Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) appears to have a higher mortality rate in presence of comorbidities and in men. HC-030031 research buy The latter suggests the presence of a possible sex-dependent susceptibility. An enzymatic system involved in this different predisposition could be represented by angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is activated and down-regulated by the spike protein of the virus and allows the penetration of SARS-CoV-2 into epithelial cells and myocardium. Data on the experimental animal have shown that 17ß-estradiol increases the expression and activity of ACE2 in both adipose tissue and kidney. Spontaneously hypertensive male mice have a higher myocardial ACE2 expression than females and its levels decrease after orchiectomy. In addition to this first aspect, the recent evidence of an increased frequency of venous thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19 (a clinical element associated with a worse prognosis) calls the attention on the safety of treatment with testosterone, in particular in hypogonadal men with greater genetic predisposition. Evidence that sex hormones are able to modulate the expression of ACE2 could help in interpreting epidemiological results and in designing more appropriate intervention strategies. Moreover, the vitamin D deficiency in elderly men may be worthy of further study regarding the epidemiological aspects of this different susceptibility and lethality between sexes.Cultural and ritual uses of animals beyond those for food and medicine should not be dismissed if we wish to understand the pressure that wildlife is under. We documented such uses for the Tangsa and Wancho tribals of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (India). Group discussions with assembled members of 10 accessible villages in each of the tribal areas were carried out in 2015 and 2016. Vernacular names of culturally important species were noted and details of hunting practices were recorded. The different uses of animals and their parts during rituals and festivals and their significance in decorations and adornments, in supernatural beliefs and in connection with tribal folklore (stories) are documented. Folklore helps us understand why some species are hunted and consumed while others for no apparent reason are killed or simply ignored. Similarities as well as differences between the two tribes were recorded and possible reasons for the differences are given. The roles that the government as well as the tribal leaders play to halt or slow down the erosion and gradual disappearance of traditions that define the two cultures without losing already rare and endangered species are highlighted.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multifactorial disease, in which systemic inflammation plays a key role. This 6-month randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled study evaluates the possible effect of natural preparation Inflaminat on clinical symptoms of COPD, indicators of respiratory function, and exacerbation frequency in 60 patients with moderate severity of COPD. Inflaminat is a combination of natural ingredients black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) berries, violet (Viola tricolor L.) herb, and calendula (Calendula officinalis L.) flowers. The preparation has been previously demonstrated to possess anticytokine and anti-inflammatory effects in experimental studies. In present study, COPD dynamics were evaluated by means of BCSS (Breathlessness, Cough, and Sputum Scale) and spirometry tests. It was shown that 6-months Inflaminat administration led to significant decrease of BCSS points from 3.0 ± 0.6 to 1.9 ± 0.7, (p = 0.002) as well as significant increase of FEV1 from 66 ± 18% to 73 ± 17%, (p = 0.042); there were no beneficial dynamics in placebo group. Side effects associated with preparation administration were not identified. The results of the study suggest that Inflaminat may be employed in treatment of patients with moderate severity of COPD, since it has a positive effect on COPD symptoms according BCSS and indicators of respiratory function FEV1.Tooth enamel is formed in an extracellular environment. Amelogenin, the major component in the protein matrix of tooth enamel during the developing stage, could assemble into high molecular weight structures, regulating enamel formation. However, the molecular structure of amelogenin protein assembly at the functional state is still elusive. In this work, we found that amelogenin is able to induce calcium phosphate minerals into hydroxyapatite (HAP) structure in vitro at pH 6.0. Assessed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 31P solid-state NMR (SSNMR) evidence, the formed HAP mimics natural enamel closely. The structure of amelogenin protein assembly coexisting with the HAP was also studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and XRD, indicating the β-amyloid structure of the protein. SSNMR was proven to be an important tool in detecting both the rigid and dynamic components of the protein assembly in the sample, and the core sequence 18EVLTPLKWYQSI29 was identified as the major segment contributing to the β-sheet secondary structure. Our research suggests an amyloid structure may be an important factor in controlling HAP formation at the right pH conditions with the help of other structural components in the protein assembly.Hydrogel materials with a gel-sol conversion due to external environmental changes have potential applications in a wide range of fields, including controlled drug delivery. Succinoglycans are anionic extracellular polysaccharides produced by various bacteria, including Sinorhizobium species, which have diverse applications. In this study, the rheological analysis confirmed that succinoglycan produced by Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm 1021 binds weakly to various metal ions, including Fe2+ cations, to maintain a sol form, and binds strongly to Fe3+ cations to maintain a gel form. The Fe3+-coordinated succinoglycan (Fe3+-SG) hydrogel was analyzed by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Our results revealed that the Fe3+ cations that coordinated with succinoglycan were converted to Fe2+ by a reducing agent and visible light, promoting a gel-sol conversion. The Fe3+-SG hydrogel was then successfully used for controlled drug delivery based on gel-sol conversion in the presence of reducing agents and visible light. As succinoglycan is nontoxic, it is a potential material for controlled drug delivery.The effect of radiofrequency chondroplasty on cartilage tissue is not well studied. This prospective pilot study investigates the effect of radiofrequency chondroplasty on International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade II patellar cartilage defects using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with T2 mapping. Six consecutive patients were treated for ICRS grade II patellar cartilage defects using radiofrequency chondroplasty. Before surgery and at defined follow-ups (2 weeks, 4 and 12 months) a high-resolution morphological 3 Tesla MRI with quantitative T2 mapping was performed. At baseline MRI, global T2 values of cartilage defects were increased (46.8 ms ± 9.7) compared to healthy cartilage (35.2 ms ± 4.5) in the same knee which served as reference. Two weeks after treatment, global T2 values (39.2 ms ± 7.7) of the defect areas decreased. However, global T2 values of the defect areas increased beyond the preoperative levels at 4 months (47.4 ms ± 3.1) and 12 months (51.5 ms ± 5.9), respectively. Zonal T2 mapping revealed that the predominant changes in T2 values occurred at the superficial cartilage layer. T2 mapping appears to be an ideal method to monitor cartilage degeneration after chondroplasty. Based on the small sample size of this pilot study, radiofrequency chondroplasty may cause cartilage damage and may not have a long-lasting effect in the treatment of grade II patellar cartilage defects. In five out of six patients, postoperative cartilage damage was observed on quantitative MRI. This study was therefore terminated before completion. We recommend only addressing the pathology which indicated arthroscopy and leaving concomitant cartilage lesions untreated.A new ultra-wideband (UWB) multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system is proposed for future smartphones. The structure of the design comprises four identical pairs of compact microstrip-fed slot antennas with polarization diversity function that are placed symmetrically at different edge corners of the smartphone mainboard. Each antenna pair consists of an open-ended circular-ring slot radiator fed by two independently semi-arc-shaped microstrip-feeding lines exhibiting the polarization diversity characteristic. Therefore, in total, the proposed smartphone antenna design contains four horizontally-polarized and four vertically-polarized elements. The characteristics of the single-element dual-polarized UWB antenna and the proposed UWB-MIMO smartphone antenna are examined while using both experimental and simulated results. An impedance bandwidth of 2.5-10.2 GHz with 121% fractional bandwidth (FBW) is achieved for each element. However, for S11 ≤ -6 dB, this value is more than 130% (2.2-11 GHz). The proposed UWB-MIMO smartphone antenna system offers good isolation, dual-polarized function, full radiation coverage, and sufficient efficiency. Besides, the calculated diversity performances of the design in terms of the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) and total active reflection coefficient (TARC) are very low over the entire operating band.The main objective of this paper is to study the effect of new air backwash on dead-end ultrafiltration of seawater with a pilot at semi-industrial scale (20 m3/day). To control membrane fouling, two different backwashes were used to clean the membrane classical backwash (CB) and new air backwash (AB) that consists of injecting air into the membrane module before a classical backwash. To evaluate the efficiency of AB and CB, a resistance in series model was used to calculate each resistance membrane (Rm), reversible (Rrev) and irreversible (Rirr). The variation of the seawater quality was considered by integrating the turbidity variation versus time. The results indicate clearly that AB was more performant than CB and frequency of AB/CB cycles was important to control membrane fouling. In this study, frequencies of 1/5 and 1/3 appear more efficient than 1/7 and 1/9. In addition, the operation conditions (flux and time of filtration) had an important role in maintaining membrane performance-whatever the variation of the seawater quality.Brucella spp. are Gram negative intracellular bacteria responsible for brucellosis, a worldwide distributed zoonosis. A prominent aspect of the Brucella life cycle is its ability to invade, survive and multiply within host cells. Comprehensive approaches, such as proteomics, have aided in unravelling the molecular mechanisms underlying Brucella pathogenesis. Technological and methodological advancements such as increased instrument performance and multiplexed quantification have broadened the range of proteome studies, enabling new and improved analyses, providing deeper and more accurate proteome coverage. Indeed, proteomics has demonstrated its contribution to key research questions in Brucella biology, i.e., immunodominant proteins, host-cell interaction, stress response, antibiotic targets and resistance, protein secretion. Here, we review the proteomics of Brucella with a focus on more recent works and novel findings, ranging from reconfiguration of the intracellular bacterial proteome and studies on proteomic profiles of Brucella infected tissues, to the identification of Brucella extracellular proteins with putative roles in cell signaling and pathogenesis.