Notes

Glucosyl-hesperidin increases the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-inducing aftereffect of an environmentally friendly tea polyphenol EGCG.
Metallic nanogap dimers are extremely useful for enhancing surface-enhanced Raman scattering and various nonlinear optical effects employing near-field enhancement effects induced by the localized surface plasmon resonance. However, the metallic nanogap dimers exhibit an intense light scattering due to the strong dipole-dipole interaction between two metallic nanostructures and, therefore, are not necessarily a structural design that exhibits the highest near-field enhancement due to the radiation loss. Here, we propose further enhancement of the near-field on metallic nanogap dimers using quasi-dark plasmon modes. By coupling with gold (Au) nanorods having the same plasmon resonant wavelength, but completely different sizes, a quasi-dark plasmon mode, which reduces the radiation loss slightly, is induced, resulting in the elongation of the plasmon dephasing time. As a result, the signal of surface-enhanced Raman scattering of crystal violet molecules adsorbed on the Au nanogap dimer is enhanced up to about three times as compared to that measured using the Au nanogap dimer without the Au nanorods. Scattering spectrum measurements as well as electromagnetic simulations were performed to clarify the mechanism for further enhancement of the near-field. The proposed coupled plasmonic system is expected to be advantageous, especially in enhancing nonlinear optical effects using plasmonic enhancement effects.In experiments, atomic force microscopy technology was used to measure the modulus of the membrane. However, these studies mainly focus on the linear responsive behavior. In the present work, a theoretical study is performed to show the nonlinear responsive behavior, which includes the stretching induced structural transitions. It demonstrates that the structural transition of the bilayer membrane takes place during the stretching process of the mechanical probe. A vertical cylindrical micelle can be obtained by stretching the membrane under deep compression conditions, and the cylindrical micelle can grow continuously along the axial direction. Moreover, under shallow compression conditions, the probe pulls a spherical micelle from the membrane, and then, the membrane returns to flatness. A comprehensive study is performed to show the mechanism of the responsive behaviors of the structural transition during the compression and stretching processes. When the probe acts on the B-rich layer, it is more likely to pull out a regular micelle. However, when the probe acts on the bottom A-rich layer, complex vesicles are more likely to be pulled out from the bilayer membrane. This study provides a comprehensive diagram of the mechanical responsive behavior of the membrane, which would be a guide for an experiment of biomembranes and the design of new self-assembled structures.Coronavirus-19 (COVI-19) involves humans as well as animals and may cause serious damage to the respiratory tract, including the lung coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This pathogenic virus has been identified in swabs performed on the throat and nose of patients who suffer from or are suspected of the disease. When COVI-19 infect the upper and lower respiratory tract it can cause mild or highly acute respiratory syndrome with consequent release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6. The binding of COVI-19 to the Toll Like Receptor (TLR) causes the release of pro-IL-1β which is cleaved by caspase-1, followed by inflammasome activation and production of active mature IL-1β which is a mediator of lung inflammation, fever and fibrosis. Suppression of pro-inflammatory IL-1 family members and IL-6 have been shown to have a therapeutic effect in many inflammatory diseases, including viral infections. Cytokine IL-37 has the ability to suppress innate and acquired immune response and also has the capacity to inhibit inflammation by acting on IL-18Rα receptor. IL-37 performs its immunosuppressive activity by acting on mTOR and increasing the adenosine monophosphate (AMP) kinase. This cytokine inhibits class II histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and inflammation in inflammatory diseases by suppressing MyD88 and subsequently IL-1β, IL-6, TNF and CCL2. The suppression of IL-1β by IL-37 in inflammatory state induced by coronavirus-19 can have a new therapeutic effect previously unknown. Another inhibitory cytokine is IL-38, the newest cytokine of the IL-1 family members, produced by several immune cells including B cells and macrophages. IL-38 is also a suppressor cytokine which inhibits IL-1β and other pro-inflammatory IL-family members. IL-38 is a potential therapeutic cytokine which inhibits inflammation in viral infections including that caused by coronavirus-19, providing a new relevant strategy.Background Few cohort studies of pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa use rigorous gestational age dating and clinical phenotyping. As a result, incidence and risk factors of adverse birth outcomes are inadequately characterized. Methods The Zambian Preterm Birth Prevention Study (ZAPPS) is a prospective observational cohort established to investigate adverse birth outcomes at a referral hospital in urban Lusaka. This report describes ZAPPS phase I, enrolled August 2015 to September 2017. Women were followed through pregnancy and 42 days postpartum. At delivery, study staff assessed neonatal vital status, birthweight, and sex, and assigned a delivery phenotype. Primary outcomes were (1) preterm birth (PTB; delivery less then 37 weeks), (2) small-for-gestational-age (SGA; less then 10 th percentile weight-for-age at birth), and (3) stillbirth (SB; delivery of an infant without signs of life). Results ZAPPS phase I enrolled 1450 women with median age 27 years (IQR 23-32). Most participants (68%) were multiparous, of whom 41% reported a prior PTB and 14% reported a prior stillbirth. Twins were present in 3% of pregnancies, 3% of women had short cervix ( less then 25mm), 24% of women were HIV seropositive, and 5% were syphilis seropositive. Of 1216 (84%) retained at delivery, 15% were preterm, 18% small-for-gestational-age, and 4% stillborn. PTB risk was higher with prior PTB (aRR 1.88; 95%CI 1.32-2.68), short cervix (aRR 2.62; 95%CI 1.68-4.09), twins (aRR 5.22; 95%CI 3.67-7.43), and antenatal hypertension (aRR 2.04; 95%CI 1.43-2.91). SGA risk was higher with twins (aRR 2.75; 95%CI 1.81-4.18) and antenatal hypertension (aRR 1.62; 95%CI 1.16-2.26). SB risk was higher with short cervix (aRR 6.42; 95%CI 2.56-16.1). Conclusio ns This study confirms high rates of PTB, SGA, and SB among pregnant women in Lusaka, Zambia. Accurate gestational age dating and careful ascertainment of delivery data are critical to understanding the scope of adverse birth outcomes in low-resource settings. Copyright © 2020 Price JT et al.Background Many households in low-and-middle income countries face the additional burden of crippling out-of-pocket expenditure when faced with a diagnosis of life-limiting illness. Available evidence suggests that receipt of palliative care supports cost-savings for cancer-affected households. This study will explore the relationship between receipt of palliative care, total household out-of-pocket expenditure on health and wellbeing following a first-time diagnosis of advanced cancer at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. Protocol Patients and their primary family caregivers will be recruited at the time of cancer diagnosis. Data on healthcare utilisation, related costs, coping strategies and wellbeing will be gathered using new and existing questionnaires (the Patient-and-Carer Cancer Cost Survey, EQ-5D-3L and the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Score). Surveys will be repeated at one, three and six months after diagnosis. In the event of the patient's death, a brief five-item questioold level. Copyright © 2020 Bates MJ et al.Drug addiction is a recurrent, chronic brain disease. The existing treatment methods have limitations, such as poor adherence and inability to completely avoid relapse. Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (HINT1) is involved in many neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, pain, and drug dependence. Studies have confirmed that there is a genetic link between HINT1 and addictions such as nicotine and cocaine. However, there is no research on the role of HINT1 protein in morphine addiction at home and abroad. Thus, we designed this project by constructing different types of morphine addiction animal models, including conditioned place preference and behavioral sensitization. We comprehensively examined the participation of HINT1 protein in key brain regions associated with addiction, including prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, corpus striatum, and hippocampus, in different stages of different models. In addition, we used HINT1 knockout mice to establish the above models and physical dependence model to investigate the effect of HINT1 protein deletion on morphine addiction-related behaviors. We found that HINT1 has varying degrees of involvement in different stages of multiple addictive animal models. The absence of HINT1 can attenuate morphine-mediated addictive behavior to a certain extent and can alleviate the withdrawal symptoms of morphine. © 2020 Society for the Study of Addiction.Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common female endocrine disorder, is a prevalent cause of infertility. Hyperandrogenism is a key feature in PCOS, and is correlated with increased expression of VEGF and cytokines in the ovaries. We have previously shown that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), an endogenous protein, presents potent anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activities in the ovary and negates the effects of cytokines and VEGF. Additionally, PEDF plays a role in both pathophysiology and treatment of ovarian-hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), frequently seen in PCOS patients. We established hyperandrogenic-PCOS models, both in-vivo, using mice exposed prenatally to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and in-vitro, using human primary granulosa cells (hpGCs) and human granulosa cell line, (KGN). In PCOS-induced mice, the mRNA levels of IL-6, VEGF and AMH were higher than those of control; yet, treatment with rPEDF decreased these levels. Moreover, treating OHSS-induced PCOS-mice with rPEDF alleviated all OHSS symptoms. Stimulation of hpGCs with DHT resulted in downregulation of PEDF mRNA expression, concomitantly with a significant increase in IL-6 and IL-8 mRNAs expression. However, co-stimulation of DHT with rPEDF attenuated the increase in cytokines expression. The anti-inflammatory effect of PEDF was found to be mediated via PPARγ pathway. Our findings suggest that rPEDF treatment may normalize the ovarian angiogenic-inflammatory imbalance, induced by PCOS-associated hyperandrogenism. Moreover, the therapeutic potency of PEDF in preventing OHSS symptomes, offers a rationale for using PEDF as novel physiological treatment for PCOS sequels.The CYP2D subfamily catalyses the metabolism of about 25% of prescribed drugs, including the majority of antidepressants and antipsychotics. At present, the mechanism of hepatic CYP2D regulation remains largely unknown. click here This study investigated the role of sex steroid hormones in CYP2D regulation. For this purpose, Cyp2d22 expression was assessed in the distinct phases of the estrous cycle of normocyclic C57BL/6J (WT) female mice. Cyp2d22 was also evaluated in ovariectomised WT and CYP2D6-humanized (hCYP2D6) mice that received hormonal supplementation with either 17β-estradiol (E2) and/or progesterone. Comparisons were also made to male mice. The data revealed that hepatic Cyp2d22 mRNA, protein and activity levels were higher at estrous compared to the other phases of the estrous cycle, and ovariectomy repressed Cyp2d22 expression in WT mice. Tamoxifen, an antiestrogenic compound, also repressed hepatic Cyp2d22 via activation of GH/STAT5b and PI3k/AKT signalling pathways. Both hormones prevented the ovariectomy-mediated Cyp2d22 repression.
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