A Bayesian Approach for Clustering Constant-wise Change-point Data

Change-point models deal with ordered data sequences. Their primary goal is to infer the locations where an aspect of the data sequence changes. In this paper, we propose and implement a nonparametric Bayesian model for clustering observations based on their constant-wise change-point profiles via Gibbs sampler. Our model incorporates a Dirichlet Process on the constant-wise change-point structures to cluster observations while performing change-point estimation simultaneously. Additionally, our approach controls the number of clusters in the model, not requiring the specification of the number of clusters a priori. Our method's performance is evaluated on simulated data under various scenarios and on a publicly available single-cell copy-number dataset.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figure

Recovery of Rare-Earth Elements from Brazilian Ion-Adsorption Clay: A Preliminary Study

Ion-adsorption clays (IAC) are alumino-silicate ores, considered an essential source of heavy rare-earth elements (REE). With the increasing discovery and exploitation of IAC deposits, the present work sought to evaluate different methods of solubilization of REE through the use of different concentrations of inorganic acids (H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3), as well as different concentrations of ammonium sulfate and lactic acid. According to the results, the sulfuric acid solution favored the solubilization of both La3+ and Sm3+ elements. The solubilization of REE in the presence of ammonium sulfate showed no significant differences as a function of the leaching time but favored the solubilization of Y3+ and Tb3+. More efficient solubilization of Sm3+ was observed with the addition of lactic acid at a concentration of 30 g L-1, leading to 90% (4.5 ppm) of Sm3+ extraction. The solubilization of La3+ was favored by the contact time, with higher Sm3+ extraction yields in 14 days of leaching. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v14i1.156

Recovery of Rare-Earth Elements from Brazilian Ion-Adsorption Clay: A Preliminary Study

Ion-adsorption clays (IAC) are alumino-silicate ores, considered an essential source of heavy rare-earth elements (REE). With the increasing discovery and exploitation of IAC deposits, the present work sought to evaluate different methods of solubilization of REE through the use of different concentrations of inorganic acids (H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3), as well as different concentrations of ammonium sulfate and lactic acid. According to the results, the sulfuric acid solution favored the solubilization of both La3+ and Sm3+ elements. The solubilization of REE in the presence of ammonium sulfate showed no significant differences as a function of the leaching time but favored the solubilization of Y3+ and Tb3+. More efficient solubilization of Sm3+ was observed with the addition of lactic acid at a concentration of 30 g L-1, leading to 90% (4.5 ppm) of Sm3+ extraction. The solubilization of La3+ was favored by the contact time, with higher Sm3+ extraction yields in 14 days of leaching. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v14i1.156

Impact of experimental Nano-HAP pastes on bovine enamel and dentin submitted to a pH cycling model

This in vitro study evaluated the preventive potential of experimental pastes containing 10% and 20% hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (Nano-HAP), with or without fluoride, on dental demineralization. Bovine enamel (n=15) and root dentin (n=15) specimens were divided into 9 groups according to their surface hardness: control (without treatment), 20 Nanop paste (20% HAP), 20 Nanop paste plus (20% HAP + 0.2% NaF), 10 Nanop paste (10% HAP), 10 Nanop paste plus (10% HAP + 0.2% NaF), placebo paste (without fluoride and HAP), fluoride paste (0.2% NaF), MI paste (CPP-ACP, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate), and MI paste plus (CPP-ACP + 0.2% NaF). Both MI pastes were included as commercial control products containing calcium phosphate. The specimens were treated with the pastes twice a day (1 min), before and after demineralization. The specimens were subjected to a pH-cycling model (demineralization–6-8 h/ remineralization-16-18 h a day) for 7 days. The dental subsurface demineralization was analyzed using cross-sectional hardness (kgf/mm 2 , depth 10-220 µm). Data were tested using repeated-measures two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's test (p<0.05). The only treatment able to reduce the loss of enamel and dentin subsurface hardness was fluoride paste (0.2% NaF), which differed significantly from the control at 30- and 50-µm depth (p<0.0001). The other treatments were not different from each other or compared with the control. The experimental Nanop pastes, regardless of the addition of fluoride, were unable to reduce dental demineralization in vitro

Is Urinary Density An Adequate Predictor Of Urinary Osmolality?

Background: Urinary density (UD) has been routinely used for decades as a surrogate marker for urine osmolality (U-osm). We asked if UD can accurately estimate U-osm both in healthy subjects and in different clinical scenarios of kidney disease. Methods: UD was assessed by refractometry. U-osm was measured by freezing point depression in spot urines obtained from healthy volunteers (N = 97) and in 319 inpatients with acute kidney injury (N = 95), primary glomerulophaties (N = 118) or chronic kidney disease (N = 106). Results: UD and U-osm correlated in all groups (p < 0.05). However, a wide range of U-osm values was associated with each UD value. When UD was <= 1.010, 28.4% of samples had U-osm above 350 mOsm/kg. Conversely, in 61.6% of samples with UD above 1.020, U-osm was below 600 mOsm/kg. As expected, U-osm exhibited a strong relationship with serum creatinine (S-creat), whereas a much weaker correlation was found between UD and Screat. Conclusion: We found that UD is not a substitute for U-osm. Although UD was significantly correlated with U-osm, the wide dispersion makes it impossible to use UD as a dependable clinical estimate of U-osm. Evaluation of the renal concentrating ability should be based on direct determination of U-osm.1

Is urinary density an adequate predictor of urinary osmolality?

Urinary density (UD) has been routinely used for decades as a surrogate marker for urine osmolality (U-osm). We asked if UD can accurately estimate U-osm both in healthy subjects and in different clinical scenarios of kidney disease. UD was assessed by refractometry. U-osm was measured by freezing point depression in spot urines obtained from healthy volunteers (N = 97) and in 319 inpatients with acute kidney injury (N = 95), primary glomerulophaties (N = 118) or chronic kidney disease (N = 106). UD and U-osm correlated in all groups (p < 0.05). However, a wide range of U-osm values was associated with each UD value. When UD was <= 1.010, 28.4% of samples had U-osm above 350 mOsm/kg. Conversely, in 61.6% of samples with UD above 1.020, U-osm was below 600 mOsm/kg. As expected, U-osm exhibited a strong relationship with serum creatinine (S-creat), whereas a much weaker correlation was found between UD and Screat. We found that UD is not a substitute for U-osm. Although UD was significantly correlated with U-osm, the wide dispersion makes it impossible to use UD as a dependable clinical estimate of U-osm. Evaluation of the renal concentrating ability should be based on direct determination of U-osm1

Unprecedented in Vitro Antitubercular Activitiy of Manganese(II) Complexes Containing 1,10- Phenanthroline and Dicarboxylate Ligands: Increased Activity, Superior Selectivity, and Lower Toxicity in Comparison to Their Copper(II) Analogs

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the etiologic agent of tuberculosis. The demand for new chemotherapeutics with unique mechanisms of action to treat (multi)resistant strains is an urgent need. The objective of this work was to test the effect of manganese(II) and copper(II) phenanthroline/dicarboxylate complexes against M. tuberculosis. The water-soluble Mn(II) complexes, [Mn2(oda)(phen)4(H2O)2][Mn2(oda)(phen)4(oda)2]·4H2O (1) and ([Mn(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)2]·3H2O·EtOH)n (3) (odaH2 = octanedioic acid, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, tddaH2 = 3,6,9-trioxaundecanedioic acid), and water-insoluble complexes, [Mn(ph)(phen)(H2O)2] (5), [Mn(ph)(phen)2(H2O)]·4H2O (6), [Mn2(isoph)2(phen)3]·4H2O (7), ([Mn(phen)2(H2O)2])2(isoph)2(phen)·12H2O (8) and [Mn(tereph)(phen)2]·5H2O (9) (phH2 = phthalic acid, isophH2 = isophthalic acid, terephH2 = terephthalic acid), robustly inhibited the viability of M. tuberculosis strains, H37Rv and CDC1551. The water-soluble Cu(II) analog of (1), [Cu2(oda)(phen)4](ClO4)2·2.76H2O·EtOH (2), was significantly less effective against both strains. Whilst (3) retarded H37Rv growth much better than its soluble Cu(II) equivalent, ([Cu(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)2]·3H2O·EtOH)n (4), both were equally efficient against CDC1551. VERO and A549 mammalian cells were highly tolerant to the Mn(II) complexes, culminating in high selectivity index (SI) values. Significantly, in vivo studies using Galleria mellonella larvae indicated that the metal complexes were minimally toxic to the larvae. The Mn(II) complexes presented low MICs and high SI values (up to 1347), indicating their auspicious potential as novel antitubercular lead agents. © 2018 McCarron, McCann, Devereux, Kavanagh, Skerry, Karakousis, Aor, Mello, Santos, Campos and Pavan

Determinants of glycemic control and quality of Life in type 2 diabetic patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of socio-economic, clinical and pharmacotherapeutic determinants, adherence to therapy on the quality of life and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We conducted a cross-sectional study exploratory. Data collection was conducted through structured interviews and analysis of medical records. We interviewed 146 adult patients. Increasing age, body mass index, number of antidiabetic medications used and blacks, were related to higher levels of glycated hemoglobin. The results indicate that glycemic control was negatively influenced by non-adherence to drug treatment and a higher complexity of pharmacotherapy was related to noncompliance. Health-Related Quality of life (HRQOL) as assessed by the Nottingham Health Profile has negative influence of diabetes complications. HRQOL, as assessed by the Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL), was negatively affected by poor glycemic control.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Knocking Down Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (LMW-PTP) Reverts Chemoresistance through Inactivation of Src and Bcr-Abl Proteins

The development of multidrug resistance (MDR) limits the efficacy of continuous chemotherapeutic treatment in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMW-PTP) is up-regulated in several cancers and has been associated to poor prognosis. This prompted us to investigate the involvement of LMW-PTP in MDR. In this study, we investigated the role of LMW-PTP in a chemoresistant CML cell line, Lucena-1. Our results showed that LMW-PTP is highly expressed and 7-fold more active in Lucena-1 cells compared to K562 cells, the non-resistant cell line. Knocking down LMW-PTP in Lucena-1 cells reverted chemoresistance to vincristine and imatinib mesylate, followed by a decrease of Src and Bcr-Abl phosphorylation at the activating sites, inactivating both kinases. On the other hand, overexpression of LMW-PTP in K562 cells led to chemoresistance to vincristine. Our findings describe, for the first time, that LMW-PTP cooperates with MDR phenotype, at least in part, through maintaining Src and Bcr-Abl kinases in more active statuses. These findings suggest that inhibition of LMW-PTP may be a useful strategy for the development of therapies for multidrug resistant CML