Hydro*

The molecular basis of many health outcomes attributed to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that they may originate from transcriptional changes in blood cells. This was determined by assessing the effect of fluorescent solar simulated radiation (FSSR) on the transcriptional profile of peripheral blood pre- and 6h, 24h and 48h post-exposure in nine healthy volunteers. Expression of 20 genes was down-regulated and one was up-regulated at 6h after FSSR. All recovered to baseline expression at 24h or 48h...

Xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (XET) activity, which cuts and re-joins hemicellulose chains in the plant cell wall, contributing to wall assembly and growth regulation, is the major activity of XTH proteins. During purification, XTHs often lose XET activity which, however, is restored by treatment with certain cold-water-extractable, heat-stable polymers (CHPs), e.g. from cauliflower florets. It was not known whether the XTH-activating factor (XAF) present in CHPs works by promoting (e.g. allosterically) XET activity or by re-solubilising sequestered XTH proteins...

Hexagonal mesoporous MgAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) was synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method and was employed without calcination as adsorbent in the removal of the direct anionic azo dye, Brilliant Yellow (BY). The adsorbent was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM and BET surface area. Hexagonal platelets of MgAl LDH were fabricated with nanometric building blocks. Batch experiments were carried out for study effects of contact time, amount of adsorbent, solution pH and solution temperature on the removal efficiency of BY...

Assemblies of metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been broadly used for the construction of materials with distinct spectroscopic properties towards sensing applications. On the other hand, well-dispersed NPs are exploit for applications in catalysis and medicine. Biopolymers or biomimetic oligomers can serve both as efficient stabilizers of NPs and as useful aggregation mediators that can lead to assemblies with unique properties. Controlling aggregation processes, however, is still challenging and often relies on trial and error rather than on defined thumb rules...

The one-pot CRUDE (Conversion of Raw and Untreated Disposal into Ethanol) process was developed for simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation of unprocessed food waste into ethanol using thermophilic (growing at 65°C) anaerobic bacteria. Unlike existing waste to energy technologies, the CRUDE process obviates the need for any pre-treatment or enzyme addition. A High-Temperature-High-Pressure (HTHP) distillation technique was also applied that facilitated efficient use of fermentation medium, inoculum recycling, and in-situ ethanol collection...

Ethanol production using waste biomass represents a very attractive approach. However, there are considerable challenges preventing a wide distribution of these novel technologies. Thus, a fractional-factorial screening of process variables and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast inoculum conditions was performed using a synthetic fermentation media. Subsequently, a response-surface methodology was developed for maximizing ethanol yields using a hemicellulosic solution generated through the chemical hydrolysis of steam treatment broth obtained from residual softwood biomass...

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), the enzyme that produces the bioactive sphingolipid metabolite, sphingosine-1-phosphate, is a promising new molecular target for therapeutic intervention in cancer and inflammatory diseases. In view of its importance, the main objective of this work was to find new and more potent inhibitors for this enzyme possessing different structural scaffolds than those of the known inhibitors. Our theoretical and experimental study has allowed us to identify two new structural scaffolds (three new compounds), which could be used as starting structures for the design and then the development of new inhibitors of SphK1...

It is important to design insecticides having both low drug resistance and less undesirable toxicity for desert locust control. Specific GPCRs of Schistocerca gregaria, especially β-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor (SgOctβR), can be considered as its potential effective insecticide targets. However, either the unavailability of SgOctβR's structure or the inadequate capability of its sequence lead the development of insecticide for Schistocerca gregaria meets its plateau. To relax this difficulty, this paper develops a promising progressive structure simulation from SgOctβR's sequence, to its predicted structure of SgOctβR in vacuum, to its conformation as well as its complex with endogenous ligand octopamine in a solvent-membrane system...

Gadolinium as gadolinium nitrate is used as neutron poison in the moderator system for regulating and controlling the power generation of Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) and proposed to be used in Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWR) owing to its high neutron absorption cross section. Removal of the added gadolinium nitrate (Gd(3+) and NO3(-)) from the system after its intended use is done using ion exchange resins. In the present investigation, attempts have been made to optimize the ion exchange process for generation of low radioactive waste and maximize utilization of the ion exchange resins by employing different types of resins and different modes of operation...

Three-dimensional (3D) MnO2/Carbon Sphere (MnO2/CS) composite was synthesized from zero-dimensional carbon spheres and one-dimensional α-MnO2 using hydrothermal method. The hierarchical MnO2/CS composite was applied for the catalytic oxidation and adsorption of elemental mercury (Hg(0)) from coal-fired flue gas. The characterization results indicated that this composite exhibits a 3D urchin morphology. Carbon spheres act as the core and α-MnO2 nano-rods grew on the surface of carbon spheres. This 3D hierarchical structure benefits the enlargement of surface areas and pore volumes...

Two lab-scale high solid anaerobic digesters fed with untreated sludge (R1) and thermally hydrolyzed sludge (R2) were operated to investigate the influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) on the degradation of individual macromolecular organic components (MOCs), as well as the functional and metabolic responses of microbes during anaerobic digestion (AD). The degradation of MOCs was improved by THP at different rates, in which improved degradation of proteins (by 49.0%) and hemicelluloses (by 25.0%) were the main factors contributing to the increase in volatile solids (VS) reduction...

The canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway is up-regulated in gliomas and involved in proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Nuclear β-catenin accumulation correlates with malignancy. Hypoxia activates hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α by inhibiting HIF-1α prolyl hydroxylation, which promotes glycolytic energy metabolism, vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, whereas HIF-1α is degraded by the HIF prolyl hydroxylase under normoxic conditions. We focus this review on the links between the activated Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the mechanisms underlying vasculogenesis and angiogenesis through HIF-1α under normoxic conditions in gliomas...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) among all pregnancies referred for prenatal care at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) during the study period and to evaluate the underlying etiologies of NIH. STUDY DESIGN: All pregnancies referred to SQUH between February 2014 and December 2015 were identified, and all pregnancies meeting the diagnosis of NIHF were included in this study. All cases of NIHF referred to our center during this period underwent standard systematic diagnostic work-up that included biochemical and molecular studies in addition to the standard investigations for hydrops fetalis...

BACKGROUND: The demand for vitamin D testing is increasing in China. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) immunoassay is specific and accurate but requires expensive equipment, experienced operators, and complicated pretreatment of serum. Automated immunoassays are simple and convenient but only determine total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD). The objective of this study was to quantify 25OHD2 and 25OHD3 in patients to assist clinical physicians and laboratory directors in choosing the most appropriate method to determine 25OHD...

Modulation of neuropeptide receptors is important for pancreatic β-cell function. Here, islet distribution and effects of the neurotensin (NT) receptor modulators, xenin and NT, was examined. Xenin, but not NT, significantly improved glucose disposal and insulin secretion, in mice. However, both peptides stimulated insulin secretion from rodent β-cells at 5.6 mM glucose, with xenin having similar insulinotropic actions at 16.7 mM glucose. In contrast, NT inhibited glucose-induced insulin secretion. Similar observations were made in human 1...

Four iridoids (1-4), five iridoid glucosides (5-9), and three triterpenoids (10-12) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of 70% Me2CO extract of the aerial parts of Viburnum ternatum through various column chromatographies over silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 and MCI. Their structures were elucidated as ternatumin A (1), 2,9-dioxatricyclo[4.3.1.03，7]decanes (2), 7,10,2'-triacetylsuspensolide F (3), 7,10,2',3'-tetraacetylsuspensolide F (4), viburtinoside IV (5), viburtinoside II (6), viburtinoside B (7), luzonoside A (8), luzonoside B (9), 2α,3β,24-trihydroxy-12-ursen-28-oic acid (10), 6-hydroxy-20(29)-lupen-3-one (11), and pomalic acid (12) based on the their chromatographic properties, chemical and physicochemical methods, and spectroscopic data...

The chemical constituents from lipophilic parts in the roots of Angelica dahurica cv. Yubaizhi were studied in this paper. The compounds were separated and purified by repeated column chromatographic methods on silica gel and HPLC, and the chemical structures of compounds were determined by spectral data analyses. Thirty-three compounds were obtained and identified as isoimperatorin (1), imperatorin (2), stigmasterol (3), isooxypeucedanin (4), pabulenol (5), psoralen (6), bergapten (7), isodemethylfuropinarine (8), phellopterin (9), osthenol (10), alloimperatorin (11), xanthotoxin (12), xanthotoxol (13), isopimpinellin (14), alloisoimperatorin (15), β-sitosterol (16), oxyalloimperatorin (17), pabularinone (18), 5-hydroxy-8-methoxypsoralen (19), columbianetin (20), heracol (21), isogosferol (22), 2″R-neobyakangelicol (23), byakangelicin ethoxide (24), byakangelicin (25), oxypeucedanin hydrate (26), uracil (27), umbelliferone (28), bergaptol (29), demethylfuropinarine (30), isobyakangelicol (31), oxypeucedanin ethanolate (32), heraclenol (33)...

Eight compounds were isolated from the rice fermentation of Streptomyces sp. CPCC 202950 by a combination of various chromatographic techniques including column chromatography over silica, Sephadex LH-20, flash C₁₈, and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were identified as 3-[(3'-amino-3'-oxoprop-1'-en-2'-yl)oxy]benzamide (1), m-hydroxybenzamide (2), leptosphaepin (3), 5-methyluracil (4), feruloylamide (5), p-hydroxyphenylacetoamide (6), vanillamide (7), cyclo (L-val-L-ala) (8). Among them, 1 was a new benzamide analogue, and 2 was a new natural product...

Pu-erh tea has gradually aroused general concern with social development and people's enhanced awareness of health. Pu-erh tea is rich in multiple active constitute such as flavonoids, catechins, phenolic acids, flavanols polymer, purine alkaloids, and hydrolysable tannin as a microbial-fermented tea.It is reported that Pu-erh tea have a variety of pharmacologically activities, such as anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidative, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral effects. In this paper, the main pharmacological effects of Pu-erh tea are reviewed...

Photorespiration is an essential metabolic process in plants occurring via the oxygenase reaction of RuBisCO. In order to understand this process, it is essential to determine the amounts of intermediates involved. For this purpose we combined mass spectrometry-based approaches and the use of authentic standards for the quantification of photorespiratory intermediates. Here we describe protocols for the extraction and quantification of 2-phosphoglycolate (2PG) by LC-MS/MS and serine, glycine, glycolate, hydroxypyruvate, glyoxylate, and glycerate by GC-MS...