Screening for hydroxynitrile lyase activity in non-commercialised plants

AbstractHydroxynitrile lyases are used for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure cyanohydrins which are of great importance in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. In this study, the hydroxynitrile lyase activity of 100 plants from 40 families was investigated, first by screening for cyanogenic activity, followed by a hydroxynitrile lyase activity assay. Of the 100 plants, four were found to be cyanogenic and exhibited specific hydroxynitrile lyase activity: Adenia sp. (0.44U/mg), Adenia firingalavensis (2.88U/mg), Adenia fruticosa (1.99U/mg) and, Adenia pechuelii (2.35U/mg), all from the family Passifloraceae. This is the first report of hydroxynitrile lyase activity in these plants

Improving the normalization of complex interventions: measure development based on normalization process theory (NoMAD): study protocol

<b>Background</b> Understanding implementation processes is key to ensuring that complex interventions in healthcare are taken up in practice and thus maximize intended benefits for service provision and (ultimately) care to patients. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) provides a framework for understanding how a new intervention becomes part of normal practice. This study aims to develop and validate simple generic tools derived from NPT, to be used to improve the implementation of complex healthcare interventions.<p></p> <b>Objectives</b> The objectives of this study are to: develop a set of NPT-based measures and formatively evaluate their use for identifying implementation problems and monitoring progress; conduct preliminary evaluation of these measures across a range of interventions and contexts, and identify factors that affect this process; explore the utility of these measures for predicting outcomes; and develop an online users’ manual for the measures.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> A combination of qualitative (workshops, item development, user feedback, cognitive interviews) and quantitative (survey) methods will be used to develop NPT measures, and test the utility of the measures in six healthcare intervention settings.<p></p> <b>Discussion</b> The measures developed in the study will be available for use by those involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating complex interventions in healthcare and have the potential to enhance the chances of their implementation, leading to sustained changes in working practices

Lipid tethering of breast tumor cells enables real-time imaging of free-floating cell dynamics and drug response

Funding for Open Access provided by the UMD Libraries' Open Access Publishing Fund.Free-floating tumor cells located in the blood of cancer patients, known as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), have become key targets for studying metastasis. However, effective strategies to study the free-floating behavior of tumor cells in vitro have been a major barrier limiting the understanding of the functional properties of CTCs. Upon extracellular-matrix (ECM) detachment, breast tumor cells form tubulin-based protrusions known as microtentacles (McTNs) that play a role in the aggregation and re-attachment of tumor cells to increase their metastatic efficiency. In this study, we have designed a strategy to spatially immobilize ECM-detached tumor cells while maintaining their free-floating character. We use polyelectrolyte multilayers deposited on microfluidic substrates to prevent tumor cell adhesion and the addition of lipid moieties to tether tumor cells to these surfaces through interactions with the cell membranes. This coating remains optically clear, allowing capture of high-resolution images and videos of McTNs on viable free-floating cells. In addition, we show that tethering allows for the real-time analysis of McTN dynamics on individual tumor cells and in response to tubulin-targeting drugs. The ability to image detached tumor cells can vastly enhance our understanding of CTCs under conditions that better recapitulate the microenvironments they encounter during metastasis

Assembly of Silver Nanoparticles into Hollow Spheres Using Eu(III) Compound based on Trifluorothenoyl-Acetone

The preparation of luminescent silver hollow spheres using Eu(III) compound based on trifluorothenoyl-acetone is described. The structure and size of silver hollow spheres were determined by TEM images. The result shows the formation of hollow structure and average size of the silver hollow spheres (0.9 μm). The silver hollow spheres were further characterized by UV absorption spectrum, SNOM and SEM images, suggesting them to be formed by self-assemble of some isolated silver nanoparticles. The luminescent properties of them were also investigated and they are shown to be high emission strength; moreover, they offer the distinct advantage of a lower packing density compared with other commercial luminescent products

Effects of the Template Composition and Coating on the Photoluminescence Properties of ZnS:Mn Nanoparticles

Mn-doped ZnS nanocrystals based on low dopant concentrations (0–2%) and coated with a shell of Zn(OH)2 have been prepared via soft template and precipitation reaction. The results indicate that the ZnS:Mn nanocrystal is cubic zinc blende structure and its diameter is 3.02 nm as demonstrated by XRD. Measured by TEM, the morphology of nanocrystals is a spherical shape, and their particle size (3–5 nm) is similar to that of XRD results. Photoluminescence spectra under ultraviolet region shows that the volume ratio of alcohol to water in the template has a great effect on the luminescence properties of ZnS:Mn particles. Compared with unpassivated ZnS:Mn nanocrystals, ZnS:Mn/Zn(OH)2 core/shell nanocrystal exhibits much improved luminescence and higher absolute quantum efficiency. Meanwhile, we simply explore the formation mechanism of ZnS:Mn nanocrystals in alcohol and water system and analyze the reason why alcohol and water cluster structures can affect the luminescent properties of nanoparticle