1-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)-3-{5-[(E)-2-phenyl­ethen­yl]-1,3,4-thia­diazol-2-yl}urea

In the title compound, C17H13ClN4OS, the 1,3,4-thia­diazole ring makes dihedral angles of 9.70 (15) and 7.22 (10)° with the benzene and phenyl rings, respectively; the dihedral angle between these two rings is 6.37 (19)°. In the crystal, pairs of N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between inversion-related mol­ecules result in supra­molecular ribbons displaying alternate R 2 2(8) and R 2 2(14) graph-set ring motifs

1-(4-Methyl­benzo­yl)-3-[5-(4-pyrid­yl)-1,3,4-thia­diazol-2-yl]urea

In the title compound, C16H13N5O2S, the five non-H atoms of the urea linkage adopt a planar configuration owing to the presence of an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond. The maximum deviation from planarity is 0.022 (2) Å. The thia­diazole and pyridine heterocyclic rings are close to being coplanar, with a dihedral angle of 6.7 (2)° between their mean planes. Inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link two neighbouring mol­ecules into centrosymmetric R 2 2(8) dimers. Four C atoms and the attached H atoms of the benzene ring are disordered over two positions of equal occupancy

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Characteristics, and Interventions of Braid-Like Coronary Artery: Case Series Analysis Based on Optical Coherence Tomography

Aim. Based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), we aimed to determine the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and interventions of braid-like coronary arteries, which are rare and tend to be diagnosed as a woven coronary artery (WCA) anomaly. Methods and Results. We identified braid-like lesions on coronary angiography (CAG) in 7 patients (6 men; median age 47 years; age range 26 to 57 years). All patients were heavy smokers. Four patients were diagnosed with an old myocardial infarction and the other 3 with unstable angina. The braid-like lesions were located in the left anterior descending arteries in 2 patients and in the right coronary arteries in the other 5. TIMI grade 2 flow was observed in all involved vessels. OCT findings of all lesions were consistent with recanalization of organized thrombi, which consisted of septa that divided the lumen into multiple small cavities communicating with each other. No separate three-layered structure could be defined. Based on the significance of the stenosis and its related symptoms, drug-eluting stents were implanted in all of the lesions. All patients experienced symptomatic improvement after the intervention and were followed up event-free for 12 months. Conclusions. Braid-like coronary arteries are likely to undergo recanalization of organized thrombi rather than WCA according to our OCT findings. The majority of cases affect men who smoke heavily. Percutaneous stent implantation may be beneficial in selected patients when feasible

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field