growth in separation efficiency. A comprehensive study of the CO2 capture using membrane cascade type of «Continuous Membrane Column» includes the determination of optimal membrane material characteristics, the sensitivity study of the process and feasibility evaluation. It was clearly demonstrated that proposed process provides the efficient CO2 capture, which meets the modern requirements in terms of CO2 content (≥ 95 mol.%), recovery rate (≥ 90 %) and residual CO2 concentration (≤ 2 mol.%). Moreover, it was observed, that it is possible to process CO2 with purity up to 99.8 mol.% at the same recovery rate. This allows use of this specific process design in the CO2 pretreatment operations in the production of high-purity carbon dioxide.

Eukaryotic cells contain membranes with various curvatures, from the near-plane plasma membrane to the highly curved membranes of organelles, vesicles, and membrane protrusions. These curvatures are generated and sustained by curvature-inducing proteins, peptides, and lipids, and describing these mechanisms is an important scientific challenge. In addition to that, some molecules can sense membrane curvature and a thereby be trafficked to specific locations. The description of curvature-sensing is another fundamental challenge. Curved lipid membranes and their interplay with membrane-associated proteins can be investigated with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, given the right tools. Various methods for simulating curved membranes with MD are discussed here, including tools for setting up simulation of vesicles, and methods for sustaining membrane curvature. The latter are divided into methods that exploit scaffolding virtual beads, methods that use curvature-inducing molecules, and methods applying virtual forces. The variety of simulation tools allow the researcher to closely match the conditions of experimental studies of membrane curvatures.

The lipid composition of biomembranes influence the properties of the lipid bilayer as well as that of the proteins. In this study, the lipidome and the lipid/protein ratio of membranes from High FiveTM insect cells overexpressing mouse P-glycoprotein was characterized. This provides a better understanding of the lipid environment in which P-glycoprotein is embedded, and thus of its functional and structural properties. The relative abundance of the distinct phospholipid classes and their acyl chain composition was characterized. A mass ratio of 0.57 +/- 0.11 phospholipids to protein was obtained. Phosphatidylethanolamines are the most abundant phospholipids, followed by phosphatidylcholines. Membranes are also enriched in negatively charged lipids (phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylinositols and phosphatidylglycerols), and contain small amounts of sphingomyelins, ceramides and monoglycosilatedceramides. The most abundant acyl chains are monounsaturated, with significant amounts of saturated chains. The characterization of the phospholipids by HPLC-MS allowed identification of the combination of acyl chains, with palmitoyl-oleoyl being the most representative for all major phospholipid classes except for phosphatidylserines, which are mostly saturated. A mixture of POPE:POPC:POPS in the ratio 45:35:20 is proposed for the preparation of simple representative model membranes. The adequacy of the model membranes was further evaluated by characterizing their surface potential and fluidity.

Cells occupy a prominent place in the history of life on planet Earth. The central role of cellular organization is observed by the fact that “cellular life” is often used as a synonym for life itself. Thus, most characteristics used to define cells overlap with the ones used to define life. Notwithstanding, new scenarios about the origin of life are bringing alternative views to describe how cells may have evolved from the open biological systems named progenotes. Here, using a logical and conceptual analysis, we re-evaluate the characteristics used to infer a single origin for cells. We argue that some evidences used to support cell monophyly, such as the presence of elements from both the translation mechanism and the universality of the genetic code, actually indicate a unique origin for all “biological systems”, a term used to define not only cells, but also virus and progenotes. Besides, we present evidence that at least two biochemical pathways as important as (i) DNA replication and (ii) lipid biosynthesis may not homologous between Bacteria and Archaea. The identities observed between the proteins involved in those pathways along representatives of these two ancestral Domains are too low to indicate common genic ancestry. Altogether these facts can be seen as an indication that cellular organization has possibly evolved two or more times and that LUCA (the Last Universal Common Ancestor) might not have existed as a cellular entity. Thus, we aim to consider the possibility that different strategies acquired by biological systems to exist, such as viral, bacterial and archaeal were originated independently from the evolution of different progenote populations.

In this review we summarize the recent development in understanding the role of PIP2 in cellular function and signaling. We first discuss the effect of PIP2 on actin binding proteins addressing the mechanism of the actin cytoskeletal dynamics such as polymerization or depolymerization of the filamentous network or the coupling to membrane to generate forces. Next, we outline the role of PIP2 in membrane dynamics. We summarized how the membrane organization depends upon PIP2 in the presence of ions or transmembrane proteins that are sensitive to membrane curvature. We discuss how clathrin coated pits interact with adaptor proteins during the endocytosis process, which is facilitated by PIP2. Finally, we discuss the role of PIP2 in cell signaling and diseases.

Man has always been interested in animal electricity, which seems to be measured in every living cell. He has been fascinated by trying to elucidate the mechanisms by which this potential is created and maintained. Biology is the science that seeks to explain this mystery. Biology is based on basic sciences such as physics or chemistry. The latter, in turn, make systematic use of mathematics to measure, evaluate and predict certain phenomena and to develop "laws" and models that are as general as possible while respecting, as closely as possible, observations and facts. The Nernst equation was one of the pillars of electrochemistry. Biology also uses this same equation as one of the indispensable bases for the computation of membrane potential. Man has established a cellular model that highlights this equation in several forms. However, we are going to show by various means that this model is inadequate or even inapplicable.

Recent years brought great focus in the field of development of extracellular vesicles (EVs) based drug-delivery systems. Considering possible applications of EVs as a drug carriers the isolation process is a crucial step. To solve problems related with EV isolation, we created and validated a new EVs isolation method – Low Vacuum Filtration (LVF) and compared it with two commonly applied procedures - differential centrifugation (DC) and ultracentrifugation (UC). EVs isolated from endothelial cells culture media have been characterized by a) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) b) nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), c) western blot and d) Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, the membrane surface have been imaged with Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). We showed that LVF is reproducible and efficient method for EVs isolation form conditioned media. Additionally, we observed correlation between ATR-FTIR spectra quality and the EVs and proteins concentration. ESEM imaging confirmed that actual pore diameter are close to the values calculated theoretically. LVF method is an easy, fast and inexpensive EVs isolation method which allows for isolation of both ectosomes and exosomes from high volume sources with good repeatability. We think that it could be an efficient alternative for commonly applied methods.

It is widely, but not universally, believed that the lipids of the plasma membrane are not uniformly distributed, but that "rafts'' of sphingolipids and cholesterol float in a "sea'' of unsaturated lipids. The physical origin of such heterogeneities is often attributed to a phase coexistence between the two different domains. We argue that this explanation is untenable for several reasons. Further we note that the results of recent experiments are inconsistent with this picture. However they are quite consistent with an alternate explanation, namely that the plasma membrane is an emulsion of the two kinds of regions. To show this, we briefly review a simplified version of this theory and its phase diagram. We also explicate the dependence of the predicted domain size on four physical parameters. Among them are the spontaneous curvature of the membrane and its bending modulus and surface tension. Taking values of the latter two from experiment, we obtain domain sizes for several different cell types that vary from 58 to 88 nm.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the optimal conditions of membrane filtration process. Both laboratory test and pilot-scale test were conducted to examine a treated water on blending water. The water sample were prepared by blending a raw water and the effluent water filtered through an organic membrane. The optimal efficiency in the treatment of water quality at the lab-scale test was generated under conditions of flux at 2.0 m³/m²∙day, the blending ratio of 4:1, and the optimal dosage of coagulant at 20 ppm. The pilot-scale test resulted in that the optimal efficiency was obtained under conditions of flux at 2.0 m³/m²∙day and the blending ratio of 6.0:1. However, the different results between lab-scale and pilot-scale tests on the optimal dosage of coagulant implied that it is difficult to achieve the stable condition of process operation at the low level of coagulant. In summary, the results indicated that, in the combination process of organic membrane and ceramic membrane, the recovery efficiency was achieved above the level of 98.4 %. Compared to 92.1 % in a single organic membrane process, the combination process is 6.3 % more efficient than the single one. This combination process of water treatment lead to stable recovery rates by the optimal input of dosage, less pollution load to water, and a stabilized filtration system.

A new sulbatamol sulphate SBS membrane electrode was prepared that utilizing for its determination ; depend on the forming of the association complex ion of sulbatamol sulphate by the phosphotungstate counter anion deposed in poly vinyl chloride PVC polymer, by use a (Di-n- Octyl Phenyl Phthalate)(Dopp) as the plastizier substance, in membrane.The features properties as well as the behavior of it .The new electrode have been elaborated. The concentrations of medicine by utillizing This sensor show a fast, stable, near-Nernstian response in the range (1x10^-1-1x10^-6) mol/ L were determined with correlation coefficient of about (r = 0.9991) and with of a relative standard about 0.416 additionally deviation relative standard error of 1.710 %.^pot The nernast linearity slop was founded and it is equal to 28.9 mV/decade and the detection limit was 4.1 x 10^-6 mol/ L.The electrode selectivity coefficient K_i,j was calculated, in the existence of several interferences cations with confirmed medicine solutions. It was found the pH range response is in the range of (3 -7), with the response time of (30 – 116) sec. for various concentrations at room temperture , the lifetime for electrode was found to be more than 21 days. The electrode was successfully used for potentiometric limitation of sulbatamol sulphate in several pharmaceutical drugs by using direct potentiometry.

A transport process was studied from an aqueous solution containing oxalic acid and 100 mg/L Ge using a flat sheet supported liquid membrane (FSSLM) system. Cyanex 923 immobilized in a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane was employed as a carrier. The solution chemistry and related diagrams were applied to study the transport of germanium. The effectual parameters such as oxalic acid, carrier concentration, and strip reagent composition were evaluated in this study. Based on the results, the oxalic acid concentration of 0.075 mol/L and the carrier concentration of 20 %v/v were the condition in which the efficient germanium transport occurred. Among strip reagents, NaOH (0.04-0.1 mol/L) had the best efficiency to transport germanium through the SLM system. Furthermore, the permeation model was obtained to calculate the mass transfer resistances of the membrane (Δ_m) and feed (Δ_f) phases. According to the results, the values of 1 and 1345 s/cm were evaluated for Δ_m and Δ_f, respectively.

Scarcity of water is one of the most serious concerns in plant biology with diverse implications at all the levels of molecular, biochemical, and physiological phenomena of plant growth, development, and consequently the productivity. Most of the strategies to induce or enhance drought tolerance in plants are unreasonably expensive and/or time-consuming. Some studies conducted in the recent past have shown that plant growth regulators (PGRs) may induce/improve physiological tolerance in plants to cope with adverse environmental conditions including drought. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of foliar spray of GABA (0, 1, 2, and 4 mM) applied 20 days following the germination of seeds, on vegetative growth, morphological characteristics, integrity of cell-membrane, and the levels of photosynthetic pigments and enzymatic antioxidants in carrot cvs. Supertaj and Bharat, grown under 100% and 50% field capacity of soil moisture. The treated and untreated (control) carrot plants were harvested and analyzed 2 weeks following the GABA application. The results revealed that foliar application of GABA improved the vegetative growth and significantly increased the levels of free amino acids, plastid pigments, enzymatic antioxidants, and the relative water content in the root crop grown under 50% field capacity of soil moisture, compared to control. Additionally, the GABA application decreased the electrolyte leakage of ions and melondialdehyde (MDA) content in carrot leaves. The carrots harvested from GABA-treated or untreated (control) plants were not significantly different for their protein contents. In conclusion, the incorporation of GABA in the production management of carrots may help plants to mitigate the adverse effects of water deficit stress.

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier, exploitable to extract energy from fossil fuels, biomasses as well as intermittent renewable energy sources and its generation from fossil fuels with CO₂ separation at the source is one of the most promising pathway for fossil fuels utilization. This work is focused on a particular configuration, called Reformer and Membrane Module (RMM), which alternates stages of Steam Reforming (SR) reaction with H2 separation stages to overcome the thermodynamic limits of the conventional SR. The configuration has numerous advantages with respect to the more studied and tested membrane reactors and has been tested on a pilot scale during a pilot-scale research project. Although the numerous modelling works appeared in the literature, the design features of the material exchanger (in the so-called RMM architecture) of different geometrical configurations have not been developed and the mass transfer correlations, capable of providing design tools useful for such membrane modules, are not available. The purpose of this work is therefore to apply a physical-mathematical model of the mass transfer, in three different geometries, considering both concentration polarization and membrane permeation, in order to: i) simulate the cited experimental results, ii) estimate the scaling-up correlations for the “material exchange modules”; iii) identify the mass transfer limiting regime in relation to the gas mass flow rate.

Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry (MIMS) was used to analyze monochloramine solutions (NH₂Cl) and ammonia solutions in a compact FTICR. Chemical ionization enables identification and quantification of the products present in the permeate. The responses of protonated monochloramine and ammonium increase linearly with the solution concentration. The enrichments were respectively 1.2 and 5.5. Pervaporation is dependent on pH and only the basic form of ammonia NH₃ pervaporates through the membrane. Unexpectedly, the small ammonia molecule permeated very slowly. It could be due to interactions with water molecules inside the membrane that create clusters. Moreover, NH₂Cl solutions, in addition to the NH₃Cl⁺ signal, presented a strong NH₄⁺ signal at m/z 18.034 . Ammonia presence in the low-pressure zone before ionization is probable as NH₄⁺ was detected with all the precursors used, particularly CF₃⁺ and trimethylbenzene that presents a proton affinity higher than monochloramine. Ammonia may be formed inside the membrane due to the fact that NH₂Cl is unstable and may react with the water present in the membrane. Those results highlight the need for caution when dealing with chloramines in MIMS and more generally with unstable molecules.

The global polyvinyldene flouride market is estimated to reach $937,278.5 thousand by 2019, therefore to develop new membranes and gain pioneering ideas, which could create innovative business opportunities, a fundamental knowledge about membrane properties fabricated from recent commercially available PVDF polymers is highly mandatory. In this study, we successfully prepared nine non-woven supported PVDF membranes using a phase inversion precipitation method starting from a 15 wt% PVDF solution in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. Various membrane morphologies were obtained by using (1) PVDF polymers with diverse molecular weight in a range from 300.000 Da to 700.000 Da and (2) different temperatures of the coagulation bath (20, 40, and 60 ±2°C) used for the films precipitation. Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) was used for surface and cross-section morphologies characterization. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was employed to investigate surface roughness, while Contact Angle (CA) instrument was used for membranes wettability studies. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) results show that the fabricated membranes are formed by a mixture of TGTG’ chains in α phase crystalline domains and all-TTTT trans planar zigzag chains characteristic to β phase. Moreover, generated results indicate that the phases content and membrane morphologies depend on the polymer molecular weight and conditions used for the membranes preparation. The diversity of fabricated membranes could be applied by the End User Industries for different applications.

RO membrane fouling is one of the main challenges that membrane manufactures, the scientific community and industry professionals have to deal with. The consequences of this inevitable phenomenon have a negative effect on the performance of the desalination system. Predicting fouling in RO systems is key to evaluating the long-term operating conditions and costs. Much research has been done on fouling indices, methods, techniques and prediction models to estimate the influence of fouling on the performance of RO systems. This paper offers a critical review evaluating the state of industry knowledge in the development of fouling indices and models in membrane systems for desalination in terms of use and applicability. Despite major efforts in this field, there are gaps in terms of effective methods and models for the estimation of fouling in full-scale RO desalination plants. In existing models applied to full-scale RO desalination plants, neither the spacer geometry of membranes nor the efficiency and frequency of chemical cleanings - which play an important role in the performance of this process - are considered.

Although a slightly radioactive element, thorium is considered very toxic because its various species, which reach the environment, can constitute an important problem for the health of the population. The present paper aims to expand the possibilities of using membrane processes in the removal, recovery and recycling of thorium from industrial residues reaching the municipal waste processing platforms. The paper includes a short introduction on the interest shown for this element, a weak radioactive metal, followed by highlighting of some common (domestic) uses. In a distinct but concise part, the bio-medical impact of thorium is presented. The classic technologies for obtaining thorium are concentrated in a single schema, and then the speciation of thorium is presented with an emphasis on the formation of hydroxo-complexes and complexes with common organic reagents. The determination of thorium has been highlighted both on the basis of its radioactivity, but especially through methods that call for extraction followed by an established electrochemical, spectral or chromatographic method. Membrane processes are presented based on the electrochemical potential difference, rapidly presenting barro-membrane processes, electrodialysis, liquid membranes and hybrid processes. A separate sub-chapter is devoted to proposals and recommendations for the use of membranes in order to achieve some progress in urban mining for the valorization of thorium.

The temporo-spatial theory of consciousness postulates that the brain implements its own inner time and space for conscious processing of outside world. In line with this hypothesis, I present a mechanistic model of mutually connected processes that encode the inner space and time. The model is used to elaborate the binding mechanism between two sets of processes representing the inner space and time, respectively. Further, a stochastic version of the model is developed to investigate the interplay between the binding strength and noise. The spectral entropy is used to characterize the noise effects on the systems of processes when the binding strength is varied. The stochastic modeling results reveal that the spectral entropy values for strongly bound systems have similar entropy values for weakly bound or even decoupled systems. Thus, the analysis performed in this study allows to conclude that the binding mechanism is noise-resilient.

L-17 is a thiadiazine derivative with putative anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antidepressant-like properties. In this study, we applied combined in silico and in vivo electrophysiology techniques to reveal the potential mechanism of action of L-17. PASS 10.4 Professional Extended software suggested that L-17 might have pro-cognitive, antidepressant, and antipsychotic effects. Docking energy assessment with AutoDockVina predicted that the binding affinities of L-17 to the serotonin transporter (SERT) and serotonin receptors 3 and 1A (5-HT3 and 5-HT1A) are compatible to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine and selective antagonists of 5-HT3 and 5-HT1A receptors, granisetron and WAY100135, respectively. However, while the binding mechanisms of L-17 to the SERT and 5-HT1A receptor were similar to fluoxetine and WAY100135, its interacting with 5-HT3 receptor might be substantially different from this of granisetron. Acute administration of L-17 led to dose-dependent inhibition of firing activity of 5-HT neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus. This inhibition was partially reversed by subsequent administration of WAY100135. Based on both in silico and in vivo electrophysiology assessments, we suggest that L-17 is a potent 5-HT reuptake inhibitor and a putative partial agonist of 5-HT1A receptors. As such, L-17 in particular and thiadiazine derivatives, in general, might be a representative of a new class of antidepressant drugs. Since L-17 also possesses neuro- and cardioprotective properties, it can be useful in affective illness developing due to the general medical condition, such as post-stroke and post-myocardial infarction (MI) depression.

Carbon supported nanoparticles of monometallic Ni catalyst and binary Ni-Transition Metal (Ni-TM/C) electrocatalytic composites were synthesized via chemical reduction method, where TM stands for the doping elements Fe, Co, and Cu. The chemical composition, structure and morphology of the Ni-TM/C materials were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The electrochemical properties towards hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline medium were studied using the rotating disc electrode and cycling voltammetry methods. A significant role of the TM dopant in the promotion of the hydrogen electrooxidation kinetics of the binary Ni-TM/C materials were revealed. A record-high in exchange current density value of 0.060 mA cm²_Ni was measured for Ni₃Fe₁/C, whereas the monometallic Ni/C counterpart has only shown 0.039 mA cm²_Ni. In order to predict the feasibility of the electrocatalysts for hydrogen chemisorption, density functional theory was applied to calculate the hydrogen binding energy and hydroxide binding energy values for bare Ni and Ni₃TM₁.

Insulin therapy is a cornerstone in the management of diabetes, yet the pursuit of optimizing its pharmacokinetic profile remains a focal point in diabetes research. For instance, insulin icodec of Novo Nordisk is a novel long-acting insulin analogue that exhibits an extended duration of action, providing a promising once-weekly treatment option for diabetic patients. However, designing insulin analogues with lower receptor affinity than that of insulin icodec could still produce a further extended duration of action than that of insulin icodec through the suppression of receptor-mediated internalization of insulin analogues. In this study, therefore, I present the design of a novel series of insulin analogues engineered towards lower binding affinity to the insulin receptor compared to that of insulin icodec. Through computational structural biophysics-based rational design strategies, this article aims to further extend the duration of action while maintaining therapeutic efficacy of insulin analogues. Utilizing homology molecular modeling and structural biophysics-based binding affinity calculations, this article puts forward a set of insulin analogues with lower binding affinity to insulin receptor than that of insulin icodec from a structural and biophysical point of view. Overall, this article calls for subsequent in vitro and in vivo evaluations of the efficacy and prolonged action of the engineered insulin analogues to pharmacokinetically test whether these analogues acutally surpass that of insulin icodec as hopeful candidates for next-generation insulin analogue therapies with improved duration of action and enhanced control of blood glucose levels for diabetic patients in future.

The ribosome is a macromolecular complex composed of RNA and proteins that interact through an integrated and interconnected network to preserve its ancient core activities. In this review, we emphasize the pivotal role played by RNA-binding proteins as a driving force in the evolution of the current form of the ribosome, underscoring their importance in ensuring accurate protein synthesis. This category of proteins includes both ribosomal proteins and ribosome biogenesis factors. Impairment of their RNA-binding activity can also lead to ribosomopathies, a group of disorders characterized by defects in ribosome biogenesis that are detrimental to protein synthesis and cellular homeostasis. A comprehensive understanding of these intricate processes is essential for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the resulting diseases and advancing potential therapeutic interventions.

The complexity of RNA cannot be fully expressed with the canonical A, C, G, and U alphabet. To date, over 140 distinct chemical modifications to RNA have been discovered. RNA modifications can profoundly impact the cellular outcomes of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), transfer and ribosomal RNAs, and noncoding RNAs. Additionally, aberrant RNA modifications are associated with human disease. RNA modifications are a rising topic within the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. This review aims to provide budding scientists with an appreciation for the significance of RNA modifications, alongside the skills required to identify and fluently discuss fundamental RNA-protein interactions. The Pumilio RNA-binding protein and YT521-B homology (YTH) family of modified RNA-binding proteins serve as examples to highlight the fundamental biochemical interactions that underlie the specific recognition of both unmodified and modified ribonucleotides, respectively.

The binding affinity of trastuzumab and pertuzumab to HER2 has been studied using both experimental and in-silico methods. The experiments were conducted using the antibodies in their complete IgG form, as used in clinical therapy, and the extracellular domain of the HER2 protein in solution. This approach provides a precise, reproducible, and reliable view of the interaction between them in physiological conditions. Dynamic light scattering and size exclusion chromatography coupled with tetra detection were utilized to characterize the protein complexes, measure their concentrations, and calculate the equilibrium free binding energy, ΔGbind. In addition, PRODIGY, a QSAR-like model with excellent predictive ability, was employed to obtain in-silico ΔGbind estimations. The results obtained indicate that pertuzumab exhibits a slightly higher binding affinity to HER2 than trastuzumab. The difference in binding affinity was explained based on the contribution of the different interfacial contact (IC) descriptors to the ΔGbind value estimated by the PRODIGY model. Furthermore, experiments revealed that the pertuzumab IgG antibody binds preferentially to two HER2 proteins, one per Fab fragment, while trastuzumab mainly forms a monovalent complex. This finding was interpreted based on a geometrical model that identified steric crowding in the trastuzumab-HER2 complex as compared to the pertuzumab-HER2 complex.

Production of silkworm silk is the most economically important traits in the silk industry. Silk protein synthesis is regulated by juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E). Therefore, it is important to understand the genetic regulation of silk production is thus a priority. JH binding protein (JHBP) transports JH from the hemolymph to target organs and cells and protects JH. In a previous study, we identified 41 genes containing a JHBP domain in the Bombyx mori genome. Only one JHBP gene, that is, BmJHBPd2, is highly expressed in the posterior silk gland (PSG) and its function remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the expression levels of BmJHBPd2 and the major silk protein genes in the high silk-producing practical strain 872 (S872) and the low silk-producing local strain Dazao. Our results have shown that BmJHBPd2 was more highly expressed in S872, than in the Dazao strain, which is consistent with the expression pattern of fibroin genes. A subcellular localization assay indicated that BmJHBPd2 is located in the cytoplasm. In vitro hormone induction experiments showed that BmJHBPd2 was upregulated by treatment with juvenile hormone analogue (JHA). BmKr-h1 upregulation was significantly inhibited by overexpression of BmJHBPd2 at the cell level when induced by JHA. However, overexpression of BmJHBPd2 in the posterior silk gland by transgenic methods led to the inhibition of the expression of the silk fibroin gene, resulting in a reduction in silk yield. Further investigation has shown that in the BmJHBPd2OE individual, the key transcription factor Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1) of the JH signaling pathway was inhibited, and 20E signaling pathway genes, such as broad complex (Brc), E74A, and ultraspiracle protein(USP), were upregulated. Our results have indicated that BmJHBPd2 plays an important role in the JH signaling pathway and was important for silk protein synthesis. Furthermore, our findings have helped to elucidate the mechanisms by which JH regulates silk protein synthesis.

Naltrexone (NTX) is a potent opioid antagonist with good blood-brain barrier permeability, targeting different endogenous opioid receptors, particularly the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Therefore, it represents a promising candidate for drug development against drug addiction. However, the details of the molecular interactions of NTX and its derivatives with MOR are not fully understood, hindering ligand-based drug discovery. In the present study, taking advantage of the high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of the murine MOR (mMOR), we constructed a homology model of the human MOR (hMOR). A solvated phospholipid bilayer was built around the hMOR and submitted to microsecond (µs) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain an optimized hMOR model. NTX and its derivatives were docked into the optimized hMOR model and submitted to µs MD simulations in an aqueous membrane system. The MD simulation results were submitted to Molecular Mechanics Generalized-Born surface area (MMGBSA) binding free energy calculations and principal component analysis. Our results revealed that NTX and its derivatives showed differences in protein-ligand interactions; however, they shared contact with residues at TM2, TM3, H6, and TM7. The binding free energy and principal component analysis revealed the structural and energetic effects responsible for the higher potency of NTX compared to its derivatives.

Titanium and its alloys are used biomaterials for medical and dental applications, due to their mechanical and physical properties. The surface modifications of titanium with bioactive molecules can increase the osseointegration by improving the interface between the bone and implant. Titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO₂NTs) have excellent bioactivity inducing cell adhesion, spreading, growth and differentiation. In this work, TiO₂NTs were functionalized with a lectin from the plasma of the fish Oreochromis niloticus aiming to favour the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast-like cells, improving its biocompatibility. The TiO₂NTs were obtained by anodization of titanium and annealed at 400 °C for 3 h. The resulting TiO₂NTs were characterized by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The successfully incorporation of OniL on the surface of TiO₂NTs by spin coating was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIE) and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectrum (ATR-FTIR). Our results showed that TiO₂-NTs were successfully synthesized in a regular and well-distributed way. The functionalization of TiO₂-NTs with OniL favoured adhesion, proliferation, and the osteogenic activity of osteoblast-like cells, suggesting its use to improve the quality and biocompatibility of titanium-based biomaterials.

The mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is activated by the small G-protein, RHEB-GTPase. On lysosome, RHEB activates mTORC1 by binding the domains of N-heat, M-heat, and FAT, which allosterically regulates ATP binding in the active site for further phosphorylation. The crucial role of RHEB in regulating growth and survival through mTORC1, makes it a targetable site for anti-cancer therapeutics. However, the binding kinetics of RHEB to mTORC1 is still unknown at the molecular level. Therefore, we studied the kinetics by in vitro and in-cell protein-protein interaction (PPI) assays. For this, we used the split-luciferase system (NanoBiT®) for in-cell studies, and prepared proteins for the in vitro measurements. Consequently, it was shown that RHEB binds to the whole mTOR both in the presence or absence of GTPɣS, with five-fold weaker affinity in the presence of GTPɣS. Also, RHEB bound to the truncated mTOR fragments of N-heat domain (60-167) and M-heat domain (967-1023) in a GTP independent manner. Furthermore, RHEB bound to the truncated kinase domain (2148-2300) with higher affinity also in GTP independently. In conclusion, RHEB binds two different binding sites of mTOR, which probably regulates the kinase activity of mTOR through multiple different molecular mechanisms.

The effects of mixing orders of tannic acid (TA), starch and α-amylase on the enzyme inhibition of TA were studied, including mixing TA with α-amylase before starch addition (order 1), mixing TA with pre-gelatinized starch before α-amylase addition (order 2) and co-gelatinizing TA with starch before α-amylase addition (order 3). It was found that the enzyme inhibition was always highest for order 1 because TA could bind with the enzyme active site thoroughly before digestion occurred. Both order 2 and 3 reduced α-amylase inhibition through decreasing binding of TA with the enzyme, which resulted from the non-covalent physical adsorption of TA with gelatinized starch. Interestingly, at low TA concentration, α-amylase inhibition for order 2 was higher than order 3, while at high TA concentration, the inhibition was shown with opposite trend, which arose from the difference in the adsorption property between the pre-gelatinized and co-gelatinized starch at the corresponding TA concentrations. Besides, both the crystalline structures and apparent morphology of starch were not significantly altered by TA addition for order 2 and 3. Conclusively, although a polyphenol may have an acceptable inhibitory activity in vitro, the actual effect may not reach the expected one when taking processing procedures into account.

Following the concept of strong interaction, theoretically, fusion of proton seems to increase the binding energy of final atom by 8.8 MeV. Due to Coulombic repulsion, asymmetry effect, pairing effect and other nuclear effects, final atom is forced to choose a little bit of binding energy less than 8.8 MeV and thus it is able to release left over binding energy in the form of internal kinetic energy or external thermal energy. Thus, in cold fusion, heat release to occur, binding energy difference of final atom and base atom seems to be less than 8.8 MeV. Qualitatively, energy released during cold fusion seems to be approximately equal to 8.8 MeV minus the difference of binding energy of final and base atoms. Based on this idea, under normal conditions, for the case of ₂He⁴, fusion of four protons can liberate (35.2-28.3)=6.9 MeV and it is 3.5 times less than the current estimates. Point to be understood is that, lesser the binding energy of final atom, higher the liberated thermal energy and vice versa. With a suitable catalyst and sufficient hydrogen under suitable pressure, if reactor’s temperature is maintained at (1000 to 1500) ⁰C, there seems a lot of scope for a chain reaction of cold fusion in which light isotopes transform to their next stage with increased proton number or mass number and liberate safe and clean heat energy continuously. By arranging 4 to 6 reactors and charging them periodically in tandem, required thermal energy can be produced continuously. In this new direction, by carefully selecting the base isotope and its corresponding catalyst, experiments can be conducted and ground reality of cold fusion can be understood at various temperature and pressure conditions.

HspA1A, a molecular chaperone, translocates to the plasma membrane (PM) of stressed and cancer cells. This translocation results in HspA1A’s cell-surface presentation, which renders tumors radiation insensitive. To specifically inhibit the lipid-driven HspA1A’s PM translocation and devise new therapeutics it is imperative to characterize the unknown HspA1A’s lipid-binding regions and determine the relationship between the chaperone and lipid-binding functions. To elucidate this relationship, we determined the effect of phosphatidylserine (PS)-binding on the secondary structure and chaperone functions of HspA1A. Circular dichroism revealed that binding to PS resulted in minimal modification on HspA1A’s secondary structure. Measuring the release of inorganic phosphate revealed that PS-binding had no effect on HspA1A’s ATPase activity. In contrast, PS-binding showed subtle but consistent increases in HspA1A’s refolding activities. Furthermore, using a Lysine-71-Arginine mutation (K71A; a null-ATPase mutant) of HspA1A we show that although K71A binds to PS with affinities similar to the WT, the kinetics of the binding are significantly different, probably because of the mutant’s inability to achieve specific conformations. These observations suggest a two-step binding model that includes conformational changes and strongly support the notion that the chaperone and lipid-binding activities of HspA1A are dependent but the regions mediating these functions do not overlap. These findings provide the basis for future interventions to inhibit HspA1A’s PM-translocation in tumor cells, making them sensitive to radiation therapy.

We analyzed the affinity-proteomics data of saliva absorbed to plate-bound Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, and identified major virus-binding proteins as MUC7, MUC5B, DMBT1, and neutrophil defensins. Furthermore, we found that saliva from healthy donors inhibited the binding of Spike-protein-specific polyclonal antibodies to Spike antigen. These data suggest that the Spike protein’s glycoprotein-binding domains (GBD) may be targeted to block virus adherence or entry of SARS-CoV-2.

Gold clusters protected by 3-MBA ligands (MBA = mercaptobenzoic acid, -SPhCO2H) have attracted recent interest for their unusual structures and advantageous ligand-exchange and bioconjugation properties. Azubel et al. first determined the core structure of an Au68-complex, which was estimated to have 32 ligands (3-MBA groups). To explain the exceptional structure-composition and reaction properties of this complex, and its larger homologs, Tero et al. proposed a “dynamic stabilization” via carboxyl O-H--Au interactions. Herein, we report the first results of an integrated LC/MS analysis of unfractionated samples of gold / 3-MBA clusters, spanning the narrow size range 13.4 to 18.1 kDa. Using high-throughput procedures adapted from bio-macromolecule analyses, we show that integrated capillary HPLC-ESI-MS, based upon aqueous-methanol mobile phases and ion-pairing reverse-phase chromatography, can separate several major components from the nanoclusters mixture that may be difficult to resolve by standard native gel electrophoresis due to their similar size and charge. For each component, one obtains a well-resolved mass spectrum, nearly free of adducts or signs of fragmentation. A consistent set of molecular mass determinations is calculated from detected charge-states tunable from 3- (or lower), to 2+ (or higher). One thus arrives at a series of new compositions (n, p) specific to the Au/3-MBA system. The smallest major component is assigned to the previously unknown (48, 26); the largest one is evidently (67, 30), vs. the anticipated (68, 32). Various explanations for this discrepancy are considered. A prospective is given for the several members of this novel series, along with a summary of the advantages and present limitations of the micro-scale integrated LC/MS approach to characterize such metallic-core macro-molecules, and their derivatives.

The recognition of (1→3)-β-D-glucans (BGs) by β-1,3-D-glucan recognition protein (BGRP) found in invertebrates plays a significant role in the activation of toll pathway and pro-phenol oxidase system in insect host defense against fungal invasion. To examine the structural diversity of BGs in BGRP interaction, the binding specificity of BGRPs cloned from four different insectswas characterized using ELISA. Recombinant BGRPs expressed as Fc-fusion proteins of human IgG1 bound to solid phase BGs. Because of the binding specificities, the BGRPs were categorized into two different ultrastructure- binding characters. The BGRPs from Silkworm and Indian meal moth bound to BGs containing triple-helical structure. Other BGRPs from red flour beetle and yellow mealworm beetle showed no binding to triple-helical BGs, but to alkaline-treated BGs, which have partially opened helical conformation. These evidences suggest that the innate immune system distinguishes different BG conformations and it is equipped for the diversity of BG structures.

Bacterial pathogens have been attributed to poultry housing structure, financial strength, and incessant use of antibiotics, variable seasons and management systems practiced. Variant forms of bacterial pathogens can be detected by recognizing the molecular pattern of the pathogens through an innate immune mechanism such as mannose-binding lectin. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) possesses an innate pattern recognition molecule that easily sequestered to region of infections and inflammations. This works by attaching itself to antigen surface thus hinders proliferation and disease activity in the host organism. Baker’s method, nephelometric assays technique, Enzyme-Linked Immunosurbent Assay technique, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Deoxyribonucleic Acid typing and other biotechnology related methods are techniques used in detecting and quantifying MBL. Mannose-binding lectin levels in serum can be influenced by age, management systems, feed formulation strategies and seasons. Therefore, knowledge of MBL should be encouraged in all aspect of poultry production, in order to discourage incessant use of drugs at a slight exposure to prevailing bacterial which can help in maximizing cost.

Aflatoxins in feeds cause great health hazards to animals and in advance, to human. Potential of crude clays designated AC, KC, CC and MC and ashes VA and RA were evaluated for their capacity to adsorb aflatoxins B₁ (AFB₁), B₂ (AFB₂), G₁ (AFG₁) and G₂ (AFG₂) relative to a commercial binder Mycobinder^R (Evonik Industries AG) using in-vitro technique. On average, CC, VA, KC, MC, AC, RA and Mycobind^R adsorbed 39.9%, 51.3%, 61.5%, 62.0%, 72.6%, 84.7% and 98.1% of the total aflatoxins in buffered solution, respectively. The capacity of AC and RA was statistically (p<0.05) better in binding aflatoxins next to Mycobind^R. Capacity of the TBM and Mycobind^R to bind aflatoxins, seemed to follow the trend of their cation exchange capacity (CEC). The CEC (meq/100g) of CC, MC, KC, VA, AC, RA and Mycobind^R were 7.0, 15.4, 18.8, 25.4, 27.2, 27.2 and 38.9, respectively. On average 96.3%, 42.7%, 80.8% and 32.1% of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 were adsorbed, respectively. Binding capacity of the clays and ashes relative to Mycobind^R was about 100% for AC and RA, 50% for KC, MC and VA and 33.3% for CC. The AC and RA seem to be promising resources in binding aflatoxins in solution.

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) have several functions that permit their hosts to thrive in the presence of ice. The ability of IBPs to control ice growth makes them potential additives in various industries ranging from food storage and cryopreservation to anti-icing systems. For IBPs to be used in commercial applications, however, methods are needed to produce sufficient quantities of high-quality proteins. Here, we describe a new method for IBP purification, termed falling water ice purification (FWIP). The method is based on the affinity of IBPs for ice. A crude IBP solution is allowed to flow continuously over the large chilled vertical surface of a commercial ice machine. The temperature of the surface is lowered gradually until ice crystals are produced, to which the IBPs bind but other solutes do not. As in other ice affinity methods, FWIP does not require molecular tags and is suitable for purifying recombinant IBPs as well as IBPs from natural sources. The advantage of FWIP over other ice affinity methods is that it exploits an ice machine designed to produce large volumes of clear ice daily. This system can be easily scaled up and suits the purification of industrial quantities of IBPs. The FWIP method significantly advances the use of IBPs in research and industry.

In this study, we aim to evaluate how cyclodextrin molecules affect the hydrophilicity and selec-tivity of PVDF membrane. Herein, we prepared PVDF-PVP(1-x) β-CDx membranes, with x rang-ing from 0 to 1 wt%. The membranes were deeply characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR), Raman spectroscopies, Thermal gravimet-ric analysis (TGA), Contact angle measurement (CA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The study unequivocally demonstrates the effectiveness of the addition of β-CD molecules on membranes' structural, morphological, and dielectric properties. Adding 0.25wt% β-CD enhanced hydrophilicity, with CA decreasing from 72.6° to 56° and roughness decreasing from 81 to 29 nm. The PVDF-PVP(1-x) β-CDx membranes were then fully characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to determine their dielectric properties, which clearly showed that the presence of β-CD induced polarization of the mem-brane. The separation of various dyes with different sizes and charges was utilized. These dyes included methylene blue (MB, positive, 0.504 nm), methyl red (MR, neutral, 0.487 nm), rose Bengal (RB, negative, 0.588 nm), and brilliant blue (BB, negative, 0.798 nm). Based on our re-search, we found that the membrane's selectivity is determined by both exclusion factors (such as size and dielectric properties) and inclusion inside the β-CD cage. We found that using alpha-CD instead of beta-CD led to the disappearance of dye inclusion. These findings strongly sug-gest that β-CD molecules can be a viable solution for dye removal from wastewater.

Dye/salt separation has gained increasing attention in recent years, prompting the quest for cost-effective and environmentally-friendly raw materials for synthesis high performance nanofiltration (NF) membrane for effective dye/salt separation. Herein, a high-performance loose structured NF membrane was fabricated by via a simple vacuum filtration method using a green nanomaterial, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxide radical (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCNF), by sequentially filtrating larger-size and finer-size TOCNFs on a microporous substrate, followed by cross-linked with trimesoyl chloride. The resultant TCM membrane possesses a separating layer composed entirely of pure TOCNF, eliminating the need for other polymer or nanomaterials additives. TCM membranes exhibits high performance and effective dye/salt selectivity. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis shows that the TCM membrane with Fine-TOCNF layer has a tight layered structure. Further characterizations via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirm the presence of functional groups and chemical bonds of the crosslinked membrane. Notably, the optimized TCM-5 membrane exhibits a rejection rate of over 99% for various dyes (Congo red, orange yellow) and 14.2% for NaCl, showcasing a potential candidate for efficient dye wastewater treatment.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia whose prevalence rises with age and is linked to increased morbidity and mortality due to the risk of thromboembolism. Management typically involves anticoagulation and rhythm control, but the treatment of elderly patients with multiple comorbidities requires careful consideration of drug side effects and interactions. Cibenzoline, a Vaughan-Williams class IA antiarrhythmic, is effective against AF but has risks of toxicity, especially in older people and those with renal impairment, due to its renal excretion and prolonged half-life in these populations. Discussion: This paper presents a case of an 80-year-old woman with paroxysmal AF who suffered cardiac arrest due to cibenzoline toxicity despite receiving standard adjusted dosages. The patient's cibenzoline blood concentration was significantly higher than the therapeutic range, leading to cardiotoxicity, which was exacerbated by drug interactions with bisoprolol and edoxaban, both metabolized by the CYP3A4 enzyme. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) successfully managed the cardiac arrest. This case emphasizes the unpredictable pharmacokinetics of cibenzoline in elderly patients with renal impairment and the need for vigilant therapeutic drug monitoring to avoid adverse events. Conclusions: Cibenzoline can pose a significant risk of severe toxicity in elderly patients with renal impairment, and drug interactions may potentiate this risk. The paper underscores the importance of careful dose adjustment and monitoring of drug levels in this population. In cases of cibenzoline-induced cardiac arrest, V-A ECMO and IABP are effective treatment modalities. The case study serves as a critical reminder for clinicians to remain vigilant for drug-induced complications and to apply aggressive supportive treatments when necessary.

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs), which contained cellulose tri-acetate used as a polymer base, a plasticizer in the form of o-NPOE, and meso-tetra methyl tetrakis-[methyl-2-(4-acetlphenoxy)] calix[4]pyrrole (KP) used as a carrier, were prepared and tested for the effective purification of aqueous solutions of methylene blue dye. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) were used to define the microstructure and surface of PIMs. Experimental results showed that with the increased concentration of methylene blue in an aqueous solution, the removal percentage also increased. Further observation also showed that the flux increased with the rise of the source phase pH values from 3 to 10. The carrier and plasticizer content in the membrane significantly influenced the membrane’s transport properties. The optimal composition of the membrane in per cent by weight was for KP: 74% plasticizer; 18% support; 8% carrier. It was shown that the membrane with optimal composition showed good reusability and enabled the easy and spontaneous separation of methylene blue from aqueous solutions.

The solvent extraction of gold(III) by undiluted 2-ethylhexanol or dissolved in toluene from HCl solution has been investigated. The numerical analysis of gold distribution data suggests the formation of HAuCl4·L and HAuCl4·2L (L= 2-ethylhexanol) species in the organic phase with formation constants K11= 38 and K12= 309, respectively. The results derived from gold(III) distribution have been implemented in a solid-supported liquid membrane system. The influence of several variables on gold transport was considered: feed and receiving phases stirring speeds, HCl and gold concentrations in the feed phase and carrier concentration in the membrane phase as well as the presence of base metals (Fe,Cu,Ni) and PGMs in the feed phase. Also, diffusional resistances to mass transfer are estimated. Gold is recovered as zero valent nanoparticles.

The molecular mechanism how the infecting DNA of bacteriophage T4 is passing from the capsid through the bacterial cell wall and entering the cytoplasm is essentially unknown. After adsorption, the short tail fibers of the infecting phage extend from the baseplate and trigger the contraction of the tail sheath, leading to a puncturing of the outer membrane by the tail tip needle composed of the proteins gp5.4, gp5 and gp27. To explore the events that occur in the periplasm and at the inner membrane, we have constructed T4 phage that have a modified gp27 in their tail tip with a His-tag. Shortly after infection with these phages, the cells were chemically cross-linked, solubilised, and the cross-linked products were affinity purified on a nickel column. The co-purified proteins were identified by mass spectrometry, and we found that predominantly the inner membrane proteins DamX, SdhA and PpiD were cross-linked. The same partner proteins were identified when purified gp27 was added to Escherichia coli spheroplasts suggesting a direct protein-protein interaction.

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells have emerged as a viable alternative energy production source for stationary and transportation applications. Reliable and sustainable fuel cell operation requires effective water management. Membrane water content can vary along the stack during transients which can lead to losses in fuel cell performance. To control these variations a model that predicts the internal humidity dynamics of the stack is needed. In this study, a control-oriented model for predicting membrane water content variation was developed and implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. A lumped parameter model was initially developed and then further discretized into smaller control volumes to track humidity distribution along the stack. To validate the model’s predictions, the predicted results were compared to computer simulation results from GT-Suite. The root mean square error (RMSE) between the model’s prediction and GT-Suite’s simulation results was found to be within 1.5 membrane water content for all cases, demonstrating the model’s capability to capture the variation of membrane water content along the stack. The developed model will be useful for real-time control of membrane water content variation in PEM fuel cells.

In our previous work, we demonstrated the potential of the amphiphilic cyclic peptide [W4R4] as a promising antimicrobial agent. The extensive data accumulated on the antimicrobial activity of this peptide and its homologs presented an opportunity to unravel the molecular mechanisms governing their action and establish crucial structure-activity relationships (SAR). To achieve this, we employed a comprehensive approach involving peptide synthesis, in vitro biological testing, and molecular modeling to systematically analyze the SAR of a series of cyclic peptides derived from the [W4R4] scaffold. Minimal modifications were introduced to the original peptide by incorporating either one aromatic hydrophobic residue (W) or one polar positively charged residue (R) while maintaining the sequential W/R arrangement. Additionally, we introduced an "intermediate" substitution by incorporating 2,5-diketopiperazine (DKP), possessing both aromatic and polar properties, into the macrocycle [W4R4] between the W and R residues. Notably, this study marked the first synthesis and evaluation of the [W4R4(DKP)] peptide. Structural, dynamic, hydrophobic, and membrane-binding properties of four cyclic peptides ([W4R4], [W5R4], [W4R5], [W4R4(DKP)]) were explored using molecular dynamics simulations within a DOPC/DOPG lipid bilayer that mimics the bacterial membrane. The results obtained revealed distinct SAR profiles for all peptides, enabling the establishment of correlations between their antimicrobial activity and structural/dynamic parameters. These parameters included the degree of conformational plasticity, the depth of immersion into the bi-layer, and the population of the membrane binding mode characterized by the embedding of the hydrophobic peptide pattern into the acyl chain region of lipids. In particular, the peptide [W4R5] exhibited an optimal "activity/binding to the bacterial membrane" pattern. This work highlights the significance of our multidisciplinary approach in efficiently deciphering finely regulated SAR profiles for a series of homologous peptides with diverse activities. Furthermore, this research provides a solid foundation for the rational design of novel antimicrobial peptides.

Endothelial cells are the crucial inner lining of blood vessels, pivotal in vascular homeostasis and integrity. However, these cells are perpetually subjected to a myriad of mechanical, chemical, and biological stresses that can compromise their plasma membranes. A sophisticated repair system involving key molecules, such as calcium, annexins, dysferlin, and MG53, is essential for maintaining endothelial viability. These components orchestrate complex mechanisms, including exocytosis and endocytosis, to repair membrane disruptions. Dysfunctions in this repair machinery, often exacerbated by aging, are linked to endothelial cell death, subsequently contributing to the onset of atherosclerosis and the progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke, major causes of mortality in the United States. Thus, identifying the core machinery for endothelial cell membrane repair is critically important for understanding the pathogenesis of CVD and stroke and developing novel therapeutic strategies for combating CVD and stroke. This review summarizes the recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of endothelial cell membrane repair. The future directions of this research area are also highlighted.

As mitochondria are negatively charged organelles, penetrating cations are used as a part of the chimeric molecules to deliver the specific compounds into mitochondria. However, unmodified penetrating cations affect different aspects of cellular physiology as well. In this review we have attempted to summarize the data about side effects of the commonly used natural (e.gberberine) and artificial (e.g. tetraphenylphosphonium, rhodamine, methylene blue) penetrating cations on cellular physiology. For instance, it was shown that such types of molecules can (1) facilitate proton transport across membranes; (2) react with redox groups of respiratory chain; (3) induce DNA damage; (4) interfere with pleiotropic drug resistance; (5) disturb membrane integrity (6) inhibit the enzymes. Also, the products of the biodegradation of penetrating cations can be toxic. As penetrating cations accumulate in mitochondria, their toxicity is mostly due to the mitochondrial damage. Mitochondria of certain types of cancer cells appear to be especially sensitive to penetrating cations. Here we discuss the molecular mechanisms of the toxic effects and the anti-cancer activity of the penetrating cations.

We are witnessing the revival of the CAM model, which was already used in the past by some authors studying angiogenesis and anti-cancer drugs, that now offers a refined model to fill, in the translational meaning, the gap between in vitro-in vivo studies. It can be used for a wide range of purposes, from testing cytotoxicity, pharmacokinetics, tumorigenesis, invasion, to action mechanisms of molecules, and validation of new materials from tissue engineering research. CAM model is easy to use with a fast outcome and makes experimental research more sustainable since allowing to replace, reduce and refine pre-clinical experimentation ("3Rs" rules [1]). This re-view aims to highlight some unique potentials that CAM-assay presents; in particular, the authors intend to use in the next future the CAM model to verify, in a microenvironment comparable to in vivo conditions, albeit simplified, the angiogenic ability of functionalized 3D constructs to be used in regenerative medicine strategies in the recovery of skeletal injuries of critical size (CSD) that do not repair spontaneously. For this purpose, organotypic cultures will be planned on sever-al CAMs set up in temporal sequence: a sort of organ model for assessing CSD conducted in the CAM bioreactor, rather than in vivo.

A partial least squares (PLS) quantitative chemometric method based on the analysis of the MID-FTIR spectrum of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) used for the extraction of Cr(VI) from aqueous media is developed. The system previously optimized considering the variables membrane composition, extraction time, and pH, is characterized in terms of its adsorption isotherm, distribution coefficient, extraction percent and enrichment factor. A Langmuir type adsorption behavior with KL = 21.99 L/mg, qmax = 0.242 mmol/g and 0&lt;RL&lt;1, indicates that metal adsorption is favorable. The characterization of the extraction reaction is performed as well showing an 1:1 Cr(VI):Aliquat 336 ratio, in agreement with solvent extraction data. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the PIMs revels a complex pattern, which is satisfactorily simplified and related to Cr(VI) concentrations through the use of a variable selection method (iPLS) in which bands in the ranges 3451–3500 cm-1 and 3751–3800 cm-1 are chosen. The final PLS model including the 100 wavelengths selected by iPLS and 10 latent variables shows excellent parameter values with RMSEC: 3.73115, RMSECV: 6.82685, Bias: -1.91847e-13, CV Bias: 0.185947, R2 Cal: 0.98145, R2 CV: 0.940902, recovery%: 104.02 ± 4.12 (=0.05), sensitivity%: 0.001547 ppb, γ: 3.8 ppb, γ- 1: 0.6 ppb-1, selectivity: 0.0155, linear range: 5.8–100 ppb, LD: 1.9 ppb, and LQ: 5.8 ppb. The developed PIM sensor is easy to implement as it requires few manipulations and reduced number of chemical compounds in comparison to other similar reported systems.

It is widely reported that the mitochondrial membrane potential, ∆Ψm, is reduced in aging animals. It was recently suggested that the lower ∆Ψm in aged animals modulate mitochondrial bioenergetics and that this effect is a major cause of aging since artificially increased ∆Ψm in C. elegans increased lifespan. Here I review, critically, studies that reported reduction of ∆Ψm in aged animals, including worms, and conclude that many of these observations are best interpreted as evidence that the fraction of depolarized mitochondria is increased in aged cells because of the enhanced activation of the mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore, mPTP. Activation of the voltage-gated mPTP depolarizes the mitochondria, inhibits oxidative phosphorylation, releases large amounts of calcium and mROS, and depletes cellular NAD+, thus accelerating degenerative diseases and aging. Since the inhibition of mPTP was shown to restore ∆Ψm and retard aging, the reported lifespan extension by artificially generated ∆Ψm in C. elegans is best explained by inhibition of the voltage-gated mPTP. Similarly, the reported activation of the mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response by reduction of ∆Ψm, and the reported preservation of ∆Ψm in dietary restriction treatment in C. elegans are best explained as a resulting from activation or inhibition of the voltage-gated mPTP, respectively.

Background: Early diagnosis of acute brain injury (ABI) is critical for patients on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) to guide anticoagulation strategy; however, neurological assessment in ECMO is often limited by patient sedation. Methods: In this pilot study of adults from June 2018 to May 2019, plasma samples of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NFL), and Tau were collected daily after VA-ECMO cannulation and measured using a multiplex platform. Primary outcomes were the occurrence of ABI, assessed clinically, and neurologic outcome, assessed by modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results: Of 20 consented patients (median age=48.5 years; 55% female), 8 (40%) had ABI and 15 (75%) had unfavorable neurologic outcomes at discharge. 10 (50%) patients were centrally cannulated. The median duration on ECMO was 4.5 days (IQR: 2.5-9.5). Peak GFAP, NFL, and Tau levels were higher in patients with ABI vs. without (AUC = 0.77; 0.85; 0.57, respectively) and in patients with unfavorable vs. favorable neurologic outcomes (AUC = 0.64; 0.59; 0.73, respectively). GFAP elevated first, NFL elevated to the highest degree, and Tau showed limited change regardless of ABI. Conclusion: Plasma biomarkers may facilitate early detection of ABIs in VA-ECMO where neurological exam is limited and assist timely clinical decision-making.

Insufficient oral ridge tissue presents a challenge in the treatment of dental implants. One method to enhance alveolar crest dimensions is guided bone regeneration (GBR); however, existing membranes have certain limitations. To address this issue, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of a resorbable bilayer membrane composed of poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(-caprolactone) （PLACL）with that of a collagen membrane（COL） in a rat GBR model. The rat calvaria was used as an experimental model by placing a plastic cylinder. Forty male Fisher rats underwent surgery, and micro-computed tomography and histomorphometric analyses were performed to assess bone regeneration. The results showed that bone regeneration was similar across all the groups. However, after 24 weeks, the PLACL membrane demonstrated significant resilience, occasional partial degradation, and intermittent air bubble formation. This extended preservation of the barrier effect has great potential to facilitate optimal bone regeneration. In conclusion, this study shows that the PLACL membrane is a promising alternative to GBR. By providing a durable barrier and supporting bone regeneration over an extended period, this resorbable bilayer membrane may address the limitations of the current membranes. Further studies and clinical trials are warranted to validate the efficacy and safety of this drug in humans.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are promising candidates in various biomedical applications such as sensors, imaging, and cancer therapy. Understanding the influence of AuNPs on lipid membranes is important to assure their safety in the biological environment and to improve their scope in nanomedicine. In this regard, the present study aims to analyze the effects of different concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2 w %) of dodecanethiol functionalized hydrophobic AuNPs on the structure and fluidity of zwitterionic 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (SOPC) lipid bilayer membranes using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and fluorescent spectroscopy. The size of AuNPs was found to be 2.2 ± 1.1 nm using transmission electron microscopy. FTIR results have shown that the AuNPs induced a slight shift in methylene stretching bands, while the band positions of carbonyl and phosphate group stretching were unaffected. Temperature-dependent fluorescent anisotropy measurements have shown that the incorporation of AuNPs up to 2 w % did not affect the lipid order in membranes. Overall, these results indicate that the hydrophobic AuNPs in the studied concentration did not cause any significant alterations in the structure and membrane fluidity, which suggests the suitability of these particles to form liposome-AuNP hybrids for diverse biomedical applications including drug delivery and therapy.

Introduction: Hemostatic dysfunction during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to blood-circuit interaction and the consequences of shear stress by flow rates lead to rapid activation of the coagulation cascade and thrombus formation in the ECMO system and blood vessels. In this study, we aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors for cannula-associated arterial thrombosis (CaAT) post-decannulation. Methods: A retrospective study of patients undergoing arterial cannula removal following ECMO. We evaluated the incidence of CaAT and compared clinical characteristics, pre-ECMO severity, and daily hemostasis parameters in patients with and without CaAT. Multivariate analysis revealed the risk factors for CaAT. Results: Forty-seven patients requiring venoarterial ECMO or hybrid methods were recruited to be screened for thrombosis. The median SOFA score was 11 (8-13). CaAT occurred in 29 patients (61.7%), with thrombosis in the superficial femoral artery accounting for 51.7%. Limb ischemia complications in the group with CaAT was 17.2%. In multivariate analysis, an ECMO flow rate of 100 mL/min was determined to be the independent factor for CaAT with an OR of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.73–0.95, p=0.008). Conclusion: In patients successfully weaned from ECMO, the incidence of CaAT was 61.7%. Our study found that a low-flow rate of ECMO was an independent risk factor for CaAT.

A model is proposed that describes the transfer of ions and the process of water dissociation in a system with a bipolar membrane and adjacent diffusion layers. The model considers the transfer of four types of ions: the cation and anion of salt and the products of water dissociation – hydrogen and hydroxyl ions. To describe the process of water dissociation, a model for accelerating the dissociation reaction with the participation of ionogenic groups of the membrane is adopted. The boundary value problem is solved numerically using COMSOL® Multiphysics 5.5 software. An analysis of the results of a numerical experiment shows that, at least in a symmetric electromembrane system, there is a kinetic limitation of the water dissociation process, apparently associated with the occurrence of water recombination reaction at the of the bipolar region. An interpretation of the entropy factor (β) is given as a characteristic length which shows the possibility of an ion that appeared as a result of the water dissociation reaction to be removed from the reaction zone without participating in recombination reactions.

Ion Transport Membrane (ITM) is a well-developed technology for producing O₂ by separating air in its membrane. To decrease energy loss in air separation unit and to increase the overall efficiency of a power generation unit ITM is added with the gasification unit in this model. Ceramic materials are generally used to make ion transport membrane that produces oxygen by conducting oxygen ions at specified temperature. Potential advantages can be gained by integrating ITM technology with power generation units as 99% pure oxygen is produced from ITM. A salient comparison between ITM air separator combined with IGCC and cryogenic air separator combined with IGCC is done in this paper where the total power generation cycle remains same for both cases excluding the air separation units (ITM and cryogenic). Using ITM air separator is more beneficial compared to cryogenic air separation as ITM technology helps to improve IGCC overall efficiency and also reduces plant auxiliaries than that of power generation systems integrated with cryogenic.

The transport of iron(III) from Fe(III)-Mn(II)-HCl mixed solutions through a flat-sheet supported liquid membrane is investigated, being the carrier phase of Cyanex 923 (commercially available phosphine oxide extractant) dissolved in Solvesso 100 (commercially available diluent), as a function of hydrodynamic conditions, concentration of manganese and HCl in the feed phase, and carrier concentration in the membrane phase. A transport model is derived that describes the transport mechanism, consisting of diffusion through a feed aqueous diffusion layer, a fast interfacial chemical reaction, and diffusion of the Fe(III)-Cyanex 923 complex across the membrane phase. The membrane diffusional resistance (Δm) and feed diffusional resistance (Δf) are calculated from the model, and their values are 145 s/cm and 361 s/cm, respectively. It is apparent that the transport of iron(III) is mainly controlled by diffusion through the aqueous feed boundary layer, being the thickness of this layer calculated as 2.9x10-3 cm. Since Mn(II) is not transported through the membrane phase, the present system allows to the purification of this manganese-bearing solutions.

Cesarean Section (CS) is one of the most frequently executed surgical procedures in gynecology and obstetrics. After a cesarean section, surgical site infection (SSI) increases hospital stay, lengthens maternal morbidity, and upsurges treatment costs. The current study determines the prevalence and risk factors for surgical site infection following cesarean section in China. A retrospective study was conducted on 23 cases of pregnant women who underwent cesarean section and incision severe infection and detection from March 2017 to January 2020 at Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital in China as the study group, and 20 cases of uninfected cesarean section during the same period were selected as the control group. Data were compared with the controls based on study variables and the presence of SSI. The mean age was 31±2.6. High fever and blood loss were observed in serous SSI-infected patients. The incidence rate of severe surgical site infection was 0.15 %. SSI was observed to be expected in pregnant women who had premature rupture of membrane before surgery (p < 0.001), who underwent postoperative antibiotic therapy (p < 0.001), and the patients who had gestational diabetes mellitus (p <0.001) and hematoma (p < 0.001) during surgery. Hence, following a cesarean section, surgical site infection is common. This research discovered several modifiable risk factors. SSI is associated with multifactorial rather than a single one. The development and strict implementation of a procedure by all health care practitioners can successfully reduce and prevent infection rates following cesarean section.

Tagetes genus of Composite family consider one of the most favorite floriculture plant. Therefore, of particular interest examine the salt tolerance of this bedding and coloring agent plant. In this research, was report the role of glycinebetaine (GB) in attenuating the adverse impacts of salt stress in African marigold plant, along with their anti-oxidative capacities and biochemical attributes. The salt stressed African marigold (100 and 150 mM NaCl) was treated with GB at 200 mM, beside untreated control plants. According to the obtained results, the growth characters were negatively in salt stressed plants but a mitigate impact of GB were observed in this respect. Obviously, the morphological as well as some physiological characters were reduced with salinity treatments while GB treatment reverses these effects. Overall, the alleviate impact of GB on the negative impact of salt stress was enhanced through improving total phenolic and antioxidant enzyme activity. Further, it is concluded that GB concentration induces the activities of antioxidative enzymes which scavenged ROS increased under saline conditions.

Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the number of nurses who independently care for pa-tients with severe respiratory failure receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) or veno-venous ex-tracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Additionally, the study analyzed the actual role of nurses in the treatment of patients with MV and VV-ECMO. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using postal surveys. The study included 725 Japanese intensive care units (ICUs). Descriptive statistics were conducted. Results: Among the 725 ICUs, we obtained 302 re-sponses (41.7%) and analyzed 282 responses. The median number of nurses per bed was 3.25. The median proportion of nurses who independently cared for patients with MV was 60% [IQR: 42.3-77.3]. The median proportion of nurses who independently cared for patients with VV-ECMO was 46.9 (35.7-63.3%) in the ICU experiencing VV-ECMO use. Concerning task-sharing, 33.8% of ICUs and nurses did not facilitate weaning from MV. Nurses always ti-trated sedatives in 44.5% of ICUs. Conclusion: Nurse staffing might be inadequate in all ICUs, es-pecially for severe respiratory failure. The proportion of competent nurses for caring for severe respiratory failure in ICUs should be considered when determining the work force of nurses.

We propose the physical proof-of-concept of a new simple miniature pressure sensor based on the whispering gallery modes (WGMs) optically excited in a dielectric microsphere placed near a flexible reflective membrane, which acts as an ambient pressure sensing element. WGMs excitation is carried out by free-space coupling of optical radiation to a microsphere. The distinctive feature of proposed sensor design is double excitation of optical eigenmodes by forward and backward propagating radiation reflected from a membrane that causes WGMs interference in particle volume. The optical intensity of resulting resonant field established in the microsphere carries information about the exact position of the pressure-loaded reflecting membrane. The sensitivity of the proposed sensor strongly depends on the quality factor of the excited resonant mode, as well as geometrical and mechanical parameters of the flexible membrane. We propose to register not the displacement of the position of the WGM resonance, but the change in its amplitude under the influence of the change in the distance between the sphere and the mirror under the influence of pressure. Important advantages of the proposed sensor are miniature design (linear sensor dimensions depends only on the membrane diameter) and the absence of a mechanical contact of pressure-sensitive element with WGM resonator.

In recent years, electrochemical methods utilizing reactive electrochemical membranes (REM) have been recognized as the most promising technologies for the removal of organic pollutants from water. In this paper, we propose a 1D convection-diffusion-reaction model concerning the transport and oxidation of oxalic acid (OA) and oxygen evolution in the flow-through electrochemical oxidation system with REM. It allows the determination of unknown parameters of the system by treatment of experimental data and predicts the behavior of the electrolysis setup. There is a good agreement in calculated and experimental data at different transmembrane pressures and initial concentrations of OA. The model provides an understanding of the processes occurring in the system and gives the concentration, current density, potential and overpotential distributions in REM. The dispersion coefficient was determined as a fitting parameter and it is in good agreement with literary data for similar REMs. It is shown, that the oxygen evolution reaction plays an important role in the process even under the kinetic limit, and its contribution decreases with increasing total organic carbon flux through the REM.

Ras is the most frequently mutated oncogene and recent drug development efforts have spurred significant new research interest. Here we will review progress toward understanding how Ras functions in nanoscale, proteo-lipid signaling complexes on the plasma membrane, called nanocluster. We will discuss how G-domain reorientation is plausibly linked to Ras-nanoclustering and -dimerization. We will then look at how these mechanistic features could cooperate in the engagement and activation of RAF by Ras. Moreover, we will show how this structural information can be integrated with microscopy data that provide nanoscale resolution in cell biological experiments. Synthesizing the available data, we propose to distinguish between two types of Ras nanoclusters, an active, immobile RAF-dependent type and an inactive/ neutral membrane anchor-dependent. We conclude that it is possible that Ras reorientation enables dynamic Ras dimerization, while the whole Ras/ RAF complex transits into an active state. These transient di/oligomer interfaces of Ras may be amenable to pharmacological intervention. We close by highlighting a number of open questions including, whether all effectors form active nanoclusters and whether there is an isoform specific composition of Ras nanocluster.