ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 296〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Saheed Bukola, Stephen E. Creager〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Transmission rates for protons and deuterons across single-layer graphene embedded in Nafion | graphene | Nafion sandwich structures are measured as a function of temperature in electrochemical hydrogen pump cells. Rates of ion transmission through graphene are obtained in the form of area-normalized ion-transfer resistances, and are interpreted in terms of ion-exchange current densities and standard heterogeneous ion-transfer rate constants. An encounter pre-equilibrium model for the ion-transfer step is then used to provide rate constants for the fundamental microscopic step of ion (proton or deuteron) transmission across graphene. Application of this rate model to interpret variable-temperature data on proton and deuteron transmission rates provides values for the activation energy and pre-exponential factor for the fundamental ion transmission step across graphene. Activation energies obtained from the Arrhenius plots for proton and deuteron transmission are as follows; for proton, E〈sub〉act〈/sub〉 = 48 ± 2 kJ/mole (0.50 ± 0.02 eV) and for deuteron, E〈sub〉act〈/sub〉 = 53 ± 5 kJ/mole (0.55 ± 0.05 eV). The difference between these two values of approximately 5 kJ/mole is in good agreement with the expected difference in vibrational zero-point energies for O〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉H and O-D bonds, albeit with some uncertainty given the uncertainties in the activation energy values. Pre-exponential frequency factor values of 8.3 ± 0.4 × 10〈sup〉13〈/sup〉 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and is 4.7 ± 0.5 × 10〈sup〉13〈/sup〉 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 were obtained for proton and deuteron transmission respectively across graphene. These pre-factor values are both quite large, on the order of the values predicted from the Eyring – Polanyi equation with a transmission coefficient near one. The ratio of 1.8 for the rate pre-factors (H/D) is in reasonable agreement with the value of 1.3 for the ratio of bond vibrational frequencies for O〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉H and O-D stretching, respectively. Taken together, these data support a model in which proton and deuteron transmission across graphene are largely adiabatic processes for which the differences in transmission rate at room temperature are due largely to differences in activation energies.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 295〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kaili Jin, Man Zhou, Hong Zhao, Shixiong Zhai, Fengyan Ge, Yaping Zhao, Zaisheng Cai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉With the large theoretical capacity and environmental benignity, copper sulfide (CuS) becomes a prospective candidate electrode material for supercapacitors. In this work, electroconductive mesoporous carbonized clothes (Cc) was obtained by carbonizing the waste cotton fabrics. Then the CuS was galvanostatic electrodeposited on 〈em〉Cc〈/em〉 to prepare the binder-free 〈em〉g〈/em〉-CuS/Cc electrode. In the galvanostatic electrodeposition process, CuS grew along the crystal surface to form regular nanosheets, and a part of Cu〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 were reduced to Cu〈sup〉1.1+〈/sup〉. In addition, on account of the synergistic effect of electrochemical double layer capacitance with pseudocapacitance and the high specific surface area (450.76 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), the 〈em〉g〈/em〉-CuS/Cc composite displayed not only outstanding areal specific capacitance (4676 mF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 at 2 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) but also excellent cycling performance (89.8% retention after 10000 cycles). Meanwhile, the symmetrical flexible supercapacitor (SC) based on 〈em〉g〈/em〉-CuS/Cc electrodes with PVA-KOH gel electrolyte (〈em〉g〈/em〉-CuS/Cc-SC) accomplished a high specific capacitance of 1333 mF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 at 2 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 as well as ultrahigh energy density of 0.96 Wh cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 at the power density of 4.36 W cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉. Therefore, 〈em〉g〈/em〉-CuS/Cc shows a great potential for applications in the next generation of flexible energy storage devices.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468618324447-fx1.jpg" width="384" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 295〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kang Li, Zhanwei Xu, Xuetao Shen, Kai Yao, Jianshe Zhao, Ronglan Zhang, Jun Zhang, Li Wang, Jianfeng Zhu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Commercial lithium/thionyl chloride (Li/SOCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) batteries cannot meet the 3.15 V platform required for most instruments. A 〈em〉hovenia acerba〈/em〉-like assembly constructed with cobalt tetrapyridinoporphyrazine of thickness of 5–15 nm is anchored on acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CoTAP/MWCNTs), which were prepared using an 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 solid synthesis process. The discharge time of Li/SOCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries with a voltage greater than 3.15 V catalyzed by CoTAP/MWCNTs is found to be 11 min longer than batteries without catalysts and 4 min longer than those catalyzed by CoTAP alone. The energy of Li/SOCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries with a voltage greater than 3.15 V catalyzed by CoTAP/MWCNTs is discovered to be 11.44-times higher than batteries with AF-MWCNTs and 6.17-times higher than those catalyzed by bulk CoTAP. This is due to the fact that more CoTAP ultrafine nanoparticulates are anchored on the AF-MWCNTs. These nanoparticulates provide more active sites for the catalytic reaction of SOCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The assemblies are shown to have an adsorption-coordination effect on Li ions and to delay the deposition of lithium chloride passive films enhancing battery voltage platforms.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A 〈em〉hovenia acerba〈/em〉-like assembly constructed with cobalt tetrapyridinoporphyrazine of thickness of 5–15 nm is anchored on acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CoTAP/MWCNTs), which were prepared using an 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 solid synthesis process. The discharge time of Li/SOCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 batteries with a voltage greater than 3.15 V catalyzed by CoTAP/MWCNTs is found to be 11 min longer than batteries without catalysts and 4 min longer than those catalyzed by CoTAP alone.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468618324319-fx1.jpg" width="270" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinjiang Hu, Weixuan Wang, Guangyu Xie, Hui Wang, Xiaofei Tan, Qi Jin, Daixi Zhou, Yunlin Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel ternary composite of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)/graphene oxide (GO) sheets/BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (CNGB) with highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity toward Cr(VI) photoreduction is prepared and characterized. The characterization and photocatalysis experiments corroborate its reasonable band gap, efficient charge separation and transfer, widened visible-light adsorption, easy solid-liquid separation, good stability and superior catalytic activity of CNGB. Three CNGB samples with different ratios of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (CNGB-1, -2, -3 with 2:4, 3:3, and 4:2, respectively), though possessing different adsorption ability, eventually remove all Cr(VI) ions via photocatalysis within 90 min. The catalytic efficiency of the composite is the highest at pH 2; increases in pH decrease the catalytic ability. The inorganic anions such as SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, Cl〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, and NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 only slightly affects the photocatalytic process. The matching of the band structure between BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 and g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 generates efficient photogenerated electron migration from the conduction band of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 to that of BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, which is also facilitated by the electron bridging and collecting effects of GO, and holes transfer from the valence band of BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 to that of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, yielding the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the subsequent enhancement of photocatalytic activity. The research provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the development of photocatalytic technologies for effective application in wastewater treatment and Cr-contaminated water restoration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): F. Faghihzadeh, N.M. Anaya, H. Hadjeres, T.B. Boving, V. Oyanedel-Craver〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉This study present assessed the effect of UV pulsed light (PL) on microbial and organic pollutants using two spiral lamps were used, i.e., PL1 and PL2 lamps, with wavelength cut-offs of 190 and 240 nm, respectively. Overall, our study demonstrated that pulsed UV light impacts several microbial biomolecules and degrades polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous solution. In microbial inactivation by PL2, temporary changes of bacterial cellular components, specifically proteins, were observed, but the compositional changes of bacteria that were exposed to PL1 were permanent due to ozonolysis. PL1 irradiation caused greater deactivation of the bacteria than PL2 irradiation due to the generation of ozone. The higher efficacy of PL1 in terms of membrane disruption, reduction of respiration rate, and reduction of growth rate was due to the production of ozone during the irradiation period. The bacteria that were irradiated with both PL lamps regrew due to photoreactivation, such as an enzymatic DNA-repair mechanism.〈/p〉 〈p〉The PAH degradation kinetics indicate that higher molecular weights degraded faster than those with lower molecular weights. For both lamps, the degradation of naphthalene and fluorene was first order, whereas second order for pyrene and anthracene. Any effect of ozonolysis on the PAH degradation rates was not apparent, which indicated that photolysis was the primary degradation pathway. PAH solutions treated with both pulsed UV lamps did not result in a toxicity effect on the bacteria.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gang Yuan, Xiao Zhao, Yeru Liang, Lin Peng, Hanwu Dong, Yong Xiao, Chaofan Hu, Hang Hu, Yingliang Liu, Mingtao Zheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As a new class of zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials, carbon dots have triggered intensive research interest in various fields. However, the low surface area, hydrophilicity, and agglomeration characteristics limit their applications in energy storage fields. Herein, we demonstrate that nitrogen-doped carbon dots can be employed as efficient nanoenhancer to boost the electrochemical performance of three-dimensional graphene. The as-prepared materials exhibit an interconnected framework with abundant oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups, which enable fast penetration and transport of electrolyte ions and provide more active sites and electric conductivity. Employed as binder-free electrode for supercapacitors, the resultant materials present high specific capacitance (338 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and areal capacitance (604 μF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) at a current density of 0.5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which is much higher than that of pristine three-dimensional graphene (190 F g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, and 114 μF cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉), with an enhancement of 78% and 430%, respectively. Moreover, superior long-term cycling stability (94% of capacitance retention after 20 000 charging/discharging cycles at 10 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) as well as improved electric conductivity can also be achieved. These results certify that nitrogen-doped carbon dots can be applied as nanobooster to comprehensively improve the performance of graphene for high-performance electrochemical energy storage.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Small nitrogen-doped carbon dots (〈em〉N〈/em〉-CDs) are employed as efficient nanoenhancer to significantly boost the electrochemical performances of three-dimensional graphene (3DG) for supercapacitors.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312931-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuanyuan Zhang, Lili Wang, Fengying Dong, Qiao Chen, Haiyan Jiang, Mei Xu, Jinsheng Shi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-based ternary composite materials are generally synthesized by two- or multi-step method and special precursor of CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉 is usually utilized in synthesis of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, which are time-consuming, laborious and relatively costly. In this paper, for the first time, a facile one-step solvothermal method is used to fabricate Z-scheme Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Bi/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 ternary composites. Interestingly, ethylene glycol not only acts as solvent for the reaction system, but also reduced Bi〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 into metallic Bi and itself is oxidized to CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉, which could construct Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. On this occasion, Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Bi/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 ternary composites are obtained after one-step method. High resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly reveals each component in composites. The as-prepared samples could be applied in various photocatalytic activities. Under solar light irradiation, Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Bi/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 composites exhibited prominent photodegradation performances for both ciprofloxacin and bisphenol A. Meanwhile, these composites could also be used in efficient photoreduction of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The efficient photocatalytic activity could be mainly ascribed to Z-scheme electron transfer mechanism in ternary composites, which is determined by surface redox reactions, active species trapping experiment, electron spin resonance spectrum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312918-ga1.jpg" width="425" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hua Guo, Ya Su, Yanling Shen, Yumei Long, Weifeng Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Optimizing heterostructure of nanocomposites holds great potential for making full use of their ability. Herein, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were in situ synthesized over the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) via one-step pyrolyzation route using a single source precursor. The precursor of melamine chloroauric (C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉H〈sub〉6〈/sub〉N〈sub〉6〈/sub〉H〈sup〉+〈/sup〉⋅AuCl〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) was obtained through chemical precipitation reaction between melamine and chloroauric acid. The morphological analysis confirmed the compact contact between Au nanoparticles and g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. Then, the Au-g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanocomposites were employed to fabricate electrochemical sensor by modifying glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Electrochemical experiments showed that the Au-g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards tetracycline oxidation as compared with either pure g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 or Au nanoparticles. Based on cyclic voltammetry (CV) method, the sensor was applied in the detection of tetracycline with a low detection limit of 0.03 μM (S/N = 3) and the linear range of concentration were 0.1–20 μM and 20–200 μM, respectively. Moreover, such an electrochemical sensor demonstrated high stability and good selectivity. Finally, the electrochemical sensor was applied to drug assays and exhibited sufficient precision and accuracy. Therefore, this work paves a new way of preparing g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉–based heterostructures and provides an efficient method for the detection of tetracycline in clinical analysis and quality control.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718313018-ga1.jpg" width="419" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mingmei Zhang, Hong Liu, Ying Wang, Tianjiao Ma〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Three-dimensional (3D) flower center/petal nanostructure exhibits excellent electrochemical performance because of their unique unfold ultra-thin multi-layer structure benefit to the rapid transmission of electrons and the full infiltration of the electrolyte. A three-phase Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 nanosflower is constructed by one step alcohothermal technique using a mixture solvent of glycerol, diethylene glycol and ethylenediamine. Ethylenediamine successfully functions as the complexing agent of metal ions to slowly release the metal ions in the process of reaction, which encourage the flower petal nanostructure formation. Interestingly, when the proportion of iron increased, a novel Fe〈sub〉7〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉@Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 flower center/petal nanostructure come into being. Benefiting from the interconnected structure of the multi-layer shell, the Fe〈sub〉7〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉@ Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 nanosflower displays high specific capacitance of 670.4C g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, excellent rate capability of 79.2% (531.0C g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 20 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), and longer cycling stability of 92.1% retained capacitance after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the assembled hybrid supercapacitor demonstrates high energy density of 49.9 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at power density of 770.0 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Our results provide a new strategy to design metal sulfides with special structure for application to asymmetrical supercapacitor cathode material.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A three-phase core/shell flower-like Fe〈sub〉7〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉@Fe〈sub〉5〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉4〈/sub〉S〈sub〉8〈/sub〉 is successfully constructed by one step alcohothermal technique using a mixture solvent of glycerol, diethylene glycol and ethylenediamine. The as-obtained composites become a promising electrode material for the next generation energy storage devices with high specific capacitance (670.4C g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), excellent energy density (49.9 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at power density of 770.0 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), as well as good long-term cycling stability (almost 88.9% retention after 10,000 cycles).〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312906-ga1.jpg" width="496" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yaquan Liu, Xinyue Pang, Jiarui Song, Xinhe Liu, Juanjuan Song, Yongna Yuan, Chunyan Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) is widely used in industry as an alternative to the decabromodiphenyl ether (BDEs). The large-scale use of DBDPE could lead to rapid growth of the human accumulation level of DBDPE. However, the biophysics of accumulation of DBDPE in cell membranes, as one of determinants of DBDPE metabolism is not clear. In the present study, detailed observations of cell lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels measurements proved that the DBDPE exposure to cell could result in significant cell membrane damage by concentration-dependent manners. The fluorescence anisotropy analysis supported the evidence that high concentration DBDPE bound decreased membrane fluidity significantly. Besides it, a detailed molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was approached to investigate the effects of DBDPE on the DPPC (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) phospholipid bilayer, which was constructed as the model of cell membrane. The molecular dynamic simulation revealed that DBDPE molecules can easily enter the membrane from the aqueous phase. Under the concentration of a threshold, the DBDPE molecules tended to aggregate inside the DPPC bilayer and caused pore formation. The bound of high concentration of DBDPE could result in significant variations in DPPC bilayer with a less dense, more disorder and rougher layer. The knowledge about DBDPEs interactions with lipid membranes is fundamentally essential to understand the in vivo process of DBDPE and the physical basis for the toxicity of DBDPE in cell membranes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320010-fx1.jpg" width="457" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yangke Long, Sifan Bu, Yixuan Huang, Yueqi Shao, Ling Xiao, Xiaowen Shi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metal-free carbo-catalyst has recently emerged as a promising candidate as a substituent for tradition-metal based heterogeneous catalyst for catalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). However, most reported carbo-catalysts suffer from low catalytic efficiency and poor stability, thus a high-performance catalyst is urgently desired. In this study, a novel carbo-catalyst (NHPC-800), prepared by using tannic acid and dicyandiamide as renewable carbon/nitrogen feedstocks via a simple pyrolysis route, is reported as an activator of PMS with highly efficient catalytic ability and stability. The as-prepared NHPC-800 possesses as high as 22.4 atom% of nitrogen dopants and a hierarchically porous structure with abundant meso/macropores, accompanied by the abundant edges and wrinkles, which supply sufficient exposed catalytically active centers and fast electrons/mass transportations. Using rhodamine B as a model pollutant, the NHPC-800 shows a highly efficient catalytic ability which is superior to most reported carbo-catalysts and even some state-of-the-art metal catalysts. Based on competitive quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results, a non-radical pathway involving the generation of 〈sup〉1〈/sup〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 is responsible for the degradation of pollutants. Given that the NHPC-800 shows good recycling performance and strong resistance to adventitious interference such as anions and natural organic matters, we believe NHPC-800 can be a promising candidate for practical applications, and this study can provide inspirations for the further development of highly efficient carbo-catalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320460-fx1.jpg" width="343" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): M.A. Baqué, V.V. Gioria, G.A. Micheloud, N.M.C. Casado, J.D. Claus, A.M. Gennaro〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Different spin labels were incorporated to the membranes of cultured insect UFL-AG-286 cells in order to characterize their physical properties by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy (EPR). The spectrum of the spin label 12-SASL incorporated to cell membranes was similar as those obtained in membrane model systems composed of eggPC/cholesterol. However, the spectrum of the spin label CSL, chemically related to cholesterol, was drastically different in the two systems. Interestingly, when cell cholesterol content was reduced using methyl beta cyclodextrin, an EPR spectrum similar to those of model membranes was obtained. The analysis of these experiments suggests the existence of cholesterol rich regions in UFL-AG-286 cell membranes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Beijun Wu, Chunxia Li, Huimeng Lei〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉SAP90/PSD95-associated proteins (SAPAPs) are one type of scaffold protein in the postsynaptic density (PSD). Scaffold proteins play an important role in synaptic function. Recently, many studies have shown that mutations associated with scaffold proteins cause dysfunction in neuronal circuitry and in behavior. SAPAP4, as a protein in the SAPAP family, may have an impact on synaptic functions and on behaviors. To test this hypothesis, mice with a genetic deletion of SAPAP4 were used in our study. SAPAP4−/− mice displayed decreased cocaine sensitivity behavior after an acute injection of 20 mg/kg cocaine. We also found that the spine density of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell was reduced in SAPAP4−/− mice. Furthermore, SAPAP4−/− mice displayed altered synaptic transmission and a decreased frequency and amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) in the NAc. Our findings demonstrate that SAPAP4 plays a critical role in cocaine-related behavior and in the synaptic function of the NAc.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shengkai Luo, Hua Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉In vivo〈/em〉 growth study indicates that 〈em〉Mycobacterium smegmatis〈/em〉 could utilize D-ribonate as sole carbon source under an unknown pathway. To clarify this pathway, we start with the statistical analysis of genome neighborhood networks(GNNs) of erythrulose kinase which has been approved to participate in several sugars’ degradation. In 〈em〉M. smegmatis〈/em〉, two novel dehydrogenases (3HCDH & ADH_short) and one unknown isomerase (AP_endonuc) are targeted and characterized, for the catabolism of D-ribonate in this organism, this acid sugar is firstly oxidized into 2-keto-D-ribonate by a dehydrogenase, and then sequentially isomerized to 3-keto D-ribonate by an AP_endonuc isomerase; afterward, through decarboxylation, this 3-keto sugar acid is degraded into D-erythrulose which enters a known pathway through erythrulose kinase. Additionally, several other acid sugars (L-ribonate, D/L-lyxonate, L-threonate and D-erythronate) have been proved to be catalyzed by same enzymes and proceed with a similar catabolic pathway.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chen Lei, Han Xueming, Duan Ruihang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Diabetes mellitus is known as a main cause to induce osteoporosis. However, the pathogenesis of osteoporosis induced by diabetes has not been fully understood. MLN64 is highly homologous to the steroidogenic acute regulatory (STAR) protein, sharing the highly conserved START domain and exhibiting various biological activities. In the study, we attempted to explore the role of MLN64 in osteoporosis progression through the in vitro and in vivo studies. At first, the in vitro study suggested that MLN64 was over-expressed during the osteoclast differentiation induced by receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL). MLN64-knockdown markedly reduced the number of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells induced by RANKL, along with the down-regulation of specific genes related to osteoclastogenesis, including tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc1), cathepsin K (CTSK), tartrate resistant (ACP5) and c-FOS and up-regulation of transcriptional receptor runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and osteopontin (OPN). In contrast, over-expressing MLN64 significantly promoted the production of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells triggered by RANKL. Moreover, RANKL exposure led to remarkable increase in inflammatory factors, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and MMP-1, which was attenuated by the knockdown of MLN64. Additionally, the expression of phosphorylated (p)〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉IKKα, 〈em〉p〈/em〉-IκBα and p-nuclear factor (NF)-κB stimulated by RANKL was clearly alleviated by MLN64 silence. However, RANKL-induced inflammation was accelerated by MLN64 over-expression. Further, the in vivo study suggested that streptozotocin (STZ)-caused reduction in body weight of mice was improved by the loss of MLN64. STZ-induced diabetic mice exhibited higher levels of blood alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and TRAP, while being down-regulated in MLN64-knockout mice. MLN64 deletion reversed STZ-induced trabecular deleterious effects and stimulated bone remodeling. What's more, MLN64 knockout inhibited the expression levels of TRAP, RANKL and RANK in femoral heads of STZ mice, accompanied with the repression of inflammatory response. In conclusion, the results in our study suggested that MLN64 played a critical role in the meditation of osteoclastic differentiation, and its suppression alleviated diabetic osteoporosis in STZ-induced mice. Thus, MLN64 could be served as an essential target for developing effective therapeutic strategy to prevent diabetic osteoporosis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yulia Zhitnyuk, Peter Gee, Mandy S.Y. Lung, Noriko Sasakawa, Huaigeng Xu, Hirohide Saito, Akitsu Hotta〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The delivery of mRNA is advantageous over DNA delivery as it is transient and does not carry the risk of genomic DNA integration. However, there are currently few efficient mRNA delivery options available, especially for hard-to-transfect cell types, and thus new delivery methods are needed. To this end, we have established a novel mRNA delivery system utilizing chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs). We generated a novel VLP by fusing protein G of Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-G) with a ribosomal protein L7Ae of 〈em〉Archeoglobus fulgidus〈/em〉. This system allowed the efficient delivery of EGFP mRNA which was independent from the presence of BoxC/D motif in the mRNA sequence. Our VSVG-L7Ae VLP system demonstrated high transduction efficacy in hard-to-transfect cell lines, such as human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and monocytes. In summary, this platform may serve as an efficient and transient transgene delivery tool for an mRNA of interest.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tania Yareli Gutiérrez-López, Lennis Beatríz Orduña-Castillo, Magda Nohemí Hernández-Vásquez, José Vázquez-Prado, Guadalupe Reyes-Cruz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) activates the NLRP3 inflammasome with consequences on homeostatic responses. However, little is known about how this process is orchestrated. Since proteolysis of critical regulators of NLRP3 inflammasome contribute to its activation, we aimed to understand how CaSR stimulates proteolytic pathways to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. We found that proteasome and lysosome-dependent mechanisms are activated by CaSR to promote the degradation of important regulators of NLRP inflammasome. The pathway involves Gαq/PLC/PKC and Gβγ/PI3K signaling cascades and IRAK1 ubiquitination. In addition, CaSR stimulates Hsp70 expression activating a chaperone-assisted protein degradation that dictates the fate of ASC, NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family protein 3), IRAK1 and TRAF6 proteins, turning on the NLRP3 inflammasome. In response to CaSR signaling, these proteins are degraded through the combination of CUPS (chaperone-assisted ubiquitin proteasome pathway) and CAEMI (chaperone-assisted endosomal microautophagy) systems being integrated by autophagosomes (chaperone-assisted macroautophagy, CAMA), as indicated by LC3-II, a classical marker for autophagy, that is induced in the process. Furthermore, CaSR triggers the proteolytic cleavage of pro-IL-1β (IL-1β, 31 kDa) into mature IL-1β (IL-1β, 17 kDa), via the proteasome. Taken together, our results indicate that CaSR promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activation and proteolytic maturation of IL-1β by inducing CUPS and CAEMI, chaperone-assisted degradation pathways. Overall, these results support the inclusion of CaSR as an activator of homeostasis-altering molecular processes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Keita Sonoda, Teppei Matsui, Haruhiko Bito, Kenichi Ohki〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Astrocytes are known to contact with a great number of synapses and may integrate sensory inputs. In the ferret primary visual cortex, astrocytes respond to a visual stimulus with a delay of several seconds with respect to the surrounding neurons. However, in the mouse visual cortex, it remains unclear whether astrocytes respond to visual stimulations. In this study, using dual-color simultaneous 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 two-photon calcium imaging of neurons and astrocytes in the awake mouse visual cortex, we examined the visual response of astrocytes and their precise response timing relative to the surrounding neurons. Neurons reliably responded to visual stimulations, whereas astrocytes often showed neuromodulator-mediated global activities, which largely masked small visual responses. Administration of the selective α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin substantially reduced such global astrocytic activities without affecting the neuronal visual responses. In the presence of prazosin, astrocytes showed weak but consistent visual responses mostly at their somata. Cross-correlation analysis estimated that the astrocytic visual responses were delayed by approximately 5 seconds relative to the surrounding neuronal responses. In conclusion, our research demonstrated that astrocytes in the primary visual cortex of awake mice responded to visual stimuli with a delay of several seconds relative to the surrounding neurons, which may indicate the existence of a common mechanism of neuron–astrocyte communication across species.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jinxia Wang, Haizhen Li, Xiaoning Wang, Tao Shen, Shuqi Wang, Dongmei Ren〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Alisol B-23-acetate (AB23A), a tetracyclic triterpenoid isolated from the rhizome of 〈em〉Alisma orientale〈/em〉, has been reported to exert anti-proliferative activities in human colon, ovarian and gastric cancer cells. However, the anti-cancer effect of this compound on human lung cancer cells has not yet been thoroughly elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effects of AB23A on the cell viability and apoptosis in human lung cancer A549 and NCI-H292 cells. The results indicated that AB23A inhibited the growth of A549 and NCI-H292 cells in dose- and time-dependent manner, however, there was only weak cytotoxicity on normal bronchial epithelial cells. The induction of apoptosis by AB23A was demonstrated by DAPI and annexin-V-FITC/PI staining. Further investigation revealed that AB23A decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and up regulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Meanwhile, the increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, activated caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP were observed. In addition, AB23A increased the release of cytochrome 〈em〉c〈/em〉 from mitochondria and the translocation of apoptotic inducing factor (AIF) into nuclei. Taken together, these results indicated that AB23A induced apoptosis by activating the intrinsic pathway, and suggested that AB23A can be used as a potential modulating agent in lung cancer.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X18321648-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuo Qiu, Yachao Jia, Jin Tang, Xuanzhe Liu, Hai Hu, Tianyi Wu, Yimin Chai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Enthesis is the region where a tendon attaches to a bone. It is a relatively vulnerable position, and in most cases surgical treatment is required upon rupture. The reconstructed enthesis is usually weaker compared to the original, and is prone to rupture again. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α) is known to be involved in extensive activities in cells. It is inhibited under normoxic conditions, and undergoes two essential processes, hydroxylation and ubiquitination, the latter of which has been largely unexplored. Herein, we measured the levels of HIF-1α and hydroxy-HIF-1α in VH298-treated rat tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) by immunoblotting. We also detected the proliferation of TDSCs using CCK-8 assay and the mRNA levels of related genes by quantitative RT-PCR. The TDSCs were observed to be induced and the chondrogenic differentiation related genes were found to be enhanced. We also simulated in-vitro wounding in a scratch test and reconstructed the enthesis in a rat model of Achilles tendon by classical surgery followed by administration of phosphate buffer saline (PBS) injection or VH298 injection. We observed that HIF-1α and hydroxy-HIF-1α levels were increased in VH298-treated TDSCs in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Thirty micromolar VH298 could significantly increase cell proliferation, migration, and expression of collagen-1α, collagen-3α, decorin, tenomodulin, tenascin C genes, and chondrogenic differentiation-related genes, collagen-2α, SRY-box9, aggrecan. VH298-treated enthesis could tolerate more load-to-failure, had a better healing pattern, and activation of HIF signaling pathway. VH298 can thus enhance the functional activities of TDSCs, enhance their chondrogenic differentiation potential, and accelerate enthesis healing by inhibiting the ubiquitination of hydroxy-HIF-1α.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ngoc-Hanh Cao-Luu, Quoc-Thai Pham, Zong-Han Yao, Fu-Ming Wang, Chorng-Shyan Chern〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Hypothesis〈/h6〉 〈p〉How to encapsulate poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) mesoglobule cores by silica shells greatly affects the resultant nanoparticle structures. Incorporation of acrylamide (AM) unit into PNIPAM in combination with 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GLYMO, as a coupling agent) effectively induces nucleation and growth of silica on PNIPAM core surfaces, where the –NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 of acrylamide reacts with the epoxide of GLYMO while GLYMO further participates in subsequent sol-gel reaction of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), thereby leading to desirable particle morphology.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Experiments〈/h6〉 〈p〉PNIPAM-based core–silica shell nanoparticles were prepared by sol〈em〉-〈/em〉gel reaction of TEOS and GLYMO in the presence of polymeric core particles. The major parameters investigated in a systematic fashion include acrylamide concentration and weight ratio of polymer:GLYMO:TEOS. GPC, DLS, DSC, FE-SEM, TEM, FTIR and TGA were then used to characterize polymeric cores and hybrid nanoparticles.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉The particle morphology was governed primarily by the acrylamide content and the weight ratio of PNIPAM/AM:GLYMO:TEOS, and desirable hybrid nanoparticles with narrow particle size distribution were achieved. The LCST of PNIPAM-based mesoglobules increases with increasing acrylamide content. Encapsulation of PNIPAM-based mesoglobules with silica also reduces their thermo-sensitivity. This is the first report of developing a novel approach to prepare PNIPAM-based mesoglobule core–silica shell nanoparticles with controllable particle morphologies.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312888-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Qian Meng, Jing Gao, Hongwen Zhu, Han He, Zhi Lu, Minhua Hong, Hu Zhou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Dermal fibroblast is one of the major constitutive cells of skin and plays a central role in skin senescence. The replicative senescence of fibroblasts may cause skin aging, bad wound healing, skin diseases and even cancer. In this study, a label-free quantitative proteomic approach was employed to analyzing the serial passaged human skin fibroblast (CCD-1079Sk) cells, resulting in 3371 proteins identified. Of which, 280 proteins were significantly changed in early passage (6 passages, P6), middle passage (12 passages, P12) and late passage (21 passages, P21), with a time-dependent decrease or increase tendency. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that the chromosome condensin complex, including structural maintenance of chromosomes protein 2 (SMC2) and structural maintenance of chromosomes protein 4 (SMC4), were down-regulated in the serially passaged fibroblast cells. The qRT-PCR and Western Blot experiments confirmed that the expression of these two proteins were significantly down-regulated in a time-dependent manner in the subculture of human skin fibroblasts (HSFb cells). In summary, we used serially passaged human skin fibroblast cells coupled with quantitative proteomic approach to profile the protein expression pattern in the temporal progress of replicative senescence in HSFb cells and revealed that the down-regulation of the chromosome condensin complex subunits, such as SMC2 and SMC4, may play an important role in the fibroblast senescence.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hee-Jung Lee, Yeondong Cho, Hyeon Jeong Kang, Hanul Choi, Kang Rok Han, Chom Kyu Chong, Young Bong Kim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus that has recently emerged globally, poses a major threat to public health. To control this emerging disease, accurate diagnostics are required for monitoring current ZIKV outbreaks. Owing to the high nucleotide sequence similarity and cross-reactivity of ZIKV with other members of the Flaviviridae family, discrimination from other flavivirus infections is often difficult in endemic areas. ZIKV NS1 induces major virus-specific antibodies and is therefore utilized as a serological marker for ZIKV diagnosis. To identify ZIKV specific epitopes for clinical application, 33 NS1 peptides that are 15–30 amino acid in length covering whole NS1 were synthesized and analyzed linear B-cell epitopes with 38 human serum samples (20 ZIKV-positive and 18 ZIKV-negative). As a result of screening, eight epitope regions were identified. In particular, the Z8 and Z14 peptides located in the β-ladder surface region showed higher levels of binding activity in ZIKV-positive sera without cross-reactivity to other flaviviruses. These identified sensitive and specific epitopes provide a tool for design of diagnostics and structure-based vaccine antigens for ZIKV infection.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Emily J. Onufer, Shirli Tay, Lauren K. Barron, Cathleen M. Courtney, Brad W. Warner, Jun Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a major regulator of cell growth and proliferation through fuel sensing. Systemic inhibition of mTOR as well as manipulation of its downstream products prevent diet-induced obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the consequences of intestine-targeted mTORC1 inhibition. To attenuate intestinal mTORC1 activity, 〈em〉Villin-Cre〈/em〉〈sup〉〈em〉ER〈/em〉〈/sup〉 mice were crossed with 〈em〉Raptor〈/em〉〈sup〉〈em〉flox/flox〈/em〉〈/sup〉 mice, creating an intestinal-specific Raptor null line (〈em〉i-Raptor −/−〈/em〉). Mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) and compositional changes as well as food intake levels were assessed. Over a five-week time course, i-Raptor −/− mice consistently gained less body weight on a HFD compared to wildtype (WT) mice secondary to significantly reduced food intake. Importantly, the i-Raptor −/− mice did not appear to be malnourished, demonstrated by their preservation of lean body mass. i-Raptor −/− mice also maintained a normal metabolic profile without significant changes in triglyceride or fasting glucose levels. Further investigation revealed that GDF-15 mRNA expression was significantly enhanced in i-Raptor −/− enterocytes when refed with HFD after overnight starvation. In summary, our study establishes that loss of intestinal specific-mTORC1 is protective of the development of diet-induced obesity by reducing food intake without altering the metabolic profile.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Patryk Wąsik, Annela M. Seddon, Hua Wu, Wuge H. Briscoe〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We present a box counting fractal dimension (FD) analysis of the dendritic patterns obtained under conditions far from equilibrium 〈em〉via〈/em〉 rapid evaporation of a sessile drop containing 〈em〉reactive〈/em〉 ZnO nanoparticles. These dendrites were manifestations of solidified Bénard-Marangoni (BM) instability convection cells, and we previously noted that their complex hierarchical morphologies were superficially analogous to the foliage of red algae, Spanish dagger, or spider plant. The fractal dimension of the Bénard-Marangoni dendrites was found to vary in the range of 1.77–1.89 and also depend on the size of the Bénard-Marangoni cells. These fractal dimension results were correlated with the morphological details of the Bénard-Marangoni cells and ZnO particle characteristics, providing a quantitative description of such complex surface patterns emerging from the dynamic process of the Bénard-Marangoni instability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312773-ga1.jpg" width="498" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bin Fang, Xingchang Lu, Junyi Hu, Geng Zhang, Xinsheng Zheng, Limin He, Jianbo Cao, Jiangjiang Gu, Feifei Cao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Emerging carbon dots (CDs) are widely used as fluorescent probes in biological and environmental fields, nevertheless, the control of CDs based on different detection mechanisms is rarely reported. In this paper, green luminescent CDs (G-CDs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal treatment of benzoxazine monomers (BZM). The obtained G-CDs showed pH dependent photoluminescence, which could be designed as fluorescence turn-on and turn-off sensors. The G-CDs exhibited weak photoluminescence at pH = 7.0 and could be turned on by Zn(II) selectively with the limitation of 0.32 μM in the concentration range from 1 to 100 μM. When pH = 10.0, Cr(VI) could quench the strong fluorescence of G-CDs efficiently, and the limit of detection was 0.99 μM with a linear range of 1–50 μM. Furthermore, the fluorescence turn-on and turn-off performance of G-CDs was attributed to the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) of Zn(II) and the inner filter effect (IFE) of Cr(VI), respectively. The excellent probes were successfully applied for the detection of Zn(II) in biological system and Cr(VI) in environment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312839-ga1.jpg" width="463" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chinmayi R. Kaundinya, Handanahal S. Savithri, K.Krishnamurthy Rao, Petety V. Balaji〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉Bacillus subtilis〈/em〉 168 EpsM (UniProt id P71063) has been electronically annotated as putative acetyltransferase in the UniProt database. The gene 〈em〉epsM〈/em〉 was cloned and overexpressed in 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉 with an N-terminal GST tag. The purified fusion protein was shown by absorption spectroscopy, autoradiography and reverse phase HPLC to catalyse the conversion of UDP-2,4,6-trideoxy-2-acetamido-4-amino glucose to UDP-2,4,6-trideoxy-2,4-diacetamido glucose, commonly known as N,N′-diacetylbacillosamine, using acetyl coenzyme A as the donor substrate. His146 was shown by site-directed mutagenesis to be essential for acetyltransferase activity. It is hypothesized that EpsC (NAD〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 dependent UDP GlcNAc 4,6-dehydratase), EpsN (PLP dependent aminotransferase) and EpsM, all of which are part of the 〈em〉eps〈/em〉 operon, are involved in the biosynthesis of N,N′-diacetylbacillosamine.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dahu Li, Houjiu Wu, Huating Dou, Li Guo, Wei Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Obesity is associated with the changes in gut microbiota. The aim of present study was to investigate the effects of sweet orange essential oil (SOEO) microcapsules on body weight and gut microbiota in obese rats induced by high-fat diet. By analyzing the body weight, fat rate and the sequence of cloned microbial small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes (16S rDNA) in rats fecal samples, we found that SOEO microcapsules decreased the body weight and increased the relative abundance of 〈em〉Bifidobacterium〈/em〉 (genus-level) in gut microbiota. The analysis of endotoxin content proved that SOEO microcapsules protected gut barrier and decreased gut endotoxin levels by increasing the content of 〈em〉Bifidobacterium〈/em〉, then ameliorated low-grade inflammation, achieving the goal of losing weight. This might be the mechanism of SOEO microcapsules to lose body weight and provided a novel anti-obesity dietary supplement.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, we investigated the effects of sweet orange essential oil (SOEO) microcapsules on body weight and gut microbiota in obese rats induced by high-fat diet. We found that SOEO microcapsules reduced the body weight and increased the relative abundance of 〈em〉Bifidobacterium〈/em〉 (genus-level) in gut microbiota. The analysis of endotoxin content proved that SOEO microcapsules protected gut barrier and decreased gut endotoxin levels by increasing the content of 〈em〉Bifidobacteria〈/em〉, then ameliorated low-grade inflammation, achieving the goal of losing weight. This indicates that changing gut microbiota provides a novel way to lose weight.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X18321818-fx1.jpg" width="289" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 17 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 506, Issue 1〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenfeng Shangguan, Xue Liang, Wen Shi, Tong Liu, Manman Wang, Guangping Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as novel molecules of interest in gene regulation as other noncoding RNAs, and participating in the process of many diseases. However, the expression and functions of circRNAs in Rapid atrial pacing (RAP) dog atrial tissue still unknown. 12 canines were randomly assigned to control and pacing group. RAP at 500 beats per minute was maintained 14 days in the pacing group. The expression characterization of circRNAs were revealed by high-throughput sequencing. We totally predicted 15,990 circRNAs in dog atrial tissues. Moreover, we found 146 differentially expressed circRNAs between control and RAP dogs. Five circRNAs were selected for subsequent RT-PCR validation, and four circRNAs confirmed with the high throughput sequencing analysis. GO analysis showed that the differentially expressed circRNAs might involve in the process of “structural constituent of cytoskeleton, ion channel activity”. We explored the circRNA-miRNA interaction network, and found extensive interaction among differentially expressed circRNAs and AF related miRNAs and mRNAs. Our work firstly identified the characterization of circRNAs in the dog atrial, and revealed the differentially expressed circRNAs in the RAP dog, this might lay a solid foundation on the function of circRNA in the mechanisms of AF.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jian-Zhong Zhang, Dan Chen, Li-Quan Lv, Zheng Xu, Yi-Ming Li, Jun-Yu Wang, Kai-Wei Han, Ming-Kun Yu, Cheng-Guang Huang, Li-Jun Hou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉microRNAs (miRNAs) control several processes known to be involved in progression of aneurysm. Here, intracranial aneurysms (IAs) were surgically induced in Sprague–Dawley rats, and we found that miR-448-3p was downregulated and KLF5 was upregulated in IA rats. We identified 〈em〉Klf5〈/em〉 as a direct target of miR-448-3p in smooth muscle cells (SMCs). In addition, aneurysms size and the lumen area of the aneurysms were smaller 4 weeks after IA induction in the miR-448-3p–treated group. miR-448-3p treatment protected the wall thickness ratio and suppressed macrophage infiltration after IA induction. IAs caused a significant increase in KLF5 expression and were alleviated by miR-448-3p. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effect of miR-448-3p was verified in lipopolysaccharide -stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The expression levels of KLF5, MMP2, and MMP9 levels were elevated by LPS, and were attenuated by miR-448-3p. These data suggest that miR-448-3p plays the inhibitory role in IA progression, indicating that miR-448-3p overexpression is crucial for preventing the development of IA through downregulation of macrophage-mediated inflammation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shannon L. Nowotarski, Robert P. Feehan, Christopher Presloid, Lisa M. Shantz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Ultraviolet-B (UVB) irradiation is the primary carcinogen responsible for stimulating NMSC development. Ornithine Decarboxylase (ODC), the first rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of polyamines, is upregulated in response to a variety of proliferation stimuli, including UVB exposure. Our previous studies have demonstrated regulation of ODC synthesis by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in cells transformed by oncogenic Ras. The goal of these studies was to better understand the link between mTORC1 and ODC in nontransformed cells treated with UVB. We show that the ablation of mTORC1 activity by conditional knockout of its essential component Raptor led to decreased levels of ODC protein both before and after exposure to 10 mJ/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 UVB. Moreover, ODC mRNA was destabilized in the absence of Raptor, suggesting post-transcriptional regulation. We have previously shown that the ODC transcript is stabilized by the RNA binding protein (RBP) human antigen R (HuR), and the intracellular localization of HuR responds to changes in mTORC1 activity. To expand these studies, we investigated whether HuR functions to regulate ODC mRNA stability after UVB exposure. Our results show an increased localization of HuR to the cytoplasm after UVB exposure in wild-type cells compared to Raptor knockout cells, and this is accompanied by greater association of HuR with the ODC transcript. These data suggest that the localization of HuR in response to UVB is influenced, at least in part, by mTORC1 and that HuR can bind to and stabilize ODC mRNA after UVB exposure in an mTORC1-dependent manner.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 2 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 506, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tomohiro Yoshimura, Kanae Saitoh, Luchuanyang Sun, Yao Wang, Shigeto Taniyama, Kenichi Yamaguchi, Takayuki Uchida, Tsutomu Ohkubo, Atsushi Higashitani, Takeshi Nikawa, Katsuyasu Tachibana, Katsuya Hirasaka〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cachexia, observed in most cancer patients, is a syndrome that includes wasting of bodily energy reserves and is characterized by muscle atrophy and fat loss. We have previously demonstrated that isoflavones, such as genistein and daidzein, prevent muscle wasting in tumor-bearing mice. In this study, we examined the effect of morin, a flavonoid, on cachexia. The wet weight and myofiber size of muscles in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cell-bearing mice fed a normal diet were decreased, compared with those in control mice fed a normal diet. In contrast, intake of morin prevented the reduction of muscle wet weight and myofiber size. Moreover, the tumor weight in mice fed the morin diet was lower than that in mice fed the normal diet. Both cell viability and protein synthetic ability of LLC cells were reduced by treatment with morin, but C2C12 myotubes were not affected. Binding assay using morin-conjugated magnetic beads identified ribosomal protein S10 (RPS10) as a target protein of morin. Consistent with the result of morin treatment, knockdown of RPS10 suppressed LLC cell viability. These results suggest that morin indirectly prevents muscle wasting induced by cancer cachexia by suppressing cancer growth via binding to RPS10.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 2 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 506, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hua Yu, Jingjing Liu, Yizhi Dong, Min Xu, Le Xu, Huaqin Guan, Xiaoru Xia, Liangxing Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Previous studies have found that dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has multiple functions such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor in addition to anti-malarial effects. Effect of DHA on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats has been reported, while the specific mechanism is not known.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Method〈/h6〉 〈p〉A hypoxic model was established with human pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (HPAECs) to investigate the possible mechanism of DHA. Effects of DHA on proliferation of HPAECs were evaluated by CCK-8 and EdU assay. Effects of DHA on cell oxidative stress, cell migration, angiogenesis, cell cycle and autophagy, as well as the possible underlying mechanism were also detected by using the established normoxia/hypoxia cell models.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉DHA significantly inhibited hypoxia induced increase of HPAECs proliferation in a dose dependent manner, migratory ability and angiogenic ability. DHA also significantly reversed hypoxia induced oxidative stress as a reduction of ROS and NO, and an increase of SOD. Autophagosomes, LC3B protein and apoptotic proteins were significantly increased in DHA treated hypoxic HPAECs. Autophagy inhibitor 3-Methyladenine diminishes the anti-hypoxia effects of DHA on cell proliferation, migration, and autophagy and apoptosis protein expression in HPAECs.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉DHA effectively inhibits hypoxia induced increase of cell proliferation, migration, and oxidative stress in HPAECs, and autophagy may be the underlying mechanism of DHA.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 295〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuxing Wu, Hengzhi Guo, Kwan San Hui, Kwun Nam Hui〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Rational electrode architectural design, favorable electrode composition, and versatile synthesis approach play a significant role in developing advanced electrodes for high-performance supercapacitor. In this work, we report a facile approach for fabricating 1D hierarchical CuO@Co〈sub〉〈em〉x〈/em〉〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉〈em〉1−x〈/em〉〈/sub〉(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanowire arrays grown on 3D highly conductive copper foam. The optimized CuO@Co〈sub〉0.2〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉0.8〈/sub〉(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electrode delivers an ultrahigh specific capacity of 374.7 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 2 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 with exceptional rate capability (301.7 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 50 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and remarkable cycling stability (95.9% after 10 000 cycles at 50 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). A flexible asymmetric solid-state supercapacitor (ASC) is fabricated using the optimized CuO@Co〈sub〉0.2〈/sub〉Ni〈sub〉0.8〈/sub〉(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 as the positive electrode, activated carbon-coated nickel foam as the negative electrode, and polyvinyl alcohol/KOH gel as electrolyte. The flexible ASC operating with a potential window of 0–1.6 V delivers an energy density of 46.5 Wh kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 with a power density of 526.9 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The ASC also exhibits excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 84.3% after 10 000 cycles at a current density of 7 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013468618324459-fx1.jpg" width="325" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 295〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Krishnan Shanmugam Anuratha, Hsiao-Shan Peng, Yaoming Xiao, Tzu-Sen Su, Tzu-Chien Wei, Jeng-Yu Lin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this current work, a bifunctional TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 thin film with reduced pin-hole effect and enhanced light trapping capability was successfully fabricated by using a facile galvanostatic anodic deposition route in the presence of Brij-58 soft template (ST). The surface morphology of electrodeposited TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 thin film using ST confirmed the formation of nano-sized TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 particles with improved porous nature than that of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 thin film electrodeposited in the absence of ST. Compared with the conventional scaffold porous layer (PL) fabricated from commercial mesoporous TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 composed of ∼30 nm nanoparticles, the electrodeposited TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 film using ST demonstrated the reduced pinhole effect and improved light trapping feature. Owing to the bifunctional behavior of electrodeposited TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 using ST, the cell efficiency of the perovskite solar cell was achieved up to 17.06% which was ca.10% higher than those with commercial TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nicole S.M. Vieira, Joana C. Bastos, Luís P.N. Rebelo, Ana Matias, João M.M. Araújo, Ana B. Pereiro〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The use of fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs) as novel materials in biological and pharmaceutical applications is an emerging research field. The knowledge of their cytotoxicity and that of 1-octanol/water partition coefficients are essential to assess their environmental risks, to estimate their toxicity and activity, or the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance, as well as to explore their properties as solvents in extraction processes or for successful drug design. The study of the cytotoxicity in four different human cell lines and the experimental measurement of the partition coefficient between 1-octanol and water (P〈sub〉〈em〉o/w〈/em〉〈/sub〉), using the slow-stirring method, were carried out for several FILs. In both studies, the effect of the cation ([C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉Im]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, [C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉py]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, [C〈sub〉4〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉pyr]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, [N〈sub〉1112(OH)〈/sub〉]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, or [N〈sub〉4444〈/sub〉]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉), the cationic alkyl side-chain length ([C〈sub〉n〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉Im]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, with n = 2, 6, 8 or 12), and the anionic fluorinated chain length/anionic fluorinated domain size ([C〈sub〉4〈/sub〉F〈sub〉9〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉]¯, [C〈sub〉8〈/sub〉F〈sub〉17〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉]¯, or [N(C〈sub〉4〈/sub〉F〈sub〉9〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉]¯) were analysed. The results reveal that both toxicity and partition properties are mainly influenced by the size of the cationic hydrogenated alkyl side-chain and that of the anionic fluorinated domain. The intrinsic tuneability of the FILs allows for their selection according to the lipophilic or hydrophilic character of the target biological system under consideration. The toxicity studies corroborate the biocompatible nature of some FILs tested in this work. Along, for all the FILs under study P〈sub〉〈em〉o/w〈/em〉〈/sub〉 〈 1.00. Accordingly, a decadic logarithm of the bioconcentration factor in fish of 0.5 would be estimated, which is below the regulatory endpoint used by regulatory agencies.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320204-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yasir Aziz, Ghulam Abbas Shah, Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Recently, there is a growing interest among agriculturists to use nanotechnology for the development of nutrient-use efficient fertilizers. However, its sustainable use for the synthesis of mineral or organic nano-fertilizers requires a thoughtful of the mechanism as well as the fate of nutrients and their interaction with soil-plant systems. Therefore, the aim of current study was to investigate the mixing of three different application rates of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNPs: 1.4, 2.8 and 3.6 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 soil) as well as zeolite (141, 282 and 423 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 soil) with biogas slurry (AS) on soil nutrient availability and herbage nitrogen (N) and zinc (Zn) uptake in a standard pot experiment. We found that both ZNPs and zeolite significantly increased mineral N content in soil compared to AS alone (P 〈 0.05). On the other hand, plant available phosphorus or potassium and microbial biomass carbon (C) in the soil were neither significantly affected by any application rate of ZNPs nor zeolite mixed AS. Soil microbial biomass N was significantly higher in second and third application rates of both ZNPs and zeolite amended AS treatments compared to AS alone. However, this increment in mineral N did not influence shoot uptake and herbage apparent recovery of this nutrient from AS. Similarly, co-mixing of both ZNPs and zeolite in AS did not influence shoot N uptake but Zn uptake was significantly higher in this treatment compared to AS alone. Therefore, this combination would be considered for improving crop Zn uptake under such fertilizer management regimes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518319805-fx1.jpg" width="357" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roya Nazari, Ljiljana Rajić, Ali Ciblak, Sebastián Hernández, Ibrahim E. Mousa, Wei Zhou, Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Akram N. Alshawabkeh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigates the effect of palladium (Pd) form on the electrochemical degradation of chlorobenzene in groundwater by palladium-catalyzed electro-Fenton (EF) reaction. In batch and flow-through column reactors, EF was initiated via in-situ electrochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) supported by Pd on alumina powder or by palladized polyacrylic acid (PAA) in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane (Pd-PVDF/PAA). In a mixed batch reactor containing 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, 2 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of catalyst in powder form (1% Pd, 20 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Pd) and an initial pH of 3, chlorobenzene was degraded under 120 mA current following a first-order decay rate showing 96% removal within 60 min. Under the same conditions, a rotating Pd-PVDF/PAA disk produced 88% of chlorobenzene degradation. In the column experiment with automatic pH adjustment, 71% of chlorobenzene was removed within 120 min with 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and 2 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 catalyst in pellet form (0.5% Pd, 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Pd) under 60 mA. The EF reaction can be achieved under flow, without external pH adjustment and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 addition, and can be applied for in-situ groundwater treatment. Furthermore, the rotating PVDF-PAA membrane with immobilized Pd-catalyst showed an effective and low maintenance option for employing Pd catalyst for water treatment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320046-fx1.jpg" width="341" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mengmeng Liu, Min Zhang, Rongjie Hao, Tingting Du, Tong Li, Yao Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Graphene oxide (GO) is a structural analog of graphene and contains numerous O-containing functional groups. As rapidly increasing production and usage of GO, it is inevitable to flow into the water and wastewater treatment system and finally oxidized by disinfectants to form DBPs. Meanwhile, as GO is a nano sized carbon material, it may also break the human digestion system when it was absorbed by human body. This study explored the DBP formation when only GO was present. Effects of Br〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 were also considered during the DBP formation. Both trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were formed during the chlorination and chloramination procedure, but the total concentration of THMs was at least three times higher than that of HAAs. Irradiation can significantly enhance the DBP formation via the formation of radicals. The wrinkled appearance and decomposition of aromatic ring may both be effective on the DBP formation via chlorination or bromination. The findings of this study advance knowledge on the DBP formation of GO in water treatment systems and provide insight on the toxic effects of the transformation products of GO.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bo Liu, Jing Wu, Cheng Cheng, Jiukai Tang, Muhammad Farooq Saleem Khan, Jian Shen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract:〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Identifying the causes of water body pollution is critical because of the serious water contamination in developing countries. The textile industry is a major contributor to severe water pollution due to its high discharge of wastewater with high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants. In this study, fluorescence excitation emission matrix–parallel factor (EEM-PARAFAC) analysis was applied to characterize textile industry wastewater and trace its presence in water bodies. The EEM spectra of textile wastewater samples collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) revealed two characteristic peaks: Peak T1 (tryptophan-like region) and Peak B (tyrosine-like region). Two protein-like components (C1 and C2) were identified in the textile wastewater by PARAFAC analysis. The components identified from different textile WWTPs were considered identical (similarity 〉0.95). C1 and C2 were not sensitive to changes in pH, ionic strength, or low humic acid concentration (TOC 〈 4 mg/L). Therefore, C1 combined with C2 was proposed as a source-specific indicator of textile wastewater, which was further demonstrated by conducting high-performance size exclusion chromatography analysis. These results suggested that EEM-PARAFAC analysis is a reliable means of identifying textile wastewater pollution in water bodies and may also enable the identification of other industrial wastewater.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320162-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bo Chen, Sijiang Chen, Huinan Zhao, Yang Liu, Fengxia Long, Xuejun Pan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ascribing to their significant differences in physicochemical properties, it is extremely challenging to treat complex wastewater containing more than one class of pollutants via one-step treatment. Here, we focused on disposal of complex wastewater bearing organic dye and heavy metal by using adsorptive method. Thus, by combining the advantages of polyethyleneimine (PEI), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as well as Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 magnetic nanoparticles, a versatile β-CD and PEI bi-functionalized magnetic nanoadsorbent (Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-PEI/β-CD) with spatially separated sorption sites was successfully constructed for simultaneous capture of methyl orange (MO) and Pb(II) in complex wastewater. In this setting, β-CD cavities and positively charged N-containing groups of PEI were mainly responsible for removal of MO via host-guest inclusion and electrostatic attraction, respectively, and oxygen-bearing groups on the edge of β-CD as well as the free amino moieties in PEI acted as the active sites for Pb(II) uptake. In their individual mono-pollutant system, the adsorption processes can be better described via applying pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. Interestingly, presence of MO in Pb(II)-MO binary system significantly promoted the uptake of Pb(II). But the coexisting Pb(II) had almost no effects on MO uptake. Such results demonstrated that both MO and Pb(II) could be simultaneously and synergistically removed by Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-PEI/β-CD through multiple mechanisms (such as electrostatic attraction, host-guest inclusion, chelating, etc.). Particularly, the excellent regeneration and stability make Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-PEI/β-CD an ideal integrative adsorbent for purification of actual wastewater contaminated by MO and Pb(II). Thus, this study provides some insights into designing a well-performed and easily recyclable adsorbent for simultaneous and synergetic capture of both organic and inorganic contaminants in complex wastewater.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A versatile β-CD and PEI bi-functionalized magnetic nanoadsorbent with spatially separated sorption sites (denoted as Fe3O4-PEI/β-CD) was successfully constructed for simultaneous removal of methyl orange (MO) and Pb(II) from complex wastewater through multiple mechanisms (such as electrostatic attraction, host-guest inclusion, chelating, etc.).〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320198-fx1.jpg" width="444" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xian Cao, Shuai Zhang, Hui Wang, Xianning Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In general, refractory organics were hardly used as co-substrate in bioelectrochemical system. This study established a coupled bioelectrochemical system composed of a biofilm electrode reactor and a microbial fuel cell for using the azo dye X-3B as part of co-substrate. The two units degraded the azo dye X-3B stepwise while using it as part of co-substrate. Our results indicated that the removal efficiency of X-3B increased 28.5% using the coupled system compared with a control system. Moreover, the addition of the co-substrate glucose, which was necessary for MFC electricity generation, was reduced on the premise of stable removal efficiency in the coupled system to prevent resource waste due to using X-3B as part of co-substrate. The intermediate products of X-3B degradation were further explored using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and a X-3B degradation pathway was proposed at the same time. Microbial communities were analyzed, illustrating that the mechanism of X-3B degradation was dependent on bioelectrochemistry rather than on microbial degradation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nikita Bakanov, Matthias V. Wieczorek, Ralf Schulz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Understanding fate and transport of plant protection products (PPPs) that enter vegetated streams from agricultural fields is important for both exposure assessment and risk attenuation, yet limited knowledge is available. The present laboratory study investigated sorption processes governing mass transfer of three common PPPs between water and aquatic plant phases at flow-through exposure conditions (transient aqueous-phase PPP-peak of 4 h 25 min) using three temperature regimes. The exposure produced rapid sorption of PPPs to plants, followed by a gradual depuration from plants. Dynamic sorption kinetics depended on temperature, plant species, and physicochemical properties of the PPPs. Sorption to plants contributed to a 10% reduction of the water-phase peak concentrations of the PPPs. However, being reversible, the attenuation effect was limited to the residence time of the PPPs in the systems. Results of the present study highlight that effectivity of aquatic plants in the attenuation of PPP loads may vary greatly depending on hydrodynamic properties of aquatic systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Huihui Wang, Hui Ma, Min Zhang, Tingting Du, Rongjie Hao, Mengmeng Liu, Yao Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) can be formed from many different kinds of carbon- and nitrogen-based organic materials. This study investigated DBP formation in the presence of two types of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 47) and 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′,6,6′-decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209). The effects of PBDEs on the formation of DBPs upon the chlorination (or chloramination) of Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) were also evaluated. Results indicated that the chlorination of BDE 47 and BDE 209 resulted in the formation of DBPs, with 1,1,1-trichloro-2-propanone (1,1,1-TCP) being the major DBP type formed. When PBDEs were present in the SRHA solution, a lower amount of CHCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 was formed, and more 1,1,1-TCP was produced. However, the effects of PBDEs on the formation of DBPs in the real surface water were insignificant because of the complicated water chemistry.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jiena Yun, Chang Zhu, Qian Wang, Qiaoli Hu, Gang Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sulfur dioxide (SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) ranks as a major air pollutant and is likely to generate acid rain. When molecular oxygen is the oxygen source, the regular surfaces of gibbsite (one of the most abundant mineral dusts) show no reactivity for SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 conversions to H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, while the partially dehydrated (100) surface with coordination-unsaturated Al sites becomes catalytically effective. Because of the easy availability of molecular oxygen, results manifest that acid rain can form under all atmospheric conditions and may account for the high conversion ratio of atmospheric SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The (100) and (001) surfaces show divergent catalytic effects, and hydrolysis is always the rate-limiting step. Path A (hydrolysis and then oxidation) is preferred for (100) surface, whereas a third path with obviously lower activation barriers is presented for (001) surface, which is non-existent for (100) surface. Atomic oxygen originating from the dissociation of molecular oxygen is catalytically active for (100) surface, while the active site of (001) surface fails to be recovered, suggesting that SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 conversions over gibbsite surfaces are facet-controlled. This work also offers an environmentally friendly route for production of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (one of the essential compounds in chemical industry), directly using molecular oxygen as the oxygen source.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320769-fx1.jpg" width="326" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Guanghui Wang, Wenzhe Fan, Qin Li, Nansheng Deng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, aspartic acid-β-cyclodextrin (ACD) was synthesized by the reaction of β-cyclodextrin with aspartic acid and epichlorohydrin, and graphene oxide-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (GO-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) composite catalyst was prepared by a hydrothermal method. The complexation of ACD with New Coccine (NC) and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 was characterized with FT-IR and XPS, respectively, the results show that ACD can simultaneously complex NC and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉. XRD analysis and SEM images of GO-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 show that TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 platelets are well distributed on both sides of the graphene oxide sheets, and display a similar XRD pattern to the pure TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles with the typical diffraction peak of anatase phase. The effects of ACD on the photocatalytic degradation of NC and photocatalytic reduction of Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 were investigated in the single pollution system, and the synergistic effects on the simultaneous photocatalytic NC degradation and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 reduction in the presence of ACD were also evaluated. The results showed that the presence of ACD was favorable to the acceleration of photocatalytic oxidation of NC and photocatalytic reduction of Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in the single pollution system, and the photocatalytic reaction rate constants of NC and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in the presence of ACD increased 58% and 42%, respectively. For the combined pollution system, the synergistic effects on the simultaneous conversion of NC and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in aqueous solutions were also further enhanced. ACD enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the improvement of the electron transfer and mass transfer at the GO-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinbo Wang, Hong Cheng, Peiying Hong, Xixiang Zhang, Zhiping Lai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Despite advanced materials and techniques to reduce the fouling issue of membranes, 10–30% of the cost of ultrafiltration (UF) processes have been spent on membrane cleaning. Particularly in water treatment, the traditional heavy metal-based method is challenged due to its environmental pollution risk and increasing public health awareness. Here, we report the synthesis of a metal-free contact-active antifouling and antimicrobial membrane by covalently functionalizing a commercial polyacrylonitrile (PAN) UF membrane with 2,4-diamino-1,3,5-triazine (DAT) via a one-step catalyst-free hydrothermal [4 + 2] cyclization of dicyandiamide reaction. The proposed mechanism of the antimicrobial activity of the DAT-functionalized membrane is through strong attraction between the DAT groups and the microbial membrane protein via strong hydrogen bonding, leading to microbial membrane disruption and thus microbe death. A high water flux and good reusability of the membrane against protein in a UF experiment were achieved. The low cost, easy availability of the compounds, as well as the facile reaction offer a high potential of the membrane for real applications in ultrafiltration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jalil Jaafari, Kamyar Yaghmaeian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, the interaction of the initial metal concentration, time of reaction and 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 algae dose were taken for the biosorption of Cr, Cd, Co, Fe and As from aqueous solutions using the Box–Behnken design. The regression equation coefficients were calculated and the data confirmed the validity of second-order polynomial equation for the removal of Cr, Cd, Co, Fe and As with 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 algae. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a high coefficient of determination value (R〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) for Cr, Cd, Co, Fe, and As, being respectively 0.998, 0.998, 0.995, 0.998 and 0.994. Heavy metal biosorption increased with the increase in time of reaction from 30 h to 100 h then smoothly steadily decreased. The biosorption capacity of 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 increased when initial Cd concentration was increased from 5 to 12 mg/L, and then no change was seen with further increasing in initial Cd concentration. At low concentrations of heavy metal, 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 showed its effectiveness for Cr, Co, Fe and As bioaccumulation, but at high concentrations of heavy metal bioaccumulation efficiency decreased Under optimal value of process parameters, maximum efficiencies for the removal of Cr, Cd, Co, Fe, and As were 97.8, 97.05, 95.15, 98.6 and 96.5% respectively. The results of the present study suggest that use of 〈em〉C. Coloniales〈/em〉 algae can be a good alternative to the current expensive methods of removing heavy metals from aqueous solution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Khalid Rehman Hakeem, Hesham F. Alharby, Reiazul Rehman〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The effect of lead (Pb)-induced oxidative stress was investigated in 〈em〉Fagopyrum kashmirianum〈/em〉. The seedlings absorbed the Pb readily by showing time (15 and 30 days) and concentration (0, 100, 200 and 300 μM) dependent effects. Pb caused reduction in both root and shoot lengths but its accumulation was more in roots (22.32 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 DW) than shoots (8.86 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 DW) at the highest concentration (300 μM) resulting in translocation factor (TF) 〈 1 at all concentrations. Thus the uptake and translocation of Pb between roots and shoots showed a positive correlation indicating the plant as root accumulator. Amongst the photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll content showed a decline while the carotenoid and anthocyanin levels were elevated. The fresh mass and biomass showed a non-significant decrease at both the sampling times. The osmolyte and antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX. POD, GR and GST) were positively correlated with Pb treatments except proline and CAT, which showed decline in 30-day-old plants. The alleviation of Pb-stress is an indication for existence of strong detoxification mechanism in 〈em〉F. kashmirianum, which〈/em〉 suggest that it could be cultivated in Pb-contaminated soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Celestina E. Sobral – Souza, Ana R.P. Silva, Nadghia F. Leite, Janaina E. Rocha, Amanda K. Sousa, José G.M. Costa, Irwin R.A. Menezes, Francisco A.B. Cunha, Larissa A. Rolim, Henrique D.M. Coutinho〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present study had as its objective to verify the 〈em〉Psidium guajava〈/em〉 var. Pomifera L. chelating, antioxidant and cytoprotective effects against mercury and aluminum. The ethanolic extract, tannic and flavonoid fractions were subjected to LC-MS analysis. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and ferric ion reduction demonstrated a present antioxidant activity. The fungicidal and bactericidal activity of these metals were established. After determining the sub-allelopathic doses, germination tests using 〈em〉Lactuca sativa〈/em〉 were performed. Quercetin and its derivatives were the main compounds identified in the extract and the fractions. Mercury chloride significantly reduced the bactericidal effect of the flavonoid fraction (p 〈 0.001). None of the fractions were cytoprotective against mercury or aluminum in the fungal model assays. Using a sub-allelopathic concentration (64 μg/mL), the ethanolic extract, flavonoid and tannic fractions were found to be cytoprotective against aluminum for radicles, however only the tannic fraction was cytoprotective for caulicles. These data suggest that natural 〈em〉P. guajava〈/em〉 products are promising cytoprotective compound sources. This activity may be related to the antioxidant effect of secondary metabolites, mainly flavonoids. Our results point to a potential for environmental intervention product and technique development aimed at mitigating contamination by toxic metals such as mercury and aluminum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Luo, Xinli Xing, Shihua Qi, Jian Wu, X.W. Sophie Gu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hyperaccumulators can mobilize all metals in soil through secreting exudates to form soluble compounds but only hyperaccumulate part of them. Metals that cannot be accumulated are defined as non-hyperaccumulated metals and can increase the leaching risk in phytoremediation. Cd and Zn hyperaccumulator 〈em〉Noccaea caerulescens〈/em〉 (formerly 〈em〉Thlaspi caerulescens〈/em〉) was utilized to remediate multi-metal polluted soil in the present study, and the leaching risk of non-hyperaccumulated metals including Cu and Pb was investigated during the phytoremediation process. Comparing with 〈em〉Thlaspi arvense〈/em〉, a non-hyperaccumulator, 〈em〉N. caerulescens〈/em〉 significantly decreased the concentrations of Cd and Zn in leachate gathered from precipitation simulation experiments without electric field, but meanwhile dramatically increased the concentrations of Cu and Pb in soil solution. Electric field with low (2 V) and moderate (4 V) voltages increased the biomass yield and metal uptake capacity of 〈em〉N. caerulescens〈/em〉 simultaneously and therefore further reduced the concentrations of Cd and Zn in the leachate. Although the volume of leachate decreased significantly in pots with electric field, the leaching risk of Pb and Cu was deteriorated. Thus, decontaminating multi-metal polluted soil with electric field and hyperaccumulator should be conducted with caution due to potential secondary environmental risk caused by activated non-hyperaccumulated metals.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320320-egi10NH7JS1ZHN.jpg" width="286" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Haitao Shen, Weiwei Li, Stephen E. Graham, James M. Starr〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ingestion of soils and house dusts is an important pathway for children's exposure to sorbed organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To reduce the uncertainty of the exposure estimates, it is important to understand the extent to which chemicals desorb and become bioaccessible following ingestion. In this study we use a three compartment in vitro digestive system to model the role of soil and house dust physicochemical properties on the post ingestion bioaccessibility of PCBs. Matched pairs (n = 37) of soil and dust were characterized for percent carbon and nitrogen, pH, moisture content, and particle size distribution. They were then fortified with a mixture of 18 PCBs and processed through the assay. The percent bioaccessibility of each PCB was calculated, then modeled using individual PCB log K〈sub〉ow〈/sub〉 values and the soil and dust properties. The bioaccessibility of the PCBs in soil (x̄ = 65 ± 16%) was greater (p 〈 0.001) than that of the PCBs in house dust (x̄ = 36 ± 14%). In the soil model, carbon was the sole statistically significant predictive (p ≤ 0.05) variable, while in house dust, both carbon and clay content were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) predictors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320666-fx1.jpg" width="355" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xue Wu, Zheng Bo Zhu, Jia Hui Chen, Yi Fan Huang, Zi Li Liu, Jian Wen Zou, Ya Hua Chen, Na Na Su, Jin Cui〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has been widely used in research on plant resistance to Cd. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of HRW in ameliorating cadmium stress in vegetables is largely unknown. In this study, the RNA-sequencing analyses were used to characterize the role of HRW in the alleviation of Cd toxicity in Chinese cabbage seedlings. Based on the obtained results, two genes encoding metal ionic transporters, 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 were ultimately selected out. Then, a systematic validation of the metal ion transport function of these two ZIP-encoding genes of pak choi were performed via a yeast transformation system. The results showed that 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 increased the sensitivity of different yeast mutant strains to relative metal ionic stresses and facilitated the accumulation of metal ions (Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Mn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Zn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉) in yeast; thus, it suggests that 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 probably have the ability to transport Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Mn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Zn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in pak choi. The time-course and concentration-dependent expression profiles of 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 showed that as time with HRW increased, the effectiveness of the repression on the expression of 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 increased, and as the seedlings were exposed to increased Cd concentrations, the inhibition of 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 by HRW was also increased. Over all, these findings provide new insights into the genome-wide transcriptome profiles in pak choi and show that HRW reduced Cd uptake probably through inhibiting the expression of transporters related to Cd absorption, 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peter Butcherine, Kirsten Benkendorff, Brendan Kelaher, Bronwyn J. Barkla〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Widespread agricultural use of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides has resulted in the unintended contamination of aquatic environments. Water quality surveys regularly detect neonicotinoids in rivers and waterways at concentrations that could impact aquaculture stock. The toxicity of neonicotinoids to non-target aquatic insect and crustacean species has been recognised, however, there is a paucity of information on their effect on commercial shrimp aquaculture. Here, we show that commercially produced shrimp are likely to be exposed to dietary, sediment and waterborne sources of neonicotinoids; increasing the risks of disease and accidental human consumption. This review examines indicators of sublethal neonicotinoid exposure in non-target species and analyses their potential usefulness for ecotoxicology assessment in shrimp. The identification of rapid, reliable responses to neonicotinoid exposure in shrimp will result in better decision making in aquaculture management.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Maqusood Ahamed, Mohd Javed Akhtar, M.A. Majeed Khan, Salman A. Alrokayan, Hisham A. Alhadlaq〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bismuth oxide nanoparticles (Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs) have shown great potential for several applications including cosmetics and biomedicine. However, there is paucity of research on toxicity of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs. In this study, we first examined dose-dependent cytotoxicity and apoptosis response of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs in human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. We further explored the potential mechanisms of cytotoxicity of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs through oxidative stress. Physicochemical study demonstrated that Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs have crystalline structure and spherical shape with mean size of 97 nm. Toxicity studies have shown that Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs reduce cell viability and induce membrane damage dose-dependently in the concentration range of 50–300 μg/ml. Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs also disturbed cell cycle of MCF-7 cells. Oxidative stress response of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs was evident by generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), higher lipid peroxidation, reduction of glutathione (GSH) and low superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity. Interestingly, supplementation of external antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine almost negated the effect of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced oxidative stress and cell death. We also found that exposure of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced apoptotic response in MCF-7 cells suggested by impaired regulation of Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 genes. Altogether, we found that Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells through modulating the redox homeostasis 〈em〉via〈/em〉 Bax/Bcl-2 pathway. This study warranted further research to delineate the underlying mechanism of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced toxicity at 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 level.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320897-fx1.jpg" width="492" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xingdong Wang, Qiaoqiao Chi, Xuejiao Liu, Yin Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel approach was used to prepare sewage sludge (SS)-derived biochar via coupling of hydrothermal pretreatment with pyrolysis (HTP) process at 300–700 °C. The influence of the pyrolysis temperature on the characteristics and environmental risk of heavy metals (HMs) in biochar derived from SS were investigated. The HTP process at higher pyrolysis temperature (≥500 °C) resulting in a higher quality of SS-derived biochar and in HMs of lower toxicity and environmental risk, compared with direct SS pyrolysis. Surface characterization and micromorphology analysis indicate that the N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adsorption capacity and BET surface area in biochar (SRC〈sub〉220〈/sub〉-500) obtained from hydrothermally treated SS at 220 °C (SR〈sub〉220〈/sub〉) pyrolysis at 500 °C, significantly increased the BET surface area and achieved its maximum value (47.04 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g). Moreover, the HTP process can promote the HMs in SS be transformed from bioavailable fractions to more stable fractions. This increases with the pyrolysis temperature, resulting in a remarkable reduction in the potential environmental risk of HMs from the biochar obtained from the HTP process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320605-fx1.jpg" width="340" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Huihui Sun, Katarzyna Zielinska, Marina Resmini, Ali Zarbakhsh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In dermal drug delivery, the influence of the chemical structure of the carriers on their penetration mechanisms is not yet fully understood. This is a key requirement in order to design highly efficient delivery systems. In this study, neutron reflectivity is used to provide insights into the interactions between thermoresponsive 〈em〉N〈/em〉-isopropylacrylamide based nanogels, cross-linked with 10%, 20% and 30% 〈em〉N,N'〈/em〉-methylenebisacrylamide, and skin lipid multi-bilayers models. Ceramide lipid multi-bilayers and ceramide/cholesterol/behenic acid mixed lipid multi-bilayers were used for this work. The results indicated that in both multi-bilayers the lipids were depleted by the nanogels mainly through hydrophobic interactions. The ability of nanogels to associate with skin lipids to form water-dispersible complexes was found to be a function of the percentage cross-linker. An enhanced depletion of lipids was further observed in the presence of benzyl alcohol, a well-known skin penetration enhancer.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312840-ga1.jpg" width="294" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zexing Wu, Min Song, Zijin Zhang, Jie Wang, Xien Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Investigation of non-precious, highly-active and durable catalysts is an essential criteria for the development of electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, reduced graphene oxide coupled with molybdenum phosphide (MoP-RGO) is prepared through a facile and scalable one-step strategy. Three strategies are developed to tune the electrocatalytic performance of MoP-RGO including optimize the pyrolysis temperature, add NaCl template and introduction of sulfur atoms. After the optimization, the overpotentials at 10 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 reduced from 238 to 152 mV (alkaline electrolyte) and 232 to 144 mV (acid medium), respectively. This work mainly focus on exploiting various strategies to tune the electrocatalytic performance of non-precious catalysts for HER which can provide multiple avenues to develop efficient electrocatalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Pyrolysis temperature, NaCl template and sulfur atom are used to tune the electrocatalytic performance of MoP-RGO. After the optimized process, the overpotentials needed to deliver 10 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 reduced from 238 to 152 mV (alkaline electrolyte) and 232 to 144 mV (acid medium), respectively.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312657-ga1.jpg" width="353" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Prakhar Sengar, Karelid Garcia-Tapia, Kanchan Chauhan, Akhil Jain, Karla Juarez-Moreno, Hugo A. Borbón-Nuñez, Hugo Tiznado, Oscar E. Contreras, Gustavo A. Hirata〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The current photodynamic therapy (PDT) is majorly hindered by the shallow penetration depth and oxygen dependency, limiting its application to deep-seated solid hypoxic tumors. Thus, it is meaningful to develop efficient X-ray mediated PDT system capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both the normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite, YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX with an amalgamation of UV-emitting Y〈sub〉2.99〈/sub〉Pr〈sub〉0.01〈/sub〉Al〈sub〉5〈/sub〉O〈sub〉12〈/sub〉 (YAG:Pr) nanoscintillator, and zinc oxide (ZnO) and protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) as photosensitizers. YAG:Pr surface was coated with a ZnO layer (∼10 nm) by atomic layer deposition, and then PpIX was covalently conjugated via a linker to give YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX. The photo- and cathodoluminescence analyses gave the evidences of efficient energy transfer from YAG:Pr to ZnO at ∼320 nm, and YAG:Pr@ZnO to PpIX at Soret region (350–450 nm). The nanohybrid was able to produce both, Type I and Type II ROS upon direct and indirect photoactivation with UV〈sub〉365nm〈/sub〉 and UV〈sub〉290nm〈/sub〉, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity of non-activated YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX in mouse melanoma cells revealed low toxicity, which significantly enhanced upon photoactivation with UV〈sub〉365nm〈/sub〉 indicating the photokilling property of the nanohybrid. Overall, our preliminary studies successfully demonstrate the potential of YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX to overcome the limited penetration and oxygen-dependency of traditional PDT.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0021979718312876-ga1.jpg" width="287" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yan Wang, Qiaonan Zhang, Yuwei Zhang, Hongxia Zhao, Feng Tan, Xiaowei Wu, Jingwen Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Concentrations and temporal variations of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the air from a suburban area of Dalian, China were investigated for a 1-year period to assess their sources and potential correlations with six criteria air pollutants and meteorological parameters. The total concentrations of PAHs were in the range of 4.32–112.2 ng/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 (Mean = 52.37 ± 23.99 ng/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉). Seasonality was discovered with the PAHs following an order of winter 〉 spring 〉 summer 〉 autumn. The impacts of meteorological parameters on PAH levels were season-dependent. High temperature may increase the air concentrations of 4-ring PAHs during the non-heating period, whereas high relative humidity may raise the concentrations of 3- and 4-ring PAHs during the heating period. Correlations of PAHs with criteria air pollutants, such as SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, and O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, indicated that both fossil fuel combustion and photochemical oxidation influenced the air concentrations of PAHs. According to the source apportionment by diagnostic ratios and PMF model, coal combustion and traffic emission were estimated to be the main sources of PAHs in Dalian, followed by petroleum release and biomass burning. It was worth noting that the contribution of coal combustion to the PAH burdens increased from 26% to 45% due to the emission from domestic heating in winter. This extra emission needs a continuous concern in the future.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320551-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Min Liu, Shenglan Jia, Ting Dong, Yuan Han, Jingchuan Xue, Elvy Riani Wanjaya, Mingliang Fang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bisphenol A diglycidy ether (BADGE) and its derivatives are epoxy resins and widely used as emerging plasticizers in food packages and material coating. Though known as endocrine disruptors, little information is available on their occurrence, exposure routes and toxicity. Besides, the analysis of BADGE and its derivatives has always been a challenge due to their reactive chemical properties and the background contamination. Therefore, we firstly developed a novel water-free method to analyze BADGE and its derivatives in dust samples together with other two typical plasticizers bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS). In order to investigate the levels in paired dust and urine samples, 33 paired samples were collected from Singapore. In both dust and urine samples, the predominant compounds were BPA, BADGE-2H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and BPS. A significantly positive correlation of BPA levels in paired dust and urine samples was observed in this small-scale study. To tentatively explore the human health effect from exposure to these bisphenol plasticizers, we assessed the correlation between the urinary concentrations of these compounds and oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), an oxidative stress biomarker. The result showed that 8-OHdG levels in urine samples was positively correlated with urinary BPA level and body mass index (BMI), suggesting that elevated oxidative stress might be associated with BPA exposure and obesity. In the future, a larger scale study is warranted due to the limited sample size in this study.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518319453-fx1.jpg" width="300" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tao Cui, Chenyang Shen, Anlin Xu, Weiqing Han, Jiansheng Li, Xiuyun Sun, Jinyou Shen, Lianjun Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, a novel coupled-oxidation tubular reactor (COTR)/non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (NTP-DBD) catalytic plasma in a synergistic electro-catalysis system was investigated for odorous mercaptans decomposition. In order to enhance the degradation efficiency of electro-oxidation, a novel enhanced Ti/PbO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electro-catalytic tubular reactor prepared by using flow dynamic electrodeposition was designed and applied as pretreatment process for CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa wastewater. The results indicated that the optimal condition was 7 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 of current density, 10 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of initial concentration of CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa, 9.0 of pH and 5.0 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of electrolyte concentration. Addition of Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and mechanism of COTR system were first put forward. The target species CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa were removed over 90% by this process. In order to treat the CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SH effusion which was co-produced with CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa aqueous solution, the technology of NTP-DBD catalytic plasma reactor followed by a chemical absorption has been developed. MSH could be removed over 95% under the condition of 2 s of residence time, 15 kV of output voltage with oxygen concentration of 9%. Moreover, the synthetic Ni-doped AC catalyst had the best performance under 0.7 mmol g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of nickel loading. The conclusion was the energetic electrons generated in the DBD reactor played a key role on the removal of MSH, and the major decomposition products of MSH were detected as CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SSCH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. Moreover, the gaseous products in the plasma exhaust could be absorbed and fixed by the subsequent aqueous NaOH solution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320411-fx1.jpg" width="359" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Changlong Wei, Xin Song, Qing Wang, Yun Liu, Na Lin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (trade name F-53B), a perfluorooctane sulfonate alternative used as a mist suppressant in the chromium plating industry, is environmentally persistent and bioaccumulative. In this study, the kinetic and equilibrium data of F-53B sorption onto soils were obtained to investigate the relationship between sorption parameters and soil attributes. The effects of potential coexisting Cu(II), anionic Cr(VI) and sulfate on F-53B sorption by soils were explored. This is the first report of the effects of F-53B sorption behavior on soils with coexisting contaminants of Cu(II) and Cr(VI). The results showed that sorption kinetics of F-53B on soils could be well-fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum F-53B sorption capacity ranged from 22.71 to 92.36 mg/kg on six different soils, and the correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between the maximum sorption capacity and the soil organic content, Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, and Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. The desorption percentages of F-53B in this study, defined as the proportion of sorbed F-53B on soils that was recovered upon desorption, were lower than 8.2%. Moreover, F-53B sorption capacities generally decreased in the presence of Cu(II), Cr(VI), and sulfate, indicating that these ions can facilitate the F-53B mobility in the subsurface. Taken together, these findings suggest that electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction, ligand exchange, and surface complexation contributed to the F-53B sorption on soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peilong Dong, Song Gu, Yiqiu Jiang, Wangxiang Yao, Kaibin Zhang, Tianqi Tao, Yang Li, Wang Li, Jianchao Gui〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Lateral ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries in sports. Recently, arthroscopic lateral ligament reconstruction has been recently advocated, however no biomechanical studies and clinical application of this technique are available. In this biomechanical study, eighteen fresh-frozen cadaveric ankles were randomized into three groups: (1) intact anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), (2) arthroscopic anatomic reconstruction of ATFL and CFL, and (3) all arthroscopic remnant-preserving reconstruction of ATFL and CFL. The specimens were then tested for stiffness and load to ultimate failure using a customized jig. In biomechanical test, the all arthroscopic remnant-preserving reconstruction of ATFL and CFL produced a reconstruction that could withstand loads to failure and stiffness similar to the arthroscopic anatomic reconstruction. However, both two reconstruction groups were much weaker than the intact, uninjured ATFL and CFL. Moreover, we used the technique of all arthroscopic remnant-preserving reconstruction of ATFL and CFL on 20 patients from September 2016 to September 2017. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores and Anterior Talar Translation (ATT) were applied for statistical collection at preoperative and postoperative 12 months to evaluate clinical efficacy. The differences of the preoperative and postoperative 12 months AOFAS scores and ATT of patients were both statistical significant (〈em〉P〈/em〉 〈 0.01). We confirmed that all arthroscopic remnant-preserving reconstruction of ATFL and CFL exhibited positive effect, thus promoting the recovery of ankle function and had good short-term clinical effect.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 296〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kadir Tuna, Arnd Kilian, Thorsten Ressler〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Electroless plating of tin layers with thicknesses of more than 3 μm is becoming an important process in the production of circuit boards and semiconductor. Phosphonates constitute promising complexing agents for autocatalytic tin electrolytes. However, detailed time-resolved investigations or electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements of tin deposition in this system are lacking. Here, deposition of tin was investigated by electrochemical quartz microbalance (EQCM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. EQCM investigations showed a strong drop in deposition rate within the first ten minutes. Bath parameters had a significant effect on the drop of deposition rate. The results indicated an inhibitive pyrophosphate adsorption on the tin electrode surface which caused the observed drop of deposition rate. Impedance measurements confirmed this assumption. The equivalent circuit applied for the analysis of EIS data, included an increasing adsorbate resistance Rp, which can be related to the thickness of an adsorbed permeable pyrophosphate layer. Impedance measurements at selected frequencies revealed a linear relation between deposition rate and conductance 1/Rp. Subsequently, gluconate substituting for pyrophosphate was tested as complexing agent. Combined EQCM and EIS measurements during deposition using a gluconate containing electrolyte showed a stable rate with an invariant conductance.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 295〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tao Liu, Xiaolin Sun, Shimei Sun, Quanhai Niu, Hui Liu, Wei Song, Fengting Cao, Xichao Li, Takeo Ohsaka, Jianfei Wu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Lithium-sulfur batteries were investigated as promising next-generation energy storage devices owing to their high capacity in comparison to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, the serious shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics originated from dissolution of polysulfides and insulating property of sulfur and lithium sulfide, restricted their practical applications. To overcome these stubborn problems, a robust and environment-friendly biomass carbon fiber interlayer anchored with uniformly-distributed SiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles was demonstrated. Benefiting from the excellent conductivity of carbon fiber, together with the stable chemical adsorption of SiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 for soluble polysulfides, this low-cost and lightweight interlayer could not only remarkably enhance sulfur utilization, but also efficiently capture the polysulfides by chemical entrapment strategies. With this biomass carbon fiber@SiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interlayer, the batteries delivered a high reversible capacity of 1352.8 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 0.1 C and enhanced capacity of 618.4 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 after 500 cycles at 1.0 C. Even up to 4.2 mg cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 sulfur loading, high cycling stability was also achieved by this interlayer. We believe this robust and low-cost interlayer has a great potential for practical applications of Li–S batteries.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 2 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 506, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hanjun Kim, Young-Jin Choi, Young-Sun Lee, Suk Young Park, Ji-Eun Baek, Ho-Kyoung Kim, Beom-Jun Kim, Seung Hun Lee, Jung-Min Koh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Previously, we noted that SLIT3, slit guidance ligand 3, had an osteoprotective role with bone formation stimulation and bone resorption suppression. Additionally, we found that global 〈em〉Slit3〈/em〉 KO mice had smaller long bone. Skeletal staining showed short mineralized length in the newborn KO mice and wide hypertrophic chondrocyte area in the embryo KO mice, suggesting delayed chondrocyte maturation. The recombinant SLIT3 did not cause any change in proliferation of ATDC5 cells, but stimulated expressions of chondrocyte differentiation markers, such as COL2A1, SOX9, COL10A1, VEGF, and MMP13 in the cells. SLIT3 suppressed β-catenin activity in the cells, and activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by lithium chloride attenuated the SLIT3-stimulated differentiation markers. ATDC5 cells expressed only ROBO2 among their 4 isotypes, and the 〈em〉Robo2〈/em〉 knock-down with its siRNA reversed the SLIT3-stimulated differentiated markers in chondrocytes. Taken together, these indicate that SLIT3/ROBO2 promotes chondrocyte maturation via the inhibition of β-catenin signaling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jaime Rodríguez-Estival, Marta I. Sánchez, Cristina Ramo, Nico Varo, Juan A. Amat, Juan Garrido-Fernández, Dámaso Hornero-Méndez, Manuel E. Ortiz-Santaliestra, Mark A. Taggart, Mónica Martinez-Haro, Andy J. Green, Rafael Mateo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉European populations of black-necked grebes (〈em〉Podiceps nigricollis〈/em〉) congregate every year to moult at the salt ponds of the Odiel Marshes (SW Spain). However, the Odiel Marshes are part of one of the most metal-polluted coastal estuaries in the world, which may pose risks to wildlife. We assessed the exposure of grebes to metal pollution during the critical moulting period in the Odiel Marshes and its potential to cause adverse health effects. Levels of metals in red blood pellet (as a biomarker of exposure), plasma carotenoids, eye redness, and body condition (as biomarkers of effects) were studied. Metal content was also analyzed in the brine shrimp 〈em〉Artemia parthenogenetica〈/em〉, the most important food for grebes in this hypersaline ecosystem during the moulting period. Results showed that, in comparison to toxicity thresholds, grebes had relatively high blood levels of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn). The high loads found in 〈em〉Artemia〈/em〉 and the way blood levels vary during the moulting period indicate that shrimp consumption may be the main route of metal exposure for grebes. Plasma carotenoids and body condition showed a positive association with exposure to As, while the relationship of lutein-like carotenoids with Hg accumulation was negative at the beginning of the moulting period to become positive afterwards. Moreover, eye redness was negatively affected by As accumulation. Factors including food resource availability, seasonal fluctuations in physiological status, and interannual variations in the degree of environmental contamination should be considered in monitoring efforts when using moult migrant waterbirds as sentinel species.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004565351832006X-egi108SW54GQSP.jpg" width="355" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hong Wang, Zhiqiu Gao, Jingzheng Ren, Yibo Liu, Lisa Tzu-Chi Chang, Kevin Cheung, Yun Feng, Yubin Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigates the urban-rural and sex differences in the increased risks of the ten most common cancers in China related to high PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 concentration in the southeastern side of Hu line. Pearson correlation coefficient is estimated to reveal how the cancers closely associated with PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 long-term exposure. Then linear regression is conducted to evaluate sex- and area-specific increased risks of those cancers from high level PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 long-term exposure. The major finding is with the increase of every 10 μg/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 of annual mean PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 concentration, the increase of relative risks for lung cancer incidence and mortality are 15% and 23% for males, and 22% and 24% for females in rural area. For urban area, the increase of relative risk for ovarian cancer incidence is 9% for females, while that for prostatic cancer increases 17% for males. For leukemia, the increase of relative risks for incidence and mortality are 22% and 19% for females in rural area, while in urban area the increase of relative risk for mortality is 9% for males and for incidence is 6% for females. It is also found that with increased PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 exposure, the risks for ovarian and prostatic cancer rise significantly in urban area, while risks for lung cancer and leukemia rise significantly in rural area. The results demonstrate the higher risks for lung cancer and leukemia with increased PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 exposure are more significant for female. This study also suggests that the carcinogenic effects of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 have obvious sex and urban-rural differences.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanju Liu, Jianhua Du, Zhaomin Dong, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, Yongchao Gao, Kaihong Yan, Ravi Naidu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉There is increasing concern about the use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated timber due to the possible leaching of toxic metals or metalloids. CCA-treated timber waste are currently stockpiled across Australia with limited information about their risks to the environment or human health. In this study, the treatment and utilisation of CCA-treated timber waste as garden mulch, garden retaining walls, and soil additive were investigated. Iron materials were used as immobilising agents. The bioavailability of Cr, Cu and As to 〈em〉Spinacia oleracea〈/em〉 from CCA-treated timber, before and after treatment, was determined in the context of human health risk assessment. The results showed that the iron-based treatments resulted in significant decreases in the concentrations of Cu and As in spinach grown in CCA-treated timber in soil. Analyses of CCA derived Cu and As in spinach showed that they accumulated in the roots rather than in the leaves. The risks of toxicity to humans varied for different utilisation scenarios and the immobilisation amendments were shown to reduce carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. The information obtained in this study can inform development of utilisation options for CCA-treated timber wastes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320022-fx1.jpg" width="307" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Han Chen, Tao Lin, Wei Chen, Hui Tao, Hang Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The variations of disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors and DBPs-associated toxic potencies were evaluated by ozonation, followed by a up-flow biological activated carbon (O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UBAC) filter treating two reconstituted water samples, featuring either high bromide (105.3 μg/L) or dissolved organic nitrogen (0.73 mg N/L) concentration, respectively. Ozonation contributed to ∼20% decrease in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration at a dosage of 0.7 mg of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/mg of DOC, but no further reduction in DOC level was observed with an increased dose of 1.0 mg of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/mg of DOC. When chlorine or preformed monochloramine was used as a disinfectant, UBAC process led to ∼40% reduction in the sum of detected DBP formation potential (FP) due to the removal of precursors at a feasible empty bed contact time of 15 min. The integrated effect of ozonation and UBAC biofiltration decreased the sum of DBP FP by ∼50% including halonitromethanes (THNMs), N-nitrosamines (NAs), and bromate, which increased in the effluent of ozonation. Chloramination produced less DBPs by weight as well as DBPs-associated additive toxic potencies than chlorination. The reduction in additive toxic potencies was generally lower than the removal efficiency of DBP FP after chlor(am)ination of treated waters by O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UBAC, indicating that the removal of DBPs-associated additive toxic potencies should be focused to better understand on the residual risk to public health in controlling DBP precursors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518319064-fx1.jpg" width="273" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Brooke K. Mayer, Carlan Johnson, Yu Yang, Nicole Wellenstein, Emily Maher, Patrick J. McNamara〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study evaluated strategies targeting macro- and micro-organic contaminant mitigation using low-energy titanium dioxide photocatalysis. Energy inputs of 1, 2, and 5 kWh m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 resulted in incomplete oxidation of macro-organic natural organic matter, signified by greater reductions of UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 and specific ultraviolet UV absorbance (SUVA) in comparison to dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The rate of UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 removal was 3 orders of magnitude greater than the rate of DOC degradation. Incomplete oxidation improved operation of downstream filtration processes. Photocatalysis at 2 kWh m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 increased the bed life of downstream granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration by 340% relative to direct filtration pretreatment. Likewise, photocatalysis operated ahead of microfiltration decreased fouling, resulting in longer filter run times. Using 2 kWh m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 photocatalysis increased filter run time by 36 times in comparison to direct filtration. Furthermore, levels of DOC and UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 in the membrane permeate improved (with no change in removal across the membrane) using low-energy photocatalysis pretreatments. While high-energy UV inputs provided high levels of removal of the estrogenic micro-organics estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17α-ethynlestradiol (EE2), low-energy photocatalysis did not enhance removal of estrogens beyond levels achieved by photolysis alone. In the cases of E1 and E3, the addition of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 as a photocatalyst reduced degradation rates of estrogens compared to UV photolysis. Overall, process electrical energy per order magnitude reductions (EEOs) greatly improved using photocatalysis, versus photolysis, for the macro-organics DOC, UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉, and SUVA; however, energy required for removal of estrogens was similar between photolysis and photocatalysis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320885-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rahat Riaz, Usman Ali, Jun Li, Gan Zhang, Khan Alam, Andrew James Sweetman, Kevin C. Jones, Riffat Naseem Malik〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Lesser Himalayan Region (LHR) is an important mountain ecosystem which supports a wide range of biodiversity for native flora and fauna. Human population in this region is largely dependent upon local sources for their livelihood. Surface soil (n = 32) and sediment (n = 32) were collected from four different altitudinal ranges of LHR and analyzed for priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) recommended by USEPA. Level, sources and distribution pattern of PAHs were assessed in soil and sediments samples collected from four altitudinal zones in LHR. Total PAHs concentration level of PAHs in soil and sediments ranged from 62.79 to 1080 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 14.54–437.43 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. Compositional profile of PAHs in both soil and sediment were dominated by low and medium molecular weight PAHs, ranged from 18.02 to 402.18 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉in soil and 0.32–96.34 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉in sediments. In the context of spatial distribution trend, highest mean concentrations of PAHs in soil were recorded in zone D (sites from the rural region) and for sediments highest concentrations were detected at zone A, which includes dam sites. In all four zones, no altitudinal trend of PAHs in soil and sediments was observed. Source apportionment through receptor modelling by positive matrix factorization (PMF) revealed that local sources such as biomass combustion and vehicular emissions are important sources of PAHs in this region. The prevalence of monsoon atmospheric circulation system in LHR implicated that this region is also influenced by medium and long range atmospheric transportation of PAHs from neighboring countries where potential sources and high level of PAHs has been reported.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320009-fx1.jpg" width="357" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaohui Zhang, Song Tang, Mao Wang, Weimin Sun, Yuwei Xie, Hui Peng, Aimin Zhong, Hongling Liu, Xiaowei Zhang, Hongxia Yu, John P. Giesy, Markus Hecker〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the most hazardous byproducts of some types of mining. However, research on how AMD affects the bacterial community structure of downstream riverine ecosystems and the distribution of metal resistance genes (MRGs) along pollution gradient is limited. Comprehensive geochemical and high-throughput next-generation sequencing analyses can be integrated to characterize spatial distributions and MRG profiles of sediment bacteria communities along the AMD-contaminated Hengshi River. We found that (1) diversities of bacterial communities significantly and gradually increased along the river with decreasing contamination, suggesting community composition reflected changes in geochemical conditions; (2) relative abundances of phyla 〈em〉Proteobacteria〈/em〉 and genus 〈em〉Halomonas〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Planococcaceae〈/em〉 that function in metal reduction decreased along the AMD gradient; (3) low levels of sediment salinity, sulfate, aquatic lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) were negatively correlated with bacterial diversity despite pH was in a positive manner with diversity; and (4) arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) resistance genes corresponded to sediment concentrations of As and Cu, respectively. Altogether, our findings offer initial insight into the distribution patterns of sediment bacterial community structure, diversity and MRGs along a lotic ecosystem contaminated by AMD, and the factors that affect them.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004565351832085X-fx1.jpg" width="437" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kenneth Brezinski, Beata Gorczyca〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Natural organic matter (NOM) constitutes the terrestrial and aquatic sources of organic plant like material found in water bodies. As of recently, an ever-increasing amount of effort is being put towards developing better ways of unraveling the heterogeneous nature of NOM. This is important as NOM is responsible for a wide variety of both direct and indirect effects: ranging from aesthetic concerns related to taste and odor, to issues related to disinfection by-product formation and metal mobility. A better understanding of NOM can also provide a better appreciation for treatment design; lending a further understanding of potable water treatment impacts on specific fractions and constituents of NOM. The use of high performance size-exclusion chromatography has shown a growing promise in its various applications for NOM characterization, through the ability to partition ultraviolet absorbing moieties into ill-defined groups of humic acids, hydrolysates of humics, and low molecular weight acids. HPSEC also has the ability of simultaneously measuring absorbance in the UV–visible range (200–350 nm); further providing a spectroscopic fingerprint that is simply unavailable using surrogate measurements of NOM, such as total organic carbon (TOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉), excitation-emission matrices (EEM), and specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA〈sub〉254〈/sub〉). This review mainly focuses on the use of HPSEC in the characterization of NOM in a potable water setting, with an additional focus on strong-base ion-exchangers specifically targeted for NOM constituents.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518318824-fx1.jpg" width="474" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): John Pierce Wise, James T.F. Wise, Catherine F. Wise, Sandra S. Wise, Cairong Zhu, Cynthia L. Browning, Tongzhang Zheng, Christopher Perkins, Christy Gianios, Hong Xie, John Pierce Wise〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉One Environmental Health has emerged as an important area of research that considers the interconnectedness of human, animal and ecosystem health with a focus on toxicology. The great whales in the Gulf of Maine are important species for ecosystem health, for the economies of the Eastern seaboard of the United States, and as sentinels for human health. The Gulf of Maine is an area with heavy coastal development, industry, and marine traffic, all of which contribute chronic exposures to environmental chemicals that can bioaccumulate in tissues and may gradually diminish an individual whale's or a population's fitness. We biopsied whales for three seasons (2010–2012) and measured the levels of 25 metals and selenium in skin biopsies collected from three species: humpback whales (〈em〉Megaptera novaeangliae〈/em〉), fin whales (〈em〉Balaenoptera physalus〈/em〉), and a minke whale (〈em〉Balaenoptera acutorostrata〈/em〉). We established baseline levels for humpback and fin whales. Comparisons with similar species from other regions indicate humpback whales have elevated levels of aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, nickel and zinc. Contextualizing the data with a One Environmental Health approach finds these levels to be of potential concern for whale health. While much remains to understand what threats these metal levels may pose to the fitness and survival of these whale populations, these data serve as a useful and pertinent start to understanding the threat of pollution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Han Wang, Guangjing Xu, Zheng Qiu, Yan Zhou, Yu Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The high energy consumption associated with biological treatment of municipal wastewater is posing a serious impact and challenge on the current global wastewater industry and is also inevitably linked to the issue of global climate change. To tackle such an emerging situation, this study aimed to develop strategies to effectively suppress nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in pilot-scale mainstream nitritation-denitritation system coupled with MBR for municipal wastewater treatment. The results showed that stable nitrite shunt was achieved, while more than 90% of COD and NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-N removal were obtained via nitritation-denitritation in the pilot plant fed with real municipal wastewater. Through adjusting aeration intensity in MBR in combination with the integrated control of dissolved oxygen (DO), sludge retention time (SRT) and sludge return ratio, NOB was successfully suppressed with a nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) of more than 80%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dong Chen, Zhong-wen Meng, Yi-ping Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Large quantities of molybdenum (Mo) slag are generated as a by-product during mining and smelting, which not only occupy huge stretches of arable land and natural habitats but also threaten the local ecosystem and environment. How to recycle this Mo slag is becoming an urgent issue. Here, we reported the toxicity assessment of Mo slag as a mineral fertilizer for slag recycling in agricultural practices. The results showed the following: (1) Lower rates of slag (1.0%, 2.5%, and 5.0%) fertilization, especially 5.0% slag, increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase), the contents of chlorophyll, and both the maximum quantum yield and quantum efficiency of photosystem II; decreased the content of malondialdehyde and the non-photochemical quenching of photosystem II; and eventually increased the height, leaf area, and biomass of pakchoi seedlings; (2) Higher rates (7.5% and 10.0%) of Mo slag application resulted in a reduction in the aforementioned physiological and morphological parameters (except for peroxidase activity) of pakchoi seedlings; and (3) Although fertilization with 5.0% slag increased the accumulation of the non-essential elements arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in pakchoi seedlings, their contents were still lower than the maximum levels of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, European Union, and standards of China. From the perspectives of plant nutrition and food safety, our results showed that Mo slag fertilization at rates lower than 5.0% can be applied as a mineral fertilizer for pakchoi grown on calcareous soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320915-fx1.jpg" width="399" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rui Qu, Shu-Shen Liu, Tong Li, Hai-Ling Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In the field of computational toxicology, predicting toxicological interaction or hormesis effect of a mixture from individuals is still a challenge. The two most frequently used model concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) also cannot solve these challenges perfectly. In this paper, we used IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 (an interpolation method based on the Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi tessellation as well as the training set of direct equipartition ray design (EquRay) mixtures) to predict the toxicities of binary mixtures composed of hormetic ionic liquids (ILs). One of the purposes is to verify the predictive ability of IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉. The other one is to improve the risk assessment of ILs mixtures especial hormetic ILs, because the toxicity reports of ILs mixtures are rarely reported in particular the toxicity of the hormetic ILs mixtures. Hence, we determined time-dependent toxicities of four ILs and their binary mixtures (designed by EquRay) to 〈em〉Vibrio qinghaiensis〈/em〉 sp.-Q67 at first. Then, mixture toxicities were predicted and compared using the IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 and CA. The results show that, the accuracy of IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 is higher than the accuracy of CA. And, more important, to some mixtures out of the CA application, IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 also can predict the mixture effects accurately. It showed that IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 can be applied to predict the toxicity of any binary mixture regardless of the type of concentration-response curve of the components. These toxicity data provided useful information for researching the prediction of hormesis or toxicological interaction of the mixture and toxicities of ILs mixtures.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gaël Le Croizier, Camille Lacroix, Sébastien Artigaud, Stéphane Le Floch, Jean-Marie Munaron, Jean Raffray, Virginie Penicaud, Marie-Laure Rouget, Raymond Laë, Luis Tito De Morais〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Subcellular cadmium (Cd) partitioning was investigated in the liver of two marine fish species, the European sea bass 〈em〉Dicentrarchus labrax〈/em〉 and the Senegalese sole 〈em〉Solea senegalensis〈/em〉, dietary exposed to an environmentally realistic Cd dose for two months followed by a two-month depuration. The two species displayed different handling strategies during the depuration period. Cd was largely bound to detoxifying fractions such as heat stable proteins (HSP) including metallothioneins (MT) in sea bass, while Cd was more linked to sensitive fractions such as organelles in sole. Whole liver concentrations and subcellular partitioning were also determined for essential elements. The greatest impairment of essential metal homeostasis due to Cd exposure was found in sole. These elements followed the Cd partitioning pattern, suggesting that they are involved in antioxidant responses against Cd toxicity. Cd consumption diminished sole growth in terms of body weight, probably due to lipid storage impairment. The contrasting partitioning patterns showed by the two species might imply different pathways for Cd elimination from the liver. In sea bass, MT-bound Cd would be excreted through bile or released into blood, crossing the cell membrane via a protein transporter. In sole, MRG-bound Cd would be sequestered by organelles before being released into the blood via vesicular exocytosis. These distinct strategies in cellular Cd handling in the liver might account for differential sensitivity to Cd toxicity and differential Cd excretion pathways between the two marine fish species.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320873-fx1.jpg" width="496" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Electrochimica Acta, Volume 295〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lei Lu, Xinyan Jiao, Jiawei Fan, Wu Lei, Yu Ouyang, Xifeng Xia, Zhixin Xue, Qingli Hao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and Lithium storage both play the key roles in energy conversion and storage devices. Here, we report a honeycomb-like nitrogen-doped carbon derived from enteromorpha algae (N-EA), using a one-step pyrolysis process at only 600 °C to simultaneously achieve doping, carbonization and activation. After anchoring CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 on N-EA, CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/N-EA, not only inherits the high surface area, porous structure, active nitrogen species from N-EA, but also benefits from the active sites and high theoretical specific capacity of Li storage from CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. The synergistic effect makes CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/N-EA an alternative catalyst to commercial Pt/C for ORR with superior activity and stability. Moreover, CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/N-EA exhibits a remarkable cycle performance with a 100% capacity retention (∼900 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Green preparation, waste utilization, good ORR performance and Li storage property of CoFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/N-EA could make it a promising candidate for fuel cells and LIBs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 536〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xueyi Guo, Weijia Wang, Xiuhong Yuan, Ying Yang, Qinghua Tian, Yang Xiang, Yan Sun, Zhiming Bai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Magnetic nano capture agent (MNCA)-based magnetic separation is considered as a promising approach to rapidly isolate heavy metals from blood. Limited removal efficiency and potential biosafety risks are the major challenges for the clinical use of MNCA-based magnetic separation. Here, we report a highly-efficient MNCA-based magnetic separation of heavy metals from blood in continuous multi-stage adsorption mode. The interactions between MNCA and blood components (〈em〉e.g.〈/em〉 blood cells and plasma proteins) and the MNCA-induced cellular immune responses are studied in detail. The distribution and redistribution of heavy metals in blood are quantitatively analyzed. It demonstrates that concentration dependent redistribution can increase the contact between heavy metals and MNCA, leading to improvement on heavy metal removal efficiency. The removal performance is tested in batch mode and in continuous mode. Results show that 97.97% of Pb and 96.53% of Cd are removed from blood in 120 min using continuous multi-stage adsorption mode, and the residual concentrations of Pb and Cd in blood decrease from 400 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 to 8.11 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 13.84 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. This study paves an effective way for heavy metal intoxication therapy by MNCA-based magnetic separation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S002197971831292X-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 2 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 506, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): John T. Gamble, Yuriyah Reed-Harris, Carrie L. Barton, Jane La Du, Robert Tanguay, Juliet A. Greenwood〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly disease due to its ability to quickly invade and destroy brain tissue. Slowing or stopping GBM cell progression is crucial to help those inflicted with the disease. Our lab created an embryo-larval zebrafish xenograft model as a tool to study human GBM progression in an observable brain environment. The zebrafish brain is a dynamic and complex environment providing an optimal setting for studying GBM cell progression. Here we demonstrate the ability of our model to quantitate GBM proliferation, dispersal, blood vessel association, microtumor formation, and individual cell invasion by evaluating the importance of an extracellular matrix protein, laminin alpha 5 (lama5), on U251MG cell progression. Lama5 has been implicated in cancer cell survival, proliferation and invasion and is a known adhesion site for GBM cells. While lama5 is highly expressed in endothelial cells in the brain, it is unknown how lama5 affects GBM behavior. Using a lama5 morpholino, we discovered that lama5 decreased U251MG dispersal by 23% and doubles the formation of blood vessel dependent microtumors. Despite lama5 being a known attachment site for GBM, lama5 expression had no effect on U251MG association with blood vessels. Analysis of individual U251MG cells revealed lama5 significantly lowered invasion as mobile U251MG cells traveled 32.5  μm less, invaded 5.0 μm/hr slower and initiated invasion 60% few times per cell.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yoon-Jin Lee, Jeong-Eun Oh, Sang-Han Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Extracellular acidity in the tumor microenvironment contributes to chemoresistance of malignant tumors. The objective of this study was to determine anticancer effects of arctigenin, a novel anti-inflammatory lignan extracted from seeds of 〈em〉Arctium lappa〈/em〉, on acidity-tolerant prostate cancer PC-3AcT cells. The PC-3AcT cells manifested increased tolerance to low-pH media with enhanced percent cell viability and increased resistance to docetaxel compared to their parental PC-3 cells. Arctigenin alone or in combination with docetaxel induced potent cytotoxicity. Preferential sensitization of PC-3AcT cells to arctigenin was accompanied by increased cell fractions with sub-G〈sub〉0〈/sub〉/G〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 peak and annexin V-PE(+), increased ROS levels, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and cellular ATP content, and inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. A series of changes caused by arctigenin were efficiently reversed through reducing ROS levels by radical scavenger N-acetylcysteine, thus placing ROS upstream of arctigenin-driven cytotoxicity. Collectively, these results demonstrate that arctigenin can increase oxidative stress-mediated mitochondrial damage of acidity-tolerant PC-3AcT cells, suggesting that arctigenin might be a potential therapeutic candidate to overcome acidic-microenvironment-associated chemotherapeutic resistance in prostate cancer.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shengting Wang, Qian Li, Yufang Wang, Xiaoming Li, Rui Wang, Yuhua Kang, Xukai Xue, Rui Meng, Qi Wei, Xinghua Feng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Recently, a large number of studies have shown that circular RNA (circRNA) is involved in the development and progression of human cancer. However, its role in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains largely unknown. In this study, a novel circRNA, circ-UBAP2 (hsa_circ_0001846), was shown to be markedly upregulated in TNBC. Moreover, high circ-UBAP2 expression was closely associated with larger tumour size (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.003), advanced TNM stage (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.005), lymph node metastasis (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.002), and unfavourable prognosis (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.0256). Functionally, lentivirus-mediated stable knockdown of circ-UBAP2 dramatically weakened the ability of TNBC cells to proliferate and migrate and induced apoptosis 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 and 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉. Regarding the mechanism, we found that circ-UBAP2 was mainly observed in the cytoplasm and was capable of sponging miRNA-661 to increase the expression of the oncogene MTA1. Additionally, silencing of miRNA-661 or overexpression of MTA1 could partially rescue the attenuated malignant phenotype caused by circ-UBAP2 knockdown. Taken together, our data reveal that circ-UBAP2 plays a vital regulatory role in TNBC via the miR-661/MTA1 axis and may serve as a promising therapeutic target for TNBC patients.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X18321685-fx1.jpg" width="301" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yahong Han, Zhenbiao Xu, Yanan Liu, Da Wei, Jing Zhang, Le Xue, Xiangmin Zhang, Jie Qin, Hongkuan Deng, Linxia Song〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Absract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Y-box binding protein (YB protein) is an ancient conserved multifunctional DNA/RNA-binding protein. A novel YB protein 〈em〉DjY2〈/em〉 gene from planarian 〈em〉Dugesia japonica〈/em〉 was cloned by RACE method and characterized. This cDNA contains 689 bp with a putative open reading frame of 197 amino acids. It has a predicted molecular mass of 22.14 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.67. Whole-mount in situ hybridization and relative quantitative real-time PCR were used to study the spatial and temporal expression pattern of 〈em〉DjY2〈/em〉 in the process of planarian regeneration. Results showed that 〈em〉DjY2〈/em〉 was expressed in many parts of the body in intact planarian, but the expression level was low in head and pharynx. The transcripts of 〈em〉DjY2〈/em〉 was significantly increased both at the head parts and the tail parts after amputation, especially at the site of cutting. The spatial expression gradually recovered to the state of intact planarian with the time of regeneration. Our results indicated that 〈em〉DjY2〈/em〉 might participate in the process of regeneration in planarian.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Saeko Kimura, Tomoki Uchida, Yuki Tokuyama, Mayumi Hosokawa, Junya Nakato, Atsushi Kurabayashi, Masaru Sato, Hideyuki Suzuki, Ryuhei Kanamoto, Kousaku Ohinata〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Rubisco, an enzyme for photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation, is a major green leaf protein and known as the most abundant protein on the Earth. We found that Rubisco digested mimicking gastrointestinal enzymatic conditions exhibited anxiolytic-like effects after oral administration in mice. Based on a comprehensive peptide analysis of the digest using nanoLC-Orbitrap-MS and the structure-activity relationship of known anxiolytic-like peptides, we identified SYLPPLTT, SYLPPLT and YHIEPV [termed Rubisco anxiolytic-like peptide (rALP)-1, rALP-1(1–7) and rALP-2, respectively], which exhibited potent anxiolytic-like effects after oral administration. The anxiolytic-like effects of rALP-1/rALP-1(1–7) were blocked by a serotonin 5-HT〈sub〉1A〈/sub〉 receptor antagonist, whereas rALP-2-induced effects were inhibited by a δ-opioid receptor antagonist. In conclusion, novel Rubisco-derived anxiolytic-like peptides, rALP-1/rALP-1(1–7) and rALP-2, act via independent neural pathways.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X18321363-fx1.jpg" width="359" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Debora Levy, Thatiana Correa de Melo, Bianca Yumi Ohira, Maíra Luísa Fidelis, Jorge L.M. Ruiz, Alessandro Rodrigues, Sergio P. Bydlowski〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Oxysterols are 27-carbon oxidation products of cholesterol metabolism. Oxysterols possess several biological actions, including the promotion of cell death. Here, we examined the ability of several oxysterols to induce short-term death in cancerous (human breast cancer and mouse skin melanoma cells) and non-cancerous (human endothelial cells and lung fibroblasts) cell lines. We determined cell viability, Ki67 expression, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis after 24-h incubations with oxysterols. We found that different oxysterols had different effects on the studied parameters. Moreover, the effects depended on cell type and oxysterol concentration. Three cytotoxic oxysterols (7-ketocholesterol, cholestane-3β-5α-6β-triol, and 5α-cholestane-3β,6β-diol) inhibited the S phase and stimulated the G0/G1 or G2/M phases. These oxysterols promoted apoptosis, determined with Annexin V and propidium iodide assays. These results showed that different oxysterols have cytotoxic effects depending on the cell line. The findings suggest a potential pharmacological utility of cytotoxic oxysterols.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Keigo Kumagai, Cherilyn A. Elwell, Shuji Ando, Joanne N. Engel, Kentaro Hanada〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉Chlamydia trachomatis〈/em〉 is an obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates within a membranous compartment, the inclusion, in host cells. Its intracellular life cycle requires host sphingolipids, which are in part acquired through the ER-Golgi localized ceramide transport protein (CERT). The Chlamydia-encoded inclusion membrane protein IncD is composed of two closely linked long hydrophobic domains with their N- and C-termini exposed to the host cytosol. IncD binds directly to the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of CERT, likely redirecting ceramide to the inclusion. The precise regions of IncD required for this interaction have not been delineated. Using co-transfection studies together with phylogenetic studies, we demonstrate that both the IncD N- and C-terminal regions are required for binding to the CERT PH domain and define key interaction residues. Native gel electrophoresis analysis demonstrates that the transmembrane region of IncD forms SDS-resistant but dithiothreitol-sensitive homodimers, which in turn can assemble to form higher order oligomers through additional N- and C-terminal domain contacts. IncD oligomerization may facilitate high affinity binding to CERT, allowing 〈em〉C. trachomatis〈/em〉 to efficiently redirect host ceramide to the inclusion.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yukino Morikiri, Eri Matsuta, Hideki Inoue〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The skin consists mostly of extracellular matrix (ECM) composed mainly of collagen, which provides a protective barrier from the environment. The skin continuously experiences harmful stress and damage. As aging progresses, the expression of various genes declines, and physiological functional deterioration occurs. The reduction of collagen accompanying aging impairs the barrier function of the skin and weakens protection from stressors. In the nematode 〈em〉Caenorhabditis elegans〈/em〉, ECM proteins turn over during aging. Older worms of longevity mutants exhibit increased collagen expression, whereas knockdown of collagen genes shortens lifespan. However, it is unclear whether the progression of aging can be delayed by increasing collagen production via an external stimulus. In this study, we examined the effects of collagen tripeptide (CTP), a collagen-derived compound, on lifespan and aging. Our results showed that CTP upregulated collagen genes via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/SKN-1 pathway. Moreover, CTP extended lifespan and delayed aging through p38 MAPK/SKN-1 pathway. In addition, CTP also induced collagen expression via the p38 MAPK pathway in mammals. Our findings supported that external stimuli such as CTP could promote ECM youthfulness using a conserved signaling pathway, thereby contributing to suppression of aging.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Atsushi Masuyama, Tomoya Mita, Kosuke Azuma, Yusuke Osonoi, Kenichi Nakajima, Hiromasa Goto, Yuya Nishida, Takeshi Miyatsuka, Masako Mitsumata, Hirotaka Watada〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Autophagy is considered as an evolutionarily conserved cellular catabolic process. Defective autophagy has been implicated in various human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Recently, we and others demonstrated that defective autophagy in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) promotes the progression of atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated the role of autophagy in SMCs on plaque instability 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉. We generated mice with a defect 〈em〉atg7〈/em〉in which is an essential gene for autophagy, in SMCs by crossing 〈em〉Atg7〈/em〉〈sup〉〈em〉f/f〈/em〉〈/sup〉 mice with transgelin (〈em〉Tagln〈/em〉) 〈em〉Cre〈/em〉〈sup〉〈em〉+/0〈/em〉〈/sup〉 mice (〈em〉Atg7cKO〈/em〉). Then, 〈em〉Atg7cKO〈/em〉 and apolipoprotein E (〈em〉apoe〈/em〉)-deficient (〈em〉apoeKO〈/em〉) mice were crossed to generate 〈em〉Atg7cKO:apoeKO〈/em〉 mice. To generate a mouse model of plaque instability, we conducted to form a tandem stenosis in the carotid artery of 〈em〉Atg7cKO:apoeKO〈/em〉 mice and their controls (〈em〉apoeKO〈/em〉 mice) at the age of 10 weeks. At 5 weeks after surgery, the percentage of cross-sectional stenosis area in the operated common carotid artery of 〈em〉Atg7cKO:apoeKO〈/em〉 mice was significantly higher than that in 〈em〉apoeKO〈/em〉 mice. In addition, thrombus, which was not observed in 〈em〉apoeKO〈/em〉 mice, was frequently found in 〈em〉Atg7cKO:apoeKO〈/em〉 mice. Furthermore, the number of Berlin blue staining-positive areas, which indicated intraplaque hemorrhage, was significantly higher in 〈em〉Atg7cKO:apoeKO〈/em〉 mice than in control 〈em〉apoeKO〈/em〉 mice. Taken together, our data suggest that defective autophagy in SMCs enhances plaque instability and the risk of plaque rupture.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zongtai Feng, Huiting Zhou, Shurong Ma, Xinxian Guan, Lulu Chen, Jie Huang, Huan Gui, Xinxin Miao, Shenglin Yu, Jiang Huai Wang, Jian Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains one of the leading causes of death in neonatal infants and new therapeutic strategies for NEC are urgently required. The immunomodulatory agent FTY720 has been shown to have protective effects in various inflammatory diseases. In this study, we hypothesized that treatment with FTY720 confers protection against experimental NEC. Experimental NEC was induced in five-day-old C57BL/6 neonatal mice by hyperosmolar formula feeding plus hypoxia and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenges. Induction of NEC resulted in substantial weight loss and high mortality compared to the control group, whereas FTY720 treatment significantly attenuated weight loss and improved survival in NEC-challenged neonatal mice. FTY720 treatment strongly ameliorated NEC-induced intestinal injury with reduced apoptosis and up-regulation of intestinal barrier proteins in the ileal tissues. Furthermore, FTY720 treatment abrogated NEC-initiated intestinal and systemic inflammation with markedly diminished inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Moreover, FTY720 treatment suppressed NEC-activated CXCL5/CXCR2 axis with down-regulated expression of CXCL5 and CXCR2 at both mRNA and protein levels. Thus, we demonstrate that FTY720 protects neonatal mice against NEC-associated lethality by ameliorating intestinal injury and attenuating inflammation, possibly via its down-regulation of NEC-induced activation of intestinal CXCL5/CXCR2 axis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Prince Rajaiah Prabhu, Sakthi Devi Moorthy, Jayaprakasam Madhumathi, Satya Narayan Pradhan, Markus Perbandt, Christian Betzel, Perumal Kaliraj〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The notoriety of parasitic nematode survival is directly related to chronic pathogenicity, which is evident in human lymphatic filariasis. It is a disease of poverty which causes severe disability affecting more than 120 million people worldwide. These nematodes down-regulate host immune system through a myriad of strategies that includes secretion of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes like glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs). Earlier studies have shown 〈em〉Wuchereria bancrofti〈/em〉 GST to be a potential therapeutic target. Parasite GSTs catalyse the conjugation of glutathione to xenobiotic and other endogenous electrophiles and are essential for their long-term survival in lymph tissues. Hence, the crystal structure of WbGST along with its cofactor GSH at 2.3 Å resolution was determined. Structural comparisons against host GST reveal distinct differences in the substrate binding sites. The parasite xenobiotic binding site is more substrate/solvent accessible. The structure also suggests the presence of putative non-catalytic binding sites that may permit sequestration of endogenous and exogenous ligands. The structure of WbGST also provides a case for the role of the π-cation interaction in stabilizing catalytic Tyr compared to stabilization interactions described for other GSTs. Hence, the obtained information regarding crucial differences in the active sites will support future design of parasite specific inhibitors. Further, the study also evaluates the inhibition of 〈em〉Wb〈/em〉GST and its variants by antifilarial diethylcarbamazine through kinetic assays.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): He-Nan Liu, Nan-Jue Cao, Xun Li, Wei Qian, Xiao-Long Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive microvascular complication associated with diabetes, and remains the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Recent studies have revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) were involving in the physiological and pathophysiological processes of diabetes and its microvascular and macrovascular complications. The purpose of the current investigation is to identify the candidate miR-211 as a novel biomarker for occurrence and progression of DR in clinical study and experimental research. Firstly, miR-211 was considered as a candidate miRNA identifying by miRNA microarray analysis, Venn diagram analysis, real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and receiver operating characteristic curve in clinical study. Then, the predicted Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) may be the target gene of miR-211 searching by TargetScan 7.2. Moreover, miR-211 was significantly up-regulated, while SIRT1 mRNA significantly down-regulated measuring by qRT-PCR, meanwhile, SIRT1 protein was significantly down-regulated in coincidence with SIRT1 mRNA detecting by western blot, and even aggravated associated with diabetes duration in diabetic retinal tissues of vivo experiment. Additionally, miR-211 was directly targeted SIRT1 confirming by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, with transfection of antagomiR-211, the apoptosis of HUVECs was significantly suppressed employing by flow cytometry analysis, nevertheless the viability of HUVECs was significantly promoted exploiting by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Finally, SIRT1 mRNA and SIRT1 protein were significantly up-regulated testing by qRT-PCR and western blot respectively in hyperglycemic HUVECs transfected with antagomiR-211 of vitro experiment. Consequently, the current clinical study and experimental research imply that serum miR-211 as a novel biomarker with high sensitivity and specificity could be associated with occurrence and progression of DR via targeting SIRT1.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Weiqi Hu, Weimin Xu, Yi Shi, Weijun Dai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common type of head and neck cancers which is notable for its distinctive pattern of geographical distribution. HOTAIR has been reported to regulate nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumorigenesis and progression. However, the detailed mechanism underlying HOTAIR-promoted nasopharyngeal carcinoma remains not fully understood.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉We used RT-qPCR approach to examine genes expression and mRNA level. MTT assay and soft agar assay were used to detect cell growth rate in culture and under suspended condition, respectively. Besides, we employed wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay to determine migration and invasion ability of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. We predicted direct downstream targets of miR-101 by bioinformatic analysis, which was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉HOTAIR was upregulated in NPC tissues and cells. miR-101 inhibitor greatly enhanced HOTAIR knockdown-regulated cell proliferation, migration and invasion of CNE1 and CNE2 cells. miR-101 was shown to directly bind 3′-UTR of COX-2 and downregulate COX-2 expression. Finally, COX-2 overexpression was demonstrated to rescue the tumor phenotypes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells attenuated by HOTAIR knockdown or miR-101 mimic.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusions〈/h6〉 〈p〉Here, we highlight the importance of HOTAIR/miR-101/COX-2 axis in progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Our findings provide a novel mechanism for explaining HOTAIR-induced nasopharyngeal carcinoma and help developing the therapeutical strategies by targeting HOTAIR.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Michela Zamboni, Donato Civitareale〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In non-small lung cancer, the expression of the transcription factor TTF-1/Nkx2.1 correlates with the presence of EGFR mutations, therefore TTF-1/Nkx2.1 expression is used to optimize an EGFR testing strategy and to guide clinical treatment. We investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the functional connection between EGFR and TTF-1/Nkx2.1 gene expression in lung adenocarcinoma. Using the H1975 cell line as a non-small cell lung cancer model system and short hairpin RNA, we have selected clones with TTF-1/Nkx2.1 silenced expression. We have found that Leucine-rich immunoglobulin repeats-1 (LRIG1) gene is a direct target of TTF-1/Nkx2.1 and the transcription factor binding to the LRIG1 genomic sequence inhibits its gene expression. In TTF-1/Nkx2.1 depleted clones, we have found high levels of LRIG1 and decreased presence of EGFR protein. Furthermore, in TTF-1/Nkx2.1 depleted clones we detected a reduced β-catenin level and we provide experimental evidence indicating that TTF-1/Nkx2.1 gene expression is regulated by β-catenin. Published studies indicate that LRIG1 triggers EGFR degradation and that mutated EGFR induces β-catenin activity. Hence, with the present study we show that mutated EGFR, enhancing β-catenin, stimulates TTF-1/Nkx2.1 gene expression and, at the same time, TTF-1/Nkx2.1, down-regulating LRIG1, sustains EGFR pathway. Therefore, LRIG1 and β-catenin mediate the functional connection between TTF-1/Nkx2.1 and mutated EGFR.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X18321570-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cong Zu, Guangyuan Qin, Chunshu Yang, Ning Liu, Anning He, Mingdi Zhang, Xinyu Zheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Purpose〈/h6〉 〈p〉The resistance to 5-FU often limits its clinical effectiveness on breast cancer treatment. Combination therapy thus is employed to overcome this treatment resistance. We here report a potent antitumor effect of Emodin at low dose on chemotherapy sensitivity of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉Cell viability, apoptosis, glutathiones (GSH) concentration and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity following Emodin and 5-FU treatment was assessed. Cellular senescence following combined treatment and silence of NRARP was examined by senescence-associated β-galactosidase analysis. Western blot analysis was used to determine changes in the expression of p21, p16, p27, E2F1 and NRARP.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉Low dose Emodin potentiates 5-FU-induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells, in association with inhibition of NRARP, resulting in cellular senescence. RNA interference of NRARP induced cellular senescence in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the cellular senescence induced by Emodin and 5-FU treatment could be reverted by pcDNA–NRARP.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉These findings provide preclinical evidence for repurposing use of Emodin in combination with chemotherapeutic agents to treat breast cancer as an alternative salvage regimen.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jae Yeon Choi, Hyun Jin Shin, In Hwa Bae〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cellular senescence, a distinctive type of irreversible growth arrest, develops in response to various stimuli. Bcl-w, an oncogene and member of the Bcl-2 family, has been reported to promote tumorigenicity in various cancer cells. Here, we sought to explore the potential role of Bcl-w in premature senescence, which has received relatively little research attention. Our findings demonstrate that Bcl-w enhances the activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) and promotes histone H3 tri-methylation at lysine 9 (H3K9me3) and expressions of p53, Notch2, p21, and p16—hallmarks of the senescent phenotype—in human U251 glioblastoma and H460 lung carcinoma cells. It is also known that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate processes related to tumor development, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, metabolism, inflammation, invasion, angiogenesis, and senescence. In this context, we found that miR-93-5p inhibited premature cellular senescence by directly suppressing Bcl-w and p21 expressions. Collectively, these findings suggest that targeting miR-93-5p–regulated Bcl-w may be a useful strategy for preventing premature senescence.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 505, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jong Hyuk Lee, Yoon Hee Chung, Ho Hyun Kim, Joon Seok Bang, Tae Woo Jung, Taekwang Park, Jinwoo Park, Uiseok Kim, Sung Hoon Lee, Ji Hoon Jeong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of p-coumaric acid on the longitudinal growth of the long bone in adolescent male rats. Teatment with p-coumaric acid significantly increased the tibial length and the height of each growth plate zone and the ratio of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine-positive cells relative to total proliferative cells. Expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its receptor in the proliferative and hypertrophic zones, and serum levels of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 were significantly increased as well in the p-coumaric acid-treated group. Via increasing both the serum level of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its expression, p-coumaric acid could promote cell proliferation in growth plate zones. These results suggest that p-coumaric acid has the potential to increase height and may be a feasible alternative to growth hormone therapy.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉