Isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies on Hg(II) adsorption from aqueous solution by silica- multiwall carbon nanotubes.

Silica combined with 2% multiwall carbon nanotubes (SiO2-CNT) was synthesized and characterized. Its sorption efficacy was investigated for the Hg(II) removal from an aqueous solution. The effect of pH on the percentage removal by the prepared material was examined in the range from 3 to 7.

MPG-based nanoparticle: An efficient delivery system for enhancing the potency of DNA vaccine expressing HPV16E7.

DNA vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 have not been successful in clinical trials, due to the lack of an appropriate delivery system. In this study, a peptide-based gene delivery system, MPG, which forms stable non-covalent nanoparticles with nucleic acids, was used for in vitro and in vivo delivery of HPV16 E7 DNA as a model antigen. The results demonstrated that at Nitrogen/Phosphate (N/P) ratio over 10:1, this peptide can effectively condense plasmid DNA into stable nanoparticles with an average size of 180-210nm and a positive surface charge.

Increasing the Biological Stability Profile of a New Chemical Entity, UPEI-104, and Potential Use as a Neuroprotectant Against Reperfusion-Injury.

Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated the utility of synthetic combinations of two naturally occurring, biologically active compounds. In particular, we combined two known anti-oxidant compounds, lipoic acid and apocynin, covalently linked via an ester bond (named UPEI-100). In an animal model of ischemia-reperfusion injury (tMCAO), UPEI-100 was shown to produce equivalent neuroprotection compared to each parent compound, but at a 100-fold lower dose.

Evaluation of Cell Penetrating Peptide Delivery System on HPV16E7 Expression in Three Types of Cell Line.

Background: The poor permeability of the plasma and nuclear membranes to DNA plasmids are two major barriers for the development of these therapeutic molecules. Therefore, success in gene therapy approaches depends on the development of efficient and safe non-viral delivery systems.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the delivery of plasmid DNA encoding HPV16 E7 gene using cell penetrating peptide delivery system to achieve the best conditions for cell transfection and protein expression.

Discovery of (R)-8-(1-(3,5-difluorophenylamino)ethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-2-morpholino-4-oxo-4H-chromene-6-carboxamide (AZD8186): a potent and selective inhibitor of PI3Kβ and PI3Kδ for the treatment of PTEN-deficient cancers.

Several studies have highlighted the dependency of PTEN deficient tumors to PI3Kβ activity and specific inhibition of PI3Kδ has been shown activity against human B-cell cancers. We describe the discovery and optimization of a series of 8-(1-anilino)ethyl)-2-morpholino-4-oxo-4H-chromene-6-carboxamides as PI3Kβ/δ inhibitors, which led to the discovery of the clinical candidate 13, also known as AZD8186. On the basis of the lower lipophilicity of the chromen-4-one core compared to the previously utilized pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimid-4-one core, this series of compounds displayed high metabolic stability and suitable physical properties for oral administration.

Relaxin peptide hormones are protective during the early stages of ischemic stroke in male rats.

The pregnancy hormone relaxin protects tissue from ischemic damage. The ability of relaxin-3, a relaxin paralog, to do so has not been explored. The cerebral expression levels of these peptides and their receptors make them logical targets for study in the ischemic brain.

Iterative tyrosine phosphorylation controls non-canonical domain utilization in Crk.

Crk, the prototypical member of a class of Src homology-2 (SH2) and Src homology-3 (SH3) domain containing proteins that controls the coordinated assembly of signaling complexes, is regulated by phosphorylation of Y221 in the linker region, which forms an intramolecular SH2-pY221 auto-clamp to interrupt SH2-N-terminal SH3 domain (SH3N) signaling. Here, we show using LC-MS/MS and by generating phospho-specific antibodies that, iteratively with Y221, the Crk C-terminal SH3 domain (SH3C) is routinely phosphorylated on Y239 and/or Y251 by several extracellular stimuli known to engage Crk. Although phosphorylation at Y221 auto-inhibits the Crk SH2, phosphorylation of the SH3C generates an unconventional phosphoSH3C-SH3N unit in which the SH3N is fully functional to bind polyproline type II ligands and the phosphoSH3C binds de novo to other SH2 domains.

Liuwei Dihuang, a traditional Chinese herbal formula, suppresses chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in obese rats.

Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, and adipokine-ameliorating effects of Liuwei Dihuang (LWDH), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, in obese rats.

Methods: After 2 weeks of acclimation with free access to regular rodent chow and water, obese-prone-caesarean-derived (OP-CD) rats were fed a modified AIN-93G diet containing 60% energy from fat. Treatment was performed twice daily by gavage feeding with 500, 1 500, or 3 500 mg/kg body weight LWDH suspended in water (n=12 rats per group).

Quantitative linear and nonlinear resonance inspection techniques and analysis for material characterization: application to concrete thermal damage.

Developed in the late 1980s, Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NRUS) has been widely employed in the field of material characterization. Most of the studies assume the measured amplitude to be proportional to the strain amplitude which drives nonlinear phenomena. In 1D resonant bar experiments, the configuration for which NRUS was initially developed, this assumption holds.

Processing methods, characteristics and adsorption behavior of tire derived carbons: a review.

The remarkable increase in the number of vehicles worldwide; and the lack of both technical and economical mechanisms of disposal make waste tires to be a serious source of pollution. One potential recycling process is pyrolysis followed by chemical activation process to produce porous activated carbons. Many researchers have recently proved the capability of such carbons as adsorbents to remove various types of pollutants including organic and inorganic species.

Discovery of 9-(1-anilinoethyl)-2-morpholino-4-oxo-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-7-carboxamides as PI3Kβ/δ inhibitors for the treatment of PTEN-deficient tumours.

Starting from TGX-221, we designed a series of 9-(1-anilinoethyl)-2-morpholino-4-oxo-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-7-carboxamides as potent and selective PI3Kβ/δ inhibitors. Structure-activity relationships and structure-property relationships around the aniline and the amide substituents are discussed. We identified compounds 17 and 18, which showed profound pharmacodynamic modulation of phosphorylated Akt in the PC3 prostate tumour xenograft, after a single oral dose.

Acidity constant and solvatochromic behavior of some pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-2-amine derivatives.

The UV-visible electronic spectra of some azo compounds of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-2-amine have been studied. The solvatochromic behavior of these compounds was investigated by studying their spectra in pure organic solvents of different polarities such as cyclohexane carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethanol and DMF. These exhibits a red shift in its λmax with increase relative permittivity of medium changing from cyclohexane→carbon tetrachloride→chloroform→ethanol→DMF.

Co-administration of resveratrol and lipoic acid, or their synthetic combination, enhances neuroprotection in a rat model of ischemia/reperfusion.

The present study demonstrates the benefits of combinatorial antioxidant therapy in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetised and the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded for 30 minutes followed by 5.5 hours of reperfusion.

Clinical profile of classical Fever of unknown origin (FUO).

Background: The etiology of fever of unknown origin (FUO) may differ from different countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the etiology of FUO in patients attending SKIMS, a tertiary care teaching hospital, at Srinagar, Kashmir, India.

Methods: From July 2010 to September 2012, this study was done to examine the profile of patients with FUO.

Claudin-3 and claudin-5 protein folding and assembly into the tight junction are controlled by non-conserved residues in the transmembrane 3 (TM3) and extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) segments.

The mechanism of tight junction (TJ) assembly and the structure of claudins (Cldn) that form the TJ strands are unclear. This limits the molecular understanding of paracellular barriers and strategies for drug delivery across tissue barriers. Cldn3 and Cldn5 are both common in the blood-brain barrier but form TJ strands with different ultrastructures.

UPEI-300, a conjugate of lipoic acid and edaravone, mediates neuroprotection in ischemia/reperfusion.

Edaravone, an electron spin trapper with radical scavenging activity, has been shown to be effective in reducing infarct volume in humans following ischemic stroke. However, concerns of edaravone-induced renal toxicity have limited its clinical adoption. Previous work has demonstrated that edaravone produced significant neuroprotection when injected prior to a period of ischemia and/or reperfusion.

Polymeric nanoparticles: potent vectors for vaccine delivery targeting cancer and infectious diseases.

Nanocarriers with various compositions and biological properties have been extensively applied for in vitro/in vivo drug and gene delivery. The family of nanocarriers includes polymeric nanoparticles, lipid-based carriers (liposomes/micelles), dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and gold nanoparticles (nanoshells/nanocages). Among different delivery systems, polymeric carriers have several properties such as: easy to synthesize, inexpensive, biocompatible, biodegradable, non-immunogenic, non-toxic, and water soluble.

Decreased readmissions and improved quality of care with the use of an inexpensive checklist in heart failure.

Providing effective discharge instructions, appropriate dose uptitration, education regarding heart failure (HF) monitoring, and strict follow-up have all been shown to decrease readmissions for HF but are all underutilized. The authors developed and evaluated the impact of a quality-improvement HF checklist as a tool to remind physicians to improve quality of care in HF patients. The checklist was used in randomly selected patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of acute decompensated HF.

Ultrasonic irradiation assisted efficient regioselective synthesis of CF3-containing pyrazoles catalyzed by Cu(OTf)2/Et3N.

Background: Most of the known approaches to the synthesis of CF3-containing organic compounds suffer from serious drawbacks. For example the starting materials required for these methods are rather difficult to obtain, or they are fairly toxic and inconvenient to work with and methods for direct fluorination and trifluoromethylation do not always allow the introduction of the CF3-group at the required position of a molecule.

Results: An efficient and attractive regioselective synthesis of a series of novel pyrazoles containing the trifluromethyl moiety was achieved using Cu(OTf)2/Et3N as an efficient catalytic system under ultrasonic irradiation.

Resveratrol induced neuroprotection is mediated via both estrogen receptor subtypes, ER(α) and ER(β).

Resveratrol, a dietary polyphenol with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, has been shown to provide neuroprotection in models of ischemia. However, the mechanism of action of resveratrol-induced neuroprotection remains unclear. Previous work in our laboratory has provided evidence that acute, systemic administration of resveratrol is neuroprotective in a permanent model of cerebral ischemia, an effect that was blocked when animals received the non-selective estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI, 182,780.

Divergent reaction pathways for one-pot, three-component synthesis of novel 4H-pyrano[3,2-h]quinolines under ultrasound irradiation.

The present paper deal with the multi-component condensation of 8-hydroxy quinoline, aromatic aldehydes, and sulfone derivatives catalyzed by p-toluenesulfonic acid for the synthesis of a series of 4H-pyrano[3,2-h]quinoline derivatives in ethanol under ultrasonic irradiations. We provide a series of quinoline derivatives containing sulfone moiety interesting for biological screening tests. The reactions were carried out under both conventional and ultrasonic irradiation conditions.

Adsorptive removal of dyes from aqueous solution onto carbon nanotubes: a review.

Adsorption is a widely used technique for the separation and removal of pollutants from wastewaters. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are emerging as potential adsorbents because of its well defined cylindrical hollow structure, large surface area, high aspect ratios, hydrophobic wall and easily modified surfaces. In this review, dye adsorption capability of CNTs and CNT based composites from aqueous system has been compiled.

Comparison of navigated versus non-navigated pedicle screw placement in 260 patients and 1434 screws: screw accuracy, screw size, and the complexity of surgery.

Objective: Computer 3D navigation (3D NAV) techniques in spinal instrumentation can theoretically improve screw placement accuracy and reduce injury to critical neurovascular structures, especially in complex cases. In this series, we analyze the results of 3D NAV in pedicle screw placement accuracy, screw outer diameter, and case complexity in comparison with screws placed with conventional lateral fluoroscopy.

Methods: Pedicle screws placed in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine using either standard lateral fluoroscopy or 3D NAV using isocentric fluoroscopy were retrospectively analyzed.

Adsorption of lead ions from aqueous solution using porous carbon derived from rubber tires: experimental and computational study.

Effective activated porous carbon (AC) was prepared by thermal treatment of waste rubber tires and was further activated using oxidizing agents like nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The tire-derived porous carbon was characterized by means of FTIR and X-ray diffraction. Careful analysis of the IR spectra of the synthesized AC reveals a number of bands centered at about 3400, 2350, 1710, 1650, and 1300-1000cm(-1), proving the existence of hydroxyl and carboxylic groups on the surface of AC in addition to CC double bonds.

Sorption of pollutants by porous carbon, carbon nanotubes and fullerene- an overview.

The quality of water is continuously deteriorating due to its increasing toxic threat to humans and the environment. It is imperative to perform treatment of wastewater in order to remove pollutants and to get good quality water. Carbon materials like porous carbon, carbon nanotubes and fullerene have been extensively used for advanced treatment of wastewaters.