Search

Highly modular and rational syntheses of titanium compounds containing ditelluride, terminal telluride, and bis(telluride) structural motifs are disclosed in this study. Titanate anions bearing two

To enable acceleration in 3D multi-echo gradient echo (mGRE) acquisition for myelin water imaging (MWI) by combining joint parallel imaging (JPI) and joint deep learning (JDL).We implemented a multistep reconstruction process using both advanced parallel imaging and deep learning network which can utilize joint spatiotemporal components between the multi-echo images to further accelerate 3D mGRE acquisition for MWI. In the first step, JPI was performed to estimate missing k-space lines. Next, JDL was implemented to reduce residual artifacts and produce high-fidelity reconstruction by using variable splitting optimization consisting of spatiotemporal denoiser block, data consistency block, and weighted average block. The proposed method was evaluated for MWI with 2D Cartesian uniform under-sampling for each echo, enabling scan times of up to approximately 2 min forThe proposed method showed acceptable MWI quality with improved quantitative values compared to both JPI and JDL methods individually. The improved performance of the proposed method was demonstrated by the low normalized mean-square error and high-frequency error norm values of the reconstruction with high similarity to the fully sampled MWI.Joint spatiotemporal reconstruction approach by combining JPI and JDL can achieve high acceleration factors for 3D mGRE-based MWI.

Antibodies used in this study

Supplementary Figure S1. (A) Immunofluorescence staining of DAPI and α-SMA expression in primary human normal fibroblasts (NF; passage

Purpose: M2-type TAMs are increasingly implicated as a crucial factor promoting metastasis. Numerous cell types dictate monocyte differentiation into M2 TAMs via a complex network of cytokine-based communication. Elucidating critical pathways in this network can provide new targets for inhibiting metastasis. In this study, we focused on cancer cells, CAFs, and monocytes as a major node in this network.Experimental Design: Monocyte cocultures with cancer-stimulated CAFs were used to investigate differentiation into M2-like TAMs. Cytokine array analyses were employed to discover the CAF-derived regulators of differentiation. These regulators were validated in primary CAFs and bone marrow-derived monocytes. Orthotopic, syngeneic colon carcinoma models using cotransplanted CAFs were established to observe effects on tumor growth and metastasis. To confirm a correlation with clinical evidence, meta-analyses were employed using the Oncomine database.Results: Our coculture studies identify IL6 and GM-CSF as the pivotal signals released from cancer cell–activated CAFs that cooperate to induce monocyte differentiation into M2-like TAMs. In orthotopic, syngeneic colon carcinoma mouse models, cotransplanted CAFs elevated IL6 and GM-CSF levels, TAM infiltration, and metastasis. These pathologic effects were dramatically reversed by joint IL6 and GM-CSF blockade. A positive correlation between GM-CSF and IL6 expression and disease course was observed by meta-analyses of the clinical data.Conclusions: Our studies indicate a significant reappraisal of the role of IL6 and GM-CSF in metastasis and implicate CAFs as the “henchmen” for cancer cells in producing an immunosuppressive tumor ecological niche. Dual targeting of GM-CSF and IL6 is a promising new approach for inhibiting metastasis. Clin Cancer Res; 24(21); 5407–21. ©2018 AACR.

Primers used in this study

We employed the chemical potential neutralization principle to demonstrate that fractional electrons are involved in the electro-inductive effect as well as the vibrational Stark effect. By the chemical potential model, we were able to deduce that the frontier molecular orbitals of immobilized molecules can provide valuable insight into these effects. To further understand and quantify these findings, we introduced fractional charge density functional theory (FC-DFT), a canonical ensemble approach for open systems. This method allows for the calculation of electronic energies, nuclear gradients, and the Hessian matrix of fractional electronic systems. To correct the spurious delocalization error commonly found in approximate density functionals for small systems, we imposed the Perdew-Parr-Levy-Balduz (PPLB) condition through linear interpolation of two adjacent integer points (LI-FC-DFT). Although this approach is relatively simple in terms of molecular modeling, the results obtained through LI-FC-DFT calculations predict the same trend seen in experimental reactivity and the frequency change of immobilized molecules.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to validate a pilot study of photodiagnosis using near infrared (NIR) transillumination and assess the clinical efficacy of hypericin-mediated photodynamic therapy (HYP-PDT) in a rabbit laryngeal cancer model in order to develop a novel therapeutic modality with complete remission and preservation of the functional organ. METHODS: (1) In vitro study: VX tumor cells were subcultured and subjected to HYP-PDT. (2) In vivo study: A laryngeal cancer model was developed in which 12 rabbits were inoculated with a VX tumor suspension in the submucosal area of the left vocal fold using a transoral approach. All rabbits underwent NIR transillumination using light with a wavelength of 780 nm. The survival periods of the three treatment groups (6 rabbits in Group A: HYP-PDT, 3 each in Groups B and C: laser irradiation or HYP administration only) were analyzed. RESULTS: The higher the HYP concentration, the lower the VX cell viability in response to HYP-PDT using 590 nm LED. Following HYP-PDT, small tumors in Group A-1 rabbits healed completely and the animals demonstrated a long survival period, and larger tumors in Group A-2 healed partially with a survival period that extended over 3 weeks after inoculation. The survival of Groups B and C were not different over the first 3 weeks of the study, and were shorter than in Group A. CONCLUSION: We found HYP-PDT could be a curative therapy for early-stage cancers that may also preserve organ function, and may inhibit tumor progression and metastasis during advanced stages of laryngeal cancer.

Phase-based electrical property tomography (EPT) is a technique that allows conductivity reconstruction with only phase of theTo develop a method for multi-receiver combination for phase-based EPT usable for breast EPT imaging in the clinic.Theory of the proposed method is presented. To validate the proposed method, the phantom and in-vivo experiments were conducted. Conductivity images were reconstructed using the transceive phase of the combined image and results were compared with another combination method.the proposed method's conductivity results were more stable than those of the previous method whenThe proposed method produced more stable multi-receiver combination for phase-based EPT of the breast in a clinical environment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Aldehyde and ketone hydrosilylation turnover frequencies of up to 330 s−1 have been achieved using a phosphine-substituted aryl diimine cobalt catalyst.

Internalization of the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) is intimately linked to T-cell activation: a phenomenon thought to be related to the “exhaustion” of T-cell responses. To date, however, no report has considered that during physical interaction with cognate antigen-presenting cells, T cells release many TCRs via T-cell microvilli particles, which are derived from finger-like membrane structures (microvilli) in a combined process of trogocytosis and enzymatic vesiculation and correspond with the loss of membrane TCRs and many external membrane components. Surprisingly, in contrast to TCR internalization, this event leads to rapid upregulation of surface TCRs and remarkable metabolic reprogramming of cholesterol and fatty acids synthesis to meet the demands of clonal expansion, which drives multiple rounds of division and cell survival. We called this event “trogocytic-molting,” which represents an intrinsic molecular basis of T-cell clonal expansion by which T cells gain increased sensitivity to low antigen concentrations.TEASER“Trogocytic-molting,” led to the rapid upregulation of surface TCRs and tremendous metabolic reprogramming to meet the demands of clonal expansion.

Purpose To denoise B 1 + phase using a deep learning method for phase-based in vivo electrical conductivity reconstruction in a 3T MR system. Methods For B 1 + phase deep-learning denoising, a convolutional neural network (U-net) was chosen. Training was performed on data sets from 10 healthy volunteers. Input data were the real and imaginary components of single averaged spin-echo data (SNR = 45), which was used to approximate the B 1 + phase. For label data, multiple signal-averaged spin-echo data (SNR = 128) were used. Testing was performed on in silico and in vivo data. Reconstructed conductivity maps were derived using phase-based conductivity reconstructions. Additionally, we investigated the usability of the network to various SNR levels, imaging contrasts, and anatomical sites (ie, T1 , T2 , and proton density-weighted brain images and proton density-weighted breast images. In addition, conductivity reconstructions from deep learning-based denoised data were compared with conventional image filters, which were used for data denoising in electrical properties tomography (ie, the Gaussian filtering and the Savitzky-Golay filtering). Results The proposed deep learning-based denoising approach showed improvement for B 1 + phase for both in silico and in vivo experiments with reduced quantitative error measures compared with other methods. Subsequently, this resulted in an improvement of reconstructed conductivity maps from the denoised B 1 + phase with deep learning. Conclusion The results suggest that the proposed approach can be used as an alternative preprocessing method to denoise B 1 + maps for phase-based conductivity reconstruction without relying on image filters or signal averaging.

BACKGROUND There is increasing interest in noncontrast-enhanced MRI due to safety concerns for gadolinium contrast agents. PURPOSE To investigate the clinical feasibility of MR-based conductivity imaging for breast cancer detection and lesion differentiation. STUDY TYPE Prospective. SUBJECTS One hundred and ten women, with 112 known cancers and 17 benign lesions (biopsy-proven), scheduled for preoperative MRI. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE Non-fat-suppressed T2-weighted turbo spin-echo sequence (T2WI), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) at 3T. ASSESSMENT Cancer detectability on each imaging modality was qualitatively evaluated on a per-breast basis: the conductivity maps derived from T2WI were independently reviewed by three radiologists (R1-R3). T2WI, DWI, and pre-operative digital mammography were independently reviewed by three other radiologists (R4-R6). Conductivity and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements (mean, minimum, and maximum) were performed for 112 cancers and 17 benign lesions independently by two radiologists (R1 and R2). Tumor size was measured from surgical specimens. STATISTICAL TESTS Cancer detection rates were compared using generalized estimating equations. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with cancer detectability. Discriminating ability of conductivity and ADC was evaluated by using the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS Conductivity imaging showed lower cancer detection rates (20%-32%) compared to T2WI (62%-71%), DWI (85%-90%), and mammography (79%-88%) (all P

BACKGROUND: Polarization sensitive-optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) provides the unique advantage of being able to measure the optical characteristics of tissues by using polarized light. Although the well-organized fibers of healthy muscle can change the polarization states of passing light, damaged tissue has different behaviors. There are studies on optical imaging methods applied to the respiratory organs; however, they are restricted to structural imaging. In particular, the intercostal muscle situated under the pleura is very challenging to visualize due to the difficulty of access. METHOD: In this study, PS-OCT was used to identify subpleural cancer in male New Zealand white rabbits (3.2–3.4 kg) and to assess the phase retardation changes in normal and cancerous chest walls. VX2 cell suspension was injected between the intercostal muscle and parietal pleura and a tented area was observed by thoracic scope. A group of rabbits (n = 3) were sacrificed at day 7 after injection and another group (n = 3) at day 14. RESULTS: In the PS-OCT images, pleura thickness changes and muscle damage were criteria to understand the stages of the disease. The results of image and phase retardation analysis matched well with the pathologic examinations. CONCLUSION: We were able to visualize and analyze subpleural cancer by PS-OCT, which provided structural and functional information. The measured phase retardation could help to identify the margin of the tumor. For further studies, various approaches into other diseases using polarization light are expected to have positive results.

BACKGROUND: The vocal cord tissue consists of three anatomical layers from the surface to deep inside: the epithelium that contains almost no collagen, the lamina propria that is composed of abundant collagen, and the vocalis muscle layer. It is clinically important to visualize the tissue microstructure using a non-invasive method, especially in the case of vocal cord nodules or cancer, since histological changes in each layer of the vocal cord cause changes in the voice. Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) enables phase retardation measurement to evaluate birefringence of tissue with varied organization of collagen fibers in different tissue layers. Therefore, PS-OCT can visualize structural changes between normal and abnormal vocal cord tissue. METHOD: A rabbit laryngeal tumor model with different stages of tumor progression was investigated ex-vivo by PS-OCT. A phase retardation slope-based analysis, which quantifies the birefringence in different layers, was conducted to distinguish the epithelium, lamina propria, and muscle layers. RESULTS: The PS-OCT images showed a gradual decrease in birefringence from normal tissue to advanced tumor tissue. The quantitative analysis provided a more detailed comparison among different stages of the rabbit laryngeal tumor model, which was validated by the corresponding histological findings. CONCLUSION: Differences in tissue birefringence was evaluated by PS-OCT phase retardation measurement. It is also possible to indirectly infer the dysplastic changes based on the mucosal and submucosal alterations.

It was recently discovered that (

Shear thickening (ST) refers to a non-Newtonian behavior of concentrated colloidal suspensions, which exhibits significant viscosity increments at high shear stress or high shear rate. A shear thickening fluid (STF) consists of well-dispersed solid particles in a liquid medium. Silica particles are often used as components of STFs due to the abundance of hydroxyl groups on their surfaces. Polystyrene core-polyacrylamide shell particles (PS-PAAm particles) were prepared to enhance the ST of silica particle-based colloidal suspensions. Addition of PS-PAAm particles to various particle weight fractions of silica particle-based STFs resulted in amplification of ST in all instances. These results suggest that PS-PAAm particles enhance inter-particle interactions due to the abundance of hydrogen-bonding donor groups in polyacrylamide.

We conducted computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations to improve the thickness uniformity of cluster-sputtered porous metal films. The cluster sputtering equipment was divided into a module where the sputtered metal atoms condensed and cluster nanoparticles formed and a chamber where porous metal films were deposited. To optimize the equipment geometry, we performed simulations and deposition experiments for various planar nozzle positions and nozzle-to-substrate distances in the module. The simulated gas velocity distribution 25 mm above the substrate exhibited a similar tendency to the thickness distribution of the deposited porous Cu films. When a 4-mm nozzle was located 40 and 240 mm from the module center and substrate, respectively, the simulated gas velocity distribution exhibited uniformity to within 8.4% for the substrate with a 70-mm radius. The thickness uniformity and the deposition rate of the deposited porous Cu films were 9.3% and 2 µm/min, respectively, using equipment with the same geometry.

The manganese hydride dimer, [(2,6-iPr2PhBDI)Mn(μ-H)]2, was found to mediate nitrile dihydroboration, rendering it the first manganese catalyst for this transformation. Stoichiometric experiments revealed that benzonitrile insertion affords [(2,6-iPr2PhBDI)Mn(μ-NCHC6H5)]2 en route to N,N-diborylamine formation. Density functional theory calculations reveal the precise mechanism and demonstrate that catalysis is promoted by monomeric species.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a new tick-borne viral disease, and most SFTS virus (SFTSV) infections occur via bites from the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis; however, SFTSV transmission can also occur through close contact with an infected patient. SFTS is characterized by acute high fever, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, elevated serum hepatic enzyme levels, gastrointestinal symptoms, and multiorgan failure and has a 16.2 to 30% mortality rate. In this study, we found that age, dyspnea rates, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase, multiorgan dysfunction score (MODS), viral load, IL-6 levels, and IL-10 levels were higher in patients with fatal disease than in patients with nonfatal disease during the initial clinical course of SFTS. In addition, we found that IL-6 and IL-10 levels, rather than viral load and neutralizing antibody titers, in patients with an SFTSV infection strongly correlated with outcomes (for severe disease with an ultimate outcome of recovery or death).

Author(s): Kwak, Kyungmin; Park, Jae-Kyung; Shim, Joohyun; Ko, Nayoung; Kim, Hyoung-Joo; Lee, Yongjin; Kim, Jun-Hyeong; Alexander, Michael; Lakey, Jonathan RT; Kim, Hyunil; Choi, Kimyung | Abstract: BackgroundPorcine islet xenotransplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes as an alternative to human pancreatic islet transplantation and long-term insulin therapy. Several research groups have explored porcine islets as an alternative to the inconsistent and chronic shortage of pancreases from human organ donors. Studies have confirmed successful transplant of porcine islets into non-human primate models of diabetes; however, in most cases, they require more than one adult porcine donor to achieve sufficient viable islet mass for sustained function. The importance of GMP-grade reagents includes the following: specific enzymes utilized in the pancreatic isolation process were identified as a key factor in successful human clinical islet transplantation trials using cadaveric islets. As xenotransplantation clinical research progresses, isolation reagents and digestion enzymes play a key role in the consistency of the product and ultimately the outcome of the islet xenotransplant. In this study, we evaluated several commercially available enzyme blends that have been used for islet isolation. We evaluated their impact on islet isolation yield and subsequent islet function as part of our plan to bring xenotransplantation into clinical xenotransplantation trials.MethodsAdult porcine islets were isolated from 16 to 17-month-old Yucatan miniature pigs following standard rapid procurement. Pigs weighed on average 48.71n±n2.85nkg, and the produced pancreases were 39.51n±n1.80 grams (meann±nSEM). After ductal cannulation, we evaluated both GMP-grade enzymes (Collagenase AF-1 GMP grade and Liberase MTF C/T GMP grade) and compared with standard non-GMP enzyme blend (Collagenase P). Islet quality control assessments including islet yield, islet size (IEQ), membrane integrity (acridine orange/propidium iodide), and functional viability (GSIS) were evaluated in triplicate on day 1 post-islet isolation culture.ResultsIslet yield was highest in the group of adult pigs where Collagenase AF-1 GMP grade was utilized. The mean islet yield was 16n586n±n1391nIEQ/g vs 8302n±n986nIEQ/g from pancreases isolated using unpurified crude Collagenase P. The mean islet size was higher in Collagenase AF-1 GMP grade with neutral protease than in Collagenase P and Liberase MTF C/T GMP grade. We observed no significant difference between the experimental groups, but in vitro islet function after overnight tissue culture was significantly higher in Collagenase AF-1 GMP grade with neutral protease and Liberase MTF C/T GMP grade than the crude control enzyme group. As expected, the GMP-grade enzyme has significantly lower endotoxin levels than the crude control enzyme group when measured.ConclusionsThis study validates the importance of using specifically blended GMP grade for adult pig islet isolation for xenotransplantation trials and the ability to isolate a sufficient number of viable islets from one adult pig to provide a sufficient number for islets for a clinical islet transplantation. GMP-grade enzymes are highly efficient in increasing islet yield, size, viability, and function at a lower and acceptable endotoxin level. Ongoing research transplants these islets into animal models of diabetes to validate in vivo function. Also, these defined and reproducible techniques using GMP-grade enzymes allow for continuance of our plan to advance to xenotransplantation of isolated pig islets for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Simple Summary Few studies have employed expression data of normal tissues to explore the survival of cancer patients. Hence, we identified aging-related genes and microRNAs in normal tissues from patients with various types of cancer and investigated their effects on survival. We built statistical models to predict the survival of cancer patients using the expression levels of aging-related genes and microRNAs. We found that five aging-related genes (DUSP22, MAPK14, MAPKAPK3, STAT1, and VCP) from kidney cancer patients were significantly related to patient survival. We experimentally showed that there is an increase in the five aging-related genes in the macrophages of aged mice and, among these five genes, the invasion of cancer cells is inhibited by downregulating DUSP22. Using the zebrafish model of tumor cell dissemination, it was also confirmed that in vivo treatment with a small molecule inhibitor of DUSP22 blocked the metastasis of cancer cells in the early stage. Abstract The relationship between expression of aging-related genes in normal tissues and cancer patient survival has not been assessed. We developed a genome-wide transcriptomic analysis approach for normal tissues adjacent to the tumor to identify aging-related transcripts associated with survival outcome, and applied it to 12 cancer types. As a result, five aging-related genes (DUSP22, MAPK14, MAPKAPK3, STAT1, and VCP) in normal tissues were found to be significantly associated with a worse survival outcome in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This computational approach was investigated using nontumorigenic immune cells purified from young and aged mice. Aged immune cells showed upregulated expression of all five aging-related genes and promoted RCC invasion compared to young immune cells. Further studies revealed DUSP22 as a regulator and druggable target of metastasis. DUSP22 gene knockdown reduced RCC invasion and the small molecule inhibitor BML-260 prevented RCC dissemination in a tumor/immune cell xenograft model. Overall, these results demonstrate that deciphering the relationship between aging-related gene expression in normal tissues and cancer patient survival can provide new prognostic markers, regulators of tumorigenesis and novel targets for drug development.

Engineered aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2 O3 NPs) having high-grade thermal stability and water-dispersion properties are extensively used in different industries and personal care products. Toxicological response evaluation of these NPs is indispensable in assessing the health risks and exposure limits because of their industrial disposal into the aquatic environment. We assessed and compared the developmental toxicity of Al2 O3 NPs in Xenopus laevis and Danio rerio over a period of 96 h using the frog embryo teratogenic assay Xenopus and a fish embryo toxicity assay. Engineered Al2 O3 NP exposure produced dose-dependent embryonic mortality and decreased the embryo length, indicating a negative effect on growth. Moreover, Al2 O3 NPs induced various malformations, such as small head size, a bent/deformed axis, edema, and gut malformation, dose-dependently and altered the expression of heart- and liver-specific genes in both X. laevis and D. rerio, as revealed by whole-mount in-situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. In conclusion, the toxicological data suggest that Al2 O3 NPs are developmentally toxic and teratogenic and negatively affect the embryonic development of X. laevis and D. rerio. Our study can serve as a model for the toxicological evaluation of nanomaterial exposure on vertebrate development that is critical to ensure human and environmental safety. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2672-2681. © 2019 SETAC.

N,N-Diborylamines have emerged as promising reagents in organic synthesis; however, their efficient preparation and full synthetic utility have yet to be realized. To address both shortcomings, an effective catalyst for nitrile dihydroboration was sought. Heating CoCl2 in the presence of PyEtPDI afforded the six-coordinate Co(II) salt, [(PyEtPDI)CoCl][Cl]. Upon adding 2 equiv of NaEt3BH, hydride transfer to one chelate imine functionality was observed, resulting in the formation of (κ4-N,N,N,N-PyEtIPCHMeNEtPy)Co. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations revealed that this compound possesses a low-spin Co(II) ground state featuring antiferromagnetic coupling to a singly reduced imino(pyridine) moiety. Importantly, (κ4-N,N,N,N-PyEtIPCHMeNEtPy)Co was found to catalyze the dihydroboration of nitriles using HBPin with turnover frequencies of up to 380 h-1 at ambient temperature. Stoichiometric addition experiments revealed that HBPin adds across the Co-Namide bond to generate a hydride intermediate that can react with additional HBPin or nitriles. Computational evaluation of the reaction coordinate revealed that the B-H addition and nitrile insertion steps occur on the antiferromagnetically coupled triplet spin manifold. Interestingly, formation of the borylimine intermediate was found to occur following BPin transfer from the borylated chelate arm to regenerate (κ4-N,N,N,N-PyEtIPCHMeNEtPy)Co. Borylimine reduction is in turn facile and follows the same ligand-assisted borylation pathway. The independent hydroboration of alkyl and aryl imines was also demonstrated at 25 °C. With a series of N,N-diborylamines in hand, their addition to carboxylic acids allowed for the direct synthesis of amides at 120 °C, without the need for an exogenous coupling reagent.

This research was supported by Basic Science ReSearch Program through a 2014 National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (No. 2014R1A2A2A01007026).

In this study, the effect of leaching attack on titanium dioxide (TiO2) containing photocatalytic cement mortars was investigated. Changes in the mechanical, microstructure, and photocatalytic properties of the mortars were studied with the leaching attack. The photocatalytic mortars were made with ordinary Portland cement as binder. TiO2 was added at 0%, 1.5%, 3%, 4.5%, and 6% of the binder weight. After curing for 90 days in saturated limewater, the mortars were immersed in 6 M ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) solution for 140 days. The leaching depth, loss of compressive and flexural strengths, changes in porosity, and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) were measured. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests were conducted to investigate the microstructural damages. The effects of leaching on the photocatalytic performance were evaluated by observing rhodamine B discoloration on the controlled and leached mortars. Experimental results showed that the addition of TiO2 increased the resistance of the mortars to the leaching attack. The loss of hardened properties and microstructural changes were reduced with the addition of TiO2. The leached mortars showed photocatalytic activity after exposure to ultraviolet light, however, self-cleaning was slightly reduced after the leaching attack.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is linked to an extensive neuron loss via accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) as senile plaques associated with reactive astrocytes and microglial activation in the brain. The objective of this study was to assess the therapeutic effect of WS-5 ethanol extract in vitro and in vivo against Aβ-induced AD in mice and to identify the extract’s active constituents. In the present study, WS-5 exerted a significant inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that WS-5 prevented Aβ oligomerization via inhibition of Aβ1-42 aggregation. Evaluation of antioxidant activities using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) demonstrated that WS-5 possessed a high antioxidant activity, which was confirmed by measuring the total antioxidant status (TAS). Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory properties of WS-5 were examined using lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. WS-5 significantly inhibited the lipopolysaccharide–induced production of nitric oxide and two proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-6. The memory impairment in mice with Aβ-induced AD was studied using the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test. Immunohistochemistry was performed to monitor pathological changes in the hippocampus and cortex region of the mouse brain. The animal study showed that WS-5 (250 mg/kg) treatment improved learning and suppressed memory impairment as well as reduced Aβ plaque accumulation in Aβ-induced AD. HPLC analysis identified the extract’s active compounds that exert anti-AChE activity. In summary, our findings suggest that WS-5 could be applied as a natural product therapy with a focus on neuroinflammation-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Inflammation-mediated skeletal muscle wasting occurs in patients with sepsis and cancer cachexia. Both conditions severely affect patient morbidity and mortality. Lithium chloride has previously been shown to enhance myogenesis and prevent certain forms of muscular dystrophy. However, to our knowledge, the effect of lithium chloride treatment on sepsis-induced muscle atrophy and cancer cachexia has not yet been investigated. In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of lithium chloride using in vitro and in vivo models of cancer cachexia and sepsis. Lithium chloride prevented wasting in myotubes cultured with cancer cell-conditioned media, maintained the expression of the muscle fiber contractile protein, myosin heavy chain 2, and inhibited the upregulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, Atrogin-1. In addition, it inhibited the upregulation of inflammation-associated cytokines in macrophages treated with lipopolysaccharide. In the animal model of sepsis, lithium chloride treatment improved body weight, increased muscle mass, preserved the survival of larger fibers, and decreased the expression of muscle-wasting effector genes. In a model of cancer cachexia, lithium chloride increased muscle mass, enhanced muscle strength, and increased fiber cross-sectional area, with no significant effect on tumor mass. These results indicate that lithium chloride exerts therapeutic effects on inflammation-mediated skeletal muscle wasting, such as sepsis-induced muscle atrophy and cancer cachexia.

To denoiseForThe proposed deep learning-based denoising approach showed improvement forThe results suggest that the proposed approach can be used as an alternative preprocessing method to denoise

Inflammation-mediated skeletal muscle wasting is induced by inflammatory cytokines. It occurs in critically ill patients with sepsis (termed intensive care unit acquired weakness) and patients with advanced metastasis (termed cancer cachexia). Both conditions severely impact on patient morbidity and mortality. Lithium chloride has been investigated as a drug repurposing candidate for numerous diseases. In this study, we assessed whether lithium chloride affects inflammation-mediated muscle wasting, using in vitro and in vivo models of cancer cachexia and sepsis. Lithium chloride prevented wasting in myotubes cultured with cancer cell conditioned media, maintained expression of the muscle fiber contractile protein, myosin heavy chain 2 and blocked upregulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, Atrogin-1. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibition was indicated as the target mechanism, due to the following observations: 1) β-catenin was upregulated in the myotubes and 2) inhibition of IMPA1, the secondary biological target of lithium chloride, did not inhibit the effects of cancer conditioned media. Lithium chloride inhibited upregulation of the inflammation-associated cytokines Il-1β, Il-6 and inos in macrophages treated with lipopolysaccharide. Lithium chloride treatment in an animal model of sepsis improved body weight, increased muscle mass, preserved the survival of larger fibers and decreased expression of the wasting effector genes, Atrogin-1 and Murf-1. In a model of cancer cachexia, lithium chloride increased muscle mass, enhanced muscle strength and increased fiber cross sectional area, with no significant effect on tumorigenesis. These results indicate that lithium chloride could be repurposed as a drug to treat patients with inflammation-mediated skeletal muscle wasting.