Food policy councils (FPCs) are one form of community coalition that aims to address challenges to local food systems and enhance availability, accessibility, and affordability of healthy foods for local residents. We used data from the 2014 National Survey of Community-Based Policy and Environmental Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living, a nationally representative survey of US municipalities (n = 2029), to examine the prevalence of FPCs and cross-sectional associations between FPCs and four types of supports for healthy food access (approaches to help food stores, practices to support farmers markets, transportation-related supports, and community planning documents). Overall, 7.7% of municipalities reported having a local or regional FPC. FPCs were more commonly reported among larger municipalities with ≥50,000 people (29.2%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 21.6, 36.8) and western region municipalities (13.2%, 95% CI 9.6, 16.8). After multivariable adjustment, municipalities with FPCs had significantly higher odds of having all four types of supports, compared to those without FPCs (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) range 2.4-3.4). Among municipalities with FPCs (n = 156), 41% reported having a local government employee or elected official as a member, and 46% had a designated health or public health representative. Although FPCs were uncommon, municipalities that reported having a local or regional FPC were more likely to report having supports for healthy food access for their residents.Cobra venoms contain three-finger toxins (TFT) including α-neurotoxins efficiently binding nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). As shown recently, several TFTs block GABAA receptors (GABAARs) with different efficacy, an important role of the TFTs central loop in binding to these receptors being demonstrated. We supposed that the positive charge (Arg36) in this loop of α-cobratoxin may explain its high affinity to GABAAR and here studied α-neurotoxins from African cobra N. melanoleuca venom for their ability to interact with GABAARs and nAChRs. Three α-neurotoxins, close homologues of the known N. melanoleuca long neurotoxins 1 and 2, were isolated and sequenced. Their analysis on Torpedocalifornica and α7 nAChRs, as well as on acetylcholine binding proteins and on several subtypes of GABAARs, showed that all toxins interacted with the GABAAR much weaker than with the nAChR one neurotoxin was almost as active as α-cobratoxin, while others manifested lower activity. The earlier hypothesis about the essential role of Arg36 as the determinant of high affinity to GABAAR was not confirmed, but the results obtained suggest that the toxin loop III may contribute to the efficient interaction of some long-chain neurotoxins with GABAAR. One of isolated toxins manifested different affinity to two binding sites on Torpedo nAChR.Understanding the structure and dynamics of the various hydrogen forms has been a subject of numerous studies. Protons (H+) and molecular hydrogen (H2) in the cell are critical in a wide variety of processes. A new cancer treatment uses H2, a biologically inactive gas. Due to its small molecular weight, H2 can rapidly penetrate cell membranes and reach subcellular components to protect nuclear DNA and mitochondria. H2 reduces oxidative stress, exerts anti-inflammatory effects, and acts as a modulator of apoptosis. Exogenous H2, administered by inhalation, drinking H2-rich water, or injecting H2-rich saline solution, is a protective therapy that can be used in multiple diseases, including cancer. In particle therapy, cyclotrons and synchrotrons are the accelerators currently used to produce protons. Proton beam radiotherapy (PBT) offers great promise for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers due to the sharp decrease in the dose of radiation at a defined point. In these conditions, H2 and different types of H2 donors may represent a novel therapeutic strategy in cancer treatment.Modular hip joint implants were introduced in arthroplasty medical procedures because they facilitate the tailoring of patients' anatomy, the use of different materials in one single configuration, as well as medical revision. However, in certain cases, such prostheses may undergo deterioration at the head-neck junctions with negative clinical consequences. Crevice-corrosion is commonly invoked as one of the degradation mechanisms acting at those junctions despite biomedical alloys such as Ti6Al4V and CoCr being considered generally resistant to this form of corrosion. To verify the occurrence of crevice corrosion in modular hip joint junctions, laboratory crevice-corrosion tests were conducted in this work under hip joint-relevant conditions, i.e., using similar convergent crevice geometries, materials (Ti6Al4V and CoCr alloys vs. ceramic), surface finish, NaCl solution pHs (5.6 and 2.3), and electrochemical conditions. A theoretical model was also developed to describe crevice-corrosion considering relevant geometrical and electrochemical parameters. To verify the model, a FeCr alloy, known to be sensitive to this phenomenon, was subjected to the crevice-corrosion test in sulfuric acid. The experiments and the model predictions clearly showed that, in principle, crevice corrosion of Ti6Al4V or CoCr is not supposed to occur in typical crevices formed at the stem-neck junction of hip implants.Drought and salinity can result in cell dehydration and water unbalance in plants, which seriously diminish plant growth and development. Cellular water homeostasis maintained by aquaporin is one of the important strategies for plants to cope with these two stresses.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/FK-506-(Tacrolimus).html  In this study, a stress-induced aquaporin, ZxPIP1;3, belonging to the PIP1 subgroup, was identified from the succulent xerophyte Zygophyllum xanthoxylum. The subcellular localization showed that ZxPIP1;3-GFP was located in the plasma membrane. The overexpression of ZxPIP1;3 in Arabidopsis prompted plant growth under favorable condition. In addition, it also conferred salt and drought tolerance with better water status as well as less ion toxicity and membrane injury, which led to more efficient photosynthesis and improved growth vigor via inducing stress-related responsive genes. This study reveals the molecular mechanisms of xerophytes' stress tolerance and provides a valuable candidate that could be used in genetic engineering to improve crop growth and stress tolerance.