Uncertainties in determination of 131I activity in thyroid gland

The values of the iodine (131)I uptake determined from the measurements with a NaI scintillation counter might be significantly influenced by the thyroid position in the human neck. It is shown that the ratio of the counting rate in the energy peak of 364 keV to the counting rate in the Compton scattering band can be used for the determination of the effective depth of the thyroid. The uncertainties of the standard method are discussed basing on results of calibration measurements. The investigations of 95 patients with different thyroid diseases showed that the measured iodine spectrum was considerably different from the standard for about 20% of them, indicating possible high uncertainties of the standard measurements, which assume a fixed thyroid depth of 20 mm.     

Insiders and the law: The impact of regulatory change on insider trading

Abstract and Key Results

Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Targets for SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

The incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been increasing worldwide, and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains one of the leading long-term complications of T2D. Several lines of evidence indicate that glucose-lowering agents prevent the onset and progression of DKD in its early stages but are of limited efficacy in later stages of DKD. However, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists were shown to exert nephroprotective effects in patients with established DKD, i.e., those who had a reduced glomerular filtration rate. These effects cannot be solely attributed to the improved metabolic control of diabetes. In our review, we attempted to discuss the interactions of both groups of agents with inflammation and oxidative stress—the key pathways contributing to organ damage in the course of diabetes. SGLT2i and GLP-1R agonists attenuate inflammation and oxidative stress in experimental in vitro and in vivo models of DKD in several ways. In addition, we have described experiments showing the same protective mechanisms as found in DKD in non-diabetic kidney injury models as well as in some tissues and organs other than the kidney. The interaction between both drug groups, inflammation and oxidative stress appears to have a universal mechanism of organ protection in diabetes and other diseases.     

Curcumin and Its New Derivatives: Correlation between Cytotoxicity against Breast Cancer Cell Lines,Degradation of PTP1B Phosphatase and ROS Generation

Breast cancer is the most common cancer of women—it affects more than 2 million women worldwide. PTP1B phosphatase can be one of the possible targets for new drugs in breast cancer therapy. In this paper, we present new curcumin derivatives featuring a 4-piperidone ring as PTP1B inhibitors and ROS inducers. We performed cytotoxicity analysis for twelve curcumin derivatives against breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines and the human keratinocyte HaCaT cell line. Furthermore, because curcumin is a known antioxidant, we assessed antioxidant effects in its derivatives. For the most potent cytotoxic compounds, we determined intracellular ROS and PTP1B phosphatase levels. Moreover, for curcumin and its derivatives, we performed real-time microscopy to observe the photosensitizing effect. Finally, computational analysis was performed for the curcumin derivatives with an inhibitory effect against PTP1B phosphatase to assess the potential binding mode of new inhibitors within the allosteric site of the enzyme. We observed that two tested compounds are better anticancer agents than curcumin. Moreover, we suggest that blocking the -OH group in phenolic compounds causes an increase in the cytotoxicity effect, even at a low concentration. Furthermore, due to this modification, a higher level of ROS is induced, which correlates with a lower level of PTP1B.     

On the Dependence of Prion and Amyloid Structure on the Folding Environment

Currently available analyses of amyloid proteins reveal the necessity of the existence of radical structural changes in amyloid transformation processes. The analysis carried out in this paper based on the model called fuzzy oil drop (FOD) and its modified form (FOD-M) allows quantifying the role of the environment, particularly including the aquatic environment. The starting point and basis for the present presentation is the statement about the presence of two fundamentally different methods of organizing polypeptides into ordered conformations—globular proteins and amyloids. The present study shows the source of the differences between these two paths resulting from the specificity of the external force field coming from the environment, including the aquatic and hydrophobic one. The water environment expressed in the fuzzy oil drop model using the 3D Gauss function directs the folding process towards the construction of a micelle-like system with a hydrophobic core in the central part and the exposure of polarity on the surface. The hydrophobicity distribution of membrane proteins has the opposite characteristic: Exposure of hydrophobicity at the surface of the membrane protein with an often polar center (as in the case of ion channels) is expected. The structure of most proteins is influenced by a more or less modified force field generated by water through the appropriate presence of a non-polar (membrane-like) environment. The determination of the proportion of a factor different from polar water enables the assessment of the protein status by indicating factors favoring the structure it represents.     

A computing framework for integrating interactive visualization in HPCC applications

Network-based concurrent computing and interactive data visualization are two important components in industry applications of high-performance computing and communication. We propose an execution framework to build interactive remote visualization systems for real-world applications on heterogeneous parallel and distributed computers. Using a dataflow model of a commercial visualization software AVS in three case studies, we demonstrate a simple, effective, and modular approach to couple parallel simulation modules into an interactive remote visualization environment. The applications described in this paper are drawn from our industrial projects in financial modeling, computational electromagnetics and computational chemistry. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid Evaluation of Poultry Meat Shelf Life Using PTR-MS

The use of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) for freshness classification of chicken and turkey meat samples was investigated. A number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were selected based on the correlation (>?95%) of their concentration during storage at 4 °C over a period of 5 days with the results of the microbial analysis. In order to verify if the selected compounds are not sample-specific, a number of samples sourced from various retailers were classified using the concentration of these compounds in the samples’ volatile fraction as input variables. The classification was performed using the support vector machines (SVM) supervised pattern recognition algorithm. It was concluded that it is possible to evaluate the shelf life of meat samples obtained from the same source based on the results of a prior analysis. The PTR-MS fingerprint approach might supplement the currently used methods of shelf life evaluation of poultry due to the short time and non-destructive nature of measurement and ease of quantitative analysis.     

Influence of Contact Surface Type on the Mechanical Damages of Apples Under Impact Loads

This paper presents an analysis of mechanical damage carried out on ‘Golden Delicious’ apple variety, which was subjected to impact loads during free drop against various rigid plates. For this purpose, an analysis of the contact pressure based on determined contours and surface pressure distributions at the contact point between the fruit dropped from various heights against fixed hard plates was performed. The impact test was conducted by means of Tekscan® system supported by computer verifying analysis. To obtain impact loads as well as their courses, the surface pressures and the bruise volumes were determined. Furthermore, use of ultra-thin pressure sensors allowed for determination of the characteristic shape of contact area and the impact of fruit onto rigid plate. The results showed that the impact of fruit against rigid surface (concrete, wood) generates high values of maximum surface pressure and the bruise volume, observed at dropping from 10 mm. A decrease in hardness of the test material (polyethylene foam) with decreasing maximum surface pressure approximately twice was noticed. The polyethylene foam is one of the best materials which protect fruit from mechanical damage, confirmed by the relation of bruise surface to contact surface, which did not exceed 35% during the impact at 150 mm. The results of proposed studies can contribute to developing of harvest, handling, and transport processes, aiming at reduction in losses among fruit growers and production costs, i.e., by improvement of transport method.