Stability in biosensors derived from domain map analysis of bibliometric data.

In the presented work, advanced methods of analysis and visualization were used to compile trends and patterns in the scientific literature. The most relevant information for the stability of biosensors was selected on the basis of clusters constructed on the basis of keywords. The most significant publications in the clusters appearing over time were analyzed. The most explosive publications were identified, i.e., those that have had the greatest impact on science in the area of the subject under study. The scientific trend in the development of biosensor stability was determined on the basis of the most frequently cited words in recent publications. A map of cooperation and networking between countries in the field of interest of the above topic was presented. Leaders were identified by country of origin. Systematic Review Registration: https://ubb.edu.pl.

Characterizations of White Mulberry, Sea-Buckthorn, Garlic, Lily of the Valley, Motherwort, and Hawthorn as Potential Candidates for Managing Cardiovascular Disease-In Vitro and Ex Vivo Animal Studies.

Cardiovascular diseases are a broadly understood concept focusing on vascular and heart dysfunction. Lack of physical exercise, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, thromboembolism, and kidney and lung diseases all contribute to the development of heart and blood vessel dysfunction. Although effective and important, traditional treatment with diuretics, statins, beta blockers, calcium inhibitors, ACE inhibitors, and anti-platelet drugs remains a second-line treatment after dietary interventions and lifestyle changes. Scientists worldwide are still looking for an herbal product that would be effective and free from side effects, either taken together with or before the standard pharmacological intervention. Such herbal-originated medication therapy may include Morus alba L. (white mulberry), Elaeagnus rhamnoides (L.) A. Nelson (sea-buckthorn), Allium sativum L. (garlic), Convallaria majalis L. (lily of the valley), Leonurus cardiaca L. (motherwort), and Crataegus spp. (hawthorn). Valuable herbal raw materials include leaves, fruits, seeds, and even thorns. This short review focuses on six herbs that can constitute an interesting and potential therapeutic option in the management of cardiovascular disorders.

On Model of Recurrent Neural Network on a Time Scale: Exponential Convergence and Stability Research.

The majority of the results on modeling recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are obtained using delayed differential equations, which imply continuous time representation. On the other hand, these models must be discrete in time, given their practical implementation in computer systems, requiring their versatile utilization across arbitrary time scales. Hence, the goal of this research is to model and investigate the architecture design of a delayed RNN using delayed differential equations on a time scale. Internal memory can be utilized to describe the calculation of the future states using discrete and distributed delays, which is a representation of the deep learning architecture for artificial RNNs. We focus on qualitative behavior and stability study of the system. Special attention is paid to taking into account the effect of the time-scale parameters on neural network dynamics. Here, we delve into the exploration of exponential stability in RNN models on a time scale that incorporates multiple discrete and distributed delays. Two approaches for constructing exponential estimates, including the Hilger and the usual exponential functions, are considered and compared. The Lyapunov-Krasovskii (L-K) functional method is employed to study stability on a time scale in both cases. The established stability criteria, resulting in an exponential-like estimate, utilizes a tuple of positive definite matrices, decay rate, and graininess of the time scale. The models of RNNs for the two-neuron network with four discrete and distributed delays, as well as the ring lattice delayed network of seven identical neurons, are numerically investigated. The results indicate how the time scale (graininess) and model characteristics (weights) influence the qualitative behavior, leading to a transition from stable focus to quasiperiodic limit cycles.

The Influence of Clusterin Glycosylation Variability on Selected Pathophysiological Processes in the Human Body.

The present review gathers together the most important information about variability in clusterin molecular structure, its profile, and the degree of glycosylation occurring in human tissues and body fluids in the context of the utility of these characteristics as potential diagnostic biomarkers of selected pathophysiological conditions. The carbohydrate part of clusterin plays a crucial role in many biological processes such as endocytosis and apoptosis. Many pathologies associated with neurodegeneration, carcinogenesis, metabolic diseases, and civilizational diseases (e.g., cardiovascular incidents and male infertility) have been described as causes of homeostasis disturbance, in which the glycan part of clusterin plays a very important role. The results of the discussed studies suggest that glycoproteomic analysis of clusterin may help differentiate the severity of hippocampal atrophy, detect the causes of infertility with an immune background, and monitor the development of cancer. Understanding the mechanism of clusterin (CLU) action and its binding epitopes may enable to indicate new therapeutic goals. The carbohydrate part of clusterin is considered necessary to maintain its proper molecular conformation, structural stability, and proper systemic and/or local biological activity. Taking into account the wide spectrum of CLU action and its participation in many processes in the human body, further studies on clusterin glycosylation variability are needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms of many pathophysiological conditions. They can also provide the opportunity to find new biomarkers and enrich the panel of diagnostic parameters for diseases that still pose a challenge for modern medicine.

Nonlinear Analytics for Electrochemical Biosensor Design Using Enzyme Aggregates and Delayed Mass Action.

The paper is devoted to the extension of Brown's model of enzyme kinetics to the case with distributed delays. Firstly, we construct a multi-substrate multi-inhibitor model using discrete and distributed delays. Furthermore, we consider simplified models including one substrate and one inhibitor, for which an experimental study has been performed. The algorithm of parameter identifications was developed which was tested on the experimental data of solution conductivity. Both the model and Kohlrausch's law parameters are obtained as a result of the optimization procedure. Comparison of plots constructed with the help of the estimated parameters has shown that in such case the model with distributed delays is more chemically adequate in comparison with the discrete one. The methods of generalization of the results to the multi-substrate multi-inhibitor cases are discussed.

Treg cells in the course of chronic hepatitis C virus infection partially normalize in longitudinal observation after successful DAA treatment regardless of hepatic fibrosis stage.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Elevated circulating CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) play an unspecified role in liver fibrosis development. This study aimed to determine whether Treg cells diminish after successful treatment with directacting antivirals (DAA) in patients at different liver fibrosis stages. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 44 patients with CHC (including 29 with liver cirrhosis) seven days before DAA treatment (T0), six months later (T1) and then 22 of them were examined one year (T2) after the first dose. Subsequently, these were compared with 28 volunteers without hepatitis C virus (HCV) (15 with excessive alcohol intake). We assessed the degree of liver fibrosis with FibroScan, aspartate transaminase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI), FibroIndex, the Forns index and Fib-4. Circulating Treg cells were measured using flow cytometry. RESULTS: All patients achieved a sustained virological response (SVR). After the treatment, all liver fibrosis indicators decreased significantly. The number of circulating Tregs was lower in healthy controls than in patients with CHC (0.0066 × 103 cells/µl and 0.0084 × 103 cells/µl, respectively, p = 0.048). After the treatment we observed an insignificant change to 0.0047 × 103 cells/µl for T1 (p > 0.05) and a significant fall to 0.0041 × 103 cells/µl for T2 (p = 0.03). There was no correlation between the degree of hepatic fibrosis and number of Tregs or post-treatment dynamics. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that Treg cells normalize gradually over a prolonged period of time after a successful DAA treatment. Their number and dynamics remain independent of liver fibrosis degree. The correlation of this revelation with metabolic disorders, increased susceptibility to infections or persistent risk of HCC remains unclear.

A meta-analysis of the influence of the external conditions on the biosensor receptor layer component stability.

The manuscript presented here contains meta-analysis of the influence of the external conditions on the biosensor receptor layer component stability. The novelty of this paper is due to compilation and comparison of studies, based on proposed collective analyses. The presented meta-analysis allows to increase the precision and accuracy of the results by combining and co-analyzing data from five smaller experiments. To understand the significance of presented meta-analysis, the most important conclusions and observations resulting from the conducted five types of research [F1] to [F5] are given. The conducted meta-analysis showed the magnitude of stability differences caused by different external factors. An approach of numerical interpretation of the qualitative stability changes has been offered. The conducted meta-analysis showed that the tested factors influence the stability of the BSA in different ways.

Gender as a factor affecting NK cell activity in patients successfully treated for chronic hepatitis C with direct-acting antivirals.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) affects the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, but successful interferon- free treatment partially restores it. The goal of this study was to assess whether gender influences NK functionality. We examined 21 post-menopausal women and 24 men with CHC who were treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) and 33 healthy volunteers. Using flow cytometry, we analysed KIR2DS4, NKG2D, NKp30, KIR2DL2/DL3, NKG2A and TRAIL on the surface of NK cells. Intracellular granzyme B was also assessed and serum CXCL10 was quantified via ELISA. Overall, patients with CHC had higher expression of KIR2DS4, NKG2A, and NKp30 relative to the control group. Further, CHC patients had a lower percentage of NK cells among lymphocytes relative to the control group. After treatment, KIR2DS4, KIR2DL2/DL, NKG2A, TRAIL and NKp30 on NK cells were decreased whilst the percentage of NK cells and the expression of granzyme B and NKG2D increased. Prior to treatment, serum CXCL10 was elevated, but it was inhibited post-treatment. We observed gender-specific differences in the expression of KIR2DL2/DL3 (higher in women) and NKp30 (elevated in men) compared to CHC/control groups. After treatment, KIR2DL2/DL3, NKp30 and CXCL10 dropped only in the female group while granzyme B increased in the male group. In conclusion, the response of NK cells among men and women of post-menopausal ages with CHC differs. Our research may lead to more studies on the different nature of female and male immune systems in the context of HCV infection and treatment.

Impact of chronic HCV treatment on quality of life of patients with metabolic disorders in context of immunological disturbances.

Chronic viral hepatitis C (CHC) and its complications have a negative effect on patient's quality of life. We evaluated the impact of a successful interferon-free treatment on the quality of life of patients with obesity and metabolic disorders in the context of immunological disturbances. Twenty overweight or obese (BMI > 25) patients with CHC were tested before the therapy and after a successful treatment regimen. After the therapy, patient's emotional well-being improved (p = 0.02), while physical well-being remained unchanged. There was a decrease of patient's liver fibrosis and an increase of steatosis along with body mass. Among HCV-infected individuals, the expression of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) on lymphocytes was higher than in the control group (p = 0.03), but it decreased (p = 0.001) after the treatment. There was also a decrease of the intensity of immunofluorescence of FoxP3+ after the treatment (p = 0.04). Our study showed an improvement in mental aspects of patient's quality of life after the treatment. Unfortunately, probably due to rapid immunological changes, patient's BMI, serum cholesterol levels and hepatic steatosis have a tendency to increase and may lead to cardiovascular and other complications, like hepatocellular carcinoma.

The phenomenon of fluorescence in immunosensors.

The phenomenon of fluorescence in immunosensors is described in this paper. Both structure and characteristics of biosensors and immunosensors are presented. Types of immunosensors and the response of bioreceptor layers to the reaction with analytes as well as measurements of electrochemical, piezoelectric and optical parameters in immunosensors are also presented. In addition, detection techniques used in studies of optical immunosensors based on light-matter interactions (absorbance, reflectance, dispersion, emission) such as: UV/VIS spectroscopy, reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfs), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), optical waveguide light-mode spectroscopy (OWLS), fluorescence spectroscopy. The phenomenon of fluorescence in immunosensors and standard configurations of immunoreactions between an antigen and an antibody (direct, competitive, sandwich, displacement) is described. Fluorescence parameters taken into account in analyses and fluorescence detection techniques used in research of immunosensors are presented. Examples of immunosensor applications are given.

Structural and microtubule binding properties of tau mutants of frontotemporal dementias.

Several mutations in the gene encoding the microtubule-associated protein tau are responsible for the formation of neurofibrillary inclusions in frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). Here we present the high-resolution characterization of the conformational properties of two FTDP-17 mutants of the four-repeat domain of tau, P301L and DeltaK280, and their properties for binding to polyanions and microtubules. Multidimensional NMR spectroscopy shows that the mutations do no lead to a significant increase in the level of beta-structure in their monomeric state, even though the mutations strongly promote beta-structure during aggregation. However, local structural changes are induced in the second repeat. These changes only weakly affect the binding to the polyanion heparin, which promotes paired helical filament formation. The extent of binding to microtubules, however, is strongly decreased. Our results demonstrate that the reversible binding of tau to microtubules involves specific interactions, which are not essential for binding to polyanions.