Wet reclamation of sodium silicate used sand and biological treatment of its wastewater by Nitzschia palea

The massive amount of sodium silicate in the used sand was a pollution source, especially in the waste water from the wet reclamation of used sand. A new process of wet reclamation by biologically treating the waste water produced during the wet reclamation process of used sand was studied in the paper. In the work, the pre-cultivation of N. palea was performed firstly, and three different scrubbing solutions: (1) tap water, (2) modified medium for N. palea, and (3) filtrate of the broth treated by N. palea for 15 days, were used. The results of the primary investigation show that a de-skinning ratio of 90% is obtained when using the scrubbing solution containing modified medium for N. palea at the ratio 1:2 of sand and scrubbing solution, and the maximal concentrations of Na+ and SiO3? are 1.49 g稬-1 and 0.51 g稬-1, respectively. The results of the optimal biomass, pH value decrease and Na+ and SiO32- consumption indicate the optimal incubation conditions are at the irradiance of 5,000 lux and 25 篊. Using the filtrate of the broth treated by N. palea for 15 days as the scrubbing solution directly, a de-skinning ratio of 93% is the highest compared to the results of the tap water and the modified medium for N. palea. In the biological process using N. palea, less water is used and little wastewater is produced, which is advantageous to the purpose of green manufacturing and environmental protection

Total Synthesis of the Phenolic Steroid Myrmenaphthol A

Myrmenaphthol A is a structurally unique phenolic steroid with a naphthyl AB-ring system and an unusual C2 hydroxy group. Herein, we report the first total synthesis of this natural product in 10 steps from inexpensive, commercially available sitolactone. Key features of the synthesis include a Baran decarboxylative coupling and a Friedel–Crafts cyclization/olefin isomerization/aromatization cascade that rapidly assembled the tetracyclic core framework. This synthetic strategy is expected to be readily amenable to the synthesis of other phenolic steroids

Mapping Forest Aboveground Biomass with MODIS and Fengyun-3C VIRR Imageries in Yunnan Province, Southwest China Using Linear Regression, K-Nearest Neighbor and Random Forest

The aboveground biomass (AGB) of a forest is an important indicator of the forest’s terrestrial carbon storage and its relation to climate change. Due to the advantage of extensive spatial coverage and low cost, coarse-resolution remote sensing data is the main data source for wall-to-wall mapping of forest AGB at the regional scale. Despite this, improving the accuracy and efficiency of forest AGB estimation is a major challenge. In this study, two optical imageries, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 500 m imagery and Fengyun-3C Visible and Infrared Radiometer (FY-3C VIRR) 1000 m imagery, were used and compared for forest AGB estimation in Yunnan Province, southwest China. One parametric approach, multiple linear regression (MLR), and two nonparametric approaches, k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and random forest (RF), were applied for the two imagery datasets, respectively. We evaluated the performance of the combination of remote sensing data and modeling approaches by comparing the accuracies and also explored the potential of FY-3C imagery data in forest AGB estimation at the regional scale as it was used for this purpose for the first time. We found that the machine learning models KNN and RF provided better results than MLR. From the three approaches for both MODIS and FY-3C imagery, RF performed best with R2 values of 0.84 and 0.81 and RMSE of 23.18 and 23.43, respectively. Estimation of forest AGB based on MODIS was marginally better than the estimation based on FY-3C. FY-3C imagery could therefore be an additional optical remote sensing data source of coarse spatial resolution, comparable to MODIS data which has been widely used for regional forest AGB estimation. Indices related to forest canopy moisture levels from both types of imagery were sensitive to forest AGB. The RF model and MODIS imagery were then applied to map the spatial variation of forest AGB of Yunnan Province. As a result of our study, we determined that Yunnan Province has a total forest AGB of 2123.22 Mt, with a mean value of 58.05 t/ha for forestland in 2016

Curcumin derivative C212 inhibits Hsp90 and eliminates both growing and quiescent leukemia cells in deep dormancy

Background: Relapsed leukemia following initial therapeutic response and remission is difficult to treat and causes high patient mortality. Leukemia relapse is due to residual quiescent leukemia cells that escape conventional therapies and later reemerge. Eliminating not only growing but quiescent leukemia cells is critical to effectively treating leukemia and preventing its recurrence. Such dual targeting therapeutic agents, however, are lacking in the clinic. To start tackling this problem, encouraged by the promising anticancer effects of a set of curcumin derivatives in our earlier studies, we examined in this work the effects of a 4-arylmethyl curcumin derivative (C212) in eliminating both growing and quiescent leukemia cells. Methods: We analyzed the effects of C212 on the growth and viability of growing and quiescent leukemia cells using MTS, apoptosis, cell cycle and cell tracking assays. The effects of C212 on the quiescence depth of leukemia cells were measured using EdU incorporation assay upon growth stimulation. The mechanisms of C212-induced apoptosis and deep dormancy, particularly associated with its inhibition of Hsp90 activity, were studied using molecular docking, protein aggregation assay, and Western blot of client proteins. Results: C212, on the one hand, inhibits growing leukemia cells at a higher efficacy than curcumin by inducing apoptosis and G2/M accumulation; it, on the other hand, eliminates quiescent leukemia cells that are resistant to conventional treatments. Furthermore, C212 drives leukemia cells into and kills them at deep quiescence. Lastly, we show that C212 induces apoptosis and drives cells into deep dormancy at least partially by binding to and inhibiting Hsp90, leading to client protein degradation and protein aggregation. Conclusion: C212 effectively eliminates both growing and quiescent leukemia cells by inhibiting Hsp90. The property of C212 to kill quiescent leukemia cells in deep dormancy avoids the risk associated with awaking therapy-resistant subpopulation of quiescent leukemia cells during treatments, which may lead to the development of novel therapies against leukemia relapse.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Synthesis and Characterization of Bimetallic Nanoclusters Stabilized by Chiral and Achiral Polyvinylpyrrolidinones. Catalytic C(sp3)–H Oxidation

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Organic Chemistry, copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.2c00449.Second-generation chiral-substituted poly-N-vinylpyrrolidinones (CSPVPs) (−)-1R and (+)-1S were synthesized by free-radical polymerization of (3aR,6aR)- and (3aS,6aS)-5-ethenyl-tetrahydro-2,2-dimethyl-4H-1,3-dioxolo[4,5-c]pyrrol-4-one, respectively, using thermal and photochemical reactions. They were produced from respective d-isoascorbic acid and d-ribose. In addition, chiral polymer (−)-2 was also synthesized from the polymerization of (S)-3-(methoxymethoxy)-1-vinylpyrrolidin-2-one. Molecular weights of these chiral polymers were measured using HRMS, and the polymer chain tacticity was studied using 13C NMR spectroscopy. Chiral polymers (−)-1R, (+)-1S, and (−)-2 along with poly-N-vinylpyrrolidinone (PVP, MW 40K) were separately used in the stabilization of Cu/Au or Pd/Au nanoclusters. CD spectra of the bimetallic nanoclusters stabilized by (−)-1R and (+)-1S showed close to mirror-imaged CD absorption bands at wavelengths 200–300 nm, revealing that bimetallic nanoclusters’ chiroptical responses are derived from chiral polymer-encapsulated nanomaterials. Chemo-, regio-, and stereo-selectivity was found in the catalytic C–H group oxidation reactions of complex bioactive natural products, such as ambroxide, menthofuran, boldine, estrone, dehydroabietylamine, 9-allogibberic acid, and sclareolide, and substituted adamantane molecules, when catalyst Cu/Au (3:1) or Pd/Au (3:1) stabilized by CSPVPs or PVP and oxidant H2O2 or t-BuOOH were applied. Oxidation of (+)-boldine N-oxide 23 using NMO as an oxidant yielded 4,5-dehydroboldine 27, and oxidation of (−)-9-allogibberic acid yielded C6,15 lactone 47 and C6-ketone 48

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells endow stem-like qualities to multiple myeloma cells by inducing piRNA-823 expression and DNMT3B activation

Abstract Background Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are two important cellular components in the tumor microenvironment, which may modify the cancer phenotype and affect patient survival. However, the crosstalk between MDSCs and multiple myeloma stem cells (MMSCs) are relatively poorly understood. Methods The frequencies of granulocytic-MDSCs (G-MDSCs) in MM patients were detected by flow cytometry and their association with the disease stage and patient survival were analyzed. RT-PCR, flow cytometry, western blot and sphere formation assays were performed to investigate the effects of G-MDSCs, piRNA-823 and DNA methylation on the maintenance of stemness in MM. Then a subcutaneous tumor mouse model was constructed to analyze tumor growth and angiogenesis after G-MDSCs induction and/or piRNA-823 knockdown in MM cells. Results Our clinical dataset validated the association between high G-MDSCs levels and poor overall survival in MM patients. In addition, for the first time we showed that G-MDSCs enhanced the side population, sphere formation and expression of CSCs core genes in MM cells. Moreover, the mechanism study showed that G-MDSCs triggered piRNA-823 expression, which then promoted DNA methylation and increased the tumorigenic potential of MM cells. Furthermore, silencing of piRNA-823 in MM cells reduced the stemness of MMSCs maintained by G-MDSCs, resulting in decreased tumor burden and angiogenesis in vivo. Conclusion Altogether, these data established a cellular, molecular, and clinical network among G-MDSCs, piRNA-823, DNA methylation and CSCs core genes, suggesting a new anti-cancer strategy targeting both G-MDSCs and CSCs in MM microenvironment

Antinociceptive Effect of Ghrelin in a Rat Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Involves TRPV1/Opioid Systems

Background/Aims: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), defined as recurrent abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits, seriously affects quality of life and ability to work. Ghrelin is a brain-gut hormone, which has been reported to show antinociceptive effects in peripheral pain. We investigated the effect of ghrelin on visceral hypersensitivity and pain in a rat model of IBS. Methods: Maternal deprivation (MD) was used to provide a stress-induced model of IBS in Wistar rats. Colorectal distension (CRD) was used to detect visceral sensitivity, which was evaluated by abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores. Rats that were confirmed to have visceral hypersensitivity after MD were injected with ghrelin (10 µg/kg) subcutaneously twice a week from weeks 7 to 8. [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6 (100 nmol/L) and naloxone (100 nmol/L) were administered subcutaneously to block growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1α (GHS-R1α) and opioid receptors, respectively. Expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and µ and κ opioid receptors (MOR and KOR) in colon, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and cerebral cortex tissues were detected by western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemical analyses and immunofluorescence. Results: Ghrelin treatment increased expression of opioid receptors and inhibited expression of TRPV1 in colon, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and cerebral cortex. The antinociceptive effect of ghrelin in the rat model of IBS was partly blocked by both the ghrelin antagonist [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6 and the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. Conclusion: The results indicate that ghrelin exerted an antinociceptive effect, which was mediated via TRPV1/opioid systems, in IBS-induced visceral hypersensitivity. Ghrelin might potentially be used as a new treatment for IBS