Acrylato[tris­(1-methyl­benzimidazol-2-ylmeth­yl)amine]zinc(II) perchlorate–dimethyl­formamide–methanol (1/1/1.5) at 153 (2) K

In the title complex, [Zn(C3H3O2)(C27H27N7)](ClO4)·C3H7NO·1.5CH4O, the ZnII ion is five-coordinated by four N atoms from a tris­(1-methyl­benzimidazol-2-ylmeth­yl)amine (Mentb) ligand and one O atom from an acrylate ligand in a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal geometry with approximate mol­ecular C 3 symmetry. The atoms of the acrylate ligand are disordered over two sites, with approximate occupancies of 0.84 and 0.16. In addition, a methanol solvent mol­ecule is disordered over two sites with equal occupancies. In the crystal structure, the full-occupancy methanol is linked to a dimethyl­formamide mol­ecule by an inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond

Anti-Tumor Effect of Rutin on Human Neuroblastoma Cell Lines through Inducing G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Promoting Apoptosis

Aims. To further investigate the antineuroblastoma effect of rutin which is a type of flavonoid. Methods. The antiproliferation of rutin in human neuroblastoma cells LAN-5 were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Chemotaxis of LAN-5 cells was assessed using transwell migration chambers and scratch wound migration assay. The cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner was measured by flow cytometric and fluorescent microscopy analyses. The apoptosis-related proteins BAX and BCL2 as well as MYCN mRNA express were determined by RT-PCR analysis. Secreted TNF-α level were determined using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results. Rutin significantly inhibited the growth of LAN-5 cells and chemotactic ability. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that rutin induced G2/M arrest in the cell cycle progression and induced cell apoptosis. The RT-PCR showed that rutin could decrease BCL2 expression and BCL2/BAX ratio. In the meantime, the MYCN mRNA level and the secretion of TNF-α were inhibited. Conclusion. These results suggest that rutin produces obvious antineuroblastoma effects via induced G2/M arrest in the cell cycle progression and induced cell apoptosis as well as regulating the expression of gene related to apoptosis and so on. It supports the viability of developing rutin as a novel therapeutic prodrug for neuroblastoma treatment, as well as providing a new path on anticancer effect of Chinese traditional drug

Small intestinal submucosa promotes angiogenesis via the Hippo pathway to improve vaginal repair

Vaginal reconstruction has incorporated the use of gastrointestinal segments for decades, but the technique is inevitably associated with complications. Tissue-engineering techniques, however, have brought great hope for vaginal reconstruction. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of small intestinal submucosa (SIS) in reconstructing clinically significant large vaginal defects in a porcine model and to investigate the role of the Hippo pathway in the vascular remodeling process. The composition and mechanical properties of SIS were characterized. Full-thickness vaginal defects were established in 10 minipig donors, with 4 cm lengths removed and replaced by an equal sized SIS scaffolds. The neovaginas were subjected to macroscopic, histological, immunohistochemical and molecular evaluations at 4 and 12 weeks after the surgery. Four weeks after the operation, extracellular matrix reorganization and complete coverage of the surface of the luminal matrix by vaginal epithelium were observed, accompanied by the formation of a microvascular network and the regeneration of smooth muscles, albeit disorderly arranged. Twelve weeks after implantation, enhancements were seen in the formation of the multi-layered squamous epithelium, angiogenesis, and large muscle bundle formation in the vagina. Additionally, the expression levels of angiogenesis-related proteins, proliferation-related proteins and Hippo pathway-related proteins in the neovagina were significantly increased. These results indicate that SIS could be used to reconstruct large vaginal defects and that the vascular remodeling process is potentially regulated by the Hippo pathway

Particulate matter pollution over China and the effects of control policies

China is one of the regions with highest PM(2.5)concentration in the world. In this study, we review the spatio-temporal distribution of PM2.5 mass concentration and components in China and the effect of control measures on PM2.5 concentrations. Annual averaged PM2.5 concentrations in Central-Eastern China reached over 100 mu g m(-3), in some regions even over 150 mu g m(-3). In 2013, only 4.1% of the cities attained the annual average standard of 35 mu g m(-3). Aitken mode particles tend to dominate the total particle number concentration. Depending on the location and time of the year, new particle formation (NPF) has been observed to take place between about 10 and 60% of the days. In most locations, NPF was less frequent at high PM mass loadings. The secondary inorganic particles (i.e., sulfate, nitrate and ammonium) ranked the highest fraction among the PM2.5 species, followed by organic matters (OM), crustal species and element carbon (EC), which accounted for 6-50%, 15-51%, 5-41% and 2-12% of PM2.5, respectively. In response to serious particulate matter pollution, China has taken aggressive steps to improve air quality in the last decade. As a result, the national emissions of primary PM2.5, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have been decreasing since 2005, 2006, and 2011, respectively. The emission control policies implemented in the last decade could result in noticeable reduction in PM2,(5)concentrations, contributing to the decreasing PM2.5 trends observed in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. However, the control policies issued before 2010 are insufficient to improve PM2.5 air quality notably in future. An optimal mix of energy-saving and end-of-pipe control measures should be implemented, more ambitious control policies for NMVOC and NH3 should be enforced, and special control measures in winter should be applied. 40-70% emissions should be cut off to attain PM2.5 standard. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Seasonal variation in oxygenated organic molecules in urban Beijing and their contribution to secondary organic aerosol

Oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) are crucial for atmospheric new particle formation and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) growth. Therefore, understanding their chemical composition, temporal behavior, and sources is of great importance. Previous studies on OOMs mainly focus on environments where biogenic sources are predominant, yet studies on sites with dominant anthropogenic emissions, such as megacities, have been lacking. Here, we conducted long-term measurements of OOMs, covering four seasons of the year 2019, in urban Beijing. The OOM concentration was found to be the highest in summer (1.6 x 10(8) cm(-3)), followed by autumn (7.9 x 10(7) cm(-3)), spring (5.7 x 10(7) cm(-3)) and winter (2.3 x 10(7) cm(-3)), suggesting that enhanced photo-oxidation together with the rise in temperature promote the formation of OOMs. Most OOMs contained 5 to 10 carbon atoms and 3 to 7 effective oxygen atoms (nO(eff) = nO - 2 x nN). The average nO(eff )increased with increasing atmospheric photo-oxidation capacity, which was the highest in summer and the lowest in winter and autumn. By performing a newly developed workflow, OOMs were classified into the following four types: aromatic OOMs, aliphatic OOMs, isoprene OOMs, and monoterpene OOMs. Among them, aromatic OOMs (29 %-41 %) and aliphatic OOMs (26 %-41 %) were the main contributors in all seasons, indicating that OOMs in Beijing were dominated by anthropogenic sources. The contribution of isoprene OOMs increased significantly in summer (33 %), which is much higher than those in the other three seasons (8 %-10 %). Concentrations of isoprene (0.2-5.3 x 10(7) cm(-3)) and monoterpene (1.1-8.4 x 10(6) cm(-3)) OOMs in Beijing were lower than those reported at other sites, and they possessed lower oxygen and higher nitrogen contents due to high NO, levels (9.5-38.3 ppbv - parts per billion by volume) in Beijing. With regard to the nitrogen content of the two anthropogenic OOMs, aromatic OOMs were mainly composed of CHO and CHON species, while aliphatic OOMs were dominated by CHON and CHON2 ones. Such prominent differences suggest varying formation pathways between these two OOMs. By combining the measurements and an aerosol dynamic model, we estimated that the SOA growth rate through OOM condensation could reach 0.64, 0.61, 0.41, and 0.30 mu g m(-3) h(-1) in autumn, summer, spring, and winter, respectively. Despite the similar concentrations of aromatic and aliphatic OOMs, the former had lower volatilities and, therefore, showed higher contributions (46 %-62 %) to SOA than the latter (14 %-32 %). By contrast, monoterpene OOMs and isoprene OOMs, limited by low abundances or high volatilities, had low contributions of 8 %-12 % and 3 %-5 %, respectively. Overall, our results improve the understanding of the concentration, chemical composition, seasonal variation, and potential atmospheric impacts of OOMs, which can help formulate refined restriction policy specific to SOA control in urban areas.Peer reviewe

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Pollution Effect of the Agglomeration of Thermal Power and Other Air Pollution-Intensive Industries in China

With the rapid development of the Chinese economy, air pollution is becoming increasingly serious, which greatly impacts the lives and activities of people, and the spatial agglomeration of thermal power and other air pollution-intensive industries (TPAPIs) is an important factor. The purpose of this article is to find the air pollution-intensive industries scientifically, to analyze the effects of pollution from TPAPIs in China, and to provide a basis for the planning and adjustment of TPAPIs. In this study, an air pollution index was adopted to identify TPAPIs, a location quotient was employed to measure the agglomeration of TPAPIs in China, and the global Moran’s I index was determined to examine the spatial agglomeration characteristics of these industries and the spatial characteristics of air pollution. On this basis, a spatial panel Durbin model describing atmospheric pollution was constructed. The pollution effects of the agglomeration of TPAPIs were examined in regard to spatial agglomeration and spillover effects. In the study, it was found that the agglomeration of TPAPIs in different regions of China exhibited a significant positive spatial correlation, and spatial dependence becomes increasingly notable. A significant inverted U-shaped relationship was found to exist between the spatial agglomeration of TPAPIs and air pollution, and thus the spatial agglomeration of TPAPIs imposes a significant spatial spillover effect on air pollution. Specific policy suggestions are proposed, such as the formulation of science-based policies targeting TPAPIs, promotion of interregional cooperation, establishment of a regional joint prevention and control mechanism, and effective elimination of the excess capacity of outdated TPAPIs

The Spatial Effect and Threshold Characteristics of Green Technological Innovation on the Environmental Pollution of Thermal Power, etc., Air Pollution-Intensive Industrial Agglomeration in China

Serious air pollution has occurred in China since 2012. With the increasing investment in technological innovation in China, the role of green technological innovation in reducing air pollution has attracted more and more attention. By constructing the spatial Durbin model and threshold regression model and using the statistical data of China’s provinces, this study explores the spatial effects and threshold characteristics of China’s green technology innovation on the environmental pollution of China’s air pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration. The research objective is to find out the spatial effects and threshold characteristics of green technology innovation on the environmental pollution of China’s air pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration. The results show that thermal power, etc., air pollution-intensive industrial are important sources of sulfur dioxide emissions; however, their degree of concentration is gradually increasing, resulting in rising sulfur dioxide emissions in these areas. When the level of green technological innovation is greater than 8.0523, its inhibition effect on sulfur dioxide emissions in these industries is significantly increased. Improving green technology innovation ability in thermal power, etc., air pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration areas can effectively reduce pollution in the atmosphere. The level of green technology innovation in key zones must be increased to adjust the concentration of pollution-intensive industries, improve China’s industrial structure, and reduce atmospheric environment pollution

Research on the Spatial Effects of Green Process Innovation, Environmental Regulation, and Precipitation on Environmental Air Pollution

In recent years, air pollution events have occurred frequently in China and have had serious impacts on people’s work and life. The research objective of the article is to find out the spatial effects of green process innovation, environmental regulation, rainfall, and pollution from industrial development on air pollution by compiling a development index of the air pollution industry and constructing spatial autoregression and spatial Durbin models. The study found that green technology innovation significantly reduced sulfur dioxide emissions and fog haze pollution. The development of industrial air pollution is an important source of sulfur dioxide and pollutant haze and has significant spatial spillover effects. The strengthening of environmental regulations leads to a decrease in life pollution but causes a transfer of industrial pollution. Rainfall is conducive to reducing the concentrations of pollutants in the air, such as those from chimneys and smog. Policy recommendations are proposed, such as establishing different environmental policies for different green technological innovations to promote green technology innovation; constructing a joint defense control system for regional air pollution; increasing the construction of artificial wetlands in areas with serious air pollution; and creating scientific plans to coordinate the development of industry, technology, and the environment, to provide help for China to reduce the emission of atmospheric environmental pollutants

Optical Biosensor Based on Graphene and Its Derivatives for Detecting Biomolecules

Graphene and its derivatives show great potential for biosensing due to their extraordinary optical, electrical and physical properties. In particular, graphene and its derivatives have excellent optical properties such as broadband and tunable absorption, fluorescence bursts, and strong polarization-related effects. Optical biosensors based on graphene and its derivatives make nondestructive detection of biomolecules possible. The focus of this paper is to review the preparation of graphene and its derivatives, as well as recent advances in optical biosensors based on graphene and its derivatives. The working principle of face plasmon resonance (SPR), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and colorimetric sensors are summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of graphene and its derivatives applicable to various types of sensors are analyzed, and the methods of surface functionalization of graphene and its derivatives are introduced; these optical biosensors can be used for the detection of a range of biomolecules such as single cells, cellular secretions, proteins, nucleic acids, and antigen-antibodies; these new high-performance optical sensors are capable of detecting changes in surface structure and biomolecular interactions with the advantages of ultra-fast detection, high sensitivity, label-free, specific recognition, and the ability to respond in real-time. Problems in the current stage of application are discussed, as well as future prospects for graphene and its biosensors. Achieving the applicability, reusability and low cost of novel optical biosensors for a variety of complex environments and achieving scale-up production, which still faces serious challenges