Oleacein and foam cell formation in human monocyte-derived macrophages: a potential strategy against early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions

Background: Oleacein is a secoiridoid group polyphenol found mostly in Olea europea L. and Ligustrum vulgare L. (Oleaceae). The aim of the present study was to investigate a potential role of oleacein in prevention of the foam cell formation. Materials and Methods: Oleacein was isolated from Ligustrum vulgare leaves. Human monocyte-derived macrophages were obtained from monocytes cultured with Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)Then, cells were incubated with 20 M or 50 M of oleacein and with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) (50 g/mL). Visualization of lipid deposition within macrophages was carried out using Oil-Red-O. Expression of CD36, Scavenger receptor A1 (SRA1) and Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LOX-1) was determined by Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry using Annexin V assay. STAT3 and Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase type 1 (ACAT1)levels were determined by ELISA. P-STAT3, P-JAK1, P-JAK2 expressions were determined by Western blot (WB). Results: Oleacein in dose-dependent manner significantly reduced lipid deposits in macrophages as well as their expression of selected scavenger receptors. The highest decrease of expression was found for CD36 and SRA1 receptors, from above 20% to more than 75% compared to oxLDL and the lowest for LOX-1 receptor, from approx. 8% to approx. 25% compared to oxLDL-stimulated macrophages. Oleacein significantly reduced (2.5-fold) early apoptosis of oxLDL-stimulated macrophages. Moreover, oleacein significantly increased the protein expression of JAK/STAT3 pathway and had no effect on ACAT1 level. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that oleacein inhibits foam cell formation in human monocyte-derived macrophages and thus can be a valuable tool in the prevention of early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions

Laser-produced plasma EUV source based on tin-rich, thin-layer targets

In this paper a new approach to a laser-produced plasma EUV source based on a tin target is presented. A thin layer of pure tin and composite layers consisting of Sn with Si, SiO and LiF are investigated. The target composed of several thin layers produces less debris than the other targets and provides a conversion efficiency (CE) in the 13.5-nm +/- 1% band at least comparable to the CE for the pure tin slab target. The largest CE was observed for the target composed of a mixture of Sn and LiF, due to the fact that lithium, similarly to tin, is a strong emitter at 13.5 nm

Periodontitis as an inflammatory trigger in hypertension: from basic immunology to clinical implications

Hypertension and periodontitis are both highly prevalent co-morbidities worldwide, and their occurrence increases with age. Multiple observational epidemiological studies have shown that periodontitis is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrence. Large systematic reviews and metanalyses further show that periodontitis increases the risk of hypertension and is associated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Genetic and clinical evidence, utilizing mendelian randomization and randomized clinical trials, support the causal role of periodontitis in hypertension. The mechanisms of this link remain unclear. Critical components of immune and inflammatory pathogenesis of periodontitis considerably overlap with immune mechanisms of hypertension. Clinical studies support that both C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and white blood cell counts (WBC) mediate the relationship between periodontal disease and high blood pressure. In particular, activation of Th1, Th17, T regulatory cells, and proinflammatory monocytes has been shown to be essential in both conditions. Immunosenescent dysregulated CD28null T cells have been implicated, along with key effector cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), TNF-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin 17 (IL-17). A better understanding of the relationships between hypertension and periodontitis is essential not only for possible utilization of this knowledge for a non-pharmacological approach to improving blood pressure control. It may also provide valuable pathogenetic clues linking inflammation and hypertension, which has become particularly relevant in the light of links between hypertension and autoimmune disorders or, more recently, COVID-19

Catalogue of BRITE-Constellation targets I. Fields 1 to 14 (November 2013 - April 2016)

The BRIght Target Explorer (BRITE) mission collects photometric time series in two passbands aiming to investigate stellar structure and evolution. Since their launches in the years 2013 and 2014, the constellation of five BRITE nano-satellites has observed a total of more than 700 individual bright stars in 64 fields. Some targets have been observed multiple times. Thus, the total time base of the data sets acquired for those stars can be as long as nine years. Our aim is to provide a complete description of ready-to-use BRITE data, to show the scientific potential of the BRITE-Constellation data by identifying the most interesting targets, and to demonstrate and encourage how scientists can use these data in their research. We apply a decorrelation process to the automatically reduced BRITE-Constellation data to correct for instrumental effects. We perform a statistical analysis of the light curves obtained for the 300 stars observed in the first 14 fields during the first ~2.5 years of the mission. We also perform cross-identification with the International Variable Star Index. We present the data obtained by the BRITE-Constellation mission in the first 14 fields it observed from November 2013 to April 2016. We also describe the properties of the data for these fields and the 300 stars observed in them. Using these data, we detected variability in 64% of the presented sample of stars. Sixty-four stars or 21.3% of the sample have not yet been identified as variable in the literature and their data have not been analysed in detail. They can therefore provide valuable scientific material for further research. All data are made publicly available through the BRITE Public Data Archive and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre.Comment: accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics, 13 pages main text, 22 pages of appendi

Long-range corrected DFT calculations of charge-transfer integrals in model metal-free phthalocyanine complexes

An assessment of several widely used exchange--correlation potentials in computing charge-transfer integrals is performed. In particular, we employ the recently proposed Coulomb-attenuated model which was proven by other authors to improve upon conventional functionals in the case of charge-transfer excitations. For further validation, two distinct approaches to compute the property in question are compared for a phthalocyanine dimer

Eating disorders: the current status of molecular genetic research

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are complex disorders characterized by disordered eating behavior where the patient’s attitude towards weight and shape, as well as their perception of body shape, are disturbed. Formal genetic studies on twins and families suggested a substantial genetic influence for AN and BN. Candidate gene studies have initially focused on the serotonergic and other central neurotransmitter systems and on genes involved in body weight regulation. Hardly any of the positive findings achieved in these studies were unequivocally confirmed or substantiated in meta-analyses. This might be due to too small sample sizes and thus low power and/or the genes underlying eating disorders have not yet been analyzed. However, some studies that also used subphenotypes (e.g., restricting type of AN) led to more specific results; however, confirmation is as yet mostly lacking. Systematic genome-wide linkage scans based on families with at least two individuals with an eating disorder (AN or BN) revealed initial linkage regions on chromosomes 1, 3 and 4 (AN) and 10p (BN). Analyses on candidate genes in the chromosome 1 linkage region led to the (as yet unconfirmed) identification of certain variants associated with AN. Genome-wide association studies are under way and will presumably help to identify genes and pathways involved in these eating disorders. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying eating disorders might improve therapeutic approaches

A survey for variable young stars with small telescopes: II - mapping a protoplanetary disc with stable structures at 0.15 au

The HOYS citizen science project conducts long term, multifilter, high cadence monitoring of large YSO samples with a wide variety of professional and amateur telescopes. We present the analysis of the light curve of V1490 Cyg in the Pelican Nebula. We show that colour terms in the diverse photometric data can be calibrated out to achieve a median photometric accuracy of 0.02 mag in broadband filters, allowing detailed investigations into a variety of variability amplitudes over timescales from hours to several years. Using Gaia DR2 we estimate the distance to the Pelican Nebula to be 870 +70 −55 pc. V1490 Cyg is a quasi-periodic dipper with a period of 31.447 ± 0.011 d. The obscuring dust has homogeneous properties, and grains larger than those typical in the ISM. Larger variability on short timescales is observed in U and Rc−Hα, with U-amplitudes reaching 3 mag on timescales of hours, indicating the source is accreting. The Hα equivalent width and NIR/MIR colours place V1490 Cyg between CTTS/WTTS and transition disk objects. The material responsible for the dipping is located in a warped inner disk, about 0.15 AU from the star. This mass reservoir can be filled and emptied on time scales shorter than the period at a rate of up to 10−10 M�/yr, consistent with low levels of accretion in other T Tauri stars. Most likely the warp at this separation from the star is induced by a protoplanet in the inner accretion disk. However, we cannot fully rule out the possibility of an AA Tau-like warp, or occultations by the Hill sphere around a forming planet

TESS Cycle 1 observations of roAp stars with 2-min cadence data

We present the results of a systematic search for new rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars using the 2-min cadence data collected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) during its Cycle 1 observations. We identify 12 new roAp stars. Amongst these stars we discover the roAp star with the longest pulsation period, another with the shortest rotation period, and six with multiperiodic variability. In addition to these new roAp stars, we present an analysis of 44 known roAp stars observed by TESS during Cycle 1, providing the first high-precision and homogeneous sample of a significant fraction of the known roAp stars. The TESS observations have shown that almost 60 per cent (33) of our sample of stars are multiperiodic, providing excellent cases to test models of roAp pulsations, and from which the most rewarding asteroseismic results can be gleaned. We report four cases of the occurrence of rotationally split frequency multiplets that imply different mode geometries for the same degree modes in the same star. This provides a conundrum in applying the oblique pulsator model to the roAp stars. Finally, we report the discovery of non-linear mode interactions in $\alpha$ Cir (TIC 402546736, HD 128898) around the harmonic of the principal mode -- this is only the second case of such a phenomenon...

TESS Cycle 2 observations of roAp stars with 2-min cadence data

We present the results of a systematic search of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) 2-min cadence data for new rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars observed during the Cycle 2 phase of its mission. We find seven new roAp stars previously unreported as such and present the analysis of a further 25 roAp stars that are already known. Three of the new stars show multiperiodic pulsations, while all new members are rotationally variable stars, leading to almost 70 per cent (22) of the roAp stars presented being α2 CVn-type variable stars. We show that targeted observations of known chemically peculiar stars are likely to overlook many new roAp stars, and demonstrate that multi-epoch observations are necessary to see pulsational behaviour changes. We find a lack of roAp stars close to the blue edge of the theoretical roAp instability strip, and reaffirm that mode instability is observed more frequently with precise, space-based observations. In addition to the Cycle 2 observations, we analyse TESS data for all known roAp stars. This amounts to 18 further roAp stars observed by TESS. Finally, we list six known roAp stars that TESS is yet to observe. We deduce that the incidence of roAp stars amongst the Ap star population is just 5.5 per cent, raising fundamental questions about the conditions required to excite pulsations in Ap stars. This work, coupled with our previous work on roAp stars in Cycle 1 observations, presents the most comprehensive, homogeneous study of the roAp stars in the TESS nominal mission, with a collection of 112 confirmed roAp stars in total