Hannawolfe1707

There was a linear correlation between the linker length and serum half-life of PA-conjugated Uox (Uox-PA) conjugates. The longer linker led to about 7-fold greater extension of serum half-life of Uox in mice than the unmodified Uox. The trend in serum half-life extension matched well with that in the tertiary structure formation of FcRn/SA/Uox-PA in vitro. These results demonstrate that the intramolecular distance in the conjugate of Uox and FA governs the stable formation of FcRn/SA/FA-conjugated protein and serum half-life extension in vivo. These findings would also contribute to development of effective FAconjugated therapeutic proteins. Vitamin D plays a role in bone and metabolic health in life long, however hypovitaminosis D is common in different settings. The aim of this study was to describe vitamin D status among adolescents from a large sunny country and analyze associated factors. This was a multicenter, cross-sectional, school-based study. A total of 1152 adolescents age 12-17 from four Brazilian cities, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Brasília, and Porto Alegre, were included. Anthropometric variables, diet, type of school, race and season of data collection were evaluated. Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured and categorized into three levels ≤ 20 ng/mL, 21-29 ng/mL and ≥ 30 ng/mL. Ordered logistic regression models were used to explore the factors associated with hypovitaminosis D. The prevalence of vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL, between 21 and 29 ng/mL and above 30 ng/mL was 21 % (95 %CI 19 %-24 %), 42 % (95 %CI 39 %-46 %) and 37 % (95 %CI 33 %-40 %), respectively. In the final adjusted model, hypovitaminosis D was positively associated with gender, center (latitudes), data collected in winter or spring, non-whites, and private school students. A higher proportional odds ratio (POR) for hypovitaminosis D was found among obese boys (POR = 2.2, 95 %CI 1.1-4.5), but not girls. Adequate dietary intake of vitamin D was a protective factor (POR = 0.4, 95 %CI 0.2-0.6) against hypovitaminosis D. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of Brazilian adolescents at risk of hypovitaminosis D, independent of region. Due to their potential benefits, lifestyle changes should be stimulated, including healthier food choices and spending more time outdoors (with sun protection). BACKGROUND AIMS Acute infection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes varying degrees of liver damage. Although liver-related death due strictly to HEV infection is rare in healthy individuals, it is unclear whether HEV superinfection is associated with worse outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Thus, we explored whether HEV superinfection was associated with increased incidence of liver-related death, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS Serum and data were collected from two independent retrospective cohorts of patients with chronic HBV infection, comprising 2123 patients without cirrhosis and 414 with cirrhosis at baseline, respectively. All the patients were negative for HEV-IgG at enrollment and HEV superinfection was defined by the presence of HEV-IgG seroconversion. RESULTS In the non-cirrhotic cohort, 46 of 2123 patients developed HEV superinfection. Though HEV superinfection was associated with increased incidence of liver-related death only in the overall cohort, it was a risk factor for all three endpoints (liver-related death, cirrhosis, and HCC) in a subgroup of 723 HBeAg-negative patients with chronic HBV infection. In addition, the 1-year mortality rate after HEV superinfection was higher in 4 patients who developed cirrhosis during the follow-up than those without (50% vs. 2.8%, P=0.001). To elucidate the perceived relationship between HEV superinfection and risk of mortality, an independent cohort of cirrhotic patients (n=414) were further analyzed to control for the inherent increase in mortality risk due to cirrhosis. The 10 cirrhotic patients with HEV superinfection had a higher 1-year mortality rate than those without (30% vs. 0%, P less then 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In both cohorts of patients with chronic HBV infection, acute HEV superinfection increases the risk of liver-related death, especially in cirrhosis patients. In order to effectively remove reactive brilliant red (RBR) in aqueous solution, a novel Cu(II) coordinated chitosan-based magnetic composite (CTS-Cu@SiO2@Fe3O4) was prepared. The physicochemical properties of the resultant adsorbent were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N2 adsorption-desorption. The adsorption capacity toward RBR was systematically investigated as a function of contact time, solution pH, initial concentration, ionic strength and temperature. Compared with CTS@SiO2@Fe3O4, CTS-Cu@SiO2@Fe3O4 showed better adsorption performance in removing RBR, reaching a maximum of 880.84 mg/g at pH 4, which confirmed that the coordination of Cu(II) can improve the adsorption capability. The adsorption kinetics of CTS-Cu@SiO2@Fe3O4 was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the equilibrium adsorption data were well described by the Freundlich isotherm model. Thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. XPS analysis confirmed that the adsorption was mainly controlled by electrostatic interaction between copper/amino cation and RBR anion. Furthermore, regeneration experiments demonstrated that CTS-Cu@SiO2@Fe3O4 can be used repeatedly. In a word, CTS-Cu@SiO2@Fe3O4 can be served as a promising adsorbent for dye wastewater scavenging. The aim of this work was to synthesize pinus residue/pectin-based composite hydrogels for the immobilization of β-D-galactosidase. These hydrogels were synthesized via chemical crosslinking, and characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, mechanical assays, X-ray diffraction, and swelling kinetics. The water absorption mechanism in the hydrogel networks occurs by non-Fickian transport. The β-D-galactosidase immobilization capacities of the hydrogels containing 0, 5 and 10% of pinus residue were respectively 242.08 ± 0.36, 181.27 ± 0.50 and 182.71 ± 0.36 mg enzyme per g dried hydrogel, at pH 4.0 and after 600 min. find more These values were 182.99 ± 0.41, 219.99 ± 0.47 and 218.56 ± 0.39 mg g-1, respectively, at pH 5.6. Pectin-based hydrogels demonstrated to be excellent solid supports for the immobilization of enzymes. β-D-Galactosidase immobilized in pectin-based hydrogels could be applied in the hydrolysis of lactose contained in either dairy foods or lactose-intolerant individuals.