One year soy protein supplementation has positive effects on bone formation markers but not bone density in postmenopausal women

Background  

Although soy protein and its isoflavones have been reported to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in peri- and post-menopausal women, most of these studies are of short duration (i.e. six months). The objective of this study was to examine if one year consumption of soy-containing foods (providing 25 g protein and 60 mg isoflavones) exerts beneficial effects on bone in postmenopausal women.     

Effect of kaolin nanofiller and processing conditions on the structure,morphology, and biofilm development of polylactic acid

The effect of high energy ball milling, HEBM, and the presence of kaolin on the structure, morphology, and biofilm development of polylactic acid, PLA, were studied. Biofilm development was evaluated in terms of structural and/or morphological variations so as the sole presence of kaolin. Composites based on PLA filled with kaolin were prepared by HEBM followed by hot pressing to obtain films. Structure was studied by X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy whereas morphology was inspected by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. To study biofilm development on the surface of these materials, Pseudomonas fluorescens B52 were used. The shear forces from the milling process favor kaolin dispersion within the PLA. Longer milling times and cryogenic conditions improve clay dispersion. Subsequent hot pressing process enhances the most ordered structure of PLA (α‐phase) which is also favored with previous milling at longer times and under cryogenic conditions. Changes in P. fluorescens biofilm development are mainly due to modifications of surface properties induced by structural variations, being the most ordered structures those which better support bacterial adhesion and proliferation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42676.     

Use of the Differential Ability Scales for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The validity of the Differential Ability Scales (DAS) was assessed among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a matched control sample. The sample included 45 children with ADHD (69% with comorbidity) and 45 controls matched by age, gender, ethnicity, and parental educational level. Multivariate analysis of variance univariate test results and d ratios yielded statistically and clinically significant group differences on the Recall of Digits and Recall of Objects-Immediate diagnostic subtests. Discriminant function analyses indicated that the three Diagnostic Subtests accurately classified 67% of the sample with 69% correctly identified as controls and 64% correctly identified as ADHD. Recall of Digits was found to make the most significant contribution overall to the discriminant function. At a cutoff score of 40, Recall of Digits yielded high specificity and low sensitivity and moderate positive predictive power. Implications of results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrative Study of the Structural and Dynamical Properties of a KirBac3.1 Mutant: Functional Implication of a Highly Conserved Tryptophan in the Transmembrane Domain

ATP-sensitive potassium (K-ATP) channels are ubiquitously expressed on the plasma membrane of cells in several organs, including the heart, pancreas, and brain, and they govern a wide range of physiological processes. In pancreatic β-cells, K-ATP channels composed of Kir6.2 and SUR1 play a key role in coupling blood glucose and insulin secretion. A tryptophan residue located at the cytosolic end of the transmembrane helix is highly conserved in eukaryote and prokaryote Kir channels. Any mutation on this amino acid causes a gain of function and neonatal diabetes mellitus. In this study, we have investigated the effect of mutation on this highly conserved residue on a KirBac channel (prokaryotic homolog of mammalian Kir6.2). We provide the crystal structure of the mutant KirBac3.1 W46R (equivalent to W68R in Kir6.2) and its conformational flexibility properties using HDX-MS. In addition, the detailed dynamical view of the mutant during the gating was investigated using the in silico method. Finally, functional assays have been performed. A comparison of important structural determinants for the gating mechanism between the wild type KirBac and the mutant W46R suggests interesting structural and dynamical clues and a mechanism of action of the mutation that leads to the gain of function.     

Time-dependent factorial cumulants in interacting nano-scale systems

We discuss time-dependent factorial cumulants in interacting nano-scale systems. Recent theoretical work has shown that the full counting statistics of non-interacting electrons in a two-terminal conductor is always generalized binomial and the zeros of the generating function are consequently real and negative. However, as interactions are introduced in the transport, the zeros of the generating function may become complex. This has measurable consequences: With the zeros of the generating function moving away from the real-axis, the high-order factorial cumulants of the transport become oscillatory functions of time. Here we demonstrate this phenomenon on a model of charge transport through coherently coupled quantum dots attached to voltage-biased electrodes. Without interactions, the factorial cumulants are monotonic functions of the observation time. In contrast, as interactions are introduced, the factorial cumulants oscillate strongly as functions of time. We comment on possible measurements of oscillating factorial cumulants and outline several avenues for further investigations.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Anti-Breast Cancer Activity of New 4-Aminoantipyrine-Based Heterocycles

4-Aminoantipyrine was utilized as key intermediate for the synthesis of pyrazolone derivatives bearing biologically active moieties. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectral and microanalytical studies. The compounds were screened as anticancer agents against a human tumor breast cancer cell line MCF7, and the results showed that (Z)-4-((3-amino-5-imino-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4(5H)-ylidene)methylamino)-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyrazol-3-one 5, 3-(4-bromophenyl) -1-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carbonitrile 13, 1-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1-Hpyrazol- 4-yl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)-4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carbonitrile 14, 3,3′-(4,4′-sulfonylbis(4,1-phenylene))bis(1-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol- 4-yl)-4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carbonitrile) 16, (Z)-1-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-hydrazono-4-oxo-3-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carbonitrile 17, (Z)-1-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-4-oxo-3-phenyl-2-(2-phenylhydrazono)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile 18, and (Z)-4-(3-amino-6-hydrazono-7-phenyl-6,7-dihydro pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-5-yl)-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyrazol-3-one 19 were the most active compounds with IC₅₀ values ranging from 30.68 to 60.72 μM compared with Doxorubicin as positive control with the IC₅₀ value 71.8 μM.     

Development and validation of a cumulative exposure shoulder risk assessment tool based on fatigue failure theory

Abstract

Objective

To present a new risk assessment tool for shoulder intensive occupational tasks based on fatigue failure theory.     

Synthesis and Anti-Breast Cancer Evaluation of Novel N-(Guanidinyl)benzenesulfonamides

A series of 4-(substituted)-N-(guanidinyl)benzenesulfonamides bearing biologically active pyrazole, pyrimidine and pyridine moieties were prepared and evaluated for their anticancer activity against human tumor breast cell line (MCF7). These sulfonamides showed promising activity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 49.5 to 70.2 μM. The structure-activity relationship of the synthesized compounds was studied. Interestingly, it was found that the most potent compounds in this study were the corresponding 2-cyanoacrylate 3, 3-oxobutanoate 4, pyrazole 6, pyridine 9 and pyrazole 13. Compounds 7 and 8 are nearly as active as Doxorubicin as reference drug with (IC₅₀ values = 70.2, 68.1 μM), while compounds 5, 10 and 11 exhibited a moderate activity.     

Polymer structure and morphology of low density polyethylene filled with silica nanoparticles

The effect of silica nanoparticles on structure and morphology of low density polyethylene (LDPE) was investigated. To prepare the nanocomposites, SiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed in a LDPE with cryogenic high‐energy ball milling (HEBM). Films of these nanocomposites with different loads (0%, 1.8%, 2.3%, 3.3%, 7.9%, 16.5% wt/wt) were obtained by hot pressing. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the nonisothermal melting and crystallization of the films. The morphological characterization was done by atomic force microscopy (AFM). To determine the most representative periodical spacing associated to the LDPE crystallites, a new approach based on the first moment of the frequency distribution obtained from the fast Fourier transform of the AFM phase contrast images was used. Ultracryomicrotomed surfaces of the nanocomposites revealed an efficient dispersion of the nanoparticles throughout the polymer bulk. Although HEBM promotes the formation of the metastable monoclinic phase in the LDPE, nanocomposites in the form of films did not show important differences in their thermal and morphological characteristics, suggesting that there are not high interactions between the polar nanoparticles and the nonpolar polymer and that thermal treatment is enough to eliminate the specific microstructure induced by HEBM. POLYM. COMPOS., 33:2009–2021, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers