Drop splitting on hydrophobic wedge-shaped tips after central impact: effect of sharpness and wetting properties.

Drop impact on a wedged structure is a common phenomenon in daily life and industry. Although drop impact has been studied extensively since high-speed cameras have become available, little is known about drop impact on wedge tips of these structures. Here, we combine experiments and volume-of-fluid simulations to determine how velocity, the sharpness of the structure, and the surface wettability influence the outcome.

Sleep-wake variation in body temperature regulates tau secretion and correlates with CSF and plasma tau.

Sleep disturbance is bidirectionally associated with increased risks of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. While the sleep-wake cycle regulates interstitial and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau levels, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial given evidence indicates that tau pathology spreads through neuron-to-neuron transfer, involving the secretion and internalization of pathological tau forms.

β-hydroxybutyrate is a metabolic regulator of proteostasis in the aged and Alzheimer disease brain.

Loss of proteostasis is a hallmark of aging and Alzheimer disease (AD). We identify β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), a ketone body, as a regulator of protein solubility. βHB primarily provides ATP substrate during periods of reduced glucose availability, and regulates other cellular processes through protein interactions.

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in a patient with plasmodium vivax malaria: A case report.

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare life-threatening disorder characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, severe thrombocytopenia, and organ damage. We present the case of a 71-year-old man initially diagnosed with malaria-like symptoms and displaying markers of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, severe thrombocytopenia, renal injury, and neurological impairment. Despite antimalarial treatment, acquired TTP was suspected.

Proof of concept of the Universal Baby video innovation for early child development in Lima, Peru.

Objective: Community-based video interventions offer an effective and potentially scalable early interaction coaching tool for caregivers living in low resource settings. We tested the Universal Baby (UB) video innovation; an early interaction coaching tool using video sourced and produced locally with early child development (ECD) expert supervision.

Methods: This proof-of-concept study enrolled 40 caregivers of children ages 10-18 months assigned to intervention and control groups by health establishments in Carabayllo, Lima, Peru.

Sleep-wake body temperature regulates tau secretion in mice and correlates with CSF and plasma tau in humans.

The sleep-wake cycle regulates interstitial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau levels in both mouse and human by mechanisms that remain unestablished. Here, we reveal a novel pathway by which wakefulness increases extracellular tau levels in mouse and humans. In mice, higher body temperature (BT) associated with wakefulness and sleep deprivation increased CSF tau.

Control of spontaneous charging of sliding water drops by plasma-surface treatment.

Slide electrification is the spontaneous separation of electric charges at the rear of water drops sliding over solid surfaces. This study delves into how surfaces treated with a low-pressure plasma impact water slide electrification. Ar, O, and N plasma treatment reduced the drop charge and contact angles on glass, quartz, and SU-8 coated with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluoroctyltrichlorosilane (PFOTS), and polystyrene.

Methods for Biochemical Isolation of Insoluble Tau in Rodent Models of Tauopathies.

The intracellular accumulation of microtubule-associated protein tau is a characteristic feature of tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Formation of insoluble tau aggregates is initiated by the abnormal hyperphosphorylation and oligomerization of tau. Over the past decades, multiple transgenic rodent models mimicking tauopathies have been develop, showcasing this neuropathological hallmark.

Western Blot of Tau Protein from Mouse Brains Extracts: How to Avoid Signal Artifacts.

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein enriched in the axonal compartment. Its most well-known function is to bind and stabilize microtubules. In Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies, tau undergoes several abnormal post-translational modifications including hyperphosphorylation, conformational changes, oligomerization, and aggregation.

A Boron Scan of Ethyl Acetoacetate Leads to Versatile Building Blocks.

Discovered in the 19th century, ethyl acetoacetate has been central to the development of organic chemistry, including its pedagogy and applications. In this study, we present borylated derivatives of this venerable molecule. A boron handle has been installed at either - or -position of acetoacetate by homologation of acyl-MIDA (N-methyliminodiacetic acid) boronates with diazoacetates.

The Role of Attractive Non-Covalent Interactions in Peptide Macrocyclization.

The efficiency of macrocyclization reactions relies on the appropriate conformational preorganization of a linear precursor, ensuring that reactive ends are in spatial proximity prior to ring closure. Traditional peptide cyclization approaches that reduce the extent of terminal ion pairing often disfavor cyclization-conducive conformations and can lead to undesired cyclodimerization or oligomerization side reactions, particularly when they are performed without high dilution. To address this challenge, synthetic strategies that leverage attractive noncovalent interactions, such as zwitterionic attraction between chain termini during macrocyclization, offer a potential solution by reducing the entropic penalty associated with linear peptides adopting precyclization conformations.

Temperature-induced Artifacts in Tau Phosphorylation: Implications for Reliable Alzheimer's Disease Research.

In preclinical research on Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies, tau phosphorylation analysis is routinely employed in both cellular and animal models. However, recognizing the sensitivity of tau phosphorylation to various extrinsic factors, notably temperature, is vital for experimental accuracy. Hypothermia can trigger tau hyperphosphorylation, while hyperthermia leads to its dephosphorylation.

Advanced Technologies and Automation in mES Cell Workflow.

Gene targeting in mouse ES cells replaces or modifies genes of interest; conditional alleles, reporter knock-ins, and amino acid changes are common examples of how gene targeting is used. To streamline and increase the efficiency in our ES cell pipeline and decrease the timeline for mouse models produced via ES cells, automation is introduced in the pipeline. Below, we describe a novel and effective approach utilizing ddPCR, dPCR, automated DNA purification, MultiMACS, and adenovirus recombinase combined screening workflow that reduces the time between therapeutic target identification and experimental validation.

Integrating metagenomic binning with flux balance analysis to unravel syntrophies in anaerobic CO methanation.

Background: Carbon fixation through biological methanation has emerged as a promising technology to produce renewable energy in the context of the circular economy. The anaerobic digestion microbiome is the fundamental biological system operating biogas upgrading and is paramount in power-to-gas conversion. Carbon dioxide (CO) methanation is frequently performed by microbiota attached to solid supports generating biofilms.

Navigating complex peptide structures using macrocycle conformational maps.

Identification of turn motifs that are stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds can be useful in describing the conformation of peptide systems. However, this approach is somewhat insufficient for cyclic peptides because peptide regions that are not positioned within a hydrogen bond can be left with no description. Furthermore, non-regular secondary structures and other rarely-observed conformations can be left without detailed evaluation.

Hepatobiliary manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease: A practical approach.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are associated with various hepatobiliary disorders. They can occur at any moment in the course of the disease or associated with the treatment. The prevalence of liver dysfunction can reach up to 50% in different studies.

Charging of drops impacting onto superhydrophobic surfaces.

When neutral water drops impact and rebound from superhydrophobic surfaces, they acquire a positive electrical charge. To measure the charge, we analyzed the trajectory of rebounding drops in an external electric field by high-speed video imaging. Although this charging phenomenon has been observed in the past, little is known about the controlling parameters for the amount of drop charging.

Synthesis and Application of Constrained Amidoboronic Acids Using Amphoteric Boron-Containing Building Blocks.

Amidoboronic acid-containing peptidomimetics are an important class of scaffolds in chemistry and drug discovery. Despite increasing interest in boron-based enzyme inhibitors, constrained amidoboronic acids have received little attention due to the limited options available for their synthesis. We describe a new methodology to prepare both α- and β-amidoboronic acids that impose restrictions on backbone angles.

How water wets and self-hydrophilizes nanopatterns of physisorbed hydrocarbons.

Hypothesis: Weakly bound, physisorbed hydrocarbons could in principle provide a similar water-repellency as obtained by chemisorption of strongly bound hydrophobic molecules at surfaces.

Experiments: Here we present experiments and computer simulations on the wetting behaviour of water on molecularly thin, self-assembled alkane carpets of dotriacontane (n-CH or C32) physisorbed on the hydrophilic native oxide layer of silicon surfaces during dip-coating from a binary alkane solution. By changing the dip-coating velocity we control the initial C32 surface coverage and achieve distinct film morphologies, encompassing homogeneous coatings with self-organised nanopatterns that range from dendritic nano-islands to stripes.

Evaluation of serum omentin-1 and apelin concentrations in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

Introduction: Recent studies suggest a role of adipokines in the pathogenesis of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Omentin-1 and apelin are two recently identified adipokines that have been involved in the regulation of metabolic and inflammatory responses.

Aim: To investigate serum omentin-1 and apelin levels in patients with HS and to assess their associations with metabolic parameters, disease severity and HS risk.

Synthesis of Fluorinated Aminoalkylboronic Acids from Amphoteric α-Boryl Aldehydes.

Our ongoing search for underdeveloped functional group combinations has brought to light α-fluorinated aminoalkylboronic acids, a new class of molecules featuring the B-CF linkage. These compounds can now be generated from secondary amines and α-boryl aldehydes through electrophilic fluorination of boryl enamines or enamides. Fluorinated β-aminoalkylboronic acids show no signs of degradation under ambient conditions.

Patterns of congenital anomalies among individuals with trisomy 13 in Texas.

Few population-based studies have analyzed patterns of co-occurring birth defects among those with trisomy 13. We evaluated the frequency of all possible combinations of any one, two, three, or four additional co-occurring birth defects among 736 individuals with trisomy 13 using data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry for deliveries during 1999-2014. We calculated the observed-to-expected ratio for each combination, adjusting for the known tendency for birth defects to cluster non-specifically.

Illuminating the dark conformational space of macrocycles using dominant rotors.

Three-dimensional conformation is the primary determinant of molecular properties. The thermal energy available at room temperature typically equilibrates the accessible conformational states. Here, we introduce a method for isolating unique and previously understudied conformations of macrocycles.