Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder that impacts both the endocrine and metabolic systems, often resulting in infertility, obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of intestinal flora and its metabolites, particularly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in the development of PCOS, and to assess the effects of metformin therapy on these components. SCFA levels in fecal and blood samples from women with PCOS (n=69) and healthy controls (n=18) were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) for precise measurement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRegulatory cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) domains are widespread in proteins; however, difficulty in structure determination prevents a comprehensive understanding of the underlying regulation mechanism. Tetrameric microbial inorganic pyrophosphatase containing such domains (CBS-PPase) is allosterically inhibited by AMP and ADP and activated by ATP and cell alarmones diadenosine polyphosphates. Each CBS-PPase subunit contains a pair of CBS domains but binds cooperatively to only one molecule of the mono-adenosine derivatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeasonal influenza remains a serious global health problem, leading to high mortality rates among the elderly and individuals with comorbidities. Vaccination is generally accepted as the most effective strategy for influenza prevention. While current influenza vaccines are effective, they still have limitations, including narrow specificity for certain serological variants, which may result in a mismatch between vaccine antigens and circulating strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack Carbon (BC), formed by incomplete combustion, absorbs solar radiation and heats the atmosphere. We investigated the enhancement in optical absorption of BC due to coatings of water-soluble (WS) species in the polluted South Asian atmosphere. The BC Mass Absorption Cross-section (MAC; 678 nm) was estimated before and after removal of the WS components.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStructural transformations in the adsorption layer caused by an electric potential are investigated using the experimental data on the capacitance of a double electric layer for a rhenium electrode in molten sodium, potassium and cesium chlorides at 1093 K. Likening the double electric layer to a flat capacitor, as well as the effective length of the shielding of the electrode charge and changes in the charge sign depending on the applied potential are estimated. It is found that near the minimum potential of the capacitance curve, the shielding length decreases proportionally to the square of the potential due to the deformation of the double layer.
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