Myo-InositolTrisPyroPhosphate treatment leads to HIF-1α suppression and eradication of early hepatoma tumors in rats

Myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP), a synthetic allosteric effector of hemoglobin, increases the regulated oxygen-releasing capacity of red blood cells (RBCs), leading to suppression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and to down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). As a consequence, tumor growth is markedly affected. The effect of weekly intravenous injection of ITPP on an orthotopic, syngenic rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model was compared to that for untreated animals and animals subjected to conventional Doxorubicin chemotherapy. The longitudinal examination of HCC was performed by microCT imaging, and the cellular and molecular changes were evaluated by histology and Western blotting analysis of HIF-1α, VEGF, and caspase-3 gene expression in the tumor and in the surrounding liver. Hematologic impact was evaluated by blood cell-count measurement and determination of P50 (oxygen partial pressure for a 50 % oxygen saturation of hemoglobin). The HCC evaluation by microCT revealed a high potency of ITPP for tumor growth inhibition, thus allowing long-term survival and even cure of almost all the treated animals. The P50 value of hemoglobin in RBCs underwent a shift of 30 % following ITPP injection. Under these conditions, HIF-1α activity was strongly decreased, VEGF expression was down-regulated, and apoptosis was induced in HCC and surrounding liver cells, as indicated by Caspase-3 expression. ITPP did not affect hematologic parameters during treatment. The observations of in vivo tumor eradication suggest a significant clinical potential for ITPP in cancer therapy.     

Electrical conductivity and mechanical strength of composites consisting of phenolic resin,carbon fibers,and metal particles

Composites of phenolic resin of novolac type as matrix, with metal particles of Zn as conducting filler, without or with 15% v/v carbon fibers were manufactured by hot pressing. The porosity ratio, the hardness, the flexural and shear strength, and the electrical conductivity of the composites were determined. The percolation threshold was determined based on two models of electrical conductivity versus the content of metal particles of Zn, namely, an analogous to polymer gelation model and the other based on the power law. The composites of carbon fibers combined with Zn particles have higher electrical conductivity than the corresponding without carbon fibers and high strength, lower than that of the composite reinforced with carbon fibers without Zn particles, but still acceptable. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

高科技纤维在摩擦制动材料中的应用

本文介绍了一些高科技纤维在聚俣物基摩擦材料中的使用情况，指出在摩擦材料中使用高科技纤维已成为摩擦材料的一个发展趋势，但需要大大提高高科技纤维的性价比和使用纤维混杂技术。     

Recent advances in solid‐state organic lasers

Organic solid‐state lasers are reviewed, with a special emphasis on works published during the last decade. Referring originally to dyes in solid‐state polymeric matrices, organic lasers also include the rich family of organic semiconductors, paced by the rapid development of organic light‐emitting diodes. Organic lasers are broadly tunable coherent sources, potentially compact, convenient and manufactured at low cost. In this review, we describe the basic photophysics of the materials used as gain media in organic lasers with a specific look at the distinctive features of dyes and semiconductors. We also outline the laser architectures used in state‐of‐the‐art organic lasers and the performances of these devices with regard to output power, lifetime and beam quality. A survey of the recent trends in the field is given, highlighting the latest developments in terms of wavelength coverage, wavelength agility, efficiency and compactness, and towards integrated low‐cost sources, with a special focus on the great challenges remaining for achieving direct electrical pumping. Finally, we discuss the very recent demonstration of new kinds of organic lasers based on polaritons or surface plasmons, which open new and very promising routes in the field of organic nanophotonics. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and aqueous solution properties of aliphatic double chain end-capped poly(ethylene glycol)

Summary A PEG-based amphiphilic polymer bearing two aliphatic double chain moieties was prepared. Its diluted aqueous solution properties were studied by viscometry, dye solubilization and rheology. At concentrations lower than (6–8)×10⁻³ g/mL ring-shaped macromolecules were formed due to intrachain hydrophobic interactions. At concentrations about (6–8)×10⁻³ g/mL a formation of "flower" type aggregates took place. 1,6-Diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene solubilization was used to prove the existence of hydrophobic domains and a critical aggregation concentration of 7×10⁻³ g/mL was determined. The peculiar viscosity profile and the rheopectic behavior of the amphiphilic polymer were attributed to the existence of aggregates and to a temporary network formation during deformation, respectively. Received: 13 February 2001/Revised version: 15 June 2001/Accepted: 15 June 2001     

Improving hydrophobicity of polyurethane by PTFE incorporation

A simple and facile method was established of incorporating polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on to polyurethane (PU) to improve hydrophobicity of PU by incorporating low levels of fluorine at a molecular level. Nanocomposites were made by preparing PU in the presence of PTFE using seeded miniemulsion polymerization method. The resulting PTFE/PU nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetric, and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). FTIR and TEM indicated changes observed in their structure, size and morphology. The water contact angle of PTFE/PU nanocomposite films increased with increasing amount of PTFE and more on blending with silica nanoparticles but a slight decrease in thermal stabilities of SiO₂/PTFE/PU nanocomposites were noticed. The hydrophobicity imparted by PTFE to PU surface was found to be at its best for 1 : 2 PTFE/PU latex film. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42779.     

Cytotoxic Activity and Structure–Activity Relationship of Triazole‐Containing Bis(Aryl Ether) Macrocycles

Cancer continues to be a worldwide health problem. Certain macrocyclic molecules have become attractive therapeutic alternatives for this disease because of their efficacy and, frequently, their novel mechanisms of action. Herein, we report the synthesis of a series of 20‐, 21‐, and 22‐membered macrocycles containing triazole and bis(aryl ether) moieties. The compounds were prepared by a multicomponent approach from readily available commercial substrates. Notably, some of the compounds displayed interesting cytotoxicity against cancer (PC‐3) and breast (MCF‐7) cell lines, especially those bearing an aliphatic or a trifluoromethyl substituent on the N‐phenyl moiety (IC₅₀<13 μm ). Additionally, some of the compounds were able to induce apoptosis relative to the solvent control; in particular, (Z)‐N‐cyclohexyl‐7‐oxo‐6‐[4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐1¹H‐3,10‐dioxa‐6‐aza‐1(4,1)‐triazola‐4(1,3),9(1,4)‐dibenzenacyclotridecaphane‐5‐carboxamide ( 12 f ) was the most potent in this regard (22.7 % of apoptosis).     

Transport phenomena in the electrodeionization of cesium from AMP-PAN

Electrodeionization (EDI) of cesium from cesium-sorbed ammonium molybdophosphate-polyacrylonitrile (AMP-PAN) was investigated by passing eluant through the packed bed of ion-exchange resin in an electrodialysis cell. The deionized cesium from the packed bed was recovered in catholyte by migration and in the eluant by convection. Recovery percentage of Cs by migration increased while the recovery by convection decreased with increase in current density from 20 to 40 mA/cm². Increased eluant concentration resulted in low migration percentage of cesium. Increased catholyte concentration had a negligible effect on total recovery. Apparent diffusion coefficients evaluated using the Nernst–Plank relation increased with increase in current density and catholyte concentration while a decreasing trend was observed with increase in eluant concentration.     

Morphological control of porous membranes based on aromatic polyether/water soluble polymers

This work describes the development of porous membranes based on blends of an aromatic polyether bearing main and side chain pyridine units (AP) with hydrophilic ionic polymers, like poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) (PSSNa) and its acid form (PSSH), or non‐ionic like polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethylene glycol. Porous membranes were obtained after the removal of the water soluble polymers from the respective blend. The effect of various parameters such as water soluble polymer used (pore former), blend composition, casting solvent, and solvent evaporation level on porous structure formation was studied thoroughly. Specifically, SEM examination for the aforementioned systems indicated various porous morphologies depending on experimental conditions as well as thermodynamic and kinetic parameters occurring during their formation. The thermal properties of the membranes were influenced by the kind of the pore former, as revealed by thermogravimetric analysis. Special attention was paid to the systems AP/PSSNa and AP/PSSH to evaluate their miscibility via dynamic mechanical analysis and ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy. AP/PSSNa membranes have been preliminary used to test the water permeability for water purification. The tests revealed high water flux values at increased PSSNa concentrations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44539.     

Structure and conductivity of carbon materials produced from coal pitch with carbon additives

Attention focuses on the structure and electrical conductivity of carbon materials obtained by the carbonization of coal pitch in the presence of additives (nanotubes, graphite foam, and graphite), at temperatures up to 900°C. In some cases, ultrasonic mixing is used on introducing the additives to the pitch. Ultrasonic mixing is found to change the properties of the pitch and affect the properties of the carbon material produced. In particular, the proportion of carbon with an ordered structure is increased; the electrical conductivity at temperatures below 40 K is increased; and the energy barrier E _g between individual crystallites is reduced almost fourfold. At higher temperatures, the electrical conductivity is practically unchanged. Adding nanotubes to the pitch reduces the content of ordered carbon structures in the carbon material produced and lowers its electrical conductivity. Adding graphite foam and graphite to the pitch increases the order and electrical conductivity of the carbon material produced and lowers the energy barrier E _g between individual crystallites in the samples. The electrical conductivity of all the carbon materials below 16 K is described by the characteristic formula for fluctuation-induced tunneling conduction. This indicates that contacts between individual crystallites are mainly responsible for the electrical conductivity.