Muon disrupts AKT hydrogen bond network in cancer

A cancer microenvironment generates strong hydrogen bond network system by the positive feedback loops supporting cancer complexity and robustness. Such network functions through the AKT locus generating high entropic energy supporting cancer metastatic robustness. Charged lepton particle muon follows the rule of Bragg effect during a collision with hydrogen network in cancer cells. Muon beam dismantles hydrogen bond network in cancer by the muon-catalyzed fusion, leading to apoptosis of cancer cells. Muon induces cumulative energy appearance on the hydrogen bond network in a cancer cell with its fast decay to an electron and two neutrinos. Thus, muon beam, muonic atom, muon neutrino shower, and electrons simultaneously cause fast neutralization of the AKT hydrogen bond network by the conversion of hydrogen into deuterium or helium, inactivating the hydrogen bond networks and inducing failure of cancer complexity and robustness with the disappearance of a malignant phenotype.     

On the Application of Fuzzy Decision Theory in Chemotherapy

1IntreductionTheliteratUreonmulti-Criteriondecisionmaking(MCDM)problemshas~tremendouslyintherecentpast.TwomajorareashaveevolvedwhiChbothconcentrateondecisionmakingwithseveralcriteria:multiobjectivedecisionmaking(MODM)andmulti-attributedecisionmaking(MADM).TheformerconcentratesoncontinuousdecisionspaceandthelatterfocusesonproblemswithdiscreteSPace.FuzzysettheoryhascontributedtoMODMproblemsaswellastheMADMProblems.ThegeneralMODMproblemcanbedeft.edLllasfollows:Twostagescangenerallybe…     

An improved approach to evaluate car sharing options

We develop an improved approach to evaluate car sharing options under uncertain environments with the combination of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS), which consists of three steps. In the first step, we propose a SCUMN (Specific, Comprehensive, Understandable, Measurable, and Neutral) methodology to identify appropriate indicators and obtain a final list of 24 indicators according to their relevance to car sharing options. In the second step, we determine the weight of each indicator with F-AHP and conduct consistency check of the comparison matrix of selected indicators. In the third step, comparison of different options is performed with selected indicators and F-TOPSIS. A case study is provided to validate the proposed approach. Twenty-four indicators are identified to evaluate five different car sharing options and rank them according to their closeness coefficients in decreasing order. And thirty-one sensitivity analysis experiments are conducted to figure out the influence of indicators on decision making. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is capable of evaluating car sharing options with uncertainty and vagueness. F-AHP is able to determine the weight for each selected indicator and F-TOPSIS demonstrates its advantage in comparing potential options.     

Sequences of cDNAs for human salivary and pancreatic α-amylases

The nucleotide sequences of the cloned human salivary and pancreatic α-amylase cDNAs correspond to the continuous mRNA sequences of 1768 and 1566 nucleotides, respectively. These include all of the amino acid coding regions. Salivary cDNA contains 200 bp in the 5′-noncoding region and 32 in the 3′-noncoding region. Pancreatic cDNA contains 3 and 27 bp of 5′- and 3′-noncoding regions, respectively. The nucleotide sequence humology of the two cDNAs is 96% in the coding region, and the predicted amino acid sequences are 94% homologous.Comparison of the sequences of human α-amylase cDNAs with those previously obtained for mouse α-amylase genes (Hagenbuchle et al., 1980; Schibler et al., 1982) showed the possibility of gene conversion between the two genes of human α-amylase.     

An exact solution for the modified nonlinear Schrödinger’s equation for Davydov solitons in α-helix proteins

The solitons in α-helix proteins that are governed by the nonlinear Schrödinger’s equation is investigated in presence of perturbation terms in this paper. The integration of this perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger’s equation is carried out. The solitary wave ansatz is used to carry out the integration and the parameter domain is identified.     

Microsomal Protein Mediates a pH-Dependent Fusion of Liposomes to Rat Brain Microsomes

The fusion between rat brain microsomes and liposomes is investigated by measuring the release of octadecylrhodamine B (R18) fluorescence self-quenching. In the experimental conditions used in this work, the method allows a rapid and quantitative evaluation of the mixing of microsome and liposome lipid phases. The decrease of pH below 7 produces an extensive fusion between microsomes and acidic phospholipid liposomes. Microsomal protein is necessary for fusion, which is inactivated by exposure of microsomes to pronase. Therefore, H⁺-induced fusion differs from Ca²⁺-induced fusion since the latter does not require microsomal protein. The pretreatment of microsomes with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) in nonpenetrating conditions does not affect the extent of fusion. On the other hand, N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ), a reagent able to react with carboxyl groups, causes an extensive inactivation of fusion. Therefore, the H⁺-induced fusion described here depends on some microsomal protein and may have physiological significance because it occurs at pH values present in the living cell. H⁺-dependent fusion can be also considered as a means to enrich membranes in some selected lipid.     

Membrane-active properties of α-MSH analogs: aggregation and fusion of liposomes triggered by surface-conjugated peptides

Reaction of the melanotropin hormone analogs [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH and [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH(4-10), which were extended at their N-terminus by a thiol-functionalized spacer arm, with preformed liposomes containing thiol-reactive (phospho)lipid derivatives resulted in the aggregation of the vesicles and in a partial leakage of their inner contents. This aggregation/leakage effect, which was only observed when the peptides were covalently conjugated to the surface of the liposomes, was correlated with the fusion of the vesicles as demonstrated by the observed decrease in resonance energy transfer between probes in a membrane lipid mixing assay. A limited fusion was confirmed by monitoring the mixing of the liposome inner contents (formation of 1-aminonaphthalene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid/p-xylene bis(pyridinium bromide) complex). The membrane-active properties of the peptides could be correlated with changes in the fluorescence emission spectra of their tryptophan residue, which suggested that after their covalent binding to the outer surface of the liposomes they can partition within the core of the bilayers. A blue shift of 10 nm was observed for [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH which was correlated with an increase in fluorescence anisotropy and with changes in the accessibility of the coupled peptide as assessed by the quenching of fluorescence of its tryptophan residue by iodide (Stern-Volmer plots). These results should be related to the previously described capacity of α-MSH, and analogs, to interact with membranes and with the favored conformation of these peptides which, via a β-turn, segregate their central hydrophobic residues into a domain that could insert into membranes and, as shown here, trigger their destabilization.     

Effect of the time of day on central and peripheral fatigue during 2-min maximal voluntary contractions in persons with multiple sclerosis: gender differences

There is a lack of data on fatigue changes within 24 h among patients with multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of time of day on central and peripheral fatigue during a continuous 2-min maximal voluntary contraction of the quadriceps muscle in women and men with multiple sclerosis (MS). We studied age-matched MS patients (range, 40–50 years). The inclusion criteria for patients were: a Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status score and a Fatigue Severity Scale score. We found a significant gender difference in central activation ratio (CAR) in the evening. At the end of the 2-min maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), the voluntary torque decreased by about 65% in men and women with MS in both the morning and evening. We also observed that, in women, CAR decreased markedly during the first 30 s in the evening test. The most interesting finding of our study is that central fatigue increased, whereas peripheral fatigue decreased markedly in the evening only in women. It remains unclear why women’s central fatigue is greater in the evening than in the morning.     

A comparison of ferric-chelate reductase and chlorophyll and growth ratios as indices of selection of quince,pear and olive genotypes under iron deficiency stress

Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.), pear (Pyrus communis L.) and olive (Olea europaea L.) genotypes were evaluated for their tolerance to iron deficiency stress by growing young plants in three types of aerated nutrient solutions: (1) with iron, (2) without iron or (3) low in iron and with 10 mM bicarbonate. Plants were obtained either from rooted softwood cuttings or from germination of seeds. The degree of tolerance was evaluated with several indices: (1) the chlorophyll content, (2) the root Fe³⁺ reducing capacity and (3) the whole plant relative growth. Fifteen hours before Fe³⁺ reducing capacity determination, iron was applied to the roots of plants with iron-stress, since this method resulted in increasing the reductase activity. All quince and pear genotypes increased the root Fe³⁺ reducing capacity when grown in the treatments for iron-stress, in relation to control plants of the same genotypes. In olive cultivars, the Fe³⁺ reducing capacity was lower in the iron-stress treatments than in the control one. Studying the relationship between relative growth and chlorophyll content for each genotype under iron-stress, in relation to both indices in control plants, a classification of species and genotypes was established. According to that, most olive cultivars and some pear rootstocks and cultivars appear more iron-efficient than quince rootstocks. Our study shows that in some woody species, determining root Fe³⁺ reducing capacity is not the best method to establish tolerance to iron deficiency stress.