In Silico Screening of Ellagic Acid Derivatives and Their Metabolites as Inhibitors for NF-Kb and Tnfa

The aim of this study was to evaluate inhibitory effects of ellagic acid derivatives and their metabolites on tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa) and nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB). In silico molecular docking was performed. 3-O-methyl-3', 4' -methylenedioxy ellagic acid (MMDEA) and urolithin D were to be potent inhibitors of TNFa among tested molecules. For NF-kB (p50 and p65 subunits), MMDEA was found to be a potent inhibitor comparable with tanshinone IIA, a known NF-kB inhibitor. Ellagic acid derivatives seemed to be more effective than urolithins, their metabolites. All of the ellagic acid derivatives and their metabolites were predicted to have good pharmacokinetical properties according to Lipinski's rule of five. These results suggest that ellagic acid derivatives may potentially down-regulate inflammatory responses

Air pollution and acute kidney injury in the U.S. Medicare population: A longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have reported the association between air pollution exposure and reduced kidney function. However, it is unclear whether air pollution is associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). OBJECTIVES: To address this gap in knowledge, we investigated the effect estimates of long-term exposures to fine particulate matter [PM METHODS: This nationwide population-based longitudinal cohort study included 61,300,754 beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part A fee-for-service (FFS) who were RESULTS: Exposure to DISCUSSION: This study found an association between exposures to air pollution and the risk of the first hospital admission with AKI, and this association persisted even at low concentrations of air pollution. Our findings provide beneficial implications for public health policies and air pollution guidelines to alleviate health care expenditures and the disease burden attributable to AKI. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10729

Differentiation of Identical Twins by Facial Morphological Comparison: An Exploratory Study and Implications for Forensic Science

— This study aimed to explore the ability of facial morphological comparison to differentiate monozygotic twins and identify which facial components were most useful for this purpose. The research was carried out on facial images of 09 pairs of twins (18 people), where 12 facial components were identified using the morphological comparison method. Each of these components were compared in each pair of twins, so we identified those components that were similar or different. Subsequently, the frequencies of similarities and differences for each facial component were calculated. Next, an analysis of variance was applied between the components identified as different and similar. The results suggested that such a method was useful for differentiating identical twins and that some facial components were more useful than others. In this sample, facial markings and the ear were the most discriminating components. These results would set the tone for future research in this area