Retrogradation—Digestibility Relationship of Selected Glutinous and Non-Glutinous Fresh and Stale Cooked Rice

This study examined the retrogradation and digestibility relationship of fresh and stale cooked rice of three rice varieties: glutinous (TDK11) and non-glutinous (Doongara and floating rice). The effect of rice variety, degree of milling and retrogradation (staling) of cooked rice on the estimated glycaemic index was determined. Although high-glycaemic index values were obtained for fresh cooked rice of all varieties, staling rice at 4^oC for 24 h showed positive effect on floating rice only, yielding intermediate-glycaemic index. The effect of staling on retrogradation rates was corroborated by changes in x-ray diffraction peaks. The thermal and textural properties of rice samples showed higher pasting temperature, final viscosity, and hardness, and lower peak viscosity and adhesiveness for fresh cooked non-glutinous varieties, which were also significantly affected by degree of milling, in terms of hardness, after retrogradation.     

Effect of water/fuel emulsions and a cerium-based combustion improver additive on HD and LD diesel exhaust emissions

One of the major technological challenges for the transport sector is to cut emissions of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) simultaneously from diesel vehicles to meet future emission standards and to reduce their contribution to the pollution of ambient air. Installation of particle filters in all existing diesel vehicles (for new vehicles, the feasibility is proven) is an efficient but expensive and complicated solution; thus other short-term alternatives have been proposed. It is well known that water/diesel (W/ D) emulsions with up to 20% water can reduce PM and NOx emissions in heavy-duty (HD) engines. The amount of water that can be used in emulsions for the technically more susceptible light-duty (LD) vehicles is much lower, due to risks of impairing engine performance and durability. The present study investigates the potential emission reductions of an experimental 6% W/D emulsion with EURO-3 LD diesel vehicles in comparison to a commercial 12% W/D emulsion with a EURO-3 HD engine and to a Cerium-based combustion improver additive. For PM, the emulsions reduced the emissions with -32% for LD vehicles (mass/km) and -59% for the HD engine (mass/ kWh). However, NOx emissions remained unchanged, and emissions of other pollutants were actually increased forthe LD vehicles with +26% for hydrocarbons (HC), +18% for CO, and +25% for PM-associated benzo[a]pyrene toxicity equivalents (TEQ). In contrast, CO (-32%), TEQ (-14%), and NOx (-6%) were reduced by the emulsion for the HD engine, and only hydrocarbons were slightly increased (+16%). Whereas the Cerium-based additive was inefficient in the HD engine for all emissions except for TEQ (-39%), it markedly reduced all emissions for the LD vehicles (PM -13%, CO -18%, HC -26%, TEQ -25%) except for NOx, which remained unchanged. The presented data indicate a strong potential for reductions in PM emissions from current diesel engines by optimizing the fuel composition.     

Antibacterial agents and cystic fibrosis: synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of a series of N-thiomethylazetidinones

The increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms is one of the greatest challenges in the clinical management of infectious disease. New antimicrobial agents are therefore urgently required, particularly in the treatment of chronic and recurrent infections often associated with antibiotic-resistant pathogens, as in the case of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. This study reports the antibacterial activity of a series of monocyclic β-lactams with an alkylidenecarboxyl chain or electron-withdrawing groups such as 4-OAc, 4-SAc, and 4-SO(2)Ph at the C4 position of the ring. N-Unsubstituted and N-thiomethyl derivatives were compared. A total of 33 azetidinones were tested for their activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial clinical isolates. The combination of an N-thiomethyl group and a benzyl ester on the 4-alkylidene side chain were found to increase the potency against Gram-positive bacteria. The N-thiomethyl group clearly elevated the activity of 4-acetoxyazetidinones relative to the corresponding NH derivatives. The most active compounds showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 4 and 8 mg L(-1) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from pediatric patients with CF.     

Design,Synthesis, and Evaluation of WC5 Analogues as Inhibitors of Human Cytomegalovirus Immediate‐Early 2 Protein,a Promising Target for Anti‐HCMV Treatment

Although human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is mostly asymptomatic for immunocompetent individuals, it remains a serious threat for those who are immunocompromised, in whom it is associated with various clinical manifestations. The therapeutic utility of the few available anti‐HCMV drugs is limited by several drawbacks, including cross‐resistance due to their common mechanism of action, i.e., inhibition of viral DNA polymerase. Therefore, compounds that target other essential viral events could overcome this problem. One example of this is the 6‐aminoquinolone WC5 , which acts by directly blocking the transactivation of essential viral Early genes by the Immediate‐Early 2 (IE2) protein. In this study, the quinolone scaffold of the lead compound WC5 was investigated in depth, defining more suitable substituents for each of the scaffold positions explored and identifying novel, potent and nontoxic compounds. Some compounds showed potent anti‐HCMV activity by interfering with IE2‐dependent viral E gene expression. Among them, naphthyridone 1 was also endowed with potent anti‐HIV activity in latently infected cells. Their antiviral profile along with their innovative mechanism of action make these anti‐HCMV quinolones a very promising class of compounds to be exploited for more effective antiviral therapeutic treatment.     

Carbon nanotubes play an important role in the spatial arrangement of calcium deposits in hydrogels for bone regeneration

Age related bone diseases such as osteoporosis are considered among the main causes of reduced bone mechanical stability and bone fractures. In order to restore both biological and mechanical function of diseased/fractured bones, novel bioactive scaffolds that mimic the bone structure are constantly under development in tissue engineering applications. Among the possible candidates, chitosan-based thermosensitive hydrogel scaffolds represent ideal systems due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, enhanced antibacterial properties, promotion of osteoblast formation and ease of injection, which makes them suitable for less invasive surgical procedures. As a main drawback, these chitosan systems present poor mechanical performance that could not support load-bearing applications. In order to produce more mechanically-competent biomaterials, the combined addition of hydroxyapatite and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is proposed in this study. Specifically, the aim of this work is to develop thermosensitive chitosan hydrogels containing stabilised single-walled and multi-walled CNTs, where their effect on the mechanical/physiochemical properties, calcium deposition patterns and ability to provide a platform for the controlled release of protein drugs was investigated. It was found that the addition of CNTs had a significant effect on the sol–gel transition time and significantly increased the resistance to compression for the hydrogels. Moreover, in vitro calcification studies revealed that CNTs played a major role in the spatial arrangements of newly formed calcium deposits in the composite materials studied, suggesting that they may have a role in the way the repair of fragile and/or fractured bones occurs in vivo.     

TMEM106B Acts as a Modifier of Cognitive and Motor Functions in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) gene is a susceptibility factor and disease modifier of frontotemporal dementia, but few studies have investigated its role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The aim of this work was to assess the impact of the TMEM106B rs1990622 (A–major risk allele; G–minor allele) on phenotypic variability of 865 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Demographic and clinical features were compared according to genotypes by additive, dominant, and recessive genetic models. Bulbar onset was overrepresented among carriers of the AA risk genotype, together with enhanced upper motor neuron involvement and poorer functional status in patients harboring at least one major risk allele (A). In a subset of 195 patients, we found that the homozygotes for the minor allele (GG) showed lower scores at the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Screen, indicating a more severe cognitive impairment, mainly involving the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-specific cognitive functions and memory. Moreover, lower motor neuron burden predominated among patients with at least one minor allele (G). Overall, we found that TMEM106B is a disease modifier of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, whose phenotypic effects encompass both sites of onset and functional status (major risk allele), motor functions (both major risk and minor alleles), and cognition (minor allele).     

Role of Tunneling Nanotubes in the Nervous System

Cellular communication and the transfer of information from one cell to another is crucial for cell viability and homeostasis. During the last decade, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) have attracted scientific attention, not only as a means of direct intercellular communication, but also as a possible system to transport biological cargo between distant cells. Peculiar TNT characteristics make them both able to increase cellular survival capacities, as well as a potential target of neurodegenerative disease progression. Despite TNT formation having been documented in a number of cell types, the exact mechanisms triggering their formation are still not completely known. In this review, we will summarize and highlight those studies focusing on TNT formation in the nervous system, as well as their role in neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, we aim to stress some possible mechanisms and important proteins probably involved in TNT formation in the nervous system.     

Antimicrobial Ionic Liquid-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications

Excessive and unwarranted administration of antibiotics has invigorated the evolution of multidrug-resistant microbes. There is, therefore, an urgent need for advanced active compounds. Ionic liquids with short-lived ion-pair structures are highly tunable and have diverse applications. Apart from their unique physicochemical features, the newly discovered biological activities of ionic liquids have fascinated biochemists, microbiologists, and medical scientists. In particular, their antimicrobial properties have opened new vistas in overcoming the current challenges associated with combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Discussions regarding ionic liquid derivatives in monomeric and polymeric forms with antimicrobial activities are presented here. The antimicrobial mechanism of ionic liquids and parameters that affect their antimicrobial activities, such as chain length, cation/anion type, cation density, and polymerization, are considered. The potential applications of ionic liquids in the biomedical arena, including regenerative medicine, biosensing, and drug/biomolecule delivery, are presented to stimulate the scientific community to further improve the antimicrobial efficacy of ionic liquids.     

Human Primary Dermal Fibroblasts Interacting with 3-Dimensional Matrices for Surgical Application Show Specific Growth and Gene Expression Programs

Several types of 3-dimensional (3D) biological matrices are employed for clinical and surgical applications, but few indications are available to guide surgeons in the choice among these materials. Here we compare the in vitro growth of human primary fibroblasts on different biological matrices commonly used for clinical and surgical applications and the activation of specific molecular pathways over 30 days of growth. Morphological analyses by Scanning Electron Microscopy and proliferation curves showed that fibroblasts have different ability to attach and proliferate on the different biological matrices. They activated similar gene expression programs, reducing the expression of collagen genes and myofibroblast differentiation markers compared to fibroblasts grown in 2D. However, differences among 3D matrices were observed in the expression of specific metalloproteinases and interleukin-6. Indeed, cell proliferation and expression of matrix degrading enzymes occur in the initial steps of interaction between fibroblast and the investigated meshes, whereas collagen and interleukin-6 expression appear to start later. The data reported here highlight features of fibroblasts grown on different 3D biological matrices and warrant further studies to understand how these findings may be used to help the clinicians choose the correct material for specific applications.