A New Role of NAP1L1 in Megakaryocytes and Human Platelets

Platelets (PLTs) are anucleate and considered incapable of nuclear functions. Contrastingly, nuclear proteins were detected in human PLTs. For most of these proteins, it is unclear if nuclear or alternatively assigned functions are performed, a question we wanted to address for nuclear assembly protein 1 like 1 (NAP1L1). Using a wide array of molecular methods, including RNAseq, co-IP, overexpression and functional assays, we explored expression pattern and functionality of NAP1L1 in PLTs, and CD34⁺-derived megakaryocytes (MKs). NAP1L1 is expressed in PLTs and MKs. Co-IP experiments revealed that dihydrolipolylysine-residue acetyltransferase (DLAT encoded protein PDC-E2, ODP2) dynamically interacts with NAP1L1. PDC-E2 is part of the mitochondrial pyruvate-dehydrogenase (PDH) multi-enzyme complex, playing a crucial role in maintaining cellular respiration, and promoting ATP-synthesis via the respiratory chain. Since altered mitochondrial function is a hallmark of infectious syndromes, we analyzed PDH activity in PLTs from septic patients demonstrating increased activity, paralleling NAP1L1 expression levels. MKs PDH activity decreased following an LPS-challenge. Furthermore, overexpression of NAP1L1 significantly altered the ability of MKs to form proplatelet extensions, diminishing thrombopoiesis. These results indicate that NAP1L1 performs in other than nucleosome-assembly functions in PTLs and MKs, binding a key mitochondrial protein as a potential chaperone, and gatekeeper, influencing PDH activity and thrombopoiesis.     

PYTHIA: Deep Learning Approach for Local Protein Conformation Prediction

Protein Blocks (PBs) are a widely used structural alphabet describing local protein backbone conformation in terms of 16 possible conformational states, adopted by five consecutive amino acids. The representation of complex protein 3D structures as 1D PB sequences was previously successfully applied to protein structure alignment and protein structure prediction. In the current study, we present a new model, PYTHIA (predicting any conformation at high accuracy), for the prediction of the protein local conformations in terms of PBs directly from the amino acid sequence. PYTHIA is based on a deep residual inception-inside-inception neural network with convolutional block attention modules, predicting 1 of 16 PB classes from evolutionary information combined to physicochemical properties of individual amino acids. PYTHIA clearly outperforms the LOCUSTRA reference method for all PB classes and demonstrates great performance for PB prediction on particularly challenging proteins from the CASP14 free modelling category.     

From Floral Induction to Blooming: The Molecular Mysteries of Flowering in Woody Plants

Flowering is a pivotal developmental process in response to the environment and determines the start of a new life cycle in plants. Woody plants usually possess a long juvenile nonflowering phase followed by an adult phase with repeated flowering cycles. The molecular mechanism underlying flowering regulation in woody plants is believed to be much more complex than that in annual herbs. In this review, we briefly describe the successive but distinct flowering processes in perennial trees, namely the vegetative phase change, the floral transition, floral organogenesis, and final blooming, and summarize in detail the most recent advances in understanding how woody plants regulate flowering through dynamic gene expression. Notably, the florigen gene FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT) and its antagonistic gene TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) seem to play a central role in various flowering transition events. Flower development in different taxa requires interactions between floral homeotic genes together with AGL6 conferring floral organ identity. Finally, we illustrate the issues and corresponding measures of flowering regulation investigation. It is of great benefit to the future study of flowering in perennial trees.     

Consideration of the Factors Influencing the Specific Rates of Solvolysis of p-Methoxyphenyl Chloroformate

A recent correlations analysis of the specific rates of solvolysis of p-methoxyphenyl chloroformate (1) in 31 solvents using the three-term Grunwald-Winstein equation led to a sensitivity (h) towards changes in the aromatic ring parameter (I) of 0.85 ± 0.15. This value, suggesting an appreciable contribution from the hI term, is in contrast to the h value of 0.35 ± 0.19 that was reported for the parent phenyl chloroformate (2). However, for 1, only two specific rate values were available for the important fluoroalcohol containing solvents. Values are now reported for 13 additional solvents, 12 of which have appreciable fluoroalcohol content. With all 44 solvents considered, it is found that the solvolytic behavior indicated for 1 now parallels very closely that previously reported for 2.     

Correlations of the Specific Rates of Solvolysis of Aromatic Carbamoyl Chlorides,Chloroformates, Chlorothionoformates,and Chlorodithioformates Revisited

Additional specific rates of solvolysis are determined for phenyl chloroformate. These values are combined with literature values to give a total of 49 data points, which are used within simple and extended Grunwald-Winstein treatments. Literature values are also brought together to allow treatments in more solvents than previously for three N-aryl-N-methylcarbamoyl chlorides, phenyl chlorothionoformate, phenyl chlorodithioformate, and N,N-diphenylcarbamoyl chloride. For the last two listed, moderately strong evidence for a meaningful inclusion of a term governed by the aromatic ring parameter (I) was indicated. No evidence was found requiring inclusion of this parameter for ionization reactions with only one aromatic ring on the nitrogen of carbamoyl chlorides or for the solvolyses of the chloroformate or chlorothionoformate proceeding by an addition-elimination (association-dissociation) mechanism.     

Immune Checkpoints Inhibitors and SRS/SBRT Synergy in Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Melanoma: A Systematic Review

Background: Several immunotherapy (IT) agents are FDA approved for treatment of melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The addition of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to immunotherapy looks promising. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the possible synergistic effects of immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICIs) and stereotactic radiation therapy in melanoma and NSCLC. Materials and methods: Pubmed databases from January 2010 to December 2020 were reviewed to identify English language studies reporting control of local and abscopal effect of the combination of ICI-SBRT/SRS in metastatic NSCLC and melanoma cancer. The inclusion criteria were followed according to PICO criteria. Results: Thirty-nine articles were included of the 2141 initial results. The reported rates for local control were 16.5–100% and 40–94% in brain and extracerebral metastases, respectively. Distant/abscopal response rates were 1–45% in extracerebral metastases. Abscopal effect could not be evaluated in brain metastases because it was not reported in studies. Treatments were well tolerated with few grade 4 toxicities and no grade 5. Conclusions: The combined treatment of ICI-SBRT/SRS achieves high local control and non-negligible abscopal response in patients with extracerebral metastases, with its benefit in cerebral metastases being more controversial. Clinical trials are needed to better characterize the potential synergism.     

Design,synthesis, and preliminary evaluation as antimicrobial activity of novel spiro-1, 3-thiazolidine C-acyclic nucleoside analogs

Synthesis of a new class of 1, 3-thiazolidine nucleoside analogs is described. Reaction of 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose hydrochloride 2 with carbon disulfide yielded 5-hydroxy-4-(D-arabino-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydroxybutyl)-thiazolidin-2-thione 3, which on acetylation yielded 5-acetoxy-4-(D-arabino-1, 2, 3, 4-tetraacetoxy-butyl)-thiazolidin-2-thione 4. The acetylated sugar 4 reacted with hydrazonoyl chlorides 1a–f, affording the 5-acetoxy-4-(D-arabino-1, 2, 3, 4-tetraacetoxybutyl)-spiro-1 Chen, H., Fan, Y-H., Natarajan, A., Guo, Y., Iyasere, J., Harbinski, F., Luus, L., Christ, W., Aktas, H. and Halperin, J. A. 2004. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 14: 5401–5405. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] 3 Nasr, M. N., Gineinah, M. M. and El-Bendary, E. R. 2003. Arch. Pharm., 336: 560–566. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]thiazolidine-2,2′ -1 Chen, H., Fan, Y-H., Natarajan, A., Guo, Y., Iyasere, J., Harbinski, F., Luus, L., Christ, W., Aktas, H. and Halperin, J. A. 2004. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 14: 5401–5405. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] 3 Nasr, M. N., Gineinah, M. M. and El-Bendary, E. R. 2003. Arch. Pharm., 336: 560–566. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar] 4 Belleau, B., Brasilli, L., Chan, L. and Zacheri, B. 1993. Cameron J. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 3: 1723–1928. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]thiadiazole derivatives 8a–f. The antibacterial activity of the novel 1, 3-thiazolidine-2,2′ -spiro- 1 Chen, H., Fan, Y-H., Natarajan, A., Guo, Y., Iyasere, J., Harbinski, F., Luus, L., Christ, W., Aktas, H. and Halperin, J. A. 2004. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 14: 5401–5405. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] 3 Nasr, M. N., Gineinah, M. M. and El-Bendary, E. R. 2003. Arch. Pharm., 336: 560–566. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar] 4 Belleau, B., Brasilli, L., Chan, L. and Zacheri, B. 1993. Cameron J. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 3: 1723–1928. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]thiadiazole nucleoside analogs is highlighted. All compounds with free NH group in the thiazolidine series 8a–f showed significant biological activity against all the standard strains.     

A Small Molecule That Promotes Cellular Senescence Prevents Fibrogenesis and Tumorigenesis

Uncontrolled proliferative diseases, such as fibrosis or cancer, can be fatal. We previously found that a compound containing the chromone scaffold (CS), {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008, had potent antifibrogenic effects associated with EMT or cell-cycle control resembling tumorigenesis. We investigated the effects of {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 on tumor cells and compared these effects with those in pathogenic myofibroblasts. Stimulation of A549 (lung carcinoma epithelial cells) or PANC1 (pancreatic ductal carcinoma cells) with {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 resulted in robust cellular senescence, indicating that dysregulated cell proliferation is common to fibrotic cells and tumor cells. The senescence was followed by multinucleation, a manifestation of mitotic slippage. There was significant upregulation of expression and rapid nuclear translocation of p-TP53 and p16 in the treated cancer cells, which thereafter died after 72 h confirmed by 6 day live imaging. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 exhibited a comparable senogenic potential to that of dasatinib. Interestingly, {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 was only able to activate caspase-3, 7 in comparison with quercetin and fisetin, also containing CS in PANC1. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 did not seem to be essentially toxic to normal human lung fibroblasts or primary prostate epithelial cells, suggesting {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 can distinguish the intracellular microenvironment between normal cells and aged or diseased cells. This effect might occur as a result of the increased NAD/NADH ratio, because {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 restored this important metabolic ratio in cancer cells. Taken together, this is the first study to demonstrate that a small molecule can arrest uncontrolled proliferation during fibrogenesis or tumorigenesis via both senogenic and senolytic potential. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ONG41008","term_id":"1139545353"}}ONG41008 could be a potential drug for a broad range of fibrotic or tumorigenic diseases.     

Development of Human Adrenocortical Adenoma (HAA1) Cell Line from Zona Reticularis

The human adrenal cortex is composed of distinct zones that are the main source of steroid hormone production. The mechanism of adrenocortical cell differentiation into several functionally organized populations with distinctive identities remains poorly understood. Human adrenal disease has been difficult to study, in part due to the absence of cultured cell lines that faithfully represent adrenal cell precursors in the early stages of transformation. Here, Human Adrenocortical Adenoma (HAA1) cell line derived from a patient’s macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia and was treated with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) and gene expression was examined. We describe a patient-derived HAA1 cell line derived from the zona reticularis, the innermost zone of the adrenal cortex. The HAA1 cell line is unique in its ability to exit a latent state and respond with steroidogenic gene expression upon treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors. The gene expression pattern of differentiated HAA1 cells partially recreates the roster of genes in the adrenal layer that they have been derived from. Gene ontology analysis of whole genome RNA-seq corroborated increased expression of steroidogenic genes upon HDAC inhibition. Surprisingly, HDACi treatment induced broad activation of the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha pathway. This novel cell line we developed will hopefully be instrumental in understanding the molecular and biochemical mechanisms controlling adrenocortical differentiation and steroidogenesis.     

A Multi-Perspective Proximity View on the Dynamic Head Region of the Ribosomal 40S Subunit

A comparison of overlapping proximity captures at the head region of the ribosomal 40S subunit (hr40S) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae from four adjacent perspectives, namely Asc1/RACK1, Rps2/uS5, Rps3/uS3, and Rps20/uS10, corroborates dynamic co-localization of proteins that control activity and fate of both ribosomes and mRNA. Co-locating factors that associate with the hr40S are involved in (i) (de)ubiquitination of ribosomal proteins (Hel2, Bre5-Ubp3), (ii) clamping of inactive ribosomal subunits (Stm1), (iii) mRNA surveillance and vesicular transport (Smy2, Syh1), (iv) degradation of mRNA (endo- and exonucleases Ypl199c and Xrn1, respectively), (v) autophagy (Psp2, Vps30, Ykt6), and (vi) kinase signaling (Ste20). Additionally, they must be harmonized with translation initiation factors (eIF3, cap-binding protein Cdc33, eIF2A) and mRNA-binding/ribosome-charging proteins (Scp160, Sro9). The Rps/uS-BioID perspectives revealed substantial Asc1/RACK1-dependent hr40S configuration indicating a function of the β-propeller in context-specific spatial organization of this microenvironment. Toward resolving context-specific constellations, a Split-TurboID analysis emphasized the ubiquitin-associated factors Def1 and Lsm12 as neighbors of Bre5 at hr40S. These shuttling proteins indicate a common regulatory axis for the fate of polymerizing machineries for the biosynthesis of proteins in the cytoplasm and RNA/DNA in the nucleus.     

The synthesis of 1,2,5-benzothiadiazepine 1,1-dioxides from 1,2-thiazine 1-oxides

This paper presents a new approach to the synthesis of 1,2,5-benzothiadiazepine 1,1-dioxides, sulfonamide analogues of the ‘privileged’ 1,4-benzodiazepine pharmacophore. The key steps during this synthesis are the hetero Diels-Alder reaction of an N-sulfinylamine dienophile with a diene to give a 1,2-thiazine 1-oxide which is then converted into a N-(o-azidobenzenesulfonyl)-1,2-amino alcohol via a 2 Sharp., J. T. 1999. Second Supplements to the 2nd Edition of Rodd’s Chemistry of Carbon Compounds, Edited by: Sainsbury, M. 217–227. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.  [Google Scholar] 3 Walser, A. and Fryer, R. I. 1991. Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds, Edited by: Taylor, E. C. and Weissberger, A. 431–946. Chichester, , UK: Wiley.  [Google Scholar]-sigmatropic rearrangement involving an intermediate allylic sulfoxide and sulfenate ester. Staudinger reaction of the o-azido group and hydrolysis of the intermediate iminophosphorane gave the corresponding N-(o-aminobenzenesulfonyl)-1,2-amino alcohols. Fmoc protection at nitrogen, oxidation of the alcohol, and Fmoc deprotection furnished directly the 1,2,5-benzothiadiazepine 1,1-dioxides in 57–69% yield. An alternative method which uses triazene chemistry is also presented, but was consistently lower yielding. A second route to 1,2,5-benzothiadiazepine 1,1-dioxides using 2-nitrobenzenesulfonamide as the dienophile precursor proceeded without incident to give N-(o-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-1,2-amino ketones which underwent reductive cyclisation to furnish the target heterocycle.     

Identification of a Putative CodY Regulon in the Gram-Negative Phylum Synergistetes

CodY is a dominant regulator in low G + C, Gram-positive Firmicutes that governs the regulation of various metabolic pathways and cellular processes. By using various bioinformatics analyses and DNA affinity precipitation assay (DAPA), this study confirmed the presence of CodY orthologues and corresponding regulons in Gram-negative Synergistetes. A novel palindromic sequence consisting of AT-rich arms separated by a spacer region of variable length and sequence was identified in the promoters of the putative codY-containing operons in Synergistetes. The consensus sequence from genera Synergistes and Cloacibacillus (5′-AATTTTCTTAAAATTTCSCTTGATATTTACAATTTT) contained three AT-rich regions, resulting in two palindromic sequences; one of which is identical to Firmicutes CodY box (5′-AATTTTCWGAAAATT). The function of the consensus sequence was tested by using a recombinant CodY protein (His-CodY_DSM) of Cloacibacillus evryensis DSM19522 in DAPA. Mutations in the central AT-rich sequence reduced significantly the binding of His-CodY_DSM, whereas mutations in the 5′ or 3′ end AT-rich sequence slightly reduced the binding, indicating that CodY_DSM could recognize both palindromic sequences. The proposed binding sequences were found in the promoters of multiple genes involved in amino acids biosynthesis, metabolism, regulation, and stress responses in Synergistetes. Thus, a CodY-like protein from Synergistetes may function similarly to Firmicutes CodY.     

DNA ADDUCTS OF BENZO[A]PYRENE- AND DIBENZO[A,L]PYRENE-DIOL EPOXIDES IN HUMAN LUNG EPITHELIAL CELLS: KINETICS OF ADDUCT REMOVAL,EFFECTS ON CELL CYCLE CHECKPOINTS,AND GENE EXPRESSION

The fjord-region PAH dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) is considerably more carcinogenic than the bay-region benzo[a]pyrene (BP). This fact can be ascribed to differences in DNA binding efficiency of their ultimate carcinogenic diol epoxide (DEs) intermediates, differences in structural features of the DNA adducts, and differences in DNA adduct recognition and the subsequent lesion removal by nucleotide excision repair (NER). In order to further substantiate previous findings in cell-free human systems (1 Buterin, T., Hess, M. T., Luneva, N., Geacintov, N. E., Amin, S., Kroth, H., Seidel, A. and Naegeli, H. 2000. Unrepaired Fjord Region Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-DNA Adducts in Ras Codon 61 Mutational Hot Spots. Cancer Research, 60: 1849–1856.  [Google Scholar]), cultured cells (2 Luch, A., Kudla, K., Seidel, A., Doehmer, J., Greim, H. and Baird, W. M. 1999. The Level of DNA Modification by (+)-syn-(11S,12R,13S,14R)- and (?)-anti-(11R,12S,13S, 14R)-Dihydrodiol Epoxides of Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene Determined the Effect on the Proteins p53 and p21WAF1 in the Human Mammary Carcinoma Cell Line MCF-7. Carcinogenesis, 20: 859–865.  [Google Scholar]), and in rodents (3 Jankowiak, R., Ariese, F., Hewer, A., Luch, A., Zamzow, D., Hughes, N. C., Phillips, D., Seidel, A., Platt, K. L., Oesch, F. and Small, G. J. 1998. Structure, Conformations, and Repair of DNA Adducts from Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene: 32P-Postlabeling and Fluorescence Studies. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 11: 674–685.  [Google Scholar]) we have studied DNA adduct formation of anti-DE of DBP [(±)-anti-DBPDE], in A549 human epithelial lung carcinoma cells and monitored the levels of adducts as a function of time. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure that allows monitoring of all cis- and trans-nucleoside adducts of dA and dG was used. Circular dichroism and UV-spectroscopy have been employed to gain information on adduct structural features. Incubation of cells with 0.1 μM (±)-anti-DBPDE resulted in rapid formation of adducts, followed by a decline. After 6 h of incubation about 20% of the adducts remained. Repeating the experiment with 0.01 μM (±)-anti-DBPDE resulted in a correspondingly lower adduct level initially, but in this case a larger proportion (35%) of the adducts remained after 6 h of incubation. Notably, at this time point, similar amounts of adducts are observed with both (±)-anti-DBPDE concentrations studied. Independent of diol epoxide concentration and incubation time, the dA/dG adducts were constant in number (～2.8). However, within the different adduct categories, the adduct distribution seemed to be time dependent. Although the data are preliminary, a selection with regard to adduct removal seems to have taken place. In comparative experiments with (+)-anti-BPDE, no significant difference in rates of adduct removal was evident. Preliminary results from global gene expression analysis, with focus on genes involved in DNA maintenance and cell cycle checkpoints, demonstrate interesting differences in the stress response elicited in the cells following exposure to the distorted and flexible nonplanar DBPDE or the rigid and planar BPDE molecule. As expected some major common induction events were clearly related to the activation of p53-dependent cell cycle checkpoint. However, distinct clusters of gene expression alterations were detected which mark one or other treatment specifically, indicating a high degree of subtlety in the stress response to closely related DNA adduct forming species.     

Pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,7-dithiol in heterocyclic synthesis: Synthesis and characterization of several new fused pyridopyrimidine heterocycles

Pyridine-2(1H)-thione 1 reacted with phenyl isothiocyanate to give pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative 3. Compound 3 reacted with halogen containing compounds 4a–d and methyl iodide in dimethylformamide/potassium hydroxide solution at room temperature to give 2,7-bisalkylthiopyrido[2,3-b]pyrimidine derivatives 5a–d and 9, respectively. Compounds 5a–d could be cyclized into thienopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives 6a–d by boiling with ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution. Compound 6a reacted with acetic anhydride or formic acid and gave the corresponding pyrimido[4″,5″:4′,5′]thieno[3′,2′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives 8a,b. Compound 9 reacted with hydrazine hydrate to yield pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivative 11 which could be reacted with nitrous acid and dimethylformamide-dimethylacetal (DMF-DMA) and gave the final isolable products corresponding to the pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]tetrazolo-[5,1-b]pyrimidine and pyrimido[1″,2″:1′,5′]pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]1 Abbas, A. A., Elneairy, M. A.A. and Mabkhot, Y. N. 2001. J. Chem. Res.(S), 4: 124[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] 2 Riad, B. Y., Negem, A. M., Abdou, S. E. and Daboun, H. A. 1987. Heterocycles, 26: 205[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] 4 Gad-Elkareem, M. A.M. and Abedelhamid, A. O. 2004. Afinidad, 61(513): 427[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]triazolo-[4,3-b] pyrimidine derivatives 13 and 17, respectively. Compound 11 also reacted with some β-dicarbonyl compounds such as acetylacetone (18) and ethyl acetoacetate (20) to yield the corresponding pyrimido[1″,2″:1′,5′]pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives 19 and 21, respectively. Finally, compound 11 reacted with chloroacetyl chloride (22) to give the corresponding imidazo[1″′,2″′:1″,5″]pyrazolo[4″,3″:5′,6′]pyrido[3′,2′:5,6]pyrimido[2,1-c]1 Abbas, A. A., Elneairy, M. A.A. and Mabkhot, Y. N. 2001. J. Chem. Res.(S), 4: 124[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] 2 Riad, B. Y., Negem, A. M., Abdou, S. E. and Daboun, H. A. 1987. Heterocycles, 26: 205[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] 4 Gad-Elkareem, M. A.M. and Abedelhamid, A. O. 2004. Afinidad, 61(513): 427[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]triazine derivative 23.     

Mitochondria Related Pathway Is Essential for Polysaccharides Purified from Sparassis crispa Mediated Neuro-Protection against Glutamate-Induced Toxicity in Differentiated PC12 Cells

The present study aims to explore the neuro-protective effects of purified Sparassis crispa polysaccharides against l-glutamic acid (l-Glu)-induced differentiated PC12 (DPC12) cell damages and its underlying mechanisms. The Sparassis crispa water extract was purified by a DEAE-52 cellulose anion exchange column and a Sepharose G-100 column. A fraction with a molecular weight of 75 kDa and a diameter of 88.9 nm, entitled SCWEA, was obtained. SCWEA was identified with a triple helix with (1→3)-linked Rha in the backbone, and (1→2) linkages and (1→6) linkages in the side bone. Our results indicated that the pre-treatment of DPC12 cells with SCWEA prior to l-Glu exposure effectively reversed the reduction on cell viability (by 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay) and reduced l-Glu-induced apoptosis (by Hoechst staining). SCWEA decreased the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, blocked Ca²⁺ influx and prevented depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential in DPC12 cells. Furthermore, SCWEA normalized expression of anti-apoptotic proteins in l-Glu-explored DPC12 cells. These results suggested that SCWEA protects against l-Glu-induced neuronal apoptosis in DPC12 cells and may be a promising candidate for treatment against neurodegenerative disease.     

A simulation model for settling tanks with varying cross-sectional area

A quasi-one-dimensional model of the process of continuous sedimentation in clarifier-thickeners (settlers) with variable cross-sectional area is presented. The partial differential equation (PDE) model extends the settler model advanced by Bürger et al. (2013 Bürger, R., Diehl, S., Farås, S., Nopens, I., and Torfs, E. (2013). A consistent modelling methodology for secondary settling tanks: A reliable numerical method, Water Sci. Technol. 68(1), 192–208.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), which assumes a constant cross section. A reliable numerical method that handles the special features of the nonlinear PDE is presented along with an advantageous time-step condition for continuous and batch sedimentation under the condition of a variable cross-sectional area. Simulations of continuous sedimentation show the effect of change of cross-sectional area in the concentration inside the vessel and in the underflow. Simulations of batch settling in cones illustrate the versatility of the numerical scheme to include a vertex, where the area shrinks to zero.     

Effect of Curing Pressure on the Strength of Adhesively Bonded Joints

It is important to be able to predict the mechanical response of adhesively bonded joints. To succeed in this, the accurate simulation of the behavior of adhesively bonded joints is an essential requirement because of the strain rate, temperature, and hydrostatic sensitivity of adhesive properties, which should be taken into consideration when developing a material model [1-11 Dean , G. D. and Crocker , L. E. , Comparison of the Measured and Predicted Deformation of an Adhesively Bonded Lap-Joint Specimen, NPL CMMT(A) 293 ( National Physical Laboratory , Teddington , UK , 2000 ). Read , B. E. , Dean , G. D. , and Ferriss , D. H. , An Elastic–Plastic Model for the Non-linear Mechanical Behaviour of Rubber-Toughened Adhesives, NPL CMMT(A) 289 ( National Physical Laboratory , Teddington , UK , 2000 ). Broughton , W. R. , Crocker , L. E. , and Urquhart , J. M. , Strength of Adhesive Joints: A Parametric Study , NPL MATC(A) 27 ( National Physical Laboratory , Teddington , UK , 2000 ). Dean , G. D. , Crocker , L. E. , Read , B. , and Wright , L. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 24 , 295 – 306 ( 2004 ). Adams , R. D. , Coppendale , J. , Mallick , V. , and Al-Hamdan , H. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 12 ( 3 ), 185 – 190 ( 1992 ). Wang , C. H. and Chalkley , P. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 20 ( 2 ), 155 – 164 ( 2000 ). Adams , R. D. , The Mechanics of Bonded Joints Structural Adhesives in Engineering ( ImechE Conference Publications , Suffolk , UK 1986 ). Harris , J. A. and Adams , R. D. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 4 ( 2 ), 65 – 78 ( 1984 ). Crocombe , A. D. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 15 ( 1 ), 21 – 27 ( 1995 ). Zgoul , M. and Crocombe , A. D. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 24 ( 4 ), 355 – 366 ( 2004 ). Adams , R. D. and Harris , J. A. , Int. J. Adhes. Adhes. 7 ( 2 ), 69 – 80 ( 1987 ). ]. On the other hand, the load capabilities of adhesively bonded joints are affected by both applied pressure and temperature during cure. For this reason, in this study, the tensile load capabilities of single lap joints (SLJs) bonded with a flexible adhesive that possesses pressure-sensitive properties were experimentally investigated with respect to the applied pressure during the curing operation, and the experimental results were compared with finite element analysis (FEA) results. Finally, in addition to other parameters, such as the dependence on strain rate and the lack of yield criteria of adhesives, it was seen that the residual thermal stresses that occurred as a result of the applied pressure during the curing process at elevated temperature need to be taken into consideration to accurately simulate the mechanical behavior of adhesively bonded joints.