Fatty acid composition evaluation of abdominal adipose tissue using chemical shiftencoded MRI: Association with diabetes.

This study investigated the association between the fatty acid composition of abdominal adipose tissue in NAFLD patients using chemical shift-encoded MRI and the development of insulin resistance and T2DM. We enrolled 231 subjects with NAFLD who underwent both abdominal magnetic resonance spectroscopy and chemical shift-encoded MRI: comprising of 49 T2DM patients and 182 subjects without. MRI- and MRS-based liver fat fraction was measured from a circular region of interest on the right lobe of the liver.

In vivo gene delivery to immune cells.

Immune cell therapies are an emerging class of living drugs that rely on the delivery of therapeutic transgenes to enhance, modulate, or restore cell function, such as those that encode for tumor-targeting receptors or replacement proteins. However, many cellular immunotherapies are autologous treatments that are limited by high manufacturing costs, typical vein-to-vein time of 3-4 weeks, and severe immune-related adverse effects. To address these issues, different classes of gene delivery vehicles are being developed to target specific immune cell subsets in vivo to address the limitations of ex vivo manufacturing, modulate therapeutic responses in situ, and reduce on- and off-target toxicity.

Development of a Semi-Mechanistic Modeling Framework for Wet Bead Milling of Pharmaceutical Nanosuspensions.

This study aimed to develop a practical semi-mechanistic modeling framework to predict particle size evolution during wet bead milling of pharmaceutical nanosuspensions over a wide range of process conditions and milling scales. The model incorporates process parameters, formulation parameters, and equipment-specific parameters such as rotor speed, bead type, bead size, bead loading, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) mass, temperature, API loading, maximum bead volume, blade diameter, distance between blade and wall, and an efficiency parameter. The characteristic particle size quantiles, i.

Electrostatic Field in Contact-Electro-Catalysis Driven C-F Bond Cleavage of Perfluoroalkyl Substances.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent and toxic to human health. It is demanding for high-efficient and green technologies to remove PFASs from water. In this study, a novel PFAS treatment technology was developed, utilizing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles (1-5 μm) as the catalyst and a low frequency ultrasound (US, 40 kHz, 0.

An innovative optimized protocol for high-quality genomic DNA extraction from recalcitrant Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa, C.F. Gaertn) plant and its suitability for downstream applications.

Background: It is not always easy to find a universal protocol for the extraction of genomic DNA (gDNA) from plants. Extraction of gDNA from plants such as shea with a lot of polysaccharides in their leaves is done in two steps: a first step to remove the polysaccharides and a second step for the extraction of the gDNA. In this work, we designed a protocol for extracting high-quality gDNA from shea tree and demonstrate its suitability for downstream molecular applications.

Phage Milagro: a platform for engineering a broad host range virulent phage for .

infections are a significant concern in people with CF and other immunocompromising disorders, and are difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics due to their inherent drug resistance. Bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses, are now seen as a potential alternative therapy for these infections, but most of the naturally occurring phages are temperate and have narrow host ranges, which limit their utility as therapeutics. Here we describe the temperate phage Milagro and our efforts to engineer this phage into a potential therapeutic by expanding the phage host range and selecting for phage mutants that are strictly virulent.

Porous polypyrrole with a vesicle-like structure for efficient removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from water: Crucial role of porosity and morphology.

Herein, a vesicle-like and porous polypyrrole (pPPy) was fabricated by in suit self-template method to efficiently capture per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and the important role of porosity and morphology in PFAS removal was explored. Compared to solid PPy (sPPy), the porosity and vesicle-like morphology of pPPy endowed it with excellent properties such as large specific surface area (108.9 m/g vs.

NaF-Rich Multifunctional Layers toward Stable All-Solid-State Sodium Batteries.

NASICON oxide solid electrolytes are considered promising candidates for all-solid-state sodium batteries due to their extremely high ionic conductivity and favorable electrochemical stability. However, the practical application of NASICON electrolytes is greatly impeded by poor electrolyte-electrode interfacial contact and continuous sodium dendrite propagation. Herein, a NaF-rich multifunctional interface layer on the surface of a Na anode (Na@NaF-rich), containing NaF, amorphous carbon, and an unreacted C-F bond species, is developed in situ by the reaction between Na and commercial poly(tetrafluoroethylene).

First Report of Orobanche cumana on Coleus in Xinjiang, China.

Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides [L.] R.Br.

Association of Alternative Anticoagulation Strategies and Outcomes in Patients With Ischemic Stroke While Taking a Direct Oral Anticoagulant.

Background And Objectives: Ischemic stroke despite a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) is increasingly common and portends a high risk of subsequent ischemic stroke. The efficacy and safety of antithrombotic regimens after the condition are unclear. We aimed to compare the outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke despite DOACs with and without an alternative antithrombotic regimen and determine the risk factors of recurrent ischemic stroke while on anticoagulation.

Enhancement mechanism of magnetite on the ball-milling destruction of perfluorooctane sulfonate by iron.

Zero-valent iron (Fe) is commonly employed as an additive for the mechanochemical destruction (MCD) of organic pollutants. The poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (e.g.

A natural history study to track brain and spinal cord changes in individuals with Friedreich's ataxia: TRACK-FA study protocol.

Introduction: Drug development for neurodegenerative diseases such as Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is limited by a lack of validated, sensitive biomarkers of pharmacodynamic response in affected tissue and disease progression. Studies employing neuroimaging measures to track FRDA have thus far been limited by their small sample sizes and limited follow up. TRACK-FA, a longitudinal, multi-site, and multi-modal neuroimaging natural history study, aims to address these shortcomings by enabling better understanding of underlying pathology and identifying sensitive, clinical trial ready, neuroimaging biomarkers for FRDA.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Sequential Cyclization of -Boc Hydrazones with Propargylic Monofluoroalkynes via C-H Activation/C-F Cleavage for the Synthesis of Spiro[cyclobutane-1,9'-indeno[1,2-]indenes].

An effective rhodium(III) catalysis for the construction of valuable tetracyclic compounds is described herein. This domino process involving the C-H activation/[3 + 2] annulation/intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction sequences of simple and readily available -Boc hydrazones and propargylic monofluoroalkynes afforded fused tetracyclic spiro[cyclobutane-1,9'-indeno[1,2-]indenes] in moderate to good yields, featuring three C-C bond formation. Moreover, control experiments indicated that the C-H activation might be involved in the rate-determining step.

Direct Deoxyfluorination of Alcohols with KF as the Fluorine Source.

This report describes a method for the deoxyfluorination of alcohols with KF as the fluorine source via in situ generation of highly active CFSOF. Diverse functionalities, including halogen, nitro, ketone, ester, alkene, and alkyne, are well tolerated. Mild conditions, a short reaction time, and a wide substrate scope make this method an excellent choice for the construction of C-F bonds.

Receptor and Molecular Mechanism of AGGF1 Signaling in Endothelial Cell Functions and Angiogenesis.

Objective: Angiogenic factor AGGF1 (angiogenic factor with G-patch and FHA [Forkhead-associated] domain 1) promotes angiogenesis as potently as VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) and regulates endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, migration, specification of multipotent hemangioblasts and venous ECs, hematopoiesis, and vascular development and causes vascular disease Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome when mutated. However, the receptor for AGGF1 and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be defined.

Approach And Results: Using functional blocking studies with neutralizing antibodies, we identified [alpha]5[beta]1 as the receptor for AGGF1 on ECs.

Enhanced specificity of clinical high-sensitivity tumor mutation profiling in cell-free DNA via paired normal sequencing using MSK-ACCESS.

Circulating cell-free DNA from blood plasma of cancer patients can be used to non-invasively interrogate somatic tumor alterations. Here we develop MSK-ACCESS (Memorial Sloan Kettering - Analysis of Circulating cfDNA to Examine Somatic Status), an NGS assay for detection of very low frequency somatic alterations in 129 genes. Analytical validation demonstrated 92% sensitivity in de-novo mutation calling down to 0.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid by Mesoporous SbO/TiO Heterojunctions.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a typical perfluorinated carboxylic acid, is an emerging type of permanent organic pollutants that are regulated by the Stockholm Convention. The degradation of PFOA, however, is quite challenging largely due to the ultra-high stability of C-F bonds. Compared with other techniques, photocatalytic degradation offers the potential advantages of simple operation under mild conditions as well as exceptional decomposition and defluorination efficiency.

N-protein presents early in blood, dried blood and saliva during asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an unprecedented impact on societies and economies worldwide. There remains an ongoing need for high-performance SARS-CoV-2 tests which may be broadly deployed for infection monitoring. Here we report a highly sensitive single molecule array (Simoa) immunoassay in development for detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N-protein) in venous and capillary blood and saliva.

Rhodium-catalyzed coupling of arenes and fluorinated α-diazo diketones: synthesis of chromones.

Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed C-C coupling of heteroarenes and fluorinated α-diazo diketones has been realized for the facile synthesis of 3-arylchromones. The reaction proceeds via chelation-assisted C-H activation, carbene insertion, and uncatalyzed intramolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution, with C-F cleavage being accommodated in the nucleophilic aromatic substitution step. Three classes of heteroarenes have been defined with decent functional group tolerance.

Assessment of norfloxacin degradation induced by plasma-produced ozone using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

In this work, we employed surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculation to investigate the pathways/mechanisms of the norfloxacin degradation by oxygen plasma produced ozone. The main degradation products were analyzed by the spectroscopic method, which revealed the breakage of the C-F bond and fracture of piperazinyl and quinolone moieties. In particular, we showed that the main degradation pathway was defluorination of norfloxacin, and this process could be quantitatively assessed by our proposed SERS approach.

Aggreganoids A-F, Carbon-Bridged Sesquiterpenoid Dimers and Trimers from .

Six oligomeric sesquiterpenoids, aggreganoids A-F (-), were isolated from . Aggreganoid A () and B () are two unprecedented methine- or methylene-bridged sesquiterpenoid trimers possessing a unique C skeleton. Aggreganoids C-F (-) are the first examples of carbon-bridged disesquiterpenoids with a C or C skeleton in the plant kingdom.

Grayanane Diterpenoid Glucosides from the Leaves of Rhododendron micranthum and Their Bioactivities Evaluation.

Thirteen new grayanane diterpenoid glucosides, 3- epi-grayanoside B (1), micranthanosides A-E (2-6), 7α-hydroxygrayanoside C (7), micranthanoside F (8), 14β-acetyoxymicranthanoside F (9), micranthanoside G (10), 14- O-acetylmicranthanoside G (11), 14β-hydroxypieroside A (12), and micranthanoside H (13), and six known analogues (14-19) were isolated from the leaves of Rhododendron micranthum. The structures of 1-19 were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis, comparison with literature, and chemical methods. The absolute configurations of 3- epi-grayanoside B (1) and micranthanosides A (2) and C (4) were defined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

PTP1B inhibitory and cytotoxic C-24 epimers of Δ-24-hydroxy stigmastane-type steroids from the brown alga Dictyopteris undulata Holmes.

Ten stigmastane-type steroids bearing unusual Δ-24-hydroxy side chains, dictyopterisins A-J, including three pairs of C-24 epimers, dictyopterisins B/C, F/G, and I/J, were isolated from the brown alga Dictyopteris undulata Holmes, together with two previously reported analogues, (24S)- and (24R)-saringosterol. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, with their absolute configurations at the stereogenic center C-24 of the side chain being assigned by a direct comparison of H NMR data with those of related known compounds. The absolute configurations of the steroidal nuclei of dictyopterisins A, B, and H were determined using the modified Mosher's method.