Essential role of histidine for rapid copper(II)-mediated disassembly of neurokinin B amyloid

Neurokinin B is a tachykinin peptide involved in a diverse range of neuronal functions. It rapidly forms an amyloid, which is considered physiologically important for efficient packing into dense core secretory vesicles within hypothalamic neurons. Disassembly of the amyloid is thought to require the presence of copper ions, which interact with histidine at the third position in the peptide sequence. However, it is unclear how the histidine is involved in the amyloid structure and why copper coordination can trigger disassembly. In this work, we demonstrate that histidine contributes to the amyloid structure via π-stacking interactions with nearby phenylalanine residues. The ability of neurokinin B to form an amyloid is dependent on any aromatic residue at the third position in the sequence; however, only the presence of histidine leads to both amyloid formation and rapid copper-induced disassembly

Synthesis and characterization of mixed oxide nanowires for gas sensing

A healthy and long-lasting life is the utmost wish of any living being thus aging. The aging phenomenon cannot be stopped but may be controlled to some extent when we live in appropriate environments. Usually, the outdoor environment is polluted by two means natural events (windblown dust, volcano eruptions, etc.) and man-made ones (burning of facile fuels, factories, volatile organic compounds, etc.). Pollution due to harmful air such as sulfur oxides (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one of the significant issues since it is more sensitive to compromising the natural ecosystem and environment. So, exposure to these compounds worsens the aging phenomena of the living being (headache, fainting, skin and eye irradiation, respiratory infections, heart disease, lung cancer, and even superficial death). Therefore, it is necessary the detection these compounds in the environment. Accordingly, metal oxides (MOXs) gas sensors have conventionally been employed to detect and quantify harmful gases in both indoor and outdoor environments. However, one of the major problems with these sensors is achieving selective detection. Herein, we propose a novel design with two metal oxides (ZnO and Co3O4) that provide very high gas response together with superior selectivity. The proposed structure is a one-dimensional (1D) metal oxide composite; Co3O4/ZnO nanowires. The composite was prepared by in-situ thermal oxidation of metallic Co thin layer (50 nm) and evaporation of ZnO powder at a temperature of 800 ᵒC at a pressure of 0.15 mbar. The pressure was maintained by a controlled mixture of O2 and Ar. The morphological, compositional, and structural analyses are evidence of the successful growth of the Co3O4/ZnO composite nanowire with the root of Co3O4 and the tip with Pt (catalyzer) and Co3O4. The gas sensing characterization shows exciting sensing functionality towards acetone (C3H6O) compared to that of tested gases (C2H5OH, H2S, NH3, CO, NO2, and H2). The reported highest response (ΔG/G; G is the conductance) was above the value of 5000 toward 50 ppm (parts per million) C3H6O at 40 RH% air when working at 250 °C with the potential of detecting sub ppb (parts per billion) concentration levels of C3H6O. The very high C3H6O sensing performance together with exceptionally high selectivity of the sensor ascribed to Pt nanoparticle and the Co3O4 section on the tip of the Co3O4/ZnO. Moreover, the formation of heterojunctions, synergistic gas sensing, and the catalytic activity of the proposed design enhances the response of the sensors. Accordingly, scanning electron microscopic (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization, and the sensing mechanisms are comprehensively discussed at the conference

Use of systemic therapies in adults with atopic dermatitis:12-month results from the European prospective observational study in patients eligible for systemic therapy for atopic dermatitis (EUROSTAD)

Background The European Prospective Observational Study in Patients Eligible for Systemic Therapy for Atopic Dermatitis (EUROSTAD) is an ongoing observational study aiming to describe characteristics of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated with systemic therapy over time and the management of their disease in a real-world setting. Methods Data from patients enrolled in EUROSTAD between March 2017 and April 2019 were analyzed for systemic therapy use and treatment change over 12 months. Results 288 patients reported taking systemic medications; 42.7% received cyclosporine, 35.3% dupilumab, 28.1% methotrexate, 25.4% oral corticosteroids, 6.8% azathioprine, 6.1% injectable corticosteroids, and 3.4% mycophenolate. The median duration of treatment was 1.1 months for oral systemic corticosteroids, 3.2 months for injectable corticosteroids, 4.8 months for cyclosporine, 7.3 months for methotrexate, and 14.9 months for dupilumab. The most frequent reasons for stopping treatment included lack of efficacy, patient decision, adverse events, and disease well controlled. Conclusion The 12-month interim EUROSTAD study analysis highlights the current trends and outcomes of systemic treatments for moderate-to-severe AD. Among all systemic treatments for AD, dupilumab was the least likely to be discontinued, whereas cyclosporine and corticosteroids, whilst effective, were primarily limited to episodic flare management consistent with treatment guidelines

High dietary diversity is associated with obesity in Sri Lankan adults: An evaluation of three dietary scores.

Background: Dietary diversity is recognized as a key element of a high quality diet. However, diets that offer a greater variety of energy-dense foods could increase food intake and body weight. The aim of this study was to explore association of diet diversity with obesity in Sri Lankan adults. Methods: Six hundred adults aged > 18 years were randomly selected by using multi-stage stratified sample. Dietary intake assessment was undertaken by a 24 hour dietary recall. Three dietary scores, Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), Dietary Diversity Score with Portions (DDSP) and Food Variety Score (FVS) were calculated. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg.m−2 is defined as obese and Asian waist circumference cut-offs were used diagnosed abdominal obesity. Results: Mean of DDS for men and women were 6.23 and 6.50 (p=0.06), while DDSP was 3.26 and 3.17 respectively (p=0.24). FVS values were significantly different between men and women 9.55 and 10.24 (p=0.002). Dietary diversity among Sri Lankan adults was significantly associated with gender, residency, ethnicity, education level but not with diabetes status. As dietary scores increased, the percentage consumption was increased in most of food groups except starches. Obese and abdominal obese adults had the highest DDS compared to non-obese groups (p<0.05). With increased dietary diversity the level of BMI, waist circumference and energy consumption was significantly increased in this population. Conclusion: Our data suggests that dietary diversity is positively associated with several socio-demographic characteristics and obesity among Sri Lankan adults. Although high dietary diversity is widely recommended, public health messages should emphasize to improve dietary diversity in selective food items

WWER-1000 Nuclear reactor simulator for education. Part A': Overview of simulator physico-mathematical model components

A review of phylogenetic studies carried out together with morphological ones shows that a major problem with most early studies is that they concentrated on techniques and used material or strains of fungi that in most cases were not carefully reference, and in a worrying number of cases wrongly named. Most classical species, particularly of microfungi, are not represented by adequate type material, or other authoritatively identified cultures or specimens, that can serve as DNA sources for phylogenetic study, or for developing robust identification systems. Natural classifications of fungi therefore suffer from the lack of reference strains in resultant phylogenetic trees. In some cases, epitypification and neotypification can solve this problem and these tools are increasingly used to resolve taxonomic confusion and stabilize the understanding of species, genera, families, or orders of fungi. This manuscript discusses epitypification and neotypification, describes how to epitypify or neotypify species and examines the importance of this process. A set of guidelines for epitypification is presented. Examples where taxa have been epitypified are presented and the benefits and problems of epitypification are discussed. As examples of epitypification, or to provide reference specimens, a new epitype is designated for Paraphaeosphaeria michotii and reference specimens are provided for Astrosphaeriella stellata, A. bakeriana, Phaeosphaeria elongata, Ophiobolus cirsii, and O. erythrosporus. In this way we demonstrate how to epitypify taxa and its importance, and also illustrate the value of proposing reference specimens if epitypification is not advisable. Although we provided guidelines for epitypification, the decision to epitypify or not lies with the author, who should have experience of the fungus concerned. This responsibility is to be taken seriously, as once a later typification is made, it may not be possible to undo that, particularly in the case of epitypes, without using the lengthy and tedious formal conservation and rejection processes

Forcing the archive:Involuntary migrants ‘of Ceylon’ in the Indian Ocean World of the 18–19th centuries

Asian Studie

Fungal biodiversity profiles 21–30

The authors describe ten new taxa for science using mostly both morphological and molecular data. In Basidiomycota, descriptions are provided for Botryobasidium fusisporum sp. nov., B. triangulosporum sp. nov., Cantharellus hydnoides sp. nov. and Hydnum aerostatisporum sp. nov. in Cantharellales; Lactarius rahjamalensis sp. nov. and Russula pseudoaurantiophylla sp. nov. in Russulales and for Mycena paraguayensis comb. nov. in Agaricales. In Ascomycota and hyphomycetes, descriptions are provided for Colletotrichurn eryngiicola sp. nov. (Glomerellales), Corynesporella indica sp. nov. (incertae sedis) and Repetophragma zygopetali sp. nov. (Microthyriales)

Effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of wild Mediterranean edible plant extracts

The recent interest in wild edible plants is associated with their health benefits, which are mainly due to their richness in antioxidant compounds, particularly phenolics. Nevertheless, some of these compounds are metabolized after ingestion, being transformed into metabolites frequently with lower antioxidant activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the digestive process on the total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of extracts from four wild edible plants used in the Mediterranean diet (Beta maritima L., Plantago major L., Oxalis pes-caprae L. and Scolymus hispanicus L.). HPLC-DAD analysis revealed that S. hispanicus is characterized by the presence of caffeoylquinic acids, dicaffeoylquinic acids and flavonol derivatives, P. major by high amounts of verbascoside, B. maritima possesses 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, quercetin derivatives and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and O. pes-caprae extract contains hydroxycinnamic acids and flavone derivatives. Total phenolic contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu assay, and antioxidant activity by the ABTS, DPPH, ORAC and FRAP assays. Phenolic contents of P. major and S. hispanicus extracts were not affected by digestion, but they significantly decreased in B. maritima after both phases of digestion process and in O. pes-caprae after the gastric phase. The antioxidant activity results varied with the extract and the method used to evaluate the activity. Results showed that P. major extract has the highest total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity, with considerable values even after digestion, reinforcing the health benefits of this species.European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE)European Union (EU)European Union (FEDER)European Union (EU)Programa de Cooperacion Interreg V-A Espana - Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020 [0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E]project INTERREG - MD. Net: When Brand Meets PeopleFCT Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technolog