Four conjectures in Nonlinear Analysis

In this chapter, I formulate four challenging conjectures in Nonlinear Analysis. More precisely: a conjecture on the Monge-Amp\`ere equation; a conjecture on an eigenvalue problem; a conjecture on a non-local problem; a conjecture on disconnectedness versus infinitely many solutions.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1504.01010, arXiv:1409.5919, arXiv:1612.0819

The Efficacy and Safety of Minocycline‐Containing Quadruple Therapies Against Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Xiao-Bei Si,1,2 Ling-Yun Zhang,2 Shuo Yang,3 Xiao-Lu Chen,2 Yan-Yan Shi,4 Yu Lan,2 Shi-Gang Ding1 1Department of Gastroenterology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Research Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shi-Gang Ding, Department of Gastroenterology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Yu Lan, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Minocycline, a derivative of tetracycline, has anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) properties and can be used to treat H. pylori infection. However, only a few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have investigated the efficacy of minocycline-containing quadruple therapy (MCQT) in treating H. pylori infection. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of MCQT and investigate the factors influencing both aspects.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients diagnosed with H. pylori infection between January 1, 2022, and July 31, 2023 at. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori, and the secondary outcome was the number and type of adverse events.Results: A total of 828 patients were included in this study. The overall H. pylori eradication rate among the included patients at 95% confidence interval (CI) (Range 0.864 to 0.907) was 88.53%. The H. pylori eradication rate for patients who received MCQT regimen as the primary therapy was 92.28% (95% CI: 0.901– 0.945), significantly higher than that of patients who received MCQT as rescue therapy (80.81%; 95% CI: 0.761– 0.855, P= 0.003). Adverse events, including dizziness, abdominal distension, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, constipation, headache, rash, sleep disorder, palpitation, backache, and anorexia, occurred in 185 (22.34%) patients, with dizziness being the most common (75/828, 9.06%). Compliance with MCQT therapy was an independent factor influencing H. pylori eradication in patients receiving MCQT as a primary therapy. Compliance and presence or absence of H. pylori infection symptoms at the time of screening were independent factors influencing H. Pylori eradication in patients receiving MCQT as rescue therapy. Factors that influenced the occurrence of adverse events included reasons for H. pylori infection screening, residence, treatment compliance, and the use of acid-suppressant regimens.Conclusion: MCQT regimens were effective in H. pylori infection eradication, and the treatment resulted only in fewer adverse events when used as primary or rescue therapies for H. pylori infection treatment. Future prospective studies with larger sample sizes and more comprehensive data are needed to validate our findings.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, minocycline, cohort stud

On the selection and design of proteins and peptide derivatives for the production of photoluminescent, red-emitting gold quantum clusters

Novel pathways of the synthesis of photoluminescent gold quantum clusters (AuQCs) using biomolecules as reactants provide biocompatible products for biological imaging techniques. In order to rationalize the rules for the preparation of red-emitting AuQCs in aqueous phase using proteins or peptides, the role of different organic structural units was investigated. Three systems were studied: proteins, peptides, and amino acid mixtures, respectively. We have found that cysteine and tyrosine are indispensable residues. The SH/S-S ratio in a single molecule is not a critical factor in the synthesis, but on the other hand, the stoichiometry of cysteine residues and the gold precursor is crucial. These observations indicate the importance of proper chemical behavior of all species in a wide size range extending from the atomic distances (in the AuI-S semi ring) to nanometer distances covering the larger sizes of proteins assuring the hierarchical structure of the whole self-assembled system

Effect of Size-Dependent Thermal Instability on Synthesis of Zn2 SiO4-SiOx Core–Shell Nanotube Arrays and Their Cathodoluminescence Properties

Vertically aligned Zn2SiO4-SiOx(x < 2) core–shell nanotube arrays consisting of Zn2SiO4-nanoparticle chains encapsulated into SiOx nanotubes and SiOx-coated Zn2SiO4 coaxial nanotubes were synthesized via one-step thermal annealing process using ZnO nanowire (ZNW) arrays as templates. The appearance of different nanotube morphologies was due to size-dependent thermal instability and specific melting of ZNWs. With an increase in ZNW diameter, the formation mechanism changed from decomposition of “etching” to Rayleigh instability and then to Kirkendall effect, consequently resulting in polycrystalline Zn2SiO4-SiOx coaxial nanotubes, single-crystalline Zn2SiO4-nanoparticle-chain-embedded SiOx nanotubes, and single-crystalline Zn2SiO4-SiOx coaxial nanotubes. The difference in spatially resolved optical properties related to a particular morphology was efficiently documented by means of cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy using a middle-ultraviolet emission at 310 nm from the Zn2SiO4 phase

Phenotype instability of hepatocyte-like cells produced by direct reprogramming of mesenchymal stromal cells

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2020-05-20T13:36:52Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Orge Yasmin Diniz , Phenotype....pdf: 16650804 bytes, checksum: c3eb41edf819fec369deb1d2cfc161da (MD5) Orge Yasmin Diniz , Phenotype....pdf: 16650804 bytes, checksum: c3eb41edf819fec369deb1d2cfc161da (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2020-05-20T14:09:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Orge Yasmin Diniz , Phenotype....pdf: 16650804 bytes, checksum: c3eb41edf819fec369deb1d2cfc161da (MD5) Orge Yasmin Diniz , Phenotype....pdf: 16650804 bytes, checksum: c3eb41edf819fec369deb1d2cfc161da (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2020-05-20T14:09:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Orge Yasmin Diniz , Phenotype....pdf: 16650804 bytes, checksum: c3eb41edf819fec369deb1d2cfc161da (MD5) Orge Yasmin Diniz , Phenotype....pdf: 16650804 bytes, checksum: c3eb41edf819fec369deb1d2cfc161da (MD5) Previous issue date: 2020Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil.MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Edinburgh, UK.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil / D’Or Institute for Research and Education. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Universidade Federal da Bahia. Institute of Health Sciences. Salvador, BA, Brasil.MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Edinburgh, UK.São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil / D’Or Institute for Research and Education. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil / D’Or Institute for Research and Education. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / National Institute of Science and Technology for Regenerative Medicine. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil.MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Edinburgh, UK.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / National Institute of Science and Technology for Regenerative Medicine. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / São Rafael Hospital. Center for Biotechnology and Cell Therapy, Salvador, BA, Brazil / D’Or Institute for Research and Education. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil / National Institute of Science and Technology for Regenerative Medicine. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil /Hepatocyte-like cells (iHEPs) generated by transcription factor-mediated direct reprogramming of somatic cells have been studied as potential cell sources for the development of novel therapies targeting liver diseases. The mechanisms involved in direct reprogramming, stability after long-term in vitro expansion, and safety profile of reprogrammed cells in different experimental models, however, still require further investigation. Methods: iHEPs were generated by forced expression of Foxa2/Hnf4a in mouse mesenchymal stromal cells and characterized their phenotype stability by in vitro and in vivo analyses. Results: The iHEPs expressed mixed hepatocyte and liver progenitor cell markers, were highly proliferative, and presented metabolic activities in functional assays. A progressive loss of hepatic phenotype, however, was observed after several passages, leading to an increase in alpha-SMA+ fibroblast-like cells, which could be distinguished and sorted from iHEPs by differential mitochondrial content. The resulting purified iHEPs proliferated, maintained liver progenitor cell markers, and, upon stimulation with lineage maturation media, increased expression of either biliary or hepatocyte markers. In vivo functionality was assessed in independent pre-clinical mouse models. Minimal engraftment was observed following transplantation in mice with acute acetaminophen-induced liver injury. In contrast, upon transplantation in a transgenic mouse model presenting host hepatocyte senescence, widespread engraftment and uncontrolled proliferation of iHEPs was observed, forming islands of epithelial-like cells, adipocytelike cells, or cells presenting both morphologies. Conclusion: The results have significant implications for cell reprogramming, suggesting that iHEPs generated by Foxa2/Hnf4a expression have an unstable phenotype and depend on transgene expression for maintenance of hepatocyte-like characteristics, showing a tendency to return to the mesenchymal phenotype of origin and a compromised safety profil

Benchmarking the Self-Assembly of Surfactin Biosurfactant at the Liquid–Air Interface to those of Synthetic Surfactants

The adsorption of surfactin, a lipopeptide biosurfactant, at the liquid–air interface has been investigated in this work. The maximum adsorption density and the nature and the extent of lateral interaction between the adsorbed surfactin molecules at the interface were estimated from surface tension data using the Frumkin model. The quantitative information obtained using the Frumkin model was also compared to those obtained using the Gibbs equation and the Langmuir–Szyszkowski model. Error analysis showed a better agreement between the experimental and the calculated values using the Frumkin model relative to the other two models. The adsorption of surfactin at the liquid–air interface was also compared to those of synthetic anionic, sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS), and nonionic, octaethylene glycol monotetradecyl ether (C14E8), surfactants. It has been estimated that the area occupied by a surfactin molecule at the interface is about 3- and 2.5-fold higher than those occupied by SDBS and C14E8 molecules, respectively. The interaction between the adsorbed molecules of the anionic biosurfactant (surfactin) was estimated to be attractive, unlike the mild repulsive interaction between the adsorbed SDBS molecules