Skeletons

BACKGROUND: Generalized joint hypermobility is an inherited collagen phenotype based on clinical assessments of joint mobility. However, there is no international consensus to define generalized joint hypermobility, both considering which joint mobility tests should be included and limits for joint hypermobility. OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of the study was to identify a subset of joint mobility tests to define generalized joint hypermobility. A further aim was to evaluate standardized limits for the classification of hypermobility in different joint types throughout the body...

(±)-Penindolenes A-D (1-4), the first representatives of indole terpenoids featuring a γ-lactam skeleton, were isolated from the mangrove-derived endophytic fungus Penicillium brocae MA-231. Our bioactivity tests revealed their potent antimicrobial and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. The biosynthetic reactions by the five enzymes PbaABCDE leading to γ-lactam ring formation were identified with heterologous expression and in vitro enzymatic assays. Remarkably, the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase PbaB and its homolog in Aspergillus oryzae  catalyzed the 2,3-cleavage of the indole ring to generate two keto groups in 1, in different manners from well-known tryptophan dioxygenases...

IMPORTANCE: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the signature injury experienced by military service members and is associated with poor neuropsychiatric outcomes. Yet, there is a lack of reliable clinical tools for mTBI diagnosis and prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To examine the white matter microstructure and neuropsychiatric outcomes of service members with a remote history of mTBI (ie, mTBI that occurred over 2 years ago) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI)...

A Lewis acid-catalyzed tandem reaction strategy for the construction of a dihydrophenalene-lactone tetracyclic skeleton has been disclosed. Starting with 2-naphthol-tethered ketones and active methylene esters, the tandem reaction catalyzed by Sc(OTf)3 proceeded well to afford an array of dihydrophenalene-fused lactones with moderate to high efficiency and diastereoselectivity. Moreover, the synthetic utility of this protocol was demonstrated by easy gram-scale preparation and diverse product transformations...

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs), featuring a large surface area and 1D pore structure, serve as promising scaffolds for anchoring functional guest compounds, which can significantly enhance their performance and thus expand their potential applications. Postsynthetic strategy for COFs functionalization is versatile but challenging because of their tedious procedure with high time and energy consumption, generation of excess reaction waste, and damage to COF crystallinity. We report in this work a general strategy for the synthesis of inorganic nanocompound-functionalized COF composites in a one-pot way...

Breakdown of chlorophyll (Chl), as studied in angiosperms, follows the pheophorbide a oxygenase/phyllobilin (PaO/PB) pathway, furnishing linear tetrapyrroles, named phyllobilins (PBs). In an investigation with fern leaves we have discovered iso-phyllobilanones (iPBs) with an intriguingly rearranged and oxidized carbon skeleton. We report here a key second group of iPBs from the fern and on their structure analysis. Previously, these additional Chl-catabolites escaped their characterization, since they exist in aqueous media as mixtures of equilibrating isomers...

The fruits of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. are edible nutritional food with high medicinal value and have been traditionally used as Chinese folk medicine for a long time. In this study, 26 triterpenoids including four new pentacyclic triterpenoids, roxbuterpenes A-D ( 1 , 4 , 5 , and 24 ), along with 22 known analogues ( 2 , 3 , 6 - 23 , 25 , and 26 ), were isolated from the fruits of R. roxburghii . Their chemical structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses (including IR, HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopy)...

In this work, an intramolecular carbon nitride (CN)-based quaternary homojunction functionalized with pyridine rings is prepared via an in situ alkali-assisted copolymerization strategy of bulk CN and 2-aminopyridine for efficient visible light hydrogen generation. In the obtained structure, triazine-based CN (TCN), heptazine-based CN (HCN), pyridine unit incorporated TCN, and pyridine ring inserted HCN constitute a special multicomponent system and form a built-in electric field between the crystalline semiconductors by the arrangement of energy band levels...

Quasi-solid-state batteries (QSSBs) are gaining widespread attention as a promising solution to improve battery safety performance. However, the safety improvement and the underlying mechanisms of QSSBs remain elusive. Herein, a novel strategy combining high-safety ethylene carbonate-free liquid electrolyte and in situ polymerization technique is proposed to prepare practical QSSBs. The Ah-level QSSBs with LiNi0.83 Co0.11 Mn0.06 O2 cathode and graphite-silicon anode demonstrate significantly improved safety features without sacrificing electrochemical performance...

Bone is more than a reservoir of calcium and phosphorus. Its lacuno-canalicular arrangement provides an important pathway for exchange with circulation and currently, the skeleton is considered a large endocrine organ with actions that go beyond the control of calcium-phosphorus balance mediated by fibroblastic growth factor 23 (FGF23). Parallel to the modulating effect of adipokines on bone turnover, certain bone proteins, such as osteocalcin and sclerostin, play a counter-regulatory role on energy metabolism, probably in an attempt to ensure its high energy requirement for bone turnover...

INTRODUCTION: Congenital Generalized Lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in genes responsible for the formation and development of adipocytes. Bone abnormalities are described. However, there is a scarcity of data. OBJECTIVE: To describe bone characteristics in a large CGL1 and 2 case series. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that assessed bone radiological features of CGL patients of a reference hospital in Fortaleza (CE), Brazil...

Four new diterpenoids, including three secolathyrane diterpenoids (1-3) and one lathyrane diterpenoid (4), together with seven known diterpenoids, were obtained in the shelled seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. In particular, 1-3 possess a rare split ring structure, and currently only one compound with the same skeleton has been identified in E. lathyris. Compound 4 furnishes an unprecedented oxygen bridge structure. The structures were identified using various spectral techniques, including NMR, HR-ESI-MS, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD)...

Skeletal modeling in childhood and adolescence and continuous remodeling throughout the lifespan are designed to adapt to a changing environment and resist external forces and fractures. The flux of sex steroids in men and women, beginning from fetal development and evolving through infancy, childhood, puberty, young adulthood, peri/menopause transition, and post-menopause, is critical for bone size, peak bone mass, and the risk for fractures. The contributions of estrogen and testosterone on skeletal development have been difficult to study due to the reciprocal and intertwining contributions of one on the other...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to skeletal changes, including bone loss in the unfractured skeleton, and paradoxically accelerates healing of bone fractures; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. TBI is associated with a hyperadrenergic state characterized by increased norepinephrine release. Here, we identified the β2 -adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) as a mediator of skeletal changes in response to increased norepinephrine. In a murine model of femoral osteotomy combined with cortical impact brain injury, TBI was associated with ADRB2-dependent enhanced fracture healing compared with osteotomy alone...

The neuronal differences contributing to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still not well defined. Previous studies have suggested that myelin and axons are disrupted during development in ASD. By combining structural and diffusion MRI techniques, myelin and axons can be assessed using extracellular water, aggregate g-ratio, and a new approach to calculating axonal conduction velocity termed aggregate conduction velocity, which is related to the capacity of the axon to carry information. In this study, several innovative cellular microstructural methods, as measured from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are combined to characterize differences between ASD and typically developing adolescent participants in a large cohort...

The solid-state lithium sulfur battery (SSLSB) is an attractive next-generation energy storage system by reason of its remarkably high energy density and safety. However, the SSLSB still faces critical challenges, such as sluggish reaction kinetics, mismatched interface, and undesirable reversible capacity. Herein, a high-performance SSLSB is reported using sulfurized polyacrylonitrile with rich selenium-doped sulfur (Se/S-S@pPAN) as a cathode and poly(ethylene oxide)/Li7 La3 Zr1.4 Ta0.6 O12 (PEO-LLZTO) as an electrolyte...

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) are widely studied for loading of various catalysts due to their low cost and high structure flexibility. However, the prevailing close-packed nature of most TMOs crystals has restricted the available loading sites to surface only, while their internal bulk lattice remains unactuated due to the inaccessible narrow space that blocks out most key reactants and/or particulate catalysts. Herein, using tunnel-structured MnO2 , we demonstrate how TMO's internal lattice space can be activated as extra loading sites for atomic Ag in addition to the conventional surface-only loading, via which a dual-form Ag catalyst within MnO2 skeleton is established...

Platelets are terminally differentiated anucleated cells, but they still have cell-like functions and can even produce progeny platelets. However, the mechanism of platelet sprouting has not been elucidated so far. Here, we show that when platelet-rich plasma(PRP) was cultured at 37°C, platelets showed a spore phenomenon. The number of platelets increased when given a specific shear force. It is found that AMP-related signaling pathways, such as PKA and AMPK are activated in platelets in the spore state...

Small-molecule inhibitors targeting programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) interactions can compensate for the shortcomings of antibody-based inhibitors and have attracted considerable attention, some of which have already entered clinical trials. Herein, based on our previous study on small-molecule PD-L1 inhibitors, we reported a series of 8-( o -tolyl)quinazoline derivatives by the skeleton merging strategy. Homogenous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay against PD-1/PD-L1 interaction identified compound A5 , which showed the most potent inhibition with an IC50 value of 23...

Studies of vertebrate bone biomechanics often focus on skeletal adaptations at upper extremes of body mass, disregarding the importance of skeletal adaptations at lower extremes. Yet mammals are ancestrally small and most modern species have masses under 5 kg, so the evolution of morphology and function at small size should be prioritized for understanding how mammals subsist. We examined allometric scaling of lumbar vertebrae in the small-bodied Philippine endemic rodents known as cloud rats, which vary in mass across two orders of magnitude (15...