Synthesis and biological evaluation of sugar-modified truncated carbanucleosides as A and A adenosine receptor ligands to explore conformational effect to the receptors.

This study investigated the impact of conformation on the binding affinity of carbanucleosides to A and A adenosine receptors (ARs). A series of nucleosides, including saturated, unsaturated, North (N)-methano, and South (S)-methanocarbanucleosides was prepared, and their binding affinities to AAR and AAR were assessed. Biological evaluations revealed that all synthesized (S)-methanocarbanucleosides had negligible binding to both receptors, and most (N)-methanocarbanucleosides exhibited high binding affinities.

Development of a Machine-Learning Model of Short-Term Prognostic Prediction for Spinal Stenosis Surgery in Korean Patients.

Background: In this study, based on machine-learning technology, we aim to develop a predictive model of the short-term prognosis of Korean patients who received spinal stenosis surgery.

Methods: Using the data obtained from 112 patients with spinal stenosis admitted at N hospital from February to November, 2019, a predictive analysis was conducted for the pain index, reoperation, and surgery time.

Results: Results show that the predicted area under the curve was 0.

Physiological Importance of Pectin Modifying Genes During Rice Pollen Development.

Although cell wall dynamics, particularly modification of homogalacturonan (HGA, a major component of pectin) during pollen tube growth, have been extensively studied in dicot plants, little is known about how modification of the pollen tube cell wall regulates growth in monocot plants. In this study, we assessed the role of HGA modification during elongation of the rice pollen tube by adding a pectin methylesterase (PME) enzyme or a PME-inhibiting catechin extract (Polyphenon 60) to in vitro germination medium. Both treatments led to a severe decrease in the pollen germination rate and elongation.

Structural and Mechanistic Insights into Caffeine Degradation by the Bacterial N-Demethylase Complex.

Caffeine, found in many foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals, is the most used chemical compound for mental alertness. It is originally a natural product of plants and exists widely in environmental soil. Some bacteria, such as Pseudomonas putida CBB5, utilize caffeine as a sole carbon and nitrogen source by degrading it through sequential N-demethylation catalyzed by five enzymes (NdmA, NdmB, NdmC, NdmD, and NdmE).

Community structures and genomic features of undesirable white colony-forming yeasts on fermented vegetables.

White colony-forming yeasts (WCFYs) often appear in fermented foods, depending on the storage method. Despite the ongoing research on fermented foods, the community and genome features of WCFYs have not been well studied. In this study, the community structures of WCFYs on fermented vegetables (kimchi) prepared with various raw materials were investigated using deep sequencing.

Beneficial Effect of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy in Patients with Breast Cancer-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) induces emotional relaxation in cancer patients and is a treatment known to improve psychological stability. The objective of this research was to evaluate the treatment effects of MBAT for breast cancer patients.

Methods: Overall, 24 breast cancer patients were selected as subjects of the study.

One-step direct-laser metal writing of sub-100 nm 3D silver nanostructures in a gelatin matrix.

Developing an ability to fabricate high-resolution, 3D metal nanostructures in a stretchable 3D matrix is a critical step to realizing novel optoelectronic devices such as tunable bulk metal-dielectric optical devices and THz metamaterial devices that are not feasible with alternative techniques. We report a new chemistry method to fabricate high-resolution, 3D silver nanostructures using a femtosecond-laser direct metal writing technique. Previously, only fabrication of 3D polymeric structures or single-/few-layer metal structures was possible.

A method to fabricate disconnected silver nanostructures in 3D.

The standard nanofabrication toolkit includes techniques primarily aimed at creating 2D patterns in dielectric media. Creating metal patterns on a submicron scale requires a combination of nanofabrication tools and several material processing steps. For example, steps to create planar metal structures using ultraviolet photolithography and electron-beam lithography can include sample exposure, sample development, metal deposition, and metal liftoff.

Synthesis and characterization of magnetically active carbon nanofiber/iron oxide composites with hierarchical pore structures.

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solution containing the iron oxide precursor iron (III) acetylacetonate (AAI) was electrospun and thermally treated to produce electrically conducting, magnetic carbon nanofiber mats with hierarchical pore structures. The morphology and material properties of the resulting multifunctional nanofiber mats including the surface area and the electric and magnetic properties were examined using various characterization techniques. Scanning electron microscopy images show that uniform fibers were produced with a fiber diameter of ∼600 nm, and this uniform fiber morphology is maintained after graphitization with a fiber diameter of ∼330 nm.