3-(7-Meth­oxy-β-carbolin-1-yl)propionic acid monohydrate

In the title compound, C15H14N2O3·H2O [systematic name: 3-(7-meth­oxy-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-yl)propanoic acid monohydrate], the fused rings make dhedral angles of 0.4 (1), 1.1 (2) and 1.4 (2)°. In the crystal, the water mol­ecule is involved in the formation of three independent hydrogen-bonded chains via O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, while the carb­oxy group forms an inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond

(4-Bromo-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)(2,6-difluoro­phen­yl)methanone

There are two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C12H9BrF2N2O. They have very similar conformations: the dihedral angles between their pyrazole and benzene ring systems are 78.4 (3) and 78.6 (4)°. In the crystal, weak aromatic π–π stacking [centroid–centroid separation = 3.696 (5) Å] helps to establish the packing

Application of Patient-Specific Computational Fluid Dynamics in Coronary and Intra-Cardiac Flow Simulations: Challenges and Opportunities

The emergence of new cardiac diagnostics and therapeutics of the heart has given rise to the challenging field of virtual design and testing of technologies in a patient-specific environment. Given the recent advances in medical imaging, computational power and mathematical algorithms, patient-specific cardiac models can be produced from cardiac images faster, and more efficiently than ever before. The emergence of patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has paved the way for the new field of computer-aided diagnostics. This article provides a review of CFD methods, challenges and opportunities in coronary and intra-cardiac flow simulations. It includes a review of market products and clinical trials. Key components of patient-specific CFD are covered briefly which include image segmentation, geometry reconstruction, mesh generation, fluid-structure interaction, and solver techniques

FY2014 Annual Report

Abstract Background This population-based study was designed to investigate whether consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is associated with lower serum total testosterone concentration in men 20–39 years old. Methods All data for this study were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2012. The primary outcome was serum testosterone concentration, and main independent variable was SSB intake. Other variables included age, race/ethnicity, poverty/income ratio, body mass index (BMI), serum cotinine, heavy drinking, and physical activity. Results Among all subjects (N = 545), 486 (90.4%) had normal testosterone levels (defined as ≥231 ng/dL) and 59 (9.6%) had low testosterone levels (defined as < 231 ng/dL). Multivariate logistic regression revealed the odds of low testosterone was significantly greater with increasing SSB consumption (Q4 [≥442 kcal/day] vs. Q1 [≤137 kcal/day]), adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.29, p = 0.041]. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, BMI was an independent risk factor for low testosterone level; subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had a higher risk of having a low testosterone level than those with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (aOR = 3.68, p = 0.044). Conclusion SSB consumption is significantly associated with low serum testosterone in men 20–39 years old in the United States

Synthesis, Characterization and Antitumor Activity of a Series of Polypyridyl Complexes

A series of polypyridyl complexes have been synthesized. All polypyridyl complexes and some of the soluble ligands have been assayed for antitumor activity in vitro against the HL-60 (the human leucocytoma) cells, BEL-7402 (the human liver carcinoma) cells, KB (the human nasopharyngeal carcinoma) cells and HELA (the human adenocarcinoma of cervix) cells. The results indicate that several complexes have relative activity against different cell lines. Especially, the complexes [Co(bpy)2(pip)]3+, [Co(phen)2(pip)]3+, [Ru(bpy)2(pztp)]2+ and [Ru(pztp)2(bpy)]2+ show relative high activity against four tumor cell lines. Moreover, they are slightly more effective than cisplatin. At the concentration of 100 μg/mL, the complexes show inhibitory rate of 72∼86% for the cancer cells and have no toxicity for MDCK and Vero cells. It is indicated that these complexes can inhibit cancer cells selectively

Human Papillomaviruses and Papillomatosis Lesions of the Female Lower Genital Tract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are involved in the development of papillomatosis lesions of the lower female genital tract

Responsiveness of voltage-gated calcium channels in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells on quasi-three-dimensional micropatterns formed with poly (l-lactic acid)

Introduction: In this study, quasi-three-dimensional (3D) microwell patterns were fabricated with poly (l-lactic acid) for the development of cell-based assays, targeting voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). Methods and materials: SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were interfaced with the microwell patterns and found to grow as two dimensional (2D), 3D, and near two dimensional (N2D), categorized on the basis of the cells’ location in the pattern. The capability of the microwell patterns to support 3D cell growth was evaluated in terms of the percentage of the cells in each growth category. Cell spreading was analyzed in terms of projection areas under light microscopy. SH-SY5Y cells’ VGCC responsiveness was evaluated with confocal microscopy and a calcium fluorescent indicator, Calcium GreenTM-1. The expression of L-type calcium channels was evaluated using immunofluorescence staining with DM-BODIPY. Results: It was found that cells within the microwells, either N2D or 3D, showed more rounded shapes and less projection areas than 2D cells on flat poly (l-lactic acid) substrates. Also, cells in microwells showed a significantly lower VGCC responsiveness than cells on flat substrates, in terms of both response magnitudes and percentages of responsive cells, upon depolarization with 50 mM K+. This lower VGCC responsiveness could not be explained by the difference in L-type calcium channel expression. For the two patterns addressed in this study, N2D cells consistently exhibited an intermediate value of either projection areas or VGCC responsiveness between those for 2D and 3D cells, suggesting a correlative relation between cell morphology and VGCC responsiveness. Conclusion: These results suggest that the pattern structure and therefore the cell growth characteristics were critical factors in determining cell VGCC responsiveness and thus provide an approach for engineering cell functionality in cell-based assay systems and tissue engineering scaffolds

Survivability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus during the Preparation of Soy Cheese

Svrha je ovog istraživanja razvoj novog probiotičkog sira od soje na bazi kineskog sira sufu. Sir je dobiven fermentacijom sojinog mlijeka s pomoću bakterijskih starter kultura (DH1 i GH4) i L. rhamnosus 6013. Nakon zrenja uspoređene su ocjene senzorskih svojstava probiotičkog sira od soje (standard SB/T 10170-93) s kontrolnim uzorkom. Ispitani su promjena pH-vrijednosti, rast bakterija i preživljavanje potencijalne probiotičke kulture L. rhamnosus 6013 tijekom fermentacije i skladištenja na 10 °C. Nakon 6 sati fermentacije, L. rhamnosus 6013 bio je sposoban rasti u sojinom mlijeku sve do 108-109 CFU/mL. Nakon skladištenja tijekom 30 dana pri 10 °C primijećeno je slabo opadanje pH-vrijednosti i broja živih stanica bakterija. Broj živih stanica nakon 30 dana iznosio je 107 CFU/g L. rhamnosus 6013, 106 CFU/g DH1 i 106 CFU/g GH4. Udio stahioze, rafinoze i saharoze u siru od soje određen je visokodjelotvornom tekućinskom kromatografijom. Rezultati pokazuju da L. rhamnosus 6013 može koristiti oligosaharide soje kao izvor ugljika. Dodatak od 2 do 4 % soli nije značajnije utjecao na preživljavanje kulture L. rhamnosus 6013, što znači da ta bakterija može podnijeti tehnološku preradu bez negativnog utjecaja na fermentaciju i senzorska svojstva sira od soje.The aim of this study was to develop a new probiotic soy cheese on the basis of chinese sufu. The soy cheese was made from soymilk fermented with soy cheese bacterial starter cultures (DH1 and GH4) and L. rhamnosus 6013. After ripening, probiotic soy cheese sensory scores (standard SB/T 10170-93) were compared to the control. The changes in pH, bacterial growth and the survivability of the potential probiotic L. rhamnosus 6013 during fermentation and storage at 10 °C were examined. After 6 h of fermentation, L. rhamnosus 6013 was capable of growing in soymilk as high as 108–109 CFU/mL. After being stored for 30 days at 10 °C, slight decrease in pH and the viable counts of the strain was noticed. The viable counts of L. rhamnosus 6013, DH1 and GH4 were 107, 106 and 106 CFU/g, respectively, after storage for 30 days. The levels of stachyose, raffinose and sucrose in soy cheese were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The results indicated that L. rhamnosus 6013 could utilize the soybean oligosaccharides as carbon sources. In addition, 2–4 % of NaCl had little effect on the survivability of L. rhamnosus 6013. It indicated that L. rhamnosus 6013 could withstand the technological processing of soy cheese and had no negative effect on the fermentation and the sensory properties of the soy cheese

Transcriptomics of Gabra4 knockout mice reveals common NMDAR pathways underlying autism, memory, and epilepsy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuronal developmental disorder with impaired social interaction and communication, often with abnormal intelligence and comorbidity with epilepsy. Disturbances in synaptic transmission, including the GABAergic, glutamatergic, and serotonergic systems, are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder, yet we do not know if there is a common molecular mechanism. As mutations in the GABAergic receptor subunit gene GABRA4 are reported in patients with ASD, we eliminated the Gabra4 gene in mice and found that the Gabra4 knockout mice showed autistic-like behavior, enhanced spatial memory, and attenuated susceptibility to pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures, a constellation of symptoms resembling human high-functioning autism. To search for potential molecular pathways involved in these phenotypes, we performed a hippocampal transcriptome profiling, constructed a hippocampal interactome network, and revealed an upregulation of the NMDAR system at the center of the converged pathways underlying high-functioning autism-like and anti-epilepsy phenotypes