Inhibitory action of aqueous coffee ground extracts on the corrosion of carbon steel in HCl solution

The effects of aqueous extracts of spent coffee grounds on the corrosion of carbon steel in a 1 mol L⁻¹ HCl were examined. Two methods of extraction were studied: decoction and infusion. The inhibition efficiency of C-steel in 1 mol L⁻¹ HCl increased as the extract concentration and temperature increased. The coffee extracts acted as a mixed-type inhibitor with predominant cathodic effectiveness. In this study, the adsorption process of components of spent coffee grounds extracts obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The chlorogenic acids isolated do not seem to explain the corrosion inhibition observed during the use of the coffee extracts.     

Fullerene C₆₀ as a multifunctional system for drug and gene delivery

The fullerene family, and especially C(60), has delighted the scientific community during the last 25 years with perspective applications in a wide variety of fields, including the biological and the biomedical domains. Several biomedical uses have been explored using water-soluble C(60)-derivatives. However, the employment of fullerenes for drug delivery is still at an early stage of development. The design and synthesis of multifunctionalized and multimodal C(60) systems able to cross the cell membranes and efficiently deliver active molecules is an attracting challenge that involves multidisciplinary strategies. Promising results have emerged in the last years, bringing fullerenes again to the front of interest. Herein, the state of the art of this emerging field is presented and illustrated with some of the most representative examples.     

Optically- and Electrically-Stimulated Terahertz Radiation Emission from Indium Nitride

Indium nitride is a novel narrow band gap semiconductor. The material is a potential strong source of terahertz frequency electromagnetic radiation with applications in time-domain terahertz spectroscopy and imaging systems. This article reviews recent experimental research on terahertz emission from the binary compound semiconductor indium nitride excited by near-infrared laser beams or microseconds electrical pulses. Advantages of indium nitride as terahertz radiation source material are discussed. It is demonstrated that different mechanisms contribute to the emission of terahertz radiation from indium nitride. The emission of up to 2.4 μW of THz radiation power is observed when InN is excited with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses at an average power of 1 W.     

Stoichiometry distribution of thin films deposited by laser ablation: Monte Carlo simulation

An expansion of a bi-component laser plume into a dilute background gas is simulated using a combined Monte Carlo simulation method. The effects of different types of collisions taking place during the transport of the ablated species on their distributions when arriving at a flat substrate are shown. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the film thickness distributions of both components and, hence, the final stoichiometry distribution, depend strongly on the incorporation probability of the species. This probability is expressed as a function of both deposited particle energy and the substrate absorbing properties. These studies can facilitate the comparison of the simulation results with experiments and are of particular interest for pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of multicomponent materials.     

Advances in Ultraviolet Light Technology for Non-thermal Processing of Liquid Foods

A negative, public reaction is growing over the addition of chemical preservatives to liquid foods and beverages to extend their shelf life and to protect against foodborne pathogens. As a physical method, ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation has a positive consumer image and is of interest to the food industry as a low cost non-thermal method of preservation. Recent advances in the science and engineering of UV light irradiation have demonstrated that this technology holds considerable promise as an alternative to traditional thermal pasteurization for liquid foods and ingredients, fresh juices, soft drinks, and beverages. However, its use for treating foods is still limited due to low UV transmittance of liquid foods. The goal of this review is to provide a summary of the basic principles of UV light generation and propagation with emphasis on its applications for liquid food processing. The review includes information on critical product and process factors that affect UV light inactivation and consequently the delivery of a required scheduled process in liquids foods; measuring and modeling of UV inactivation, and the important effects of UV light on overall quality and nutritional value of liquid foods. The commercially available UV light sources and UV reactor designs that were used for liquid foods treatment are reviewed. The research priorities and challenges that need to be addressed for the successful development of UV technology for liquid foods treatment are discussed.     

A Novel Triple-Action Inhibitor Targeting B-Cell Receptor Signaling and BRD4 Demonstrates Preclinical Activity in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) results from intrinsic genetic defects and complex microenvironment stimuli that fuel CLL cell growth through an array of survival signaling pathways. Novel small-molecule agents targeting the B-cell receptor pathway and anti-apoptotic proteins alone or in combination have revolutionized the management of CLL, yet combination therapy carries significant toxicity and CLL remains incurable due to residual disease and relapse. Single-molecule inhibitors that can target multiple disease-driving factors are thus an attractive approach to combat both drug resistance and combination-therapy-related toxicities. We demonstrate that SRX3305, a novel small-molecule BTK/PI3K/BRD4 inhibitor that targets three distinctive facets of CLL biology, attenuates CLL cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis in a dose-dependent fashion. SRX3305 also inhibits the activation-induced proliferation of primary CLL cells in vitro and effectively blocks microenvironment-mediated survival signals, including stromal cell contact. Furthermore, SRX3305 blocks CLL cell migration toward CXCL-12 and CXCL-13, which are major chemokines involved in CLL cell homing and retention in microenvironment niches. Importantly, SRX3305 maintains its anti-tumor effects in ibrutinib-resistant CLL cells. Collectively, this study establishes the preclinical efficacy of SRX3305 in CLL, providing significant rationale for its development as a therapeutic agent for CLL and related disorders.     

Metformin Influence on the Intestinal Microbiota and Organism of Rats with Metabolic Syndrome

Metformin is a first-line drug for DM2 treatment and prevention, but its complex effect on impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), including its influence on myocardial resistance to ischemia-reperfusion injury, is not completely studied. We aimed to evaluate the influence of metformin on the intestinal microbiota (IM), metabolism, and functional and morphological characteristics of myocardium in rats with IGT. IGT was modelled in SPF Wistar rats with a high-fat diet and streptozotocin and nicotinamide injection. Rats were divided into three groups: IGT (without treatment), IGT MET (metformin therapy), and CRL (without IGT induction and treatment). IGT group was characterized by: higher body weight, increased serum glucose and total cholesterol levels, atherogenic coefficient, impairment in the functional parameters of the isolated heart during perfusion, and larger myocardium infarction (MI) size in comparison with the CRL group. IM of IGT rats differed from that of CRL: an increase of Bacteroides, Acinetobacter, Akkermansia, Roseburia, and a decrease of Lactobacillus genera representation. Metformin therapy led to the diminishing of metabolic syndrome (MS) symptoms, which correlated with IM restoration, especially with the growth of Akkermansia spp. and decline of Roseburia populations and their influence on other members of IM. The obtained results allow us to consider from a new point of view the expediency of probiotic A. muciniphila use for MS treatment.     

Early Postoperative Immunothrombosis of Bioprosthetic Mitral Valve and Left Atrium: A Case Report

A 72-year-old female patient with mixed rheumatic mitral valve disease and persistent atrial fibrillation underwent mitral valve replacement and suffered from a combined thrombosis of the bioprosthetic valve and the left atrium as soon as 2 days post operation. The patient immediately underwent repeated valve replacement and left atrial thrombectomy. Yet, four days later the patient died due to the recurrent prosthetic valve and left atrial thrombosis which both resulted in an extremely low cardiac output. In this patient’s case, the thrombosis was notable for the resistance to anticoagulant therapy as well as for aggressive neutrophil infiltration and release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) within the clot, as demonstrated by immunostaining. The reasons behind these phenomena remained unclear, as no signs of sepsis or contamination of the BHV were documented, although the patient was diagnosed with inherited thrombophilia that could impede the fibrinolysis. The described case highlights the hazard of immunothrombosis upon valve replacement and elucidates its mechanisms in this surgical setting.     

Effects of Low-Intensity and Long-Term Aerobic Exercise on the Psoas Muscle of mdx Mice: An Experimental Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle disease characterized by the absence of the protein dystrophin, which causes a loss of sarcolemma integrity, determining recurrent muscle injuries, decrease in muscle function, and progressive degeneration. Currently, there is a need for therapeutic treatments to improve the quality of life of DMD patients. Here, we investigated the effects of a low-intensity aerobic training (37 sessions) on satellite cells, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α protein (PGC-1α), and different types of fibers of the psoas muscle from mdx mice (DMD experimental model). Wildtype and mdx mice were randomly divided into sedentary and trained groups (n = 24). Trained animals were subjected to 37 sessions of low-intensity running on a motorized treadmill. Subsequently, the psoas muscle was excised and analyzed by immunofluorescence for dystrophin, satellite cells, myosin heavy chain (MHC), and PGC-1α content. The minimal Feret’s diameters of the fibers were measured, and light microscopy was applied to observe general morphological features of the muscles. The training (37 sessions) improved morphological features in muscles from mdx mice and caused an increase in the number of quiescent/activated satellite cells. It also increased the content of PGC-1α in the mdx group. We concluded that low-intensity aerobic exercise (37 sessions) was able to reverse deleterious changes determined by DMD.