Rapid and Visual Detection of Volatile Amines Based on Their Gas-Solid Reaction with Tetrachloro-p-Benzoquinone.

The detection of volatile amines is necessary due to the serious toxicity hazards they pose to human skin, respiratory systems, and nervous systems. However, traditional amines detection methods require bulky equipment, high costs, and complex measurements. Herein, we report a new simple, rapid, convenient, and visual method for the detection of volatile amines based on the gas-solid reactions of tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone (TCBQ) and volatile amines. The gas-solid reactions of TCBQ with a variety of volatile amines showed a visually distinct color in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, TCBQ can be easily fabricated into simple and flexible rapid test strips for detecting and distinguishing n-propylamine from other volatile amines, including ethylamine, n-butyamine, n-pentamine, n-butyamine and dimethylamine, in less than 3 s without any equipment assistance.

Ferroptosis inducer erastin downregulates androgen receptor and its splice variants in castration­resistant prostate cancer.

To date, there is no effective therapy available for the treatment of castration­resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and patients generally succumb to the disease within 2 to 4 years. In the progression of CRPC, androgen receptor (AR) and its splice variants play critical roles. Hence, it is necessary to develop a drug to inhibit the expression and activity of the full­length and splice variants of AR for the treatment of CRPC. Erastin, as the first discovered drug to induce ferroptosis, has been studied in various types of cancer. However, there are few studies focusing on the relationship between erastin and AR. In the present study, western blotting, and sulforhodamine B cell viability, glutathione, lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species assays were performed to verify the ferroptosis of CRPC cells; reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction, dual­luciferase reporter, and lentiviral packaging and lentivirus­infected cell assays were employed to evaluate how erastin affects AR. A mouse xenograft assay was used to determine the underlying mechanism in vivo. Erastin, as a classical inducer of ferroptosis, can suppress the transcriptional activities of both the full­length and splice variants in AR models in vitro and in vivo. In addition, when erastin was used for CRPC treatment combined with docetaxel, the growth inhibitory efficacy of docetaxel was found to be enhanced. Thus, these findings indicated that ferroptosis inducer erastin has potential in the treatment of CRPC via targeting AR.

Facile preparation of EDTA-functionalized magnetic chitosan for removal of co(II) from aqueous solutions.

In this study, an efficient adsorption and reusable magnetic ligand material (Fe3O4@Chitosan-EDTA) was synthesized by binding EDTA dianhydride onto magnetic chitosan, and it was employed in removal of Co(II) from aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacity of Co(II) onto Fe3O4@CS-EDTA was 48.78 mg/g at pH = 5 (303 K), which is much higher than that of Fe3O4@Chitosan as well as chitosan. The kinetics of Co(II) on the Fe3O4@CS-EDTA was consistent with the pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium data were better fit with the Langmuir isothermal model than with the Freundlich isothermal model, suggesting that the adsorption mechanism was chemical monolayer homogeneous adsorption. The thermodynamic data showed that the sorption of Co(II) was spontaneous. Furthermore, after four cycles, the adsorption capacity of Co(II) onto the Fe3O4@CS-EDTA still retained 84.5% of the capacity of the fresh adsorbent, indicating that Fe3O4@CS-EDTA can be considered a promising recyclable adsorbent to remove heavy-metal ions from wastewater.

Simulated Moving Bed Purification for Flavonoids from Tartary Buckwheat Shell.

Tartary buckwheat shell is an important by-product of Tartary buckwheat production. Previous studies shown that Tartary buckwheat shells are rich in flavonoids, which are responsible for their antioxidant properties. Due to lack of advanced separation technologies, the purification for Tartary buckwheat shell is still in the laboratory scale, and could not realize the industrialization production. According to the results of static adsorption experiment, AB-8 resin was selected for Tartary buckwheat shell flavonoids (TBSF) adsorption. The adsorption isotherm, resin adsorption thermodynamic and dynamic adsorption parameters were studied. And the adsorption of AB-8 resin for TBSF was determined as an endothermic process. Results of preparative chromatography experiment showed that TBSF could be efficiently purified by AB-8 resin. And the optimal parameters were: feed concentration 25 mg/mL, desorption flow rate 2.5 mL/min. Under these conditions, the TBSF were separated effectively. Results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) indicated that there were seven kinds of flavonoids in Tartary buckwheat shell, which were mainly from the 40 and 60% of ethanol elution. Simulated moving bed (SMB) was applied for TBSF purification the first time in this study. The optimal conditions of SMB were as following: adsorption zone flow rate 7.0 mL/min, contaminant removal zone flow rate 17.9 mL/min, product elution zone flow rate 22.3 mL/min, regeneration zone flow rate 21.5 mL/min, water washing zone flow rate 27.5 mL/min, switching time 1260 S, and the purity and yield of TBSF was 90 ± 0.22% and 85 ± 0.28%, respectively. The IC50 values of α-glucosidase inhibition activities and DPPH scavenging activity of the purified TBSF were 57.09 ± 0.15 and 7.92 ± 0.23 µg/mL, respectively. The constituents of TBSF showed higher α-glucosidase inhibition activities and antioxidant than raw TBSF and rutin. The results suggest that SMB is a proper method for industrial production of TBSF, and SMB could be applied for other natural products purification.

CPSF3 is a promising prognostic biomarker and predicts recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer.

Cleavage polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) is the core component of the 3'-end processing complex, which determines the site of 3'-end cleavage interactions of specific sequence elements within pre-mRNAs. The present study revealed that all members of the CPSF complex were overexpressed in lung cancer tissue from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Lung Cancer Cohort compared with normal lung tissue. Analysis of overall survival and recurrence-free survival verified that only CPSF3 was associated with prognosis and recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and thus could be a promising biomarker. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that CPSF3 may function as a diagnostic biomarker to distinguish between two histological subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer. Furthermore, analysis of the association of CPSF3 expression with clinicopathological parameters indicated that CPSF3 was associated with smoking history, tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and radiation therapy in LUAD. Additionally, analysis of the DNA methylation data of the TCGA-LUAD Cohort revealed that CPSF3 DNA CpG sites (cg12057242 and cg25739938) were generally hypomethylated in LUAD compared with normal lung tissue. Correlation analysis identified the CPSF3 DNA CpG site cg25739938 to be negatively correlated with CPSF3 expression, while no correlation was identified with cg12057242. In addition, correlation analysis demonstrated that the overexpression of CPSF3 was correlated with CPSF3 DNA copy number variants (CNAs). The findings indicate that abnormal expression of CPSF3 may be caused by DNA CNAs; and DNA hypermethylation and function may be a promising diagnostic and prognostic indicator for LUAD.

Facile synthesis of Fe3O4@MOF-100(Fe) magnetic microspheres for the adsorption of diclofenac sodium in aqueous solution.

In this research, the adsorptive removal of diclofenac sodium, one of the representative pharmaceuticals and personal care products, from aqueous solution using Fe3O4@MOF-100(Fe) magnetic microspheres was studied for the first time. The Fe3O4@MOF-100(Fe) microspheres exhibit strong magnetism and stability, which were observed as a core-shell structure. The maximum adsorption capacity of Fe3O4@MOF-100(Fe) for diclofenac sodium can reach 377.36 mg L-1, which was higher than most of the adsorbents reported. The adsorption kinetics follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. And the adsorption equilibrium of DCF can be described with Langmuir isotherm. In the cycle experiment, Fe3O4@MOF-100(Fe) material performed high adsorption efficiency for low-concentration diclofenac sodium solution, and the removal rate can still reach 80% after 5 cycles of adsorption without desorption. The mechanisms including electrostatic interaction, H-bond interaction, and π-π interaction that coexisted in the adsorption processes would be of benefit to enhance the adsorption capacity. The Fe3O4@MOF-100(Fe) magnetic microspheres offer exciting opportunities for further application.

Synergetic Effect of Graphene and MWCNTs on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cu/Ti3SiC2/C Nanocomposites.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphenes have been taken for novel reinforcements due to their unique structure and performance. However, MWCNTs or graphenes reinforced copper matrix composites could not catch up with ideal value due to reinforcement dispersion in metal matrix, wettability to metal matrix, and composite material interface. Taking advantage of the superior properties of one-dimensional MWCNTs and two-dimensional graphenes, complementary performance and structure are constructed to create a high contact area between MWCNTs and graphenes to the Cu matrix. Mechanical alloying, hot pressing, and hot isostatic pressing techniques are used to fabricate Cu matrix self-lubricating nanocomposites. Effects of MWCNTs and graphenes on mechanical properties and microstructures of Cu/Ti3SiC2/C nanocomposites are studied. The fracture and strengthening mechanisms of Cu/Ti3SiC2/C nanocomposites are explored on the basis of structure and composition of Cu/Ti3SiC2/C nanocomposites with formation and function of interface.

DAL-1 attenuates epithelial to mesenchymal transition and metastasis by suppressing HSPA5 expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

Metastasis is the primary cause of death in lung cancer patients and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) promotes metastasis. Previous study revealed that DAL-1 (differentially expressed in adenocarcinoma of the lung) could attenuate EMT and metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Further study proved that HSPA5 (heat shock protein 5), which has a promoting effect on EMT, could bind to DAL-1. In this study, the mRNA and protein expression levels of target molecules were detected by RTq-PCR and western blot assays, the migration and invasion abilities were examined by Transwell migration and invasion assay, and the proliferation ability was measured by CCK-8 assay. We revealed that DAL-1 was downregulated while HSPA5 was upregulated in NSCLC and found the protein of DAL-1 and HSPA5 co-localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. We demonstrated that DAL-1 can suppress the expression of HSPA5 on mRNA and protein levels, and decrease EMT, migration, invasion and proliferation abilities by down-regulating HSPA5. Furthermore, we discovered that DAL-1 plays a role in inhibiting PI3K/Akt/Mdm2 signaling pathway by suppressing HSPA5.

Identification and characterization of miR-96, a potential biomarker of NSCLC, through bioinformatic analysis.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The poor prognosis is partly due to lack of efficient methods for early diagnosis. MicroRNAs play roles in almost all aspects of cancer biology, and can be secreted into the circulation and serve as molecular biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancer. In the present study, we determined the expression of miR-96 and the function of its target genes in lung cancer through bioinformatic analysis. Four microRNA expression profiles of lung cancer were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus and the data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software. Compared to the control group, expression of miR-96 was significantly increased in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (GSE51855), lung adenocarcinoma (GSE48414), stage I adenocarcinoma tissues (GSE63805) and the plasma of lung cancer patients (GSE68951). miR-96 was also elevated in six different NSCLC cell lines. However, the expression level of miR-96 was not related to the age, gender, clinical stage and histological subtype of the NSCLC patients. GO analysis of 78 predicted target genes of miR-96 showed that 42 of the obtained GO terms are highly associated with specific cellular processes including response to stimulus, signaling pathway, cell division, cell communication, cell migration and calcium signaling. KEGG results indicated that the miR-96 targets are mainly involved in the GnRH signaling pathway, long-term potentiation and insulin signaling pathway. In conclusion, miR-96, functioning as an oncogene, may play an important role in the development and progression of lung cancer. miR-96 may have the potential to serve as a molecular biomarker for the early diagnosis of NSCLC.

Dispersion Characteristics of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Gallic Acid.

Dispersions of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNTs) assisted by non-covalent surface modification and covalent surface modification were prepared using different concentration of gallic acid aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the dispersion states and effect of MWNTs. FTIR results demonstrate that concentration of gallic acid has great effect on the surface modification of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. With the content of gallic acid increasing, modification effect were firstly increased and then decreased in that the optimal concentration is about 10 µg/ml as it is its solubility in water. SEM and TEM results also show that gallic acid not only can ensure the integrity of the MW-CNTs, but also can purify it. These results confirmed achievement of a good dispersion state and effect of MW-CNTs with gallic acid. The dispersion mechanism of non-covalent surface modification and covalent surface modification was analyzed.

Recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) aided radioiodine treatment for residual or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: For patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) following thyroidectomy, thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) for four to six weeks has been used for decades to increase serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations in order to enhance iodine-131 uptake by normal thyroid cells and differentiated thyroid tumour cells. Exogenous stimulation with recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) offers an alternative to THW while avoiding the morbidity of hypothyroidism. However, the efficacy of rhTSH-aided iodine-131 treatment for residual or metastatic DTC has not been prospectively assessed. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of rhTSH-aided radioiodine treatment for normal residual or metastatic DTC. SEARCH STRATEGY: We obtained studies from computerised searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library (all until November 2009), and paper collections of conferences held in Chinese. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled clinical trials and quasi-randomised controlled clinical trials comparing the effects of rhTSH with THW on iodine-131 treatment for residual or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer with at least six months of follow up. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed risk of bias and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS: Altogether 223 patients with DTC participated in four trials. Overall, studies had a high risk of bias. We found no statistically significant differences between rhTSH and THW treatment in terms of successful ablation rate but significant benefits in radiation exposure to blood and bone marrow. One trial reported on benefits in some domains of health-related quality of life. There were no deaths and no serious adverse effects in DTC patients treated with either rhTSH or THW. Maximum follow up was 12 months. None of the included trials investigated complete or partial remission of metastatic tumour, secondary malignancies or economic outcomes. We did not find sufficient data comparing rhTSH with THW-aided radioiodine treatment for metastatic DTC. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Results from four randomised controlled clinical trials suggest that rhTSH is as effective as THW on iodine-131 thyroid remnant ablation, with limited data on significant benefits in decreased whole body radiation exposure and health-related quality of life. It is still uncertain whether lower iodine-131 doses (1110 MBq or 1850 MBq versus 3700 MBq) are equally effective for remnant ablation under rhTSH stimulation. Randomised controlled clinical trials are needed to guide treatment selection for metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.