Human herpesvirus 8 ORF57 protein is able to reduce TDP-43 pathology: network analysis identifies interacting pathways.

Aggregation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) is thought to drive the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and some frontotemporal dementias. TDP-43 is normally a nuclear protein that in neurons translocates to the cytoplasm and can form insoluble aggregates upon activation of the integrated stress response (ISR). Viruses evolved to control the ISR. In the case of Herpesvirus 8, the protein ORF57 acts to bind protein kinase R, inhibit phosphorylation of eIF2α and reduce activation of the ISR. We hypothesized that ORF57 might also possess the ability to inhibit aggregation of TDP-43. ORF57 was expressed in the neuronal SH-SY5Y line and its effects on TDP-43 aggregation characterized. We report that ORF57 inhibits TDP-43 aggregation by 55% and elicits a 2.45-fold increase in the rate of dispersion of existing TDP-43 granules. These changes were associated with a 50% decrease in cell death. Proteomic studies were carried out to identify the protein interaction network of ORF57. We observed that ORF57 directly binds to TDP-43 as well as interacts with many components of the ISR, including elements of the proteostasis machinery known to reduce TDP-43 aggregation. We propose that viral proteins designed to inhibit a chronic ISR can be engineered to remove aggregated proteins and dampen a chronic ISR.

A factorial experiment grounded in the multiphase optimization strategy to promote viral suppression among people who inject drugs on the Texas-Mexico border: a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs living with HIV (PWIDLH) suffer the lowest rates of HIV viral suppression due to episodic injection drug use and poor mental health coupled with poor retention in HIV care. Approximately 44% of PWIDLH along the US-Mexico border are retained in care and only 24% are virally suppressed. This underserved region faces a potential explosion of transmission of HIV due to highly prevalent injection drug use. This protocol describes an optimization trial to promote sustained viral suppression among Spanish-speaking Latinx PWIDLH. METHODS: The multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) is an engineering-inspired framework for designing and building optimized interventions and guides this intervention. The primary aim is to conduct a 24 factorial experiment in which participants are randomized to one of 16 intervention conditions, with each condition comprising a different combination of four behavioral intervention components. The components are peer support for methadone uptake and persistence; behavioral activation therapy for depression; Life-Steps medication adherence counseling; and patient navigation for HIV care. Participants will complete a baseline survey, undergo intervention, and then return for 3-,6-,9-, and 12-month follow-up assessments. The primary outcome is sustained viral suppression, defined as viral loads of < 40 copies per mL at 6-,9-, and 12-month follow-up assessments. Results will yield effect sizes for each component and each additive and interactive combination of components. The research team and partners will make decisions about what constitutes the optimized multi-component intervention by judging the observed effect sizes, interactions, and statistical significance against real-world implementation constraints. The secondary aims are to test mediators and moderators of the component-to-outcome relationship at the 6-month follow-up assessment. DISCUSSION: We are testing well-studied and available intervention components to support PWIDLH to reduce drug use and improve their mental health and engagement in HIV care. The intervention design will allow for a better understanding of how these components work in combination and can be optimized for the setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This project was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05377463) on May 17th, 2022.

Upregulation of Orai Channels Contributes to Aging-Related Vascular Alterations in Rat Coronary Arteries.

Vascular territories display heterogeneous sensitivity to the impacts of aging. The relevance of the STIM/Orai system to vascular function depends on the vascular bed. We aimed to evaluate the contribution of the STIM/Orai system to aging-related vascular dysfunction in rat coronary circulation. Vascular function was evaluated according to myography in coronary arteries from young (three-month-old) and older (twenty-month-old) rats. The effects of aging and STIM/Orai inhibition on the contraction and relaxation of the coronary arteries and on the protein expression of STIM-1, Orai1, and Orai3 in these vessels were determined. Aging-related hypercontractility to serotonin and endothelin-1 in arteries from male rats was reversed by STIM/Orai inhibition with YM-58483 or by specifically blocking the Orai1 channel with Synta66. The inhibitory effects of Synta66 on coronary vasoconstriction were also observed in older female rats. YM-58483 relaxed serotonin- but not KCl-contracted arteries from males. STIM/Orai inhibition improved defective endothelial vasodilations in aged arteries, even in the presence of NO synthase and cyclooxygenase inhibitors, but not in KCl-contracted segments. YM-58483 significantly enhanced relaxations to calcium-activated potassium channel stimulation in aged vessels. Increased protein expression of Orai1 and Orai3 was detected in arterial homogenates and sections from older rats. Upregulation of the Orai channel contributes to aging-related coronary dysfunction, revealing a potential target in reducing CVD risk.

Pyrolysis Kinetics of Byrsonima crassifolia Stone as Agro-Industrial Waste through Isoconversional Models.

This study is aimed at the analysis of the pyrolysis kinetics of Nanche stone BSC (Byrsonima crassifolia) as an agro-industrial waste using non-isothermal thermogravimetric experiments by determination of triplet kinetics; apparent activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and reaction model, as well as thermodynamic parameters to gather the required fundamental information for the design, construction, and operation of a pilot-scale reactor for the pyrolysis this lignocellulosic residue. Results indicate a biomass of low moisture and ash content and a high volatile matter content (≥70%), making BCS a potential candidate for obtaining various bioenergy products. Average apparent activation energies obtained from different methods (KAS, FWO and SK) were consistent in value (~123.8 kJ/mol). The pre-exponential factor from the Kissinger method ranged from 105 to 1014 min-1 for the highest pyrolytic activity stage, indicating a high-temperature reactive system. The thermodynamic parameters revealed a small difference between EA and ∆H (5.2 kJ/mol), which favors the pyrolysis reaction and indicates the feasibility of the energetic process. According to the analysis of the reaction models (master plot method), the pyrolytic degradation was dominated by a decreasing reaction order as a function of the degree of conversion. Moreover, BCS has a relatively high calorific value (14.9 MJ/kg) and a relatively low average apparent activation energy (122.7 kJ/mol) from the Starink method, which makes this biomass very suitable to be exploited for value-added energy production.

STIM/Orai Inhibition as a Strategy for Alleviating Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction Through Modulation of Rat and Human Penile Tissue Contractility and in vivo Potentiation of Erectile Responses.

BACKGROUND: Stromal interaction molecule (STIM)/Orai calcium entry system appears to have a role in erectile dysfunction (ED) pathophysiology but its specific contribution to diabetic ED was not elucidated. AIM: To evaluate STIM/Orai inhibition on functional alterations associated with diabetic ED in rat and human penile tissues and on in vivo erectile responses in diabetic rats. METHODS: Rat corpus cavernosum (RCC) strips from nondiabetic (No DM) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (DM) rats and human penile resistance arteries (HPRA) and corpus cavernosum (HCC) from ED patients undergoing penile prosthesis insertion were functionally evaluated in organ chambers and wire myographs. Erectile function in vivo in rats was assessed by intracavernosal pressure (ICP) responses to cavernous nerve electrical stimulation (CNES). Expression of STIM/Orai elements in HCC was determined by immunofluorescence and immunoblot. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional responses in RCC, HCC and HPRA and STIM/Orai protein expression in HCC. In vivo erectile responses to CNES. RESULTS: Inhibition of Orai channels with YM-58483 (20 µM) significantly reduced adrenergic contractions in RCC but more effectively in DM. Thromboxane-induced and neurogenic contractions were reduced by STIM/Orai inhibition while defective endothelial, neurogenic and PDE5 inhibitor-induced relaxations were enhanced by YM-58483 (10 µM) in RCC from DM rats. In vivo, YM-58483 caused erections and attenuated diabetes-related impairment of erectile responses. YM-58483 potentiated the effects of PDE5 inhibition. In human tissues, STIM/Orai inhibition depressed adrenergic and thromboxane-induced contractions in ED patients more effectively in those with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes was associated with increased expression of Orai1 and Orai3 in ED patients. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: Targeting STIM/Orai to alleviate diabetes-related functional alterations of penile vascular tissue could improve erectile function and potentiate therapeutic effects of PDE5 inhibitors in diabetic ED. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Improving effects of STIM/Orai inhibition on diabetes-related functional impairment was evidenced in vitro and in vivo in an animal model and validated in human tissues from ED patients. Functional findings were complemented with expression results. Main limitation was low numbers of human experiments due to limited human tissue availability. CONCLUSIONS: STIM/Orai inhibition alleviated alterations of functional responses in vitro and improved erectile responses in vivo in diabetic rats, potentiating the effects of PDE5 inhibition. STIM/Orai inhibition was validated as a target to modulate functional alterations of human penile vascular tissue in diabetic ED where Orai1 and Orai3 channels were upregulated. STIM/Orai inhibition could be a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome poor response to conventional ED therapy in diabetic patients. Sevilleja-Ortiz A, El Assar M, García-Gómez B, et al. STIM/Orai Inhibition as a Strategy for Alleviating Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction Through Modulation of Rat and Human Penile Tissue Contractility and in vivo Potentiation of Erectile Responses. J Sex Med 2022;19:1733-1749.

Interactive effects of compounding multidimensional stressors on maternal and male and female rat offspring outcomes.

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders in addition to cardiovascular associated diseases. This risk is elevated when the cumulative burden of ACEs is increased. Laboratory animals can be used to model the changes (as well as the underlying mechanisms) that result in response to adverse events. In this study, using male and female Sprague Dawley rats, we examined the impact of increasing stress burden, utilizing both two adverse early life experiences (parental/offspring high fat diet + limited bedding exposure) and three adverse early life experiences (parental/offspring high fat diet + limited bedding exposure + neonatal inflammation), on maternal care quality and offspring behavior. Additionally, we measured hormones and hippocampal gene expression related to stress. We found that the adverse perinatal environment led to a compensatory increase in maternal care. Moreover, these dams had reduced maternal expression of oxytocin receptor, compared to standard housed dams, in response to acute stress on postnatal day (P)22. In offspring, the two-hit and three-hit models resulted in a hyperlocomotor phenotype and increased body weights. Plasma leptin and hippocampal gene expression of corticotropin releasing hormone (Chrh)1 and Crhr2 were elevated (males) while expression of oxytocin was reduced (females) following acute stress. On some measures (e.g., hyperlocomotion, leptin), the magnitude of change was lower in the three-hit compared to the two-hit model. This suggests that multiple early adverse events can have interactive, and often unpredictable, impacts, highlighting the importance of modeling complex interactions amongst stressors during development.

Azatruxene-Based, Dumbbell-Shaped, Donor-π-Bridge-Donor Hole-Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Three novel donor-π-bridge-donor (D-π-D) hole-transporting materials (HTMs) featuring triazatruxene electron-donating units bridged by different 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) π-conjugated linkers have been synthesized, characterized, and implemented in mesoporous perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The optoelectronic properties of the new dumbbell-shaped derivatives (DTTXs) are highly influenced by the chemical structure of the EDOT-based linker. Red-shifted absorption and emission and a stronger donor ability were observed in passing from DTTX-1 to DTTX-2 due to the extended π-conjugation. DTTX-3 featured an intramolecular charge transfer between the external triazatruxene units and the azomethine-EDOT central scaffold, resulting in a more pronounced redshift. The three new derivatives have been tested in combination with the state-of-the-art triple-cation perovskite [(FAPbI3 )0.87 (MAPbBr3 )0.13 ]0.92 [CsPbI3 ]0.08 in standard mesoporous PSCs. Remarkable power conversion efficiencies of 17.48 % and 18.30 % were measured for DTTX-1 and DTTX-2, respectively, close to that measured for the benchmarking HTM spiro-OMeTAD (18.92 %), under 100 mA cm-2 AM 1.5G solar illumination. PSCs with DTTX-3 reached a PCE value of 12.68 %, which is attributed to the poorer film formation in comparison to DTTX-1 and DTTX-2. These PCE values are in perfect agreement with the conductivity and hole mobility values determined for the new compounds and spiro-OMeTAD. Steady-state photoluminescence further confirmed the potential of DTTX-1 and DTTX-2 for hole-transport applications as an alternative to spiro-OMeTAD.

Environmental influences on placental programming and offspring outcomes following maternal immune activation.

Adverse experiences during pregnancy induce placental programming, affecting the fetus and its developmental trajectory. However, the influence of 'positive' maternal experiences on the placenta and fetus remain unclear. In animal models of early life stress, environmental enrichment (EE) has ameliorated and even prevented associated impairments in brain and behavior. Here, using a maternal immune activation (MIA) model in rats, we test whether EE attenuates maternal, placental and/or fetal responses to an inflammatory challenge, thereby offering a mechanism by which fetal programming may be prevented. Moreover, we evaluate life-long EE exposure on offspring development and examine a constellation of genes and epigenetic writers that may protect against MIA challenges. In our model, maternal plasma corticosterone and interleukin-1ß were elevated 3 h after MIA, validating the maternal inflammatory response. Evidence for developmental programming was demonstrated by a simultaneous decrease in the placental enzymes Hsd11b2 and Hsd11b2/Hsd11b1, suggesting disturbances in glucocorticoid metabolism. Reductions of Hsd11b2 in response to challenge is thought to result in excess glucocorticoid exposure to the fetus and altered glucocorticoid receptor expression, increasing susceptibility to behavioral impairments later in life. The placental, but not maternal, glucocorticoid implications of MIA were attenuated by EE. There were also sustained changes in epigenetic writers in both placenta and fetal brain as a consequence of environmental experience and sex. Following MIA, both male and female juvenile animals were impaired in social discrimination ability. Life-long EE mitigated these impairments, in addition to the sex specific MIA associated disruptions in central Fkbp5 and Oprm1. These data provide the first evidence that EE protects placental functioning during stressor exposure, underscoring the importance of addressing maternal health and well-being throughout pregnancy. Future work must evaluate critical periods of EE use to determine if postnatal EE experience is necessary, or if prenatal exposure alone is sufficient to confer protection.

Enhanced Contribution of Orai Channels to Contractility of Human Penile Smooth Muscle in Erectile Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Store-operated calcium entry and its key players, stromal interaction molecule (STIM) and Orai calcium channels, have been proposed as emergent therapeutic targets in cardiovascular pathophysiology. We hypothesize alteration of STIM/Orai signaling in erectile dysfunction (ED). AIM: To evaluate the contribution of STIM/Orai to human penile tissue contraction and to analyze the influence of ED on STIM/Orai signaling at functional and expression levels in human penile vascular tissues. METHODS: Human penile resistance arteries (HPRA) and human corpus cavernosum (HCC) were dissected from cavernosal specimens from 30 organ donors without history of ED (No ED) and from 48 patients with ED undergoing penile prosthesis insertion and functionally evaluated in wire myographs and organ chambers, respectively. Expression of STIM-1, Orai1, and Orai3 in HCC was localized and quantified by immunofluorescence. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures are functional responses in HCC and HPRA and STIM/Orai channel protein expression in human cavernosal tissue. RESULTS: Inhibition of Orai channels with YM-58483 (20 µM) significantly reduced norepinephrine-induced contractions in both HCC and HPRA from either No ED or ED subjects, but the effects were more marked in ED (-20.1 ± 5.9% vs -45.5 ± 13.2% and -15.9 ± 4.0% vs -31.4 ± 6.9% reduction in Emax to norepinephrine in HCC and HPRA, respectively). Thromboxane-induced contractions were reduced and neurogenic contractile and relaxant responses modulated by Orai inhibition in penile tissues from patients with ED. In fact, addition of YM-58483 concentration dependently relaxed precontracted HPRA and HCC. These relaxations were significantly more pronounced in tissues from patients with ED (EC50 7.5 vs 1.3 µM and 10.5 vs 1.3 µM, for HCC and HPRA, respectively). All HCC specimens displayed expression of STIM-1, Orai1, and Orai3. Significantly increased expression of Orai1 and Orai3 but not STIM-1 was observed in patients with ED. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: Inhibition of enhanced Orai activity in human penile vascular tissue could facilitate erectile responses, alleviating ED. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Enhanced STIM/Orai activity contribution to penile smooth muscle tone in ED is demonstrated at functional and structural levels in human tissues from a representative sample of patients with ED and in comparison with healthy tissue. We cannot differentiate the specific contribution of risk factors associated with ED to hyperactivity of the Orai system. CONCLUSIONS: Orai channels significantly contribute to human penile smooth muscle contraction. Orai contribution to penile smooth muscle tone is functionally enhanced in ED accompanied by increased expression of Orai channels in cavernosal tissue. Orai inhibition could be a potential therapeutic strategy to reduce penile smooth muscle contraction in ED. Sevilleja-Ortiz A, El Assar M, García-Rojo E, et al. Enhanced Contribution of Orai Channels to Contractility of Human Penile Smooth Muscle in Erectile Dysfunction. J Sex Med 2020;17:881-891.

Access to a high resource environment protects against accelerated maturation following early life stress: A translational animal model of high, medium and low security settings.

Early life exposure to a low security setting, characterized by a scarcity of resources and limited food access, increases the risk for psychiatric illness and metabolic dysfunction. We utilized a translational rat model to mimic a low security environment and determined how this manipulation affected offspring behavior, metabolism, and puberty. Because food insecurity in humans is associated with reduced access to healthy food options the "low security" rat manipulation combined a Western diet with exposure to a limited bedding and nesting manipulation (WD-LB). In this setting, dams were provided with limited nesting materials during the pups' early life (P2-P10). This manipulation was contrasted with standard rodent caging (SD) and environmental enrichment (EE), to model "medium security" and "high security" environments, respectively. To determine if transitioning from a low to high security environment improved outcomes, some juvenile WD-LB offspring were exposed to EE. Maternal care was impacted by these environments such that EE dams engaged in high quality care when on the nest, but spent less time on the nest than SD dams. Although WD-LB dams excessively chased their tails, they were very attentive to their pups, perhaps to compensate for limited resources. Offspring exposed to WD-LB only displayed subtle changes in behavior. However, WD-LB exposure resulted in significant metabolic dysfunction characterized by increased body weight, precocious puberty and alterations in the hypothalamic kisspeptin system. These negative effects of WD-LB on puberty and weight regulation were mitigated by EE exposure. Collectively, these studies suggest that both compensatory maternal care and juvenile enrichment can reduce the impact of a low security environment. Moreover, they highlight how utilizing diverse models of resource (in)stability can reveal mechanisms that confer vulnerability and resilience to early life stress.

Disubstituted Dithiolethione ACDT Exerts Neuroprotective Effects Against 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Oxidative Stress in SH-SY5Y Cells.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure. Oxidative stress has been found to play a significant role in its etiology, and the search for novel neuroprotective compounds that actively prevent disease progression is currently ongoing. Dithiolethiones are a group of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds found in cruciferous vegetables. Using the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of PD, we tested a previously identified disubstituted dithiolethione 5-amino-3-thioxo-3H-(1,2) dithiole-4-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (ACDT) for its neuroprotective potential. Pretreatment of SH-SY5Y cells with ACDT led to a time- and concentration-dependent induction of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH). ACDT also diminished 6-OHDA-induced cell death, lactate dehydrogenase release, elevation of caspase 3/7 activity, and increase in levels of reactive oxygen species. Inhibition of the GSH-synthesizing enzyme glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) led a corresponding dissipation of ACDT's neuroprotective effects, hence underlining the importance of GSH in ACDT's neuroprotective response. ACDT caused the stabilization and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor (Nrf2), resulting in increased protein expression of the phase II enzyme NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and the excitatory amino acid cysteine membrane transporter (EAAT3). Interestingly, no changes in the levels of other Nrf2-dependent molecules including GCLC were observed, indicating the possible involvement of additional alternate mechanisms behind ACDT's GSH-inducing property. Collectively, the data demonstrated ACDT to be a promising new dithiolethione for the treatment of PD, with two modifiable functional groups offering additional avenues for enhanced pharmacological application.

Neuroprotective activity of macamides on manganese-induced mitochondrial disruption in U-87 MG glioblastoma cells.

Macamides are a distinct class of secondary metabolites, benzylamides of long chain fatty acids, which were isolated from the Peruvian plant Lepidium meyenii (Maca). As structural analogues of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), they have demonstrated neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the neuroprotective activity of the macamides: N-(3-methoxybenzyl)oleamide (MAC 18:1), N-(3-methoxybenzyl)linoleamide (MAC 18:2) and N-(3-methoxybenzyl)linolenamide (MAC 18:3) in a neurotoxic environment caused by exposure of U-87 MG glioblastoma cells to manganese chloride (MnCl2). The neuroprotective effects of these macamides were reversed by the CB1 antagonist AM251. The mechanism by which manganese (Mn) induces cell damage was investigated by studying its effects on mitochondria. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase intracellular calcium and enhance the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores (MPTP), which leads to decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), to disruption of mitochondria and to neuron death in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, MnCl2 at 50µM was responsible for mitochondrial disruption, which was attenuated by all three of the macamides tested. Human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) has been proposed to be a cannabinoid target, and PPARγ has also been demonstrated to mediate some of the longer-term vascular effects of the plant cannabinoid, ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol. PPARγ activation was observed in response to exposures of cells to MAC 18:2 and MAC 18:3. These findings suggest that macamides achieve their neuroprotective effects by binding to CB1 receptors to protect against Mn-induced toxicity in U-87 MG glioblastoma cells. Additionally these macamides, in a manner similar to the analogous endocannabinoid AEA, interact with other targets such as PPARγ to regulate metabolism and energy homeostasis, cell differentiation and inflammation.

Optical and Electronic Properties of Molecular Systems Derived from Rhodanine.

Push-pull functional compounds consisting of dicyanorhodanine derivatives have attracted a lot of interest because their optical, electronic, and charge transport properties make them useful as building blocks for organic photovoltaic implementations. The analysis of the frontier molecular orbitals shows that the vertical transitions of electronic absorption are characterized as intramolecular charge transfer; furthermore, we show that the analyzed compounds exhibit bathochromic displacements when comparing the presence (or absence) of solvent as an interacting medium. In comparison with materials defined by their energy of reorganization of electrons (holes) as electron (hole) transporters, we find a transport hierarchy whereby the molecule ( Z)-2-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-5-[(4-dimethylamino)benzylidene]-1,3-thiazol-4 is better at transporting holes than molecule ( Z)-2-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-5-(tetrathiafulvalene-2-ylidene)-1,3-thiazol-4.

Why seemingly more difficult test conditions produce more accurate recognition of semantic prototype words: A recognition memory paradox?

Subjects studied Deese-Roediger-McDermott semantic-associate lists and took a recognition test. The makeup and number of test probes were manipulated. In Experiments 1 and 2A, one of three or all three distractors were semantically related to the list theme. In Experiment 2B, 6 or 30 related probes were used at test. Results showed that semantically related distractors and a longer list of test words both had a beneficial effect on the accurate discrimination of the prototype lures from the studied semantic associates and on the discrimination of studied from unstudied prototype words. These findings are inconsistent with predictions of memory interference and activation theories. We propose that the counterintuitive findings can be explained by the notion of old/new recognition as categorization learning and that relatedness and a larger number of test probes provide more accurate information about the prototype lure as a distractor, thereby improving its classification as a distractor.

Quantum Annealing via Environment-Mediated Quantum Diffusion.

We show that quantum diffusion near a quantum critical point can provide an efficient mechanism of quantum annealing. It is based on the diffusion-mediated recombination of excitations in open systems far from thermal equilibrium. We find that, for an Ising spin chain coupled to a bosonic bath and driven by a monotonically decreasing transverse field, excitation diffusion sharply slows down below the quantum critical region. This leads to spatial correlations and effective freezing of the excitation density. Still, obtaining an approximate solution of an optimization problem via the diffusion-mediated quantum annealing can be faster than via closed-system quantum annealing or Glauber dynamics.

Coumarinyl pyranopyrimidines as new neuropeptide S receptor antagonists; design, synthesis, homology and molecular docking.

In this work, we described the design, synthesis and characterization of a new class of NPSR antagonists bearing the tetracyclic coumarinyl pyranopyrimidine scaffold incorporated with different acyclic and/or heterocyclic moieties. These compounds are highlighted in this study as never being used as NPSR antagonists before which provides a model for the discovery of new bioactive inhibitors that may hold potential for drug development towards anxiety, food, and addiction disorders. Synthetic and medicinal chemistry studies led to the identification of four potent antagonists, compounds 7d, 10, 12 and 13, which were able to significantly inhibit the stimulatory effect of NPS through counteracting the increased intracellular Ca2+ accumulation. The target compound 7d was the most active derivative behaving as a pure NPSR antagonist and displaying IC50 value of 2 µM. Homology model of NPSR was built based on bovine rhodopsin structure. Modeling studies were carried out to further rationalize the NPSR binding mode of the target compounds. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulation study was performed for compounds 7d, 10 and 12 which revealed the stability of the ligand-protein complex and the reliability of the docking studies.

Synthesis and Antifungal in Vitro Evaluation of Pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines Derivatives Obtained by Aza-Diels-Alder Reaction and Microwave Irradiation.

A series of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines were prepared by a microwave-assisted aza-Diels-Alder reaction between pyrazolylformimidamides 1 and ß-nitrostyrenes 2 in toluene as the solvent. This procedure provides a simple one-step and environmentally friendly methodology with good yields for the synthesis of these compounds. All compounds were tested for antifungal activity against two clinically important fungi Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Within the compounds of the series bearing a -CH3 group on the carbon C-3 of the azole ring (3a-e), the compound without a substituent on the p'-phenyl ring (3a), showed the best activity against both fungi, followed by the p'-Br-phenyl (3c). Within the compounds of the series bearing a tert-butyl group in the carbon C-3 of the azole ring (3f-j), the non-substituted p'-compound (3f) was the most active one, followed by (3h) (p'-Br substituted) that showed the best activity against both fungi. The remaining compounds of this sub-series (3g, i, j) showed similar moderate activities. The antifungal activity of the compounds of the series was found to be correlated with a higher log P and a lower dipole moment in the more active compounds.

New Coumarin Derivatives as Anti-Breast and Anti-Cervical Cancer Agents Targeting VEGFR-2 and p38α MAPK.

Breast and cervical cancers are the most common gender-specific cancers affecting women worldwide. In this investigation, we highlighted the synthesis, VEGFR-2 and p38α MAPK inhibitory activity of new series of fluorinated coumarin-based derivatives featuring a variety of bioactive chemical moieties attached or fused to the coumarin nucleus at the 3 and/or 4 position. The bioactive inhibitors were further assessed for their anti-proliferative effect against human MCF-7 breast cancer and HeLa cervical cancer cell lines, respectively. Most of the tested compounds showed potent preferential inhibition effects against human VEGFR-2 and remarkable anticancer activities in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Compounds 29, 24, and 2 displayed the highest inhibitory activity against VEGFR-2 (94% inhibition) and they were the most potent anticancer agents toward MCF-7 cancer cells with IC50 values of 7.90, 8.28, and 8.30 µg/mL, respectively. Compound 13 inhibited p38α MAPK phosphorylation with a significant reduction in % cell viability against HeLa cancer cells at 10 and 30 µM. Docking experiments carried out on VEGFR-2 and p38 MAPK crystallographic structures revealed that the active compounds bind to the active sites through H-bonds, arene-cation, and hydrophobic π-π interactions. QSAR analysis demonstrated considerable correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.76969) and root mean square error (RMSE = 0.10446) values. Also, the residual values between the experimental pIC50 and predicted pIC50 are very close, indicating the reliability of the established QSAR model.