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Coxsackievirus B represents a nightmare for a large number of medical staff. Due to exposure to Coxsackievirus in closed spaces (ambulances and waiting rooms), infections by Coxsackievirus B are a common occurrence. This paper for the first time reports chemical and thermodynamic properties of Coxsackieviruses A and B, and offers a mechanistic model of Coxsackievirus-host interaction. The driving force of the interaction at the membrane (antigen-receptor binding) is Gibbs energy of binding. The driving force of virus-host interaction in the cytoplasm is Gibbs energy of biosynthesis. This paper analyzes the mechanism of hijacking of cell metabolic machinery of susceptible cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similarly to a phoenix, SARS-CoV-2 has appeared periodically in waves. The new variants that appeared through mutations have suppressed earlier variants, causing new waves of the pandemic. The Omicron BA.2.86 Pirola variant is the latest in the sequence. An increased infectivity was noticed, which results in rapid spreading, as well as decreased pathogenicity, which results in a lower number of severe cases. However, in the public there is a fear of further development of the epidemic. This analysis was made with the goal to assess the risks in the period of early 2024. Mutations that were developed by the BA.2.86 variant have led to a change in empirical formula and thermodynamic properties. The empirical formula of the BA.2.86 virus particle is CH1.639023O0.284130N0.230031P0.006440S0.003765. It is different than those of other variants of SARS-CoV-2, other virus species and cellular organisms. The driving force for the virus multiplication, Gibbs energy change of biosynthesis of the BA.2.86 variant is -221.75 kJ C-mol-1. It is more negative than that of its host tissue. According to the biosynthesis phenomenological equation, the more negative Gibbs energy change of biosynthesis allows the virus to achieve a greater biosynthesis rate and hijack the host cell metabolism. However, the Gibbs energy change of biosynthesis of the BA.2.86 variant is similar to those of the CH.1.1 and XBB.1.16 variants. This means that these variants should have similar multiplication rates and thus similar pathogenicity. Therefore, it seems that there is no ground for fear of an extensive spreading of severe forms, but there are reasons for caution and monitoring of the spreading of the epidemic and potential appearance of new mutations. Moreover, unlike the earlier pandemic waves, during the newest pandemic wave, the infections with influenza, RSV and BA.2.86 variant simultaneously appeared, which deserves an analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breaking news are usually disturbing. Natural disasters, wars, epidemics, etc., are reported as breaking news. This paper reports a decreased danger of spreading of epidemics caused by the JN.1 variant, since analyses indicate that infectivity of the new variant is decreased compared to most earlier variants, which is confirmed by the number of cases (7500 daily in USA). Moreover, JN.1, despite the great number of mutations, has not been able to achieve the values of Gibbs energy change of biosynthesis (and thus virus multiplication rate) of the Hu-1 wild type. The research shows that infectivity and pathogenicity of the JN.1 variant has not reached worrying size, which means that there is no reason to expect the epidemiologic situation getting worse.

Catalytic activity of microbial communities maintains the services and functions of soils. Microbial communities require energy and carbon for microbial growth, which they obtain by transforming organic matter (OM), oxidizing a fraction of it and transferring the electrons to various terminal acceptors. Quantifying the relations between matter and energy fluxes is possible when key parameters such as reaction enthalpy (ΔrH), energy use efficiency (related to enthalpy) (EUE), carbon use efficiency (CUE), calorespirometric ratio (CR), carbon dioxide evolution rate (CER), and the apparent specific growth rate (µapp) are known. However, the determination of these parameters suffers from unsatisfying accuracy at the technical (sample size, instrument sensitivity), experimental (sample aeration) and data processing levels thus affecting the precise quantification of relationships between carbon and energy fluxes. To address these questions under controlled conditions, we analyzed microbial turnover processes in a model soil amended using a readily metabolizable substrate (glucose) and three commercial isothermal microcalorimeters (MC-Cal/100P, TAM Air and TAM III) with different sample sizes meaning varying volumerelated thermal detection limits (LODv) (0.05-1mW L-1). We conducted aeration experiments (aerated and un-aerated calorimetric ampoules) to investigate the influence of oxygen limitation and thermal perturbation on the measurement signal. We monitored the CER by measuring the additional heat caused by CO2 absorption using a NaOH solution acting as a CO2 trap. The range of errors associated with the calorimetrically derived µapp, EUE, and CR was determined and compared with the requirements for quantifying CUE and the degree of anaerobicity (ηA). Calorimetrically derived µapp and EUE were independent of the instrument used. However, instruments with a low LODv yielded the most accurate results. Opening and closing the ampoules for oxygen and CO2 exchange did not significantly affect metabolic heats. However, regular opening during calorimetrically derived CER measurements caused significant measuring errors due to strong thermal perturbation of the measurement signal. Comparisons between experimentally determined CR, CUE, ηA, and modeling indicate that the evaluation of CR should be performed with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As per a recent study conducted by the WHO, 15.4% of all cancers are caused by infectious agents of various categories, and more than 10% of them are attributed to viruses. The emergence of COVID-19 has once again diverted the scientific community's attention toward viral diseases. Some researchers have postulated that SARS-CoV-2 will add its name to the growing list of oncogenic viruses in the long run. However, owing to the complexities in carcinogenesis of viral origin, researchers across the world are struggling to identify the common thread that runs across different oncogenic viruses. Classical pathways of viral oncogenesis have identified oncogenic mediators in oncogenic viruses, but these mediators have been reported to act on diverse cellular and multiple omics pathways. In addition to viral mediators of carcinogenesis, researchers have identified various host factors responsible for viral carcinogenesis. Henceforth owing to viral and host complexities in viral carcinogenesis, a singular mechanistic pathway remains yet to be established; hence there is an urgent need to integrate concepts from system biology, cancer microenvironment, evolutionary perspective, and thermodynamics to understand the role of viruses as drivers of cancer. In the present manuscript, we provide a holistic view of the pathogenic pathways involved in viral oncogenesis with special emphasis on alteration in the tumor microenvironment, genomic alteration, biological entropy, evolutionary selection, and host determinants involved in the pathogenesis of viral tumor genesis. These concepts can provide important insight into viral cancers, which can have an important implication for developing novel, effective, and personalized therapeutic options for treating viral cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the group of RNA viruses with a pronounced tendency to mutate. Omicron BA.2.75 is a subvariant believed to be able to suppress the currently dominant BA.5 and cause a new winter wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Omicron BA.2.75 is characterized by a greater infectivity compared to earlier Omicron variants. However, the Gibbs energy of the biosynthesis of virus particles is slightly less negative compared to those of other variants. Thus, the multiplication rate of Omicron BA.2.75 is lower than that of other SARS-CoV-2 variants. This leads to slower accumulation of newly formed virions and less damage to host cells, indicating evolution of SARS-CoV-2 toward decreasing pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we investigated whether a non-invasive metabolic heat flux analysis could serve the determination of the functional traits in free-living saprotrophic decomposer fungi and aid the prediction of fungal influences on ecosystem processes. For this, seven fungi, including ascomycete, basidiomycete, and zygomycete species, were investigated in a standardised laboratory environment, employing wheat straw as a globally relevant lignocellulosic substrate. Our study demonstrates that biocalorimetry can be employed successfully to determine growth-related fungal activity parameters, such as apparent maximum growth rates (AMGR), cultivation times until the observable onset of fungal growth at AMGR (tAMGR), quotients formed from the AMGR and tAMGR (herein referred to as competitive growth potential, CGP), and heat yield coefficients (YQ/X), the latter indicating the degree of resource investment into fungal biomass versus other functional attributes. These parameters seem suitable to link fungal potentials for biomass production to corresponding ecological strategies employed during resource utilisation, and therefore may be considered as fungal life history traits. A close connection exists between the CGP and YQ/X values, which suggests an interpretation that relates to fungal life history strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the low frequency thermomagnetic effects on cancer cells have been analysed, both theoretically and experimentally. They have been explained by introducing an equilibrium thermodynamic approach. But, in this context, two related open problems have been highlighted: (1) Does there exist a magnetic interaction or do there exist any other processes? (2) Do there exist also thermal effects? Here, we introduce a non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach in order to address an answer to these questions. The results obtained point out that: (a) the effect produced by the electromagnetic wave is just a consequence of the interaction of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic wave with the biological matter; (b) the interaction of the electromagnetic wave causes also thermal effects, but related to heat transfer, even if there have been applied low frequency electromagnetic waves; (c) the presence of the magnetic field generates a symmetry breaking in the Onsager's coefficients, with a related perturbation of the cancer stationary state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Ethanol production through fermentation of gas mixtures containing CO, CO2 and H2 has just started operating at commercial scale. However, quantitative schemes for understanding and predicting productivities, yields, mass transfer rates, gas flow profiles and detailed energy requirements have been lacking in literature; such are invaluable tools for process improvements and better systems design. The present study describes the construction of a hybrid model for simulating ethanol production inside a 700 m3 bubble column bioreactor fed with gas of two possible compositions, i.e., pure CO and a 3:1 mixture of H2 and CO2. Results Estimations made using the thermodynamics-based black-box model of microbial reactions on substrate threshold concentrations, biomass yields, as well as CO and H2 maximum specific uptake rates agreed reasonably well with data and observations reported in literature. According to the bioreactor simulation, there is a strong dependency of process performance on mass transfer rates. When mass transfer coefficients were estimated using a model developed from oxygen transfer to water, ethanol productivity reached 5.1 g L−1 h−1; when the H2/CO2 mixture is fed to the bioreactor, productivity of CO fermentation was 19% lower. Gas utilization reached 23 and 17% for H2/CO2 and CO fermentations, respectively. If mass transfer coefficients were 100% higher than those estimated, ethanol productivity and gas utilization may reach 9.4 g L−1 h−1 and 38% when feeding the H2/CO2 mixture at the same process conditions. The largest energetic requirements for a complete manufacturing plant were identified for gas compression and ethanol distillation, being higher for CO fermentation due to the production of CO2. Conclusions The thermodynamics-based black-box model of microbial reactions may be used to quantitatively assess and consolidate the diversity of reported data on CO, CO2 and H2 threshold concentrations, biomass yields, maximum substrate uptake rates, and half-saturation constants for CO and H2 for syngas fermentations by acetogenic bacteria. The maximization of ethanol productivity in the bioreactor may come with a cost: low gas utilization. Exploiting the model flexibility, multi-objective optimizations of bioreactor performance might reveal how process conditions and configurations could be adjusted to guide further process development.

In the present study, we investigated whether a non-invasive metabolic heat flux analysis could serve the determination of the functional traits in free-living saprotrophic decomposer fungi and aid the prediction of fungal influences on ecosystem processes. For this, seven fungi, including ascomycete, basidiomycete, and zygomycete species, were investigated in a standardised laboratory environment, employing wheat straw as a globally relevant lignocellulosic substrate. Our study demonstrates that biocalorimetry can be employed successfully to determine growth-related fungal activity parameters, such as apparent maximum growth rates (AMGR), cultivation times until the observable onset of fungal growth at AMGR (tAMGR), quotients formed from the AMGR and tAMGR (herein referred to as competitive growth potential, CGP), and heat yield coefficients (YQ/X), the latter indicating the degree of resource investment into fungal biomass versus other functional attributes. These parameters seem suitable to link fungal potentials for biomass production to corresponding ecological strategies employed during resource utilisation, and therefore may be considered as fungal life history traits. A close connection exists between the CGP and YQ/X values, which suggests an interpretation that relates to fungal life history strategies.

Elemental composition of Gossypium hirsutum L. (cotton), Oryza sativa L. (Asian rice), Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean), Saccharum spp. L. (sugarcane), and Zea mays L. (corn) was used to calculate their empirical formulas (unit carbon formulas) and growth stoichiometry. The empirical formulas were used to find standard enthalpy of formation, standard molar entropy, standard Gibbs energy of formation, and standard molar heat capacity. A comparison was made between thermodynamic properties of live matter of the analyzed plants and other unicellular and multicellular organisms. Moreover, the growth process was analyzed through standard enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of biosynthesis. The average standard Gibbs energy of biosynthesis was found to be +463.0 kJ/C-mol. Thus, photosynthesis provides energy and carbon for plant growth. The average intercepted photosynthetic energy was found to be 15.5 MJ/C-mol for the analyzed plants. However, due to inefficiency, a great fraction of the intercepted photosynthetic energy cannot be used by plants. The average usable photosynthetic energy was found to be –2.3 MJ/C-mol. The average thermodynamic driving force for growth is –1.9 MJ/C-mol. Driving forces of growth of C3 and C4 plants were compared. It was found that C4 plants have a greater driving force of growth than C3 plants, which reflects the greater efficiency of C4 photosynthesis. The relationship between the driving force and growth rates was analyzed by determining phenomenological L coefficients. The determined phenomenological coefficients span two orders of magnitude, depending on plant species and environmental conditions. The L coefficient of P. vulgaris was found to be lower than that of other plants, due to additional energy requirements of nitrogen fixation. Intercepted photosynthetic energy q is partly converted into usable photosynthetic energy, Δ ps G , with an efficiency μ. A part of Δ ps G is used for biosynthesis Δ bs G , which is represented by the growth reaction in the bottom, where "Bio" denotes newly formed live matter. The remaining energy is the driving force of growth, Δ DF G , used to make growth at a desired rate. The background for the figure was taken from Pixabay (https://www.pixabay.com/), image ID number: 4779065, under Pixabay license. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess biothermal conditions in the selected Polish health resorts for specific forms of climatic therapy. We calculated Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for ten-year period (2008-2017) and then added adjustment terms, taking into account changes in metabolic rates during various physical activities from resting to vigorous exercise. The adjusted UTCI values increased with rising activity, implying that warmer parts of the year were unsuitable for intensive forms of climatotherapy. These results demonstrate that the UTCI adjustment procedure provides well-balanced assessments of bioclimatic conditions for the purpose of climatic treatment considering the level of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fight against a multifaceted incurable disease such as cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach to overcome the multitude of molecular defects at its origin. Here, a new thermophysical biochemical approach has been suggested and associated with the use of electromagnetic fields to control the growth of cancer cells. In particular, thermodynamic analysis of the heat transfer is developed in correlation with cellular parameters such as the volume/area ratio. We propose that the electromagnetic wave, at the specific frequency calculated as the characteristic response time of any cell type to the external thermal perturbation, can affect resonant intracellular molecular oscillations. The biochemical model hypothesizes that microtubules are stabilized, and the impact is predicted on cell growth, migration and mitochondrial activity. Experimental validation of the theoretical results shows that the thermodynamic analysis allows the application of the specific electromagnetic field able to decrease cancer cell invasion and proliferation.

Biological, physical and chemical interaction between one (or more) microorganisms and a host organism, causing host cell damage, represents an infection. Infection of a plant, animal or microorganism with a virus can prevent infection with another virus. This phenomenon is known as viral interference. Viral interference is shown to result from two types of interactions, one taking place at the cell surface and the other intracellularly. Various viruses use different receptors to enter the same host cell, but various strains of one virus use the same receptor. The rate of virus–receptor binding can vary between different viruses attacking the same host, allowing interference or coinfection. The outcome of the virus–virus–host competition is determined by the Gibbs energies of binding and growth of the competing viruses and host. The virus with a more negative Gibbs energy of binding to the host cell receptor will enter the host first, while the virus characterized by a more negative Gibbs energy of growth will overtake the host metabolic machine and dominate. Once in the host cell, the multiplication machinery is shared by the competing viruses. Their potential to utilize it depends on the Gibbs energy of growth. Thus, the virus with a more negative Gibbs energy of growth will dominate. Therefore, the outcome can be interference or coinfection, depending on both the attachment kinetics (susceptibility) and the intracellular multiplication machinery (permittivity). The ratios of the Gibbs energies of binding and growth of the competing viruses determine the outcome of the competition. Based on this, a predictive model of virus–virus competition is proposed.

Background: Ethanol production through fermentation of gas mixtures containing CO, CO2 and H2 has just started operating at commercial scale. However, quantitative schemes for understanding and predicting productivities, yields, mass transfer rates, gas flow profiles and detailed energy requirements have been lacking in literature; such are invaluable tools for process improvements and better systems design. The present study describes the construction of a hybrid model for simulating ethanol production inside a 700 m3 bubble column bioreactor fed with gas of two possible compositions, i.e., pure CO and a 3:1 mixture of H2 and CO2. Results: Estimations made using the thermodynamics-based black-box model of microbial reactions on substrate threshold concentrations, biomass yields, as well as CO and H2 maximum specific uptake rates agreed reasonably well with data and observations reported in literature. According to the bioreactor simulation, there is a strong dependency of process performance on mass transfer rates. When mass transfer coefficients were estimated using a model developed from oxygen transfer to water, ethanol productivity reached 5.1 g L−1 h−1; when the H2/CO2 mixture is fed to the bioreactor, productivity of CO fermentation was 19% lower. Gas utilization reached 23 and 17% for H2/CO2 and CO fermentations, respectively. If mass transfer coefficients were 100% higher than those estimated, ethanol productivity and gas utilization may reach 9.4 g L−1 h−1 and 38% when feeding the H2/CO2 mixture at the same process conditions. The largest energetic requirements for a complete manufacturing plant were identified for gas compression and ethanol distillation, being higher for CO fermentation due to the production of CO2. Conclusions: The thermodynamics-based black-box model of microbial reactions may be used to quantitatively assess and consolidate the diversity of reported data on CO, CO2 and H2 threshold concentrations, biomass yields, maximum substrate uptake rates, and half-saturation constants for CO and H2 for syngas fermentations by acetogenic bacteria. The maximization of ethanol productivity in the bioreactor may come with a cost: low gas utilization. Exploiting the model flexibility, multi-objective optimizations of bioreactor performance might reveal how process conditions and configurations could be adjusted to guide further process development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Herein, the thermodynamic parameters of tau upon interaction with NiO NPs were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Also, molecular docking studies were run to explore the binding affinities of NiO NPs clusters with different sizes of 30 Å and 50 Å toward tau. Also, cytotoxic activity of NiO NPs against SH-SY5Y was determined by MTT, LDH, caspase-9/3 activity, and expression of apoptotic Bax and Bcl-2 genes assays. DLS study showed that NiO solution had a good colloidal stability. Fluorescence study revealed that K SV values were 2.95 ± 0.35 × 104, 3.31 ± 0.59 × 104 and 3.92 ± 0.65 × 104 at 298 K, 310 K and 315 K, respectively. Also, ∆ G° (kJ/mol), ∆ H° (kJ/mol) and T∆ S° (kJ/mol) values were − 13.27 ± 1.57, 1.98 ± 0.14, 15.25 ± 2.01, respectively at 298 K. Theoretical studies depicted that affinity of 5O3T segment toward NiO NP (30 Å) is higher than NiO NP (50 Å) and the proportion of Lys residues are higher in the docked pose of NiO NP (30 Å)/5O3T complex than NP (50 Å)/5O3T complex. Moreover, NiO NPs demonstrated a significant increase in the mortality of SH-SY5Y cells in an apoptotic manner. This study determined that NiO NPs may mediate the formation of electrostatic interactions with tau and induction of undesired harmful effects on neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a thermodynamic point of view, living cell life is no more than a cyclic process. It starts with the newly separated daughter cells and restarts when the next generations grow as free entities. During this cycle, the cell changes its entropy. In cancer, the growth control is damaged. In this paper, we analyze the role of the volume–area ratio in the cell in relation to the heat exchange between cell and its environment in order to point out its effect on cancer growth. The result holds to a possible control of the cancer growth based on the heat exchanged by the cancer toward its environment and the membrane potential variation, with the consequence of controlling the ions fluxes and the related biochemical reactions. This second law approach could represent a starting point for a possible future support for the anticancer therapies, in order to improve their effectiveness for the untreatable cancers.

Curcumin and salicylic acid are both phenolic compounds and they can both affect cancer treatment efficacy. In this study, the effects of methylene blue-curcumin (CU-MB) and methylene blue-salicylic acid (SA-MB) ion pair complexes on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells are studied. According to the thermodynamic parameters, the stability of curcumin and salicylic acid complexes ion pair complexes was compared. The free energy of ion pair interactions was calculated based on binding constants. A comparison of the free energies of the complexes (CU-MB: ∆G°b1 = - 21.11 kJ/mol and ∆G°b2 = - 8.37 kJ/mol, SA-MB: ∆G°b1 = - 12.92 kJ/mol and ∆G°b2 = - 9.02 kJ/mol) indicates that the interaction of methylene blue in first binding interaction with curcumin is greater than that of methylene blue with salicylic acid. Electrostatic interactions are the main forces in the binding of both compounds to methylene blue. All forces are inter-molecular physical interactions. The results of cellular experiments show that ion pairing has enhanced the reduction of cell viability. By increasing molecular stability and prevention of dimerization of methylene blue, the cell killing potential of methylene blue increases and it subsequently causes enhancement of photodynamic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Modified cycle performance was assessed theoretically from the energetic aspect. • Validation study was performed based on temperature and emission analysis. • Detailed energy analysis was conducted in terms of 1st and 2nd law efficiencies. • The effect of major parameters on the exergy destroyed of system components. • The theoretical measurement of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxides were studied. Abstract In the current research, a gas turbine fueled by natural gas and integrated with the reversed Brayton cycle for cooling the intake air then evaporation was studied. The performance of the proposed cycle was assessed theoretically from energetic and environmental aspects. To achieve this, first a validation study has been performed based on temperature and emission analysis of a gas turbine model. Second, detailed energy analysis was conducted to identify the causes and locations of thermodynamic imperfection in terms of 1st and 2nd law efficiencies. Third, analytical relations for the theoretical measurement of two key emissions namely; Nitrogen Oxides and Carbon Monoxides were studied and applied. The effects of important influencing parameters such as the ambient temperature, ambient relative humidity, extracted mass rate and equivalence ratio on energy and environmental performance of the cycle was investigated. It was found that the proposed gas turbine cycle can bring down the emission levels to the regulatory standards (less than 35 ppm). It was also able to increase the power output by 31% with a slight drop in its efficiency. Therefore, the results of this research may be used to determine the range of operating parameters at which the gas turbine could be operated which can provide a considerable reduction in the emissions while maintaining a higher performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to establish Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for allethrin-based mosquito coil smoke inhalation induced toxicity in mice. Primarily, we confirmed mosquito coil smoke inhalation toxicity in mice via reduced the body, organ weight and major vital organ tissue morphological structure changes. Furthermore, FTIR spectra was collected from control and mosquito coil smoke inhalation (8 h per day for 30 days) mice various tissues like liver, kidney, lung, heart and brain, to investigate the functional groups and their corresponding biochemical content variations. The FTIR spectra result shown major bio macromolecules such as protein and lipid functional peaks were shifted (decreased) in the mosquito coil smoke inhalation group as compared to control. The drastic peak shift was noticed in the liver, kidney followed by lung and brain. It is therefore concluded that the FTIR spectroscopy can be a successful detection tool in mosquito coil smoke inhalation toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygala tenuifolia ( Yuanzhi in Chinese) has gastrointestinal toxicity which can be significantly alleviated by Magnolia officinalis ( Houpo in Chinese) due to the heat production of mitochondria based on our previous study. In this paper, we have compared the different effects of M. officinalis, P. tenuifolia and their compatibility group on the mitochondrial metabolism in rats liver based on bio-thermodynamics. According to the growth thermogenic curves, we could obtain the exponential growth parameters to reflect the effect of reduced toxicity affected by M. officinalis. We also compared the further functional characteristics of M. officinalis, P. tenuifolia and their compatibility by means of statistical methods. The different experiment concentrations on mitochondrial metabolism were analyzed by principle component analysis (PCA). By analyzing the effect of different experiment concentrations on mitochondrial growth rate, we found that the metabolism rate K of mitochondria in P. tenuifolia group reduced in doses dependently. We obtained the exponential growth constant K and depicted the metabolism thermal power-time curve information of mitochondria at the same time. Our results showed that with the increased concentration of P. tenuifolia extracts, there was significant promotion of heat production by mitochondria while inhibition of M. officinalis extracts and their compatibility extracts. Analyzed by PCA, M. officinalis group distributed more scattered and had far influence on mitochondrial metabolism when compared to M. officinalis group and their compatibility group. It showed that P. tenuifolia's gastrointestinal side effect was related to the change of mitochondrial energy metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutral thermal sensation is expected for a human body in heat balance in near-steady-state thermal environments. The physiological thermoneutral zone ( TNZ) is defined as the range of operative temperatures where the body can maintain such heat balance by actively adjusting body tissue insulation, but without regulatory increases in metabolic rate or sweating. These basic principles led to the hypothesis that thermal sensation relates to the operative temperature distance from the thermoneutral centroid ( dTNZop). This hypothesis was confirmed by data from respiratory climate chamber experiments. This paper explores the potential of such biophysical model for the prediction of thermal sensation under increased contextual variance. Data (798 votes, 47 participants) from a controlled office environment were used to analyze the predictive performance of the dTNZop model. The results showed a similar relationship between dTNZop and thermal sensation between the dataset used here and the previously used dataset. The predictive performance had the same magnitude as that of the PMV model; however, potential benefits of using a biophysical model are discussed. In conclusion, these findings confirm the potential of the biophysical model with regard to the understanding and prediction of human thermal sensation. Further work remains to make benefit of its full potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on biothermodynamics dates back to the publication of the manuscript What Is Life? by Schrödinger in the 1940s, which encouraged the use of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics for the analysis of biological processes. In the 1960s and 1970s, development of the early genetic engineering techniques, difficulties in the sugar imports to the USA due to the trade embargo imposed on Cuba, and the oil price hike after the Arab-Israeli wars created a positive environment in the USA to foster the merger of biology with engineering. The synergy established between biology and engineering in the 1960s created an irreversible stimulus for scientific and technological development in the USA and elsewhere. Advances in biothermodynamics have roots deep in the positive environment of the 1960s and 1970s. Exergy analyses were initially used to evaluate efficiency of the fuel-utilizing and energy-utilizing processes. In the early 2010s, exergy analyses found application in development of the industrial production processes of the biological origin and later directly in the cellular processes in the body. Assessing the comfort of the body in terms of entropy generation and exergy destruction, exergy efficiency of the metabolic pathways in the brain, exergy efficiency of the muscle work, and life span entropy generation and understanding and finding ways to postpone the symptoms of aging were among these studies. Application of the biothermodynamics in the medical fields will provide opportunities in the health sciences and medical technology and improve the quality of life of humans and animals. Comparing the exergetic efficiency of the competing theories on the brain energy metabolism, offering some help to prevent heart attacks in the amputees, and finding the causes of the difference in the crop yields of the plants are among the outcomes of the current biothermodynamics research. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first and second laws of thermodynamics were applied to biochemical reactions typical of human metabolism. An open-system model was used for a human body. Energy conservation, availability and entropy balances were performed to obtain the entropy generated for the main food components. Quantitative results for entropy generation were obtained as a function of age using the databases from the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provide energy requirements and food intake composition as a function of age, weight and stature. Numerical integration was performed through human lifespan for different levels of physical activity. Results were presented and analyzed. Entropy generated over the lifespan of average individuals (natural death) was found to be 11,404 kJ/ºK per kg of body mass with a rate of generation three times higher on infants than on the elderly. The entropy generated predicts a life span of 73.78 and 81.61 years for the average U.S. male and female individuals respectively, which are values that closely match the average lifespan from statistics (74.63 and 80.36 years). From the analysis of the effect of different activity levels, it is shown that entropy generated increases with physical activity, suggesting that exercise should be kept to a “healthy minimum†if entropy generation is to be minimized.

The SARS-CoV-2 Hydra with many heads (variants) has been causing the COVID-19 pandemic for 3 years. The appearance of every new head (SARS-CoV-2 variant) causes a new pandemic wave. The last in the series is the XBB.1.5 "Kraken" variant. In the general public (social media) and in the scientific community (scientific journals), during the last several weeks since the variant has appeared, the question was raised of whether the infectivity of the new variant will be greater. This article attempts to provide the answer. Analysis of thermodynamic driving forces of binding and biosynthesis leads to the conclusion that infectivity of the XBB.1.5 variant could be increased to a certain extent. The pathogenicity of the XBB.1.5 variant seems to be unchanged compared to the other Omicron variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA) pumps are integral membrane proteins that catalyze the active transport of Ca 2+ into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thereby eliciting muscle relaxation. SERCA pumps are highly susceptible to oxidative damage, and cytoprotection of SERCA dampens thermal inactivation and is a viable therapeutic strategy in combating diseases where SERCA activity is impaired, such as muscular dystrophy. Here, we sought to determine whether increasing the percent of saturated fatty acids (SFA) within SERCA's lipid annulus through diet could protect SERCA pumps from thermal inactivation. Female Wistar rats were fed either a semi-purified control diet (AIN93G, 7% soybean oil by weight) or a modified AIN93G diet containing high SFA (20% lard by weight) for 17 weeks. Soleus muscles were extracted and SERCA lipid annulus and activity under thermal stress were analyzed. Our results show that SERCA's lipid annulus is abundant with short-chain (12–14 carbon) fatty acids, which corresponds well with SERCA's predicted bilayer thickness of 21 Å. Under control-fed conditions, SERCA's lipid annulus was already highly saturated (79%), and high-fat feeding did not increase this any further. High-fat feeding did not mitigate the reductions in SERCA activity seen with thermal stress; however, correlational analyses revealed significant and strong associations between % SFA and thermal stability of SERCA activity with greater %SFA being associated with lower thermal inactivation and greater % polyunsaturation and unsaturation index being associated with increased thermal inactivation. Altogether, these findings show that SERCA's lipid annulus may influence its susceptibility to oxidative damage, which could have implications in muscular dystrophy and age-related muscle wasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermodynamics of chemical reactions in which all species are explicitly considered with atoms and charge balanced is compared with the transformed thermodynamics generally used to treat biochemical reactions where atoms and charges are not balanced. The transformed thermodynamic quantities suggested by Alberty are obtained by execution of Legendre transformation of the usual thermodynamic potentials. The present analysis demonstrates that the transformed values for Δ r G ' 0 and Δ r H ' 0 can be obtained directly without performing Legendre transformations by simply writing the chemical reactions with all the pseudoisomers explicitly included and charges balanced. The appropriate procedures for computing the stoichiometric coefficients for the pseudoisomers are fully explained by means of an example calculation for the biochemical ATP hydrolysis reaction. It is concluded that the analysis has reunited the “two separate worlds” of conventional thermodynamics and transformed thermodynamics. In addition, it is also shown that the value of the conditional Gibbs energy of reaction, Δ r G' , for a biochemical reaction is the same of the value of Δ r G for any chemical reaction involving pseudoisomers of the biochemical reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human beings are equipped with thermo sensitivity, thermoregulation and thermo protection for maintaining the structure and function of their body organs. The thermoregulatory responses and disturbances caused by physical activity in thermo biomechanics of human body organs are not well understood. The mechanism of thermoregulation exhibits a beautiful coordination of biophysical process in order to balance distribution caused by a biothermal system due to physical exercise and other abnormal conditions. In view of above, a model has been developed to study the thermal dynamics in peripheral region of human limbs immediately after exercise under cold climatic conditions. The human limb is assumed to be of cylindrical shape. The peripheral region of limb is divided into three natural components namely epidermis, dermis and subdermal tissues. Appropriate boundary conditions have been framed based on the physical condition of the problem. Finite difference has been employed for time variable and the finite element method is employed along radial and angular direction. The numerical results have been used to obtain temperature profiles in the peripheral region immediately after continuous exercise for a two-dimensional unsteady state case. These results have been used to analyze the thermal disturbances caused by the different intensities of physical exercise in the peripheral region of human limbs. Such a model can be developed to study the generated thermal information which can be useful to biomedical science to analyze the impact of thermal stress on mechanism of thermoregulation causing thermal injuries like heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The results give the idea about the capacity of biothermo mechanisms of human limbs in counting balance. The thermal stress is caused by different intensities of physical exercise. These results can be useful for the biomedical scientists to understand the thermal discomfort caused by different intensities of physical exercise and the time period of rest required to overcome discomfort. Further, the result can be useful to biomedical scientists for developing protocols for physical exercise and rest required by the subject for different intensities of physical exercise and prevent thermal injuries in the workers and sportsmen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the isothermal dehydration of some biological substrates, i.e., cell monolayer, has been explored as an extension of the novel application of DSC for monitoring the dehydration changes in aqueous films of polysaccharide solutions and gels. Here we assess the possible correlation of the experimental calorimetric signal (heat flow) and changes in the water binding state using unperturbed or stressed cells as treated using hypotonic solutions or AgNO as aquaporin inhibitors. The experiments on unperturbed and stressed cells show the requirement for a proper setup in order to obtain reproducibility to highlight the cell dehydration patterns. The preliminary results and the analysis of the calorimetric curves proved the feasibility of the described measurements on cellular substrates and revealed a good sensitivity of the experimental response on the specific features of the system and on its actual hydration state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells are complex thermodynamic systems. Their energy transfer, thermo-electro-chemical processes and transports phenomena can occur across the cells membranes, the border of the complex system. Moreover, cells can also actively modify their behaviours in relation to any change of their environment. All the living systems waste heat, which is no more than the result of their internal irreversibility. This heat is dissipated into their environment. But, this wasted heat represents also a sort of information, which outflows from the cell towards its environment, completely accessible to any observer. The analysis of irreversibility related to this wasted heat can represent a new useful approach to the study of the cells behaviour. This approach allows us to consider the living systems as black boxes and analyse only the inflows and outflows and their changes in relation to any environmental change. This analysis allows also the explanation of the effects of electromagnetic fields on the cell behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]