A systematic analysis with the hierarchical cluster analysis strategy on the complex interaction of TERT and CTNNB1 somatic mutations in Vietnamese hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and ß-catenin (CTNNB1) mutations may occur following the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathway signal. We conducted a Hierarchical cluster analysis study on 408 patients diagnosed with HCC by pathological surgery, identifying TERT promoter and CTNNB1 exon 3 mutations by sequencing. The overall preclinical characteristics, cumulative cut-point values, and the factors associated with these somatic mutations were analyzed in uni/multidimensional scaling model. HBV(+) HCV(-) HCC male patients who were older than 62.74 years old and have TERT promoter mutation as well as AFP > 489.78 ng/ml got a higher risk of HCC grade more than two from 27 % to 200 % with p < 0.05 (RR are from 1.27 [1.09-1.47] to 3.06 [2.04-4.61]). This mutation was a good indicator of grade 2 risk (HR = 0.37 [2.72-0.16], ß = -1.00, p = 0.019). TERT promoter and CTNNB1 exon 3 mutations independently influenced tumor size and tumor site status in grade 3 and HBV(-) HCV (-) male HCC patients, where the hazard rates, respectively, were 0.28 [0.09-0.89], 0.023 [0.0023-0.23] and 0.06 [0.012-0.32] (ß < 0 and p < 0.01). These two mutations inversely impacted each other the tumor sites status, especially in male HCC patients with grade 2 without B, C hepatitis virus (RRCTNNB1 exon 3 mutate - TERT promoter wildtype = 1.12 [1.04-1.20], p < 0.05). Consequently, the mutations in TERT promoter and CTNNB1 exon 3 may synchronize with other factors or independently impact the hepatocarcinogenesis and are important indicators for HCC prognostic in male patients with very high AFP levels or with moderately as well as poorly differentiated in tumor. Our results serve as the basis for further studies to understand the impact of different factors on the outcome of HCC, especially in monitoring and assessing the cancer risk of patients infect HBV and carry mutations.

Controlling the Magnetic Responsiveness of Cellulose Nanofiber Particles Embedded with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN) particles, an innovative biobased material derived from wood biomass, have garnered significant interest, particularly in the biomedical field, for their distinctive properties as biocompatible particle adsorbents. However, their microscopic size complicates their separation in liquid media, thereby impeding their application in various domains. In this study, superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles (NPs), specifically iron oxide Fe3O4 NPs with an average size of 15 nm, were used to enhance the collection efficiency of TOCN-Fe3O4 composite particles synthesized through spray drying. These composite particles exhibited a remarkable ζ-potential (approximately -50 mV), indicating their high stability in water, as well as impressive magnetization properties (up to 47 emu/g), and rapid magnetic responsiveness within 60 s in water (3 wt % Fe3O4 to TOCN, 1 T magnet). Furthermore, the influence of Fe3O4 NP concentrations on the measurement of the speed of magnetic separation was quantitatively discussed. Additionally, the binding affinity of the synthesized particles for proteins was assessed on a streptavidin-biotin binding system, offering crucial insights into their binding capabilities with specific proteins and underscoring their significant potential as functionalized biomedical materials.

DrugBank 6.0: the DrugBank Knowledgebase for 2024.

First released in 2006, DrugBank (https://go.drugbank.com) has grown to become the 'gold standard' knowledge resource for drug, drug-target and related pharmaceutical information. DrugBank is widely used across many diverse biomedical research and clinical applications, and averages more than 30 million views/year. Since its last update in 2018, we have been actively enhancing the quantity and quality of the drug data in this knowledgebase. In this latest release (DrugBank 6.0), the number of FDA approved drugs has grown from 2646 to 4563 (a 72% increase), the number of investigational drugs has grown from 3394 to 6231 (a 38% increase), the number of drug-drug interactions increased from 365 984 to 1 413 413 (a 300% increase), and the number of drug-food interactions expanded from 1195 to 2475 (a 200% increase). In addition to this notable expansion in database size, we have added thousands of new, colorful, richly annotated pathways depicting drug mechanisms and drug metabolism. Likewise, existing datasets have been significantly improved and expanded, by adding more information on drug indications, drug-drug interactions, drug-food interactions and many other relevant data types for 11 891 drugs. We have also added experimental and predicted MS/MS spectra, 1D/2D-NMR spectra, CCS (collision cross section), RT (retention time) and RI (retention index) data for 9464 of DrugBank's 11 710 small molecule drugs. These and other improvements should make DrugBank 6.0 even more useful to a much wider research audience ranging from medicinal chemists to metabolomics specialists to pharmacologists.

Sickle cell crisis presenting as livedo racemosa.

Sickle cell disease is a monogenic hemoglobinopathy that results in the abnormal production of hemoglobin S, which yields the characteristic sickle-shaped red blood cells. Sickle cell vaso-occlusive crisis is a painful complication of sickle cell disease caused by red blood cell entrapment within the microcirculation. The resulting tissue ischemia triggers a secondary inflammatory process involved in the pathogenesis of varying inflammatory skin conditions. Chronic leg ulcers are the most common skin presentation in sickle cell disease. A 58-year-old woman with sickle cell disease presented with systemic edematous plaques with the most notable involvement of her bilateral legs, which exhibited reticulated purpuric patches with central pallor. We report a case highlighting an unusual presentation of livedo racemosa as the presenting sign in a patient with sickle cell disease in vaso-occlusive crisis.

Rapid Indomethacin Release from Porous Pectin Particles as a Colon-Targeted Drug Delivery System.

The conventional pectin delivery systems in the colon are often impaired by a slow release rate. Nanostructured particles, especially porous ones, have gained popularity as drug delivery systems owing to their high mass transfer efficiency. In this research, porous pectin particles were synthesized as drug carriers (using indomethacin as a model drug) via template-assisted spray drying. Specific surface areas of the porous pectin particles have been improved by up to 203 m2 g-1 compared with nonporous particles (1 m2 g-1). The porous structure shortened the diffusion path and improved the release rate of drug molecules. Additionally, the predominant drug release mechanism from porous pectin particles is Fickian diffusion, which is different from the combination of erosion and diffusion mechanism observed for nonporous particles. As a result, these porous drug-loaded pectin particles demonstrated rapid drug release rates of up to three times faster than nonporous particles. Control of the release rate could be achieved by changing the porous structure of the particles. This strategy is an efficient means to synthesize porous particles allowing rapid drug release into the colonic target.

Tuning of water resistance and protein adsorption capacity of porous cellulose nanofiber particles prepared by spray drying with cross-linking reaction.

Porous particles composed of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN) as building block, i.e., porous TOCN particles, are attracting attention due to their environmental friendliness, superior properties, such as easy handling, large surface area, and high adsorption capacity. However, the instability of TOCNs in aqueous environments limits their applications. An effective solution to improve water resistance of TOCN particles is to reduce the hydrophilicity of TOCNs by forming chemical bonds with a cross-linker. In this study, Carbodilite, a common, easy-to-use, commercially available cross-linker with carbodiimide groups, was used to investigate a chemical cross-linking strategy for porous TOCN particles prepared by spray drying. The water resistance of cross-linked TOCN particles was evaluated through morphological observation by SEM images. The presence of polycarbodiimide significantly increased water resistance of cross-linked TOCN particles up to 24 h. This study demonstrates the trade-off between water resistance and adsorption efficiency according to cross-linker concentrations. These data are useful for interface science of TOCNs in liquids, assisting in controlling specific properties of porous TOCN particles for particular applications in adsorption and separation.

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis associated with immunotherapy.

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is a rare mucocutaneus blistering autoimmune disease caused by IgA autoantibodies. Its clinical manifestation can be indistinguishable from bullous pemphigoid (BP), a similar autoimmune bullous disease caused by IgG and IgE autoantibodies. Although BP has been reported as an adverse cutaneous effect of immunotherapy, LABD has rarely been associated with immunotherapy in the literature. We present the case of a 67-year-old woman with metastatic ovarian cancer receiving anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 with new onset pruritic tense bullae to the trunk, hands, elbows (in annular distribution) that occurred after immunotherapy. Skin biopsy showed subepidermal blister with abundant neutrophils on H&E histology, and linear IgA staining at the basement membrane on direct immunofluorescence consistent with the diagnosis of LABD. The condition did not improve on initial prednisone taper, but blisters rapidly resolved a few days after initiation of dapsone therapy. We favor that our patient's LABD is secondary to her immunotherapy. Our case highlights the importance of both H&E histology and direct immunofluorescence in diagnosis of blistering disorders in patients on immunotherapy to help in choosing the most effective treatment option in an attempt to avoid discontinuation of immunotherapy.

Investigation of target sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and immunogenic GWAS profiling in host cells of COVID-19 in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: A global pandemic has been declared for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has serious impacts on human health and healthcare systems in the affected areas, including Vietnam. None of the previous studies have a framework to provide summary statistics of the virus variants and assess the severity associated with virus proteins and host cells in COVID-19 patients in Vietnam. METHOD: In this paper, we comprehensively investigated SARS-CoV-2 variants and immune responses in COVID-19 patients. We provided summary statistics of target sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam and other countries for data scientists to use in downstream analysis for therapeutic targets. For host cells, we proposed a predictive model of the severity of COVID-19 based on public datasets of hospitalization status in Vietnam, incorporating a polygenic risk score. This score uses immunogenic SNP biomarkers as indicators of COVID-19 severity. RESULT: We identified that the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is most prevalent in southern areas of Vietnam and it is different from other areas in the world using various data sources. Our predictive models of COVID-19 severity had high accuracy (Random Forest AUC = 0.81, Elastic Net AUC = 0.7, and SVM AUC = 0.69) and showed that the use of polygenic risk scores increased the models' predictive capabilities. CONCLUSION: We provided a comprehensive analysis for COVID-19 severity in Vietnam. This investigation is not only helpful for COVID-19 treatment in therapeutic target studies, but also could influence further research on the disease progression and personalized clinical outcomes.

Enhanced Protein Adsorption Capacity of Macroporous Pectin Particles with High Specific Surface Area and an Interconnected Pore Network.

There has been much interest in developing protein adsorbents using nanostructured particles, which can be engineered porous materials with fine control of the surface and pore structures. A significant challenge in designing porous adsorbents is the high percentage of available binding sites in the pores owing to their large surface areas and interconnected pore networks. In this study, continuing the idea of using porous materials derived from natural polymers toward the goal of sustainable development, porous pectin particles are reported. The template-assisted spray drying method using calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as a template for pore formation was applied to prepare porous pectin particles. The specific surface area was controlled from 177.0 to 222.3 m2 g-1 by adjusting the CaCO3 concentration. In addition, the effects of a macroporous structure, the specific surface area, and an interconnected pore network on the protein (lysozyme) adsorption capacity and adsorption mechanism were investigated. All porous pectin particles performed rapid adsorption (∼65% total capacity within 5 min) and high adsorption capacity, increasing from 1543 to the highest value of 2621 mg g-1. The results are attributed to the high percentage of available binding sites located in the macropores owing to their large surface areas and interconnected pore networks. The macroporous particles obtained in this study showed a higher adsorption capacity (2621 mg g-1) for lysozyme than other adsorbents. Moreover, the rapid uptake and high performance of this material show its potential as an advanced adsorbent for various macromolecules in the food and pharmaceutical fields.

The therapeutic implications of activated immune responses via the enigmatic immunoglobulin D.

Immunoglobulin D (IgD) is an enigmatic antibody and the least appreciated member of the immunoglobulin (Ig) family. Since its discovery over half a century ago, the essence of its function in the immune system has been somewhat enigmatic and less well-defined than other antibody classes. Membrane-bound IgD (mIgD) is mostly recognized as B-cell receptor (BCR) while secreted IgD (sIgD) has been recently implicated in 'arming' basophils and mast cells in mucosal innate immunity. Activations of immune responses via mIgD-BCR or sIgD by specific antigens or anti-IgD antibody thereby produce a broad and complex mix of cellular, antibody and cytokine responses from both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Such broadly activated immune responses via IgD were initially deemed to potentiate and exacerbate the onset of autoimmune and allergic conditions. Paradoxically, treatments with anti-IgD antibody suppressed and ameliorated autoimmune conditions and allergic inflammations in mouse models without compromising the host's general immune defence, demonstrating a unique and novel therapeutic application for anti-IgD antibody treatment. Herein, this review endeavored to collate and summarize the evidence of the unique characteristics and features of activated immune responses via mIgD-BCR and sIgD that revealed an unappreciated immune-regulatory function of IgD in the immune system via an amplifying loop of anti-inflammatory Th2 and tolerogenic responses, and highlighted a novel therapeutic paradigm in harnessing these immune responses to treat human autoimmune and allergic conditions.

Experiment level curation of transcriptional regulatory interactions in neurodevelopment.

To facilitate the development of large-scale transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) that may enable in-silico analyses of disease mechanisms, a reliable catalogue of experimentally verified direct transcriptional regulatory interactions (DTRIs) is needed for training and validation. There has been a long history of using low-throughput experiments to validate single DTRIs. Therefore, we reason that a reliable set of DTRIs could be produced by curating the published literature for such evidence. In our survey of previous curation efforts, we identified the lack of details about the quantity and the types of experimental evidence to be a major gap, despite the theoretical importance of such details for the identification of bona fide DTRIs. We developed a curation protocol to inspect the published literature for support of DTRIs at the experiment level, focusing on genes important to the development of the mammalian nervous system. We sought to record three types of low-throughput experiments: Transcription factor (TF) perturbation, TF-DNA binding, and TF-reporter assays. Using this protocol, we examined a total of 1,310 papers to assemble a collection of 1,499 unique DTRIs, involving 251 TFs and 825 target genes, many of which were not reported in any other DTRI resource. The majority of DTRIs (965; 64%) were supported by two or more types of experimental evidence and 27% were supported by all three. Of the DTRIs with all three types of evidence, 170 had been tested using primary tissues or cells and 44 had been tested directly in the central nervous system. We used our resource to document research biases among reports towards a small number of well-studied TFs. To demonstrate a use case for this resource, we compared our curation to a previously published high-throughput perturbation screen and found significant enrichment of the curated targets among genes differentially expressed in the developing brain in response to Pax6 deletion. This study demonstrates a proof-of-concept for the assembly of a high resolution DTRI resource to support the development of large-scale TRNs.

Computational Investigation on the Formation and Decomposition Reactions of the C4H3O Compound.

Gas-phase mechanism and kinetics of the formation and decomposition reactions of the C4H3O compound, a crucial intermediate of the atmospheric and combustion chemistry, were investigated using ab initio molecular orbital theory and the very expensive coupled-cluster CCSD(T)/CBS(T,Q,5)//B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) method together with transition state theory and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Macus kinetic predictions. The potential energy surface established shows that the C3H3 + CO addition reaction has four main entrances in which C3H3 + CO → IS1-cis (CHCCH2CO) is the most energetically favorable channel. The calculated results revealed that the bimolecular rate constants are positively dependent on both temperatures (T = 300-2000 K) and pressures (P = 1-76,000 Torr). Of these values, the k 1 rate constant of the C3H3 + CO → IS1-cis addition channel is dominant over the 300-2000 K temperature range, increasing from 1.53 × 10-20 to 1.04 × 10-13 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 with the branching ratio reducing from 62% to 44%. The predicted unimolecular rate coefficients in the ranges of T = 300-2000 K and P = 1-76,000 Torr revealed that the intermediate products IS1-cis , IS1-trans , and IS2 are rather unstable and would rapidly decompose back to the reactants (C3H3 + CO), especially at high temperatures (T > 1000 K). The high-pressure limit rate constants for the C4H3O decomposition leading to products (C3H3 + CO), (CHCCHCO + H), and (CHCO + C2H2) have been found to be in excellent agreement with the available literature values proposed by Tian et al. (Combust. Flame, 2011, 158, 756-773) without any adjustment from the ab initio calculations. Therefore, the predicted temperature- and pressure-dependent rate constants can be confidently used for modeling CO-related systems under atmospheric and combustion conditions.

Ilex kudingcha C.J. Tseng Mitigates Phenotypic Characteristics of Human Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Drosophila Melanogaster Rugose Mutant.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have heterogeneous etiologies involving dysfunction of central nervous systems, for which no effective pan-specific treatments are available. Ilex kudingcha (IK) C.J. Tseng is a nootropic botanical used in Asia for neuroprotection and improvement of cognition. This study establishes that a chemically characterized extract from IK (IKE) mitigates behavioral traits in the Drosophila melanogaster rugose mutant, whose traits resemble human ASD, and examines possible mechanisms. IKE treatment significantly ameliorated deficits in social interaction, short-term memory, and locomotor activity in Drosophila rugose, and significantly increased synaptic bouton number of size more than 2 µm2 in the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of Drosophila rugose. To clarify mechanism(s) of IKE action, methylphenidate (MPH), a dopamine transporter inhibitor, was included as a reference drug in the behavioral assays: MPH significantly improved social interaction and short-term memory deficit in Drosophila rugose; administration of the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 and dopamine D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride reversed the ameliorative effects of both MPH and IKE on the social interaction deficits of Drosophila rugose. To extend analysis of IKE treatment to the vertebrate central nervous system, ASD-associated gene expression in mouse hippocampus was studied by RNA-seq: IKE treatment altered the expression of genes coding phosphoinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt), proteins in glutamatergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and GABAergic synapses, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and RNA transporter proteins. These results provide a foundation for further analysis of IKE as a candidate for treatment of some forms of ASD.

Synthesis of High Specific Surface Area Macroporous Pectin Particles by Template-Assisted Spray Drying.

Many types of porous particles containing inorganic and organic substances, such as carbon, metals, metal oxides, inorganic-organic hybrids, and polymers, have been developed. However, natural polymer-derived particles are relatively rare. To our knowledge, this report describes the first synthetic method for obtaining meso-/macroporous particles made from pectin, which is a natural polymer with a wide range of biological activities suitable for active substance support applications. These porous particles were prepared using a template-assisted spray-drying method, followed by a chemical etching process. An organic template [i.e., poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)] or an inorganic template [i.e., calcium carbonate (CaCO3)] was used to evaluate the resulting formation of macroporous structures in the pectin particles. Furthermore, the concentration of the templates in the precursor solution was varied to better understand the mechanism of porous pectin particle formation. The results showed that the final porous particles maintained the characteristic properties of pectin. The differences between the two templates resulted in two distinct types of porous particles that differed in their particle morphologies (i.e., spherical or wrinkled), particle sizes (ranging from 3 to 8 µm), pore sizes (ranging from 80 to 350 nm), and pore volume (ranging from 0.024 to 1.40 cm3 g-1). Especially, the porous pectin particles using the CaCO3 template have a significantly high specific surface area of 171.2 m2 g-1, which is 114 times higher than that of nonporous pectin particles. These data demonstrated the potential for using PMMA and CaCO3 templates to control and design desired porous materials.

Effects of institutional policies and characteristics on research productivity at Vietnam science and technology universities.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of institutional research promoting policies and organizational characteristics on research productivity in Vietnam universities. The authors employed a dataset surveying faculty staff from 115 universities across the country and used multivariate data analysis to analyse data and test hypotheses. It was found that institutional characteristics such as size, time in operation and advantageous location were positively associated with research productivity. Specifically, universities located in the big cities with longer time in operation and larger size had higher level of international publication. Institutional policies such as management and infrastructure had a positive impact on research productivity while human resource policies had a positive impact on faculty research outcomes. The study also provided some suggestions to promote research productivity of Vietnam universities.

Harnessing Newton's third-law paradigm to treat autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammations.

PURPOSE: It paradoxically seems counter-intuitive to consider treatments that activate the immune systems as a method to treat autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammations when these inflammatory conditions are themselves manifested by dysregulated activations of the immune responses. However, according to Newton's Third-Law of fundamental physics which formally states "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction", it can be reasonably argued that "For every activated pro-inflammatory response, there is an opposite and intrinsic anti-inflammatory response to follow." Therefore, harnessing these intrinsic self-regulated negative-feedbacks of anti-inflammatory and tolerogenic responses by activating the immune systems represents a novel therapeutic paradigm. METHODS: This review endeavoured to examine and discuss the current clinical and experimental evidences and therapeutic potentials of activating the innate and adaptive immune systems via their classical cell receptors, namely Toll-like receptors (TLRs), T-cell receptors (TCRs), and B cell receptors (BCRs), to modulate and suppress pathogenic inflammations. RESULTS: The evidence presented in this review illustrated the therapeutic potentials and the caveats of  recent approaches and advances in harnessing this unorthodox therapeutic paradigm in the treatments of autoimmune diseases, allergic and chronic inflammations. It highlighted the promising potentials of targeting BCR-activated tolergenic responses as a new approach in this new therapeutic paradigm.

Precisely tailored synthesis of hexagonal hollow silica plate particles and their polymer nanocomposite films with low refractive index.

Hollow silica particles are desirable for numerous applications, however, designing hollow silica materials with varying hollow structures and shapes remains a significant challenge. Herein, a strategy for the precisely controlled synthesis of hexagonal-shaped hollow silica plate (HHSP) particles was successfully prepared via a sol-gel method at room temperature, using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica precursor and zinc oxide (ZnO) particles as a colloidal template. The effect of reaction time was carried out to control the structure and morphology of HHSP particles, and the thickness of silica shell can be tuned in the range from 12.2 to 43.2 nm by adjusting the TEOS/ZnO molar ratios. In addition, the polymer/HHSP composite thin films were prepared using poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix and surface modified HHSP particles by grafting silane coupling agents. High transmittance values were observed (>95%) for the composite thin films (5 µm in thickness, 0.1-1.0 wt% HHSP) in the ultraviolet and visible regions. Furthermore, the refractive index of HHSP particles was observed to be 1.28, which is significantly lower than dense silica (n = 1.46). These results suggest that the approach adopted herein will open up opportunities for the development of a new generation of film materials with a low refractive index.

Theoretical Study of the Kinetics of the Gas-Phase Reaction between Phenyl and Amino Radicals.

The potential energy surface (PES) of the C6H5 + NH2 reaction has been investigated by using ab initio CCSD(T)//B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) calculations. The conventional transition-state theory (TST) and the variable reaction coordinate-TST (VRC-TST) have been used to predict the rate constants for the channels possessing tight and barrierless transition states, respectively. The Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus/Master equation (RRKM/ME) theory has been utilized to determine the pressure-dependent rate constants for these reactions. The PES shows that the reaction begins with an exothermic barrierless addition of NH2 to C6H5 producing the vital intermediate state, namely, aniline (C6H5NH2, IS1). Once IS1 is generated, it can further isomerize to various intermediate states, which can give rise to different products, including PR4 (4,5,6-trihydro-1-amino phenyl + H2), PR5 (3,4,5,6-tetrahydro phenyl + NH3), PR6 (2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-1-imidogen phenyl + H2), PR9 (3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-1-imidogen phenyl + H2), and PR10 (2,5,6-trihydro-1-amino phenyl + H2), of which the most stable product, PR5, was formed by the most favorable channel going through the two advantageous transition states T1/11 (-28.9 kcal/mol) and T11P5 (-21.5 kcal/mol). The calculated rate constants for the low-energy channel, 1.37 × 10-9 and 2.16 × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at T = 300, P = 1 Torr and T = 2000 K, P = 760 Torr, respectively, show that the title reaction is almost pressure- and temperature-dependent. The negative temperature-dependent rate coefficients can be expressed in the modified Arrhenius form of k 1 = 8.54 × 1013 T -7.20 exp (-7.07 kcal·mol-1/RT) and k 2 = 2.42 × 1015 T -7.61 exp (-7.75 kcal·mol-1/RT) at 1 and 10 Torr, respectively, and in the temperature range of 300-2000 K. The forward and reverse rate coefficients as well as the high-pressure equilibrium constants of the C6H5 + NH2 ↔ IS1 process were also predicted; their values revealed that its kinetics do not depend on pressure at low temperature but strongly depend on pressure at high temperature. Moreover, the predicted formation enthalpies of reactants and the enthalpy changes of some channels are in good agreement with the experimental results.

VariCarta: A Comprehensive Database of Harmonized Genomic Variants Found in Autism Spectrum Disorder Sequencing Studies.

Recent years have seen a boom in the application of the next-generation sequencing technology to the study of human disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where the focus has been on identifying rare, possibly causative genomic variants in ASD individuals. Because of the high genetic heterogeneity of ASD, a large number of subjects is needed to establish evidence for a variant or gene ASD-association, thus aggregating data across cohorts and studies is necessary. However, methodological inconsistencies and subject overlap across studies complicate data aggregation. Here we present VariCarta, a web-based database developed to address these challenges by collecting, reconciling, and consistently cataloging literature-derived genomic variants found in ASD subjects using ongoing semi-manual curation. The careful manual curation combined with a robust data import pipeline rectifies errors, converts variants into a standardized format, identifies and harmonizes cohort overlaps, and documents data provenance. The harmonization aspect is especially important since it prevents the potential double counting of variants, which can lead to inflation of gene-based evidence for ASD-association. The database currently contains 170,416 variant events from 10,893 subjects, collected across 61 publications, and reconciles 16,202 variants that have been reported in literature multiple times. VariCarta is freely accessible at http://varicarta.msl.ubc.ca. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1728-1736. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: The search for genetic factors underlying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) yielded numerous studies reporting potentially causative genomic variants found in ASD individuals. However, methodological differences and subject overlap across studies complicate the assembly of these data, diminishing its utility and accessibility. We developed VariCarta, a web-based database that aggregates carefully curated, annotated, and harmonized literature-derived variants identified in individuals with ASD using ongoing semi-manual curation.