Thiazole-Based IL-17 Inhibitors Discovered by Scaffold Morphing.

The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17) plays an important role in the body's defense against bacterial and fungal infections. However, overexpression of IL-17 has been associated with several diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, psoriasis, and even cancer. The role of IL-17 in psoriasis has been confirmed by clinical use of IL-17 antibodies, e.

Effects of nanomodified titanium surfaces considering bacterial colonization and viability of osteoblasts and fibroblasts.

This study investigates nanostructured titanium surfaces (Ti2 spikes) that promote the viability of osteoblasts and fibroblasts and prevent bacterial colonisation. Helium ion irradiation was adopted to produce nanometric-sized cones on titanium. Human osteoblasts (hFOB) and human gingiva fibroblasts (hGF) were used for analysis.

Novel Titanium Nanospike Structure Using Low-Energy Helium Ion Bombardment for the Transgingival Part of a Dental Implant.

Aim(s): The aim of the study was to fabricate a nanospike surface on a titanium alloy surface using a newly established method of low-energy helium ion bombardment. Various methods to achieve nanospike formation on titanium have been introduced recently, and their antibacterial properties have been mainly investigated with respect to and . Oral pathogens such as play an important role in the development of peri-implantitis.

Transoid-to-Cisoid Conformation Changes of Single Molecules on Surfaces Triggered by Metal Coordination.

Conformational isomers are stereoisomers that can interconvert over low potential barriers by rotation around a single bond. However, such bond rotation is hampered by geometrical constraints when molecules are adsorbed on surfaces. Here, we show that the adsorption of 4,4'-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine molecules on surfaces leads to the appearance of prochiral single molecules on NiO(001) and to enantiopure supramolecular domains on Au(111) surfaces containing the transoid-molecule conformation.

Plasma-assisted catalytic formation of ammonia in N-H plasma on a tungsten surface.

Plasma catalysis has drawn attention in the past few decades as a possible alternative to the Haber-Bosch process for ammonia production. In particular, radio frequency plasma assisted catalysis has the advantage of its adaptability to the industrial scale. However, in the past years, very few experimental studies have focused on the synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen/hydrogen radio frequency plasma.

Valence band behaviour of zirconium oxide, Photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy study.

In this study X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy were combined to investigate the effect of oxygen incorporation on the valence band behaviour of ZrO. The Auger transitions involving valence bands are found to mimic the self-folded density of state measured using Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The valence band once constructed in a sub-oxide form, stays at a fixed energy position despite the change in the stoichiometry.

Nanostructuring of an alkali halide surface by low temperature plasma exposure.

Templating insulating surfaces at the nanoscale is an interesting prospect for applications that involve the adsorption of molecules or nanoparticles where electronic decoupling of the adsorbed species from the substrate is needed. In this study, we present a method to structure alkali halide surfaces at the nanoscale using a combination of low temperature plasma exposure and annealing, and characterize the surfaces by atomic force microscopy. We find that nanostructurating can be controlled by the duration of the exposure, the atomic mass of the plasma gas and the subsequent step-by-step annealing process.

Surface chemistry of rare-earth oxide surfaces at ambient conditions: reactions with water and hydrocarbons.

Rare-earth (RE) oxide surfaces are of significant importance for catalysis and were recently reported to possess intrinsic hydrophobicity. The surface chemistry of these oxides in the low temperature regime, however, remains to a large extent unexplored. The reactions occurring at RE surfaces at room temperature (RT) in real air environment, in particular, in presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were not addressed until now.

Blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure in male teenagers.

Purpose: Adolescents prefer sleep and wake times that are considerably delayed compared with younger children or adults. Concomitantly, multimedia use in the evening is prevalent among teenagers and involves light exposure, particularly in the blue-wavelength range to which the biological clock and its associated arousal promotion system is the most sensitive. We investigated whether the use of blue light-blocking glasses (BB) during the evening, while sitting in front of a light-emitting diode (LED) computer screen, favors sleep initiating mechanisms at the subjective, cognitive, and physiological level.

Morphological changes of tungsten surfaces by low-flux helium plasma treatment and helium incorporation via magnetron sputtering.

The effect of helium on the tungsten microstructure was investigated first by exposure to a radio frequency driven helium plasma with fluxes of the order of 1 × 10(19) m(-2) s(-1) and second by helium incorporation via magnetron sputtering. Roughening of the surface and the creation of pinholes were observed when exposing poly- and nanocrystalline tungsten samples to low-flux plasma. A coating process using an excess of helium besides argon in the process gas mixture leads to a porous thin film and a granular surface structure whereas gas mixture ratios of up to 50% He/Ar (in terms of their partial pressures) lead to a dense structure.

Acute exposure to evening blue-enriched light impacts on human sleep.

Light in the short wavelength range (blue light: 446-483 nm) elicits direct effects on human melatonin secretion, alertness and cognitive performance via non-image-forming photoreceptors. However, the impact of blue-enriched polychromatic light on human sleep architecture and sleep electroencephalographic activity remains fairly unknown. In this study we investigated sleep structure and sleep electroencephalographic characteristics of 30 healthy young participants (16 men, 14 women; age range 20-31 years) following 2 h of evening light exposure to polychromatic light at 6500 K, 2500 K and 3000 K.

Pure hydrogen low-temperature plasma exposure of HOPG and graphene: Graphane formation?

Single- and multilayer graphene and highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) were exposed to a pure hydrogen low-temperature plasma (LTP). Characterizations include various experimental techniques such as photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy. Our photoemission measurement shows that hydrogen LTP exposed HOPG has a diamond-like valence-band structure, which suggests double-sided hydrogenation.

Palladium-catalyzed cyanomethylation of aryl halides through domino Suzuki coupling-isoxazole fragmentation.

A one-pot protocol for the cyanomethylation of aryl halides through a palladium-catalyzed reaction with isoxazole-4-boronic acid pinacol ester was developed. Mechanistically, the reaction proceeds through (1) Suzuki coupling, (2) base-induced fragmentation, and (3) deformylation as shown by characterization of all postulated intermediates. Under optimized conditions (PdCl(2)dppf, KF, DMSO/H(2)O, 130 °C) a broad spectrum of aryl bromides could be converted into arylacetonitriles with up to 88% yield.

Non-visual effects of light on melatonin, alertness and cognitive performance: can blue-enriched light keep us alert?

Background: Light exposure can cascade numerous effects on the human circadian process via the non-imaging forming system, whose spectral relevance is highest in the short-wavelength range. Here we investigated if commercially available compact fluorescent lamps with different colour temperatures can impact on alertness and cognitive performance.

Methods: Sixteen healthy young men were studied in a balanced cross-over design with light exposure of 3 different light settings (compact fluorescent lamps with light of 40 lux at 6500K and at 2500K and incandescent lamps of 40 lux at 3000K) during 2 h in the evening.

Wavelength-dependent effects of evening light exposure on sleep architecture and sleep EEG power density in men.

Light strongly influences the circadian timing system in humans via non-image-forming photoreceptors in the retinal ganglion cells. Their spectral sensitivity is highest in the short-wavelength range of the visible light spectrum as demonstrated by melatonin suppression, circadian phase shifting, acute physiological responses, and subjective alertness. We tested the impact of short wavelength light (460 nm) on sleep EEG power spectra and sleep architecture.

High sensitivity of human melatonin, alertness, thermoregulation, and heart rate to short wavelength light.

Light can elicit acute physiological and alerting responses in humans, the magnitude of which depends on the timing, intensity, and duration of light exposure. Here, we report that the alerting response of light as well as its effects on thermoregulation and heart rate are also wavelength dependent. Exposure to 2 h of monochromatic light at 460 nm in the late evening induced a significantly greater melatonin suppression than occurred with 550-nm monochromatic light, concomitant with a significantly greater alerting response and increased core body temperature and heart rate ( approximately 2.