Diversity of Siphonaria Sowerby I, 1823 (Gastropoda,Siphonariidae) in the Seychelles Bank and beyond

Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the characters of the reduced shell of the false limpets of the genus Siphonaria Sowerby I, 1823 are highly variable and often insufficient for species delimitation. The taxonomy and distribution of Siphonaria in the Indian Ocean are poorly known. We sampled Siphonaria in the Seychelles Bank to check the occurrence of recorded species using DNA sequences and to study the paths through which Siphonaria species have colonised the Seychelles Bank by reconstructing their phylogenetic relationships. Analyses of a dataset comprising 16 S rRNA gene sequences of 33 specimens from the Seychelles Bank and 300 additional Siphonaria sequences from other regions from GenBank with various methods for species delimitation resulted in 19–102 primary species hypotheses. Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning provided a conservative estimate of the species number (42) in which several indisputable species were lumped. The results of Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery depended strongly on the assumed prior maximum intraspecific divergence, whereas the tree-based methods Generalised Mixed Yule Coalescent and Poisson Tree Processes resulted in high overestimates. The specimens from the Seychelles Bank represent three clades, belonging to the Siphonaria ‘atra’ group, the Siphonaria ‘normalis’ group and a possibly undescribed species recorded previously only from Hainan. At least two of the three species recorded from the Seychelles Bank came from the east, i.e., from the Coral Triangle in the Indo-Australian Archipelago, the region with the highest marine biodiversity worldwide. A major transport mechanism across the Indian Ocean was probably the South Equatorial Current.     

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: From now to the future

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometric particles that enclose cell-derived bioactive molecules in a lipid bilayer and serve as intercellular communication tools. Accordingly, in various biological contexts, EVs are reported to engage in immune modulation, senescence, and cell proliferation and differentiation. Therefore, EVs could be key elements for potential off-the-shelf cell-free therapy. Little has been studied regarding EVs derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC-EVs), even though hPSCs offer good opportunities for induction of tissue regeneration and unlimited proliferative ability. In this review article, we provide an overview of studies using hPSC-EVs, focusing on identifying the conditions in which the cells are cultivated for the isolation of EVs, how they are characterized, and applications already demonstrated. The topics reported in this article highlight the incipient status of the studies in the field and the significance of hPSC-EVs’ prospective applications as PSC-derived cell-free therapy products.     

Effect of Axial Ligand Length on Biological and Anticancer Properties of Axially Disubstituted Silicon Phthalocyanines

In this study, three new axially disubstituted silicon phthalocyanines ( SiPc1–3 ) and their quaternized phthalocyanine derivatives ( QSiPc1–3 ) were prepared and characterized. The biological properties (antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and microbial cell viability activities) of the water-soluble silicon phthalocyanines were examined, as well. A 1 % DMSO diluted with pure water was used as a solvent in biological activity studies. All the compounds exhibited high antioxidant activity. They displayed efficient antimicrobial and antimicrobial photodynamic therapeutic properties against various microorganisms, especially Gram (+) bacteria. Additionally, they demonstrated high antibiofilm activities against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. In addition, 100 % bacterial reduction was obtained for all the studied phthalocyanines against E. coli viable cells. Besides, the DNA cleavage and binding features of compounds ( QSiPc1–3 ) were studied using pBR322 DNA and CT-DNA, respectively. Furthermore, the human topoisomerase I enzyme inhibition activities of compounds QSiPc1 – 3 were studied. Anticancer properties of the water-soluble compounds were investigated using cell proliferation MTT assay. They exhibited anticarcinogenic activity against the human colon cancer cell line (DLD-1). Compounds QSiPc1 and QSiPc3 displayed a high anticarcinogenic effect on the DLD-1 cell line. The obtained results indicated that all the studied compounds may be effective biological agents and anticancer drugs after further investigations.     

Structure-Activity Relationship of Methyl 4-Aminobenzoate Derivatives as Being Drug Candidate Targeting Glutathione Related Enzymes: in Vitro and in Silico Approaches

A thiol compound, glutathione, is essential for healthy cell defence against xenobiotics and oxidative stress. Glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) are two glutathione-related enzymes that function in the antioxidant and the detoxification systems. In this study, potential inhibitory effects of methyl 4-aminobenzoate derivatives on GR and GST were examined in vitro. GR and GST were isolated from human erythrocytes with 7.63 EU/mg protein and 5.66 EU/mg protein specific activity, respectively. It was found that compound 1 (methyl 4-amino-3-bromo-5-fluorobenzoate with K_i value of 0.325±0.012 μM) and compound 5 (methyl 4-amino-2-nitrobenzoate with K_i value of 92.41±22.26 μM) inhibited GR and GST stronger than other derivatives. Furthermore, a computer-aided method was used to predict the binding affinities of derivatives, ADME characteristics, and toxicities. Derivatives 4 (methyl 4-amino-2-bromobenzoate) and 6 (methyl 4-amino-2-chlorobenzoate) were estimated to have the lowest binding energies into GR and GST receptors, respectively according to results of in silico studies.     

HPLC-DAD Analysis and Versatile Bioactivities of Turkish Sunflower Honeys Using Chemometric Approaches

Sunflower honey (SH) is bright yellow, fragrant, pollen-flavoured, slightly herbaceous and has a unique taste. The present research aims to examine the enzyme inhibitory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-quorum sensing activities and phenolic compositions of 30 sunflower honeys (SHs) produced from several regions of Turkey with chemometric study. SAH from Samsun exhibited the best antioxidant activity in β-carotene linoleic acid (IC₅₀: 7.33±0.17 mg/mL) and CUPRAC (A_0.50: 4.94±0.13 mg/mL) assays, anti-urease activity (60.63±0.87 %) and anti-inflammatory activity against COX-1 (73.94±1.08 %) and COX-2 (44.96±0.85 %). SHs exhibited mild antimicrobial activity against the test microorganisms while they showed high quorum sensing inhibition zones measured in the range of 42–52 mm against the CV026 strain. The phenolic composition was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) system and levulinic, gallic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic and p-coumaric acids were identified in all studied SHs. The classification of SHs was performed the using PCA and HCA. This study revealed that phenolic compounds and biological properties are effective in classification of SHs according to their geographical origin. The results suggest that studied SHs could be valued as potential agents with versatile bioactivities in oxidative stress-related disease, microbial infections, inflammation, melanoma, and peptic ulcer.     

Synthesis of Schiff Bases and Secondary Amines with Indane Skeleton; Evaluation of Their Antioxidant,Antibiotic, and Antifungal Activities

In this study, Schiff bases were synthesized by utilizing the reaction of 4- and 5-aminoindane with substituted benzaldehydes. After the reduction of isolated Schiff bases with NaBH₄, the corresponding secondary amine derivatives were obtained. The structures of all synthesized molecules were confirmed by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, FT-IR, and ESI-MS. Antioxidant activities of all synthesized molecules were investigated by DPPH method, and IC₅₀ values were calculated. In addition, antibacterial activities of targets were investigated by the well diffusion method, and then MIC99 values were calculated. While only four of the sixteen synthesized molecules showed a high level of antioxidant activity, all of the molecules exhibited biological activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to varying degrees. In addition, all the synthesized molecules showed high antifungal activity. In antioxidant capacity studies, the IC₅₀ values of 2-(((2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-5-yl)amino)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol ( 4 d ) and 2-(((2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-4-yl)amino)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol ( 7 d ) were determined to be 18.1 μg and 35.1 μg, respectively, and these values are much stronger than BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) used as positive controls. The fact that targets have the same core structure with different substituents has revealed a good structure-activity relationship.     

Oxide-Based Solid-State Batteries: A Perspective on Composite Cathode Architecture

The garnet-type phase Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) attracts significant attention as an oxide solid electrolyte to enable safe and robust solid-state batteries (SSBs) with potentially high energy density. However, while significant progress has been made in demonstrating compatibility with Li metal, integrating LLZO into composite cathodes remains a challenge. The current perspective focuses on the critical issues that need to be addressed to achieve the ultimate goal of an all-solid-state LLZO-based battery that delivers safety, durability, and pack-level performance characteristics that are unobtainable with state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. This perspective complements existing reviews of solid/solid interfaces with more emphasis on understanding numerous homo- and heteroionic interfaces in a pure oxide-based SSB and the various phenomena that accompany the evolution of the chemical, electrochemical, structural, morphological, and mechanical properties of those interfaces during processing and operation. Finally, the insights gained from a comprehensive literature survey of LLZO–cathode interfaces are used to guide efforts for the development of LLZO-based SSBs.     

Morphological parameters affecting false lumen thrombosis following type B aortic dissection: a systematic study based on simulations of idealized models

Type B aortic dissection (TBAD) carries a high risk of complications, particularly with a partially thrombosed or patent false lumen (FL). Therefore, uncovering the risk factors leading to FL thrombosis is crucial to identify high-risk patients. Although studies have shown that morphological parameters of the dissected aorta are related to FL thrombosis, often conflicting results have been reported. We show that recent models of thrombus evolution in combination with sensitivity analysis methods can provide valuable insights into how combinations of morphological parameters affect the prospect of FL thrombosis. Based on clinical data, an idealized geometry of a TBAD is generated and parameterized. After implementing the thrombus model in computational fluid dynamics simulations, a global sensitivity analysis for selected morphological parameters is performed. We then introduce dimensionless morphological parameters to scale the results to individual patients. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the most sensitive parameters influencing FL thrombosis are the FL diameter and the size and location of intimal tears. A higher risk of partial thrombosis is observed when the FL diameter is larger than the true lumen diameter. Reducing the ratio of the distal to proximal tear size increases the risk of FL patency. In summary, these parameters play a dominant role in classifying morphologies into patent, partially thrombosed, and fully thrombosed FL. In this study, we point out the predictive role of morphological parameters for FL thrombosis in TBAD and show that the results are in good agreement with available clinical studies.

     

Impact of the Error Structure on the Design and Analysis of Enzyme Kinetic Models

The statistical analysis of enzyme kinetic reactions usually involves models of the response functions which are well defined on the basis of Michaelis–Menten type equations. The error structure, however, is often without good reason assumed as additive Gaussian noise. This simple assumption may lead to undesired properties of the analysis, particularly when simulations are involved and consequently negative simulated reaction rates may occur. In this study, we investigate the effect of assuming multiplicative log normal errors instead. While there is typically little impact on the estimates, the experimental designs and their efficiencies are decisively affected, particularly when it comes to model discrimination problems.

     

Comparative LCA studies of simulated HMF biorefineries from maize and miscanthus as an example of first- and second-generation biomass as a tool for process development

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a versatile platform chemical for a fossil free, bio-based chemical industry. HMF can be produced by using fructose as a feedstock. Using edible, first-generation biomass to produce chemicals has been questioned in terms of potential competition with food supply. Second-generation biomass like miscanthus could be an alternative. However, there is a lack of information if second-generation lignocellulosic biomass is a more sustainable feedstock to produce HMF. Therefore, a life cycle assessment was performed in this study to determine the environmental impacts of HMF production from miscanthus and to compare it with HMF from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS from either Hungary or Baden-Württemberg (Germany) was considered. Compared to the HFCS biorefineries the miscanthus concept is producing less emissions in all impact categories studied, except land occupation. Overall, the production and usage of second-generation biomass could be especially beneficial in areas where the use of N fertilizers is restricted. Besides, conclusions for the further development of the on-farm biorefinery concept were elaborated. For this purpose, process simulations from a previous study were used. Results of the previous study in terms of TEA and the current LCA study in terms of environmental sustainability indicate that the lignin depolymerization unit in the miscanthus biorefinery has to be improved. The scenario without lignin depolymerization performs better in all impact categories. The authors recommend to not further convert the lignin to products like phenol and other aromatic compounds. The results of the contribution analyses show that the major impact in the HMF production is caused by the auxiliary materials in the separation units and the required heat. Further technical development should focus on efficient heat as well as solvent use and solvent recovery. At this point further optimizations will lead to reduced emissions and costs at the same time.