Siloxane Containing Polyether Groups-Synthesis and Use as an Anti-Biocorrosion Coating.

In the presented study, the effectiveness of a siloxane polyether (HOL7) coating on glass against microbiological colonization was assessed using microalgae as a key component of widespread aerial biofilms. The siloxane polyether was successfully synthesized by a hydrosilylation reaction in the presence of Karstedt's catalyst. The product structure was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and GPC analysis.

Artificial intelligence for ultrasound scanning in regional anaesthesia: a scoping review of the evidence from multiple disciplines.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) for ultrasound scanning in regional anaesthesia is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. There is a risk that work could be undertaken in parallel by different elements of the community but with a lack of knowledge transfer between disciplines, leading to repetition and diverging methodologies. This scoping review aimed to identify and map the available literature on the accuracy and utility of AI systems for ultrasound scanning in regional anaesthesia.

Insulin Prevents Hypercholesterolemia by Suppressing 12α-Hydroxylated Bile Acids.

Background: The risk of cardiovascular disease in type 1 diabetes remains extremely high, despite marked advances in blood glucose control and even the widespread use of cholesterol synthesis inhibitors. Thus, a deeper understanding of insulin regulation of cholesterol metabolism, and its disruption in type 1 diabetes, could reveal better treatment strategies.

Methods: To define the mechanisms by which insulin controls plasma cholesterol levels, we knocked down the insulin receptor, FoxO1, and the key bile acid synthesis enzyme, CYP8B1.

Effect of Spontaneous and Water-Based Passivation on Components and Parameters of Ti6Al4V (ELI Grade) Surface Tension and Its Wettability by an Aqueous Solution of Sucrose Ester Surfactants.

Solid wettability is especially important for biomaterials and implants in the context of microbial adhesion to their surfaces. This adhesion can be inhibited by changes in biomaterial surface roughness and/or its hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance. The surface hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance can be changed by the specifics of the surface treatment (proper conditions of surface preparation) or adsorption of different substances.

Thermodynamic Analysis of Trisiloxane Surfactant Adsorption and Aggregation Processes.

The trisiloxane polyether surfactant (3-[3-(hydroxy)(polyethoxy)propyl]-1,1,1,3,5,5,5 -heptamethyltrisiloxane) (TS-EO12) was successfully synthesized by a hydrosilylation reaction in the presence of Karstedt catalyst. The structural analysis of the surfactant was done by H-NMR, C-NMR, Si-NMR and FT-IR analysis. In addition the thermal stability of TS-EO12 was studied by the thermogravimetric measurements.

Markers of cholesterol synthesis are elevated in adolescents and young adults with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Changes in cholesterol absorption and cholesterol synthesis may promote dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Objective: To assess cholesterol synthesis and absorption in lean individuals, obese individuals, and individuals with T2DM.

Methods: We measured lathosterol and lanosterol (markers of cholesterol synthesis) as well as campesterol and β-sitosterol (markers of cholesterol absorption) in the serum of 15 to 26 years old individuals with T2DM (n = 95), as well as their lean (n = 98) and obese (n = 92) controls.

Temperature Effect on the Adsorption and Volumetric Properties of Aqueous Solutions of KolliphorELP.

Density, viscosity and surface tension of Kolliphor ELP, the nonionic surfactant aqueous solutions were measured at temperature T = 293-318 K and at 5K interval. Steady-state fluorescence measurements have been also made using pyrene as a probe. On the basis of the obtained results, a number of thermodynamic, thermo-acoustic and anharmonic parameters of the studied surfactant have been evaluated and interpreted in terms of structural effects and solute-solvent interactions.

Type 1 diabetes is associated with an increase in cholesterol absorption markers but a decrease in cholesterol synthesis markers in a young adult population.

Background: To optimize treatment and prevent cardiovascular disease in subjects with type 1 diabetes, it is important to determine how cholesterol metabolism changes with type 1 diabetes.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare plasma levels of campesterol and β-sitosterol, markers of cholesterol absorption, as well as lathosterol, a marker of cholesterol synthesis, in youth with and without type 1 diabetes.

Methods: Serum samples were obtained from adolescent subjects with type 1 diabetes (n = 175, mean age 15.

Solid Wettability Modification via Adsorption of Antimicrobial Sucrose Fatty Acid Esters and Some Other Sugar-Based Surfactants.

Solid⁻liquid interface properties play a crucial role in the adsorption and adhesion of different microorganisms to the solid. There are some methods to inhibit microorganisms’ adsorption at the solid⁻liquid interface and their adhesion to the solid. These methods can be divided into bulk phase and surface modification.

Macroscopic and Microscopic Properties of Some Surfactants and Biosurfactants.

The adsorption of surfactants at the water-air and solid-water interfaces and their wetting properties decide their practical applications. Therefore the adsorption of monorhamnolipid, surfactin, -octyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, -dodecyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, -dodecyl-β-d-maltoside, sucrose monodecanoate, sucrose monododecanoate, Tween 20, Tween 60, and Tween 80 at the water-air, polytetrafluoroethylene-water, polyethylene-water, poly(methyl methacrylate)-water, polyamide-water, and quartz-water interfaces, their tendency to form micelles as well as their wetting properties, were considered in the light of their microscopic properties. For this purpose, the components and parameters of the surfactant tail and head, water and solids surface tension, and surfactant contactable area with adherent medium were applied for prediction of surfactant-surfactant and surfactant-solid interactions through the water phase with regard to their adsorption, micellization, and wetting processes.

Variability of nutritional practices in peritransplant period after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a survey by the Complications and Quality of Life Working Party of the EBMT.

Recommendations on screening and nutritional support for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have been presented by international nutritional societies, but nutritional practices remain poorly standardized. Following the general policy of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) to standardize transplantation procedures, the Complications and Quality of Life Working Party and Nursing Research Group carried out a survey among all EBMT centers about their current nutritional practices. The aim of this study was to better understand current practices, differences from available guidelines, and possible barriers for recommended nutritional therapy.

Bio-based succinate from sucrose: High-resolution C metabolic flux analysis and metabolic engineering of the rumen bacterium Basfia succiniciproducens.

Succinic acid is a platform chemical of recognized industrial value and accordingly faces a continuous challenge to enable manufacturing from most attractive raw materials. It is mainly produced from glucose, using microbial fermentation. Here, we explore and optimize succinate production from sucrose, a globally applied substrate in biotechnology, using the rumen bacterium Basfia succiniciproducens DD1.

Nutritional Status of Hematological Patients before Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and in Early Posttransplantation Period.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an aggressive method of treatment affecting patient's homeostasis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the initial nutritional status of HSCT patients and nutritional status in early posttransplantation period. The prospective study included 100 consecutive patients with hematological malignancies subjected to HSCT.

Amylin receptor activation in the ventral tegmental area reduces motivated ingestive behavior.

Amylin is produced in the pancreas and the brain, and acts centrally to reduce feeding and body weight. Recent data show that amylin can act in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to reduce palatable food intake and promote negative energy balance, but the behavioral mechanisms by which these effects occur are not fully understood. The ability of VTA amylin signaling to reduce intake of specific palatable macronutrients (fat or carbohydrate) was tested in rats in several paradigms, including one-bottle acceptance tests, two-bottle choice tests, and a free-choice diet.

Daily supplementation of dietary protein improves the metabolic effects of GLP-1-based pharmacotherapy in lean and obese rats.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone released from intestinal L-cells in response to food entering into the gastrointestinal tract. GLP-1-based pharmaceuticals improve blood glucose regulation and reduce feeding. Specific macronutrients, when ingested, may trigger GLP-1 secretion and enhance the effects of systemic sitagliptin, a pharmacological inhibitor of DPP-IV (an enzyme that rapidly degrades GLP-1).

Amylin Acts in the Lateral Dorsal Tegmental Nucleus to Regulate Energy Balance Through Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Signaling.

Background: The pancreatic- and brain-derived hormone amylin promotes negative energy balance and is receiving increasing attention as a promising obesity therapeutic. However, the neurobiological substrates mediating amylin's effects are not fully characterized. We postulated that amylin acts in the lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg), an understudied neural processing hub for reward and homeostatic feeding signals.

Hindbrain DPP-IV inhibition improves glycemic control and promotes negative energy balance.

The beneficial glycemic and food intake-suppressive effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) have made this neuroendocrine system a leading target for pharmacological approaches to the treatment of diabetes and obesity. One strategy to increase the activity of endogenous GLP-1 is to prevent the rapid degradation of the hormone by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). However, despite the expression of both DPP-IV and GLP-1 in the brain, and the clear importance of central GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) signaling for glycemic and energy balance control, the metabolic effects of central inhibition of DPP-IV activity are unclear.

Long-Term Effect of Body Mass Index Changes on Graft Damage Markers in Patients After Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Both adiposity and underweight are negatively associated with graft and patient survival after kidney transplantation (KTx). The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the changes in body mass index (BMI) after KTx and their relations with graft damage markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS The anthropometric measurements of body mass and height were performed in 92 consecutive deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (37 F; 55 M) from a single transplant center.

Astrocytes Regulate GLP-1 Receptor-Mediated Effects on Energy Balance.

Unlabelled: Astrocytes are well established modulators of extracellular glutamate, but their direct influence on energy balance-relevant behaviors is largely understudied. As the anorectic effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are partly mediated by central modulation of glutamatergic signaling, we tested the hypothesis that astrocytic GLP-1R signaling regulates energy balance in rats. Central or peripheral administration of a fluorophore-labeled GLP-1R agonist, exendin-4, localizes within astrocytes and neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), a hindbrain nucleus critical for energy balance control.

Metabolic and nutritional aspects of cancer.

Cancer, being in fact a generalized disease involving the whole organism, is most frequently associated with metabolic deregulation, a latent inflammatory state and anorexia of various degrees. The pathogenesis of this disorder is complex, with multiple dilemmas remaining unsolved. The clinical consequences of the above-mentioned disturbances include cancer-related cachexia and anorexia-cachexia syndrome.

Heterologous expression and engineering studies of labyrinthopeptins, class III lantibiotics from Actinomadura namibiensis.

Labyrinthopeptins are class III lantibiotics produced by the actinomycete Actinomadura namibiensis. The most characteristic structural feature is the posttranslationally installed triamino triacid labionin with a quaternary α-carbon. In addition to the unique structure, labyrinthopeptin A2 possess remarkable antiviral and antiallodynic biological activities.

Radon concentrations in kindergartens and schools in two cities: Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland.

Plastic PicoRad detectors with activated charcoal have been used for radon monitoring in local kindergartens and schools in two cities, Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski, in the region of Greater Poland. Detectors were exposed for a standard time of 48 h during the autumn and winter of 2011 in 103 rooms (Kalisz) and 55 rooms (Ostrów Wlkp), respectively. The detectors were calibrated in the certified radon chamber of the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection in Warsaw, Poland.

Relationship between lipid peroxidation or carcinoembryonic antigen and risk factors for non-communicable diseases in women at midlife and beyond.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitute leading cause of morbidity, disability and premature mortality. Oxidative processes are involved in the pathogenesis of NCDs.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between lipid peroxidation (LPO), an index of oxidative damage to membrane lipids, or carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a tumor marker, and potential risk factors for NCDs in women at midlife and beyond.

Characterization of new class III lantibiotics--erythreapeptin, avermipeptin and griseopeptin from Saccharopolyspora erythraea, Streptomyces avermitilis and Streptomyces griseus demonstrates stepwise N-terminal leader processing.

Lantibiotics are a large group of ribosomally synthesized peptides post-translationally modified to incorporate the amino acid lanthionine. They are classified, according to their biosynthetic pathway and bioactivity, into three major subtypes. Of Actinomycetes type III lantibiotics, only four peptides (SapB, SapT, LabA1, and LabA2) have been described and structurally characterized, although homologous gene clusters are abundant in other Actinomycetes.