Production and characterization of bioaerogel particles from strawberries and their application as oil structuring ingredient in low-saturated fat cocoa spreads.

Bioaerogels bear high potential in the development of fat-replacers, due to their oil-structuring capacity. However, current aerogel preparation from biopolymeric gels requires a complex and resource-intensive process, which might limit their adoption as oil-structuring food ingredients. A simpler and more sustainable process to produce bioaerogels could be based on their direct preparation from plant tissues rather than from biopolymeric gels.

Metabolomic signatures of pathogen suppression effect of Baltic eelgrass meadows in surrounding seawater.

Organic molecules exuded into water column by marine organisms represent a significant portion of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) that modulates biochemical interactions. Secreted allelochemicals have been suggested to be involved in regulation of pathogen abundance in seagrass meadows, however, seagrass exometabolome has remained unstudied. We aimed to identify seagrass exometabolites, within and outside meadows, and explore their potential involvement in pathogen suppression under varying environmental conditions.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mobile App Use for Meeting Sexual Partners Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Young Transgender Women: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Young men who have sex with men and young transgender women (YMSM-YTW) use online spaces to meet sexual partners with increasing regularity, and research shows that experiences of racism online mimics the real world.

Objective: We analyzed differences by race and ethnicity in web-based and mobile apps used to meet sexual partners as reported by Chicago-based YMSM-YTW in 2016-2017.

Methods: A racially and ethnically diverse sample of 643 YMSM-YTW aged 16-29 years were asked to name websites or mobile apps used to seek a sexual partner in the prior 6 months, as well as provide information about sexual partnerships from the same period.

Phytochemical characterization and antifungal potential of leaf extracts of .

The investigation of natural alternatives to conventional fungicides is of imminent need. (Britton & P. Wilson) Bisse is a Cuban endemic plant species belonging to the Myrtaceae family.

Epigenetic and transcriptomic characterization reveals progression markers and essential pathways in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Identifying tumor-cell-specific markers and elucidating their epigenetic regulation and spatial heterogeneity provides mechanistic insights into cancer etiology. Here, we perform snRNA-seq and snATAC-seq in 34 and 28 human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) specimens, respectively, with matched bulk proteogenomics data. By identifying 20 tumor-specific markers through a multi-omics tiered approach, we reveal an association between higher ceruloplasmin (CP) expression and reduced survival.

Combined use of monensin and virginiamycin to improve rumen and liver health and performance of feedlot-finished steers.

Monensin and virginiamycin are included in beef cattle finishing diets as prophylaxis to minimize the incidence of ruminal acidosis and liver abscesses. Due to different and probably complementary modes of action, this study aimed to determine the effects of a combination of monensin and virginiamycin, both included in the diet at recommended doses, on ruminal health, the occurrence of liver abscesses, and growth performance of feedlot-finished cattle. One hundred and forty-four steers (6 animals/pen) were fed 1 of 3 corn-based finishing diets containing 30 mg of monensin (), 25 mg of virginiamycin (), or 30 and 25 mg of monensin and virginiamycin (), respectively, per kilogram of dry matter.

Work-from-home is here to stay: Call for flexibility in post-pandemic work policies.

In early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced employees in tech companies worldwide to abruptly transition from working in offices to working from their homes. During two years of predominantly working from home, employees and managers alike formed expectations about what post-pandemic working life should look like. Many companies are experimenting with new work policies that balance employee- and manager expectations regarding where, when and how work should be done in the future.

Inhibition of Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation by Seed-Derived Ethanol Extracts from Mill.

The increase in antibiotic resistance demands innovative strategies to combat microorganisms. The current study evaluated the antibacterial and antivirulence effects of ethanol extracts from Persea americana seeds obtained by the Soxhlet (SE) and maceration (MaE) methods. The UHPLC-DAD-QTOF analysis showed mainly the presence of polyphenols and neolignan.

Electrosprayed Agar Nanocapsules as Edible Carriers of Bioactive Compounds.

Electrosprayed agar nanocapsules were developed using an acetic acid solution as solvent. The role of solution properties (viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity) in the formation of agar particles was assessed, together with the effect of both agar and acetic acid concentrations on the size and morphology of the resulting particles. Agar solutions with a concentration below 10% / were not suitable for electrospraying.

Antifungal Activity of Extracts, Fractions, and Constituents from Leaves.

Britton (Polygonaceae, order Caryophyllales) is an endemic and critically endangered plant species that only grows in the municipality of Camagüey, a province of Cuba. A preliminary investigation of its total methanolic extract led to the discovery of promising antifungal activity. In this study, a bioassay-guided fractionation allowed the isolation of quercetin and four methoxyflavonoids: 3--methylquercetin, myricetin 3,3',4'-trimethyl ether, 6-methoxymyricetin 3,4'-dimethyl ether, and 6-methoxymyricetin 3,3',4'-trimethyl ether.

Bioactive extracts from persimmon waste: influence of extraction conditions and ripeness.

In this work, a bioactive persimmon extract was produced from discarded fruits. A central composite design was used to evaluate the effect of different extraction parameters and ripeness stages of persimmon fruits on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the resulting extracts. Significantly greater phenolic contents were obtained from immature persimmon (IP) fruits.

Modelling the Extraction of Pectin towards the Valorisation of Watermelon Rind Waste.

Watermelon is the second largest fruit crop worldwide, with great potential to valorise its rind waste. An experimental design was used to model how extraction parameters (temperature, pH, and time) impact on the efficiency of the process, purity, esterification degree, monosaccharide composition and molar mass of watermelon rind pectin (WRP), with an insight on changes in their structural properties (linearity, branching degree and extraction severity). The models for all responses were accurately fitted (R > 90%, lack of fit ≥ 0.

Chemical and Pharmacological Potential of , an Endemic Endangered Plant from Cuba.

Britton (Polygonaceae) is an endemic and critically endangered plant that only grows in Camagüey, a province of Cuba. In this study, a total of 13 compounds were identified in a methanolic leaf extract, employing a dereplication of the UHPLC-HRMS data by means of feature-based molecular networking (FBMN) analysis in the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Network (GNPS), together with the interpretation of the MS/MS data and comparison with the literature. The major constituents were glucuronides and glycosides of myricetin and quercetin, as well as epichatechin-3--gallate, catechin, epicatechin and gallic acid, all of them being reported for the first time in leaves.

Competing Substrates for the Bifunctional Diaminopimelic Acid Epimerase/Glutamate Racemase Modulate Peptidoglycan Synthesis in Chlamydia trachomatis.

The genome encodes multiple bifunctional enzymes, such as DapF, which is capable of both diaminopimelic acid (DAP) epimerase and glutamate racemase activity. Our previous work demonstrated the bifunctional activity of chlamydial DapF and in a heterologous system (). In the present study, we employed a substrate competition strategy to demonstrate DapF function in We reasoned that, because DapF utilizes a shared substrate-binding site for both racemase and epimerase activities, only one activity can occur at a time.

Blocking ADAM17 Function with a Monoclonal Antibody Improves Sepsis Survival in a Murine Model of Polymicrobial Sepsis.

Sepsis is the culmination of hyperinflammation and immune suppression in response to severe infection. Neutrophils are critical early responders to bacterial infection but can become highly dysfunctional during sepsis and other inflammatory disorders. The transmembrane protease ADAM17 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17) is expressed by leukocytes and most other cells and has many substrates that regulate inflammation.

Expression of a Recombinant High Affinity IgG Fc Receptor by Engineered NK Cells as a Docking Platform for Therapeutic mAbs to Target Cancer Cells.

Anti-tumor mAbs are the most widely used and characterized cancer immunotherapy. Despite having a significant impact on some malignancies, most cancer patients respond poorly or develop resistance to this therapy. A known mechanism of action of these therapeutic mAbs is antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), a key effector function of human NK cells.

Multidomain architecture of estrogen receptor reveals interfacial cross-talk between its DNA-binding and ligand-binding domains.

Human estrogen receptor alpha (hERα) is a hormone-responsive nuclear receptor (NR) involved in cell growth and survival that contains both a DNA-binding domain (DBD) and a ligand-binding domain (LBD). Functionally relevant inter-domain interactions between the DBD and LBD have been observed in several other NRs, but for hERα, the detailed structural architecture of the complex is unknown. By utilizing integrated complementary techniques of small-angle X-ray scattering, hydroxyl radical protein footprinting and computational modeling, here we report an asymmetric L-shaped "boot" structure of the multidomain hERα and identify the specific sites on each domain at the domain interface involved in DBD-LBD interactions.

Isolated human islets require hyperoxia to maintain islet mass, metabolism, and function.

Pancreatic islet transplantation has been recognized as an effective treatment for Type 1 diabetes; however, there is still plenty of room to improve transplantation efficiency. Because islets are metabolically active they require high oxygen to survive; thus hypoxia after transplant is one of the major causes of graft failure. Knowing the optimal oxygen tension for isolated islets would allow a transplant team to provide the best oxygen environment during pre- and post-transplant periods.

A novel, long-lived, and highly engraftable immunodeficient mouse model of mucopolysaccharidosis type I.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an inherited α-L-iduronidase (IDUA, I) deficiency in which glycosaminoglycan (GAG) accumulation causes progressive multisystem organ dysfunction, neurological impairment, and death. Current MPS I mouse models, based on a NOD/SCID (NS) background, are short-lived, providing a very narrow window to assess the long-term efficacy of therapeutic interventions. They also develop thymic lymphomas, making the assessment of potential tumorigenicity of human stem cell transplantation problematic.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitor, SB-216763, promotes pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been suggested to promote self-renewal of pluripotent mouse and human embryonic stem cells. Here, we show that SB-216763, a glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) inhibitor, can maintain mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) in a pluripotent state in the absence of exogenous leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) when cultured on mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). MESCs maintained with SB-216763 for one month were morphologically indistinguishable from LIF-treated mESCs and expressed pluripotent-specific genes Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog.