4-Methyl­phenyl 4-bromo­benzoate

In the title compound, C14H11BrO2, an ester formed from the reaction of 4-methyl­phenol with 4-bromo­benzoyl­chloride, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 54.43 (7)°, indicating a twist in the mol­ecule. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯O inter­actions link the mol­ecules into supra­molecular layers in the bc plane, and these are connected along the a axis by Br⋯Br contacts [3.6328 (5) Å]

Identification and characterization of antibacterial compound(s) of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana)

Infectious diseases remain a significant threat to human health, contributing to more than 17 million deaths, annually. With the worsening trends of drug resistance, there is a need for newer and more powerful antimicrobial agents. We hypothesized that animals living in polluted environments are potential source of antimicrobials. Under polluted milieus, organisms such as cockroaches encounter different types of microbes, including superbugs. Such creatures survive the onslaught of superbugs and are able to ward off disease by producing antimicrobial substances. Here, we characterized antibacterial properties in extracts of various body organs of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) and showed potent antibacterial activity in crude brain extract against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and neuropathogenic E. coli K1. The size-exclusion spin columns revealed that the active compound(s) are less than 10 kDa in molecular mass. Using cytotoxicity assays, it was observed that pre-treatment of bacteria with lysates inhibited bacteria-mediated host cell cytotoxicity. Using spectra obtained with LC-MS on Agilent 1290 infinity liquid chromatograph, coupled with an Agilent 6460 triple quadruple mass spectrometer, tissues lysates were analyzed. Among hundreds of compounds, only a few homologous compounds were identified that contained isoquinoline group, chromene derivatives, thiazine groups, imidazoles, pyrrole containing analogs, sulfonamides, furanones, flavanones, and known to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, and possess anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, and analgesic properties. Further identification, characterization and functional studies using individual compounds can act as a breakthrough in developing novel therapeutics against various pathogens including superbugs

Signaling through the Adaptor Molecule MyD88 in CD4+ T Cells Is Required to Overcome Suppression by Regulatory T Cells

Innate immune recognition controls adaptive immune responses through multiple mechanisms. The MyD88 signaling adaptor operates in many cell types downstream of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor family members. Cell-type-specific functions of MyD88 signaling remain poorly characterized. Here, we have shown that the T cell-specific ablation of MyD88 in mice impairs not only T helper 17 (Th17) cell responses, but also Th1 cell responses. MyD88 relayed signals of TLR-induced IL-1, which became dispensable for Th1 cell responses in the absence of T regulatory (Treg) cells. Treg cell-specific ablation of MyD88 had no effect, suggesting that IL-1 acts on naive CD4(+) T cells instead of Treg cells themselves. Together, these findings demonstrate that IL-1 renders naive CD4(+) T cells refractory to Treg cell-mediated suppression in order to allow their differentiation into Th1 cells. In addition, IL-1 was also important for the generation of functional CD4(+) memory T cells

Setting up a bioeconomy monitoring: Resource base and sustainability

The transition of the current economic system from non-renewable and fossil-based towards a more sustainable system using renewable resources is a dedicated objective of the German Na-tional Bioeconomy Strategy. In order to provide sound information on the status of the bioecon-omy, a monitoring concept that assesses the bio-based resources and sustainability effects associ-ated with German bioeconomy was developed. The general monitoring approach includes a definition of the bioeconomy and its implementation in terms of material flows and economic sectors at a given point in time. Based on this, available data is collected and bio-based material flows and economic sectors are quantified. These quanti-fications are used in the following sustainability assessment of material flows and economic sec-tors. This procedure can be repeated, starting again with a definition of bioeconomy that may change over time according to changing policies, market development and public perceptions of bioeconomy. Thus, bioeconomy monitoring considers the dynamics of the bioeconomy transition concerning processes, products, available data and connected sustainability goals. Understanding and quantifying material flows provides the foundation for comprehending the pro-cessing of biomass along value chains and final biomass uses. They also provide information for sustainability assessment. For biomass from agriculture, forests and fisheries including aquacul-ture, relevant material flows are compiled. Material flow data is not available consistently but must be collected from a broad variety of sources. Consequently, inconsistencies regarding reference units and conversion factors arise that need to be addressed further in a future monitoring. Bio-based shares of economic sectors can be quantified using mostly official statistics, but also empirical data. Bio-based shares vary considerably between economic activities. The manufacture of food products, beverages and wooden products has the highest bio-based shares. Bioeconomy target sectors like chemicals, plastics and construction still have rather small bio-based shares. The suggested assessment of sustainability effects foresees two complimentary levels of evalua-tion: material flows and economic sectors. The latter quantifies total effects of bioeconomy in a country and relates them to the whole economy or parts of it. The presented indicators were se-lected based on the Sustainability Development Goal Framework, the German Sustainable Devel-opment Strategy and the availability of data. The selection of effects and indicators to be measured in a future monitoring is a crucial point of any quantification. With sustainability being a normative concept, societal perceptions of sustainability should be taken into consideration here. In that con-text, we suggest to follow the approach of LOFASA for indicator selection. Sustainability assess-ment of material flows is demonstrated on the example of softwood lumber material flow and its core product EPAL 1 pallet using a combination of material flow analysis and life cycle assessment. Major challenges for a future monitoring of the bioeconomy’s resource base and sustainability are availability of detailed and aggregated data, identification of bio-based processes and products within the economic classifications, identification and quantification of interfaces between bio-mass types, selection of indicators for sustainability assessment and the inclusion of bio-based ser-vices