Effect of alkali metal doping on the properties and crystalline perfection of bis(thiourea)zinc(II) chloride crystals

The influence of sodium doping on the properties of bis(thiourea)zinc(II) chloride crystals has been described. The reduction in the intensity observed in powder X-ray diffraction of doped specimen and slight shifts in vibrational frequencies confirm the lattice stress as a result of doping. The incorporation of Na(I) into the crystal lattice was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Surface morphological changes due to doping of the alkali metal are observed by scanning electron microscopy. The TG-DTA studies reveal the purity of the material and no decomposition is observed up to the melting point. The high resolution X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the crystalline quality is improved considerably by doping with alkali metal. High transmittance is observed and cut off lambda is similar to 270 nm

Modeling cancer genomic data in yeast reveals selection against ATM function during tumorigenesis

The DNA damage response (DDR) comprises multiple functions that collectively preserve genomic integrity and suppress tumorigenesis. The Mre11 complex and ATM govern a major axis of the DDR and several lines of evidence implicate that axis in tumor suppression. Components of the Mre11 complex are mutated in approximately five percent of human cancers. Inherited mutations of complex members cause severe chromosome instability syndromes, such as Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome, which is associated with strong predisposition to malignancy. And in mice, Mre11 complex mutations are markedly more susceptible to oncogene- induced carcinogenesis. The complex is integral to all modes of DNA double strand break (DSB) repair and is required for the activation of ATM to effect DNA damage signaling. To understand which functions of the Mre11 complex are important for tumor suppression, we undertook mining of cancer genomic data from the clinical sequencing program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which includes the Mre11 complex among the 468 genes assessed. Twenty five mutations in MRE11 and RAD50 were modeled in S. cerevisiae and in vitro. The mutations were chosen based on recurrence and conservation between human and yeast. We found that a significant fraction of tumor-borne RAD50 and MRE11 mutations exhibited separation of function phenotypes wherein Tel1/ATM activation was severely impaired while DNA repair functions were mildly or not affected. At the molecular level, the gene products of RAD50 mutations exhibited defects in ATP binding and hydrolysis. The data reflect the importance of Rad50 ATPase activity for Tel1/ATM activation and suggest that inactivation of ATM signaling confers an advantage to burgeoning tumor cells

Antifungal activities and chemical characterization of Neem leaf extracts on the growth of some selected fungal species in vitro culture medium.

The efficacy of different extracts of neem leaf on seed borne fungi Aspergillus , Rhizopus and chemical characterization of the neem leaf extracts were studied in vitro on the culture medium. The growth of both the fungal species was inhibited significantly (p<0.01) and controlled with both alcoholic and water extract of all ages and of the concentrations used. The alcoholic extracts of neem leaf was most effective in comparison to aqueous extract for retarding the growth of Rhizopus and Aspergillus. The crude aqueous and alcoholic leaf extracts of neem was more effective in inhibitions of growth of the fungi Aspergillus in comparison to inhibitory effects on Rhizopus growth in the artificial culture medium. Leaf extracts of neem which are cheap and environmentally safe are promising for protecting crop species against the fungal infestation and leading towards improvement of the crop in terms of yield and productivity. @ JASE

Inmobilization of Zn(II) in Portland cement pastes. Determination of microstructure and leaching performance

The aim of this paper is to study the solidification/ stabilization potential of cementitious matrices on the immobilization of Zn(II) before its disposal into the environment by determining the mechanisms of interaction between the Zn(II) ions and the binder. The results of structural and mineralogical characterization of cement pastes formed with different amounts of immobilized Zn(II) ions are presented and the study includes results from thermogravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and leaching performance. Zn(II) ions delay the hydration reaction of Portland cement due to the formation of mainly CaZn2(OH)6 2H2O , as well as Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6, Zn(OH)2, and ZnCO3 in minor proportion. Correlations between total mass loss in TG analysis and leached Zn(II) ions in long-term curing pastes have been obtained. This result is important because in a preliminary approach from a TG on an early-aged cement paste containing Zn(II), it could be possible to perform an estimation of the amount of Zn(II) ions that could be leached, thus avoiding costly and time-consuming tests.Mellado Romero, AM.; Borrachero Rosado, MV.; Soriano Martinez, L.; Paya Bernabeu, JJ.; Monzó Balbuena, JM. (2013). Inmobilization of Zn(II) in Portland cement pastes. Determination of microstructure and leaching performance. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. 112(3):1377-1389. doi:10.1007/s10973-012-2705-8S137713891123Mojumdar SC, Sain M, Prasad RC, Sun L, Venart JES. Selected thermoanalytical methods and their applications from medicine to construction, Part I. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2007;90:653–62.Perraki M, Perraki T, Kolovos K, Tsivilis S, Kakali G. Secondary raw materials in cement industry. Evaluation of their effect on the sintering and hydration processes by thermal analysis. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2002;70:143–50.Neves A, Dias Toledo R, de Moraes Rego E, Dweck J. Early stages hydration of high initial strength Portland cement. Part I. Thermogravimetric analysis on calcined mass basis. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2012;108:725–31. doi: 10.1007/s10973-012-2256-z .Balek V, Bydžovský J, Dufka A, Drochytka R, Beckman IN. Use of emanation thermal analysis to characterize microstructure development during Portland cement hydration. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2012. doi: 10.1007/s10973-012-2314-6 .Zhang Q, Ye G. Dehydration kinetics of Portland cement paste at high temperature. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2012. doi: 10.1007/s10973-012-2303-9 .Menéndez E, Vega L, Andrade C. Use of decomposition of portlandite in concrete fire as indicator of temperature progression into the material. Application to fire-affected builds. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2012. doi: 10.1007/s10973-011-2159-4 .Galan I, Andrade C, Castellote M. Thermogravimetrical analysis for monitoring carbonation of cementitious materials. Uptake of CO2 and deepening in C–S–H knowledge. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2012. doi: 10.1007/s10973-012-2466-4 .Batchelor B. Overview of waste stabilization with cement. Waste Manag (Oxford). 2006;26:689–98.Gineys N, Aouad G, Damidot D. Managing trace elements in Portland cement-Part I: interactions between cement paste and heavy metals added during mixing as soluble salts. Cem Concr Compos. 2010;32:563–70.Erdem M, Özverdi A. Environmental risk assessment and stabilization/solidification of zinc extraction residue: II. Stabilization/solidification. Hydrometallurgy. 2011;105:270–6.Nocuń-Wczelik W, Małolepszy J. Application of calorimetry in studies of the immobilization of heavy metals in cementitious materials. Thermochim Acta. 1995;269(270):613–9.Dweck J, Buchler PM, Cartledge FK. The effect of different bentonites on cement hydration during solidification/stabilization of tannery wastes. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2001;64:1011–6.Melchert MBM, Viana MM, Lemos MS, Dweck J, Buchler PM. Simultaneous solidification of two catalyst wastes and their effect on the early stages of cement hydration. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2011;105:625–33.Vessalas K, Thomas PS, Ray AS, Guerbois JP, Joyce P, Haggman J. Pozzolanic reactivity of the supplementary cementitious material pitchstone fines by thermogravimetric analysis. J Therm Anal Calorim. 2009;97:71–6.Tommaseo CE, Kersten M. Aqueous solubility diagrams for cementitious waste stabilization systems. 3. Mechanism of zinc immobilization by calcium silicate hydrate. Environ Sci Technol. 2002;36:2919–25.Peyronnard O, et al. Study of mineralogy and leaching behavior of stabilized/solidified sludge using differential acid neutralization analysis. Cem Conc Res. 2009. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconres.2009.03.016 .Moulin I, et al. Lead, zinc and chromium (III) and (VI) speciation in hydrated cement phases. International conference on the science and engineering of recycling for environmental protection, waste materials in construction (WASCON 2000), Harrogate, England, 2000, pp. 269–280.Ziegler F, Gieré R, Johnson CA. Sorption mechanisms of zinc to calcium silicate hydrate: sorption and microscopic investigations. Environ Sci Technol. 2001;35:4556–61.Qiao XC, Poon CS, Cheeseman CR. Investigation into the stabilization/solidification performance of Portland cement through cement clinker phases. J Hazard Mater. 2007;B139:238–43.Chen QY, et al. Immobilisation of heavy metal in cement-based solidification/stabilisation: a review. Waste Manag (Oxford). 2009;29:390–403.Chen QY, et al. Characterisation of products of tricalcium silicate hydration in the presence of heavy metals. J Hazard Mater. 2007;147:817–25.Fernandez-Olmo I, Chacon E, Irabien A. Influence of lead, zinc, iron (III) and chromium (III) oxides on the setting time and strength development of Portland cement. Cem Concr Res. 2001;31:1213–9.Fernandez-Olmo I, Chacon E, Irabien A. Leaching behavior of lead, chromium (III) and zinc in cement/metal oxides systems. ASCE J Environ Eng. 2003;129:532–8.Cappuyns V, Swennenb R. The application of pHstat leaching tests to assess the pH-dependent release of trace metals from soils, sediments and waste materials. J Hazard Mater. 2008;158:185–95.Payá J, Monzó J, Borrachero MV, Velázquez S. Evaluation of the pozzolanic activity of fluid catalytic cracking catalyst residue (FC3R): thermogravimetric analysis studies on FC3R-Portland cement pastes. Cem Concr Res. 2003;33:603–9.Wang S, Yang Z, Zeng L. Study of calcium zincate synthesized by solid-phase synthesis method without strong alkali. Mater Chem Phys. 2008;112:603–6.Stumm A, et al. Incorporation of zinc into calcium silicate hydrates, Part I: formation of C–S–H(I) with C/S = 2/3 and its isochemical counterpart gyrolite. Cem Concr Res. 2005;35:1665–75.Stephan D, Mallmann R, Knöfel D, Härdtl R. High intakes of Cr, Ni, and Zn in clinker, Part II. Influence on the hydration properties. Cem Concr Res. 1999;29:1959–67.Liu Y, et al. Thermal decomposition of basic zinc carbonate in nitrogen atmosphere. Thermochim Acta. 2004;414:121–3.Wahab R, et al. Synthesis and characterization of hydrozincite and its conversion into zinc oxide nanoparticles. J Alloy Compd. 2008;461:66–71.Hatakeyama T, Liu Z. Handbook of thermal analysis. New Yok: Wiley; 2000

Topically Applied Ceramides Interact with the Stratum Corneum Lipid Matrix in Compromised Ex Vivo Skin

Drug Delivery Technolog

A functional genomic approach to actionable gene fusions for precision oncology

Fusion genes represent a class of attractive therapeutic targets. Thousands of fusion genes have been identified in patients with cancer, but the functional consequences and therapeutic implications of most of these remain largely unknown. Here, we develop a functional genomic approach that consists of efficient fusion reconstruction and sensitive cell viability and drug response assays. Applying this approach, we characterize similar to 100 fusion genes detected in patient samples of The Cancer Genome Atlas, revealing a notable fraction of low-frequency fusions with activating effects on tumor growth. Focusing on those in the RTK-RAS pathway, we identify a number of activating fusions that can markedly affect sensitivity to relevant drugs. Last, we propose an integrated, level-of-evidence classification system to prioritize gene fusions systematically. Our study reiterates the urgent clinical need to incorporate similar functional genomic approaches to characterize gene fusions, thereby maximizing the utility of gene fusions for precision oncology

Comprehensive molecular characterization of the hippo signaling pathway in cancer

Hippo signaling has been recognized as a key tumor suppressor pathway. Here, we perform a comprehensive molecular characterization of 19 Hippo core genes in 9,125 tumor samples across 33 cancer types using multidimensional “omic” data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We identify somatic drivers among Hippo genes and the related microRNA (miRNA) regulators, and using functional genomic approaches, we experimentally characterize YAP and TAZ mutation effects and miR-590 and miR-200a regulation for TAZ. Hippo pathway activity is best characterized by a YAP/TAZ transcriptional target signature of 22 genes, which shows robust prognostic power across cancer types. Our elastic-net integrated modeling further reveals cancer-type-specific pathway regulators and associated cancer drivers. Our results highlight the importance of Hippo signaling in squamous cell cancers, characterized by frequent amplification of YAP/TAZ, high expression heterogeneity, and significant prognostic patterns. This study represents a systems-biology approach to characterizing key cancer signaling pathways in the post-genomic era