Atrial fibrillation genetic risk differentiates cardioembolic stroke from other stroke subtypes

AbstractObjectiveWe sought to assess whether genetic risk factors for atrial fibrillation can explain cardioembolic stroke risk.MethodsWe evaluated genetic correlations between a prior genetic study of AF and AF in the presence of cardioembolic stroke using genome-wide genotypes from the Stroke Genetics Network (N = 3,190 AF cases, 3,000 cardioembolic stroke cases, and 28,026 referents). We tested whether a previously-validated AF polygenic risk score (PRS) associated with cardioembolic and other stroke subtypes after accounting for AF clinical risk factors.ResultsWe observed strong correlation between previously reported genetic risk for AF, AF in the presence of stroke, and cardioembolic stroke (Pearson’s r=0.77 and 0.76, respectively, across SNPs with p &lt; 4.4 × 10−4 in the prior AF meta-analysis). An AF PRS, adjusted for clinical AF risk factors, was associated with cardioembolic stroke (odds ratio (OR) per standard deviation (sd) = 1.40, p = 1.45×10−48), explaining ∼20% of the heritable component of cardioembolic stroke risk. The AF PRS was also associated with stroke of undetermined cause (OR per sd = 1.07, p = 0.004), but no other primary stroke subtypes (all p &gt; 0.1).ConclusionsGenetic risk for AF is associated with cardioembolic stroke, independent of clinical risk factors. Studies are warranted to determine whether AF genetic risk can serve as a biomarker for strokes caused by AF.</jats:sec

www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms Non-Covalent Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanoparticle–Heparin Hybrid Systems: A New Approach to Bioactive Nanoparticles

Abstract: Heparin has been conjugated to Fe3O4, Co3O4, and NiO nanoparticles (NPs) through electrostatic interactions, producing colloidal suspensions of hybrid metal oxide heparin NPs that are stable in water. Negative zeta potentials and retention of heparin’s ability to capture toluidine blue indicate that heparin’s negative charges are exposed on the surface of the coated NPs. IR results confirmed the formation of nanohybrids as did NMR experiments, which were also interpreted on the basis of toluidine blue tests. Transmission electron microscopy results revealed that the heparin coating does not modify the shape or dimension of the NPs. Dynamic light scattering and negative zeta potential measurement

Bioconversion of giant cane for integrated production of biohydrogen, carboxylic acids, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in a multistage biorefinery approach

A highly productive Arundo donax L. clone (Clone AD-20) was produced at full field to give 54.6 Mg total solids biomass Ha. Biomass was chemically and enzymatically pretreated, recovering 13.9 Mg Ha of glucose and 3.6 Mg Ha of xylose, i.e., 3.5-4.5 more than yield typically obtained from corn stover or switchgrass. The subsequent fermentation of the liberated sugars to organic acids (OA) by dark fermentation generated yields of 3850 Nm Ha of biohydrogen and 14.2 Mg Ha of OAs. OAs were then used as a feed to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), with 3-hydroxybutyrate the major monomer present (PHB > 95% PHA), from a biological process using mixed microbial culture producing 5.04 Mg Ha of PHA. An initial economic analysis indicated that this multistage biorefinery approach would result in a net revenue of 10,415 € Ha, which is approximately 9-fold greater than that obtained by a traditional biorefinery producing bioethanol

In-depth structural characterization of pentosan polysulfate sodium complex drug using orthogonal analytical tools

© 2020 Rapid advances have been made in developing analytical technologies for characterization of highly heterogeneous active ingredients of complex drugs, such as pentosan polysulfate (PPS), active ingredient of the drug Elmiron®, approved by the Food and Drug Administration and marketed in the United States to treat interstitial cystitis. PPS sulfated polysaccharides comprise of a repeat unit of β(1–4)‐D‐xylopyranoses randomly substituted by 4‐O-methyl-glucopyranosyluronic acid. To define the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of such a complex drug, it is critical to develop an approach that integrates data from orthogonal analytical methodologies. Here, we developed an approach integrating diverse analytical tools including gel permeation chromatography, LC/ESI-MS and NMR to measure CQAs of PPS. The proposed mathematical framework integrates the data from these diverse analytical methods as function of PPS chain length and building blocks. Our approach would facilitate in establishing a scientific foundation for comparative characterization of drug products with complex active ingredients

MOESM1 of Enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste by using mixed microbial culture

Additional file 1. Specific acids composition of fermented OFMSW used as substrate for PHA production in literature and in this study. Table reporting the specific acids composition of fermented OFMSW used as substrate for PHA production in literature and in this study