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.     

Blockchain for Collaborative Businesses

Mobile Networks and Applications - Blockchain applications have continuously improved ever since its first debut on cryptocurrency. From then on, its uses have branched out from the financial...     

Efficient Design of Pruned Convolutional Neural Networks on FPGA

Journal of Signal Processing Systems - Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have improved several computer vision applications, like object detection and classification, when compared to other...     

Osteosarcoma Pathogenesis Leads the Way to New Target Treatments

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare condition with very poor prognosis in a metastatic setting. Basic research has enabled a better understanding of OS pathogenesis and the discovery of new potential therapeutic targets. Phase I and II clinical trials are already ongoing, with some promising results for these patients. This article reviews OS pathogenesis and new potential therapeutic targets.     

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...     

An integrated dimensionality reduction and surrogate optimization approach for plant-wide chemical process operation

With liquefied natural gas becoming increasingly prevalent as a flexible source of energy, the design and optimization of industrial refrigeration cycles becomes even more important. In this article, we propose an integrated surrogate modeling and optimization framework to model and optimize the complex CryoMan Cascade refrigeration cycle. Dimensionality reduction techniques are used to reduce the large number of process decision variables which are subsequently supplied to an array of Gaussian processes, modeling both the process objective as well as feasibility constraints. Through iterative resampling of the rigorous model, this data-driven surrogate is continually refined and subsequently optimized. This approach was not only able to improve on the results of directly optimizing the process flow sheet but also located the set of optimal operating conditions in only 2 h as opposed to the original 3 weeks, facilitating its use in the operational optimization and enhanced process design of large-scale industrial chemical systems.     

The Emerging Regulatory Role of Circular RNAs in Periodontal Tissues and Cells

Periodontitis is a chronic complex inflammatory disease associated with a destructive host immune response to microbial dysbiosis, leading to irreversible loss of tooth-supporting tissues. Regeneration of functional periodontal soft (periodontal ligament and gingiva) and hard tissue components (cementum and alveolar bone) to replace lost tissues is the ultimate goal of periodontal treatment, but clinically predictable treatments are lacking. Similarly, the identification of biomarkers that can be used to accurately diagnose periodontitis activity is lacking. A relatively novel category of molecules found in oral tissue, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are single-stranded endogenous, long, non-coding RNA molecules, with covalently circular-closed structures without a 5’ cap and a 3’ tail via non-classic backsplicing. Emerging research indicates that circRNAs are tissue and disease-specific expressed and have crucial regulatory functions in various diseases. CircRNAs can function as microRNA or RNA binding sites or can regulate mRNA. In this review, we explore the biogenesis and function of circRNAs in the context of the emerging role of circRNAs in periodontitis pathogenesis and the differentiation of periodontal cells. CircMAP3K11, circCDK8, circCDR1as, circ_0062491, and circ_0095812 are associated with pathological periodontitis tissues. Furthermore, circRNAs are expressed in periodontal cells in a cell-specific manner. They can function as microRNA sponges and can form circRNA–miRNA–mRNA networks during osteogenic differentiation for periodontal-tissue (or dental pulp)-derived progenitor cells.     

Alumina-Periclase-Carbon Refractories Produced by OOO Ogneupor

Refractories and Industrial Ceramics - Technology for producing alumina-periclase-carbon refractories of the brands APUK-D and APU-D is developed and implemented. Use of complex antioxidant and...     

Gluten-free cakes with walnut flour: a technological,sensory, and microstructural approach

Walnut flour (WF), a by-product of walnut oil production, is characterised by high polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and fibre contents and presents suitability for bakery products. However, when using non-traditional ingredients, it is essential to evaluate the effect on the quality properties of the final product. So, this work aimed to assess the impact of WF on the technological, physicochemical, and sensory properties of gluten-free (GF) cakes. WF was added at a flour blend (cassava (CS) and maize (MS) starches and rice flour) at 0, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The results showed that WF modified starch gelatinisation, increased amylose–lipid complex (ALC) content, and made crumbs easier to chew. Besides, the total dietary fibre (TDF) and protein content significantly increased. Cakes with 15% WF presented the highest specific volume (SV) and no differences in overall acceptability with respect to control. Hence, WF is a suitable ingredient for gluten-free bakery products.