Application of tryptophan-like fluorescence index to quantify the trace organic compounds removal in wastewater ozonation.

The effectiveness of ozonation, one of the techniques known for destroying organic contaminants from wastewater, depends on the composition of the wastewater matrix. The required ozone (O) dose is determined based on the target compounds during ozonation. Hydroxyl radicals are quantified using a probe compound.

Electronic tongue for the simple and rapid determination of taste and odor compounds in water.

Taste and odor (T&O) compounds present in natural water bodies could originate from algae. In this study, alga-generated compounds that can cause T&O issues in water, such as geosmin (GE), 2-Methylisoborneol (MIB), 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA), 2-Methylbenzofuran (MB), 2-Isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IPMP), 2-Isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP), cis-3-Hexenyl acetate (HA), trans,trans-2,4-Heptadienal (HD), trans,cis-2,6-Nonadienal (ND), and trans-2-Decenal (DN), were determined through solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME GC/MS) and electronic tongue (E-tongue), and the results from the two techniques were compared. Although HS-SPME GC/MS facilitates the detection and quantification of T&O compounds with high precision and accuracy, the sample preparation and handling is difficult and the analysis time (1 h) is longer than those of other analytical methods.

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis to determine chlorine decay constants in urban water distribution system.

This study applied a method for estimating chlorine decay constant (k) in urban water distribution systems using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy-parallel factor analysis (FEEM-PARAFAC), considering that it accounts for the influence of organic matter in the target area. The simultaneous impacts of seasonal variations on chlorine consumption and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition were investigated for a year in three full-scale water distribution systems in I city (areas S, K, and G). Bulk decay constants (kb) were obtained through bottle tests, and the kb value was observed to differ by season and significantly affected by temperature.

Targeting progesterone signaling prevents metastatic ovarian cancer.

Effective cancer prevention requires the discovery and intervention of a factor critical to cancer development. Here we show that ovarian progesterone is a crucial endogenous factor inducing the development of primary tumors progressing to metastatic ovarian cancer in a mouse model of high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the most common and deadliest ovarian cancer type. Blocking progesterone signaling by the pharmacologic inhibitor mifepristone or by genetic deletion of the progesterone receptor (PR) effectively suppressed HGSC development and its peritoneal metastases.

In vivo modeling of metastatic human high-grade serous ovarian cancer in mice.

Metastasis is responsible for 90% of human cancer mortality, yet it remains a challenge to model human cancer metastasis in vivo. Here we describe mouse models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, also known as high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the most common and deadliest human ovarian cancer type. Mice genetically engineered to harbor Dicer1 and Pten inactivation and mutant p53 robustly replicate the peritoneal metastases of human HGSC with complete penetrance.

Transcription factors SOHLH1 and SOHLH2 coordinate oocyte differentiation without affecting meiosis I.

Following migration of primordial germ cells to the genital ridge, oogonia undergo several rounds of mitotic division and enter meiosis at approximately E13.5. Most oocytes arrest in the dictyate (diplotene) stage of meiosis circa E18.

Economic Evaluation of a Hybrid Desalination System Combining Forward and Reverse Osmosis.

This study seeks to evaluate the performance and economic feasibility of the forward osmosis (FO)-reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process; to propose a guideline by which this hybrid process might be more price-competitive in the field. A solution-diffusion model modified with film theory was applied to analyze the effects of concentration polarization, water, and salt transport coefficient on flux, recovery, seawater concentration, and treated wastewater of the FO process of an FO-RO hybrid system. A simple cost model was applied to analyze the effects of flux; recovery of the FO process; energy; and membrane cost on the FO-RO hybrid process.

Med12 gain-of-function mutation causes leiomyomas and genomic instability.

Uterine leiomyomas are benign tumors that can cause pain, bleeding, and infertility in some women. Mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12) exon 2 variants are associated with uterine leiomyomas; however, the causality of MED12 variants, their genetic mode of action, and their role in genomic instability have not been established. Here, we generated a mouse model that conditionally expresses a Med12 missense variant (c.

Mouse HORMAD1 is a meiosis i checkpoint protein that modulates DNA double- strand break repair during female meiosis.

Oocytes in embryonic ovaries enter meiosis I and arrest in the diplonema stage. Perturbations in meiosis I, such as abnormal double-strand break (DSB) formation and repair, adversely affect oocyte survival. We previously discovered that HORMAD1 is a critical component of the synaptonemal complex but not essential for oocyte survival.

Biological significance of HORMA domain containing protein 1 (HORMAD1) in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

The present study was undertaken to determine the expression and biological significance of HORMAD1 in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma. We found that a substantial proportion of human epithelial ovarian cancers expressed HORMAD1. In vitro, HORMAD1 siRNA enhanced docetaxel induced apoptosis and substantially reduced the invasive and migratory potential of ovarian cancer cells (2774).

Premature ovarian failure in nobox-deficient mice is caused by defects in somatic cell invasion and germ cell cyst breakdown.

Purpose: To understand the mechanism of premature ovarian failure (POF).

Methods: The ultrastructural (electron microscopy) analysis of primordial ovarian follicles in Nobox deficient mice.

Results: We studied, for the first time, the fate of oogonia in embryonic (prenatal) mouse ovaries and showed that the abolishment of the transition from germ cell cysts to primordial follicles in the ovaries of Nobox deficient mice is caused by defects in germ cell cyst breakdown, leading to the formation of syncytial follicles instead of primordial follicles.

The fat mass and obesity associated gene FTO functions in the brain to regulate postnatal growth in mice.

FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) was identified as an obesity-susceptibility gene by several independent large-scale genome association studies. A cluster of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) located in the first intron of FTO was found to be significantly associated with obesity-related traits, such as body mass index, hip circumference, and body weight. FTO encodes a protein with a novel C-terminal α-helical domain and an N-terminal double-strand β-helix domain which is conserved in Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenase family.

Hormad1 mutation disrupts synaptonemal complex formation, recombination, and chromosome segregation in mammalian meiosis.

Meiosis is unique to germ cells and essential for reproduction. During the first meiotic division, homologous chromosomes pair, recombine, and form chiasmata. The homologues connect via axial elements and numerous transverse filaments to form the synaptonemal complex.

The adaptor protein of the anaphase promoting complex Cdh1 is essential in maintaining replicative lifespan and in learning and memory.

The anaphase promoting complex (APC) or cyclosome is a multisubunit E3 ubiquitin ligase. Cdc20 (fizzy (fzy)) or p55CDC, and Cdh1 (Hct1, srw1 or fizzy-related 1 (fzr1)) encode two adaptor proteins that bring substrates to the APC. Both APC-Cdc20 and APC-Cdh1 have been implicated in the control of mitosis through mediating ubiquitination of mitotic regulators, such as cyclin B1 and securin.

Promoter analysis of human CC chemokine CCL23 gene in U937 monocytoid cells.

Expression of CCL23 is induced by external stimuli including PMA in monocytes, but its transcriptional regulation has not been studied to date. Serial deletion analysis of its 5' flanking region revealed that the region -293 to +31 was important for induction by PMA. Cis-acting elements at the -269/-264 (NFAT site), -167/-159 (NF-kappaB site), and -51/-43 (AP-1 site) positions were identified as the critical sites for the CCL23 expression in U937 cells.

Transcriptional regulation of human CC chemokine CCL15 gene by NF-kappaB and AP-1 elements in PMA-stimulated U937 monocytoid cells.

CCL15 exerts biological effects on a variety of cells, including monocytes. NF-kappaB has been reported to be involved in the transcription of the CCL15 gene. In this study, we have identified an AP-1 element located at -76/-65, which appears to regulate the transcription of the CCL15 gene.

Inhibition of NF-IL6 activity by manassantin B, a dilignan isolated from Saururus chinensis, in phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated U937 promonocytic cells.

Mannasantin B, a dilignan structurally related to manssantin A, is an inhibitor of NF-kappaB transactivation. In the present study, we found that it inhibited PMA-induced expression of IL-1beta, IL-1beta mRNA, and IL-1beta promoter activity in U937 cells with IC50 values of about 50 nM. It also inhibited NF-IL6- and NF-kappaB-induced activation of IL-1beta, with IC50 values of 78 nM and 1.

PLP2/A4 interacts with CCR1 and stimulates migration of CCR1-expressing HOS cells.

Multiple CC chemokines bind to CCR1, which plays important roles in immune and inflammatory responses. To search for proteins involved in the CCR1 signaling pathway, we screened a yeast two-hybrid library using the cytoplasmic tail of CCR1 as the bait. One of the positive clones contained an open reading frame of 456bp, of which the nucleotide sequence was identical to that of proteolipid protein 2 (PLP2), also known as protein A4.

Involvement of two NF-kappaB binding sites in PMA-induced expression of the human leukotactin-1/CCL15 gene in U937 monocytoid cells.

Leukotactin-1 (Lkn-1)/CCL15, is a recently cloned chemotactic chemokine that appears to play important roles in the inflammatory process by recruiting immune cells to inflammatory sites. Expression of the Lkn-1/CCL15 gene is inducible in monocytes but its transcriptional regulation has not been studied. To identify Lkn-1/CCL15 regulatory sequences in monocytic cells, U937 cells were transiently transfected with the luciferase reporter gene linked to various deletions of the Lkn-1/CCL15 promoter region.