Capture and inactivation of viral particles from bioaerosols by electrostatic precipitation.

Infectious viral particles in bioaerosols generated during laparoscopic surgery place staff and patients at significant risk of infection and contributed to the postponement of countless surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic causing excess deaths. The implementation of devices that inactivate viral particles from bioaerosols aid in preventing nosocomial viral spread. We evaluated whether electrostatic precipitation (EP) is effective in capturing and inactivating aerosolized enveloped and non-enveloped viruses.

Modelling net energy of commercial cat diets.

Net energy accounts for the proportion of energy expenditure attributed to the digestion, metabolism, and absorption of ingested food. Currently, there are no models available to predict net energy density of food for domestic cats. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to measure the heat increment of feeding in cats, and to model the net energy of commercial diets.

Fragment-Based Discovery of an Apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) Stabilizer.

Apolipoprotein E is a 299-residue lipid carrier protein produced in both the liver and the brain. The protein has three major isoforms denoted apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4 which differ at positions 112 and 158 and which occur at different frequencies in the human population. Genome-wide association studies indicate that the possession of two apoE4 alleles is a strong genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD).

Carbohydrate level and source have minimal effects on feline energy and macronutrient metabolism.

The carnivorous nature of the domestic cat makes feline metabolism of carbohydrates unique. The cats' glycemic response has been previously studied, with variable outcomes in response to carbohydrate level and source, but is an important response to understand how to control glycemia. The objectives of this study were to determine the glucose and insulin responses of cats fed 3 commercial diets differing in carbohydrate content and source, and to investigate the effects of diet on RQ, energy expenditure (EE), and glycemic response.

Discovery of Novel Aminotetralines and Aminochromanes as Selective and Competitive Glycine Transporter 1 (GlyT1) Inhibitors.

The glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) has emerged as a key novel target for the treatment of schizophrenia. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of aminotetralines and aminochromanes as novel classes of competitive GlyT1 inhibitors. Starting from a high-throughput screening hit, structure-activity relationship studies led first to the discovery of aminotetralines displaying high GlyT1 potency and selectivity, with favorable pharmacokinetic properties.

De Novo Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of 3,4-Disubstituted Pyrrolidine Sulfonamides as Potent and Selective Glycine Transporter 1 Competitive Inhibitors.

The development of glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) inhibitors may offer putative treatments for schizophrenia and other disorders associated with hypofunction of the glutaminergic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Herein, we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine sulfonamides as competitive GlyT1 inhibitors that arose from de novo scaffold design. Relationship of chemical structure to drug-drug interaction (DDI) and bioactivation was mechanistically investigated.

Antibacterial and Solubility Optimization of Thiomuracin A.

Synthetic studies of the antimicrobial secondary metabolite thiomuracin A (1) provided access to analogues in the Northern region (C2-C10). Selective hydrolysis of the C10 amide of lead compound 2 and subsequent derivatization led to novel carbon- and nitrogen-linked analogues (e.g.

Discovery of diamide compounds as diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) inhibitors.

Diamide compounds were identified as potent DGAT1 inhibitors in vitro, but their poor molecular properties resulted in low oral bioavailability, both systemically and to DGAT1 in the enterocytes of the small intestine, resulting in a lack of efficacy in vivo. Replacing an N-alkyl group on the diamide with an N-aryl group was found to be an effective strategy to confer oral bioavailability and oral efficacy in this lipophilic diamide class of inhibitors.

Maternal investment in the swordtail fish Xiphophorus multilineatus: support for the differential allocation hypothesis.

The differential allocation hypothesis predicts that reproductive investment will be influenced by mate attractiveness, given a cost to reproduction and a tradeoff between current and future reproduction. We tested the differential allocation hypothesis in the swordtail fish Xiphophorus multilineatus, where males have genetically influenced (patroclinous inheritance) alternative mating tactics (ARTs) maintained by a tradeoff between being more attractive to females (mature later as larger courting males) and a higher probability of reaching sexual maturity (mature earlier as smaller sneaker males). Males in X.

Discovery of LFF571: an investigational agent for Clostridium difficile infection.

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a Gram positive, anaerobic bacterium that infects the lumen of the large intestine and produces toxins. This results in a range of syndromes from mild diarrhea to severe toxic megacolon and death.

Guidelines for the identification of unknown samples for laboratories performing forensic analyses for chemical terrorism.

Since the early 1990s, the FBI Laboratory has sponsored Scientific Working Groups to improve discipline practices and build consensus among the forensic community. The Scientific Working Group on the Forensic Analysis of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism developed guidance, contained in this document, on issues forensic laboratories encounter when accepting and analyzing unknown samples associated with chemical terrorism, including laboratory capabilities and analytical testing plans. In the context of forensic analysis of chemical terrorism, this guidance defines an unknown sample and addresses what constitutes definitive and tentative identification.

Antibacterial optimization of 4-aminothiazolyl analogues of the natural product GE2270 A: identification of the cycloalkylcarboxylic acids.

4-Aminothiazolyl analogues of the antibiotic natural product GE2270 A (1) were designed, synthesized, and optimized for their activity against Gram positive bacterial infections. Optimization efforts focused on improving the physicochemical properties (e.g.

The role of variations in growth rate and sample collection on interpreting results of segmental analyses of hair.

Segmental analysis of hair for drugs, metabolites, and poisons has been widely reported in the scientific literature over the past two decades. Two fundamental assumptions in interpreting results of such analyses are (1) an average linear growth rate of head hair of 1cm/month and (2) that sample collections occur with the hair being cut directly next to the scalp. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variability associated with growth rate of human head hair, as well as the ability to uniformly collect hair next to the scalp.