Spray-dried cyclophosphamide-loaded polyhydroxyalkanoate microparticles: design and characterization.

Background And Purpose: Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a widely used antitumor and immunosuppressive drug, but it is highly cytotoxic and has carcinogenic and teratogenic potential. To reduce adverse effects of CP therapy and the frequency of its administration, the microencapsulation of CP into biodegradable polymeric matrices can be performed. However, according to the literature, only a few polymers were found suitable to encapsulate CP and achieve its' sustained release.

Aptamer's Structure Optimization for Better Diagnosis and Treatment of Glial Tumors.

Oncological diseases are a major focus in medicine, with millions diagnosed each year, leading researchers to seek new diagnostic and treatment methods. One promising avenue is the development of targeted therapies and rapid diagnostic tests using recognition molecules. The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly exploring nucleic acid-based therapeutics.

Application of the luminous bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum for toxicity monitoring of selenite and its reduction to selenium(0) nanoparticles.

Luminous marine bacteria are traditionally used as a bioassay due to the convenience and high rate of registering the intensity of their physiological function - luminescence. This study aimed to develop the application of Photobacterium phosphoreum in traditional and novel fields - toxicity monitoring and biotechnology. We demonstrated (1) effects of selenite ions on bioluminescence, and (2) biotransformation of selenite to selenium(0) in the form of nanoparticles.

Theoretical modeling of electronic absorption spectra of ionized species of β-diketones.

Context: Direct DFT evaluation of negatively charged or highly π-delocalized systems is intrinsically problematic. Single ionized (anionic) forms of β-diketones combine both these issues. In this article, we have summarized and analyzed the experimental and theoretical spectral dataset for anionic forms of different substituted perfluorinated β-diketones that were obtained by our team during the past few years.

Partial asynchrony of coniferous forest carbon sources and sinks at the intra-annual time scale.

As major terrestrial carbon sinks, forests play an important role in mitigating climate change. The relationship between the seasonal uptake of carbon and its allocation to woody biomass remains poorly understood, leaving a significant gap in our capacity to predict carbon sequestration by forests. Here, we compare the intra-annual dynamics of carbon fluxes and wood formation across the Northern hemisphere, from carbon assimilation and the formation of non-structural carbon compounds to their incorporation in woody tissues.

Cytotoxic and radical activities of metal-organic framework modified with iron oxide: Biological and physico-chemical analyses.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) modified with iron oxide, FeO-MOF, is a perspective drug delivery agent, enabling magnetic control and production of active hydroxyl radicals, •OH, via the Fenton reaction. This paper studies cytotoxic and radical activities of Fe-containing nanoparticles (NPs): FeO-MOF and its components - bare FeO and MOF (MIL-88B). Luminous marine bacteria Photobacteriumphosphoreum were used as a model cellular system to monitor bioeffects of the NPs.

Bioluminescent aptamer-based microassay for detection of melanoma inhibitory activity protein (MIA).

Melanoma inhibitory activity protein (MIA) does obviously offer the potential to reveal clinical manifestations of melanoma. Despite a pressing need for effective diagnosis of this highly fatal disease, there are no clinically approved MIA detection ELISA kits available. A recommended MIA threshold has not yet been defined, mostly by reason of variability in immunoglobulins' affinity and stability, the difference in sample preparation and assay conditions.

Topography hierarchy of biocompatible polyhydroxyalkanoate film.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are used for various biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility. Surface properties, such as surface roughness, are crucial for PHAs performance. Traditional parameters used for the characterization of surface roughness, such as , are often insufficient to capture the complex and hierarchical (multiscale) topography of PHA films.

A Comparative Study of Electrochemical Reduction of Levulinic Acid on Various Electrodes in Organic Solvents.

Studies on the electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of levulinic acid (LA) to valeric acid (VA) or γ-valerolactone (GVL) have mainly focused on the electrochemical reduction of LA in acidic aqueous solutions. However, the narrow range of applied potentials has hindered understanding of some mechanistic aspects of LA electrochemical conversion. Earlier, we discovered that employing proton-deficient non-aqueous reaction media provides more comprehensive insights into the mechanism of LA electrochemical reduction.

The molecular structure, vibrational spectra, solvation effect, non-covalent interactions investigations of psilocin.

Psilocin, or 4-HO-DMT (or 3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-1H-indol-4-ol), is a psychoactive alkaloid substance from the tryptamine family, isolated from Psilocybe mushrooms. This substance is being studied by various research groups because it has a clear therapeutic effect in certain dosages. In this work, the study of the structure and properties of psilocin was carried using theoretical methods: the effects of polar solvents (acetonitrile, dimethylsulfoxide, water, and tetrahydrofuran) on the structural parameters, spectroscopic properties (Raman, IR, and UV-Vis), frontier molecular orbital (FMO), molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surface, and nonlinear optical parameters (NLO).

Biological invasions are a population-level rather than a species-level phenomenon.

Biological invasions pose a rapidly expanding threat to the persistence, functioning and service provisioning of ecosystems globally, and to socio-economic interests. The stages of successful invasions are driven by the same mechanism that underlies adaptive changes across species in general-via natural selection on intraspecific variation in traits that influence survival and reproductive performance (i.e.

Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in B-10646 on Saturated Fatty Acids.

It has been established that the wild-type B-10646 strain uses saturated fatty acids (SFAs) for growth and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis. It uses lauric (12:0), myristic (14:0), palmitic (16:0) and stearic (18:0) acids as carbon sources; moreover, the elongation of the C-chain negatively affects the biomass and PHA yields. When bacteria grow on C12 and C14 fatty acids, the total biomass and PHA yields are comparable up to 7.

Correction: Volova et al. Laser Processing of Polymer Films Fabricated from PHAs Differing in Their Monomer Composition. 2021, , 1553.

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Functional Screening of cDNA Expression Library for Novel Ctenophore Photoproteins.

The functional screening of cDNA libraries (or functional cloning) enables isolation of cDNA genes encoding novel proteins with unknown amino acid sequences. This approach is the only way to identify a protein sequence in the event of shortage of biological material for obtaining pure target protein in amounts sufficient to determine its primary structure, since sensitive functional test for a target protein is only required to successfully perform functional cloning. Commonly, bioluminescent proteins from representatives belonging to different taxa significantly differ in sequences due to independent origin of bioluminescent systems during evolution.

Expression, Purification, and Determination of Sensitivity to Calcium Ions of Ctenophore Photoproteins.

Light-sensitive Ca-regulated photoproteins of ctenophores are single-chain polypeptide proteins of 206-208 amino acids in length comprising three canonical EF-hand Ca-binding sites, each of 12 contiguous residues. These photoproteins are a stable complex of apoprotein and 2-hydroperoxy adduct of coelenterazine. Addition of calcium ions to photoprotein is only required to trigger bright bioluminescence.

Mathematical modeling of quorum sensing dynamics in batch culture of luminescent bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum 1889.

At the beginning of the paper, the level of necessary phenomenology of complex models is discussed. When working with complex systems, which of course include living organisms and ecological systems, it is necessary to use a phenomenological description. An illustration of the phenomenological approach is given, which captures the most significant general principles or patterns of interactions; the specific values of the parameters cannot be calculated from the first principles, but are determined empirically.

Border cell population size and oxidative stress in the root apex of Triticum aestivum seedlings exposed to fungicides.

Fungicides reduce the risk of mycopathologies and reduce the content of mycotoxins in commercial grain. The effect of fungicides on the structural and functional status of the root system of grain crops has not been studied enough. In this regard, we studied the phytocytotoxic effects tebuconazole (TEB) and epoxiconazole (EPO) and azoxystrobin (AZO) in the roots of Triticum aestivum seedlings in hydroponic culture.

Economic costs of invasive non-native species in urban areas: An underexplored financial drain.

Urbanization is an important driver of global change associated with a set of environmental modifications that affect the introduction and distribution of invasive non-native species (species with populations transported by humans beyond their natural biogeographic range that established and are spreading in their introduced range; hereafter, invasive species). These species are recognized as a cause of large ecological and economic losses. Nevertheless, the economic impacts of these species in urban areas are still poorly understood.

Dryocoetiops krivetsae sp. n. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Dryocoetini), the northernmost species of the genus: conflicts between molecular and morphological data in the tribe Dryocoetini.

A new species of bark beetle, Dryocoetiops krivetsae Kerchev, Mandelshtam, Bykov et Ilinsky, sp. n., from the southern part of Primorsky Krai (Russian Far East), is described.

A phenomenological model of non-genomic variability of luminescent bacterial cells.

The light emitted by a luminescent bacterium serves as a unique native channel of information regarding the intracellular processes within the individual cell. In the presence of highly sensitive equipment, it is possible to obtain the distribution of bacterial culture cells by the intensity of light emission, which correlates with the amount of luciferase in the cells. When growing on rich media, the luminescence intensity of individual cells of brightly luminous strains of the luminescent bacteria Photobacterium leiognathi and Ph.

Alga-based mathematical model of a life support system closed in oxygen and carbon dioxide.

The purpose of the study was to compare quantitative analysis methods used in the early stages of closed-loop system prototyping with modern data analysis approaches. As an example, a mathematical model of the stable coexistence of two microalgae in a mixed flow culture, proposed by Bolsunovsky and Degermendzhi in 1982, is considered. The model is built on the basis of a detailed theoretical description of the interaction between species and substrate (in this case, illumination).

Fossil mosses are emitting methane after maritime Antarctic glacier retreat.

In the extraordinary weather conditions of the austral summer of 2023, fossil mosses thawed out from under the Bellingshausen Ice Dome, King George Island, Southern Shetland Archipelago of maritime Antarctica. At the end of the austral summer, we directly measured greenhouse gas fluxes (CH and CO) from the surface of fossil mosses. We showed that fossil mosses were strong emitters of CH and weak emitters of CO.

Depolymerization of Pine Wood Organosolv Lignin in Ethanol Medium over NiCu/SiO and NiCuMo/SiO Catalysts: Impact of Temperature and Catalyst Composition.

The process of thermocatalytic conversion of pine ethanol lignin in supercritical ethanol was studied over NiCu/SiO and NiCuMo/SiO catalysts bearing 8.8 and 11.7 wt.

Thawing permafrost can mitigate warming-induced drought stress in boreal forest trees.

Perennially frozen soil, also known as permafrost, is important for the functioning and productivity of most of the boreal forest, the world's largest terrestrial biome. A better understanding of complex vegetation-permafrost interrelationships is needed to predict changes in local- to large-scale carbon, nutrient, and water cycle dynamics under future global warming. Here, we analyze tree-ring width and tree-ring stable isotope (C and O) measurements of Gmelin larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.