Browse Articles

Thio-modified trianglimines, a novel group of chiral macrocyclic compounds of high structural dynamics

Abstract The embellishing of the macrocycle core with sulfur substituents of varied sterical requirements changes the structural dynamics of chiral, triangular polyimines. Despite their formal high symmetry, these compounds adopt diverse conformations, in which the macrocycle core represents a non-changeable unit. DFT calculations reveal that the mutual arrangement of sulfur-containing substituents is controlled mainly by sterical interactions. The presence of sulfur atoms affects the chiroptical properties of these compounds and causes a red shift of respective absorption bands compared to the basic trianglimine. Unexpectedly, the aromatic fragments attached to the sulfur atom have less impact on ECD spectra, visible only in particular spectral regions. Such a possibility to adapt various conformations is also seen in the crystalline phase; however, a stiff basic unit – the triangular macrocycle core – caused macrocycles’ self-assembly into columnar-like aggregates. In the crystal lattice, around the macrocycle having bulky SCPh 3 groups, a space filled with solvent is formed; however, the macrocycle’s internal cavity is closed and unavailable for guest molecules. Titration of the solutions of basic SBn-substituted imine and amine macrocycles by AgOTf results in significant changes in the ECD spectra, confirming possible binding interactions between macrocycle and metal cations.

Intelligence analysis of drug nanoparticles delivery efficiency to cancer tumor sites using machine learning models

Biosynthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles fabricated using cell-free supernatant of Pseudomonas fluorescens for antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and photocatalytic applications

Super-enhancer-driven SLCO4A1-AS1 is a new biomarker and a promising therapeutic target in glioblastoma

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes expression in lung cancer and its correlation with different clinicopathologic parameters

AbstractLung cancer (LC) is a crucial rapidly developing disease. In Egypt, it is one of the five most frequent cancers. Little is known about the impact of deleted mismatch repair genes and its correlation to clinicopathological characteristics. This study evaluates immunohistochemical expression of the mismatch repair genes (PMS2), (MSH2), (MLH1) & (MSH6) & its correlation with clinicopathologic parameters & prognosis of LC. Age was higher with lost MLH1 & PMS2 but HTN was higher with lost four markers. Smoking was associated with expression of MLH1 & PMS2. A progressive course was associated with lost MSH2 & MSH6. Suprarenal metastasis was associated with lost all markers but bone metastasis was associated with lost MSH2 & MSH6. All the markers were significantly correlated with each other, with perfect correlations between MSH6 & MSH2 and between MLH & PMS2. Median overall survival among cases with lost markers was significantly lower than patients with preserved markers. We recommend evaluation of the four proteins as a biomarker that could guide LC therapy. In-depth biological research is imperative to elucidate the precise roles and mechanisms of these markers. This will advance management strategies and even guide immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for LC.

Spatial transcriptomics unveils estrogen-modulated immune responses and structural alterations in the ectocervical mucosa of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate users

AbstractThe injectable contraceptive, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), is associated with compromised cervical mucosal barriers. High-resolution spatial transcriptomics is applied here to reveal the spatial localization of these altered molecular markers. Ectocervical tissue samples from Kenyan sex workers using DMPA, or non-hormonal contraceptives, underwent spatial transcriptomics and gene set enrichment analyses. Integrated systemic estradiol levels and bulk tissue gene expression data from a larger cohort enhanced the study’s scope. Unsupervised clustering unveiled four epithelial and seven submucosal layers, showcasing spatially restricted and diverse functional epithelial responses, and a less structured submucosal spatial ordering. DMPA associated with mucosal-wide immunoglobulin gene upregulation, verified by CD20+ B-cell immunostaining, and upregulated immune markers adjacent to the basal membrane. Downregulated genes represented spatially restricted disrupted epithelial barrier integrity and submucosal extracellular matrix dysfunction. The transcriptional profile was associated with markers of estrogen regulation. Collectively, our findings reveal estrogen-modulated distinct ectocervical transcriptional profiles associated with DMPA usage. While upregulation of immunoglobulin genes occurs throughout the mucosa, activation of innate immune responses and dysregulation of barrier integrity markers are spatially restricted. These results extend previous analyses using bulk transcriptomics and provide insights into the molecular landscape influenced by DMPA, shedding light on contraceptive effects and health implications.

Shanxi province food security evaluation research

Mycosynthesis of chitosan-selenium nanocomposite and its activity as an insecticide against the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis

AbstractThe cotton leafworm, Spodoptra littoralis, causes great damage to cotton crops. A new, safer method than insecticide is necessary for its control. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are metalloid nanomaterial, with extensive biological activities. They have low toxicity and can be used safely in plant disease management. In this study, we successfully bio-fabricated selenium nanoparticles and chitosan-selenium nanocomposite (Ch-SeNPs) using a fungal cell-free filtrate of Penicillium griseofulvum. The biosynthesized nanomaterials were initially detected optically by the formation of a red color in the solution mixture and the appearance of a strong plasmon resonance peak at 240–300 nm. The biosynthesized nanomaterials were fully characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, energy dispersive X-ray, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared. We tested the anti-insect activities of SeNPs, and Ch-SeNPs against larvae of S. littoralis compared to spore suspensions of P. griseofulvum. The results indicated that Ch-SeNPs followed by SeNPs gave a significantly higher mortality percentage than the spore suspension of the tested fungus. The highest production of all biosynthesized nanomaterials was detected after 7 days at 40 °C under alkaline conditions (pH 9). The average size diameter of SeNPs and Ch-SeNPs were 91.25 and 67.41 nm with zeta potential − 8.05 and + 41 mV, respectively. Both Ch-SeNPs and SeNPs gave high mortality rates and low values of LC50 and LC90 for both larvae and pupae. Ch-SeNPs showed stronger activity against S. littoralis than SeNPs and spore suspension at all experimental conditions. Cytotoxicity experiments indicated their safety against honeybee populations. The current study reveals the significant ultrastructure impact of SeNPs on larvae. These findings suggest that selenium nanoparticles and nanocomposite can be fabricated with a costless easy route using fungal filtrate, and they can be used safely in pest control systems that are safe for honeybee populations. It is the first report about the application of Ch-SeNPs as an anti-insect agent.

Innovative ultrasound assisted synthesis of sponge like cerium dioxide nanostructure using Rosa Damascena extract and its efficient performance for cancer therapy

High systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) level as a prognostic factor for colorectal cancer patients after curative surgery: a single-center retrospective analysis

Machine learning Nomogram for Predicting endometrial lesions after tamoxifen therapy in breast Cancer patients

Observational pilot study of switching from entecavir to tenofovir alafenamide in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Bioinspired surface structures for added shear stabilization in suction discs

C-parameter version of robust bounded one-class support vector classification

Attention activation network for bearing fault diagnosis under various noise environments

Fully distributed energy management strategy for DC bus charging stations with three charging modes

White adipose tissues and skeletal muscles as a target of chrysin during the treatment of obesity in rats

AbstractObesity is a rapidly growing epidemic that continues to be a major severe health problem due to its association with various adverse health consequences. Since 1975, the WHO estimates that the prevalence of obesity has tripled globally. Chrysin is a flavone that is mostly found in the Passiflore species of plants and in propolis. The present study was conducted to examine the anti-obesity effect of chrysin on a high-fat diet-induced obesity in rats and to compare their impact to physical activity (swimming). Rats were classified into two groups: the control group and the obese group, which was subdivided into 4 subgroups (8 rats each); an untreated obese group; a chrysin-treated group (oral dose of 100 mg/kg/day); swimming-treated groups (swimming for 1 h/day, five days/week with a constant overload equal to 5% of their weight); and combination-treated groups (chrysin and swimming). After 8 weeks of treatment, blood samples were taken at the end of the experiment for biochemical tests. Animals were then slaughtered to get white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscle for analysis of the gene expression of the studied genes. In obese rats, therapy with chrysin reduced weight gain, hyperglycaemia, and insulin resistance. Also, the effects of chrysin may be mediated through acting as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress agent. Physical activity (swimming) is a more efficient anti-obesity agent than treating with chrysin alone through upregulation of PPAR-γ and downregulation of Mir-27a. Physical activity with daily supplementation of chrysin showed the best efficiency for the treatment of obesity.

ApoB/ApoA-Ι is associated with major cardiovascular events and readmission risk of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention in one year

RBM47 is a novel immunotherapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in gliomas

AbstractThe role of RBM47, an RNA-binding protein, in shaping the immune landscape of gliomas and tumor immune responses is yet to be fully studied. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation into the immunomodulatory roles of RBM47 in gliomas was conducted, leveraging gene expression data from multi-omic datasets. The prognosis of patients with gliomas considering RBM47 was elucidated using bioinformatics methods and clinical data, with results validated using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses. The expression of RBM47 in gliomas was higher than that in normal tissues and was positively correlated with the World Health Organization tumor grade. Increased RBM47 expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with glioma, serving as an independent predictor of overall survival. The nomogram combining RBM47 expression levels with clinical prognostic factors demonstrated strong predictive accuracy, achieving a C-index of up to 0.863 in both TCGA training and CGGA validation groups. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and Gene Set Variation Analysis indicated that RBM47 is closely related to immunity and inflammation. Single-cell sequencing and immunofluorescence assays confirmed the enrichment of RBM47 in CD163 + macrophages. Therefore, RBM47 plays a vital role in the immune microenvironment of gliomas and may be a potential immunotherapy target.

Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy among rural reproductive age women in Ethiopia

Abstract Despite growing utilization of family planning in Ethiopia, many pregnancies in rural areas are still unintended and unintended pregnancy remains a major global challenge in public and reproductive health, with devastating impact on women and child health, and the general public. Hence, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of unintended pregnancy in rural women of Ethiopia. This study used a 2016 Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey data. A total weighted samples of 974 reproductive-aged rural women were included in this analysis. Multilevel mixed logistic regression analysis was employed to consider the effect of hierarchal nature of EDHS data using Stata version 14 to determine individual and community level factors. Variables significantly associated with unintended pregnancy were declared at p-value < 0.05 with adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI). The prevalence of unintended pregnancy in rural women was 31.66% ( 95%CI 28.8%, 34.66%). Never had media exposure (AOR: 2.67, 95%CI 1.48, 4.83), don’t have work (AOR: 0.33, 95%CI 0.21, 0.52), being from household size of one to three (AOR: 0.44 95%CI 0.2, 0.96), being primiparous (AOR: 0.41, 95%CI 0.17, 0.99), women from poor families (AOR: 2.4, 95%CI 1.24, 4.56), lacking the intention to use contraceptive (AOR: 0.24, 95%CI 0.14, 0.44) were individual-level factors significantly associated with unintended pregnancy. Women from large central region (AOR: 4.2, 95%CI 1.19, 14.62) and being from poor community wealth status (AOR: 4.3, 95%CI 1.85, 10.22) were community-level factors statistically associated with unintended pregnancy. The present study prevalence of unintended pregnancy in rural women was relatively high. Maternal occupation, household size, media exposure, parity, women wealth, intention to use contraceptive, region and community level wealth were factors statistically associated with unintended pregnancy. Hence, demographer and public health practitioners has to give great emphasis on designing an intervention with implementation strategies to increase accessibility of media for reproductive-age women’s and improve women financial capacity, and strengthen maternal health services. These strategies helps to decrease adverse birth outcomes associated with unintended pregnancy in rural areas.