Efficient and Fast Synthesis of Few-Layer Black Phosphorus via Microwave-Assisted Liquid-Phase Exfoliation

High‐quality, few‐layer black‐phosphorus (BP) flakes are prepared in a common organic solvent with very short processing times using microwave‐assisted liquid‐phase exfoliation. A comprehensive range of analysis, combined with density‐functional theory calculations, confirms that the product prepared using the microwave technique is few‐layer BP with small‐ and large‐area flakes. The suspended exfoliated BP sheets show excellent stability, while samples dispersed onto silicon from the suspensions exhibit low oxidation levels after several days in ambient conditions. This straightforward synthesis method is facile, efficient, and extremely fast, and does not involve use of any surfactant or ultrasonication steps and will facilitate future development of phosphorene research

Insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes: what is ‘double diabetes’ and what are the risks?

In this review, we explore the concept of ‘double diabetes’, a combination of type 1 diabetes with features of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. After considering whether double diabetes is a useful concept, we discuss potential mechanisms of increased insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes before examining the extent to which double diabetes might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We then go on to consider the proposal that weight gain from intensive insulin regimens may be associated with increased CV risk factors in some patients with type 1 diabetes, and explore the complex relationships between weight gain, insulin resistance, glycaemic control and CV outcome. Important comparisons and contrasts between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are highlighted in terms of hepatic fat, fat partitioning and lipid profile, and how these may differ between type 1 diabetic patients with and without double diabetes. In so doing, we hope this work will stimulate much-needed research in this area and an improvement in clinical practice

A Small-Molecule Inhibitor of T. gondii Motility Induces the Posttranslational Modification of Myosin Light Chain-1 and Inhibits Myosin Motor Activity

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that enters cells by a process of active penetration. Host cell penetration and parasite motility are driven by a myosin motor complex consisting of four known proteins: TgMyoA, an unconventional Class XIV myosin; TgMLC1, a myosin light chain; and two membrane-associated proteins, TgGAP45 and TgGAP50. Little is known about how the activity of the myosin motor complex is regulated. Here, we show that treatment of parasites with a recently identified small-molecule inhibitor of invasion and motility results in a rapid and irreversible change in the electrophoretic mobility of TgMLC1. While the precise nature of the TgMLC1 modification has not yet been established, it was mapped to the peptide Val46-Arg59. To determine if the TgMLC1 modification is responsible for the motility defect observed in parasites after compound treatment, the activity of myosin motor complexes from control and compound-treated parasites was compared in an in vitro motility assay. TgMyoA motor complexes containing the modified TgMLC1 showed significantly decreased motor activity compared to control complexes. This change in motor activity likely accounts for the motility defects seen in the parasites after compound treatment and provides the first evidence, in any species, that the mechanical activity of Class XIV myosins can be modulated by posttranslational modifications to their associated light chains

Laying waste to mercury: inexpensive sorbents made from sulfur and recycled cooking oils

Mercury pollution threatens the environment and human health across the globe. This neurotoxic substance is encountered in artisanal gold mining, coal combustion, oil and gas refining, waste incineration, chloralkali plant operation, metallurgy, and areas of agriculture in which mercury-rich fungicides are used. Thousands of tonnes of mercury are emitted annually through these activities. With the Minamata Convention on Mercury entering force this year, increasing regulation of mercury pollution is imminent. It is therefore critical to provide inexpensive and scalable mercury sorbents. The research herein addresses this need by introducing low-cost mercury sorbents made solely from sulfur and unsaturated cooking oils. A porous version of the polymer was prepared by simply synthesising the polymer in the presence of a sodium chloride porogen. The resulting material is a rubber that captures liquid mercury metal, mercury vapour, inorganic mercury bound to organic matter, and highly toxic alkylmercury compounds. Mercury removal from air, water and soil was demonstrated. Because sulfur is a by-product of petroleum refining and spent cooking oils from the food industry are suitable starting materials, these mercury-capturing polymers can be synthesised entirely from waste and supplied on multi-kilogram scales. This study is therefore an advance in waste valorisation and environmental chemistry.Max J. H. Worthington, Renata L. Kucera, Inês S. Albuquerque, Christopher T. Gibson, Alexander Sibley, Ashley D. Slattery, Jonathan A. Campbell, Salah F. K. Alboaiji, Katherine A. Muller, Jason Young, Nick Adamson, Jason R. Gascooke, Deshetti Jampaiah, Ylias M. Sabri, Suresh K. Bhargava, Samuel J. Ippolito, David A. Lewis, Jamie S. Quinton, Amanda V. Ellis, Alexander Johs, Gonçalo J.L. Bernardes and Justin M. Chalke

Cardiac T1 Mapping and Extracellular Volume (ECV) in clinical practice: a comprehensive review.

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance is increasingly used to differentiate the aetiology of cardiomyopathies. Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE) is the reference standard for non-invasive imaging of myocardial scar and focal fibrosis and is valuable in the differential diagnosis of ischaemic versus non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Diffuse fibrosis may go undetected on LGE imaging. Tissue characterisation with parametric mapping methods has the potential to detect and quantify both focal and diffuse alterations in myocardial structure not assessable by LGE. Native and post-contrast T1 mapping in particular has shown promise as a novel biomarker to support diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic decision making in ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies as well as in patients with acute chest pain syndromes. Furthermore, changes in the myocardium over time may be assessed longitudinally with this non-invasive tissue characterisation method

A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence for correlation between molecular markers of parasite resistance and treatment outcome in falciparum malaria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An assessment of the correlation between anti-malarial treatment outcome and molecular markers would improve the early detection and monitoring of drug resistance by <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the risk of treatment failure associated with specific polymorphisms in the parasite genome or gene copy number.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Clinical studies of non-severe malaria reporting on target genetic markers (SNPs for <it>pfmdr1</it>, <it>pfcrt</it>, <it>dhfr</it>, <it>dhps</it>, gene copy number for <it>pfmdr1</it>) providing complete information on inclusion criteria, outcome, follow up and genotyping, were included. Three investigators independently extracted data from articles. Results were stratified by gene, codon, drug and duration of follow-up. For each study and aggregate data the random effect odds ratio (OR) with 95%CIs was estimated and presented as Forest plots. An OR with a lower 95^thconfidence interval > 1 was considered consistent with a failure being associated to a given gene mutation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>92 studies were eligible among the selection from computerized search, with information on <it>pfcrt </it>(25/159 studies), <it>pfmdr1 </it>(29/236 studies), <it>dhfr </it>(18/373 studies), <it>dhps </it>(20/195 studies). The risk of therapeutic failure after chloroquine was increased by the presence of <it>pfcrt </it>K76T (Day 28, OR = 7.2 [95%CI: 4.5–11.5]), <it>pfmdr1 </it>N86Y was associated with both chloroquine (Day 28, OR = 1.8 [95%CI: 1.3–2.4]) and amodiaquine failures (OR = 5.4 [95%CI: 2.6–11.3, p < 0.001]). For sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine the <it>dhfr </it>single (S108N) (Day 28, OR = 3.5 [95%CI: 1.9–6.3]) and triple mutants (S108N, N51I, C59R) (Day 28, OR = 3.1 [95%CI: 2.0–4.9]) and <it>dhfr</it>-<it>dhps </it>quintuple mutants (Day 28, OR = 5.2 [95%CI: 3.2–8.8]) also increased the risk of treatment failure. Increased <it>pfmdr1 </it>copy number was correlated with treatment failure following mefloquine (OR = 8.6 [95%CI: 3.3–22.9]).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>When applying the selection procedure for comparative analysis, few studies fulfilled all inclusion criteria compared to the large number of papers identified, but heterogeneity was limited. Genetic molecular markers were related to an increased risk of therapeutic failure. Guidelines are discussed and a checklist for further studies is proposed.</p

MYC-containing amplicons in acute myeloid leukemia: genomic structures, evolution, and transcriptional consequences.

Double minutes (dmin), homogeneously staining regions, and ring chromosomes are vehicles of gene amplification in cancer. The underlying mechanism leading to their formation as well as their structure and function in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain mysterious. We combined a range of high-resolution genomic methods to investigate the architecture and expression pattern of amplicons involving chromosome band 8q24 in 23 cases of AML (AML-amp). This revealed that different MYC-dmin architectures can coexist within the same leukemic cell population, indicating a step-wise evolution rather than a single event origin, such as through chromothripsis. This was supported also by the analysis of the chromothripsis criteria, that poorly matched the model in our samples. Furthermore, we found that dmin could evolve toward ring chromosomes stabilized by neocentromeres. Surprisingly, amplified genes (mainly PVT1) frequently participated in fusion transcripts lacking a corresponding DNA template. We also detected a significant overexpression of the circular RNA of PVT1 (circPVT1) in AML-amp cases versus AML with a normal karyotype. Our results show that 8q24 amplicons in AML are surprisingly plastic DNA structures with an unexpected association to novel fusion transcripts and circular RNAs

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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