Whole polished rice grains were ground using cryogenic and hammer milling to understand the mechanisms of degradation of starch granule structure, whole (branched) molecular structure, and individual ...branches of the molecules during particle size reduction (grinding). Hammer milling caused greater degradation to starch granules than cryogenic milling when the grains were ground to a similar volume-median diameter. Molecular degradation of starch was not evident in the cryogenically milled flours, but it was observed in the hammer-milled flours with preferential cleavage of longer (amylose) branches. This can be attributed to the increased grain brittleness and fracturability at cryogenic temperatures, reducing the mechanical energy required to diminish the grain size and thus reducing the probability of chain scission. The results indicate, for the first time, that branching, whole molecule, and granule structures of starch can be independently altered by varying grinding conditions, such as grinding force and temperature.
In this report, hydrated hydrogels are investigated for application in rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs) based on their ionic conductivities, chemical stability, electrochemical windows and ...mechanical properties. Three different hydrogel networks, i.e., poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(4-vinylbenzenesulfonate-co-3-(methacryloylamino)propyltrimethylammonium chloride) (PAM), were chosen based on their chemical composition and different charged functional groups in the polymer network. Since the hydrogel network affects electrolyte uptake, which in turn may influence conductivity, understanding the correlation between hydrogel species and ionic conductivity provides insight into designing an appropriate gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) for ZABs. The relationship between ionic conductivity, water uptake and temperature are discussed. In ZAB cycling tests, although GPEs have a higher bulk resistance than aqueous electrolytes, they have lower interfacial and charge transfer resistances. The total resistance values for PVA and PAA, with 6 M KOH, vary from 4 to 6 Ω, which are lower than the values for KOH solution (∼11 Ω) and PAM with 6 M KOH (∼14 Ω). As such, this study demonstrates that GPEs show considerable promise for use as electrolytes in ZABs.
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Vitamin D deficiency affects 1 billion people globally. It has an important role in bone homeostasis, brain development and modulation of the immune system and yet the impact of antenatal vitamin D ...deficiency on infant outcomes is poorly understood. We assessed the association of 25- hydroxyvitamin D levels (25-OHD) in late pregnancy and early infant growth and developmental outcomes in rural Vietnam.
A prospective cohort study of 960 women who had previously participated in a double-blind cluster randomized controlled trial of antenatal micronutrient supplementation in rural Vietnam was undertaken. Maternal 25-OHD concentration was measured at 32 weeks gestation, and infants were followed until 6 months of age. Main outcome measures were cognitive, motor, socio-emotional and language scores using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd edition, and infant length-for-age z scores at 6 months of age.
60% (582/960) of women had 25-OHD levels <75 nmol/L at 32 weeks gestation. Infants born to women with 25-OHD deficiency (<37.5 nmol/L) had reduced developmental language scores compared to those born to women who were vitamin D replete (≥75 nmol/L) (Mean Difference (MD) -3.48, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) -5.67 to -1.28). For every 25 nmol increase in 25-OHD concentration in late pregnancy, infant length-for-age z scores at 6 months of age decreased by 0.08 (95% CI -0.15 to -0.02).
Low maternal 25- hydroxyvitamin D levels during late pregnancy are of concern in rural Vietnam, and are associated with reduced language developmental outcomes at 6 months of age. Our findings strengthen the evidence for giving vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) in Vietnamese among hospital nursing staff.
Methods
The 22‐items version of the JCQ ...was used. This includes four scales: (a) psychological demands (5 items); (b) job control (9 items); (c) supervisor support (4 items); and (d) coworker support (4 items). All 1258 nurses in a general hospital in Vietnam, excluding 11 who were due to retire, were invited to complete the cross‐sectional survey. The internal consistency reliability was estimated using Cronbach's α. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Convergent validity was evaluated by calculating correlations between the JCQ scores and DASS 21 and overtime work.
Results
In total, 949 (75%) of the 1258 eligible nurses completed the survey. Cronbach's α values demonstrated acceptable internal consistency in two scales (supervisor support α = .87; coworker support α = .86), while Cronbach's α was below the acceptable threshold of 0.70 for job control (α = .45) and job demand (α = .50). EFA assuming a four‐factor structure showed a factor structure that was almost identical to the original JCQ, with two items loading on other scales. The subscales of depression, anxiety, and stress response of DASS 21 and the subscales of JCQ were significantly correlated, as expected.
Conclusion
The results suggest that the JCQ in Vietnamese can be used with some reliability and validity for examining psychosocial work environment among nurses. Further studies should be done to confirm and expand our findings in a variety of occupational groups and in other Asian low‐ and middle‐income countries.
The insect bacterium Wolbachia pipientis is being introgressed into Aedes aegypti populations as an intervention against the transmission of medically important arboviruses. Here we compare Ae. ...aegypti mosquitoes infected with wMelCS or wAlbB to the widely used wMel Wolbachia strain on an Australian nuclear genetic background for their susceptibility to infection by dengue virus (DENV) genotypes spanning all four serotypes. All Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes were more resistant to intrathoracic DENV challenge than their wildtype counterparts. Blocking of DENV replication was greatest by wMelCS. Conversely, wAlbB-infected mosquitoes were more susceptible to whole body infection than wMel and wMelCS. We extended these findings via mosquito oral feeding experiments, using viremic blood from 36 acute, hospitalised dengue cases in Vietnam, additionally including wMel and wildtype mosquitoes on a Vietnamese nuclear genetic background. As above, wAlbB was less effective at blocking DENV replication in the abdomen compared to wMel and wMelCS. The transmission potential of all Wolbachia-infected mosquito lines (measured by the presence/absence of infectious DENV in mosquito saliva) after 14 days, was significantly reduced compared to their wildtype counterparts, and lowest for wMelCS and wAlbB. These data support the use of wAlbB and wMelCS strains for introgression field trials and the biocontrol of DENV transmission. Furthermore, despite observing significant differences in transmission potential between wildtype mosquitoes from Australia and Vietnam, no difference was observed between wMel-infected mosquitoes from each background suggesting that Wolbachia may override any underlying variation in DENV transmission potential.
•An efficient constrained Rao algorithm is established for continuous truss sizing.•The method, named FBSmRao, always provides fully feasible design.•FBSmRao is simple and requires no ...algorithm-specific control parameter to perform.•FBSmRao successfully optimizes four benchmark trusses with static constraints.•The optimized designs are competitive in terms of quality and robustness.
Newly developed optimization algorithms, the Rao algorithms, are utilized for optimal truss sizing in this study. In particular, a modified Rao algorithm that takes advantage of Rao-1and Rao-2 algorithms is proposed. The modified algorithm retains the main feature of Rao algorithms, i.e., simplicity and parameter-freeness. The modified Rao algorithm is then hybridized with the Feasible Boundary Search (FBS) technique to form a constrained Rao algorithm, named FBSmRao. The applicability of the original Rao algorithms, including Rao-1 and Rao-2, and the proposed FBSmRao for truss sizing optimization is validated through four benchmark design problems with continuous variables. The results show that Rao algorithms can be used to obtain optimum weight for trusses. Moreover, the proposed FBSmRao outperforms the original Rao algorithms in terms of solution quality and convergence speed. Comparing with some other metaheuristics, including ones using FBS, FBSmRao can obtain competitive designs, especially for large-scale structures.
CDG biochemical screening: Where do we stand? Bruneel, Arnaud; Cholet, Sophie; Tran, N Thuy ...
Biochimica et biophysica acta. G, General subjects/Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects (Online),
October 2020, 2020-10-00, 20201001, 2020-10, Letnik:
1864, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Glycosylation is one of the most complex post-translational modifications of proteins and lipids, notably requiring many glycosyltransferases, glycosidases and sugar transporters encoded by about ...1–2% of all human genes. Deleterious variants in any of them may result in improper protein or lipid glycosylation, thus yielding the so-called ‘congenital disorders of glycosylation’ or CDG.
We first review the current state of knowledge on the common blood and cellular glycoproteins used in the biochemical screening of CDG, as well as the emerging ones for an improved diagnosis. We then provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art methodologies ranging from gel electrophoresis to mass spectrometry to measure improper glycosylation. Finally, we discuss how additional tools such as metabolomics and microfluidics can be added to the current toolbox to better diagnose and delineate CDG.
Combining several biochemical indicators and related methods is often required to cope with the large clinical heterogeneity of CDG and establish a definitive diagnosis.
This review aims to critically present current available CDG biochemical biomarkers and dedicated methods in the context of highly diverse glycosylation pathways and related inherited diseases.
•A critical overview of the common CDG biomarkers.•A critical overview of the common laboratory methods used for CDG screening.•Interests of MS in CDG screening.•An overwiew of described modulations of GPI-APs in all published inherited GPI biosynthesis defects.•Metabolomics as a promising tool for CDG phenotyping.•Miniaturized devices as promising laboratory tools for CDG screening.
Vesicle budding for Golgi-to-plasma membrane trafficking is a key step in secretion. Proteins that induce curvature of the Golgi membrane are predicted to be required, by analogy to vesicle budding ...from other membranes. Here, we demonstrate that GOLPH3, upon binding to the phosphoinositide PI4P, induces curvature of synthetic membranes in vitro and the Golgi in cells. Moreover, efficient Golgi-to-plasma membrane trafficking critically depends on the ability of GOLPH3 to curve the Golgi membrane. Interestingly, uncoupling of GOLPH3 from its binding partner MYO18A results in extensive curvature of Golgi membranes, producing dramatic tubulation of the Golgi, but does not support forward trafficking. Thus, forward trafficking from the Golgi to the plasma membrane requires the ability of GOLPH3 both to induce Golgi membrane curvature and to recruit MYO18A. These data provide fundamental insight into the mechanism of Golgi trafficking and into the function of the unique Golgi secretory oncoproteins GOLPH3 and MYO18A.
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•GOLPH3 induces curvature of liposomes in vitro and the Golgi in cells•GOLPH3 induces curvature by insertion of a hydrophobic β-loop into the bilayer•Efficient Golgi-to-plasma membrane trafficking depends on GOLPH3-induced curvature•Golgi-to-plasma membrane trafficking also requires GOLPH3 interaction with MYO18A
Rahajeng et al. show that GOLPH3, upon binding to PtdIns(4)P-containing lipid bilayers, induces membrane curvature. This membrane-shaping activity of GOLPH3 is required for efficient Golgi-to-plasma membrane trafficking but is not sufficient. GOLPH3 also must recruit MYO18A to the Golgi to enable efficient forward trafficking.
Dengue shock syndrome is characterized by severe vascular leakage and disordered hemostasis and progresses to death in 1 to 5 percent of cases. Although volume replacement is recognized as the ...critical therapeutic intervention, World Health Organization management guidelines remain empirical rather than evidence-based.
We performed a double-blind, randomized comparison of three fluids for initial resuscitation of Vietnamese children with dengue shock syndrome. We randomly assigned 383 children with moderately severe shock to receive Ringer's lactate, 6 percent dextran 70 (a colloid), or 6 percent hydroxyethyl starch (a colloid) and 129 children with severe shock to receive one of the colloids. The primary outcome measure was requirement for rescue colloid at any time after administration of the study fluid.
Only one patient died (<0.2 percent mortality). The primary outcome measure--requirement for rescue colloid--was similar for the different fluids in the two severity groups. The relative risk of requirement for rescue colloid was 1.08 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.78 to 1.47; P=0.65) among children with moderate shock who received Ringer's lactate as compared with either of the colloid solutions, 1.13 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.74 to 1.74; P=0.59) among children who received dextran as compared with starch in the group with severe shock, and 0.88 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.66 to 1.17; P=0.38) among children who received dextran as compared with starch in the combined analysis. Although treatment with Ringer's lactate resulted in less rapid improvement in the hematocrit and a marginally longer time to initial recovery than did treatment with either of the colloid solutions, there were no differences in all other measures of treatment response. Only minor differences in efficacy were detected between the two colloids, but significantly more recipients of dextran than of starch had adverse reactions. Bleeding manifestations, coagulation derangements, and severity of fluid overload were similar for all fluid-treatment groups.
Initial resuscitation with Ringer's lactate is indicated for children with moderately severe dengue shock syndrome. Dextran 70 and 6 percent hydroxyethyl starch perform similarly in children with severe shock, but given the adverse reactions associated with the use of dextran, starch may be preferable for this group.
We present in this study a new microfluidic droplet platform, named Lab-in-Droplet, for multistep glycoprotein sample treatment. Several operations are required for the sample treatment of a given ...glycoprotein to profile its N-glycans. In our case, all preparation steps for the analysis of N-glycans from glycoproteins could be realized in an automatic manner and without cross contamination. This could be achieved through several features that are not met in previous droplet setups, notably full automation, droplet sensing and heating. The magnetic tweezer technology was employed to manipulate (capture and release) coated magnetic beads used as analyte cargos over droplets. Droplets ranging from 1 to 10 μL play the role of confined microreactors, allowing to realize several steps that involve advanced functions such as heating and mixing with organic solvents. A complex sample treatment protocol that has been feasible so far only in batchwise mode can now be converted into a novel microfluidic version. With this Lab-in-Droplet, we can enzymatically release and fluorescently label N-linked oligosaccharides from Human Immuglobulin G and then off-line analyze the labeled glycans by capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescent detection. We demonstrated the superiority of this Lab-in-Droplet over the conventional batchwise protocol, with 10-fold less reagent consumption, 3-fold less time, and 2-fold improvement of glycan labeling yield, without degradation of glycan separation profile obtained by capillary electrophoresis. The platform with the developed droplet protocol was applied successfully for mapping N-linked glycans released from human sera, serving for diagnostic screening of congenital disorders of glycosylation.
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•A novel microfluidic droplet-based platform for high performance multistep glycoprotein sample treatment was developed.•Positive features not available in previous droplet setups, notably automation, droplet sensing and heating were developed.•A complex sample treatment protocol feasible so far only in batchwise mode can be converted into a microfluidic version.•Mapping of N-linked glycans from human sera was made for diagnostic screening of congenital disorders of glycosylation.
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