Redetermination of Ce[B5O8(OH)(H2O)]NO3·2H2O

The crystal structure of Ce[B5O8(OH)(H2O)]NO3·2H2O, cerium(III) aqua­hydroxidoocta­oxidopenta­borate nitrate dihydrate, has been redetermined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. In contrast to the previous determination [Li et al. (2003 ▶). Chem. Mater. 15, 2253–2260], the present study reveals the location of all H atoms, slightly different fundamental building blocks (FBBs) of the polyborate anions, more reasonable displacement ellipsoids for all non-H atoms, as well as a model without disorder of the nitrate anion. The crystal structure is built from corrugated polyborate layers parallel to (010). These layers, consisting of [B5O8(OH)(H2O)]2− anions as FBBs, stack along [010] and are linked by Ce3+ ions, which exhibit a distorted CeO10 coordination sphere. The layers are additionally stabilized via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between water mol­ecules and nitrate anions, located at the inter­layer space. The [BO3(H2O)]-group shows a [3 + 1] coordination and is considerably distorted from a tetra­hedral configuration. Bond-valence-sum calculation shows that the valence sum of boron is only 2.63 valence units (v.u.) when the contribution of the water mol­ecule (0.49 v.u.) is neglected

Intraplaque hemorrhage is associated with higher structural stresses in human atherosclerotic plaques: an in vivo MRI-based 3D fluid-structure interaction study.

BACKGROUND: Studies using medical images have shown that intraplaque hemorrhage may accelerate plaque progression and may produce a stimulus for atherosclerosis development by increasing lipid core and plaque volume and creating new destabilizing factors. Image-based 3D computational models with fluid-structure interactions (FSI) will be used to perform plaque mechanical analysis and investigate possible associations between intraplaque hemorrhage and both plaque wall stress (PWS) and flow shear stress (FSS). METHODS: In vivo MRI data of carotid plaques from 5 patients with intraplaque hemorrhage confirmed by histology were acquired. 3D multi-component FSI models were constructed for each plaque to obtain mechanical stresses. Plaque Wall Stress (PWS) and Flow Shear Stress (FSS) were extracted from all nodal points on the lumen surface of each plaque for analysis. RESULTS: The mean PWS value from all hemorrhage nodes of the 5 plaques combined was higher than that from non-hemorrhage nodes (75.6 versus 68.1 kPa, P = 0.0003). The mean PWS values from hemorrhage nodes for each of the 5 plaques were all significantly higher (5 out of 5) than those from non-hemorrhage nodes (P < 0.05). The mean FSS value from all hemorrhage nodes of the 5 plaques combined was 30.4% higher than that from all non-hemorrhage nodes (15.0 versus 11.5 dyn/cm2, P = 0.0002). However, the mean flow shear stress values from individual cases showed mixed results: only one out of five plaques showed mean FSS value from hemorrhage nodes was higher than that from non-hemorrhage nodes; three out of five plaques showed that their mean FSS values from hemorrhage nodes were lower than those from non-hemorrhage nodes; and one plaque showed that the difference had no statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggested that intraplaque hemorrhage nodes were associated with higher plaque wall stresses. Compared to flow shear stress, plaque wall stress has a better correlation with plaque component feature (hemorrhage) linked to plaque progression and vulnerability. With further validation, plaque stress analysis may provide additional stress indicators for image-based vulnerability assessment.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Cell Trapping Utilizing Insulator-based Dielectrophoresis in The Open-Top Microchannels

The ability to manipulate or separate a biological small particle, such as a living cell and embryo, is fundamental needed to many biological and medical applications. The insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) trapping is composed of conductless tetragon structures in micro-chip. In this study, a lower conductive material of photoresist was adopted as a structure in open-top microchannel instead of a metallic wire to squeeze the electric field in a conducting solution, therefore, creating a high field gradient with a local maximum. The microchip with the open-top microchannels was designed and fabricated herein. The insulator-based DEP trapping microchip with the open-top microchannels was designed and fabricated in this work. The cells trapped by DEP force could be further treated or cultured in the open-top microchannel ; however, those trapped in the microchip with enclosed microchannels could not be proceeded easily

Novel Technology for Bio-diesel Production from Cooking and Waste Cooking Oil by Microwave Irradiation

AbstractIn the transitional process, acid or base catalysts are common technology to produce bio-diesel from waste cooking oil; however, the catalysts only can be use one time. Highly reaction time is requirement for the transitional technology. For improvement these concern issues, this study applied a novel technology to create bio-diesel product from cooking oil and waste cooking oil by microwave irritation. The microwave irradiation can provide strong power and reach reaction temperature in a short time. The SrO catalyst is a heterogeneous catalyst which is not dissolution into any liquid solution therefore, it can be recycling and reusing again.In this research, the optimum conditions were using commercial SrO, 40 to 180seconds reaction time, around 80oC reaction temperature, 6 methanol to oil ratio, and 1000W microwave power output. 99% and 93% biodiesel conversion efficiency for cooking oil and waste cooking oil were reached within in these conditions. The determined specifications of obtained biodiesel according to ASTM D6751 and EN14214 standards were in accordance with the required limits. As a conclusion, the present study indicates that derived fuel promises being an alternative for diesel, and could be used in engines without a major modification due to its qualifications

Bacteremia Caused by Group G Streptococci, Taiwan

A retrospective observational study in Taiwan, 1998–2004, identified 92 patients with group G streptococcal bacteremia; 86 had Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis. The most common diagnosis was cellulitis (48 cases), followed by primary bacteremia (34 cases). Infection recurred in 9 patients. Mortality rate was low (3.3%); resistance to quinupristin-dalfopristin was high

Liver angiosarcoma, a rare liver malignancy, presented with intraabdominal bleeding due to rupture- a case report

Liver angiosarcoma is a rare disease, however it still ranks as the third of most common primary liver maligancies. The prognosis of liver angiosarcoma is very poor with almost all patients with this kind of disease die within 2 years after diagnosis. No specific symptoms and signs are closely associated with this disease. Here, we report a case presenting shock status at first due to rupture of liver angiosarcoma- induced internal bleeding. After emergent transarterial embolization (TAE), she received partial hepatectomy two weeks later. 4 months after operation, she is still with a good performance status without obvious recurrence or metastasis identified

Pseudo-nitzschia simulans sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae), the first domoic acid producer from Chinese waters

The genus Pseudo-nitzschia has attracted attention because of production of the toxin, domoic acid (DA), causing Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). Pseudo-nitzschia blooms occur frequently in Chinese coastal waters, and DA has been detected in several marine organisms, but so far no Pseudo-nitzschia strains from Chinese waters have been shown to produce DA. In this study, monoclonal Pseudo-nitzschia strains were established from Chinese coastal waters and examined using light microscopy, electron microscopy and molecular markers. Five strains, sharing distinct morphological and molecular features differentiating them from other Pseudo-nitzschia species, represent a new species, Pseudo-nitzschia simulans sp. nov. Morphologically, the taxon belongs to the P. pseudodelicatissima group, cells possessing a central nodule and each stria comprising one row of poroids. The new species is characterized by the poroid structure, which typically comprises two sectors, each sector located near opposite margins of the poroid. The production of DA was examined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analyses of cells in stationary growth phase. Domoic acid was detected in one of the five strains, with concentrations around 1.05–1.54 fg cell�1. This is the first toxigenic diatom species reported from Chinese waters

Blocking Zika virus vertical transmission.

The outbreak of the Zika virus (ZIKV) has been associated with increased incidence of congenital malformations. Although recent efforts have focused on vaccine development, treatments for infected individuals are needed urgently. Sofosbuvir (SOF), an FDA-approved nucleotide analog inhibitor of the Hepatitis C (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) was recently shown to be protective against ZIKV both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that SOF protected human neural progenitor cells (NPC) and 3D neurospheres from ZIKV infection-mediated cell death and importantly restored the antiviral immune response in NPCs. In vivo, SOF treatment post-infection (p.i.) decreased viral burden in an immunodeficient mouse model. Finally, we show for the first time that acute SOF treatment of pregnant dams p.i. was well-tolerated and prevented vertical transmission of the virus to the fetus. Taken together, our data confirmed SOF-mediated sparing of human neural cell types from ZIKV-mediated cell death in vitro and reduced viral burden in vivo in animal models of chronic infection and vertical transmission, strengthening the growing body of evidence for SOF anti-ZIKV activity