Unprecedented Cubic Mesomorphic Behaviour of Crown-Ether Functionalized Amphiphilic Cyclodextrins.

Amphiphilic supramolecular materials based on biodegradable cyclodextrins (CDs) have been known to self-assemble into different types of thermotropic liquid crystals, including smectic and hexagonal columnar mesophases. Previous studies on amphiphilic CDs bearing 14 aliphatic chains at the secondary face and 7 oligoethylene glycol (OEG) chains at the primary face showed that the stability of the mesophase can be rationally tuned through implementation of terminal functional groups to the OEG chains. Here, we report the syntheses of first examples of crown ether-functionalized amphiphilic cyclodextrins that unexpectedly form thermotropic bicontinuous cubic phases.

Solvation free energy in governing equations for DNA hybridization, protein-ligand binding, and protein folding.

This work examines the thermodynamics of model biomolecular interactions using a governing equation that accounts for the participation of bulk water in the equilibria. In the first example, the binding affinities of two DNA duplexes, one of nine and one of 10 base pairs in length, are measured and characterized by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) as a function of concentration. The results indicate that the change in solvation free energy that accompanies duplex formation (ΔG) is large and unfavorable.

Everything, altogether, all at once: Addressing data challenges when measuring speech intelligibility through entropy scores.

When investigating unobservable, complex traits, data collection and aggregation processes can introduce distinctive features to the data such as boundedness, measurement error, clustering, outliers, and heteroscedasticity. Failure to collectively address these features can result in statistical challenges that prevent the investigation of hypotheses regarding these traits. This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of the Bayesian beta-proportion generalized linear latent and mixed model (beta-proportion GLLAMM) (Rabe-Hesketh et al.

Synthesis and Inclusion Properties of a β-Cyclodextrin Heptaphosphoramidate.

In this study, we report a novel per-6-substituted β-cyclodextrin () featuring seven phosphoramidate moieties as an innovative host for inclusion. This structurally well-defined host has remarkable water solubility and was isolated in pure form. Analytical techniques such as NMR and ITC were used to probe the molecular interactions with different drug molecules.

Myocardial function, mechanics and work by echocardiography in adolescents with severe obesity.

Introduction: Obesity and its metabolic complications can impact the heart's structure and function in childhood, although demonstrating this impact has been challenging. New echocardiographic parameters such as left atrial strain (LAε) and left ventricular strain (LVε), as well as myocardial work (MW), could reveal subclinical alterations in cardiac function.

Objective: The aim is to evaluate the feasibility of these parameters in adolescents with severe obesity and explore their associations with body fat, metabolic comorbidities, and physical capacity.

Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests.

Tropical forests face increasing climate risk, yet our ability to predict their response to climate change is limited by poor understanding of their resistance to water stress. Although xylem embolism resistance thresholds (for example, [Formula: see text]) and hydraulic safety margins (for example, HSM) are important predictors of drought-induced mortality risk, little is known about how these vary across Earth's largest tropical forest. Here, we present a pan-Amazon, fully standardized hydraulic traits dataset and use it to assess regional variation in drought sensitivity and hydraulic trait ability to predict species distributions and long-term forest biomass accumulation.

Enumeration and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and particularly circulating cancer stem cells (cCSC), are prognostic biomarkers for different malignancies and may be detected using liquid biopsies. The ex vivo culture of cCSCs would provide valuable information regarding biological aggressiveness and would allow monitoring the adaptive changes acquired by the tumor in real time. In this prospective pilot study, we analyzed the presence of EpCAM CTCs using the IsoFlux system in the peripheral blood of 37 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Assessment of a consensus definition of obesity and metabolic health phenotypes in children at different pubertal stages.

Not all individuals with obesity develop metabolic complications, which has brought about the concepts of metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity (MHO/MUO). However, inconsistent definitions of these conditions have limited their understanding. We assessed whether a recently-proposed consensus definition for MHO/MUO correlates with adiposity and reflects metabolic risk parameters during puberty.

Generation of Chloroplast Molecular Markers to Differentiate and Its Hybrids as a First Approach to Its Reintroduction in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

is an endemic tree of Rapa Nui with religious and cultural relevance that despite being extinct in the wild, still persists in botanical gardens and private collections around the world. The authenticity of some toromiro trees has been questioned because the similarities among hybrid lines leads to misclassification of the species. The conservation program of toromiro has the objective of its reinsertion into Rapa Nui, but it requires the exact genotyping and certification of the selected plants in order to efficiently reintroduce the species.

Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests.

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots.

Pharmacokinetics of maslinic and oleanolic acids from olive oil - Effects on endothelial function in healthy adults. A randomized, controlled, dose-response study.

To date, pharmacokinetics of maslinic (MA) and oleanolic (OA) acids, at normal dietary intakes in humans, have not been evaluated, and data concerning their bioactive effects are scarce. We assessed MA and OA pharmacokinetics after ingestion of olive oils (OOs) with high and low triterpenic acid contents, and specifically the effect of triterpenes on endothelial function. We performed a double-blind, dose-response, randomized, cross-over nutritional intervention in healthy adults, and observed that MA and OA increased in biological fluids in a dose-dependent manner.

Activation of Transposable Elements in Immune Cells of Fibromyalgia Patients.

Advancements in nucleic acid sequencing technology combined with an unprecedented availability of metadata have revealed that 45% of the human genome constituted by transposable elements (TEs) is not only transcriptionally active but also physiologically necessary. Dysregulation of TEs, including human retroviral endogenous sequences (HERVs) has been shown to associate with several neurologic and autoimmune diseases, including Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). However, no study has yet addressed whether abnormal expression of these sequences correlates with fibromyalgia (FM), a disease frequently comorbid with ME/CFS.

[Fatalities by traffic in Maryland and Massachusetts evaluated in the context of a probabilistic random walk].

Introduction: The analysis of injuries caused by traffic from a physical and mathematical perspective can help improve road safety strategies. Objective: Predict the dynamics of traffic fatalities in the states of Maryland and Massachusetts for the years 2004 and 2014 in the context of probabilistic random walk. Methods: An analysis was made of the number of total fatalities caused by traffic per year, in the states of Maryland and Massachusetts between the years 1994-2003 and 1994-2013.

Epigenetic Components of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Uncover Potential Transposable Element Activation.

Purpose: Studies to determine epigenetic changes associated with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) remain scarce; however, current evidence clearly shows that methylation patterns of genomic DNA and noncoding RNA profiles of immune cells differ between patients and healthy subjects, suggesting an active role of these epigenetic mechanisms in the disease. The present study compares and contrasts the available ME/CFS epigenetic data in an effort to evidence overlapping pathways capable of explaining at least some of the dysfunctional immune parameters linked to this disease.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature evaluating the ME/CFS epigenome landscape was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria.

Unraveling the Molecular Determinants of Manual Therapy: An Approach to Integrative Therapeutics for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Application of protocols without parameter standardization and appropriate controls has led manual therapy (MT) and other physiotherapy-based approaches to controversial outcomes. Thus, there is an urgency to carefully define standard protocols that elevate physiotherapy treatments to rigorous scientific demands. One way in which this can be achieved is by studying gene expression and physiological changes that associate to particular, parameter-controlled, treatments in animal models, and translating this knowledge to properly designed, objective, quantitatively-monitored clinical trials (CTs).

The keys to successful TIPS in patients with portal vein thrombosis and cavernous transformation.

Portal vein thrombosis is a common complication in patients with cirrhosis. Anticoagulation involves a high risk of bleeding secondary to portal hypertension, so placing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) has become an alternative treatment for portal vein thrombosis. Three strategies for TIPS placement have been reported: 1) portal recanalization and conventional implantation of the TIPS through the jugular vein; 2) portal recanalization through percutaneous transhepatic/transsplenic) access; and (3) insertion of the TIPS between the suprahepatic vein and a periportal collateral vessel without portal recanalization.

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric determination of triterpenes in human fluids: Evaluation of markers of dietary intake of olive oil and metabolic disposition of oleanolic acid and maslinic acid in humans.

Olive oil is rich in several minor components like maslinic (MA) and oleanolic (OA) acids which have cardioprotective, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. In order to assess the health benefits in humans provided by the olive oil triterpenes (MA and OA), suitable analytical methods able to quantify the low concentrations expected in human fluids are required. In this study, the LC-MS/MS quantification of both OA and MA in plasma and urine has been evaluated.

Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome.

Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified.

The NUTRAOLEOUM Study, a randomized controlled trial, for achieving nutritional added value for olive oils.

Background: Virgin olive oil, a recognized healthy food, cannot be consumed in great quantities. We aim to assess in humans whether an optimized virgin olive oil with high phenolic content (OVOO, 429 mg/Kg) and a functional one (FOO), both rich in phenolic compounds (429 mg/Kg) and triterpenic acids (389 mg/kg), could provide health benefits additional to those supplied a by a standard virgin olive oil (VOO).

Methods/design: A randomized, double-blind, crossover, controlled study will be conducted.

Optimizing the management of patients with BCLC stage-B hepatocellular carcinoma: Modern surgical resection as a feasible alternative to transarterial chemoemolization.

Objective: To analyse the impact of liver resection (LR) in patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) within the Barcelona-Clinic-Liver-Cancer (BCLC)-B stage.

Methods: Analysis of patients with BCLC-B HCC treated with LR or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) between 2007 and 2012 in our hospital. Survival/recurrence analyses were performed by log-rank tests and Cox multivariate models.

Histologic study of the effects of chemoembolization with preloaded doxorubicin beads in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: To determine the degree of tumor necrosis in surgical specimens of hepatocellular carcinomas treated with microspheres preloaded with doxorubicin and to analyze the relationship between the degree of necrosis and a) morphologic factors and b) imaging biomarkers.

Material And Methods: We studied the livers of 21 patients who had undergone selective arterial chemoembolization with DC beads (Biocompatibles, UK) before receiving liver transplants.

Results: Imaging techniques detected 43 nodules (mean size, 25 mm).

Analysing the floral elements of the lost tree of Easter Island: a morphometric comparison between the remaining ex-situ lines of the endemic extinct species Sophora toromiro.

Sophora toromiro (Phil) Skottsb. is a species that has been extinct in its natural habitat Easter Island (Rapa Nui) for over 50 years. However, seed collections carried out before its extinction have allowed its persistence ex-situ in different botanical gardens and private collections around the world.