Materia (United States)

Petroleum-derived conventional plastics play an importantrolein our lives despite their accumulation in the environment. An alternativeis natural polymers, in which starch has been highlighted. However,starch-derived films exhibit a low tensile strength. One way to improvethis is by adding zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). In this work,thermoplastic arrowroot starch/ZnO nanocomposite (TPA/ZnO NC) filmswere manufactured by solvent casting, and their thermal, tensile,morphological, and soil burial degradation properties were investigated.In addition, the TPA/ZnO NC films were evaluated for their suitabilityfor bread packaging. TEM confirmed the nanometer dimension for ZnO.XRD confirmed the formation of a thermoplastic material with characteristicpeaks of ZnO NPs, but characteristic bands for ZnO were not observedin the FTIR. SEM images showed that ZnO NP concentrations are randomlydistributed in the TPA matrix. The ZnO NPs did not cause major changesin the thermal degradation profile of the NC films in relation tothe starch matrix, as demonstrated by TGA results. TPA and TPA/ZnO-5films exhibited an improvement in tensile strength (0.62–1.44MPa) and modulus (1.73–10.46 MPa), respectively. ZnO NPs modifiedthe moisture, solubility, and transparency of the films. Our resultsdemonstrate that soil burial degradation for the films depends onthe soil moisture. Black and yellow spots, characteristic of fungalgrowth, were not observed on bread stored in the TPA/ZnO-3 and TPA/ZnO-5films. Our results indicate that TPA/ZnO-5 demonstrated a favorablecombination of σ, ε, and E and also exhibitedsoil burial degradation.

Cocrystals of pregabalin (PGB) with different carboxylic acids were developed, and their crystal structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. All obtained cocrystal structures were isostructural and related to the free PGB crystal structure (PGB_AN). These structural similarities result in analogous thermal behavior: upon heating, cocrystals segregate, with PGB_AN as one of the final products. Notably, cocrystals formed with octanoic acid exhibited multiple single crystal to single crystal phase transitions upon heating. Initially, the 1:1 stoichiometric sample exhibited a disproportion transition at 44 °C. As a result, the single crystal is a new cocrystal of 1:2 stoichiometry. Further heating induced segregation, ultimately yielding a PGB_AN single crystal. Similar behavior was observed in cocrystals with decanoic acid, but a different structure is observed in the 1:2 stoichiometry cocrystal.

Photodynamic-induced immunotherapy (PDI) is often hampered by low reactive oxygen species (ROS) yield, intra-tumor hypoxia, high glutathione (GSH) concentration, and immunosuppressive microenvironment. In view of this, a ruthenium (Ru)-based nanobattery (termed as IRD) with cascade-charged oxygen (O2), ROS, and photodynamic-induced immunotherapy by coordination-driven self-assembly of transition-metal Ru, photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG), and organic ligand dithiobispropionic acid (DTPA). Then, IRD is camouflaged with macrophage membranes to obtain a nanobattery (termed as IRD@M) with targeting and immune evasion capabilities. Upon intravenous administration, IRD@M with a core-shell structure, nano diameter, and good stability can specifically hoard in tumor location and internalize into tumor cells. Upon disassembly triggered by GSH, the released Ru³⁺ not only catalyzes the conversion of endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into O₂ to alleviate tumor hypoxia and reduce the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), but also generates hydroxyl radicals (·OH) to elevate intracellular ROS levels. This process significantly enhances the photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy of the released ICG. Meanwhile, the released DTPA can significantly downregulate overexpressed GSH to reduce the elimination of ROS deriving from PDT by the exchange reaction of thiol-disulfide bond. It is also found that alleviating the hypoxic tumor microenvironment synergistically enhances the PDT efficacy, which in turn cascades to recharge the subsequent immune response, significantly improving the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and activating systemic tumor-specific immunity. Notably, in vitro and in vivo experimental results jointly confirm that such cascade-recharged macrophage-biomimetic Ru-based nanobattery IRD@M can achieve an obvious tumor elimination while results in a minimized side effect. Taken together, this work highlights a promising strategy for simple, flexible, and effective Ru-based immunogenic cell death (ICD) agents within PDI.Graphical

The Fe-15Mn-10Cr-8Ni-4Si alloy, which has excellent low-cycle fatigue durability, was developed as a core material for steel-based vibration dampers that are effective against large-amplitude, long-period earthquake motions, and was put into practical use in 2014. However, manufacturing using small-scale equipment was expensive, so the authors tried manufacturing using stainless steel continuous casting facility and rolling facility, and succeeded in mass production. The authors also developed welding materials and welding techniques to assemble a buckling restraint brace damper with flat plasticizing section and one with cruciform plasticizing section, and successfully put these two types of brace dampers into practical use. The alloy plate has been recognized as an industrial product that can be manufactured with stable quality, and has been approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as a steel material for construction.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies, with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. A common characteristic among pancreatic cancer patients is the biomechanically altered tumor microenvironment (TME), which among others is responsible for the elevated mechanical stresses in the tumor interior. Although significant research has elucidated the effect of mechanical stress on cancer cell proliferation and migration, it has not yet been investigated how it could affect cancer cell drug sensitivity. Here, we demonstrated that mechanical stress triggers autophagy activation, correlated with increased resistance to oxaliplatin treatment in pancreatic cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that inhibition of autophagy using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) enhanced the oxaliplatin-induced apoptotic cell death in pancreatic cancer cells exposed to mechanical stress. The combined treatment of HCQ with losartan, a known modulator of mechanical abnormalities in tumors, synergistically enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of oxaliplatin in murine pancreatic tumor models. Furthermore, our study revealed that the use of HCQ enhanced the efficacy of losartan to alleviate mechanical stress levels and restore blood vessel integrity beyond its role in autophagy modulation. These findings underscore the potential of co-targeting mechanical stresses and autophagy as a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome drug resistance and increase chemotherapy efficacy.

Introduction Falls are a major cause for injuries in older adults and are associated with motor and cognitive impairments (Hsu, 2012). Thus, sensitive assessment tools capturing subtle changes in motor and cognitive functioning are crucial for the prediction of falls. Aim of this study was to test the ability of a novel, instrumented, cognitive-motor assessment battery, to distinguish between older persons who experienced a fall in the past 12 months (fallers) and persons who did not (non-fallers) as well as its added value to predict fall status compared to gold-standard clinical fall risk assessments. Methods This is a secondary analysis using baseline data of an international randomized controlled trial. Participants (age > 60, categorized in two groups: fallers and non-fallers) performed five instrumented tests (Reaction time test (psychomotor speed), Flexibility test (mental flexibility), Go/No-Go task (inhibition), Sway test (postural control), and Coordinated Stability test (dynamic balance control), as well as the Timed-up and Go (TUG) test as a gold standard assessment. Binominal logistic regression analyses were conducted for each cognitive-motor assessment separately to identify test variables significantly associated with group assignment which could then be included in a further logistic regression model. Furthermore, a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. Results Preliminary results of n = 38 showed among the instrumented assessments only inhibition (p = .016) and dynamic balance control (p = .014) were significantly associated with fall status and therefore included in the second regression model. In this second model, both functions contributed significantly in predicting fall status (inhibition: p = .040, dynamic balance control: p = .028). This regression model was statistically significant and resulted in a good amount of explained variance (χ2(2) = 14.283 (p = .001), R2 = .418) with a sensitivity of 84.2% and a specificity of 73.7%. Similarly, the ROC analysis showed significant Area under the Curve (AUC) values only for inhibition (AUC = .751, p = .008) and dynamic balance control (AUC = .765, p = .005), whereas the AUC value of the TUG test remained non-significant (AUC = .681, p = .056). Discussion/Conclusion Based on this preliminary analysis, two tests of the novel instrumented cognitive-motor assessment battery assessing inhibition and dynamic balance control were able to distinguish between fallers and non-fallers and these tests showed better discriminative properties compared with the TUG. This supports the results of previous research which showed only limited discriminant validity of the TUG in terms of fall risk (Schoene et al., 2013). Therefore, the cognitive-motor assessments might provide an added value for clinical fall risk assessment. The study is still ongoing, and thus, the complete results (of N = 145) will be presented at the conference. References Hsu, C. L., Nagamatsu, L. S., Davis, J. C., & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2012). Examining the relationship between specific cognitive processes and falls risk in older adults: A systematic review. Osteoporosis International, 23, 2409-2424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-012-1992-z Schoene, D., Wu, S. M. S., Mikolaizak, A. S., Menant, J., Smith, S. T., & Delbaere, K. (2013). Discriminative ability and predictive validity of the timed up and go test in identifying older people who fall: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61, 202-208. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12106

Objectives. Ferroelectric triglycine sulfate (TGS) belongs to a group of crystals whose properties are sensitive even to minor changes in growth conditions. The mechanism of spontaneous polarization in TGS is associated with the adjustment of protons which participate in the formation of hydrogen bonds. Therefore, the state of the parent solution plays an important role in the crystal formation. The study aims to investigate the structural features of TGS crystals grown using aqueous alcoholic solutions of technologically processed antibodies to interferon-gamma, in comparison with those of the crystals grown using the control solutions (technologically processed phosphate-buffered saline and intact aqueous alcoholic solution).Methods. X-ray diffraction assay and Raman spectroscopy.Results. The effect of solutions of the technologically processed antibodies to interferongamma added to a parent solution on the growth of TGS single crystals is established. This effect manifests in the changing in occupancy of the proton sublattice of the crystal grown from the parent solution containing technologically processed antibodies to interferon-gamma, as compared with the crystals grown from the control solutions. In the case of the crystal grown from the solution containing technologically processed antibodies to interferon-gamma, this change in the occupancy of the proton lattice is expressed in an increase in the length of N2–C3 bonds.Conclusions. Adding the technologically processed antibodies in the parent solution before the crystal growth can affect the structure of TGS crystals.

Apoiando-se no conceito queerente da própria poeta, e também em diversos comentários de teóricos internacionais acerca do 'optimismo queer', o presente texto examina três poemas particularmente frutíferos de Mundo, concentrando-se nas suas mensagens (quase) positivas. Salienta-se a utilização irónica e não-definitiva da esperança em Ana Luísa Amaral, com o objetivo de celebrar o seu projeto ético-poético de diversidade sexual e identitária.

Permanent disability is a medico-judicial concept that aggravates the qualification of a criminal offence. The function of the forensic doctor is not always easy. The Algerian legislator has not defined this notion, nor determined a percentage to qualify it. From this point of view, ask yourself if such a notion is clearly defined by the legislation. On the other hand, to wonder if the determination of permanent disability constitutes a difficulty to the forensic doctor during the criminal expertise. Materials and methods: we proceeded to an analytical reading of the articles of the Algerian criminal law bearing the concept of permanent disability, In particular, article 264 and a comparison with other articles of the criminal law of different countries and the literature. A comparison with the notion of permanent disability in the civil law. A discussion of cases of victims of assault and battery observed in the forensic medicine department of the University Hospital of Sidi Bel Abbés received in the context of a criminal expertise, to determine a permanent disability. Results: the reading of the articles of the Algerian criminal law bearing the notion of permanent disability and the discussion of the cases of criminal expertises received at the forensic medicine department of the University Hospital of Sidi Bel Abbés, in order to determine a permanent disability revealed: the abstract and ambiguous character of this notion. Some of its aspects have been described, but less broadly than other countries, where this concept has not been as clearly defined.