Novel 2,2'-[1,2-ethanediylbis(nitriloethylidyne)]-bis-hydroquinone double-wall carbon nanotube paste electrode for simultaneous determination of epinephrine, uric acid and folic acid

The electro-oxidation of epinephrine (EP), uric acid (UA), folic acid (FA), and their mixture has been studied by modified carbon nanotube paste electrode of 2,2'-[1,2-ethanediylbis(nitriloethylidyne)]-bis-hydroquinone using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry. This modified electrode exhibited potent and persistent electron mediating behavior followed by well-separated oxidation peaks towards EP, UA and FA with activation overpotential. For the ternary mixture containing EP, UA and FA the three compounds can be well separated from each other at the scan rate of 20mVs(-1). The obtained catalytic peak current, was linearly dependent on the EP, UA and FA concentrations in the range of 0.7-1200muM, 25-750muM and 15-800muM and the detection limits for EP, UA and FA were 0.216+/-0.004, 8.8+/-0.2 and 11.0+/-0.3muM, respectively. The diffusion coefficient (D), and the kinetic parameters such as electron transfer coefficient, (alpha) and heterogeneous rate constant, (k') for EP were also determined using electrochemical approaches. The modified electrode showed good sensitivity, selectivity and stability, and was employed for the determination of EP, UA and FA in the real samples.     

Comparative analysis of the methods used for finding surface energy to investigate protein interaction behavior on chromatographic supports

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography, an important and effective purification strategy, is generally used for the purification of variety of biomolecules. A basic understanding of the protein interaction behavior is required to effectively separate these biomolecules. A colloidal type extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek calculations were utilized to study the interactions behavior of model proteins to commercially available hydrophobic chromatographic materials that is, Toyopearl Phenyl 650C and Toyopearl Butyl 650C. Physicochemical properties of selected model proteins were achieved by contact angle and zeta potential measurements. The contact angle of chromatographic materials used was achieved through sessile drop method on disrupted beads and capillary penetration method (CPM) on intact beads. The surface properties were further used to calculate the interactions of the proteins to chromatographic supports. The calculated secondary energy minimum of the proteins with the chromatographic materials (from the contact angle values determined through both methods can be correlated with the retention volumes from the real chromatography. The secondary energy minimum values are higher for each protein to the chromatographic materials calculated from the inputs derived through sessile drop method compared to CPM. For instance, immunoglobulin G has secondary energy minimum value of 0.17 kT compared to 0.11 kT, obtained through sessile drop method and CPM, respectively. Average relative values of the energy minimum calculated for all proteins are as 1.51 kT and 1.29 kT for Toyopearl Butyl 650C and Toyopearl Phenyl 650C, respectively, as a conversion factor for estimation of secondary energy minimum for both methods.     

Mustn1 is essential for craniofacial chondrogenesis during Xenopus development

Mustn1 is a vertebrate-specific protein that, in vitro, was showed to be essential for prechondrocyte function and thus it has the potential to regulate chondrogenesis during embryonic development. We use Xenopus laevis as a model to examine Mustn1 involvement in chondrogenesis. Previous work suggests that Mustn1 is necessary but not sufficient for chondrogenic proliferation and differentiation, as well as myogenic differentiation in vitro. Mustn1 was quantified and localized in developing Xenopus embryos using RT-PCR and whole mount in situ hybridization. Xenopus embryos were injected with either control morpholinos (Co-MO) or one designed against Mustn1 (Mustn1-MO) at the four cell stage. Embryos were scored for morphological defects and Sox9 was visualized via in situ hybridization. Finally, Mustn1-MO-injected embryos were co-injected with Mustn1-MO resistant mRNA to confirm the specificity of the observed phenotype. Mustn1 is expressed from the mid-neurula stage to the swimming tadpole stages, predominantly in anterior structures including the pharyngeal arches and associated craniofacial tissues, and the developing somites. Targeted knockdown of Mustn1 in craniofacial and dorsal axial tissues resulted in phenotypes characterized by small or absent eye(s), a shortened body axis, and tail kinks. Further, Mustn1 knockdown reduced cranial Sox9 mRNA expression and resulted in the loss of differentiated cartilaginous head structures (e.g. ceratohyal and pharyngeal arches). Reintroduction of MO-resistant Mustn1 mRNA rescued these effects. We conclude that Mustn1 is necessary for normal craniofacial cartilage development in vivo, although the exact molecular mechanism remains unknown.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of a cephalosporin-monohydroguaiaretic acid prodrug activated by a monoclonal antibody-beta-lactamase conjugate

A novel cephalosporin derivative of monohydroguaiaretic acid (cephem-M(3)N, 7) was synthesized and found to possess anticancer activity against human leukemia (K562), breast carcinoma (MCF7), human lung cancer (A549), human colon cancer (Colo205) and pancreatic cancer cells (Capan2 and MiaPaCa2). A tumor targeting fusion protein (dsFv3-beta-lactamase) was also used in conjunction with cephem-based M(3)N 7 and its potency toward K562, MCF7, A549, Colo205, Capan2, and MiaPaCa2 was found to approach that of the free M(3)N (4). In the presence of dsFv3-beta-lactamase, tumor cells were found to be much more susceptible to conjugate 7 than normal human embryonic lung (HEL) cells and normal fibroblasts (Hef522). These notions provide a new approach to the use of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and its derivatives for antitumor therapy.     

Rearrangements of large-insert T-DNAs in transgenic rice

Introduction of large-DNA fragments into cereals by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is a useful technique for map-based cloning and molecular breeding. However, little is known about the organization and stability of large fragments of foreign DNA introduced into plant genomes. In this study, we produced transgenic rice plants by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with a large-insert T-DNA containing a 92-kb region of the wheat genome. The structures of the T-DNA in four independent transgenic lines were visualized by fluorescence in situ hybridization on extended DNA fibers (fiber FISH). By using this cytogenetic technique, we showed that rearrangements of the large-insert T-DNA, involving duplication, deletion and insertion, had occurred in all four lines. Deletion of long stretches of the large-insert DNA was also observed in Agrobacterium.     

Trisubstituted and tetrasubstituted pyrazolines as a novel class of cell-growth inhibitors in tumor cells with wild type p53

Derivatives with scaffolds of 1,3,5-tri-substituted pyrazoline and 1,3,4,5-tetra-substituted pyrazoline were synthesized and tested for their inhibitory effects versus the p53^+/+ HCT116 and p53^?/? H1299 human tumor cell lines. Several compounds were active against the two cell lines displaying IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar range with a clearly more pronounced effect on the p53^+/+ HCT116 cells. The compound class shows excellent developability due to the modular synthesis, allowing independent optimization of all three to four key substituents to improve the properties of the molecules.     

Gonadosomatic index‐based size at first sexual maturity of the catfish Eutropiichthys vacha (Hamilton, 1822) in the Ganges River (NW Bangladesh)

This study describes the size at first sexual maturity, length–weight relationships (LWR) in relation to size at first sexual maturity, and Fulton’s condition factor (K_F) of Eutropiichthys vacha in the Ganges River, northwestern Bangladesh. Sampling was done using traditional fishing gear including cast nets, square lift nets and conical traps during January and April, and July to December 2010. For each individual, total length (TL) was measured to the nearest 0.01 cm, and total weight (BW) was determined to the nearest 0.01 g. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) was calculated by the equation, GSI (%) = (Gonad weight in g/BW) × 100. The size at first sexual maturity of males and females was estimated by the relationship between gonadosomatic index and total length. A total of 583 specimens (289 males; 294 females) ranging from 8.30 to 27.00 cm TL and 3.16 to 159.50 g BW were analyzed. Sizes at first sexual maturity for male and female E. vacha were 13.15 and 14.00 cm TL, respectively. The analysis of covariance (ancova ) revealed significant differences in slope and intercept between early and late phases for males (F = 4.532, P < 0.001) and females (F = 21.984, P < 0.001). The K_F was not significantly correlated with TL for males (r_s = 0.052; P = 0.378), but was highly correlated for females (r_s = ?0.165; P = 0.005). This study establishes a strong base for monitoring changes in length at first sexual maturity attributable to high fishing pressures or other reasons within the Ganges and associated river ecosystems.     

A potential tocopherol acetate loaded palm oil esters-in-water nanoemulsions for nanocosmeceuticals

Background  

Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic-pharmaceutical hybrids intended to enhance health and beauty of the skin. Nanocosmeceuticals use nano-sized system for the delivery of active ingredients to the targeted cells for better penetration. In this work, nanoemulsion from palm oil esters was developed as a delivery system to produce nanocosmeceuticals. The stability of the resulting formulation was tested using various methods. In addition, the effect of components i.e. Vitamin E and Pluronic F-68 on the formulation was also studied.     

Lipase-catalyzed dimethyl adipate synthesis: Response surface modeling and kinetics

Dimethyl adipate (DMA) was synthesized by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B-catalyzed esterification of adipic acid and methanol. To optimize the reaction conditions of ester production, response surface methodology was applied, and the effects of four factors namely, time, temperature, enzyme concentration, and molar ratio of substrates on product synthesis were determined. A statistical model predicted that the maximum conversion yield would be 97.6%, at the optimal conditions of 58.5°C, 54.0 mg enzyme, 358.0 min, and 12:1 molar ratio of methanol to adipic acid. The R² (0.9769) shows a high correlation between predicted and experimental values. The kinetics of the reaction was also investigated in this study. The reaction was found to obey the ping-pong bi-bi mechanism with methanol inhibition. The kinetic parameters were determined and used to simulate the experimental results. A good quality of fit was observed between the simulated and experimental initial rates.