Endometriosis Susceptibility to Dapsone-Hydroxylamine-Induced Alterations Can Be Prevented by Licorice Intake: In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Endometriosis, an estrogen-dependent chronic gynecological disease, is characterized by a systemic inflammation that affects circulating red blood cells (RBC), by reducing anti-oxidant defenses. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential beneficial effects of licorice intake to protect RBCs from dapsone hydroxylamine (DDS-NHOH), a harmful metabolite of dapsone, commonly used in the treatment of many diseases. A control group (CG, n = 12) and a patient group (PG, n = 18) were treated with licorice extract (25 mg/day), for a week. Blood samples before (T₀) and after (T₁) treatment were analyzed for: i) band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation and high molecular weight aggregates; and ii) glutathionylation and carbonic anhydrase activity, in the presence or absence of adjunctive oxidative stress induced by DDS-NHOH. Results were correlated with plasma glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) concentrations, measured by HPLC–MS. Results showed that licorice intake decreased the level of DDS-NHOH-related oxidative alterations in RBCs, and the reduction was directly correlated with plasma GA concentration. In conclusion, in PG, the inability to counteract oxidative stress is a serious concern in the evaluation of therapeutic approaches. GA, by protecting RBC from oxidative assault, as in dapsone therapy, might be considered as a new potential tool for preventing further switching into severe endometriosis.     

Properties of filmogenic solutions of gliadin crosslinked with 1-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimidehydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide and cysteine

In this study gliadin solutions were crosslinked with 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) and cysteine. The filmogenic solutions were studied through rheological, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and FTIR analysis. Gliadin modified by EDC/NHS showed lower viscosity values when compared with the gliadin/cysteine system and the non-modified gliadin system. Determination of amino groups in gliadin modified by EDC/NHS was carried out through the trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) method. The cast films were evaluated by FTIR analysis in order to detect structural changes in the secondary structure of protein. SDS-PAGE showed the formation of higher protein aggregates, indicating that cysteine promotes gliadin polymerization through covalent bonds (disulfide bonds). The TNBS analysis showed that non-chemically modified gliadin had higher amounts of ε-amino groups when compared with gliadin treated with EDC/NHS; however, both systems revealed similar amounts of amino groups for the whole range of glycerol content. The FTIR spectra for the films showed that the two crosslinking agents act by different mechanisms, promoting changes in the secondary structure of gliadin.     

Photoalignment and Surface‐Relief‐Grating Formation are Efficiently Combined in Low‐Molecular‐Weight Halogen‐Bonded Complexes

It is demonstrated that halogen bonding can be used to construct low‐molecular‐weight supramolecular complexes with unique light‐responsive properties. In particular, halogen bonding drives the formation of a photoresponsive liquid‐crystalline complex between a non‐mesogenic halogen bond‐donor molecule incorporating an azo group, and a non‐mesogenic alkoxystilbazole moiety, acting as a halogen bond‐acceptor. Upon irradiation with polarized light, the complex exhibits a high degree of photoinduced anisotropy (order parameter of molecular alignment > 0.5). Moreover, efficient photoinduced surface‐relief‐grating (SRG) formation occurs upon irradiation with a light interference pattern, with a surface‐modulation depth 2.4 times the initial film thickness. This is the first report on a halogen‐bonded photoresponsive low‐molecular‐weight complex, which furthermore combines a high degree of photoalignment and extremely efficient SRG formation in a unique way. This study highlights the potential of halogen bonding as a new tool for the rational design of high‐performance photoresponsive suprastructures.     

Experimental Investigation and Thermodynamic Modeling of the B<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-FeO-Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> System for Recycling of NdFeB Magnet Scrap

NdFeB magnet scrap is an alternative source of neodymium that could have a significantly lower impact on the environment than current mining and extraction processes. Neodymium can be readily oxidized in the presence of oxygen, which makes it easy to recover neodymium in oxide form. Thermochemical data and phase diagrams for neodymium oxide containing systems is, however, very limited. Thermodynamic modeling of the B₂O₃-FeO-Fe₂O₃-Nd₂O₃ system was hence performed to obtain accurate phase diagrams and thermochemical properties of the system. Key phase diagram experiments were also carried out for the FeO-Nd₂O₃ system in saturation with iron to improve the accuracy of the present modeling. The modified quasichemical model was used to describe the Gibbs energy of the liquid oxide phase. The Gibbs energy functions of the liquid phase and the solids were optimized to reproduce all available and reliable phase diagram data, and thermochemical properties of the system. Finally the optimized database was applied to calculate conditions for selective oxidation of neodymium from NdFeB magnet waste.     

An online 2-dimensional clustering problem with variable sized clusters

In the online clustering problems, the classification of points into sets (called clusters) is done in an online fashion. Points arrive one by one at arbitrary locations, and we have to assign them to clusters at the time of arrival without any information about the further points. A point can be assigned to an existing cluster, or a new cluster can be opened for it. We study two-dimensional variants in the l _∞ norm, thus clusters are actually squares. The cost of a cluster is the sum of a fixed setup cost and the area of the square. The goal is to minimize the sum of the costs of the clusters used by the algorithm. We study two variants, both maintaining the properties that a point which was assigned to a given cluster must remain assigned to this cluster, and clusters cannot be merged. In the strict variant, the size and the exact location of the cluster must be fixed when it is initialized. In the flexible variant, the algorithm can shift the cluster or expand it, as long as it contains all points assigned to it. We present a 7-competitive algorithm in the strict model and an approximately 5.22-competitive algorithm for the flexible variant. We also give lower bounds on the possible competitive ratio, this bound is 2.768 in the strict model and 1.743 in the flexible model.     

Volume estimation in dialysis patients: The concordance of brain‐type natriuretic peptide measurements and bioimpedance values

Correct estimation of the dialysis patients' hydration status remains an important clinical challenge. Bioimpedance measurements have been validated by various physiological tests, and the use of brain‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been validated by inferior vena cava diameter measurements. This is an observational cohort study that evaluated the correspondence between bioimpedance‐measured overhydration percentage (OH%) and BNP. We measured predialysis OH% by bioimpedance apparatus (Body Composition Monitor) and BNP by microparticle enzyme‐linked immunoassay in 41 prevalent stable hemodialysis patients, 19 (46%) women, aged 58.9 ± 14.5 years. The cohort's average BNP was 2694 ± 3278 pg/mL and 10 (24.4%) of these 41 patients had BNP < 500 pg/mL (average 260.7 ± 108.5). The OH% was 8.5 ± 7.0% among those with a BNP < 500 pg/mL, while the rest of the population had an OH% of 21.4 ± 8.0%, corresponding to excess volumes of 1.6 ± 1.3 and 4.4 ± 3.8 L, respectively. The OH% vs. BNP relationship was best described by the exponential regression of y = 216.4e^0.097x, predicting a BNP of 216.4 pg/mL at 0% overhydration status (r 0.61). Receiver‐operating curves revealed an area under the curve of 0.885 for BNP when the OH% was set ≥15% of overhydration and an area under the curve of 0.918 for OH% when the BNP was set ≥500 pg/mL for being abnormal. We conclude that in our cohort there was a high degree of correspondence between these two tests with an exponential relationship between the measurements.     

Trace Elements in the Si Furnace. Part I: Behavior of Impurities in Quartz During Reduction

Quartz and carbonaceous materials, which are used in the production of silicon as well as electrodes and refractories in the silicon furnace, contain trace elements mostly in the form of oxides. These oxides can be reduced to gaseous compounds and leave the furnace or stay in the reaction products—metal and slag. This article examines the behavior of trace elements in hydrothermal quartz and quartzite in the reaction of SiO₂ with Si or SiC. Mixtures of SiO₂ (quartz or quartzite), SiC, and Si in forms of lumps or pellets were heated to 1923 K and 2123 K (1650°C and 1850°C) in high purity graphite crucibles under Argon gas flow. The gaseous compounds condensed in the inner lining of the tube attached to the crucible. The phases present in the reacted charge and the collected condensates were studied quantitatively by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and qualitatively by Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA). Contaminants in the charge materials, reacted charge and condensate were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Muscovite in the mineral phase of quartz melted and formed two immiscible liquid phases: an Al-rich melt at the core of the mineral, and a SiO₂-rich melt at the mineral boundaries. B, Mn, and Pb in quartz were removed during heating in reducing atmosphere at temperature above 1923 K (1650°C). Mn, Fe, Al and B diffused from quartz into silicon. P concentration was under the detection limit. Quartzite and hydrothermal quartz had different initial impurity levels: quartzite remained more impure after reduction experiment but approached purity of hydrothermal quartz upon silica reduction.