Activation of BK(Ca) channels in zoledronic acid-induced apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Background: Zoledronic acid, one of the most potent nitrogen-containing biphosphonates, has been demonstrated to have direct anti-tumor and anti-metastatic properties in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. In particular, tumor-cell apoptosis has been recognized to play an important role in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer with zoledronic acid. However, the precise mechanisms remain less clear.

Niobium(V) oxynitride: synthesis, characterization, and feasibility as anode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

The decomposition reaction of niobium(V) oxytrichloride ammoniate to the oxynitride of niobium in the 5+ oxidation state was developed in a methodological way. By combining elemental analysis, Rietveld refinements of X-ray and neutron diffraction data, SEM and TEM, the sample compound was identified as approximately 5 nm-diameter particles of NbO(1.3(1))N(0.

Inhibitory mechanism of caspase-6 phosphorylation revealed by crystal structures, molecular dynamics simulations, and biochemical assays.

The apoptotic effector caspase-6 (CASP6) has been clearly identified as a drug target due to its strong association with neurodegeneration and axonal pruning events as well as its crucial roles in Huntington disease and Alzheimer disease. CASP6 activity is suppressed by ARK5-mediated phosphorylation at Ser(257) with an unclear mechanism. In this work, we solved crystal structures of ΔproCASP6S257E and p20/p10S257E, which mimicked the phosphorylated CASP6 zymogen and activated CASP6, respectively.

[The technique of periorbital defects reconstruction with island orbicularis oculi myocutaneous flap in orbital zone].

Objective: To investigate the technique of periorbital defects reconstruction with island orbicularis oculi myocutaneous flap in orbital zone.

Methods: The upper or lower eyelid island orbicularis oculi myocutaneous flap,medially based,were used for the defects of the periorbital area, according to the position,shape and size of the defects. The donor site was closed directly.

Get phases from arsenic anomalous scattering: de novo SAD phasing of two protein structures crystallized in cacodylate buffer.

The crystal structures of two proteins, a putative pyrazinamidase/nicotinamidase from the dental pathogen Streptococcus mutans (SmPncA) and the human caspase-6 (Casp6), were solved by de novo arsenic single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (As-SAD) phasing method. Arsenic (As), an uncommonly used element in SAD phasing, was covalently introduced into proteins by cacodylic acid, the buffering agent in the crystallization reservoirs. In SmPncA, the only cysteine was bound to dimethylarsinoyl, which is a pentavalent arsenic group (As (V)).

Proteomic analysis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells incubated with Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a medically important fungus and can infect all the organs of the body. As vascular endothelial cell is an important target for C. neoformans to penetrate any organs, the differential protein expression of human umbilical vascular endothelial cell (HUVEC) after incubating with C.

[Application of melanocytes and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in tissue engineered skin construction].

Objective: To explore the method of constructing tissue-engineered skin using melanocytes and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vivo.

Methods: Melanocytes were isolated from human foreskin. BMSCs were isolated from human bone marrow.

Chemical bonding and properties of "layered" quaternary antimonide oxide REOZnSb (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd).

An efficient route to construct a three-dimensional crystal structure is stacking of two-dimensional building blocks (2D-BBs). The crystal structures of potential thermoelectric compounds REOZnSb (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) were virtually constructed from insulating [REO] and conducting [ZnSb] layers. Further optimizations performed by means of first-principles calculations show that REOZnSb should exhibit semimetal or narrow band-gap semiconductor behaviors, which is a prerequisite for high thermoelectric efficiency.

[Meta-analysis of studies on mortality of early surgery vs. delayed surgery for patients with femoral neck fractures].

Objective: Current guidelines indicate that surgery for femoral neck fracture should be performed within 24 hours. But the effect of early surgery on mortality was not consistent with each other. This study is to explore the effect of early surgery on the risk of death among elderly patients with femoral neck fracture.

Body contouring procedures for massive weight loss patients and their complications.

An increasing number of patients require body contouring procedures after massive weight loss. Body contouring can bring better quality of life and increase their satisfaction towards weight loss procedures. However, due to the special body status after massive weight loss, the complications of body contouring can be high.

[Role of mPGES-1 in the occurrence, progression, metastasis and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To study the expression of mPGES-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), observe the effect of MK886 on down-regulation of mPGES-1 gene expression on the biology of human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2 and to investigate its significance in the occurrence, progression, metastasis and invasion.

Methods: HCC tissues, para-carcinoma tissues, far-carcinoma tissues and normal liver tissues were collected. The expressions of mPGES-1 were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot.

Multistimuli responsive micelles formed by a tetrathiafulvalene-functionalized amphiphile.

An electroactive tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-functionalized amphiphile 1 was designed and synthesized to investigate its self-assembling behavior in water. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), (1)H NMR, fluorescence spectrum, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) studies revealed that amphiphile 1 can form micelle-like aggregates via direct dissolution into water, and the micellar architectures could be disrupted either by addition of chemical oxidant Fe(ClO(4))(3) or by complexation with electron-deficient cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) tetracation cyclophane (CBPQT(4+)) to release encapsulated hydrophobic dye Nile Red from the interior of micelles.

[Pollution characteristics of platinum group elements in road dust in central urban area of Beijing].

In order to survey platinum group elements (PGEs) contamination in central urban area of Beijing, dust samples were collected from the second ring road in December 2009. The road samples were digested with aqua regia and separated and purified with cation exchange resin, and the resulting solutions were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results showed that the concentrations of Pd, Pt and Rh in road dust ranged from 17.

Calculating line intensities of 1S0 emission through standard and modified Judd-Ofelt theories in Pr(3+)-doped CaAl12O19 and SrAl12O19.

A modified Judd-Ofelt theory is used in this paper to treat the electric dipole transitions within the 4f(2) configuration of Pr(3+) by considering two main perturbing components of 4f5d and 4fn'g. Through the energy-level calculation and standard tensorial analysis, the explicit distance between the 4f5d configuration and the (1)S(0) state and other lower 4f(2) energy levels are determined. The rare-earth ion Pr(3+) substituted at Sr(2+) sites in SrAl(12)O(19) (SAO) and Ca(2+) sites in CaAl(12)O(19) (CAO) has the site symmetry of D(3h).

[Effects of the combination of sandostatin and gardenia jasminoides ellis on pancreatic mitochondria injury in severe acute pancreatitis rats].

Objective: To study the protective effects of the combination of sandostatin(SS) and gardenia jasminoides ellis (GJE) on pancreatic mitochondria injury in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) rats.

Methods: SAP rat model was induced by retrograde injection of 15 g/L sodium deoxycholate into biliary tract. The rats were randomly divided into five groups: SAP group, Sham group, SS group, GJE group, as well as SS and GJE combination group.

[Study on the second metabolisms from fungus HS-1 Epicoccum spp. from the sea cucumber in Yellow Sea].

Objective: To get active metabolites from the microbes associated with sea cucumber.

Methods: Fungus was isolated from the sea cucumber, and the species was identified by molecular biology, and then was cultivated in GYP medium, and the metabolites were got by chromatography. Their structures were identified by comprehensive spectroscopic methods.

Enriching red emission of Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ by codoping Pr3+ and Cr3+ for improving color rendering of white LEDs.

Triply doped Y3Al5O12: Ce3+, Pr3+, Cr3+ phosphors are prepared by solid state reaction. The emission spectra are enriched in the red region with the luminescence of both Pr3+ and Cr3+ through Ce3+ → Cr3+ and Ce3+ → Pr3+ → Cr3+ energy transfers. The properties of photoluminescence and fluorescence decay indicates larger macroscopic Ce3+ → Cr3+ transfer rates in the triply doped phosphors in comparison to Ce3+ and Cr3+ doubly doped one, reflecting the effect of competition between Ce3+ → Cr3+ and Ce3+ → Pr3+ transfers.

Organogelators based on TTF supramolecular assemblies: synthesis, characterization, and conductive property.

A closely related family of organogelators 1-2 appended one or two electroactive tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) residues, has been designed and readily synthesized by Sonogashira reactions. These compounds can gelate a variety of organic solvents in view of multiple intermolecular interactions, and compounds 2 with two TTF subunits exhibit higher gelation ability than their corresponding 1. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation of the xerogels from toluene gave a visual image showing that fibrillar aggregates are entangled in three-dimensional network structures.

Thermal unbalance by an amplified spontaneous emission absorber in an Nd:YAG thin-disk laser.

We investigate heat generation in a Nd:YAG thin-disk laser composite with an undoped anti-amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) cap and a side ASE absorber under lasing and nonlasing conditions. The heat load unbalance in three different regions induces a large transverse temperature inhomogeneity under the nonlasing condition. The additional heat fraction generated by the concentration quenching is observed.

Near infrared long-persistent phosphorescence in La3Ga5GeO14:Cr3+ phosphor.

Near infrared (NIR; 660-1300 nm) long-persistent phosphorescence from Cr(3+) ions with persistence time of more than 1 hour was realized in La(3)Ga(5)GeO(14):Cr(3+) phosphor (with or without co-dopants such as Li(+), Zn(2+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+) and Dy(3+)). The NIR phosphorescence can be effectively achieved under UV illumination (~240-360 nm) but is barely achieved by blue light (~480 nm) irradiation, even though the blue light excitation are effective to the NIR fluorescence. The NIR phosphorescence mechanisms were discussed by measuring the irradiation energy dependence of the phosphorescence intensity.

Crystal structures of human caspase 6 reveal a new mechanism for intramolecular cleavage self-activation.

Dimeric effectors caspase 3 and caspase 7 are activated by initiator caspase processing. In this study, we report the crystal structures of effector caspase 6 (CASP6) zymogen and N-Acetyl-Val-Glu-Ile-Asp-al-inhibited CASP6. Both of these forms of CASP6 have a dimeric structure, and in CASP6 zymogen the intersubunit cleavage site (190)TEVD(193) is well structured and inserts into the active site.

General solution to the synthesis of N-2-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles.

The regioselective N-alkylation of 1,2,3-triazoles 1-6 was studied. Good to excellent N-2 selectivity and high chemical yields for N-2-substituted 4,5-dibromotriazoles 7 were obtained with 4,5-dibromo- and 4-bromo-5-trimethylsilyl-1,2,3-triazoles. These building blocks can be readily converted to 2-mono-, 2,4-di-, and 2,4,5-polysubstituted triazoles 10-15, providing a general, protective, group-free method for the synthesis of N-2-substituted triazoles.

Efficient synthesis of a small molecule, nonpeptide inhibitor of LFA-1.

A three-stage process for the synthesis of LFA-1 inhibitor 1 from amine 4 with an overall yield of 65% is described. The key stage involves a Ph(3)PCl(2)-induced dehydration/cyclization of urea 6 followed by a regioselective bromination to give 1H-imidazo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-one 9. Br/Mg exchange of 9 followed by addition to SO(2) in THF and subsequent oxidation produces a sulfonyl chloride which is directly reacted with L-alaninamide using K(2)CO(3) as base in aqueous DMF/THF to give 1 in a one-pot operation.

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of cyclopropylmagnesium bromide with aryl bromides mediated by zinc halide additives.

The key Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl bromides or triflates and cyclopropylmagnesium bromide in the presence of substoichiometric amounts of zinc bromide produces cyclopropyl arenes in good to excellent yields. The cross-coupling of other alkyl, cycloalkyl, and aryl Grignard reagents with aryl bromides under the same conditions gives the corresponding substituted arenes in good yields.