Highly Luminescent TCNQ in Melamine.

Optical properties of molecules change drastically as a result of interactions with surrounding environments as observed in solutions, clusters, and aggregates. Here, we make 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) highly luminescent by encapsulating it in crystalline melamine. Colored single crystals are synthesized by slow evaporation of aqueous tetrahydrofuran solutions of melamine and TCNQ.

Bacteria degrading both n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons are prevalent in soils.

This study was undertaken to determine the distribution of soil bacteria capable of utilizing both n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons. These microorganisms have not been comprehensively investigated so far. Ten contaminated (4046-43,861 mg of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) kg of dry weight of soil) and five unpolluted (320-2754 mg TPH kg of dry weight of soil) soil samples from temperate, arid, and Alpine soils were subjected to isolation of degraders with extended preferences and shotgun metagenomic sequencing (selected samples).

Oil-Contaminated Soil Remediation with Biodegradation by Autochthonous Microorganisms and Phytoremediation by Maize ().

Biological methods are currently the most commonly used methods for removing hazardous substances from land. This research work focuses on the remediation of oil-contaminated land. The biodegradation of aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAHs as a result of inoculation with biopreparations B1 and B2 was investigated.

Intratumor heterogeneity in colorectal cancer: Distribution of tumor suppressor gene variants with regard to patient lymph node status.

Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) results from accumulation of somatic mutations in the fractions of successive cancer cell generations. We aimed to use deep sequencing to investigate ITH in colorectal tumors with particular emphasis on variants in oncogenes (ONC) and tumor suppressor genes (TSG). Samples were collected from 16 patients with colorectal cancer and negative or positive lymph node status (n = 8 each).

Expression of micro-ribonucleic acids in thyroid nodules and serum to discriminate between follicular adenoma and cancer in patients with a fine needle aspiration biopsy classified as suspicious for follicular neoplasm: A preliminary study.

Background: Approximately 10% of thyroid nodules undergoing fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) receive a suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN) classification. Currently, there is no diagnostic tool to preoperatively discriminate between follicular adenoma (FA) and thyroid cancer (TC), and most patients require surgery to exclude malignancy.

Objectives: To characterize the micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA) signature of tumors assessed as SFN and define circulating miRNA patterns to distinguish FA from follicular cancer in patients with thyroid nodules biopsied using FNAB.

MicroRNA composition of plasma extracellular vesicles: a harbinger of late cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin.

Background: The use of doxorubicin is associated with an increased risk of acute and long-term cardiomyopathy. Despite the constantly growing number of cancer survivors, little is known about the transcriptional mechanisms which progress in the time leading to a severe cardiac outcome. It is also unclear whether long-term transcriptomic alterations related to doxorubicin use are similar to transcriptomic patterns present in patients suffering from other cardiomyopathies.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Biopreparation in Combination with the Polymer γ-PGA for the Biodegradation of Petroleum Contaminants in Soil.

Biodegradation is a method of effectively removing petroleum hydrocarbons from the natural environment. This research focuses on the biodegradation of aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoaromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and all three xylene isomers (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a result of soil inoculation with a biopreparation A1 based on autochthonous microorganisms and a biopreparation A1 with the addition of γ-PGA. The research used biopreparation A1 made of the following strains: sp.

Presentation Attack Detection on Limited-Resource Devices Using Deep Neural Classifiers Trained on Consistent Spectrogram Fragments.

The presented paper is concerned with detection of presentation attacks against unsupervised remote biometric speaker verification, using a well-known challenge-response scheme. We propose a novel approach to convolutional phoneme classifier training, which ensures high phoneme recognition accuracy even for significantly simplified network architectures, thus enabling efficient utterance verification on resource-limited hardware, such as mobile phones or embedded devices. We consider Deep Convolutional Neural Networks operating on windows of speech Mel-Spectrograms as a means for phoneme recognition, and we show that one can boost the performance of highly simplified neural architectures by modifying the principle underlying training set construction.

Mutation search within monogenic diabetes genes in Polish patients with long-term type 1 diabetes and preserved kidney function.

Introduction: Some patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) are free from advanced complications despite long‑standing disease. These patients may be carriers of gene mutations responsible for maturity‑onset diabetes of the young and may have been misdiagnosed with T1DM.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of patients with long‑term T1DM, without advanced microvascular complications, and with well‑preserved kidney function.

Herbaceous plant species support soil microbial performance in deciduous temperate forests.

Although herbaceous plant layer may contribute significantly to plant diversity and nutrient turnover, its effects on the soil environment in forest ecosystems remain largely unexplored. In this study, we compared the effects of mono-dominant and multi-species assemblages of herb plants on soil physicochemical and microbial properties in two temperate deciduous (beech and riparian) forests. We hypothesized that the presence of herbaceous plants would increase microbial activity and biomass, and nutrient availability in soil when compared to bare soil.

Functional traits predict resident plant response to invasion in riparian and fallow communities in southern Poland.

is one of the most harmful invasive species in the world, dramatically reducing the diversity of resident vegetation. To mitigate the impact of on ecosystems and properly manage affected areas, understanding the mechanisms behind this plant's invasive success is imperative. This study aimed to comprehensively analyse plant communities invaded by , taking into account species traits, habitat conditions and seasonal variability, and to determine the ecological profile of species that withstand the invader's pressure.

Status of CHEK2 and p53 in patients with early-onset and conventional gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer-associated death. Based on the age at diagnosis, GC is divided into early-onset GC (EOGC; ≤45 years) and conventional GC (CGC; >45 years). Mutations in the cell cycle checkpoint kinase 2 () and genes are associated with several types of cancer; however, their genetic defects in GC remain poorly understood.

Invasive plant Reynoutria japonica produces large amounts of phenolic compounds and reduces the biomass but not activity of soil microbial communities.

Reynoutria japonica is one of the most invasive plant species. Its success in new habitats may be associated with the release of secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was to compare phenolic concentrations in plant biomass and soils between plots with R.

The transcriptome-wide association search for genes and genetic variants which associate with BMI and gestational weight gain in women with type 1 diabetes.

Background: Clinical data suggest that BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) are strongly interconnected phenotypes; however, the genetic basis of the latter is rather unclear. Here we aim to find genes and genetic variants which influence BMI and/or GWG.

Methods: We have genotyped 316 type 1 diabetics using Illumina Infinium Omni Express Exome-8 v1.

The Gut Microbiota Profile According to Glycemic Control in Type 1 Diabetes Patients Treated with Personal Insulin Pumps.

Recently, several studies explored associations between type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and microbiota. The aim of our study was to assess the colonic microbiota structure according to the metabolic control in T1DM patients treated with insulin pumps. We studied 89 T1DM patients (50.

Next-Generation Sequencing as a Tool to Detect Vaginal Microbiota Disturbances during Pregnancy.

The physiological microbiota of the vagina is responsible for providing a protective barrier, but Some factors can disturb the balance in its composition. At that time, the amounts of the genus decrease, which may lead to the development of infection and severe complications during pregnancy. The aim of the study was the analysis of the bacterial composition of the vagina in 32 Caucasian women at each trimester of pregnancy using the next-generation sequencing method and primers targeting V3-V4 regions.

Functional Assay to Correlate Protein Oligomerization States with Membrane Pore Formation.

In-membrane oligomerization is decisive for the function (or dysfunction) of many proteins. Techniques were developed to characterize membrane-inserted oligomers and the hereby obtained oligomerization states were intuitively related to the function of these proteins. However, in many cases, it is unclear whether the obtained oligomerization states are functionally relevant or are merely the consequence of nonspecific aggregation.

High-Throughput Sequencing of Gastric Cancer Patients: Unravelling Genetic Predispositions Towards an Early-Onset Subtype.

Background: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death. Currently, it is broadly accepted that the molecular complexity and heterogeneity of gastric cancer, both inter- and intra-tumor, display important barriers for finding specific biomarkers for the early detection and diagnosis of this malignancy. Early-onset gastric cancer is not as prevalent as conventional gastric carcinoma, but it is a preferable model for studying the genetic background, as young patients are less exposed to environmental factors, which influence cancer development.

Mitochondrial GWAS and association of nuclear - mitochondrial epistasis with BMI in T1DM patients.

Background: BMI is a strong indicator of complications from type I diabetes, especially under intensive treatment.

Methods: We have genotyped 435 type 1 diabetics using Illumina Infinium Omni Express Exome-8 v1.4 arrays and performed mitoGWAS on BMI.

Photonic crystal cavity-enhanced emission from silicon vacancy centers in polycrystalline diamond achieved without postfabrication fine-tuning.

Diamond optical centers have recently emerged as promising single-photon sources for quantum photonics. Particularly, negatively charged silicon vacancy (SiV-) centers show great promise due to their narrow zero-phonon emission line present also at room temperature. However, due to fabrication tolerances it is challenging to prepare directly photonic structures with optical modes spectrally matching the emission of SiV- centers.

Negative pressure wound therapy affects circulating plasma microRNAs in patients with diabetic foot ulceration.

Aims: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is commonly used in diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). The molecular mechanisms of NPWT action, particularly outside of the wound site, have not been described. We assessed NPWT's effect on circulating miRNA expression levels in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients with DFU.

Effects of rivaroxaban and dabigatran on local expression of coagulation and inflammatory factors within human aortic stenotic valves.

Background: Treatment with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) such as dabigatran (a direct thrombin inhibitor) or rivaroxaban (a direct inhibitor of factor [F] Xa) attenuates atherosclerotic plaque progression in hypercholesterolemic mice.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of NOACs application on the expression of coagulation proteins in loco within stenotic aortic valves and in valve interstitial cells (VICs) from patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS).

Methods: Primary cultures of VICs obtained from 90 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement were stimulated with TNF-α (50 ng/mL) and pre-treated with rivaroxaban (1 and 10 ng/mL) or dabigatran (25 and 250 ng/mL).