A perfect match: Silver deposition is one of the fastest electrochemical reactions, even though the Ag+ ion loses more than 5 eV solvation energy in the process. This phenomenon, an example of the ...enigma of metal deposition, was investigated by a combination of MD simulations, DFT, and specially developed theory. At the surface, the Ag+ ion experiences a strong interaction with the sp band of silver, which catalyzes the reaction.
•Fractionation of E. globulus industrial kraft liquor by ultrafiltration.•Ultrafiltration fractions were studied concerning its composition and properties.•Composition and structural characteristics ...of isolated lignins were assessed.•Lower molecular weight lignin has more uncondensed structures and lower DC.•From the retentate of 50kDa membrane it was obtained the more contaminated lignin.
The aim of this work is to evaluate the fractionation of E. globulus industrial kraft liquor by ultrafiltration. A sequential membrane process, using three tubular membranes with nominal cut-offs of 5, 15 and 50kDa, was applied and the results showed that ultrafiltration is an efficient process for kraft liquor fractionation according to its molecular weight. The obtained ultrafiltration fractions, retentates from 5, 15 and 50kDa membranes and also permeate from 5kDa membrane, were studied and the differences between its composition and properties were assessed. In addition, the lignins in fractions were isolated by acid precipitation and studied through nitrobenzene oxidation and 13C and 31P NMR, being able to establish the differences in their composition and structural characteristics and consequently find the more adequate commercial application as high added-value products. Lignin isolated from the retentate of 50kDa membrane shows the higher molecular weight and the higher content of carbohydrates and inorganics. On the other hand, from the permeate of 5kDa membrane it was obtained the less contaminated lignin and the one with the highest content of uncondensed structures and the highest DC, representing an important source of phenolic monomers through oxidative depolymerization.
Fucales are an order within the Phaeophyceae that include most of the common littoral seaweeds in temperate and subtropical coastal regions. Many species of this order have long been a part of human ...culture with applications as food, feedand remedies in folk medicine. Apart from their high nutritional value, these seaweeds are also a well-known reservoir of multiple bioactive compounds with great industrial interest. Among them, phlorotannins, a unique and diverse class of brown algae-exclusive phenolics, have gathered much attention during the last few years due to their numerous potential health benefits. However, due to their complex structural features, combined with the scarcity of standards, it poses a great challenge to the identification and characterization of these compounds, at least with the technology currently available. Nevertheless, much effort has been taken towards the elucidation of the structural features of phlorotannins, which have resulted in relevant insights into the chemistry of these compounds. In this context, this review addresses the major contributions and technological advances in the field of phlorotannins extraction and characterization, with a particular focus on Fucales.
Introduction
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is an under-researched mental disorder, and these patients are often excluded from mental healthcare and thus from studies. The consequences of ...antisocial behavior result in great burden for the patients, victims, family members and for society, and it is associated with criminality, substance use and relationship difficulties.
Objectives
The aim of this abstract is to review the current possibilities of treatment, and its efficacy.
Methods
We present a revision of the state of the art on treatment of ASPD, drawing from
PubMed
and using the keywords “Antisocial personality disorder” and “treatment”, in a time period ranging from 2011 to 2021, inclusive.
Results
There is little evidence of effective treatments for patients with ASPD and no intervention has been established as the treatment of choice for this disorder. Recent studies, found benefits from Mentalization-based treatment (MBT), that specifically targets the ability to recognise and understand the mental states of oneself and others, an ability compromised in these patients. Specifically, reduction of anger, hostility, paranoia, and frequency of self-harm and suicide attempts, as well as the improvement of negative mood, general psychiatric symptoms, interpersonal problems, and social adjustment were found.
Conclusions
ASPD is a condition that incurs substantial societal and individual costs. Although proper treatment is yet being discussed, MBT is a psychotherapeutic treatment that has shown some promising preliminary results. Thus, we believe that guidelines on the treatment of ASPD and possibilities for more systematical research, with prevention programs, is urgently needed.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
Redox regulation in plant programmed cell death DE PINTO, M. C; LOCATO, V; DE GARA, L
Plant, cell & environment/Plant, cell and environment,
February 2012, Letnik:
35, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically controlled process described both in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Even if it is clear that PCD occurs in plants, in response to various ...developmental and environmental stimuli, the signalling pathways involved in the triggering of this cell suicide remain to be characterized. In this review, the main similarities and differences in the players involved in plant and animal PCD are outlined. Particular attention is paid to the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as key inducers of PCD in plants. The involvement of different kinds of ROS, different sites of ROS production, as well as their interaction with other molecules, is crucial in activating PCD in response to specific stimuli. Moreover, the importance is stressed on the balance between ROS production and scavenging, in various cell compartments, for the activation of specific steps in the signalling pathways triggering this cell suicide process. The review focuses on the complexity of the interplay between ROS and antioxidant molecules and enzymes in determining the most suitable redox environment required for the occurrence of different forms of PCD.
Background
Targeted axillary dissection (TAD) combines sentinel node biopsy (SNB) with the removal of the previously marked metastatic node. TAD is a promising concept for axillary restaging in ...node-positive breast cancer patients with pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). We aimed to evaluate TAD feasibility in this context.
Methods
A prospective observational study was conducted in biopsy-confirmed cN1 patients. The removal of the clipped node (CN) was guided by intraoperative ultrasound. SNB used indocyanine green and patent blue V dye. If the CN or sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) had any metastatic foci, or the TAD procedure was unsuccessful, the patient underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).
Results
Thirty-seven patients were included. TAD and SNB identification rates were 97.3%. Every retrieved CN was also a SLN. At the individual level, SNB identification rate was 89.2% with indocyanine green and 85.5% with patent blue V dye. The CN identification rate was 81.1%, being higher when the CN was localized on the intraoperative ultrasound (84.4% vs 60.0%). Nodal pCR was achieved by 54.1% of our patients and was more frequent in HER2-positive and triple-negative tumors (
p
= 0.039). Nineteen patients were spared from ALND.
Conclusion
TAD with intraoperative ultrasound-guided excision of the CN and SNB with indocyanine green and patent blue V dye is a feasible concept to identify patients without axillary residual disease after NAT, that can be spared from ALND, although the need for marking the biopsied node should be further investigated.
Aging has been associated with damage accumulation in the genome and with increased cancer incidence. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced from endogenous sources, most notably the oxidative ...metabolism in the mitochondria, and from exogenous sources, such as ionizing radiation. ROS attack DNA readily, generating a variety of DNA lesions, such as oxidized bases and strand breaks. If not properly removed, DNA damage can be potentially devastating to normal cell physiology, leading to mutagenesis and/or cell death, especially in the case of cytotoxic lesions that block the progression of DNA/RNA polymerases. Damage-induced mutagenesis has been linked to various malignancies. The major mechanism that cells use to repair oxidative damage lesions, such as 8-hydroxyguanine, formamidopyrimidines, and 5-hydroxyuracil, is base excision repair (BER). The BER pathway in the nucleus is well elucidated. More recently, BER was shown to also exist in the mitochondria. Here, we review the association of BER of oxidative DNA damage with aging, cancer and other diseases.
In this study, we investigated the microencapsulation of two strains of the entomopathogenic bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis) (BtMA-750 and BtMA-1114), which are biopesticides of ...high toxicity for the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti. The encapsulation of different concentrations of microorganisms in starch microparticles was evaluated, and the inverse suspension polymerization technique was explored. It was possible to observe that the higher amounts of the biopesticide caused a slight decrease in the diameter of the particles; however, even when encapsulated, the biopesticide still presents an average diameter that is able to be consumed by the larvae of Aedes aegypti. Furthermore, it was noticed that the presence of both of the B. thuringiensis strains did not affect the thermal stability of the particles. The microencapsulated bacterial strains presented a high number of viable spores and preserved the expression of proteins with molecular masses corresponding to the insecticidal toxins Cry and Cyt, indicating that the encapsulation process was conducted satisfactorily. Finally, the encapsulated strains were tested against Ae. aegypti larvae and maintained 100% larval mortality even after 35 days. Therefore, microencapsulation of B. thuringiensis not only guarantees the bacterial activity, but also prolongs the action of the biopesticide. Collectively, such findings highlight the great potential of the new biopesticides, which may help to reduce the population indices of the mosquito vector Ae. aegypti via a sustainable and environment-friendly route.
In 2016 we carried out a Swift monitoring programme to track the X-ray hardness variability of eight type-I AGN over a year. The purpose of this monitoring was to find intense obscuration events in ...AGN, and thereby study them by triggering joint XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and HST observations. We successfully accomplished this for NGC 3783 in December 2016. We found heavy X-ray absorption produced by an obscuring outflow in this AGN. As a result of this obscuration, interesting absorption features appear in the UV and X-ray spectra, which are not present in the previous epochs. Namely, the obscuration produces broad and blue-shifted UV absorption lines of Lyα, C iv, and N v, together with a new high-ionisation component producing Fe xxv and Fe xxvi absorption lines. In soft X-rays, only narrow emission lines stand out above the diminished continuum as they are not absorbed by the obscurer. Our analysis shows that the obscurer partially covers the central source with a column density of few 1023 cm-2, outflowing with a velocity of few thousand km s-1. The obscuration in NGC 3783 is variable and lasts for about a month. Unlike the commonly seen warm-absorber winds at pc-scale distances from the black hole, the eclipsing wind in NGC 3783 is located at about 10 light days. Our results suggest that the obscuration is produced by an inhomogeneous and clumpy medium, consistent with clouds in the base of a radiatively driven disk wind at the outer broad-line region of the AGN.
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