AC conductivity study of mechanochemically synthesized solid electrolytes of Li6-aMa/nnPS5Cl (M = Ca, Mg, Ba, Zn, Al, Y).

Argyrodite-type solid electrolytes of Li6PS5Cl doped with multivalent cations (Mg2+, Ba2+, Zn2+, Al3+, Y3+) were prepared via a mechanochemical synthesis method. The lattice constant (a0), interplanar spacing (d220, d311, d222), and micro-strain (ε) showed that the doping elements were incorporated into the crystal structure of Li6PS5Cl. The lattice constant and interplanar spacing of the doped samples were smaller than those of Li6PS5Cl. The prepared samples exhibited a positive lattice strain, and the substituted samples exhibited higher strains than Li6PS5Cl. The doped samples exhibited higher ionic conductivity than Li6PS5Cl at 25 °C. Li5.94Al0.02PS5Cl exhibited the highest σDC of approximately 2.36 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 25 °C. The charge carrier movement at the grain boundary changing from long-range diffusion in Li6PS5Cl to short-range diffusion in Li5.94Al0.02PS5Cl enhanced the conductivity.

Genome evolution of dengue virus serotype 1 under selection by Wolbachia pipientis in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

The introgression of antiviral strains of Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti mosquito populations is a public health intervention for the control of dengue. Plausibly, dengue virus (DENV) could evolve to bypass the antiviral effects of Wolbachia and undermine this approach. Here, we established a serial-passage system to investigate the evolution of DENV in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia. Using this system, we report on virus genetic outcomes after twenty passages of serotype 1 of DENV (DENV-1). An amino acid substitution, E203K, in the DENV-1 envelope protein was more frequently detected in the consensus sequence of virus populations passaged in wMel-infected Ae. aegypti than wild-type counterparts. Positive selection at residue 203 was reproducible; it occurred in passaged virus populations from independent DENV-1-infected patients and also in a second, independent experimental system. In wild-type mosquitoes and human cells, the 203K variant was rapidly replaced by the progenitor sequence. These findings provide proof of concept that wMel-associated selection of virus populations can occur in experimental conditions. Field-based studies are needed to explore whether wMel imparts selective pressure on DENV evolution in locations where wMel is established.

A neural flexible PID controller for task-space control of robotic manipulators.

This paper proposes an adaptive robust Jacobian-based controller for task-space position-tracking control of robotic manipulators. Structure of the controller is built up on a traditional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) framework. An additional neural control signal is next synthesized under a non-linear learning law to compensate for internal and external disturbances in the robot dynamics. To provide the strong robustness of such the controller, a new gain learning feature is then integrated to automatically adjust the PID gains for various working conditions. Stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed by Lyapunov constraints. Effectiveness of the proposed controller is carefully verified by intensive simulation results.

An update on obesity: Mental consequences and psychological interventions.

Besides physical consequences, obesity has negative psychological effects, thereby lowering human life quality. Major psychological consequences of this disorder includes depression, impaired body image, low self-esteem, eating disorders, stress and poor quality of life, which are correlated with age and gender. Physical interventions, mainly diet control and energy balance, have been widely applied to treat obesity; and some psychological interventions including behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy have showed some effects on obesity treatment. Other psychological therapies, such as relaxation and psychodynamic therapies, are paid less attention. This review aims to update scientific evidence regarding the mental consequences and psychological interventions for obesity.

An update on physical health and economic consequences of overweight and obesity.

Overweight and obesity (OW and OB) have been on the increase globally and posed health risks to the world's population of all ages, including pre-born babies, children, adolescents, adults and elderly people, via their comorbid conditions. Excellent examples of comorbidities associated with obesity include cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this article, we aimed to review and update scientific evidence regarding the relationships between obesity and its common physical health consequences, including CVD, T2DM, hypertension, ischemic stroke, cancer, dyslipidemia and reproductive disorders. In addition, the economic burden of OW and OB will be discussed. Abundant evidence is found to support the associations between obesity and other diseases. In general, the odd ratios, risk ratios or hazard ratios are often higher in OW and OB people than in the normal-weight ones. However, the molecular mechanism of how OW and OB induce the development of other diseases has not been fully understood. Figures also showed that obesity and its-related disorders exert enormous pressure on the economy which is projected to increase. This review highlights the fact that obesity can lead to numerous lethal health problems; therefore, it requires a lot of economic resources to fight against this epidemic.

A new rearranged abietane diterpene from Clerodendrum inerme with antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.

Eight compounds were isolated from the leaves of Clerodendrum inerme, including one new rearranged abietane diterpene, crolerodendrum B (1). Their structures were determined by means of spectroscopic methods including one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (1-D and 2-DNMR), high-resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and circular dichroism (CD). The DPPH radical scavenging and cytotoxic activities of isolated compounds against MCF7 (breast), HCT116 (colon) and B16F10 (melanoma) cancer cell lines were evaluated. Compounds 1, 3 and 4 exhibited strong DPPH radical-scavenging effects (ED50 values of 17.6 ± 2.1, 10.1 ± 0.8 and 11.3 ± 0.3 µM, respectively) and 4 showed strong cytotoxicity against the HCT116 cell line (IC50 = 3.46 ± 0.01 µM).

Kinetics of viremia and NS1 antigenemia are shaped by immune status and virus serotype in adults with dengue.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries. Exploring the relationships between virological features of infection with patient immune status and outcome may help to identify predictors of disease severity and enable rational therapeutic strategies. METHODS: Clinical features, antibody responses and virological markers were characterized in Vietnamese adults participating in a randomised controlled treatment trial of chloroquine. RESULTS: Of the 248 patients with laboratory-confirmed dengue and defined serological and clinical classifications 29 (11.7%) had primary DF, 150 (60.5%) had secondary DF, 4 (1.6%) had primary DHF and 65 (26.2%) had secondary DHF. DENV-1 was the commonest serotype (57.3%), then DENV-2 (20.6%), DENV-3 (15.7%) and DENV-4 (2.8%). DHF was associated with secondary infection (Odds ratio = 3.13, 95% CI 1.04-12.75). DENV-1 infections resulted in significantly higher viremia levels than DENV-2 infections. Early viremia levels were higher in DENV-1 patients with DHF than with DF, even if the peak viremia level was often not observed because it occurred prior to enrolment. Peak viremias were significantly less often observed during secondary infections than primary for all disease severity grades (P = 0.001). The clearance of DENV viremia and NS1 antigenemia occurs earlier and faster in patients with secondary dengue (P<0.0001). The maximum daily rate of viremia clearance was significantly higher in patients with secondary infections than primary (P<0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our findings suggest that the early magnitude of viremia is positively associated with disease severity. The clearance of DENV is associated with immune status, and there are serotype dependent differences in infection kinetics. These findings are relevant for the rational design of randomized controlled trials of therapeutic interventions, especially antivirals.

A randomized controlled trial of chloroquine for the treatment of dengue in Vietnamese adults.

BACKGROUND: There is currently no licensed antiviral drug for treatment of dengue. Chloroquine (CQ) inhibits the replication of dengue virus (DENV) in vitro. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of CQ in 307 adults hospitalized for suspected DENV infection was conducted at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) between May 2007 and July 2008. Patients with illness histories of 72 hours or less were randomized to a 3-day course of CQ (n = 153) or placebo (n = 154). Laboratory-confirmation of DENV infection was made in 257 (84%) patients. The primary endpoints were time to resolution of DENV viraemia and time to resolution of DENV NS1 antigenaemia. In patients treated with CQ there was a trend toward a longer duration of DENV viraemia (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.80, 95% CI 0.62-1.05), but we did not find any difference for the time to resolution of NS1 antigenaemia (HR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.76-1.51). Interestingly, CQ was associated with a significant reduction in fever clearance time in the intention-to-treat population (HR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.08-1.74) but not in the per-protocol population. There was also a trend towards a lower incidence of dengue hemorrhagic fever (odds ratio = 0.60, PP 95% CI 0.34-1.04) in patients treated with CQ. Differences in levels of T cell activation or pro- or anti-inflammatory plasma cytokine concentrations between CQ- and placebo-treated patients did not explain the trend towards less dengue hemorrhagic fever in the CQ arm. CQ was associated with significantly more adverse events, primarily vomiting. CONCLUSIONS: CQ does not reduce the durations of viraemia and NS1 antigenaemia in dengue patients. Further trials, with appropriate endpoints, would be required to determine if CQ treatment has any clinical benefit in dengue. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials number ISRCTN38002730.