Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Comprehensive Review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common liver disorder, affecting around 25% of the population worldwide. It is a complex disease spectrum, closely linked with other conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome, which may increase liver-related mortality. In light of this, numerous efforts have been carried out in recent years in order to clarify its pathogenesis and create new prevention strategies. Currently, the essential role of environmental pollutants in NAFLD development is recognized. Particularly, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have a notable influence. EDCs can be classified as natural (phytoestrogens, genistein, and coumestrol) or synthetic, and the latter ones can be further subdivided into industrial (dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and alkylphenols), agricultural (pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides), residential (phthalates, polybrominated biphenyls, and bisphenol A), and pharmaceutical (parabens). Several experimental models have proposed a mechanism involving this group of substances with the disruption of hepatic metabolism, which promotes NAFLD. These include an imbalance between lipid influx/efflux in the liver, mitochondrial dysfunction, liver inflammation, and epigenetic reprogramming. It can be concluded that exposure to EDCs might play a crucial role in NAFLD initiation and evolution. However, further investigations supporting these effects in humans are required.     

Phase locked loop-based clock synthesizer for reconfigurable analog-to-digital converters

Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing - This paper presents the complete design of a phase locked loop-based clock synthesizer for reconfigurable analog-to-digital converters. The...     

Analysis of stepwise charging limits and its implementation for efficiency improvement in switched capacitor DC–DC converters

In this work we analysed the stepwise charging technique to find the limits from which it is beneficial in terms of load capacitance and charge–discharge frequency. We included in the analysis practical limitations such as the consumption of auxiliary logic needed to implement the technique and the minimum size of auxiliary switches imposed by the technology. We proposed an ultra-low-power logic block to push these limits and to obtain benefits from this technique in small capacitances. Finally, we proposed to use a stepwise driver in the driving of the gate capacitance of power switches in switched-capacitor (SC) DC–DC converters. We designed and manufactured, in a 130 nm process, a SC DC–DC converter and measured a 29% energy reduction in the gate-drive losses of the converter. This accounts for an improvement of 4% (from 69 to 73%) in the overall converter efficiency.

     

Design and Implementation of Super Wide Band Triple Band-Notched MIMO Antennas

Wireless Personal Communications - Semantic Web content extracting are the augmentation of the present web where the data is given in the better importance and allowing users to work close by close...     

A computational literature review of football performance analysis through probabilistic topic modeling

This research aims to illustrate the potential use of concepts, techniques, and mining process tools to improve the systematic review process. Thus, a review was performed on two online databases (Scopus and ISI Web of Science) from 2012 to 2019. A total of 9649 studies were identified, which were analyzed using probabilistic topic modeling procedures within a machine learning approach. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation method, chosen for modeling, required the following stages: 1) data cleansing, and 2) data modeling into topics for coherence and perplexity analysis. All research was conducted according to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in a fully computerized way. The computational literature review is an integral part of a broader literature review process. The results presented met three criteria: (1) literature review for a research area, (2) analysis and classification of journals, and (3) analysis and classification of academic and individual research teams. The contribution of the article is to demonstrate how the publication network is formed in this particular field of research, and how the content of abstracts can be automatically analyzed to provide a set of research topics for quick understanding and application in future projects.

     

Electrospun curcumin/polycaprolactone/copolymer F-108 fibers as a new therapy for wound healing

The application of fibers associated with drugs is a promising alternative to meet the clinical needs of tissue repair. Curcumin exhibits great cicatricial potential because it has numerous pharmacological properties. This research aimed to produce fibers of polycaprolactone and copolymer F-108 associated with curcumin and to evaluate in vivo their action on the process of wound healing. The fibers were produced by electrospinning technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and fluorescence microscopy. They were applied in cutaneous wounds of rats for the analysis of photoacoustic permeation and histological study. The characterization showed that the electrospinning allowed the preparation of homogeneous material with curcumin. The fibers benefited healing of the wounds and allowed the permeation of curcumin at all stages. The use of PCL/F-108 fibers allowed the elaboration of a new curcumin delivery system, improving its bioavailability and action in the healing of excisional wound. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48415.     

Protective nature of nano-TiN coatings shaped by EPD on Ti substrates

The hardness and corrosion resistance of TiN coatings, processed by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) to cover polished and unpolished Ti substrates, have been evaluated. A deposition time of 5 min has been enough to obtain a cohesive layer of 7–8 μm in thickness. The coatings were thermally treated in vacuum atmosphere at 1200 °C for 1 h with heating and cooling rates of 5 °C min^?1. The surfaces have been covered homogeneously optimizing the properties of the Ti substrates. Uniform and dense TiN coatings have been obtained onto polished substrates, while on unpolished Ti the nitrogen diffuses toward the substrate, moderately dissolving TiN coating. The nanohardness values of the polished samples have been increased from 2.8–4.8 GPa up to 6.5–8.5 GPa. Besides, the corrosion current density has been reduced more than one order of magnitude obtaining a protective efficiency of 82%. These values have been compared with other works in literature where authors used complex and costly processing techniques, demonstrating the strong impact of the colloidal processing over the specific properties of the material.     

Hydrogen Peroxide-Preconditioned Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Enhance the Recovery of Oligodendrocyte-Like Cells after Oxidative Stress-Induced Damage

Oxidative stress associated with neuroinflammation is a key process involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, and therefore, has been proposed as a crucial target for new therapies. Recently, the therapeutic potential of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) has been investigated as a novel strategy for neuroprotection. These cells can be preconditioned by exposing them to mild stress in order to improve their response to oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluate the therapeutic potential of hASCs preconditioned with low doses of H₂O₂ (called HC016 cells) to overcome the deleterious effect of oxidative stress in an in vitro model of oligodendrocyte-like cells (HOGd), through two strategies: i, the culture of oxidized HOGd with HC016 cell-conditioned medium (CM), and ii, the indirect co-culture of oxidized HOGd with HC016 cells, which had or had not been exposed to oxidative stress. The results demonstrated that both strategies had reparative effects, oxidized HC016 cell co-culture being the one associated with the greatest recovery of the damaged HOGd, increasing their viability, reducing their intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and promoting their antioxidant capacity. Taken together, these findings support the view that HC016 cells, given their reparative capacity, might be considered an important breakthrough in cell-based therapies.     

Prediction and comparison of textural properties of magnetic copolymer supports for enzyme immobilization

Magnetic polymers supports have proven to be valuable materials for enzyme immobilization, as they allow recovering the catalyst by magnetic separation, precluding the need for costly and time-consuming separation steps. In this study, magnetic copolymer supports were synthesized using styrene (STY) and different crosslinking agents (divinylbenzene, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, or triethylene glycol dimethacrylate) and initiators (azobisisobutyronitrile or benzoyl peroxide) and used to immobilize Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB). The aim was to obtain biocatalysts with high enzymatic activity and satisfactory morphological properties for use in biotransformation reactions. Two morphological properties known to influence the immobilization yield were taken into consideration, specific surface area, and swelling index. Experimental data were compared to the predictions of a model based on molar balance, method of moments, numerical fractionation, and elementary gel structures. The high correlation (R² = 0.9974) between experimental and predicted values demonstrated the suitability of the model for estimating the textural properties of enzyme supports. CALB was successfully immobilized, showing high hydrolytic activity (500–700 U g⁻¹) and good thermal stability at 50°C. CALB/STY-EGDMA-M was 14 times more stable than free CALB. The results confirm the efficiency of the immobilization method and the suitability of the copolymers for enzyme immobilization.