In this study, we report a metallogel developed based on metal-phenolic coordination of natural low-cost polyphenolic molecule and metal ions. Gelation occurs by mixing tannic acid (TA) and group ...(IV) titanium ions (Ti
) to form TA-Ti
gel. The TA-Ti
gel exhibits good capability to incorporate diverse metal ions by in situ co-gelation. Herein, five antimicrobial metal ions, i.e. ferric (Fe
), copper (Cu
), zinc (Zn
), cobalt (Co
) and nickel (Ni
) ions, were employed to include in TA-Ti
gels for developing intelligent dressings for infected wounds. The chemical and coordinative structures of TA-Ti
metallogels were characterized by UV-Vis and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies. Cytotoxicity of antimicrobial metallogels was explored by MTT assay with NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. The release of metal ions was evaluated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), indicating the different releasing profiles upon the coordinative interactions of metal ions with TA. The formation and disassembly of metallogels are sensitive to the presence of acid and an oxidizer, H
O
, which are substances spontaneously generated in infected wounds due to the metabolic activity of bacteria and the intrinsic immune response. The Cu
releasing rates of TA-Ti
-Cu
metallogels at different pH values of 5.5, 7.4 and 8.5 have been studied. In addition, addition of H
O
trigger fast release of Cu
as a result of oxidation of galloyl groups in TA. Consequently, the antimicrobial potency of TA-Ti
-Cu
metallogels can be simultaneously activated while the wounds are infected and healing. The antimicrobial property of metallogels against Gram-negative Escherichia coli, and Gram-positive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (USA300) and Staphylococcus epidermidis has been investigated by agar diffusion test. In an animal model, the TA-Ti
-Cu
metallogels were applied as dressings for infected wounds, indicating faster recovery in the wound area and extremely lower amount of bacteria around the wounds, compared to TA-Ti
gels and gauze. Accordingly, the intelligent nature derived metallogels is a promising and potential materials for medical applications.
Increasing evidence demonstrates that commensal microorganisms in the human skin microbiome help fight pathogens and maintain homeostasis of the microbiome. However, it is unclear how these ...microorganisms maintain biological balance when one of them overgrows. The overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), a commensal skin bacterium, has been associated with the progression of acne vulgaris. Our results demonstrate that skin microorganisms can mediate fermentation of glycerol, which is naturally produced in skin, to enhance their inhibitory effects on P. acnes growth. The skin microorganisms, most of which have been identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), in the microbiome of human fingerprints can ferment glycerol and create inhibition zones to repel a colony of overgrown P. acnes. Succinic acid, one of four short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) detected in fermented media by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, effectively inhibits the growth of P. acnes in vitro and in vivo. Both intralesional injection and topical application of succinic acid to P. acnes-induced lesions markedly suppress the P. acnes-induced inflammation in mice. We demonstrate for the first time that bacterial members in the skin microbiome can undergo fermentation to rein in the overgrowth of P. acnes. The concept of bacterial interference between P. acnes and S. epidermidis via fermentation can be applied to develop probiotics against acne vulgaris and other skin diseases. In addition, it will open up an entirely new area of study for the biological function of the skin microbiome in promoting human health.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, EMUNI, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Observations with a global coverage are very important for space physics research and space weather monitoring. However, due to the technical limitations, it would be very expensive or even ...impossible to achieve a seamless global coverage even with advanced observational devices. It would be useful to fill missing data gaps to create a global map from the available data, but up until now this has been very challenging. Fortunately, the deep learning method, a recent breakthrough in artificial intelligence, may provide an effective way to solve this problem by making full use of data from reliable observations. In this paper, a promising deep learning algorithm, deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DCGAN), is investigated to fill the missing data of total electron content (TEC) map images. The direct use of DCGAN fails to fill missing data for the completion of TEC maps because there are always missing TEC data in some regions, such as oceans, where the features vary with time and geophysical conditions. Thus, no useful information can be utilized by DCGAN to achieve a meaningful image completion. In order to overcome this shortcoming of the original DCGAN method, a novel regularized DCGAN (R‐DCGAN) is proposed by adding an extra discriminator and some widely used reference TEC maps from the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service Ionosphere Working Group. The proposed R‐DCGAN method generates satisfactory ionospheric peak structures at different times and geomagnetic conditions, which demonstrate its effectiveness on filling the missing data in TEC maps. The proposed R‐DCGAN framework can be readily extended to a broad application in other fields of space sciences, particularly for addressing the missing observation data issues.
Plain Language Summary
This paper proposes an improved deep learning algorithm, regularized deep convolutional generative adversarial network (R‐DCGAN), for the image completion of total electron content (TEC) maps. The traditional DCGAN (which is a very popular and powerful deep learning algorithm for image completion, such as human face images) needs the training data to be completed observations. Since there is lack of distinct features in the missing data part of the training data that can be utilized by DCGAN to fill these missing values, DCGAN fails to directly learn the observation with data missing. In order to overcome the shortcoming of the original DCGAN method, an improved algorithm, R‐DCGAN, is proposed to fulfill missing data completion for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology‐TEC maps. The R‐DCGAN is designed from DCGAN, with an extra discriminator and the reference TECs. The R‐DCGAN produces satisfactory ionospheric peak structures at different times and geomagnetic conditions, and the results demonstrate that the deep learning algorithm is promising to fill the missing data.
Key Points
This study proposes an improved deep learning algorithm to deal with common missing observation data issues
The result generated by the algorithm can show satisfactory ionospheric peak structures at different times and geomagnetic conditions
The traditional DCGAN fails to directly learn the observation with data missing; in order to overcome this, DCGAN extended to a broader application
High levels of fluoride, though, naturally occurring (which can reach as high as 2,800 mg F−/L) in the environment can be toxic to various living organisms. Moreover, it can be transported by water ...and by its confluences and exacerbated by anthropogenic activities making it an environmental and public health concern. World Health Organization has set the standard for drinking water at 1.5 mg F−/L while the average national effluent standard is 15 mg F−/L. Hence, different defluoridation techniques of aqueous solutions were developed in the past years. This study provides an overview of the popular methods in defluoridation (i.e. adsorption, ion-exchangers, precipitation, membrane, electrocoagulation, and electro-dialysis). The mechanisms, critical operational conditions, and research progress are presented. The results further reveal that adsorption, regarded as the primary technique for defluoridation, still needs further development and mostly on its bench-scale and is only proven effective at low initial concentrations. In this study, sorption techniques are also estimated to be 10 to 20 times more expensive in operational costs relative to the other treatments. Furthermore, the majority of the examined literature demonstrated defluoridation at limited initial concentration <100 mg F−/L. In contrast, industrial effluents may reach 250–1,000 mg F−/L (up to ∼10,000 mg F−/L at extreme cases). Inadequate removal of fluoride in water by single treatment also compels researchers to explore hybrid treatments. In addition, due to the lack of wastewater treatment facilities requiring high capital cost, bioremediation, a commonly overlooked alternative, is presented for temporarily alleviating fluoride levels. Finally, challenges such as limited literature for disposal of secondary pollution and cost evaluation along with other potential research perspectives are further discussed.
Display omitted
•Fluoride level in natural waters can be exceedingly high reaching 2,800 ppm F-.•Contaminated water and diseases caused by fluoride are prevalent worldwide.•Recent fluoride removal studies are mostly on the bench-scale phase.•Investigated techniques usually omit high F- concentration wastewater (>100 ppm).•Life cycle assessment and cost evaluation for defluoridation are deemed vital.
The glycerol fermentation of probiotic
(
) in the skin microbiome produced butyric acid in vitro at concentrations in the millimolar range. The exposure of dorsal skin of mice to ultraviolet B (UVB) ...light provoked a significant increased production of pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-6 cytokine. Topical application of butyric acid alone or
with glycerol remarkably ameliorated the UVB-induced IL-6 production. In vivo knockdown of short-chain fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) in mouse skin considerably blocked the probiotic effect of
on suppression of UVB-induced IL-6 production. These results demonstrate that butyric acid in the metabolites of fermenting skin probiotic bacteria mediates FFAR2 to modulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by UVB.
Background
This study assesses different technologies for detecting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations from circulating tumor DNA in patients with EGFR T790M‐positive advanced ...non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the AURA3 study (NCT02151981), and it evaluates clinical responses to osimertinib and platinum‐pemetrexed according to the plasma T790M status.
Methods
Tumor tissue biopsy samples were tested for T790M during screening with the cobas EGFR Mutation Test (cobas tissue). Plasma samples were collected at screening and at the baseline and were retrospectively analyzed for EGFR mutations with the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 (cobas plasma), droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR; Biodesix), and next‐generation sequencing (NGS; Guardant360, Guardant Health).
Results
With cobas tissue test results as a reference, the plasma T790M positive percent agreement (PPA) was 51% (110 of 215 samples) by cobas plasma, 58% (110 of 189) by ddPCR, and 66% (136 of 207) by NGS. Plasma T790M detection was associated with a larger median baseline tumor size (56 mm for T790M‐positive vs 39 mm for T790M‐negative; P < .0001) and the presence of extrathoracic disease (58% for M1b‐positive vs 39% for M0‐1a‐positive; P = .002). Progression‐free survival (PFS) was prolonged in randomized patients (tissue T790M‐positive) with a T790M‐negative cobas plasma result in comparison with those with a T790M‐positive plasma result in both osimertinib (median, 12.5 vs 8.3 months) and platinum‐pemetrexed groups (median, 5.6 vs 4.2 months).
Conclusions
PPA was similar between ddPCR and NGS assays; both were more sensitive than cobas plasma. All 3 test platforms are suitable for routine clinical practice. In patients with tissue T790M‐positive NSCLC, an absence of detectable plasma T790M at the baseline is associated with longer PFS, which may be attributed to a lower disease burden.
This exploratory analysis of the AURA3 study demonstrates that plasma‐based platforms (cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, next‐generation sequencing, and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction) are suitable for epidermal growth factor receptor mutation detection in routine clinical practice. In patients with tissue T790M‐positive non–small cell lung cancer, the absence of detectable plasma T790M is associated with longer progression‐free survival, which may be attributed to a lower disease burden.
In summer, the urban heat island effect causes unbearable warmth in the cities of Taiwan. This study maps out ventilation paths that are expected to draw in breezes from suburban areas and the sea to ...mitigate the urban heat island effect. Wind corridors are estimated based on the concept that wind moves along paths of low urban roughness, as defined by the frontal area index (FAI) and the least cost path (LCP) methodology followed in this study. The primary wind corridor was proposed with a main function of identifying wind that minimizes net daytime heating through a redistribution of the total surface heat flux. Land use that affects urban temperature is discussed by indicating the areas of potential rises and drops in air temperature in order to describe the temperature influences in both windward and leeward areas. The horizontal resolution of the calculation unit was a hundred meters, which is called an urban block scale in this study. At that resolution, detailed analyses can be discussed in a detailed plan scheme. A slightly more sophisticated CFD model confirms the more simplistic GIS-based mode, and thus, these results have the potential to guide urban wind corridor planning efforts. The land use map of potential temperature influences is superimposed with the current wind corridors to determine the exact areas in which to execute the mitigation strategies. Four sites are recommended for urban surface improvement according to their land uses, respectively. Furthermore, a potential cooling route on the east side of the study area was suggested for the FAI reduction strategy.
•Estimating a cooling route for an urban block scale is discussed.•A slightly sophisticated CFD model confirms the simplistic GIS-based model.•An optimal wind corridor minimizes net daytime land use heating.•Exact areas are found in which to execute mitigation strategies.
Bacterial interference creates an ecological competition between commensal and pathogenic bacteria. Through fermentation of milk with gut-friendly bacteria, yogurt is an excellent aid to balance the ...bacteriological ecosystem in the human intestine. Here, we demonstrate that fermentation of glycerol with Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), a skin commensal bacterium, can function as a skin probiotic for in vitro and in vivo growth suppression of USA300, the most prevalent community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). We also promote the notion that inappropriate use of antibiotics may eliminate the skin commensals, making it more difficult to fight pathogen infection. This study warrants further investigation to better understand the role of fermentation of skin commensals in infectious disease and the importance of the human skin microbiome in skin health.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hand gestures recognition (HGR) has been considered as one of the crucial research fields of human-computer interaction (HCI). Computer vision is a very active research field in the HGR, traditional ...vision-based methods, which used camera and ultrasonic/optical sensor to collect the videos or images of the hand gestures shown by participants, have some limitations, such as fixed in-lab location, complex lighting conditions, and cluttered backgrounds. In order to provide new approaches, we described the development of a novel hand gesture recognition system that combined wearable armband and smart glove made by customizable pressure sensor arrays to detect sequential hand gestures. A deep learning technique long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm had been computed to build an effective model to classify hand gestures by training and testing the collected inertial measurement unit (IMU), electromyographic (EMG), and finger and palm's pressure data. Furthermore, we built a relatively large database of ten sequential hand gestures consisted by five dynamic gestures and five air gestures collected from ten participants. Our experimental results showed an outstanding classification performance of the proposed LSTM algorithm. These findings have promising implications for sequential hand gesture recognition and the HCI research status.
Poor prognosis of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is mainly associated with metastasis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This article investigates the ...role of lysyl oxidase‐like 2 (LOXL‐2) in the biology of HCC metastasis. First, we showed that HCC metastasis relies on a collagen‐modifying enzyme, LOXL2, which was significantly overexpressed in tumorous tissues and sera of HCC patients, indicating that LOXL2 may be a good diagnostic marker for HCC patients. Second, we delineated a complex, interlinked signaling network that involves multiple regulators, including hypoxia, transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β), and microRNAs (miRNAs), converging to control the expression of LOXL2. We found not only that LOXL2 was regulated by hypoxia/hypoxia‐inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF‐1α), but also that TGF‐β activated LOXL2 transcription through mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (Smad4), whereas two frequently underexpressed miRNA families, miR‐26 and miR‐29, cooperatively suppressed LOXL2 transcription through interacting with the 3' untranslated region of LOXL2. Third, we demonstrated the imperative roles of LOXL2 in modifying the extracellular matrix components in the tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche of HCC. LOXL2 promoted intrahepatic metastasis by increasing tissue stiffness, thereby enhancing the cytoskeletal reorganization of HCC cells. Furthermore, LOXL2 facilitated extrahepatic metastasis by enhancing recruitment of bone‐marrow–derived cells to the metastatic site. Conclusion: These findings integrate the clinical relevance, molecular regulation, and functional implications of LOXL2 in HCC metastasis. (Hepatology 2014;60:1645–1658)
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