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Purification and characterization of turanose, a sucrose isomer and its anti-inflammatory effects in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model
No full textThe prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing worldwide, and the key risk factor is high sugar diet. The objective of this study was to investigate anti-inflammatory effects of turanose on IBD in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. An amylosucrase from Neisseria sicca (NsiAS) was newly identified and successfully expressed. This enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 45 degrees C and pH 8.5. By utilizing this recombinant enzyme expressed in the E. coli host, turanose yield maximally reached 47% from 2.0 M sucrose. Colitis was induced with two 5-d cycles of 2.5% DSS in drinking water with a 10-d inter-cycle interval. Mice were fed AIN93G diet with 25% and 50% turanose replacement. Improved disease activity index scores, colon length, histopathological features, and myeloperoxidase activity were observed in the turanose supplemented group. Meanwhile, decreases in micro RNA (miR)-21 expression, histone acetylation, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and phosphorylated ERK and STAT3 were observed in colon tissues. Notably, miR-21 and histone acetylation levels were found to positively correlated with expression of tumor necrosis factor a. In conclusion, turanose can attenuate colitis via regulatory effects on miRNA-21 expression and histone acetylation-related proinflammatory mediators. These findings also support further exploration of turanose as a potential therapeutic sugar substitute for patients with IBD
Chronological View of Peak and Diphasic Dyskinesia, Wearing Off and Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease
No full textBackground: Dyskinesia, wearing off (WO) and freezing of gait (FOG) are troublesome complications degrading quality of life in the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: This study evaluated the gross chronological trend of 4 motor complications - peak dose dyskinesia (PDSK), diphasic dyskinesia (DDSK), WO and FOG in a large PD population with stratification by age at disease onset according to the PD duration. Methods: The motor complications of 1212 Korean PD patients were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: PDSK and WO appeared first as motor complications and showed accelerated development around the 5 year-PD-duration, while DDSK showed a rather constant development over time and FOG developed around the 10 year-disease duration at an accelerated rate (p < 0.001). A younger age at PD onset predicted an earlier appearance of PDSK, DDSK and WO (p < 0.001), while an older age at onset (>= 60 years) was a predictor for FOG (p = 0.014). Conclusion: Motor complications developed with a distinguishing inclination over the PD duration. This study provides insight into the chronological trend of motor complications in PD at a glance
Pharmacokinetic Study of NADPH Oxidase Inhibitor Ewha-18278, a Pyrazole Derivative
No full textIn a previous study, the specific NOX1/2/4 inhibitor Ewha-18278 was confirmed as a possible treatment for osteoporosis both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) of the compound by intravenous (IV) and oral administrations to rats. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-based and diazepam injection-based formulations were used to dissolve the compound. In the latter formulation applicable to humans, the changes in PK parameters were monitored at two different concentrations (1 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL). The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero time to infinity (AUC(inf)) of Ewha-18278 was highest in the DMSO-based formulation (2 mg/mL). Also, the concentration was increased 1.6-fold at the low concentration of the diazepam injection-based formulation compared to the high concentration. There was no statistical significance in the AUC(inf) of the compound between DMSO-based formulation (2 mg/mL) and diazepam injection-based formulation (1 mg/mL). These results suggest that Ewha-18278 can be delivered to humans by both IV and oral routes. In addition, the diazepam injection-based formulation of Ewha-18278 appears to be a suitable candidate for dosage development for future toxicity test and clinical trial
An Oral Hygiene Care in Cognitive Impairment Patients by Gauze: Is It Really Safe Care Method?
No full textOral hygiene care (OHC) is associated with in-hospital infection. Among the many materials used for OHC, gauze is one of the most common. However, many patients receiving OHC are in a poor state of consciousness and thus at high risk of foreign-body aspiration or ingestion. Here we present three cases of unusual foreign-body obstruction that developed in cognitively impaired patients. These cases highlight the need for increased clinical awareness regarding vulnerable patients at risk of complications related to a foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract or the airway. Copyright (C) 2019, Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency & Critical Care Medicine
Rapid conversion of fat, oil and grease (FOG) into biodiesel without pre-treatment of FOG
No full textIn this study, the conversion of fat, oil and grease (FOG) into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) without pre-treatment of FOG is investigated. A thermally induced process to accomplish simultaneous esterification of free fatty acids (FFAs) and transesterification of lipids is introduced. Despite high contents of impurities in FOG (similar to 14 wt%), the maximum achievable yield of FAMEs on feedstock mass basis was >86% for 10 s reaction time without removal of impurities prior to the reaction while conventional acid catalyzed reaction only produced <27.7% FAMEs from FOG. This means that the introduced technique can be effective for the conversion of low-quality raw material (e.g., FOG) into biodiesel. This study would suggest the potential not only for developing a sustainable integrated treatment process of FOG requiring no separation of lipids and FFAs in wastewater treatment facilities but also for using FOG as a renewable energy resource. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
No full textOn August 17, 2017 at 12:41:04 UTC the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors made their first observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. The signal, GW170817, was detected with a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 32.4 and a false-alarm-rate estimate of less than one per 8.0 x 10(4) years. We infer the component masses of the binary to be between 0.86 and 2.26 M-circle dot, in agreement with masses of known neutron stars. Restricting the component spins to the range inferred in binary neutron stars, we find the component masses to be in the range 1.17-1.60 M-circle dot, with the total mass of the system 2.74(-0.01)(+0.04) M-circle dot. The source was localized within a sky region of 28 deg(2) (90% probability) and had a luminosity distance of 40(-14)(+8) Mpc, the closest and most precisely localized gravitational-wave signal yet. The association with the gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A, detected by Fermi-GBM 1.7 s after the coalescence, corroborates the hypothesis of a neutron star merger and provides the first direct evidence of a link between these mergers and short gamma-ray bursts. Subsequent identification of transient counterparts across the electromagnetic spectrum in the same location further supports the interpretation of this event as a neutron star merger. This unprecedented joint gravitational and electromagnetic observation provides insight into astrophysics, dense matter, gravitation, and cosmology
Antimicrobial spray nanocoating of supramolecular Fe(III)-tannic acid metal-organic coordination complex: applications to shoe insoles and fruits
No full textNumerous coating strategies are available to control the surface properties and confer new properties to substrates for applications in energy, environment, biosystems, etc., but most have the intrinsic limitations in the practical setting: (1) highly specific interactions between coating materials and target surfaces are required for stable and durable coating; (2) the coating of bulk substrates, such as fruits, is time-consuming or is not achievable in the conventional solution-based coating. In this respect, material-independent and rapid coating strategies are highly demanded. We demonstrate spray-assisted nanocoating of supramolecular metal-organic complexes of tannic acid and ferric ions. The spray coating developed is material-independent and extremely rapid (< 5 sec), allowing for coating of commodity goods, such as shoe insoles and fruits, in the controlled fashion. For example, the spray-coated mandarin oranges and strawberries show significantly prolonged post-harvest shelf-life, suggesting practical potential in edible coating of perishable produce
VDR mRNA overexpression is associated with worse prognostic factors in papillary thyroid carcinoma
No full textThe purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) expression and prognostic factors in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). mRNA sequencing and somatic mutation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. VDR mRNA expression was compared to clinicopathologic variables by linear regression. Tree-based classification was applied to find cutoff and patients were split into low and high VDR group. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, differentially expressed gene (DEG) test and pathway analysis were performed to assess the differences between two VDR groups. VDR mRNA expression was elevated in PTC than that in normal thyroid tissue. VDR expressions were high in classic and tall-cell variant PTC and lateral neck node metastasis was present. High VDR group was also associated with classic and tall cell subtype, AJCC stage IV and lower recurrence-free survival. DEG test reveals that 545 genes were upregulated in high VDR group. Thyroid cancer-related pathways were enriched in high VDR group in pathway analyses. VDR mRNA overexpression was correlated with worse prognostic factors such as subtypes of papillary thyroid carcinoma that are known to be worse prognosis, lateral neck node metastasis, advanced stage and recurrence-free survival
Predictable Surprise: The Spatial and Social Morphology of Aging Suburbs in the US Metropolitan Areas
No full textElderburbs, defined as old suburban neighborhoods in terms of their 'built environments' and 'demographic structures', have emerged prominently in academic discussion due to the social vulnerability and outdated built environments of senior dominant neighborhoods that barely meet the needs of their aging populations. Even though previous literature has revealed concerns about suburban decline and the growing number of seniors, these two points of interest have largely been examined in isolation from one another. Thus, this paper attempts to unveil the spatial and social morphology of Elderburbs in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas from 1990 to 2010. Elderburbs were identified by two major criteria; built year (first-generation suburbs built between 1950 and 1970) and demographic aging (based on elderly, elderly-child, and elderly dependency ratios). The findings of this study indicate that Elderburbs have increased and expanded out to suburban areas, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. On the contrary, Elderburbs in the South have decreased and moved closer to core cities. Differing from our assumptions, both Elderburbs and Elderurbans were found to be less socially vulnerable than ordinary suburban and urban neighborhoods
Elimination of microcystin-LR and residual Mn species using permanganate and powdered activated carbon: Oxidation products and pathways
No full textThe oxidation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in deionized water (DI) and river water using potassium permanganate (KMnO4) at a neutral pH and at 23 +/- 2 degrees C was investigated. These two aqueous systems (i.e., DI and river water) gave comparable second-order rate constants (289.9 and 285.5 M(-)1s(-)1 (r(2) > 0.99), respectively), which confirmed the effectiveness of this oxidation process for the treatment of natural surface water. The presence of either humic or fulvic acid reduced the removal efficiency of MC-LR, with the latter exhibiting a greater inhibitory effect. Monitoring of MC-LR and residual Mn2+ levels with adding KMnO4 (1 mg/L) and powdered activated carbon (PAC, 5-20 mg L-1) before and during coagulation, respectively, revealed that 60 min of permanganate pre-oxidation followed by coagulant addition with PAC was the most effective approach for reducing both levels below limits stated by WHO guidelines. The MC-LR degradation products were the result of oxidation occurring at the diene and aromatic moieties of the Adda (3-amino-9-methoxy-2,6,8-trimethyl-10-phenyldeca-4,6-dienoic acid) side-chain, in addition to amine bond hydrolysis of the Mdha (N-methyldehydroalanine) moiety. Several toxic by-products with an intact Adda chain were observed during the reaction, but completely disappeared after 60 min. This further supports the conclusion that sufficient contact time with permanganate (i.e., >60 min) is essential to reducing the residual toxicity and maximizing the efficiency of MC-LR oxidation when treating raw water. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved