Solvent Isotope Effect on Transfer Hydrogenation of H2O with Glycerine under Alkaline Hydrothermal Conditions

Solvent isotope effect was investigated with 1H-, 2H-NMR, LC-MS and Gas-MS analyses on transfer hydrogenation of H2O with glycerine under alkaline hydrothermal conditions. The results from solvent isotope studies showed that (1) the H on the β-C of lactate was almost exchanged by D2O, which suggests that the hydroxyl (-OH) group on the 2-C of glycerine was first transformed into a carbonyl (C=O) group and then was converted back into a -OH group to form lactate; (2) The presence of large amounts of D was found in the produced hydrogen gas, which shows that the water molecules acted as a reactant; and (3) D% in the produced hydrogen gas was far more than 50%, which straightforwardly shows that acetol was formed in the first place as the most probable intermediate by undergoing a dehydration reaction rather than a dehydrogenation reaction

Solvent Isotope Effect on Hydrogen-Transfer Reduction of CO2 into Formate with Glycerine by Alkaline Hydrothermal Reaction

To examine the solvent isotope effect on hydrogen-transfer reduction of CO2 into formate with glycerine by alkaline hydrothermal reaction, intermediates were identified by 13C-NMR, 1H-NMR, 2H-NMR, LC-MS analyses. The results showed that (1) CO2 was indeed converted into abiogenic formate; (2) a ketone carbonyl group as intermediate product was formed on hydrogen-transfer reduction of CO2 into formate with glycerine by alkaline hydrothermal reaction; (3) acetol was the most probable intermediate in the first reaction by undergoing a dehydration rather than a dehydrogenation

Modified nusinersen intrathecal injection method: inclusion of a septal needle-free closed infusion connector

ObjectiveNusinersen, an extremely expensive biologic drug (around 100,000 US$ per dose) that needs to be administered intrathecally, is approved for the treatment of 5q-spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Because of the low muscle tone of the back muscles of pediatric SMA patients, especially type 1 SMA patients, the safe, effective, and fast execution of sheath injection is needed. Therefore, a modified intrathecal injection method was developed accordingly. This paper aims to describe the applicability and safety of this modified method.MethodsThe modified intrathecal injection method (MIIM) mainly includes a septal needle-free closed infusion connector between the lumbar puncture needle and the syringe, besides the procedures of routine lumbar puncture. Its applicability and safety were evaluated through clinical observation.ResultsA total of 92 children with SMA have successfully received nusinersen treatment at our hospital using the modified method since 2019 without obvious adverse events related to the modified injection method. Based on the clinical feedback of operators, the advantages of the modified method include successfully injecting the total dose of nusinersen with constant injection rate and a more stable fixation of the puncture needle, as well as making the operator more relaxed. However, compared with the routine method, the procedure of the modified method has additional steps.ConclusionThe modified intrathecal injection method is an effective and safe method to inject nusinersen when weighing the pros and cons, and it may also be used for administering intrathecal injections of other expensive medicines or for patients with other strict requirements for intrathecal injection

The Nervous System is regenerated in Sea Star Larvae Through Reuse of the Embryonic Neural Stem Cell Lineage and Re-activation of Stem Cell Specification

Regeneration is a fascinating phenomenon widespread in the animal kingdom that by definition requires cells to reform lost tissues. Despite its wide distribution, the ability ofregeneration varies dramatically among cell types and organisms. The central nervous system, for example, is particularly difficult to regenerate in mammals. In the field ofneural regeneration, arguablely long-lasting interests are the source of the regenerated neurons and the mechanism by which the neural reformation occurs. Transparent larvae of sea stars, Patiria miniata, have an extraordinary regenerative capacity and thereby offer the opportunity to interrogate the sources of neural regeneration and their mechanisms. This study combines BAC transgenesis, cell lineage tracing, molecular analyses and fluorescent microscopy to better identify the cellular sources of regeneration in the sea star larval nervous system. Previously it was known that the serotonergic neurons and some other neurons in thenervous system of sea star embryos are derived from an embryonic multi-potent neural stem cell lineage expressing the gene soxc. To start characterizing the sources ofregeneration in vivo, I generated a powerful molecular tool to trace cell lineage: a Soxc- Kaede BAC construct that stably labels the Soxc+ cell lineage and effectively differentiates regenerative Soxc expression from developmental Soxc expression through simple photo-conversions. This novel application of BAC transgenesis in larval regeneration sets the technical basis for interrogating the cellular sources ofregeneration. It also holds great potential to be adapted and applied to many other model systems.This study produced three important findings. First, there is a stem cell population expressing Soxc located at the wound proximal area upon bisection. They consistentlyproliferate and eventually become serotonergic neurons and some other neurons in the nervous system of the decapitated larvae. Some of these Soxc+ stem cells at thewound site are derived from larval Soxc+ cell lineage in the remaining bottom half. And the larval Soxc+ cells are indeed originated from the embryonic Soxc+ stem cell lineagewhich generate the serotonergic neurons in embryos. Strikingly, these findings together for the first time demonstrate in vivo that an embryonic multi-potent neural stem cell lineage, which forms the embryonic nervous system, is maintained and populated in theorganism during post-embryo development and is re-used upon bisection to regenerate the nervous system Second, some Soxc+ neural stem cells at the regeneration leading edge are derived from upstream stem cells that are programmed into neural fates, or specification, uponbisection. Specification of Soxc+ cells occur in embryonic stage but stops in larvae. Decapitation re-initiates the specification events to generate Soxc+ neural stem cells.These regeneration-specific Soxc+ cells arise from the highly potent Soxb1+ stem cells at the regeneration leading edge. Importantly, the Soxb1+/Soxc+ cells are used inregeneration to form neurons at the anterior pole.Last but not least, I observed that de novo Soxb1+ stem cells are specified upon decapitation to regenerate the multiple types of neurons. Soxb1+ cell lineagecontributes to the nervous system in development and during regeneration. The genetic pathway of serotonergic neurogenesis is recapitulated in regeneration. Taken together, these findings shed light on the fundamental mechanisms and cellular basis of neuralregeneration in metazoans. <br

Relationship between Sum of the Four Limbs’ Pulse Pressure and Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity and Atherosclerosis Risk Factors in Chinese Adults

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the sum of the four limbs’ pulse pressure (Sum-PP) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and atherosclerosis risk factors and evaluate the feasibility of Sum-PP in diagnosing atherosclerosis systemically. For the purpose, a cross-sectional study was conducted on the basis of medical information of 20748 adults who had a health examination in our hospital. Both Sum-PP and baPWV exhibited significant variations among different human populations grouped by gender, smoking, drinking, and age. Interestingly, Sum-PP had similar varying tendency with baPWV in different populations. And further study in different populations showed that Sum-PP was significantly positively related to baPWV. We also investigated the relationship between Sum-PP, baPWV, and cardiovascular risk factors, respectively. We found that both Sum-PP and baPWV had significant positive correlation with atherosclerosis risk factors while both of them were negatively related to HDL-c. In addition, there was a significant close correlation between Sum-PP and baPWV in the whole population (r=0.4616, P<0.0001). Thus, Sum-PP is closely related to baPWV and is of important value for clinical diagnosis of atherosclerosis

Functional Group Transformations in Derivatives of 1,4-Dihydrobenzo[1,2,4]triazinyl Radical

Transformations of functional groups OCOPh, OCH₂Ph, I, NO₂, and CO₂Me in Blatter’s radical derivatives <b>1</b>–<b>5</b> were investigated in order to develop synthetic tools for incorporation of the benzo­[1,2,4]­triazinyl system into complex molecular architectures. Thus, basic hydrolysis of OCOPh or Pd-catalyzed debenzylation of OCH₂Ph gave phenol functionality, which was acylated and alkylated. Pd-catalyzed Suzuki, Negishi, Sonogashira, and Heck C–C cross-coupling reactions of iodo derivatives <b>1c</b>, <b>1d</b>, and <b>2d</b> were also successful and efficient. Reduction of NO₂ in <b>1e</b> led to aniline derivative <b>1t</b>, which was reductively alkylated with hexanal and coupled to l-proline. Selected benzo­[1,2,4]­triazinyl radicals were characterized by EPR and electronic absorption spectroscopy, and the results were analyzed in tandem with DFT computational methods. Lastly, the mechanism for formation of the 1,4-dihydrobenzo­[1,2,4]­triazine ring was investigated using the B3LYP/6-31G­(2d,p) method

Conversion of Sucrose into Lactic Acid over Functionalized Sn-Beta Zeolite Catalyst by 3‑Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane

The utilization of sucrose, an easily accessible disaccharide, in the production of a versatile platform chemical lactic acid (LA), is more attractive than a monosaccharide. In this work, we report a modification approach by 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane to introduce an amino group onto the surface of the Sn-Beta Lewis acid catalyst. Using the modified catalyst, a maximum LA yield of 58% was achieved under optimal hydrothermal conditions (190 °C, 4 h) from sucrose, along with a complete conversion and a reduced 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) yield of 8% compared to Sn-Beta. To evaluate the role of the amino group, different substrates were used as the reactants to produce LA. The experimental results suggested that both fructose and glucose were crucial intermediates in the initial 2 h, whereas glucose is the sole reactant after 2 h. Upon modification, not only the hydrolysis of sucrose was promoted, but the side reaction of HMF formation was also suppressed

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT OF INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT AND ACTIONS FOR THE “BELT AND ROAD” COUNTRIES

“The Silk Road Economic Belt” and “the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road” initiative aims at promoting regulated flow of economic factors, allocating resources efficiently, integrating markets, and developing a broader, higher, and deeper level of regional interaction to create an open, inclusive, balanced, and widely beneficial regional economic cooperation framework. Comprehensive and objective assessment and research on investment-climate geopolitical strategy of the countries in the “Belt and Road” zone would help improve security and stability of China’s foreign economic and trade exchanges along with its political and economic influence. Based on Delphi technique, the investment environment evaluation system of the “Belt and Road” countries has been developed and used to comprehensively analyze social and economic development, traffic infrastructure, informatization, resources, and political and security environment, all of which are the important conditions for investment environment of the “Belt and Road” countries. The results show that Russia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Central Asia, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, and Hungary represent the attractive investment areas. Eastern Europe, India, and Iran represent the key investment areas. Based on the analysis, investment strategy steps for the “Belt and Road” countries have been formulated. We hope our research can provide the scientific foundation for decision-making in China in relation to the “Belt and Road” foreign investment strategy

Glucose Hydrogenolysis into 1,2-Propanediol Using a Pt/deAl@Mg(OH)2 Catalyst: Expanding the Application of a Core&ndash;Shell Structured Catalyst

To substitute fossil resources, it is necessary to investigate the conversion of biomass into 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) as a high-value-added chemical. The Pt/deAl-Beta@Mg(OH)2 catalytic system is designed to obtain a higher 1,2-PDO production yield. The optimal yield of 1,2-PDO is 34.1%. The unique shell-core structure of the catalyst demonstrates stability, with a catalytic yield of over 30% after three times of use. The primary process path from glucose to 1,2-PDO, glucose-hexitol-1,2-PDO, is speculated by the experiments of intermediate product selectivity. The alkaline catalytic mechanism of the reaction process is elucidated by studying catalyst characterization and analyzing different time courses of products. The introduction of Mg(OH)2 improves the target yield by promoting the isomerization from glucose to fructose and retro-aldol condensation (RAC) conversion, with pseudo-yield increases of 76.1% and 42.1%, respectively. By studying the processes of producing lactic acid and 1,2-PDO from glucose, the glucose hydrogenolysis flow chart is improved, which is of great significance for accurately controlling 1,2-PDO production in industrial applications. The metal, acid, and alkali synergistic catalytic system constructed in this paper can provide a theoretical basis and route reference for applying biomass conversion technology in practice