Studies Of Some 3, 4-Dichlorophenacyl Esters Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization, Crystal Structure Determination And Antioxidant Properties

In this research, a series of nineteen 3, 4-dichlorophenacyl esters 2(a−s) were synthesized and crystallized by using slow evaporation method. The crystal structures were characterized by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic analyses and further determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography technique (except 2o and 2s). The molecular conformation and crystal packing of these compounds were studied crystallographically. Eight compounds crystallized in monoclinic P21/c or P21/n space group, seven in triclini

The crystal structure of zwitterionic 2-{[(4-iminiumyl- 3-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridin-1-yl)methyl]- carbamoyl}benzoate hemihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C15H15N3O3�0.5H2O, comprises two 2-{[(4-iminiumyl-3-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridin-1-yl)methyl]carbamoyl}benzoate zwitterions (A and B) and a water molecule. The dihedral angles between the pyridine and phenyl rings in the zwitterions are 53.69 (10) and 73.56 (11)� in A and B, respectively. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H� � �O, O— H� � �O, C—H� � �O and C—H� � ��(ring) hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. The crystal structure also features �–� interactions involving the centroids of the pyridine and phenyl rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.5618 (12) A ° in A and 3.8182 (14) A ° in B]

A potent chemotherapeutic strategy in prostate cancer: S-(methoxytrityl)-L-cysteine, a novel Eg5 inhibitor

Docetaxel-based combination chemotherapy remains the predominant treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, taxane-related drug resistance and neurotoxicity have prompted us to develop substitute treatment strategies. Eg5 (kinesin spindle protein), which is crucial for bipolar spindle formation and duplicated chromosome separation during the early phase of mitosis, has emerged as an attractive target for cancer chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer efficacy of S-(methoxytrityl)-ℒ-cysteine (S(MeO)TLC), a novel Eg5 inhibitor in prostate cancer. Eg5 expression was examined in human prostate cancer cell lines and tissue microarrays were constructed from clinical specimens. Antiproliferative activity of S(MeO)TLC in prostate cancer cells was assessed by a cell viability assay. The anticancer effect and inhibitory mechanism of S(MeO)TLC in prostate cancer cells was further explored by Hoechst staining, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. In addition, the antitumor effect of S(MeO)TLC on subcutaneous xenograft models was assessed. Eg5 expression was identified in PC3, DU145 and LNCaP cells. More than half of prostate cancer clinical specimens displayed Eg5 expression. S(MeO)TLC exhibited more powerful anticancer activity in prostate cancer cells compared with the other four Eg5 inhibitors tested. S(MeO)TLC induced cell death after arresting dividing cells at mitosis with distinct monopolar spindle formation. S(MeO)TLC exhibited its significant inhibitory activity (P<0.05) on subcutaneous xenograft models also through induction of mitotic arrest. We conclude that Eg5 is a good target for prostate cancer chemotherapy, and S(MeO)TLC is a potent promising anticancer agent in prostate cancer

Wetlands for wastewater treatment and subsequent recycling of treated effluent : a review

Due to water scarcity challenges around the world, it is essential to think about non-conventional water resources to address the increased demand in clean freshwater. Environmental and public health problems may result from insufficient provision of sanitation and wastewater disposal facilities. Because of this, wastewater treatment and recycling methods will be vital to provide sufficient freshwater in the coming decades, since water resources are limited and more than 70% of water are consumed for irrigation purposes. Therefore, the application of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation has much potential, especially when incorporating the reuse of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, which are essential for plant production. Among the current treatment technologies applied in urban wastewater reuse for irrigation, wetlands were concluded to be the one of the most suitable ones in terms of pollutant removal and have advantages due to both low maintenance costs and required energy. Wetland behavior and efficiency concerning wastewater treatment is mainly linked to macrophyte composition, substrate, hydrology, surface loading rate, influent feeding mode, microorganism availability, and temperature. Constructed wetlands are very effective in removing organics and suspended solids, whereas the removal of nitrogen is relatively low, but could be improved by using a combination of various types of constructed wetlands meeting the irrigation reuse standards. The removal of phosphorus is usually low, unless special media with high sorption capacity are used. Pathogen removal from wetland effluent to meet irrigation reuse standards is a challenge unless supplementary lagoons or hybrid wetland systems are used

The Constrained Maximal Expression Level Owing to Haploidy Shapes Gene Content on the Mammalian X Chromosome.

X chromosomes are unusual in many regards, not least of which is their nonrandom gene content. The causes of this bias are commonly discussed in the context of sexual antagonism and the avoidance of activity in the male germline. Here, we examine the notion that, at least in some taxa, functionally biased gene content may more profoundly be shaped by limits imposed on gene expression owing to haploid expression of the X chromosome. Notably, if the X, as in primates, is transcribed at rates comparable to the ancestral rate (per promoter) prior to the X chromosome formation, then the X is not a tolerable environment for genes with very high maximal net levels of expression, owing to transcriptional traffic jams. We test this hypothesis using The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and data from the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM5) project. As predicted, the maximal expression of human X-linked genes is much lower than that of genes on autosomes: on average, maximal expression is three times lower on the X chromosome than on autosomes. Similarly, autosome-to-X retroposition events are associated with lower maximal expression of retrogenes on the X than seen for X-to-autosome retrogenes on autosomes. Also as expected, X-linked genes have a lesser degree of increase in gene expression than autosomal ones (compared to the human/Chimpanzee common ancestor) if highly expressed, but not if lowly expressed. The traffic jam model also explains the known lower breadth of expression for genes on the X (and the Z of birds), as genes with broad expression are, on average, those with high maximal expression. As then further predicted, highly expressed tissue-specific genes are also rare on the X and broadly expressed genes on the X tend to be lowly expressed, both indicating that the trend is shaped by the maximal expression level not the breadth of expression per se. Importantly, a limit to the maximal expression level explains biased tissue of expression profiles of X-linked genes. Tissues whose tissue-specific genes are very highly expressed (e.g., secretory tissues, tissues abundant in structural proteins) are also tissues in which gene expression is relatively rare on the X chromosome. These trends cannot be fully accounted for in terms of alternative models of biased expression. In conclusion, the notion that it is hard for genes on the Therian X to be highly expressed, owing to transcriptional traffic jams, provides a simple yet robustly supported rationale of many peculiar features of X's gene content, gene expression, and evolution

Conformational dimorphism of 2,2′-methylenebis(isoindoline-1,3-dione)

In this study, a new monoclinic polymorph (space group C2/c) of 2,2′-methylenebis(isoindoline-1,3-dione), C17H10N2O4, is reported and compared to the previously reported triclinic polymorph (space group P\overline{1}). Similarly, both polymorphs consist of a unique molecule in the asymmetric unit (Z′ = 1). The molecular conformations of the two polymorphs are very similar, as shown by the r.m.s. deviation of 0.368 Å (excluding all H atoms). The intermolecular interactions of both polymorphs are described along with the Hirshfeld surface analysis, and the lattice energies are calculated

The crystal structure of zwitterionic 2-{[(4-iminiumyl-3-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridin-1-yl)methyl]carbamoyl}benzoate hemihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C15H15N3O3·0.5H2O, comprises two 2-{[(4-iminiumyl-3-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridin-1-yl)methyl]carbamoyl}benzoate zwitterions (A and B) and a water molecule. The dihedral angles between the pyridine and phenyl rings in the zwitterions are 53.69 (10) and 73.56 (11)° in A and B, respectively. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O, O—H...O, C—H...O and C—H...π(ring) hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. The crystal structure also features π–π interactions involving the centroids of the pyridine and phenyl rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.5618 (12) Å in A and 3.8182 (14) Å in B]

Habitat adaptation mediates the influence of leaf traits on canopy productivity: evidence from a tropical freshwater swamp forest

Functional traits offer generalizability to the prediction of ecosystem processes such as production, and community-weighted mean trait values are increasingly used for such predictions. However, the underlying causal direction between traits and ecosystem processes are often indirect and sometimes even tenuous. In this study, we aimed to uncover underlying causal mechanisms between traits, habitat adaptation and canopy productivity. We used canopy production data estimated from leaf litter traps, and trait and habitat association data obtained from 40 permanent vegetation plots in the Nee Soon catchment in Singapore, which contains a heterogeneous mix of freshwater swamp and dry-land tropical forests. Mean canopy production across the catchment was estimated to be 768 g m−2 year−1, which is similar to other tropical dry-land forests in the region. Fortnightly per-basal-area canopy production was found to be consistently lower in swamp than non-swamp plots, and positively correlated with monthly mean temperature. Structural equation models fitted to data of canopy production, leaf traits, plot type (swamp versus non-swamp), basal areas and habitat adaptations of 69 tree species– plot combinations suggested that tree species possessing leaf traits associated with more conservative resource acquisition strategies, viz., low specific leaf area, high leaf C:N ratio, and thicker leaves, are better adapted to stressful, waterlogged swamp conditions, but that this adaptation also reduces canopy—and likely total—net primary productivity. These observations suggest that the stressful conditions of waterlogged, anoxic swamp habitats significantly reduce the rate at which nutrients are cycled by communities found in such environments

Large-Scale Whole-Genome Sequencing of Three Diverse Asian Populations in Singapore

Because of Singapore's unique history of immigration, whole-genome sequence analysis of 4,810 Singaporeans provides a snapshot of the genetic diversity across East, Southeast, and South Asia.</p