Tridimensional

The present work addressed the abilities of two L-amino acid oxidases isolated from Bothrops moojeni (BmooLAAO-I) and Bothrops jararacussu (BjussuLAAO-II) snake venoms to control the growth and prevent the biofilm formation of clinically relevant bacterial pathogens. Upon S. aureus (ATCC BAA44) and S. aureus (clinical isolates), BmooLAAO-I (MIC = 0.12 and 0.24 μg/mL, respectively) and BjussuLAAO-II (MIC = 0.15 μg/mL) showed a potent bacteriostatic effect...

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) with bleomycin is an effective antitumor treatment. Still, researchers are investigating new drugs and electroporation conditions to improve its efficacy. To this aim, in vivo assays are accurate but expensive and ethically questionable. Conversely, in vitro assays, although cheaper and straightforward, do not reflect the architecture of the biological tissue because they lack a tridimensional (3D) structure (as in the case of two-dimensional [2D] in vitro assays) or do not include all the extracellular matrix components (as in the case of 3D in vitro scaffolds)...

Over the past 25 years, membrane tension has emerged as a primary mechanical factor influencing cell behavior. Although supporting evidences are accumulating, the integration of this parameter in the lifecycle of cells, organs, and tissues is complex. The plasma membrane is envisioned as a bilayer continuum acting as a 2D fluid. However, it possesses almost infinite combinations of proteins, lipids, and glycans that establish interactions with the extracellular or intracellular environments. This results in a tridimensional composite material with non-trivial dynamics and physics, and the task of integrating membrane mechanics and cellular outcome is a daunting chore for biologists...

Acquiring innovative styles and compositions from intricate and heterogeneous artistic imagery has emerged as a pivotal research quandry within contemporary new media art image conception. In a concerted effort to adeptly distill the quintessence of artistic styles and elements embedded within these visuals, an innovative methodology is posited herein, underpinned by an enhanced U-net segmentation framework and harmoniously fused with the surface extraction image reconstruction algorithm. This meticulous amalgamation endeavors to attain accurate segmentation and tridimensional reconstruction of the artistry encapsulated in these images...

The evolution and development of the head have long captivated researchers due to the crucial role of the head as the gateway for sensory stimuli and the intricate structural complexity of the head. Although significant progress has been made in understanding head development in various vertebrate species, our knowledge of early human head ontogeny remains limited. Here, we used advanced whole-mount immunostaining and 3D imaging techniques to generate a comprehensive 3D cellular atlas of human head embryogenesis...

CagY is the largest and most complex protein from Helicobacter pylori's (Hp) type IV secretion system (T4SS), playing a critical role in the modulation of gastric inflammation and risk for gastric cancer. CagY spans from the inner to the outer membrane, forming a channel through which Hp molecules are injected into human gastric cells. Yet, a tridimensional structure has been reported for only short segments of the protein. This intricate protein was modeled using different approaches, including homology modeling, ab initio, and deep learning techniques...

Dental crown marginal adaptation is a matter of the success of dental restoration treatment. Nowadays, there are many technological ways for crown manufacturing, such as tridimensional printing of an exactly desired shape through CAD-assisted systems and the appropriate shape milling of a predesigned bulk crown. Both methods are developed for patient benefits. The current research aims to investigate the marginal adaptation of E-Max crowns manufactured by printing-pressed and milling methods. The in vitro cementation procedures were effectuated on healthy teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes according to the standard procedures and the marginal adaptation was investigated with SEM microscopy...

Heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence and burden. Despite extensive research, a cure for HF remains elusive. Traditionally, the study of HF's pathogenesis and therapies has relied heavily on animal experimentation. However, these models have limitations in recapitulating the full spectrum of human HF, resulting in challenges for clinical translation. To address this translational gap, research employing human cells, especially cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs), offers a promising solution...

INTRODUCTION: Appositional bone augmentation is considered a challenging surgical problem to correct for the deficient alveolar ridge. To overcome this challenge, a novel concept was recently published called "Barbell Technique." This technique has been used more commonly for horizontal bone augmentation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on using the Barbell Technique for vertical bone augmentation. Case Report . This report describes and demonstrates the clinical feasibility of the use of this concept in the reconstruction of a tridimensional alveolar ridge defect in the anterior maxilla...

Polymer-based membranes containing nanocellulose and natural macromolecules have potential to treat water, however few works have associate the changes in chemical and morphological membrane's features with their performance as adsorbent. Herein, a new green composite based on nanocellulose (NC) and alkylated tannic acid (ATA) and cross-linked with proanthocyanidin was produced and incorporated into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes to eliminate propranolol (PRO) from water. Characterizations revealed that the increasing of NC-ATA content reduced the pore size of the membrane's upper surface and made the finger like structure of the sublayer disappear, due to the formation of hydrophilic domains of NC/ATA which speeds up the external solidification step...

In the last few years, the manufacturing of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) by means of innovative tridimensional and bidimensional printing technologies has significantly catalyzed the attention of researchers. Inkjet material deposition, in particular, can become a key enabling technology for the production of polymer-based inertial sensors characterized by low cost, high manufacturing scalability and superior sensitivity. In this paper, a fully inkjet-printed polymeric accelerometer is proposed, and its manufacturing steps are described...

Host-guest chemistry within the confined space of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offers an almost unlimited myriad of possibilities, hardly accessible with other materials. Here we report the synthesis and physical characterization, with atomic resolution by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, of a novel water-stable tridimensional MOF, derived from the amino acid S -methyl-L-cysteine, {SrZn6 [( S , S )-Mecysmox]3 (OH)2 (H2 O)}·9H2 O (1), and its application as a robust and efficient solid catalyst for the cycloaddition reaction of ethylene/propylene oxide with CO2 to afford ethylene/propylene carbonate with yields of up to 95% and selectivity of up to 100%...

From an embodied view of cognition, sensorimotor mechanisms are strongly involved in abstract processing, such as Arabic number meanings. For example, spatial cognition can influence number processing. These spatial-numerical associations (SNAs) have been deeply explored since the seminal spatial-numerical associations of response code (SNARC) effect (i.e., faster left/right sided responses to small/large magnitude numbers, respectively). While these SNAs along the transverse plane (left-to-right axis) have been extensively studied in cognitive sciences, no systematic assessment of other planes of the tridimensional space has been afforded...

BACKGROUND: Empirical studies suggest that gratitude positively influence the quality of life of palliative patients and relatives. However, the literature is marked by a lack of conceptual clarity about what gratitude is and whether it can bring about individual and social benefits. AIM: This paper explores how palliative care patients and relatives understand gratitude, how discursive representations of gratitude may affect their positions, perceptions and relations, and how to conceptualise gratitude in the palliative context...

Current treatment of Chagas disease (CD) is based on two substances, nifurtimox (NT) and benzonidazole (BZ), both considered unsatisfactory mainly due to their low activities and high toxicity profile. One of the main challenges faced in CD management concerns the identification of new drugs active in the acute and chronic phases and with good pharmacokinetic profiles. In this work, we studied the bioactivity of twenty 2-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes and trypomastigotes...

BACKGROUND: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex tridimensional scaffold that actively participates in physiological and pathological events. The objective of this study was to test whether structural proteins of the ECM and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may favor the retention of human apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) variants associated with amyloidosis and atherosclerosis. METHODS: Biopolymeric matrices containing collagen type I (Col, a main macromolecular component of the ECM) with or without heparin (Hep, a model of GAGs) were constructed and characterized, and used to compare the binding of apoA-I having the native sequence (Wt) or Arg173Pro, a natural variant inducing cardiac amyloidosis...

INTRODUCTION: Synaptic loss is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that correlates with cognitive decline in AD patients. Complement-mediated synaptic pruning has been associated with this excessive loss of synapses in AD. Here, we investigated the effect of C5aR1 inhibition on microglial and astroglial synaptic pruning in two mouse models of AD. METHODS: A combination of super-resolution and confocal and tridimensional image reconstruction was used to assess the effect of genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of C5aR1 on the Arctic48 and Tg2576 models of AD...

Large-area, highly uniform microwave field radiation and efficient excitation of fluorescence are the key to achieving high sensitivity sensing of the NV (nitrogen-vacancy) magnetometer. In this paper, we report a compact multipass-laser-beam antenna for NV ensemble color centers sensing. The antenna not only provides a tridimensional uniform magnetic field, but also can be used for efficient excitation of the NV fluorescence. The optimal size of the antenna and the angle of laser incidence are determined by the multi-physics field simulation software COMSOL...

Wound healing is a complex process to restore skin. Plant-derived bioactive compounds might be a source of substances for the treatment of wounds stalled in a non-resolving stage of wound healing. Oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpene, has shown favorable wound healing properties both in vitro and in vivo. Unfortunately, OA cannot be solubilized in aqueous media, and it needs to be helped by the use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). In this paper, we have shown that cyclodextrins (CDs) are a good alternative to DMSO as agents to deliver OA to cells, providing better features than DMSO...

The bombardment of a protein multilayer target by an energetic argon cluster ion beam enables protein transfer onto a collector in the vacuum while preserving their bioactivity (iBEAM method). In parallel to this new soft-landing variant, protein transfer in the gas phase is a prerequisite for their characterization by mass spectrometry. The successful transfer of bioactive lysozymes (14 kDa) by cluster-induced soft landing and its mechanistic explanation by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have sparked an important inquiry: Can heavier biomolecules be desorbed while maintaining their tridimensional structure and hence their bioactivity? To address this question, we employed MD simulations using a reactive force field (ReaxFF)...