Placebo and Nocebo Effects Colloca, Luana; Barsky, Arthur J
The New England journal of medicine,
02/2020, Letnik:
382, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Placebo and nocebo effects (effects of patients’ positive and negative expectations) are powerful and pervasive in clinical practice. Neurobiologic mechanisms, information offered about treatment, ...prior encounters with a drug or procedure, and the therapeutic milieu can all generate these effects.
Virtual molecular screening is used to dock small-molecule libraries to a macromolecule in order to find lead compounds with desired biological function. This in silico method is well known for its ...application in computer-aided drug design. This chapter describes how to perform small-molecule virtual screening by docking with PyRx, which is open-source software with an intuitive user interface that runs on all major operating systems (Linux, Windows, and Mac OS). Specific steps for using PyRx, as well as considerations for data preparation, docking, and data analysis, are also described.
•Lignin-related factor and its relationships with biomass conversion are reviewed.•Roles of lignin in biological conversion process are discussed.•Most recent lignin-targeting pretreatment strategies ...are summarized.•Change of lignin properties by diverse pretreatment strategies are compared.•Perspectives for future pretreatment in biorefinery process are provided.
Heterogeneity and rigidity of lignocellulose causing resistance to its deconstruction have provided technical and economic challenges in the current biomass conversion processes. Lignin has been considered as a crucial recalcitrance component in biomass utilization. An in-depth understanding of lignin properties and their influences on biomass conversion can provide clues to improve biomass utilization. Also, utilization of lignin can significantly increase the economic viability of biorefinery. Recent lignin-targeting pretreatments have aimed not only to overcome recalcitrance for biomass conversion but also to selectively fractionate lignin for lignin valorization. Numerous studies have been conducted in biomass characteristics and conversion technologies, and the role of lignin is critical for lignin valorization and biomass pretreatment development. This review provides a comprehensive review of lignin-related biomass characteristics, the impact of lignin on the biological conversion of biomass, and recent lignin-targeting pretreatment strategies. The desired lignin properties in biorefinery and future pretreatment directions are also discussed.
Following pathogen infection or tissue damage, the stimulation of pattern recognition receptors on the cell surface and in the cytoplasm of innate immune cells activates members of each of the major ...mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) subfamilies--the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) subfamilies. In conjunction with the activation of nuclear factor-κB and interferon-regulatory factor transcription factors, MAPK activation induces the expression of multiple genes that together regulate the inflammatory response. In this Review, we discuss our current knowledge about the regulation and the function of MAPKs in innate immunity, as well as the importance of negative feedback loops in limiting MAPK activity to prevent host tissue damage. We also examine how pathogens have evolved complex mechanisms to manipulate MAPK activation to increase their virulence. Finally, we consider the potential of the pharmacological targeting of MAPK pathways to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Optogenetics has revolutionized the experimental interrogation of neural circuits and holds promise for the treatment of neurological disorders. It is limited, however, because visible light cannot ...penetrate deep inside brain tissue. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) absorb tissue-penetrating near-infrared (NIR) light and emit wavelength-specific visible light. Here, we demonstrate that molecularly tailored UCNPs can serve as optogenetic actuators of transcranial NIR light to stimulate deep brain neurons. Transcranial NIR UCNP-mediated optogenetics evoked dopamine release from genetically tagged neurons in the ventral tegmental area, induced brain oscillations through activation of inhibitory neurons in the medial septum, silenced seizure by inhibition of hippocampal excitatory cells, and triggered memory recall. UCNP technology will enable less-invasive optical neuronal activity manipulation with the potential for remote therapy.
Conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals has attracted immense research and development around the world. Lowering recalcitrance of biomass in a cost-effective manner is a ...challenge to commercialize biomass-based technologies. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are new ‘green' solvents that have a high potential for biomass processing because of their low cost, low toxicity, biodegradability, easy recycling and reuse. This article discusses the properties of DESs and recent advances in their application for lignocellulosic biomass processing. The effectiveness of DESs in hydrolyzing lignin-carbohydrate complexes, removing lignin/hemicellulose from biomass as well as their effect on biomass deconstruction, crystallinity and enzymatic digestibility have been discussed. Moreover, this review presents recent findings on the compatibility of natural DESs with enzymes and microorganisms.
•Physicochemical properties of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and its application in biomass processing•DESs potential for improved saccharification of biomass and catalytic conversion of sugars into platform molecules•Present approaches for DESs recycling and reuse•Bio-compatibility of DESs with enzymes and microorganisms
Quantum confinement of electronic particles (negative electrons and positive holes) in nanocrystals produces unique optical and electronic properties that have the potential to enhance the power ...conversion efficiency of solar cells for photovoltaic and solar fuels production at lower cost. These approaches and applications are labeled third generation solar photon conversion. Prominent among these unique properties is the efficient formation of more than one electron−hole pair (called excitons in nanocrystals) from a single absorbed photon. In isolated nanocrystals that have three-dimensional confinement of charge carriers (quantum dots) or two-dimensional confinement (quantum wires and rods) this process is termed multiple exciton generation. This Perspective presents a summary of our present understanding of the science of optoelectronic properties of nanocrystals and a prognosis for and review of the technological status of nanocrystals and nanostructures for third generation photovoltaic cells and solar fuels production.
The formation of lignin-like structures by the degradation primarily of plant polysaccharides has been observed after the severe thermochemical acidic pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. These ...structures were found to be deposited as droplets and microspheres on the surface of solid biomass residue and/or in liquid effluent. These structures showed lignin-like properties and yielded a positive Klason lignin (K-lignin) value, and are termed pseudo-lignins and/or humins. Pseudo-lignin is an aromatic material containing hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups, which contributes to K-lignin values but is not derived thereof. Pseudo-lignin arises from the polymerization/condensation reactions from key intermediates such as 3,8-dihydroxy-2-methylchromone and 1,2,4-benzenetriol derived from furfural (FF) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), respectively. Furthermore, pseudo-lignin retards the biological conversion of pretreated biomass through unproductive binding to enzymes/microbes and a physical hindrance to enzymes and microbes by blocking the active cellulose surface binding sites. This necessitates a fundamental understanding of the pseudo-lignin structure and its effect on biomass recalcitrance. This review examines the pseudo-lignin formation during acidic and hydrothermal biomass pretreatments and the cooling process after pretreatment, which are applied to biomass for biofuel synthesis through a biochemical route. The review article is divided into five parts: the first part gives the background information on pseudo-lignin formation during different pretreatment processes for the conversion of biomass to biofuels, the second part focuses on the chemistry and mechanism of pseudo-lignin formation, the third part emphases on the different analytical techniques used for pseudo-lignin characterization and recalcitrance elucidation, the fourth part illustrates the recalcitrance behaviour of pseudo-lignin, and the fifth part deals with the practical consideration regarding the design of the processes for the prevention of pseudo-lignin formation.
The formation of lignin-like structures by the degradation primarily of plant polysaccharides has been observed after the severe thermochemical acidic pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass.
Replacing fossil-based resources with renewable alternatives is generally acknowledged as a critical component to address several of today's environmental concerns. In this context, lignocellulosic ...biomass is an attractive, sustainable resource. However, the constitutional biopolymers of interest are locked in the structural complexity of the plant cell walls, which defines their properties and contributes to fractionation recalcitrance. One of the key suspects restricting fractionation of the biopolymers in high yield is the presence of lignin-carbohydrate bonds forming a matrix referred to as lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC). Nevertheless, covalent bonds between lignin and carbohydrates, remain one of the most controversial topics in lignocellulose chemistry. This challenge can be attributed to the slow progress made in their research, which also forms the basis for this review. Herein, we will critically discuss the literature with a particular focus on the latest characterization and analytical techniques. Discussions on existing techniques and, importantly the drawbacks with them should be compelling to researchers in the area, especially at this time when crucial issues surrounding the realization of biorefineries need to be addressed.
This review highlights the challenges of analyzing lignin-carbohydrate bonds, which are hypothesized to contribute to the recalcitrance in biomass fractionation.
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