Chemical reactivity of the tryptophan/acetone/DMSO triad system and its potential applications in nanomaterial synthesis.

Previously, we reported a novel browning reaction of amino acids and proteins in an organic solvent mixture composed of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and acetone. The reaction proceeds under surprisingly mild conditions, requiring no heating or additional reactants or catalysts. This present study aimed to investigate the chemical reactivity of the triad reaction system of l-tryptophan/aectone/DMSO. We demonstrated that, in DMSO, l-tryptophan initially catalyzed the self-aldol condensation of acetone, resulting in the formation of mesityl oxide (MO). Furthermore, we showed that the three-component system evolved into a diverse chemical space, producing various indole derivatives with aldehyde or ketone functional groups that exhibited self-assembling and nanoparticle-forming capabilities. We highlight the potential applications in nanomaterial synthesis.

Improved super-elastic Ti-Ni alloy wire for treating adult skeletal class III with facial asymmetry: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Correcting severe skeletal class III malocclusion with facial asymmetry in adults through orthodontic treatment alone is difficult. CASE SUMMARY: In this case report, we describe orthodontic treatment and lower incisor extraction without orthognathic surgery for a 27-year-old man with a transverse discrepancy. The extraction sites were closed using an elastic chain. The use of intermaxillary elastics, improved super-elastic Ti-Ni alloy wire, and unilateral multibend edgewise arch wire was crucial for correcting facial asymmetry and the midline deviation. CONCLUSION: After treatment, the patient had a more symmetrical facial appearance, acceptable overjet and overbite, and midline coincidence. The treatment results remained stable 3 years after treatment. This case report demonstrates that a minimally invasive treatment can successfully correct severe skeletal class III malocclusion with facial asymmetry.

Hypericum sampsonii exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in a lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis mouse model.

Background and aim: Sepsis causes an uncontrolled systemic response characterized by excessive inflammation and immune suppression, leading to multiple organ failure and death. An effective therapeutic strategy for sepsis-related syndromes is urgently needed. Hypericum sampsonii Hance (HS) is a folk herbal plant used to treat arthritis and dermatitis, but the anti-inflammatory properties of HS and its related compounds have rarely been investigated. In this study, we aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of HS. Experimental procedure: Models of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activated macrophages and endotoxemia mice were used, in which the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway is upregulated to trigger inflammatory responses. The HS extract (HSE) was delivered into LPS-induced endotoxemia mice via oral administration. Three compounds were purified using column chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography and were validated by physical and spectroscopic data. Results: HSE suppressed NF-κB activation and proinflammatory molecules (TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS) in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, oral administration of HSE (200 mg/kg) to LPS-treated mice improved the survival rate, restored body temperature, decreased TNF-α and IL-6 in serum, and reduced IL-6 expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In lung tissues, HSE reduced LPS-induced leukocyte infiltration and the expression of proinflammatory molecules (TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, CCL4 and CCL5). Three pure compounds isolated from HSE, including 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone-4-O-geranyl ether, 1-hydroxy-7 methoxyxanthone and euxanthone, were demonstrated to exhibit anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of HS in vitro and in vivo. Further clinical studies of HS in human sepsis are warranted.

Bioreduction mechanisms of high-concentration hexavalent chromium using sulfur salts by photosynthetic bacteria.

Eliminating "sulfur starvation" caused by competition for sulfate transporters between chromate and sulfate is crucial to enhance the content of sulfur-containing compounds and improve the tolerance and reduction capability of Cr(VI) in bacteria. In this study, the effects of sulfur salts on the Cr(VI) bioremediation and the possible mechanism were investigated in Rhodobacter sphaeroides SC01 by cell imaging, spectroscopy, and biochemical measurements. The results showed that, when the concentration of metabisulfite was 2.0 g L-1, and the initial OD600 was 0.33, the reduction rate of R. sphaeroides SC01 reached up to 91.3% for 500 mg L-1 Cr(VI) exposure at 96 h. Moreover, thiosulfate and sulfite also markedly increased the concentration of reduced Cr(VI) in R. sphaeroides SC01. Furthermore, the characterization results revealed that -OH, -CONH, -COOH, -SO3, -PO3, and -S-S- played a major role in the adsorption of Cr, and Cr(III) reduced by bacteria was bioprecipitated in the production of Cr2P3S9 and CrPS4. In addition, R. sphaeroids SC01 combined with metabisulfite significantly increased the activity of glutathione peroxidase and the content of glutathione (GSH) and total sulfhydryl while decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death induced by Cr(VI) toxic. Overall, the results of this research revealed a highly efficient and reliable strategy for Cr(VI) removal by photosynthetic bacteria combined with sulfur salts in high-concentration Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewater.

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-α-glucosidase Activities of Various Solvent Extracts and Major Bioactive Components from the Seeds of Myristica fragrans.

Myristica fragrans is a well-known species for flavoring many food products and for formulation of perfume and medicated balm. It is also used to treat indigestion, stomach ulcers, liver disorders, and, as emmenagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, nervine, and aphrodisiac. We examined antioxidant properties and bioactive compounds in various solvent extracts from the seeds of M. fragrans. Methanol, ethanol, and acetone extracts exhibited relatively strong antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), superoxide radical, and hydroxyl radical scavenging tests. Furthermore, methanol extracts also displayed significant anti-α-glucosidase activity. Examined and compared to the various solvent extracts for their chemical compositions using HPLC analysis, we isolated the ten higher content compounds and analyzed antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase activities. Among the isolates, dehydrodiisoeugenol, malabaricone B and malabaricone C were main antioxidant components in seeds of M. fragrans. Malabaricone C exhibited stronger antioxidant capacities than others based on lower half inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays, and it also showed significant inhibition of α-glucosidase. These results shown that methanol was found to be the most efficient solvent for extracting the active components from the seeds of M. fragrans, and this material is a potential good source of natural antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitor.

Benzophenone and Benzoylphloroglucinol Derivatives from Hypericum sampsonii with Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism of Otogirinin A.

Three new compounds, 4-geranyloxy-2-hydroxy-6-isoprenyloxybenzophenone (1), hypericumone A (2) and hypericumone B (3), were obtained from the aerial parts of Hypericum sampsonii, along with six known compounds (4-9). The structures of these compounds were determined through spectroscopic and MS analyses. Hypericumone A (2), sampsonione J (8) and otogirinin A (9) exhibited potent inhibition (IC50 values ≤ 40.32 µM) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) generation. Otogirinin A (9) possessed the highest inhibitory effect on NO production with IC50 value of 32.87 ± 1.60 µM. The well-known proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was also inhibited by otogirinin A (9). Western blot results demonstrated that otogirinin A (9) downregulated the high expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Further investigations on the mechanism showed that otogirinin A (9) blocked the phosphorylation of MAPK/JNK and IκBα, whereas it showed no effect on the phosphorylation of MAPKs/ERK and p38. In addition, otogirinin A (9) stimulated anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype by elevating the expression of arginase 1 and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). The above results suggested that otogirinin A (9) could be considered as potential compound for further development of NO production-targeted anti-inflammatory agent.

Controlling Ligand Spacing on Surface: Polyproline-Based Fluorous Microarray as a Tool in Spatial Specificity Analysis and Inhibitor Development for Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions.

Multivalent carbohydrate-protein interactions are essential for many biological processes. Convenient characterization for multivalent binding property of proteins will aid the development of molecules to manipulate these processes. We exploited the polyproline helix II (PPII) structure as molecular scaffolds to adjust the distances between glycan ligand attachment sites at 9, 18, and 27 Å on a peptide scaffold. Optimized fluorous groups were also introduced to the peptide scaffold for immobilization to the microarray surface through fluorous interaction to control the orientation of the helical scaffolds. Using lectin LecA and antibody 2G12 as model proteins, the binding preference to the 27 Å glycopeptide scaffold, matched the distance of 26 Å between its two galactose binding sites on LecA and 31 Å spacing between oligomannose binding sites on 2G12, respectively. We further demonstrate this microarray system can aid the development of inhibitors by transforming the selected surface-bound scaffold into multivalent ligands in solution. This strategy can be extended to analyze proteins that lacking structural information to speed up the design of potent and selective multivalent ligands.

The effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on the levels of essential trace elements.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to compare the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection treatment on serum zinc, copper, and selenium levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We measured the serum zinc, copper, and selenium levels in H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative patients. We also evaluated the serum levels of these trace elements after H. pylori eradication. These serum copper, zinc, and selenium levels were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Sixty-three H. pylori-positive patients and thirty H. pylori-negative patients were studied. Serum copper, zinc, and selenium levels had no significant difference between H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative groups. There were 49 patients with successful H. pylori eradication. The serum selenium levels were lower after successful H. pylori eradication, but not significantly (P = 0.06). There were 14 patients with failed H. pylori eradication. In this failed group, the serum selenium level after H. pylori eradication therapy was significantly lower than that before H. pylori eradication therapy (P < 0.05). The serum zinc and copper levels had no significant difference between before and after H. pylori eradication therapies. CONCLUSION: H pylori eradication regimen appears to influence the serum selenium concentration (IRB number: KMUH-IRB-20120327).

Synthesis of mesoporous silica materials from municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash.

Incinerator bottom ash contains a large amount of silica and can hence be used as a silica source for the synthesis of mesoporous silica materials. In this study, the conditions for alkaline fusion to extract silica from incinerator bottom ash were investigated, and the resulting supernatant solution was used as the silica source for synthesizing mesoporous silica materials. The physical and chemical characteristics of the mesoporous silica materials were analyzed using BET, XRD, FTIR, SEM, and solid-state NMR. The results indicated that the BET surface area and pore size distribution of the synthesized silica materials were 992 m2/g and 2-3.8 nm, respectively. The XRD patterns showed that the synthesized materials exhibited a hexagonal pore structure with a smaller order. The NMR spectra of the synthesized materials exhibited three peaks, corresponding to Q(2) [Si(OSi)2(OH)2], Q(3) [Si(OSi)3(OH)], and Q(4) [Si(OSi)4]. The FTIR spectra confirmed the existence of a surface hydroxyl group and the occurrence of symmetric Si-O stretching. Thus, mesoporous silica was successfully synthesized from incinerator bottom ash. Finally, the effectiveness of the synthesized silica in removing heavy metals (Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, and Cr2+) from aqueous solutions was also determined. The results showed that the silica materials synthesized from incinerator bottom ash have potential for use as an adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.

C. elegans EIF-3.K promotes programmed cell death through CED-3 caspase.

Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is essential for the development and homeostasis of metazoans. The central step in the execution of programmed cell death is the activation of caspases. In C. elegans, the core cell death regulators EGL-1(a BH3 domain-containing protein), CED-9 (Bcl-2), and CED-4 (Apaf-1) act in an inhibitory cascade to activate the CED-3 caspase. Here we have identified an additional component eif-3.K (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit k) that acts upstream of ced-3 to promote programmed cell death. The loss of eif-3.K reduced cell deaths in both somatic and germ cells, whereas the overexpression of eif-3.K resulted in a slight but significant increase in cell death. Using a cell-specific promoter, we show that eif-3.K promotes cell death in a cell-autonomous manner. In addition, the loss of eif-3.K significantly suppressed cell death-induced through the overexpression of ced-4, but not ced-3, indicating a distinct requirement for eif-3.K in apoptosis. Reciprocally, a loss of ced-3 suppressed cell death induced by the overexpression of eif-3.K. These results indicate that eif-3.K requires ced-3 to promote programmed cell death and that eif-3.K acts upstream of ced-3 to promote this process. The EIF-3.K protein is ubiquitously expressed in embryos and larvae and localizes to the cytoplasm. A structure-function analysis revealed that the 61 amino acid long WH domain of EIF-3.K, potentially involved in protein-DNA/RNA interactions, is both necessary and sufficient for the cell death-promoting activity of EIF-3.K. Because human eIF3k was able to partially substitute for C. elegans eif-3.K in the promotion of cell death, this WH domain-dependent EIF-3.K-mediated cell death process has potentially been conserved throughout evolution.