-
Funder Helms posted an update 3 months, 2 weeks ago
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to Drs. Harvey Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles Rice for their contributions to the discovery and characterization of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), a small, enveloped, positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the genus Hepacivirus within the Flaviviridae family. Chronic HCV infection is a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide and an important contributor to global mortality. Dr. Harvey Alter, a hematologist at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, along with his long-term collaborator, Bob Purcell in NIAID, recognized that most cases of posttransfusion hepatitis were unrelated to hepatitis A virus (HAV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV)-hence the term non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH)-and showed the NANBH agent was transmissible experimentally.Lung cancer (LC) is the most fatal complication of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the molecular pathogenesis of the development of LC from IPF is still unclear. Here, we report a case of IPF-associated LC for which we investigated the genetic alterations between IPF and LC. We extracted formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded DNA from each part of the surgical lung tissue using a laser-assisted microdissection technique. The mutations in each part were detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using 72 lung cancer-related mutation panels. read more Five mutations were found in IPF and four in LC. Almost all somatic mutations did not overlap between the IPF and LC regions. These findings suggest that IPF-associated LC may not be a result of the accumulation of somatic mutations in the regenerated epithelium of the honeycomb lung in the IPF region.A simple, green, and efficient mechanochemical approach was developed herein to prepare tunable magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles. The obtained nanoparticles were successfully used as adsorbents in a magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction method to extract three cationic dyes (i.e., thioflavine T, auramine-O, and basic orange 2) found in food samples. Our proposed approach also utilized high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Several key variables affecting the extraction recovery were investigated. These included the sample pH, amount of extractant, extraction time, sample volume, elution solvent type and volume, and the stability and reusability of the magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles. Under optimized conditions, the calibration curve was linear at a concentration range of 0.005-1.0 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992-0.9996. Moreover, the limits of detection were determined at 0.97-1.35 μg/mL. The extraction mechanism was investigated via ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and zeta-potential analyses. The developed method was used to analyze the above-mentioned cationic dyes in bean products and yellow fish samples. Notably, satisfactory spiked recoveries ranging from 90.7 to 104.9% were achieved.The goal of this study is to explore normative beliefs about social withdrawal during adolescence. Participants were N = 419 adolescents (Mage = 16.13 years), who completed measures of normative beliefs about social withdrawal and their own social withdrawal (shyness, unsociability). Among the results, adolescents reported greater overall acceptance of unsociability compared to shyness, however, some gender differences also emerged. Specifically, adolescents were more accepting of unsociability when depicted by hypothetical females, and more accepting of shyness when depicted by hypothetical males. Participant social withdrawal was associated with greater acceptance of socially withdrawn behaviors in others. These findings provide a first look at normative beliefs about social withdrawal during a developmentally critical age period for this construct.Ocean warming is causing global coral bleaching events to increase in frequency, resulting in widespread coral mortality and disrupting the function of coral reef ecosystems. However, even during mass bleaching events, many corals resist bleaching despite exposure to abnormally high temperatures. While the physiological effects of bleaching have been well documented, the consequences of heat stress for bleaching-resistant individuals are not well understood. In addition, much remains to be learned about how heat stress affects cellular-level processes that may be overlooked at the organismal level, yet are crucial for coral performance in the short term and ecological success over the long term. Here we compared the physiological and cellular responses of bleaching-resistant and bleaching-susceptible corals throughout the 2019 marine heatwave in Hawai’i, a repeat bleaching event that occurred 4 years after the previous regional event. Relative bleaching susceptibility within species was consistent between thess and acid-base regulation may further exacerbate the physiological effects of climate change.Fructus Aurantii is a traditional medicated diet in East Asia. To determine the underlying chemical markers responsible for the quality and efficacy of Fructus Aurantii, a sensitive metabolomic method was applied to distinguish Fructus Aurantii in Jiangxi Province from other two geographical locations (Hunan Province and Chongqing City) in China. In the present study, multivariate analyses were adopted to compare chemical compositions in 21 batches of Fructus Aurantii samples. Among three geographical origins, 23 differential compounds were structurally identified. Serum pharmacochemistry exhibited that 22 components could be detected in rat serum. Six differential and absorbed components were selected as six potential markers. Statistical analysis revealed that the content of six markers varied widely in three origins of Fructus Aurantii. Six differential and absorbed components were evaluated further by biological activity. Neohesperidin, naringin, and meranzin showed inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase that regulates gastrointestinal motility in vitro and in silico, suggesting that these three components may be determined as the active biomarkers of Fructus Aurantii. These findings demonstrate the potential of biomarkers for identification and quality control of Fructus Aurantii.