ß-Cyclodextrin network crosslinked by novel phosphonium-based tetrakiscarboxylic acid derived from PH3 tail gas: Synthesis and application for rapid removal of organic dyes from wastewater.

Organic dyes, such as methyl orange (MO), Congo red (CR), crystal violet (CV) and methylene blue (MB), are common organic pollutants existing in wastewater. Therefore, the exploration of bio-based adsorbents for the efficient removal of organic dyes from wastewater has gained many attentions. Here, we report a PCl3-free synthetic method for the synthesis of phosphonium-containing polymers, in which the prepared tetrakis(2-carboxyethyl) phosphonium chloride-crosslinked ß-cyclodextrin (TCPC-ß-CD) polymers were applied to the removal of dyes from water. The effects of contact time, pH (1-11), and dye concentration were investigated. The selected dye molecules could be captured by the host-gest inclusion of ß-CD cavities, and the phosphonium and carboxyl groups in the polymer structure would respectively facilitate the removal of cationic dyes (MB and CV) and anionic dyes (MO and CR) via electrostatic interactions. In a mono-component system, over 99 % of MB could be removed from water within the first 10 min. Based on the Langmuir model, the calculated maximum adsorption capacities of MO, CR, MB, and CV were 180.43, 426.34, 306.57, and 470.11 mg/g (or 0.55, 0.61, 0.96 and 1.15 mmol/g), respectively. Additionally, TCPC-ß-CD was easily regenerated using 1 % HCl in ethanol, and the regenerative adsorbent still showed high removal capacities for MO, CR, and MB even after seven treatment cycles.

Loss of GATA4 C-Terminus by p.S335X Mutation Modulates Coronary Artery Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) has been the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its pathogenesis is closely related with the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC). We previously reported a truncated GATA4 protein lacking C-terminus induced by p.S335X mutation in cardiomyocyte from ventricular septal defect (VSD) patients. However, it is still unclear whether GATA4 p.S335X mutation could influence the development of CAD. GATA4 wild-type (WT) and p.S335X mutant (MU) overexpression plasmids were constructed and transfected transiently into rat coronary artery smooth muscle cell (RCSMC) to observe the proliferative and migratory abilities by MTS and wound healing assay, respectively. PCR array was used to preliminarily detect the expression of phenotypic modulation-related genes, and QRT-PCR was then carried out to verify the screened differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The results showed that, when stimulated by fetal bovine serum (10%) for 24 h or tumor necrosis factor-α (10 or 30 ng/ml) for 10 or 24 h, deletion of GATA4 C-terminus by p.S335X mutation in GATA4 enhanced the proliferation of RCSMC, without alteration of the migration capability. Twelve DEGs, including Fas, Hbegf, Itga5, Aimp1, Cxcl1, Il15, Il2rg, Il7, Tnfsf10, Il1r1, Irak1, and Tlr3, were screened and identified as phenotypic modulation-related genes. Our data might be beneficial for further exploration regarding the mechanisms of GATA4 p.S335X mutation on the phenotypic modulation of coronary VSMC.

Fluorescence chemical sensor for determining trace levels of nitroaromatic explosives in water based on conjugated polymer with guanidinium side groups.

A novel fluorescent conjugated polymer (poly(2-amino-N-(2-((4-ethynylphenyl) ethynyl) phenyl)-5-guanidinopentanamide)-1,4-phenylethynylene-1,4-phenyleneethynylene, PPE-Arg) was synthesized in this paper. We found that PPE-Arg could be quenched by picric acid (PA). Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism can be used to describe the fluorescence quenching of PPE-Arg. It could be speculated that the photo-induced electrons may be transferred from PPE-Arg to nitroaromatic explosives. In this paper, the experiment conditions and detection performance of PPE-Arg were systematically studied. The experiment results demonstrate PPE-Arg as a sensor for PA has a good linear range from 5 × 10-7 to 6 × 10-5 mol L-1 with the calculated limit of detection (LOD) to be 1.0 × 10-7 mol L-1. Meanwhile, reaction time between PPE-Arg and PA is less than 1 min. This proposed sensor was applied to rapidly detect nitroaromatic explosives in environmental water samples and satisfactory results were obtained.

Design and synthesis of coumarin-3-acylamino derivatives to scavenge radicals and to protect DNA.

In this study, a series of coumarin-3-acylamino derivatives containing phenethylamine moiety or tyramine moiety were synthesized and their antioxidant activities were evaluated by Cu(2+)/glutathione(GSH)-, ˙OH- and 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane hydrochloride)(AAPH)-induced oxidation of DNA. It was found that both hydroxyl and ortho-methoxy groups at A ring, hydroxyl group at B ring and peptide bond can enhance the abilities of coumarin-3-acylamino derivatives to protect DNA against ˙OH- and AAPH-induced oxidation. Moreover, these coumarin-3-acylamino derivatives were employed to scavenge 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) cationic radical (ABTS(+˙)). We found that tyramine moiety, hydroxyl and ortho-methoxy are the key groups to enhance the activities of antioxidants to quench ABTS(+˙). Therefore, tyramine linked with coumarin-3-carboxyl acid which containing hydroxyl and ortho-methoxy exhibited powerful antioxidant abilities.

[Application of damage control surgery for severe abdominal trauma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of damage control surgery(DCS) for severe abdominal trauma. METHODS: Forty-six patients with severe abdominal trauma were treated according to DCS principles and 58 patients were not. Clinical data of the two groups were analyzed retrospectively. DCS included simple surgery, resuscitation, and definitive operation. RESULTS: Perioperative morality was 15.2%(7/46) in the DCS group and 34.5%(20/58) in the non-DCS group, and the difference was statistically significant(χ²=4.954, P=0.026). The perioperative complication rate was 37.0%(17/46) in the DCS group and 67.2%(39/58) in the non-DCS group, and the difference was statistically significant(χ²=9.468, P=0.002). CONCLUSION: Damage control surgery can reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality in patients with severe abdominal trauma, and its efficacy is satisfactory.