The first pentagonal-bipyramidal vanadium(III) complexes with a Schiff-base NO pentadentate ligand: synthesis, structure and magnetic properties.

A series of three mononuclear pentagonal-bipyramidal V(iii) complexes with the equatorial pentadentate N3O2 ligand (2,6-diacethylpyridinebis(benzoylhydrazone), H2DAPBH) in the different charge states (H2DAPBH0, HDAPBH1-, DAPBH2-) and various apical ligands (Cl-, CH3OH, SCN-) were synthesized and characterized structurally and magnetically: [V(H2DAPBH)Cl2]Cl·C2H5OH (1), [V(HDAPBH)(NCS)2]·0.5CH3CN·0.5CH3OH (2) and [V(DAPBH)(CH3OH)2]Cl·CH3OH (3).

Dual Targeting of Cancer Cells with DARPin-Based Toxins for Overcoming Tumor Escape.

We report here a combined anti-cancer therapy directed toward HER2 and EpCAM, common tumor-associated antigens of breast cancer cells. The combined therapeutic effect is achieved owing to two highly toxic proteins-a low immunogenic variant of exotoxin A and ribonuclease Barnase from . The delivery of toxins to cancer cells was carried out by targeting designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins).

Bacterial Cellulose () Biocomposites and Their Cytocompatibility.

A series of novel polysaccharide-based biocomposites was obtained by impregnation of bacterial cellulose produced by (BC) with the solutions of negatively charged polysaccharides-hyaluronan (HA), sodium alginate (ALG), or κ-carrageenan (CAR)-and subsequently with positively charged chitosan (CS). The penetration of the polysaccharide solutions into the BC network and their interaction to form a polyelectrolyte complex changed the architecture of the BC network. The structure, morphology, and properties of the biocomposites depended on the type of impregnated anionic polysaccharides, and those polysaccharides in turn determined the nature of the interaction with CS.

Capturing the Conformational Ensemble of the Mixed Folded Polyglutamine Protein Ataxin-3.

Ataxin-3 is a deubiquitinase involved in protein quality control and other essential cellular functions. It preferentially interacts with polyubiquitin chains of four or more units attached to proteins delivered to the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Ataxin-3 is composed of an N-terminal Josephin domain and a flexible C terminus that contains two or three ubiquitin-interacting motifs (UIMs) and a polyglutamine tract, which, when expanded beyond a threshold, leads to protein aggregation and misfolding and causes spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Hydrophobic up-conversion carboxylated nanocellulose/fluoride phosphor composite films modified with alkyl ketene dimer.

Hydrophobic up-conversion nanocomposite films have been developed based on TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNF) modified with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) as a matrix and MF:Ho (M = Ca, Sr) as a phosphor. Fabrication of homogeneous, strong and translucent TOCNF/MF:Ho-AKD films with water contact angle of 123 ± 2° was accomplished with mild drying at 110 °C. These hydrophobic nanocomposite films demonstrated stable up-conversion luminescence in the visible spectral range upon excitation of the I level of Ho ions by laser irradiation at 1912 nm both under ambient conditions and in a humid atmosphere (92 ± 2% humidity).

Total Blood Exosomes in Breast Cancer: Potential Role in Crucial Steps of Tumorigenesis.

Exosomes are crucial players in cell-to-cell communication and are involved in tumorigenesis. There are two fractions of blood circulating exosomes: free and cell-surface-associated. Here, we compared the effect of total blood exosomes (contain plasma exosomes and blood cell-surface-associated exosomes) and plasma exosomes from breast cancer patients (BCPs, = 43) and healthy females (HFs, = 35) on crucial steps of tumor progression.

A new TlFeHf(MoO) ternary molybdate: crystal structure and properties.

Single crystals of TlFeHf(MoO) [a = b = 10.5550 (3), c = 37.7824 (9) Å, γ = 120°] are obtained by the self-flux method in the TlMoO-Fe(MoO)-Hf(MoO) system.

Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Large Peptide Systems.

Chiral symmetry breaking in far from equilibrium systems with large number of amino acids and peptides, like a prebiotic Earth, was considered. It was shown that if organic catalysts were abundant, then effective averaging of enantioselectivity would prohibit any symmetry breaking in such systems. It was further argued that non-linear (catalytic) reactions must be very scarce (called the abundance parameter) and catalysts should work on small groups of similar reactions (called the similarity parameter) in order to chiral symmetry breaking have a chance to occur.

Fabrication and evaluation of nanocontainers for lipophilic anticancer drug delivery in 3D in vitro model.

Presently, most of anticancer drugs are high toxic for normal cells and, and as a result, they have severe side effects. Moreover, most of the formulations are lipophilic and have poor selectivity. To overcome these limitations, various drug delivery systems could be proposed.

Proteomic Approach for Searching for Universal, Tissue-Specific, and Line-Specific Markers of Extracellular Vesicles in Lung and Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines.

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, contain proteins that mirror the molecular landscape of producer cells. Being potentially detectible in biological fluids, EVs are of great interest for the screening of cancer biomarkers. To reveal universal, tissue-specific, and line-specific markers, we performed label-free mass spectrometric profiling of EVs originating from the human colon cancer cell lines Caco-2, HT29, and HCT-116, as well as from the lung cancer cell lines NCI-H23 and A549.

Metasurfaces with Maximum Chirality Empowered by Bound States in the Continuum.

We demonstrate that rotationally symmetric chiral metasurfaces can support sharp resonances with the maximum optical chirality determined by precise shaping of bound states in the continuum (BICs). Being uncoupled from one circular polarization of light and resonantly coupled to its counterpart, a metasurface hosting the chiral BIC resonance exhibits a narrow peak in the circular dichroism spectrum with the quality factor limited by weak dissipation losses. We propose a realization of such chiral BIC metasurfaces based on pairs of dielectric bars and validate the concept of maximum chirality by numerical simulations.

Synthesis, structure and properties of layered PrMoO-based oxymolybdates doped with Mg.

Undoped and Mg-doped PrMoO oxymolybdate polycrystals and single crystals have been prepared by solid-state reactions and flux growth. The compounds have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, scanning transmission electron microscopy, single crystal X-ray structure analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. The (MgO)(PrO)(MoO) (x + y + z = 1) solid solution series has been shown to extend to x = 0.

Tennantite: multi-temperature crystal structure, phase transition and electronic structure of synthetic CuAsS.

The structure of synthetic tennantite CuAsS was investigated at various temperatures in the 90-293 K range. It crystallizes in space group I{\overline 4}3m. No structural transformation was observed in this temperature range.

Crystal structure and structural phase transition in bismuth-containing HoFe(BO) in the temperature range 11-500 K.

An accurate single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of bismuth-containing HoFe(BO) between 11 and 500 K has revealed structural phase transition at T = 365 K. The Bi atoms enter the composition from BiMoO-based flux during crystal growth and significantly affect T. The content of Bi was estimated by two independent methods, establishing the composition as (HoBi)Fe(BO).

Efficient screening of ligand-receptor complex formation using fluorescence labeling and size-exclusion chromatography.

Evidence of a complex formation is a crucial step in the structural studies of ligand-receptor interactions. Here we presented a simple and fast approach for qualitative screening of the complex formation between the chimeric extracellular domain of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-ECD) and three-finger proteins. Complex formation of snake toxins α-Bgtx and WTX, as well as of recombinant analogs of human proteins Lynx1 and SLURP-1, with α7-ECD was confirmed using fluorescently labeled ligands and size-exclusion chromatography with simultaneous absorbance and fluorescence detection.

Pressure Induced Spin Crossover and Magnetic Properties of Multiferroic BaNbFeSiO.

Recently, the iron containing langasite-type crystal BaNbFeSiO has attracted great attention as a new magnetically induced multiferroic. In this work, magnetic, structural and electronic properties of the multiferroic BaNbFeSiO were investigated by several methods, including synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron Mössbauer source technique at high quasi-hydrostatic pressures (up to 70 GPa), created in diamond anvil cells. At room temperature, two structural transitions at pressures of about 3.

Altered level of plasma exosomes in patients with Gaucher disease.

Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) cause Gaucher disease (GD), the lysosomal storage disorder (LSD), and are the most common genetic risk factor of Parkinson's disease (PD). Lysosome functionality plays a critical role for secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their content. Here we compared EVs from the blood plasma of 8 GD patients and 8 controls in terms of amounts, size distribution, and composition of their protein cargo.

Probing Structure and Function of Alkali Sensor IRR with Monoclonal Antibodies.

To study the structure and function of the pH-regulated receptor tyrosine kinase insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR), а member of the insulin receptor family, we obtained six mouse monoclonal antibodies against the recombinant IRR ectodomain. These antibodies were characterized in experiments with exogenously expressed full-length IRR by Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, and immunocytochemistry analyses. Utilizing a previously obtained set of IRR/IR chimeras with swapped small structural domains and point amino acid substitutions, we mapped the binding sites of the obtained antibodies in IRR.

Proteome of Glioblastoma-Derived Exosomes as a Source of Biomarkers.

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are involved in important processes of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), including malignancy and invasion. EV secreted by glioblastoma cells may cross the hematoencephalic barrier and carry molecular cargo derived from the tumor into the peripheral circulation. Therefore, the determination of the molecular composition of exosomes released by glioblastoma cells seems to be a promising approach for the development of non-invasive methods of the detection of the specific exosomal protein markers in the peripheral blood.

Copper-Chitosan Nanocomposite Hydrogels Against Aflatoxigenic from Dairy Cattle Feed.

The integration of copper nanoparticles as antifungal agents in polymeric matrices to produce copper polymer nanocomposites has shown excellent results in preventing the growth of a wide variety of toxigenic fungi. Copper-chitosan nanocomposite-based chitosan hydrogels (Cu-Chit/NCs hydrogel) were prepared using a metal vapor synthesis (MVS) and the resulting samples were described by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Aflatoxin-producing medium and VICAM aflatoxins tests were applied to evaluate their ability to produce aflatoxins through various strains of associated with peanut meal and cotton seeds.

Dual-energy crystal-analyzer scheme for spectral tomography.

In the present work, a method for adjusting a crystal analyzer to separate two characteristic lines from the spectrum of a conventional X-ray tube for simultaneous registration of tomographic projections is proposed. The experimental implementation of this method using radiation of a molybdenum anode (α, β lines) and a silicon Si(111) crystal analyzer in Laue geometry is presented. Projection images at different wavelengths are separated in space and can be recorded independently for further processing.

Novel theoretical approach to the GISAXS issue: the Green function formalism using the q-Eigenwaves propagating through a twofold rough-surfaced medium.

To describe the 1D and 2D patterns of the grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) from a rough fractal surface, the novel integral equations for the amplitudes of reflected and transmitted waves are derived. To be specific, the analytical expression for the 2D total intensity distribution [Formula: see text] is obtained. The latter represents by itself a superposition of terms related to the GISAXS specular [Formula: see text] and diffuse [Formula: see text] patterns, respectively.

In Vitro Bioeffects of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Microcapsules Post-Loaded with Water-Soluble Cationic Photosensitizer.

Microencapsulation and targeted delivery of cytotoxic and antibacterial agents of photodynamic therapy (PDT) improve the treatment outcomes for infectious diseases and cancer. In many cases, the loss of activity, poor encapsulation efficiency, and inadequate drug dosing hamper the success of this strategy. Therefore, the development of novel and reliable microencapsulated drug formulations granting high efficacy is of paramount importance.

Characterization of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Virions and Repolymerized Coat Protein Aggregates in Solution by Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering.

The structure of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) virions and stacked disk aggregates of TMV coat protein (CP) in solution was analyzed by synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and negative contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TMV CP aggregates had a unique stability but did not have helical symmetry. According to the TEM data, they were stacked disks associated into transversely striated rod-shaped structures 300 to 800 Å long.