Sullivandidriksen4735

4-Androstenedione (4-AD) and progesterone (PG) are two of the most important precursors for synthesis of steroid drugs, however their current manufacturing processes suffer from low efficiency and severe environmental issues. In this study, we decipher a dual-role reductase (mnOpccR) in the phytosterols catabolism, which engages in two different metabolic branches to produce the key intermediate 20-hydroxymethyl pregn-4-ene-3-one (4-HBC) through a 4-e reduction of 3-oxo-4-pregnene-20-carboxyl-CoA (3-OPC-CoA) and 2-e reduction of 3-oxo-4-pregnene-20-carboxyl aldehyde (3-OPA), respectively. Inactivation or overexpression of mnOpccR in the Mycobacterium neoaurum can achieve exclusive production of either 4-AD or 4-HBC from phytosterols. By utilizing a two-step synthesis, 4-HBC can be efficiently converted into PG in a scalable manner (100 gram scale). This study deciphers a pivotal biosynthetic mechanism of phytosterol catabolism and provides very efficient production routes of 4-AD and PG.

This study evaluates the effect of using miswak chewing sticks on dental plaque, selected oral microbiota and gingival inflammation among patients with gingivitis.

The study was a single-centre, single-examiner blind, randomized, crossover study. Twenty healthy participants were randomly assigned into two equal groups (n=10). Group 1 were instructed to use both toothbrush and miswak (TB+M) for the first 2weeks from baseline (T1) and only toothbrush for the next 2weeks (T2); and Group 2, only TB during T1 and TB+M during T2. Gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were evaluated at baseline (T0), T1 and T2 visits. Supra-gingival plaque samples were taken at T0, T1 and T2. Quantification of Streptococcus mutans and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans from the supra-gingival plaque samples were performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

The scores of GI, PI and BOP had significantly improved for both groups between T0 and T1. A significantly greater reduction in the percentage of sites with BOP was observed for TB+M group compared with TB group (TB+M group from 32.2 to 14.93; TB group from 34.00 to 26.0; p=.014). At T2, TB+M group had significant improvements (p<.05) in the PI, GI and BOP scores compared with TB group. There was no significant difference in the microbial counts of S.mutans and A.actinomycetemcomitans between the two groups at the end of the study period.

Oral hygiene and gingival health may be improved by complementing miswak chewing sticks with toothbrushing.

Oral hygiene and gingival health may be improved by complementing miswak chewing sticks with toothbrushing.Water oxidation is a key reaction in natural and artificial photosynthesis. In nature, the reaction is efficiently catalyzed by a metal-complex-based catalyst surrounded by hole-transporting amino acid residues. However, in artificial systems, there is no example of a water oxidation system that has a catalytic center surrounded by hole transporters. Herein, we present a facile strategy to integrate catalytic centers and hole transporters in one system. Electrochemical polymerization of a metal-complex-based precursor afforded a polymer-based material (Poly-1). Poly-1 exhibited excellent hole-transporting ability and catalyzed water oxidation with high performance. It was also revealed that the catalytic activity was almost completely suppressed in the absence of the hole-transporting moieties. The present study provides a novel strategy for constructing efficient molecule-based systems for water oxidation.

Lips can easily become dry and rough, one reason being the characteristics of their ceramide (CER) profile. Lips have lower levels of total ceramides, higher percentages of CER[NS] and CER[AS], and lower percentages of CER[NP] and CER[NH] than skin in other regions of the body. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of synthetic pseudo-ceramide (pCer; Cetyl-PG hydroxyethyl palmitamide) to improve the dryness and roughness of the lips of healthy subjects in a formulation that exclude an occlusive effect.

Thirty-one Japanese female subjects with normal skin (age range 21-37years; mean 28.6) were enrolled in this study. A four-week continuous use test was conducted using samples with or without 0.5% or 2.0% pCer. The degree of lip roughness was scored, and values of capacitance, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and lip surface elasticity were measured. Endogenous CER profiles and absorption levels of pCer in the stratum corneum (SC) were analysed in tape-stripped skin specimens.

Treatment witTEWL and absorption of pCer was observed, we concluded that pCer was first absorbed in rough lip areas, improved the ceramide profile and consequently restored the barrier function.Nucleoprotein (N) is an immunodominant antigen in many enveloped virus infections. While the diagnostic value of anti-N antibodies is clear, their role in immunity is not. This is because while they are non-neutralising, they somehow clear infection by coronavirus, influenza and LCMV in vivo. Here, we show that anti-N immune protection is mediated by the cytosolic Fc receptor and E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM21. Exploiting LCMV as a model system, we demonstrate that TRIM21 uses anti-N antibodies to target N for cytosolic degradation and generate cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) against N peptide. These CTLs rapidly eliminate N-peptide-displaying cells and drive efficient viral clearance. These results reveal a new mechanism of immune synergy between antibodies and T cells and highlights N as an important vaccine target.Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have recently become attractive candidate substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, exhibiting good semiconductor-based SERS sensing for a wider variety of application scenarios. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Herein, we propose that surface defects play a vital role in the magnification of the SERS performances of 2D semiconductors. As a prototype material, ultrathin WO3 nanosheets is used to demonstrate that surface defect sites and the resulting increased charge-carrier density can induce strong charge-transfer interactions at the substrate-molecule interface, thereby improving the sensitivity of the SERS substrate by 100 times with high reproducibility. Further work with other metal oxides suggests the reduced dimension of 2D materials can be advantageous in promoting SERS sensing for multiple probe molecules.

The Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are used to explain screening behavior. Although reviews of each model have been conducted independently, none have compared the application of both to mammography screening.

A systematic review of literature published in five databases from 1974 to 2020 was performed. Meta-analysis of the explanatory value of the HBM and TPB and effect sizes of their cognitive variables was conducted.

Altogether, 673 papers reporting HBM studies and 577 reporting TPB studies were recovered, of which 43 HBM studies and 15 TPB studies met the eligibility criteria. Twelve studies reported on the explanatory value of either model. The explained variance for HBM ranged from 25% to 89% (mean R

=.55), while the explained variance for TPB ranged from 16% to 81% (mean R

=.24 [screening behavior as outcome] and 0.46 [intention as outcome]). The component of "cue to action" had the greatest effect size (mean OR 1.80 [95% CI 1.58-2.04]).

While the HBM and TPB both demonstrated positive explanatory value, most studies examined the individual constructs of each model and failed to report consistently on the effectiveness of the models.

While the HBM and TPB both demonstrated positive explanatory value, most studies examined the individual constructs of each model and failed to report consistently on the effectiveness of the models.Edible, water-soluble, heat-sealable, and antioxidant films were developed from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) or soy protein isolate (SPI) and applied as safflower oil packaging. A 0.1 or 0.2% DL-α-tocopherol acetate (VE) and 0 or 0.25% oleic acid were added into film formulations to provide antioxidant and hydrophobic properties, respectively, using a 23 factorial design. Films were analyzed for appearance, microstructure, water and oil sensitivity, mechanical properties, and antioxidant functionality. Subsequently, a completely randomized design was implemented for incorporating 2, 4, or 6% cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs, w/w dry weight polymer) for improving film mechanical and barrier properties. HPMC-based films achieved full dissolution in water at less then 55 °C under 5 min, while SPI-based films disintegrated in water up to 90 °C. Oleic acid significantly increased (P less then 0.05) heat sealability of SPI film from 78 to 143 N/m and elongation at break from 36% to 88%, but decreased tensileidation, and increase consumer convenience. The biopolymeric films and pouches developed in this study have unique properties from water solubility across a wide range of temperatures, resistance to oil, high oxygen barrier, and good heat sealability, providing a variety of potential applications for promoting sustainable food packaging.Vancomycin is an antibiotic commonly used to treat serious gram-positive infections. Patients requiring prolonged therapy in Singapore routinely receive intermittent vancomycin infusion in the hospital and are switched to continuous infusion for outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy. During this transition of care, there may be a risk of not achieving therapeutic targets. We evaluated the performance of a model-based dosing algorithm in achieving a therapeutic target within 7 days of care transition. A published population pharmacokinetic model was used as the foundation to guide vancomycin dosing when discharging inpatients on intermittent infusion to outpatient care on continuous infusion. Selected demographic variables (age, weight, and creatinine clearance) were used to devise initial dosing. Patients with guided dosing were compared with historic controls (dosing by clinicians alone). The primary outcome of the study was to achieve vancomycin steady-state concentration of 20-25 mg/L. Compared with historic controls, the proportion of patients attaining a therapeutic target by day 7 was significantly improved (6 of 19 [31.6%] vs 12 of 17 [70.6%], P = .04). Our model-based approach could guide customized dosing to facilitate switching patients from intermittent to continuous infusion during transition of care. Further validation in a larger patient cohort is warranted.Parallel adaptation results from the independent evolution of similar traits between closely related lineages and allows us to test to what extent evolution is repeatable. PKM inhibitor Similar gene expression changes are often detected but the identity of genes shaped by parallel selection and the causes of expression parallelism remain largely unknown. By comparing genomes and transcriptomes of four distinct foothill-alpine population pairs across four treatments, we addressed the genetic underpinnings, plasticity and functional consequences of gene expression parallelism in alpine adaptation. Seeds of eight populations of Arabidopsis arenosa were raised under four treatments that differed in temperature and irradiance, factors varying strongly with elevation. Parallelism in differential gene expression between the foothill and alpine ecotypes was quantified by RNA-seq in leaves of young plants. By manipulating temperature and irradiance, we also tested for parallelism in plasticity (i.e., gene-environment interaction, GEI).