Vibrational spectroscopy is an essential tool in chemical analyses, biological assays, and studies of functional materials. Over the past decade, various coherent nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic ...techniques have been developed and enabled researchers to study time-correlations of the fluctuating frequencies that are directly related to solute–solvent dynamics, dynamical changes in molecular conformations and local electrostatic environments, chemical and biochemical reactions, protein structural dynamics and functions, characteristic processes of functional materials, and so on. In order to gain incisive and quantitative information on the local electrostatic environment, molecular conformation, protein structure and interprotein contacts, ligand binding kinetics, and electric and optical properties of functional materials, a variety of vibrational probes have been developed and site-specifically incorporated into molecular, biological, and material systems for time-resolved vibrational spectroscopic investigation. However, still, an all-encompassing theory that describes the vibrational solvatochromism, electrochromism, and dynamic fluctuation of vibrational frequencies has not been completely established mainly due to the intrinsic complexity of intermolecular interactions in condensed phases. In particular, the amount of data obtained from the linear and nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic experiments has been rapidly increasing, but the lack of a quantitative method to interpret these measurements has been one major obstacle in broadening the applications of these methods. Among various theoretical models, one of the most successful approaches is a semiempirical model generally referred to as the vibrational spectroscopic map that is based on a rigorous theory of intermolecular interactions. Recently, genetic algorithm, neural network, and machine learning approaches have been applied to the development of vibrational solvatochromism theory. In this review, we provide comprehensive descriptions of the theoretical foundation and various examples showing its extraordinary successes in the interpretations of experimental observations. In addition, a brief introduction to a newly created repository Web site (http://frequencymap.org) for vibrational spectroscopic maps is presented. We anticipate that a combination of the vibrational frequency map approach and state-of-the-art multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy will be one of the most fruitful ways to study the structure and dynamics of chemical, biological, and functional molecular systems in the future.
•Exercise training reduced pro-inflammatory markers, specifically CRP and TNF.•Prostate and breast cancer showed the greatest decrease in pro-inflammatory markers.•Combination training was the most ...effective mode for reducing inflammation.•Exercise had minimal effects on anti-inflammatory cytokines and immune outcomes.•Standardized reporting and the clinical significance of any changes are recommended.
Anti-cancer therapies lead to chronic non-resolving inflammation and reduced immune function. One potential therapy is exercise training, but the effectiveness of these interventions to improve immune-related outcomes, the gaps in the literature, and recommendations to progress the field need to be determined.
(1) to conduct separate meta-analyses in cancer survivors to determine the effects of exercise training on pro- and anti-inflammatory markers, and immune cell proportions and function; and (2) to perform subgroup analyses to determine whether exercise modality, cancer type, and specific markers help to explain heterogeneity in each meta-analysis.
Electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL) from inception to March 2018. The reference lists of eligible articles and relevant reviews were also checked.
Inclusion criteria were adult cancer survivors from randomized controlled trials performing structured exercise intervention (aerobic, resistance or combined training or Tai Chi/yoga) compared to usual care control group and included pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and/or immune cell outcomes.
A total of 5349 potentially eligible articles were identified, of which 26 articles (27 trials) met the inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were calculated as standardized mean differences (SMD), where <0.2 was defined as trivial, 0.2–0.3 as small, 0.4–0.8 as moderate, and >0.8 as a large effect.
Exercise training decreased pro-inflammatory markers (SMD: −0.2, 95% CI: −0.4, −0.1, p < 0.001). Sub-group analysis for the pro-inflammatory markers indicated that combined aerobic and resistance training had the greatest effect (SMD: −0.3, 95% CI: −0.5, −1.9, p < 0.001), that prostate (SMD: −0.5, 95% CI: −0.8, 0.1, p = 0.004) and breast cancer populations were most responsive (SMD: −0.2, 95% CI: −0.3, –0.1, p = 0.001), and that C-reactive protein (SMD: −0.5, 95% CI: −0.9, −0.06, p = 0.025) and tumor necrosis factor (SMD: −0.3, 95% CI: −0.5, –0.06, p = 0.004) were the most sensitive to change. Exercise training tended to decrease anti-inflammatory markers (p = 0.072) but had no effect on natural killer or natural killer T cell proportions or cytotoxic activity.
Exercise training reduces pro-inflammatory markers in cancer survivors, with the strongest evidence for combined training and for prostate and breast cancer survivors. Further research is warranted to determine if these changes are clinically relevant or are associated with improvements in symptoms. To strengthen future research, focusing on novel immune populations that include functional parameters and standardized reporting of key immune outcomes is recommended.
Nucleation of particles with sulfuric acid, water, and nitrogeneous bases was studied in a flow reactor. Sulfuric acid and water levels were set by flows over sulfuric acid and water reservoirs, ...respectively, and the base concentrations were determined from measured permeation rates and flow dilution ratios. Particle number distributions were measured with a nano‐differential‐mobility‐analyzer system. Results indicate that the nucleation capability of NH3, methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine with sulfuric acid increases from NH3 as the weakest, methylamine next, and dimethylamine and trimethylamine the strongest. Three other bases were studied, and experiments with triethylamine showed that it is less effective than methylamine, and experiments with urea and acetamide showed that their capabilities are much lower than the amines with acetamide having basically no effect. When both NH3 and an amine were present, nucleation was more strongly enhanced than with just the amine present. Comparisons of nucleation rates to predictions and previous experimental work are discussed, and the sulfuric acid‐base nucleation rates measured here are extrapolated to atmospheric conditions. The measurements suggest that atmospheric nucleation rates are significantly affected by synergistic interactions between ammonia and amines.
Key Points
Sulfuric acid nucleation with bases strongly depend on the type of base
When both an amine and ammonia are present, nucleation is enhanced
Only weak effects were observed with amides
The goal of this review was to determine the direction of associations between SES and health behaviors during the period of adolescence.
We searched the PsychInfo and Pubmed databases for studies ...that measured the association between SES and cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, diet, and physical activity in adolescents between 10- and 21-years old.
Associations between SES and health behaviors conformed to two patterns. First, low SES was associated with poorer diets, less physical activity, and greater cigarette smoking. Second, there was no clear pattern of associations between SES and alcohol consumption or marijuana use.
Results from this review indicate that, although some associations between SES and health behaviors exist during adolescence, the associations are not as robust as those in adulthood. Efforts to curb poor diet, inactivity, and smoking behaviors should target low SES adolescents, whereas efforts to curb teen drinking and marijuana use may be useful across the SES spectrum.
The extent to which microorganisms impair wound healing is an ongoing controversy in the management of chronic wounds. Because the high diversity and extreme variability of the microbiota between ...individual chronic wounds lead to inconsistent findings in small cohort studies, evaluation of a large number of chronic wounds using identical sequencing and bioinformatics methods is necessary for clinicians to be able to select appropriate empiric therapies. In this study, we utilized 16S rDNA pyrosequencing to analyze the composition of the bacterial communities present in samples obtained from patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers (N = 910), venous leg ulcers (N = 916), decubitus ulcers (N = 767), and nonhealing surgical wounds (N = 370). The wound samples contained a high proportion of Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas species in 63 and 25% of all wounds, respectively; however, a high prevalence of anaerobic bacteria and bacteria traditionally considered commensalistic was also observed. Our results suggest that neither patient demographics nor wound type influenced the bacterial composition of the chronic wound microbiome. Collectively, these findings indicate that empiric antibiotic selection need not be based on nor altered for wound type. Furthermore, the results provide a much clearer understanding of chronic wound microbiota in general; clinical application of this new knowledge over time may help in its translation to improved wound healing outcomes.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, social restrictions to contain the spread of the virus have disrupted behaviors across the 24-h day including physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep ...among children (5–12 years old) and adolescents (13–17 years old). Preliminary evidence reports significant decreases in physical activity, increases in sedentary behavior, and disrupted sleep schedules/sleep quality in children and adolescents. This commentary discusses the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on behaviors across the 24-h day in children and adolescents. Furthermore, we suggest recommendations through the lens of a socio-ecological model to provide strategies for lasting behavior change to insure the health and well-being of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nucleation of particles composed of sulfuric acid, water, and nitrogen base molecules was studied using a continuous flow reactor. The particles formed from these vapors were detected with an ...ultrafine condensation particle counter, while vapors of sulfuric acid and nitrogen bases were detected by chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Variation of particle numbers with sulfuric acid concentration yielded a power dependency on sulfuric acid of 5 ± 1 for relative humidities of 14–68% at 296 K; similar experiments with varying water content yielded power dependencies on H2O of ~7. The critical cluster contains about 5 H2SO4 molecules and a new treatment of the power dependency for H2O suggests about 12 H2O molecules for these conditions. Addition of 2-to-45 pptv of ammonia or methyl amine resulted in up to millions of times more particles than in the absence of these compounds. Particle detection capabilities, sulfuric acid and nitrogen base detection, wall losses, and the extent of particle growth are discussed. Results are compared to previous laboratory nucleation studies and they are also discussed in terms of atmospheric nucleation scenarios.
Folates are essential cofactors for one-carbon transfer reactions and are needed in the diets of humans and animals. Because plants are major sources of dietary folate, plant folate biochemistry has ...long been of interest but progressed slowly until the genome era. Since then, genome-enabled approaches have brought rapid advances: We now know (a) all the plant folate synthesis genes and some genes of folate turnover and transport, (b) certain mechanisms governing folate synthesis, and (c) the subcellular locations of folate synthesis enzymes and of folates themselves. Some of this knowledge has been applied, simply and successfully, to engineer folate-enriched food crops (i.e., biofortification). Much remains to be discovered about folates, however, particularly in relation to homeostasis, catabolism, membrane transport, and vacuolar storage. Understanding these processes, which will require both biochemical and -omics research, should lead to improved biofortification strategies based on transgenic or conventional approaches.
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