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Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Mar 29;218:271-280. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Pharmaceutical Informatics Institute, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China. Electronic address:

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometrics was used to analyze the main active ingredients including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, luteoloside, baicalin, ursodesoxycholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid in the Tanreqing injection. In this paper, first, two hundred samples collected in the product line were divided into the calibration set and prediction set, and the reference values were determined by the High Performance Liquid Chromatography- Diode Array Detector/Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (HPLC-DAD/ELSD) method. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis was implemented as a linear method for models calibrated with different preprocessing means. Read More

Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019 Apr 17;196:75-86. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

CNRS UMR 8240, Laboratory for the Psychology of Child Development and Education, Paris, France; University Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.

The Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Code (SNARC) effect refers to the finding that small or large numbers elicit faster leftward or rightward responses, respectively. Traditionally, this effect has been thought to reflect the intrinsic spatial orientation of the mental number line (MNL account) and thus to be modulated by the amount of semantic processing required by the task. This study aimed to test this hypothesis. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA. Electronic address:

Elevated shear force caused by an anastomotic stenosis is a common complication at the blood vessel-vascular implant interface. Although elevated shear forces were found to cause platelet aggregation around a stenotic region, transient platelet exposure to elevated shear forces and subsequent downstream events occurring under lower shear force were not extensively studied. We hypothesize that effects of elevated shear forces on pre-activation of platelets for downstream adhesion and activation are relevant in understanding the increased thrombotic risk associated with blood-contacting devices. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Materials Science Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA; AO Foundation Collaborative Research Center, Davos, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Three-dimensional (3D) multicellular aggregates, in comparison to two-dimensional monolayer culture, can provide tissue culture models that better recapitulate the abundant cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions found in vivo. In addition, aggregates are potentially useful building blocks for tissue engineering. However, control over the interior aggregate microenvironment is challenging due to inherent barriers for diffusion of biological mediators (e. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Laboratory of Bioregenerative Medicine & Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, 1300 York, Room A-821, New York, NY 10021, United States; Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, 121A Weill Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States. Electronic address:

Introduction: Insufficient vascularization of currently available clinical biomaterials has limited their application to optimal wound beds. We designed a hydrogel scaffold with a unique internal microstructure of differential collagen densities to induce cellular invasion and neovascularization.

Methods: Microsphere scaffolds (MSS) were fabricated by encasing 1% (w/v) type 1 collagen microspheres 50-150 μm in diameter in 0. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA; Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA. Electronic address:

Biological systems continuously interact with the surrounding environment because they are dynamically evolving. The interaction is achieved through mechanical, electrical, chemical, biological, thermal, optical, or a synergistic combination of these cues. To provide a fundamental understanding of the interaction, recent efforts that integrate biological systems with the electronic-mechanical assemblies create unique opportunities for simultaneous monitoring and eliciting the responses to the biological system. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Unit of Dental Physical Sciences, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom.

The title of this article could sound a bit curious to some readers since a layer of apatite - and not calcium carbonate - is well-known to form on the surface of bioactive glasses upon immersion in simulated body fluids. However, calcium carbonate (commonly reported as calcite crystals) can form on the surface of bioactive glasses as well, instead of or in competition with hydroxyapatite, during in vitro tests. Major factors that govern calcium carbonate formation are a high concentration of Ca ions in the testing solution - and, in this regard, glass composition/texture and type of medium play key roles - along with the volume of solution used during in vitro tests. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address:

Electrospun yarns offer substantial opportunities for the fabrication of elastic scaffolds for flexible tissue engineering applications. Currently available yarns are predominantly made of synthetic elastic materials. Thus scaffolds made from these yarns typically lack cell signaling cues. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Canada Research Chair I in Biomaterials and Bioengineering for the Innovation in Surgery, Department of Min-Met-Materials Engineering, Research Center of CHU de Quebec, Division of Regenerative Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. Electronic address:

While Fe-based alloys have already been reported to possess all mechanical properties required for vascular stenting, their relatively low degradation rate in vivo still constitutes their main bottleneck. The inflammatory reaction generated by a stent is inversely proportional to its mass. Therefore, the tendency in stenting is to lower the section so to reduce the inflammatory reaction. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

HIPS - Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarland University, Universitätscampus E8.1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany. Electronic address:

Predictive in vitro models are valuable alternatives to animal experiments for evaluating the transport of molecules and (nano)particles across biological barriers. In this work, an improved triple co-culture of air-blood barrier was set-up, being exclusively constituted by human cell lines that allowed to perform experiments at air-liquid interface. Epithelial NCI-H441 cells and endothelial HPMEC-ST1. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Proteins Proteom 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center,Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. Electronic address:

Bcl-xL is a member of the Bcl-2 family of apoptotic regulators, responsible for inhibiting the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane, and a promising anti-cancer target. Bcl-xL exists in the following conformations, each believed to play a role in the inhibition of apoptosis: (a) a soluble folded conformation, (b) a membrane-anchored (by its C-terminal α8 helix) form, which retains the same fold as in solution and (c) refolded membrane-inserted conformations, for which no structural data are available. Previous studies established that in the cell Bcl-xL exists in a dynamic equilibrium between soluble and membranous states, however, no direct evidence exists in support of either anchored or inserted conformation of the membranous state in vivo. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China. Electronic address:

Alginate lyases have a wide range of industrial applications, such as oligosaccharide preparation, medical treatment, and bioconversion. Therefore, the discovery and characterization of novel alginate lyases are extremely important. PL-6 alginate lyases are classified into two groups: those with a single domain or two domains. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Institute of Life Sciences, 56124 Pisa, Italy. Electronic address:

The capacity of inducing angiogenesis is a recognized hallmark of cancer cells. The cancer microenvironment, characterized by hypoxia and inflammatory signals, promotes proliferation, migration and activation of quiescent endothelial cells (EC) from surrounding vascular network. Current anti-angiogenic drugs present side effects, temporary efficacy, and issues of primary resistance, thereby calling for the identification of new therapeutic targets. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Departments of Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA.

The structure of the collagen fibril surface directly effects and possibly assists the management of, collagen receptor interactions. An important class of collagen receptors, the receptor tyrosine kinases of the Discoidin Domain Receptor family (DDR1 and DDR2), are differentially activated by specific collagen types and play important roles in cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and matrix remodeling. This review discusses their structure and function as it pertains directly to the fibrillar collagen structure with which they interact far more readily than they do with isolated molecular collagen. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America. Electronic address:

Background: Quality control (QC) can be viewed as a diagnostic test that is used to determine whether an assay is in statistical control. Using this framework, QC performance can be evaluated using familiar metrics associated with diagnostic tests. QC plan parameters can be adjusted to optimize performance metrics. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Royal Canadian Medical Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada; McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Background: Both thrombelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) have been investigated for diagnosis of coagulopathy and guidance of resuscitation in trauma and surgery. Given similarities between the two systems, it is important to determine whether one is superior to the other and how comparable they are to conventional coagulation tests (CCTs). Therefore, we conducted a comparative study of functional fibrinogen and coagulation assays using TEG and ROTEM and CCTs to determine their capability to monitor coagulation profiles, diagnose coagulopathy and predict blood transfusion requirements in trauma patients. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of environmental exposure and health in Guangzhou, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health in Guangzhou, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; The key laboratory for virology of Guangzhou, College of life science and technology, Jinan University, China. Electronic address:

Toxoplasma gondii has evolved many successful strategies for immune evasion. However, the parasite-derived effectors involved in modulating NF-κB signalling pathway are largely unknown. T. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2019 Apr 20. Epub 2019 Apr 20.

King's College London School of Medical Education, Guy's Campus, Great Maze Pond, London.

We read with great interest the article by Sofou and Bry (1) on the use of a new tool for oral case presentation in the paediatric emergency department. As medical students in London, we have had varying degrees of experience in assessing patients and presenting cases to our colleagues in clinical settings, especially in the emergency department and, more specifically, the paediatric emergency department This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Read More

Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2019 Apr 20:e13285. Epub 2019 Apr 20.

Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, 18071, Granada, Spain.

Aim: High blood pressure (BP) is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether changes in gut microbiota induced by exchanging the gut microbiota between spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) alter the gut-immune system interaction inducing changes in vascular function and BP.

Methods: Twenty-week-old recipient WKY and SHR were orally gavaged with donor fecal contents from WKY or SHR. Read More

Acta Diabetol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Division of Nephrology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.

Aims: Heavy proteinuria caused by non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) is common in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to investigate specific predictors for NDRD in addition to traditional indicators in T2DM.

Methods: A total of 341 patients with T2DM who underwent renal biopsy were retrospectively included. Read More

Acta Neurol Belg 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Neurology, Hôpitaux Civils, Colmar, France.

Acta Neurol Belg 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Academic Department of Neurosciences, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK.

Nocebo refers to the adverse events (AEs) experienced when taking a placebo drug and is believed to be a centrally mediated process. We sought to examine the AEs following placebo administration in Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) for Myasthenia Gravis (MG) patients. A systematic literature search was performed on Medline and Web of Science for RCTs for MG pharmacological treatments. Read More

Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatric Institute (MC 799), University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 South Wood Street, Rm 451N, Chicago, IL, 60612-5970, USA.

Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Background: We introduce a user-friendly, standardized protocol for tractography of the major language fiber bundles.

Method: The introduced method uses dMRI images for tractography whereas the ROI definition is based on structural T1 MPRAGE MRI templates, without normalization to MNI space. ROIs for five language-relevant fiber bundles were visualized on an axial, coronal, or sagittal view of T1 MPRAGE images. Read More

Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

ENT Department, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.

Acta Histochem 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Electron Microscopy Unit, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. Electronic address:

Phospholipase C (PLC)β has a role in saliva secretion by controlling intracellular Cavia its product, IP. The present study was attempted to localize PLCβ isoforms in mouse salivary glands in situ. A single major band was detected for PLCβ3 in immunoblots of the parotid and sublingual glands (PG, SLG), while no such band was seen in the submandibular gland (SMG). Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2019 Apr 19:1-8. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

a Cancer Centre , General Hospital Groeninge , Kortrijk , Belgium.

Objectives: Oncological home-hospitalization (OHH) might be a patient-centred approach to deal with the increasing burden of cancer on health-care facilities and finances. Before implementation into practice, its feasibility, costs and support among stakeholders should be evaluated. The purpose of this trial was to explore patients', specialists' and general practitioners' (GPs) perspectives towards the opportunities of implementing OHH within the Belgian health-care system. Read More

Acta Radiol 2019 Apr 19:284185119842472. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

1 The Parker Institute, Copenhagen University Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark.

Background: More advanced disc degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is found in individuals with low back pain. However, it is unclear whether this grading is independent of the scanner's field strength.

Purpose: To compare disc degeneration on high- versus low-field MRI. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Apr 10;218:263-270. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment-Related Polymer Materials, Ministry of Education of China; Research Center of Gansu Military and Civilian Integration Advanced Structural Materials; College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China.

Recently, ultrasensitive detection and multi-guest sensing have received extensive attention due to their high sensitivity and efficiency. Herein, we report a novel approach to achieve ultrasensitive detection of multi-analyte. This approach is concluded as "rationally introduce Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) into chemosensor". Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Apr 7;218:248-262. Epub 2019 Apr 7.

Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Boys Branch), Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.

Novel coumarin amino acid derivatives were synthesized. The structure of synthesized compounds has established on basis of different spectral data. The optimization geometry, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), thermodynamic parameters and chemical reactivity, were discussed using DFT\B3LYP by 6-311G* basis set, to identify a clear view for inter and intramolecular interaction of tested compounds. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Apr 11;218:243-247. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China. Electronic address:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is not only related to the degradation of articular cartilage, but also possibly to the changes of subchondral bone. The purpose of this study was to assess whether specific differences could be resolved from bone composition, as also contributed to OA. These differences were assessed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS). Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Apr 11;218:237-242. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. Electronic address:

The electron transfer (ET) rate in quantum dot (QD)-molecular acceptor systems is dependent upon system reorganization energy (RE, λ), which comprises contributions from solvent (λ) and reactants (λ). However, to date, the effect of λ on ET rate has been largely ignored. Herein, the ET from CdSe/ZnS QDs to 1-chloroanthraquinone (1-CAQ) in different solvents was investigated using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy as a means to evaluate the effect of λ on ET rate. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019 Apr 10;218:229-236. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh 177005, India. Electronic address:

Oxidative aggregation of γ-crystallins induced by copper in aged lens increases the lens opacity and causes cataract formation. Therefore, chelation of free Cu by small molecules can inhibit metal-mediated aggregation of γ-crystallin. In this work, the inhibition potency of several naturally occurring flavonoid compounds was studied against aggregation of human γD-crystallin (HGD) mediated by copper ions. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

i3S - Instituto de Inovação e Investigação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-125 Porto, Portugal; INEB - Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-125 Porto, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address:

Chitosan (Ch) is used in different biomedical applications to promote tissue repair. However, tissue injury caused by biomaterial implantation lead to the release of danger signals that engage different inflammatory pathways on the host. Different implanted materials activate the inflammasome leading to the modulation of the immune response. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are vesicular nano-particles produced by Gram-negative bacteria that are recently being explored as vaccine vector. The fact that OMVs can be efficiently produced by a hypervesiculating Salmonella typhimurium strain, are packed with naturally-occurring adjuvants like lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and can be engineered to express any antigen of choice, makes them ideal candidates for vaccinology. However, it is unclear whether OMVs induce dendritic cell (DC)-mediated antigen-specific T cell responses and how immune activation is coordinated. Read More

Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019 Apr 16;196:70-74. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Cognitive Science Department, Central European University, Október 6. u. 7, H-1051 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address:

Earlier studies suggest that word length is influenced by the linguistic context to be precise and concise at the same time. The present study investigates whether the referential-situational context can also have an effect on the expected length of words. To test this assumption a salient property of the situational context, that is, the frequency of the unfamiliar referents was varied. Read More

Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019 Apr 16;196:56-69. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Performance in a dual target rapid serial visual presentation task was investigated, dependent on whether the color or the contrast of the targets was the same or different. Both identification accuracy on the second target, as a measure of temporal attention, and the frequency of temporal integration were measured. When targets had a different color (red or blue), overall identification accuracy of the second target and identification accuracy of the second target at Lag 1 were both higher than when targets had the same color. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 308232, Singapore; Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan. Electronic address:

Synaptotagmin-like mitochondrial-lipid-binding (SMP) domain proteins are evolutionarily conserved family of proteins in eukaryotes that localize between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and either plasma membrane (PM) or other organelles. They are involved in tethering of these membrane contact sites through interaction with other proteins and membrane lipids. Recent structural and biochemical studies have demonstrated that SMP domain proteins transport a wide variety of lipid species by the ability of the SMP domain to harbor lipids through its unique hydrophobic cavity. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Biology, Barnard College-Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States of America. Electronic address:

Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) disease is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease typified by aberrations in intracellular lipid transport. Cholesterol and other lipids accumulate in the late endosome/lysosome of all diseased cells thereby causing neuronal and visceral atrophy. A cure for NP-C remains elusive despite the extensive molecular advances emanating from the identification of the primary genetic defect in 1997. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. Electronic address:

Cancer-associated cachexia (CAC) constitutes a metabolic dysfunction characterized by systemic inflammation and body weight loss. Muscle atrophy and adipose tissue lipolysis might explain weight loss in CAC. Specific functions of numerous hormones and cytokines derived from tumours can provoke cachexia. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Drug Delivery Technology, Cluster BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

Ex vivo regenerated stratum corneum (SC) after tape-stripping can be used as a model to study the barrier function of compromised skin. Yet, details about how close the regenerated SC model mimics the lipid properties (e.g. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biotechnology, Ningbo University, Ministry of Education of China, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, China. Electronic address:

As an unusual economically important aquaculture species, Sinonovacula constricta possesses high levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). Previously, our group identified fatty acyl desaturases (Fad) with Δ5 and Δ6 activities in S. constricta, which was the first report of Δ6 Fad in a marine mollusc. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, PR China. Electronic address:

Exaggerated endothelial pro-inflammatory response is a hallmark in the early stage of sepsis and contributes to the subsequent tissue injury and organ failure. The anti-inflammatory effects of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator metformin in sepsis has been revealed. However, the underlying mechanisms remain not fully understood. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Center for Parasitology and Mycology, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address:

Leishmaniases are infectious diseases caused by protozoan parasites Leishmania and transmitted by sand flies. Drug repurposing is a therapeutic approach that has shown satisfactory results in their treatment. Analyses of antihistaminic drugs have revealed their in vitro and in vivo activity against trypanosomatids. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Reproductive Diseases, Animal Reproduction Research Institute, ARC, Giza, Egypt.

Johne's disease is chronic enteric incurable disease in ruminant, is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The data about incidence and economic importance of the disease in Egypt are scare. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

Background: Increasing evidence suggests the role of non-criteria aPLs as important supplements to the current criteria aPLs in APS. In this study, we evaluated the clinical performance of a panel of non-criteria antibodies to phospholipid antigens, including, phosphatidylserine (aPS), phosphatidylinositol (aPI), sphingomyelin (aSM), phosphatidylcholine (aPC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (aPE) in a well-defined Chinese APS cohort.

Methods: A total of 229 subjects were tested, including 86 patients with APS, 104 disease controls (DCs) and 39 healthy controls (HCs). Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, 222 Thaiburi, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Electronic address:

Background: High PCSK9 concentrations are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated PCSK9 concentrations and their association with metabolic parameters in Thai subjects and to compare PCSK9 concentrations in pre- and postmenopausal women with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: Anthropometric data, serum lipids, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and PCSK9 concentrations were measured in 436 Thai subjects (152 men, 143 premenopausal, and 141 postmenopausal women). Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400076, India. Electronic address:

Lipid structure critically dictates the molecular interactions of drugs with membranes influencing passive diffusion, drug partitioning and accumulation, thereby underpinning a lipid-composition specific interplay. Spurring selective passive drug diffusion and uptake through membranes is an obvious solution to combat growing antibiotic resistance with minimized toxicities. However, the spectrum of complex mycobacterial lipids and lack thereof of suitable membrane platforms limits the understanding of mechanisms underlying drug-membrane interactions in tuberculosis. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.

Aim: To estimate the extent to which maternal and paternal height modify the association between length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) and neurodevelopmental outcomes assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Edition (Bayley-III).

Methods: Baseline data from a clinical trial in 600 Nepalese infants aged 6-11 months with LAZ less than -1 were utilized. The primary exposure was the LAZ score, interaction variables were maternal and paternal height and the outcomes were Bayley-III cognitive, language and motor scaled scores. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Neonatal Medicine, Southampton Children's Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.

Aim: To evaluate long-term cognitive and behavioural outcomes of children with neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in the absence of cerebral palsy.

Methods: A systematic search was performed on five databases (EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo). Randomised-controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials, or observational studies, published between 1990-2017, that reported long-term (age ≥ 4 years) cognitive and/or behavioural outcomes of neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy without cerebral palsy were included. Read More