A review on heterogeneous solid catalysts and related catalytic mechanisms for epoxidation of olefins with H2O2

The epoxidation reaction using heterogeneous solid catalysts with H2O2 as oxidants are environmentally friendly routes to produce extensively useful epoxides which are traditionally obtained from capital-intensive or environmentally polluted processes. In this paper, various types of solid catalysts for the epoxidation of olefins with H2O2 as oxidants are reviewed. The efficient catalysts reported include microporous and mesoporous molecular sieves, layered-type materials, inorganic oxides, supported catalysts, zeolite encapsulated metal complexes, polyoxometalates, and supported organometallic catalysts. The proposed reaction mechanisms over different solid catalysts are summarized. The problems and perspectives to further efficiently improve the catalytic performances of the concerned heterogeneous catalysts for epoxidation reaction are remarked

Investigation of glucose-modified liposomes using polyethylene glycols with different chain lengths as the linkers for brain targeting

Background: An intimidating challenge to transporting drugs into the brain parenchyma is the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Glucose is an essential nutritional substance for brain function sustenance, which cannot be synthesized by the brain. Its transport primarily depends on the glucose transporters on the brain capillary endothelial cells. In this paper, the brain-targeted properties of glucose-modified liposomes using polyethylene glycols with different chain lengths as the linkers were compared and evaluated to establish an optimized drug-delivery system. Methods: Coumarin 6-loaded liposomes (GLU200-LIP, GLU400-LIP, GLU1000-LIP, and GLU2000-LIP) composed of phospholipids and glucose-derived cholesterols were prepared by thin-film dispersion-ultrasound method. The BBB model in vitro was developed to evaluate the transendothelial ability of the different liposomes crossing the BBB. The biodistribution of liposomes in the mice brains was identified by in vivo and ex vivo nearinfrared fluorescence imaging and confocal laser scanning microscopy and further analyzed quantitatively by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Glucose-derived cholesterols were synthesized and identified, and coumarin 6-loaded liposomes were prepared successfully. The particle sizes of the four types of glucose-modified liposomes were around or smaller than 100 nm with a polydispersity index less than 0.300. GLU400-LIP, GLU1000-LIP, and GLU2000-LIP achieved higher cumulative cleared volumes on BBB model in vitro after 6 hours compared with GLU200-LIP (P < 0.05) and were significantly higher than that of the conventional liposome (P < 0.001). The qualitative and quantitative biodistribution results in the mice showed that the accumulation of GLU1000-LIP in the brain was the highest among all the groups (P < 0.01 versus LIP). Conclusion: The data indicated that GLU400-LIP, GLU1000-LIP, and GLU2000-LIP all possess the potential of brain targeting, among which GLU1000-LIP, as a promising drug-delivery system, exhibited the strongest brain delivery capacity.Nanoscience & NanotechnologyPharmacology & PharmacySCI(E)0ARTICLE163-175

MIBiG 3.0 : a community-driven effort to annotate experimentally validated biosynthetic gene clusters

With an ever-increasing amount of (meta)genomic data being deposited in sequence databases, (meta)genome mining for natural product biosynthetic pathways occupies a critical role in the discovery of novel pharmaceutical drugs, crop protection agents and biomaterials. The genes that encode these pathways are often organised into biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). In 2015, we defined the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG): a standardised data format that describes the minimally required information to uniquely characterise a BGC. We simultaneously constructed an accompanying online database of BGCs, which has since been widely used by the community as a reference dataset for BGCs and was expanded to 2021 entries in 2019 (MIBiG 2.0). Here, we describe MIBiG 3.0, a database update comprising large-scale validation and re-annotation of existing entries and 661 new entries. Particular attention was paid to the annotation of compound structures and biological activities, as well as protein domain selectivities. Together, these new features keep the database up-to-date, and will provide new opportunities for the scientific community to use its freely available data, e.g. for the training of new machine learning models to predict sequence-structure-function relationships for diverse natural products. MIBiG 3.0 is accessible online at https://mibig.secondarymetabolites.org/

Percutaneous microwave ablation versus surgical resection for ovarian cancer liver metastasis

Objective To compare the oncological outcomes between microwave ablation (MWA) and surgical resection (SR) in patients with ovarian cancer liver metastasis (OCLM). Materials and methods In this retrospective study, a total of 29 female patients (mean age, 47.8 ± 12.9 years; range, 21–65 years) diagnosed with forty-three OCLM nodules between September 2008 and July 2016 were included. All patients with ovarian cancer received chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery (CRS). Fifteen patients with 22 nodules underwent MWA, and 14 patients with 21 nodules underwent SR. Overall survival (OS), local tumor recurrence-free survival (LTRS), and operation-related parameters were compared between the two groups. Multivariate analyses were performed on clinicopathological variables to identify factors affecting OS and LTRS. Results The median follow-up time was 70.2 months (range, 12.1–107.2 months). Fourteen patients died during this period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and LTRS rates after MWA were comparable to those after SR (p = .198 and p = .889, respectively). Compared with the SR group, the MWA group had a shorter surgical time (p < .001), less estimated blood loss (p < .001), shorter postoperative hospitalization (p < .001) and fewer costs (p = .015). The multivariate analysis showed that old age (p = .001) was a predictor of poor OS and that intrahepatic tumor size (p = .005) and intrahepatic tumor number (p = .001) were predictors of poor LTRS. Conclusion Percutaneous MWA had comparable oncologic outcomes with those of SR and could be a safe and effective treatment for OCLM

Primary angiosarcoma arising in an angiomyolipoma of the kidney: case report and literature review

Abstract Background Primary angiosarcoma of the kidney is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor presenting with a recognizable vascular differentiation. Its prognosis is fatal and the pathogenesis remains unclear. Renal angiomyolipoma is a relatively infrequent renal cortical neoplasm and is composed of variable proportions of adipose tissue, spindle cells, epithelioid smooth muscle cells and abnormal thick-walled blood vessels. Case presentation Here, we reported a case in which a 64-year-old woman presenting with the chief complaint of a progressively enlarged mass in the left abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography confirmed presence of a tumor measuring 18 cm × 11 cm in the left posterior renal fascia. Microscopic examination and immunohistochemical staining confirmed co-existence of angiomyolipoma and angiosarcoma. Furthermore, the two components interspersed with each other and there were transitional zones between them. Conclusions In this case, we described for the first time a primary renal angiosarcoma possibly arising in a pre-existing angiomyolipoma of the kidney

Phylogenetic Analysis of ALV-J Associated with Immune Responses in Yellow Chicken Flocks in South China

The aim of this study was to better understand the sequence characteristics and immune responses in avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) infected yellow chicken flocks in South China. We isolated four strains of ALV-J virus from these flocks, which were then identified by several methods, including subtype-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). All four viruses were sequenced for their complete genomes and named GD19GZ01, GD19GZ02, GD19GZ03, and GD19GZ04. In comparison with the reference sequence, the homology analysis showed that the gag and pol genes were relatively conserved, whereas env contained much variation. Both GD19GZ01 and GD19GZ02 almost entirely lacked the rTM region and E element, while the latter was retained in GD19GZ03 and GD19GZ04. Moreover, the virus replication levels in GD19GZ03 and GD19GZ04were much higher than those in GD19GZ01 and GD19GZ02. And three virus recombination events in GD19GZ01 and GD19GZ02 were revealed by the results of PDR5 and SimPlot software analysis. Additionally, we found that some interferon-stimulating genes (CH25H, MX, PKR, OAS, and ZAP) and inflammatory mediators (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, 1L-18, and TNF-α) were significantly upregulated in the immune system organs of clinical chickens. Taken together, these findings clarify and reveal the sequence characteristics and trends in the variation of ALV-J infection in yellow chicken flocks of South China

Field Phenotyping Monitoring Systems for High-Throughput: A Survey of Enabling Technologies, Equipment, and Research Challenges

High-throughput phenotype monitoring systems for field crops can not only accelerate the breeding process but also provide important data support for precision agricultural monitoring. Traditional phenotype monitoring methods for field crops relying on artificial sampling and measurement have some disadvantages including low efficiency, strong subjectivity, and single characteristics. To solve these problems, the rapid monitoring, acquisition, and analysis of phenotyping information of field crops have become the focus of current research. The research explores the systematic framing of phenotype monitoring systems for field crops. Focusing on four aspects, namely phenotyping sensors, mobile platforms, control systems, and phenotyping data preprocessing algorithms, the application of the sensor technology, structural design technology of mobile carriers, intelligent control technology, and data processing algorithms to phenotype monitoring systems was assessed. The research status of multi-scale phenotype monitoring products was summarized, and the merits and demerits of various phenotype monitoring systems for field crops in application were discussed. In the meantime, development trends related to phenotype monitoring systems for field crops in aspects including sensor integration, platform optimization, standard unification, and algorithm improvement were proposed

Electric field control of magnetic properties in FeRh/PMN-PT heterostructures

Hybrid solid electrolyte; Polyethylene oxide; Active filler; Simple preparation; All-solid-state lithium batter

Surface morphology and magnetic property of wrinkled FeGa thin films fabricated on elastic polydimethylsiloxane

We investigated the surface morphology and the magnetic property of wrinkled Fe81Ga19 (FeGa) thin films fabricated in two different processes onto elastic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. The films obtained by directly depositing Ta and FeGa layers on a pre-strained PDMS substrate display a sinusoidally wrinkled surface and a weak magnetic anisotropy. The wavelength and amplitude of the sinusoidal morphology linearly increase with the metallic layer thickness, while the magnetic anisotropy decreases with increasing FeGa thickness. The other films grown by depositing FeGa layer on a wrinkled Ta/PDMS surface show a remarkable uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The strength of magnetic anisotropy increases with increasing FeGa thickness. The magnetic anisotropy can be ascribed to the surface anisotropy, the magnetostrictive anisotropy, and the shape anisotropy caused, respectively, by the magnetic charges on wavy morphology, the residual mechanical stress, and the inhomogeneous thickness of FeGa films. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC