Ubiquity of the neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine and its isomers confirmed by two different mass spectrometric methods in diverse marine mollusks.

In recent years, the neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been reported in some marine mollusk species. To further discover BMAA in marine animals, a total of 59 samples belonging to 3 phyla, 22 families, and 43 species, were collected from Dalian, Rongcheng, and Zhoushan cities, China, in April 2017. All samples were quantified by a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) analysis of underivatized extract, and ten samples were also analyzed by a liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis using a precolumn AQC (6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate)-derivatization method.

Effect of Suspended Particulate Matter on the Accumulation of Dissolved Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxins by Mussels () under Laboratory Conditions.

In recent years, detection of trace amounts of dissolved lipophilic phycotoxins in coastal waters has been possible using solid phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) samplers. To explore the contribution of dissolved diarrhetic shellfish toxins (DST) to the accumulation of toxins by cultivated bivalves, mussels () were exposed to different concentrations of purified okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX1) in filtered (0.45 µm) seawater for 96 h.

Four mononuclear platinum(II) complexes: synthesis, DNA/BSA binding, DNA cleavage and cytotoxicity.

Four new platinum(II) complexes: Pt L1·HO (C1, H L1 = CHNO), Pt L2Cl (C2, L2 = CHNO), Pt L3Cl·HO (C3, L3 = CHN), Pt L4Cl·0.4HO (C4, L4 = CHN) have been synthesized and characterized by using various physico-chemical techniques. The binding interaction of the four platinum(II) complexes C1-C4 with calf thymus (CT)-DNA has been investigated by UV-Vis and fluorescence emission spectrometry.

A highly selective and sensitive turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of Al and its bioimaging.

A novel fluorescent sensor, 1-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methylene)urea (ocn) has been designed and applied as a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for recognition of Al in Tris-HCl (pH = 7.20) solution. The probe ocn exhibits an excellent selectivity to Al over other examined metal ions, anions and amino acids with a prominent fluorescence 'turn-on' at 438 nm.

New Typical Vector of Neurotoxin β-N-Methylamino-l-Alanine (BMAA) in the Marine Benthic Ecosystem.

The neurotoxin β--methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) has been identified as an environmental factor triggering neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the possible vectors of BMAA and its isomers 2,4-diaminobutyric acid (DAB) and -2(aminoethyl)glycine (AEG) in marine mollusks collected from the Chinese coast. Sixty-eight samples of marine mollusks were collected along the Chinese coast in 2016, and were analyzed by an HILIC-MS/MS (hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer) method without derivatization.

A humanized anti-VEGF rabbit monoclonal antibody inhibits angiogenesis and blocks tumor growth in xenograft models.

Rabbit antibodies have been widely used in research and diagnostics due to their high antigen specificity and affinity. Though these properties are also highly desirable for therapeutic applications, rabbit antibodies have remained untapped for human disease therapy. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of rabbit monoclonal antibodies (RabMAbs), we generated a panel of neutralizing RabMAbs against human vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF).