Cadmium removal from human plasma by Cibacron Blue F3GA and thionein incorporated into polymeric microspheres

Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate–ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate) [poly(HEMA–EGDMA)] microspheres carrying Cibacron Blue F3GA and/or thionein were prepared and used for the removal of cadmium ions Cd(II) from human plasma. The poly(HEMA–EGDMA) microspheres, in the size range of 150–200 μm in diameter, were produced by a modified suspension copolymerization of HEMA and EGDMA. The reactive triazinyl dye-ligand Cibacron Blue F3GA was then covalently incorporated into the microspheres. The maximum dye incorporation was 16.5 μmol/g. Then, thionein was bound onto the Cibacron Blue F3GA-incorporated microspheres under different conditions. The maximum amount of thionein bound was 14.3 mg/g. The maximum amounts of Cd(II) ions removed from human plasma by poly(HEMA–EGDMA)–Cibacron Blue F3GA and poly(HEMA–EGDMA)–Cibacron Blue F3GA–thionein were of 17.5 mg/g and 38.0 mg/g, respectively. Cd(II) ions could be repeatedly adsorbed and desorbed with both types of microspheres without significant loss in their adsorption capacity.     

Regulation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase

Summary The two high affinity calcium binding sites of the cardiac (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase have been identified with the use of Eu³⁺. Eu³⁺ competes for the two high affinity calcium sites on the enzyme. With the use of laser-pulsed fluorescent spectroscopy, the environment of the two sites appear to be heterogeneous and contain different numbers of H₂O molecules coordinated to the ion. The ion appears to be occluded even further in the presence of ATP. Using non-radiative energy transfer studies, we were able to estimate the distance between the two Ca²⁺ sites to be between 9.4 to 10.2 A in the presence of ATP. Finally, from the assumption that the calcium site must contain four carboxylic side chains to provide the 6–8 ligands needed to coordinate calcium, and based on our recently published data, we predict the peptidic backbone of the two sites.     

Monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites in brain regions in alzheimer's disease: A postmortem study

1. Concentrations of the neurotransmitter amines noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and the acid metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in four regions of postmortem brains of demented patients with or without Alzheimer's disease (AD). 2. NA was deficient in the temporal cortex (BA 21) of AD, but not of non-AD, patients. 3. Caudate, in particular, had an impaired dopaminergic system in AD patients, with low HVA levels. 4. In all regions investigated [amygdala, caudate, putamen, temporal cortex (BA 21)] 5-HT was significantly depleted in AD patients, and 5-HIAA was also depleted in amygdala and caudate. 5. These results indicate that neurotransmitter systems other than cholinergic systems are also widely affected in AD and suggest that these deficits may also play an important role in determining the symptomatology of AD.     

Separation and Purification of Antioxidant Peptides from Enzymatically Prepared Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) Protein Hydrolysates

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - The purpose of this study was to separate and purify antioxidant peptides from the scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) protein...     

Understanding cornea epithelial stem cells and stem cell deficiency: Lessons learned using vertebrate model systems

Animal models have contributed greatly to our understanding of human diseases. Here, we focus on cornea epithelial stem cell (CESC) deficiency (commonly called limbal stem cell deficiency, LSCD). Corneal development, homeostasis and wound healing are supported by specific stem cells, that include the CESCs. Damage to or loss of these cells results in blindness and other debilitating ocular conditions. Here we describe the contributions from several vertebrate models toward understanding CESCs and LSCD treatments. These include both mammalian models, as well as two aquatic models, Zebrafish and the amphibian, Xenopus. Pioneering developments have been made using stem cell transplants to restore normal vision in patients with LSCD, but questions still remain about the basic biology of CESCs, including their precise cell lineages and behavior in the cornea. We describe various cell lineage tracing studies to follow their patterns of division, and the fates of their progeny during development, homeostasis, and wound healing. In addition, we present some preliminary results using the Xenopus model system. Ultimately, a more thorough understanding of these cornea cells will advance our knowledge of stem cell biology and lead to better cornea disease therapeutics.     

Mn3O4 nanoparticles: Synthesis,characterization and their antimicrobial and anticancer activity against A549 and MCF-7 cell lines

Due to their inexpensive and eco-friendly nature, and existence of manganese in various oxidation states and their natural abundance have attained significant attention for the formation of Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles (Mn₃O₄ NPs). Herein, we report the preparation of Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles using manganese nitrate as a precursor material by utilization of a precipitation technique. The as-prepared Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles (Mn₃O₄ NPs) were characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), High-Resolution Transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The antimicrobial properties of the as-synthesized Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles were investigated against numerous bacterial and fungal strains including S. aureus, E. coli, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa, A. flavus and C. albicans. The Mn₃O₄ NPs inhibited the growth of S. aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 40 μg/ml and C. albicans with a MIC of 15 μg/ml. Furthermore, the Mn₃O₄ NPs anti-cancer activity was examined using MTT essay against A549 lung and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. The Mn₃O₄ NPs revealed significant activity against the examined cancer cell lines A549 and MCF-7. The IC₅₀ values of Mn₃O₄ NPs with A549 cell line was found at concentration of 98 µg/mL and MCF-7 cell line was found at concentration of 25 µg/mL.     

Modeling the effect of imperfect staggering in product inflow using queuing theory: revisiting block stacking layout

Conventional approaches to layout design of block stacked warehouses assume perfect staggering of product inflow leading to perfect sharing of space among products. Since such an assumption is seldom true, we argue that warehouses designed using the conventional approach may result in choking situations with large quantities of inventory waiting outside the storage areas. On the other hand, liberal space allocation such as in dedicated policy might lead to under-utilization of space. In this paper, we take a fresh look at the block stacked layout problem, modeling the effect of imperfectly staggered product arrivals using queuing theory. Analytical expressions are derived for arrival time and processing time coefficients of variation using warehouse parameters and design variables. Further, we develop a bi-objective optimization model to minimize both the space cost and waiting time. Our approach provides design options over a total space cost-waiting time trade-off frontier as opposed to singular design points given by conventional approaches. Computational experiments are conducted to derive further insights into the design of block stacked warehouses.