A new species of the genus sensu lato Linnaeus, 1758 (Anura, Ranidae) from Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, China.

A new species of the frog genus sensu lato from Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, China is described. Molecular phylogenetic analyses clustered the new species into the group and indicated that it was genetically divergent from its closely related species. The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: body size medium, SVL 41.

Solar-driven conversion of carbon dioxide over nanostructured metal-based catalysts in alternative approaches: Fundamental mechanisms and recent progress.

Solar-driven carbon dioxide (CO) conversion has gained tremendous attention as a prominent strategy to simultaneously reduce the atmospheric CO concentration and convert solar energy into solar fuels in the form of chemical bonds. Numerous efforts have been devoted to diverse photo-driven processes for CO conversion, which utilized a multidisciplinary strategy. Among them, the architecture of nanostructured metal-based catalysts is emerging as an eminent solution for the design of catalysts of this field.

Franz cells for facile biosensor evaluation: A case of HRP/SWCNT-based hydrogen peroxide detection via amperometric and wireless modes.

Reducing animal use in biosensor research requires broader use of in vitro methods. In this work, we present a novel application of Franz cells suitable for biosensor development and evaluation in vitro. The work describes how Franz cell can be equipped with electrodes enabling characterization of biosensors in close proximity to skin.

Antibiotic and antiparasitic residues in surface water of urban rivers in the Red River Delta (Hanoi, Vietnam): concentrations, profiles, source estimation, and risk assessment.

Antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance in surface water are issues of global concern, especially in developing countries. In this study, the occurrence of seven antibiotics and one antiparasitic agent was determined in surface water samples collected from four rivers running through Hanoi urban area in the Red River Delta, northern Vietnam. The pharmaceuticals in water samples were analyzed by solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.

Tie2 Activation Promotes Protection and Reconstitution of the Endothelial Glycocalyx in Human Sepsis.

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGC), a carbohydrate-rich layer lining the luminal surface of the endothelium, provides a first vasoprotective barrier against vascular leakage in sepsis. We hypothesized that angiopoietin-2 (Angpt-2), antagonist of the endothelium-stabilizing receptor Tie2, induces a rapid loss of the eGC in human sepsis. Using intravital microscopy, we measured the perfused boundary region (PBR), an inverse parameter of eGC dimensions in sublingual microvessels, in patients with sepsis and age-matched nonseptic subjects.

Vasculotide reduces pulmonary hyperpermeability in experimental pneumococcal pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite effective antimicrobial therapy, CAP can induce pulmonary endothelial hyperpermeability resulting in life-threatening lung failure due to an exaggerated host-pathogen interaction. Treatment of acute lung injury is mainly supportive because key elements of inflammation-induced barrier disruption remain undetermined.

FGF23: mediator of poor prognosis in a sizeable subgroup of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer presenting with severe hypophosphatemia?

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is an advanced and incurable stage of the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men globally. Current treatment options improve survival modestly but eventually fail due to intrinsic or acquired therapeutic resistance. A hypothesis is presented wherein circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), an endocrine member of the fibroblast growth factor family with phosphaturic properties, are proposed as a prognostic and predictive marker to identify CRPC patients with poor prognosis that are amenable to FGF23 antibody therapy (FGF23i) or treatment with fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors (FGFRi).

In vivo passage of human prostate cancer cells in mice results in stable gene expression changes affecting numerous cancer-associated biological processes.

Background: While therapeutic resistance is difficult to model in vitro in its entirety, in vivo passage and re-derivation of treatment resistant prostate cancer cell variants is a strategy to study therapeutic resistance more comprehensively. However, the process of in vivo passage itself may result in gene expression changes that could confound the analysis of such resistant cell variants compared to their parental cell lines.

Methods: We compared the expression profiles of parental PC-3 human prostate cancer cells and PC-3 cells re-derived after in vivo passage in athymic nude mice.

Context-dependent role of ATG4B as target for autophagy inhibition in prostate cancer therapy.

ATG4B belongs to the autophagin family of cysteine proteases required for autophagy, an emerging target of cancer therapy. Developing pharmacological ATG4B inhibitors is a very active area of research. However, detailed studies on the role of ATG4B during anticancer therapy are lacking.