Biosorption of lead (II) from an aqueous solution using biosorbents prepared from water plants

Due to its toxicity causing serious health problems, persistence in the environment and non-biodegradability, lead (Pb) is considered as one of the most harmful metals on earth. In this study, dried aquatic plants as sorbents including Nymphoides peltata (NP), Typha laxmannii (TL), and Eichhornia crassipes (EC) were examined and compared to discover the best biosorption for Pb. The effect of physical and chemical parameters including pH (2.0–5.5), sorbent dosage (1–5 g/l), metal concentration (20–100 mg/l), and contact time (~240 min) were investigated to determine the optimal condition for Pb(II) biosorption. As a result, the optimum pH, sorbent dosage, and contact time were 5.0, 1 g/l, and 120 minutes, respectively. Pb2+ biosorption data were found to follow the Langmuir isotherm model while the kinetic biosorption data followed pseudo-second-order model. The maximum biosorption capacity from Langmuir model was calculated as 63.3, 82.9, and 51.9 mg/g for EC, NP, and TL, respectively. All the results showed that biosorption efficiencies of Pb(II) by different biosorbents were in following order NP>EC>TL

C5 Extract Induces Apoptosis in B16F10 Murine Melanoma Cells through Extrinsic and Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathways and Sub-G1 Phase Arrest

Purpose: To investigate the anti-cancer activities of C5 extract (C5E), a new herbal preparation from Korea, on B16F10 cells.Methods: The anti-proliferative effects of C5E were assessed by culturing B16F10 cells in the presence or absence of C5E. Cell cycle progression was analyzed by PI staining using flow cytometry. The quantities of apoptosis-inducing proteins were measured by Western blot.Results: C5E inhibited the proliferation of B16F10 cells but not human keratinocytes. C5E induced S phase arrest by interfering with cell regulatory factors such as cyclins B1, D1, D3, and E, and cyclindependent kinase 2, in B16F10 cells. Furthermore, immunoblot analysis confirmed that treatment with C5E induced apoptosis and cleaved caspase-3, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, via extrinsic pathway, whereas Bcl-2 expression was down-regulated. In addition, the suppression of cell proliferation by C5E is through down-regulation of p-Akt, up-regulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog protein expression via phosphoinositol 3 kinase survival signaling pathways in B16F10 cells. The combined cytotoxic effects of C5E and vinblastine generated 10 % increase in activity in contrast to the sum of the inhibitory effects of the individual agents.Conclusion: C5E shows promising anti-cancer activity and can be a useful adjuvant with vinblastine in combination therapeutic treatment of skin cancer.Keywords: Melanoma, Apoptosis, Anti-cancer, p53, Vinblastine, Cell cycle arrest, Caspas

Genome-wide association analysis with selective genotyping identifies candidate loci for adult height at 8q21.13 and 15q22.33-q23 in Mongolians

We performed a genome-wide association study with 23,465 microsatellite markers to identify genes related to adult height. Selective genotyping was applied to extremely tall and extremely short individuals from the Khalkh-Mongolian population. Two loci, 8q21.13 and 15q22.33, which showed the strongest association with microsatellites were subjected to further analyses of SNPs in 782 tall and 773 short individuals. The most significant association was observed with SNP rs2220456 at 8q21.13 (P = 0.000016). In the LD block at 15q22.32, SNP rs8038652 located in intron 1 of IQCH was strongly associated (P = 0.0003), especially the AA genotype of the SNP under a recessive model was strongly associated with adult height (P = 0.000046)

Interim results from ongoing Phase III placebo-controlled, randomized trial of hepcortespenlisimut-L for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma indication

Aim: We aimed to further investigate the role of hepcortespenlisimut-L (Hepko-V5 or V5), a new oral immunotherapy developed by us, for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) indication.Methods: The interim data from ongoing Phase III placebo-controlled, randomized trial were evaluated on the initial group of patients in advanced stage of HCC with emphasis on liver function and tumor marker alpha-fetoprotein levels. Additionally, an in vitro study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism of action of V5 by measuring with flow cytometry the expression of cytokines such as IL-2, INF-γ, and TNF-α and cell activation markers CD69 and Ki67 on CD4- and CD8-positive lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers.Results: As early as one month after treatment initiation, there was a clear improvement in alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin levels among HCC patients who received daily dose of V5, but not in the placebo group. Additionally, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels among V5 recipients decreased, while in the placebo group they rose. Clinical results are in line with in vitro observations indicating immune activation, as evidenced by many-fold enhancement of CD69, Ki67, and INF-γ expression and at the same time marked anti-inflammatory effect resulting in 10-fold decrease in TNF-α output and lack of influence on IL-2 production.Conclusion: Hepcortespenlisimut-L, a tableted oral formulation derived from heat-inactivated pooled blood of patients with HCC and viral hepatitis shows beneficial clinical effect, as demonstrated by improvement in liver function and reduction of tumor marker AFP levels. These correlate with in vitro observations showing potent activation of the immune response and pronounced oral tolerance effect