2-Bromoethyl glycosides in glycoside synthesis: preparation of glycoproteins containing alpha-L-Fuc-(1----2)-D-Gal and beta-D-Gal-(1----4)-D-GlcNAc

The applicability of 2-bromoethyl glycosides in carbohydrate synthesis is demonstrated by the synthesis of glycosides of alpha-L-Fuc-(1----2)-D-Gal and beta-D-Gal-(1----4)-D-GlcNAc. The bromoethyl aglycon was transformed into the methoxycarbonylethylthioethyl spacer, which allowed coupling of the sugars to proteins (BSA and KLH).     

Comparison of bacterial and plant genes participating in proline biosynthesis with Osmotin gene, with respect to enhancing salinity tolerance of transgenic tobacco plants

In an attempt to increase tolerance to salinity stress in tobacco plants, the genes encoding the mutant form of glutamyl kinase (proB), pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase, and osmotin were cloned into three different shuttle vectors and were separately introduced into the tobacco plants. The transgenic lines were compared for their ability to produce shoots and grow in MS medium containing 320 mM NaCl; it was shown that the transgenic lines containing genetically handled osmotin gene are more resistant to salinity. The amount of chlorophyll a was used to show continuing growth of plant lines. The results showed that only the tobacco lines transformed with the modified osmotin gene exhibited greater tolerance to salinity. Published in Russian in Fiziologiya Rastenii, 2006, Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 122–127. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A Tunable Perfect THz Metamaterial Absorber with Three Absorption Peaks Based on Nonstructured Graphene

In this paper, a graphene-based tunable multi-band terahertz absorber is proposed and numerically investigated. The proposed absorber can achieve perfect absorption within both sharp and ultra-broadband absorption spectra. This wide range of absorption is gathered through a unique combination of periodically cross- and square-shaped dielectrics sandwiched between two graphene sheets; the latter enables it to offer more absorption in comparison with the traditional single-layer graphene structures. The aforementioned top layer is mounted on a gold plate separated by a Topas layer with zero volume loss. Furthermore, in our proposed approach, we investigated the possibility of changing the shapes and sizes of the dielectric layers instead of the geometry of the graphene layers to alleviate the edge effects and manufacturing complications. In numerical simulations, parameters, such as graphene Fermi energy and the dimensions of the proposed dielectric layout, have been optimally tuned to reach perfect absorption. We have verified that the performance of our dielectric layout called fishnet, with two widely investigated dielectric layouts in the literature (namely, cross-shaped and frame-and-square). Our results demonstrate two absorption bands with near-unity absorbance at frequencies of 1.6–2.3 and 4.2–4.9 THz, with absorption efficiency of 98% in 1.96 and 4.62 THz, respectively. Moreover, a broadband absorption in the 7.77–9.78 THz is observed with an absorption efficiency of 99.6% that was attained in 8.44–9.11 THz. Finally, the versatility provided by the tunability of three operation bands of the absorber makes it a great candidate for integration into terahertz optoelectronic devices.

     

Exercise training in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled randomized trial

Introduction

Exercise training has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract physical dysfunction in adult systemic lupus erythematosus. However, no longitudinal studies have evaluated the effects of an exercise training program in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (C-SLE) patients. The objective was to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of a supervised aerobic training program in improving the cardiorespiratory capacity in C-SLE patients.

Methods

Nineteen physically inactive C-SLE patients were randomly assigned into two groups: trained (TR, n = 10, supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise program) and non-trained (NT, n = 9). Gender-, body mass index (BMI)- and age-matched healthy children were recruited as controls (C, n = 10) for baseline (PRE) measurements only. C-SLE patients were assessed at PRE and after 12 weeks of training (POST). Main measurements included exercise tolerance and cardiorespiratory measurements in response to a maximal exercise (that is, peak VO₂, chronotropic reserve (CR), and the heart rate recovery (ΔHRR) (that is, the difference between HR at peak exercise and at both the first (ΔHRR1) and second (ΔHRR2) minutes of recovery after exercise).

Results

The C-SLE NT patients did not present changes in any of the cardiorespiratory parameters at POST (P > 0.05). In contrast, the exercise training program was effective in promoting significant increases in time-to-exhaustion (P = 0.01; ES = 1.07), peak speed (P = 0.01; ES = 1.08), peak VO₂ (P = 0.04; ES = 0.86), CR (P = 0.06; ES = 0.83), and in ΔHRR1 and ΔHRR2 (P = 0.003; ES = 1.29 and P = 0.0008; ES = 1.36, respectively) in the C-SLE TR when compared with the NT group. Moreover, cardiorespiratory parameters were comparable between C-SLE TR patients and C subjects after the exercise training intervention, as evidenced by the ANOVA analysis (P > 0.05, TR vs. C). SLEDAI-2K scores remained stable throughout the study.

Conclusion

A 3-month aerobic exercise training was safe and capable of ameliorating the cardiorespiratory capacity and the autonomic function in C-SLE patients.

Trial registration

NCT01515163.     

Automated Entire Thrombus Density Measurements for Robust and Comprehensive Thrombus Characterization in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose

In acute ischemic stroke (AIS) management, CT-based thrombus density has been associated with treatment success. However, currently used thrombus measurements are prone to inter-observer variability and oversimplify the heterogeneous thrombus composition. Our aim was first to introduce an automated method to assess the entire thrombus density and then to compare the measured entire thrombus density with respect to current standard manual measurements.

Materials and Method

In 135 AIS patients, the density distribution of the entire thrombus was determined. Density distributions were described using medians, interquartile ranges (IQR), kurtosis, and skewedness. Differences between the median of entire thrombus measurements and commonly applied manual measurements using 3 regions of interest were determined using linear regression.

Results

Density distributions varied considerably with medians ranging from 20.0 to 62.8 HU and IQRs ranging from 9.3 to 55.8 HU. The average median of the thrombus density distributions (43.5 ± 10.2 HU) was lower than the manual assessment (49.6 ± 8.0 HU) (p<0.05). The difference between manual measurements and median density of entire thrombus decreased with increasing density (r = 0.64; p<0.05), revealing relatively higher manual measurements for low density thrombi such that manual density measurement tend overestimates the real thrombus density.

Conclusions

Automatic measurements of the full thrombus expose a wide variety of thrombi density distribution, which is not grasped with currently used manual measurement. Furthermore, discrimination of low and high density thrombi is improved with the automated method.     

Biofouling effects on the performance of microbial fuel cells and recent advances in biotechnological and chemical strategies for mitigation

The occurrence of biofouling in MFC can cause severe problems such as hindering proton transfer and increasing the ohmic and charge transfer resistance of cathodes, which results in a rapid decline in performance of MFC. This is one of the main reasons why scaling-up of MFCs has not yet been successfully accomplished. The present review article is a wide-ranging attempt to provide insights to the biofouling mechanisms on surfaces of MFC, mainly on proton exchange membranes and cathodes, and their effects on performance of MFC based on theoretical and practical evidence. Various biofouling mitigation techniques for membranes are discussed, including preparation of antifouling composite membranes, modification of the physical and chemical properties of existing membranes, and coating with antifouling agents. For cathodes of MFC, use of Ag nanoparticles, Ag-based composite nanoparticles, and antifouling chemicals is outlined in considerable detail. Finally, prospective techniques for mitigation of biofouling are discussed, which have not been given much previous attention in the field of MFC research. This article will help to enhance understanding of the severity of biofouling issues in MFCs and provides up-to-date solutions. It will be beneficial for scientific communities for further strengthening MFC research and will also help in progressing this cutting-edge technology to scale-up, using the most efficient methods as described here.     

Towards a framework for the evolutionary genomics of Kinetoplastids: what kind of data and how much?

The current status of kinetoplastids phylogeny and evolution is discussed in view of the recent progresses on genomics. Some ideas on a potential framework for the evolutionary genomics of kinetoplastids are presented.     

The role of intravascular ultrasound imaging in vascular brachytherapy

Intracoronary brachytherapy has recently emerged as a new therapy to prevent restenosis. Initial experimental work was achieved in animal models and the results were assessed by histomorphometry. Initial clinical trials used angiography to guide dosimetry and to assess efficacy. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) permits tomographic examination of the vessel wall, elucidating the true morphology of the lumen and transmural components, which cannot be investigated on the lumenogram obtained by angiography. This paper reviews the use of IVUS in the clinical studies of brachytherapy conducted to date. IVUS allows clinicians to make a thorough assessment of the remodeling of the vessel and appears to have a major role to play in facilitating understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action in this emerging field. The authors propose that state-of-the-art IVUS techniques should be employed to further knowledge of the mechanisms of action of brachytherapy in atherosclerotic human coronary arteries.