Sparksmueller4798

Here we provide approaches for obtaining high levels of recombinant protein for the Redox only portion of Mical and demonstrate its catalytic and F-actin disassembly activity. These results provide a ground state for future work aimed at defining the role of the other domains of Mical - including characterizing their effects on Mical's Redox enzymatic and F-actin disassembly activity.Obesity is a major risk factor for a large number of secondary diseases, including cancer. Specific insights into the role of gender differences and secondary comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cancer risk, are yet to be fully identified. The aim of this study is thus to find a correlation between the transcriptional deregulation present in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese patients and the oncogenic signature present in multiple cancers, in the presence of T2D, and considering gender differences. The subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of five healthy, normal-weight women, five obese women, five obese women with T2D and five obese men were subjected to RNA-sequencing, leading to the identification of deregulated coding and non-coding RNAs, classified for their oncogenic score. A panel of DE RNAs was validated via Real-Time PCR and oncogene expression levels correlated the oncogenes with anthropometrical parameters, highlighting significant trends. For each analyzed condition, we identified the deregulated pathways associated with cancer, the prediction of possible prognosis for different cancer types and the lncRNAs involved in oncogenic networks and tissues. Our results provided a comprehensive characterization of oncogenesis correlation in SAT, providing specific insights into the possible molecular targets implicated in this process. Indeed, the identification of deregulated oncogenes also in SAT highlights hypothetical targets implicated in the increased oncogenic risk in highly obese subjects. These results could shed light on new molecular targets to be specifically modulated in obesity and highlight which cancers should receive the most attention in terms of better prevention in obesity-affected patients.Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may lead to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which, in turn, may be associated with multiple organ dysfunction. In this review, we present advantages and disadvantages of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid from the cannabis plant, as a potential agent for the treatment of COVID-19. Selitrectinib order CBD has been shown to downregulate proteins responsible for viral entry and to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication. Preclinical studies have demonstrated its effectiveness against diseases of the respiratory system as well as its cardioprotective, nephroprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anti-convulsant properties, that is, effects that may be beneficial for COVID-19. Only the latter two properties have been demonstrated in clinical studies, which also revealed anxiolytic and antinociceptive effects of CBD (given alone or together with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which may be important for an adjuvant treatment to improve the quality of life in patients with COVID-19 and to limit post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, one should be aware of side effects of CBD (which are rarely serious), drug interactions (also extending to drugs acting against COVID-19) and the proper route of its administration (vaping may be dangerous). Clearly, further clinical studies are necessary to prove the suitability of CBD for the treatment of COVID-19.This issue is the second volume of the previous Special Issue, "Cell and Molecular Biology of Thyroid Disorders" [...].We prove that, within the class of pair potential Hamiltonians, the excess entropy is a universal, temperature-independent functional of the density and pair correlation function. This result extends Henderson's theorem, which states that the free energy is a temperature dependent functional of the density and pair correlation. The stationarity and concavity of the excess entropy functional are discussed and related to the Gibbs-Bugoliubov inequality and to the free energy. We apply the Kirkwood approximation, which is commonly used for fluids, to both fluids and solids. Approximate excess entropy functionals are developed and compared to results from thermodynamic integration. The pair functional approach gives the absolute entropy and free energy based on simulation output at a single temperature without thermodynamic integration. We argue that a functional of the type, which is strictly applicable to pair potentials, is also suitable for first principles calculation of free energies from Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics performed at a single temperature. This advancement has the potential to reduce the evaluation the free energy to a simple modification to any procedure that evaluates the energy and the pair correlation function.The lifetime and properties of cutting tools and forming moulds can be prolonged and enhanced by the deposition of hard, thin coatings. After a certain period of usage, the coating will deteriorate. Any remaining coating must be removed prior to successful recoating. Laser stripping is a fast and environmentally friendly coating removal method. In this paper, we present laser removal of two types of coatings deposited on a 1.2379 tool steel substrate, namely, an AlTiN coating with high hardness and a DLC C coating with a small coefficient of friction (COF). A powerful nanosecond laser was employed to remove the coating from the substrate with high efficiency, along with suitable residual surface roughness. Measurements were taken of surface roughness, removed depth, and working time on a stripped area of 1 cm2. The samples were evaluated under a microscope, with a 3D profilometer, and by EDS chemical analysis. Successful removal of the coating was confirmed by optical analysis, but detailed chemical characterisation showed that about 30% of the coating element may remain on the surface. Moreover, a working time of less than 7.5 s per cm2 was obtained in this study. In addition, it was shown that the application of a second low energy, high frequency laser beam pass leads to remelting of the peaks of the material and reduced surface roughness.Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and infertility are two afflictions with a high prevalence in the general population. MetS is a global health problem increasing worldwide, while infertility affects up to 12% of men. Despite the high prevalence of these conditions, the possible impact of MetS on male fertility has been investigated by a few authors only in the last decade. In addition, underlying mechanism(s) connecting the two conditions have been investigated in few preclinical studies. The aim of this review is to summarize and critically discuss available clinical and preclinical studies on the role of MetS (and its treatment) in male fertility. An extensive Medline search was performed identifying studies in the English language. While several studies support an association between MetS and hypogonadism, contrasting results have been reported on the relationship between MetS and semen parameters/male infertility, and the available studies considered heterogeneous MetS definitions and populations. So far, only two meta-analyses in clinical and preclinical studies, respectively, evaluated this topic, reporting a negative association between MetS and sperm parameters, testosterone and FSH levels, advocating, however, larger prospective investigations. In conclusion, a possible negative impact of MetS on male reproductive potential was reported; however, larger studies are needed.Researchers are constantly searching for innovations that can be applied to the cosmetic industry. Production of porous materials stored in a lyophilized form and swollen directly before use may be beneficial considering their facilitated packaging, transport and storage. In this study, we propose porous materials based on sodium alginate, gelatin, glycerol and lipids (cottonseed oil and beeswax) obtained by freeze-drying and cross-linking. Material composition with the most promising properties was modified by the addition of PLA microparticles with Calendula officinalis flower extract. The structure and properties of obtained porous materials were analyzed. ATR-FTIR, mechanical properties, residual moisture content, porosity and density were assessed, as well as swelling properties and degradation after their cross-linking. The loading capacity and in vitro release of Calendula officinalis flower extract were performed for samples with incorporated PLA microparticles containing plant extract. The modification of the composition and fabrication method of materials significantly influenced their physicochemical properties. The selected plant extract was successfully incorporated into polymeric microparticles that were subsequently added into developed materials. Prepared materials may be considered during designing new cosmetic formulations.The aim of the work was to prepare polymer matrix composite (PMC) microfibers doped by green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The incorporation of AgNP into the polymer matrix can provide toxic properties to the polymer. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as a matrix. AgNPs were synthesized by the green method, where the leaf extract of Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) was used as a reduction and capping agent. PVA-AgNPs composites were prepared in two ways the ex situ method (pre-prepared globular AgNPs with a mean diameter of 20 nm were added into polymer matrix) and the in situ method (AgNPs were synthesized in the process of polymer composite preparation; in situ synthesized nanoparticles were a mix of different shapes with a mean diameter of ~100 nm). FTIR (Infrared spectroscopy with Fourier Transformation), UV-vis (Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy), TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope), EDX (Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) techniques were used for the analysis of nanoparticles and prepared PMCs. Thin layers and microfibers of in situ and ex situ PMCs were prepared. The presence of AgNPs clusters was evident in both PMC thin layers. After electrospinning, the chains of nanoparticles were observed inside the fibers. The distribution of nanoparticles was improved by increasing the AgNPs volume fraction (from 5 vol.% to 20 vol.%). Toxic and antibiofilm activity of AgNPs colloid, pure PVA, and PVA-AgNPs composites against the one-cell green algae Parachlorella kessleri (P. kessleri) was analyzed. AgNPs colloid, as well as PVA-AgNPs composites, showed good toxic and antibiofilm activity, and pure PVA shows no toxic/antibiofilm activity.Polyurethane foams have unique properties that make them suitable for a wide range of applications, including cushioning and seat pads. The foam mechanical properties largely depend on both the parent material and foam cell microstructure. Uniaxial loading experiments, X-ray tomography and finite element analysis can be used to investigate the relationship between the macroscopic mechanical properties and microscopic foam structure. Polyurethane foam specimens were scanned using X-ray computed tomography. The scanned geometries were converted to three-dimensional (3D) CAD models using open source, and commercially available CAD software tools. The models were meshed and used to simulate the compression tests using the implicit finite element method. The calculated uniaxial compression tests were in good agreement with experimental results for strains up to 30%. The presented method would be effective in investigating the effect of polymer foam geometrical features in macroscopic mechanical properties, and guide manufacturing methods for specific applications.