Titanium dioxide/zeolite integrated photocatalytic adsorbents for the degradation of amoxicillin

Integrated photocatalytic adsorbents (IPA) prepared from TiO2 and natural zeolite were applied to amoxicillin (AMX) degradation. The acid-alkali pre-treated zeolite annealed at 300°C under nitrogen resulted in the best degradation of AMX. The superior performance of this IPA material was explained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM analysis showed an uneven surface as a result of TiO2 cluster deposition, which provides more active sites for adsorption and degradation. XRD results revealed that peaks from more photoactive anatase were more prominent in this IPA material. EDS analyses also confirmed the presence of high amounts of TiO2. Despite their large TiO2 loadings, comparison experiments with untreated zeolite suggested that the pores are still available for adsorption. The overall performance of the IPA material for the degradation of AMX was thus attributed to the adsorption capability of the zeolite carrier, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 coating and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis ('capture & destroy'). Degradation products resulting from TiO2/zeolite IPA-induced hydrolysis were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) prior to photocatalytic treatment. AMX and its thermal degradants were almost completely removed after 240min of irradiation. The efficiency of the developed TiO2/zeolite material provides a potentially economical way of degrading pharmaceutical compounds and recovering photocatalysts simultaneously

Development and Interrogation of a Transcriptomic Resource for the Giant Triton Snail (Charonia tritonis)

Gastropod molluscs are among the most abundant species that inhabit coral reef ecosystems. Many are specialist predators, along with the giant triton snail Charonia tritonis (Linnaeus, 1758) whose diet consists of Acanthaster planci (crown-of-thorns starfish), a corallivore known to consume enormous quantities of reef-building coral. C. tritonis are considered vulnerable due to overexploitation, and a decline in their populations is believed to have contributed to recurring A. planci population outbreaks. Aquaculture is considered one approach that could help restore natural populations of C. tritonis and mitigate coral loss; however, numerous questions remain unanswered regarding their life cycle, including the molecular factors that regulate their reproduction and development. In this study, we have established a reference C. tritonis transcriptome derived from developmental stages (embryo and veliger) and adult tissues. This was used to identify genes associated with cell signalling, such as neuropeptides and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), involved in endocrine and olfactory signalling. A comparison of developmental stages showed that several neuropeptide precursors are exclusively expressed in post-hatch veligers and functional analysis found that FFamide stimulated a significant (20.3%) increase in larval heart rate. GPCRs unique to veligers, and a diversity of rhodopsin-like GPCRs located within adult cephalic tentacles, all represent candidate olfactory receptors. In addition, the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which participates in the biosynthesis and degradation of steroid hormones and lipids, was also found to be expanded with at least 91 genes annotated, mostly in gill tissue. These findings further progress our understanding of C. tritonis with possible application in developing aquaculture methods.</p

Multi-omics investigations within the Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda: from ecological application to breakthrough phylogenomic studies

Gastropods are the largest and most diverse class of mollusc and include species that are well studied within the areas of taxonomy, aquaculture, biomineralization, ecology, microbiome and health. Gastropod research has been expanding since the mid-2000s, largely due to large-scale data integration from next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry in which transcripts, proteins and metabolites can be readily explored systematically. Correspondingly, the huge data added a great deal of complexity for data organization, visualization and interpretation. Here, we reviewed the recent

Homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12, and cardiovascular risk in Indians, Malays, and Chinese in Singapore

OBJECTIVE—To examine the hypothesis that the higher rates of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Indians (South Asians) compared with Malays and Chinese is partly attributable to differences in blood concentrations of homocysteine, and related blood concentrations of folate and vitamin B12.
DESIGN—Cross sectional study of the general population.
SETTING—Singapore.
PARTICIPANTS—Random sample of 726 fasting subjects aged 30 to 69( )years.
MAIN RESULTS—Mean plasma total homocysteine concentrations did not show significant ethnic differences; values were Indians (men 16.2 and women 11.5 µmol/l), Malays (men 15.0 and women 12.5 µmol/l), and Chinese (men 15.3 and women 12.2 µmol/l). Similarly, the proportions with high plasma homocysteine (>14.0 µmol/l) showed no important ethnic differences being, Indians (men 60.0 and women 21.9 %), Malays (men 53.9 and women 37.8 %), and Chinese (men 56.6 and women 30.6 %). Mean plasma folate concentrations were lower in Indians (men 8.7 and women 10.9 nmol/l) and Malays (men 8.5 and women 10.8 nmol/l), than Chinese (men 9.7 and women 13.8 nmol/l). Similarly, the proportions with low plasma folate (<6.8 nmol/l) were higher in Indians (men 44.9 and women 36.6 %) and Malays (men 45.3 and women 24.5 %) than Chinese (men 31.4 and women 12.6( )%). Mean plasma vitamin B12 concentrations were lowest in Indians (men 352.5 and women 350.7 pmol/l), then Chinese (men 371.1 and women 373.7 pmol/l), and then Malays (men 430.5 and women 486.0( )pmol/l).
CONCLUSION—While there were ethnic differences for plasma folate and vitamin B12 (in particular lower levels in Indians), there was no evidence that homocysteine plays any part in the differential ethnic risk from CHD in Singapore and in particular the increased susceptibility of Indians to the disease.


Keywords: coronary heart disease; ethnic; homocystein