A Dual Inhibitor of DYRK1A and GSK3β for β-Cell Proliferation: Aminopyrazine Derivative GNF4877

Loss of β-cell mass and function can lead to insufficient insulin levels and ultimately to hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus. The mainstream treatment approach involves regulation of insulin levels; however, approaches intended to increase β-cell mass are less developed. Promoting β-cell proliferation with low-molecular-weight inhibitors of dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) offers the potential to treat diabetes with oral therapies by restoring β-cell mass, insulin content and glycemic control. GNF4877, a potent dual inhibitor of DYRK1A and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) was previously reported to induce primary human β-cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we describe the lead optimization that lead to the identification of GNF4877 from an aminopyrazine hit identified in a phenotypic high-throughput screening campaign measuring β-cell proliferation.     

Within-class multimodal classification

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In many real-world classification problems there exist multiple subclasses (or clusters) within a class; in other words, the underlying data distribution is...     

Effect of Different Cosolvents on Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil in a Microreactor

Biodiesel was prepared from waste cooking oil combined with methanol. The process was performed via transesterification in a microreactor using kettle limescale as a heterogeneous catalyst and various cosolvents under different conditions. n‐Hexane and tetrahydrofuran were selected as cosolvents to investigate fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). To optimize the reaction conditions, the main parameters affecting FAME% including reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, oil‐to‐methanol volumetric ratio, and cosolvent‐to‐methanol volumetric ratio were studied via response surface methodology. Under optimal reaction conditions and in the presence of the cosolvents n‐hexane and tetrahydrofuran, high FAME purities were achieved. Considering the experimental results, the limescale catalyst is a unique material, and the cosolvent method can reduce significantly the reaction time and biodiesel production cost.     

Possible anatomical basis of recovery of function after neonatal frontal lesions in rats.

Rats given medial frontal lesions on Postnatal Day 1 or Day 10 were trained on the Morris water task on Days 19–21 or Days 56–58. The operated groups were equally impaired at the water task on Days 19–21, but the Day 10 rats had recovered by 56 days. Dendritic arborization and spine density were analyzed in parietal layer II–III pyramidal cells. At Day 60, but not at Day 22, the Day 10 animals had more dendritic spines per unit dendritic length than did the controls or Day 1 rats. Thus, there was functional recovery rather than sparing after frontal lesions at 10 days, and the recovery was correlated with an increase in dendritic spines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Effects of H2O, CO and CO2 on the H2 Permeance and Surface Characteristics of 1 mm Thick Pd80wt%Cu Membranes

The hydrogen permeance of 1 mm-thick Pd_80wt%Cu foils was measured in the presence of equimolar mixtures of H₂ with CO, CO₂ or H₂O over the temperature and total pressure ranges of 623–1,173 K and 0.62–2.86 MPa, respectively. In all cases, permeance losses at 623 and 738 K were very modest. At higher temperatures, more significant decreases in membrane permeance were observed with the highest reduction of about 50% occurring when macroscopic carbon deposition occurred on the membrane surface during H₂–CO exposure at 908 K. The more worrisome effects of exposure to these gases, however, were the micron-scale surface defects observed at 908 and 1,038 K. Although the 1 mm thick disk membranes retained their mechanical integrity, such defects could cause catastrophic failure of ultra-thin, Pd–Cu membranes (1–5 μm thick) deposited on porous substrates.     

Removal of impurities from liquid solutions by vacuum desorption with solvent evaporation

Mass transfer with solvent evaporation in the vapor-liquid two-phase film evaporators used for the removal of undesirable impurities from liquid solutions at low pressure is studied. The average concentrations of solution components in the falling liquid film are determined. The most efficient operating conditions for impurity removal, in which the resistance to mass transfer is concentrated in the liquid phase, are found. Original Russian Text ? V.N. Babak, T.B. Babak, L.P. Kholpanov, 2008, published in Teoreticheskie Osnovy Khimicheskoi Tekhnologii, 2008, Vol. 42, No. 6, pp. 654–670.     

Operant conditioning of hippocampal theta: Dissociating reward from performance deficits.

Dopaminergic blocking agents have been known to suppress intracranial self-stimulation, but whether the suppression results from a reduction in the rewarding value of stimulation or from motor deficits has remained controversial. We have resolved this controversy by developing an operant technique minimally dependent on motor activity; rats were trained to perform a bar-holding response for 3s or to produce hippocampal theta waves for 3s when the bar was retracted. Decamethonium bromide (a muscle relaxant) reduced bar holding without affecting theta production for brain stimulation. Pimozide (a dopaminergic blocking-agent) reduced both bar holding and theta production for stimulation, though rats were still capable of making the theta response at a rate comparable to the preinjection rate. Dopaminergic blocking at low doses reduces the rewarding value of brain stimulation at the level of the lateral hypothalamus. The method described in this report has wide applicability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gheo-shih: an ancient pre-Columbian plaza

This paper describes the configuration and cultural context of the oldest known designed space in central America, Gheo-Shih, dating from 5,000 - 4,000 BC. This site may have been a ceremonial space, being employed in a similar fashion to ceremonial spaces of Native American cultures from the North American Great Basin. It contains physical features that set precedents and are similar to the geomantic features of later nearby Mesoamerican cultures.