SAXS study on the crystallization of PET under physical confinement in PET/PC multilayered films

The present work is concerned with the study of the development of the crystalline structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in multilayered films of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate (PET/PC) prepared by means of layer multiplying coextrusion. Small angle X-ray scattering patterns were recorded during isothermal crystallization experiments and evaluated by means of Ruland's interface distribution function. Thus, structural parameters describing the thickness distribution of crystalline and amorphous layers were determinated. It is shown that the crystallization of PET is delayed with increasing confinement. However when the crystallization process comes to an end, the values of the nanostructural parameters of the lamellar system are nearly the same for the confined and non-confined PET.     

Bioleaching of metal from waste stream using a native strain of Acidithiobacillus isolated from a coal mine drainage

In this study, the feasibility of using a biohydrometallurgical technique for selective metals recovery from electronic waste (e‐waste) by bacterial bioleaching was investigated. Acidithiobacillus was identified in coal mining acid mine drainage (AMD). The microorganism was studied using specific sequencing of a 16s rDNA fragment. The potential for the dissolution of copper from waste printed wire boards (PWBs) using the isolated Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferroxidans) was evaluated. The bioleaching experiments were performed in an orbital shaker at 30 °C and 170 rpm, with 10 % (v/v) inoculum and a pulp density of 30 g/L. The copper concentration was determined by energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (XRF). The result shows that copper recovery from PWBs using our A. ferrooxidans strain was 95 % after 8 days, which showed the feasibility of this process.     

Oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders (SERDs) as a Novel Breast Cancer Therapy: Present and Future from a Clinical Perspective

Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) is the most common subtype of breast cancer. Endocrine therapy is the fundamental treatment against this entity, by directly or indirectly modifying estrogen production. Recent advances in novel compounds, such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i), or phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors have improved progression-free survival and overall survival in these patients. However, some patients still develop endocrine resistance after or during endocrine treatment. Different underlying mechanisms have been identified as responsible for endocrine treatment resistance, where ESR1 gene mutations are one of the most studied, outstanding from others such as somatic alterations, microenvironment involvement and epigenetic changes. In this scenario, selective estrogen receptor degraders/downregulators (SERD) are one of the weapons currently in research and development against aromatase inhibitor- or tamoxifen-resistance. The first SERD to be developed and approved for ER+ breast cancer was fulvestrant, demonstrating also interesting activity in ESR1 mutated patients in the second line treatment setting. Recent investigational advances have allowed the development of new oral bioavailable SERDs. This review describes the evolution and ongoing studies in SERDs and new molecules against ER, with the hope that these novel drugs may improve our patients’ future landscape.     

Syrah grape skin valorisation using ultrasound-assisted extraction: Phenolic compounds recovery,antioxidant capacity and phenolic profile

The influence of ultrasound power (1000–3000 W/L), citric acid concentration (0–3%) and solid:liquid ratio (1:5–1:15) on the phenolic compounds recovery and antioxidant capacity of Syrah grape skin extracts were evaluated. Total phenolic compounds varied from 6485 to 11732 mg gallic acid/100 g and monomeric anthocyanin content from 453 to 685 mg malvidin-3-glucoside/100 g. The antioxidant capacity measured by ORAC and ABTS methods ranged from 230 to 516 μmol Trolox/g and from 442 to 939 μmol Trolox/g, respectively. The most suitable conditions chosen for extraction, within the studied ranges, were 3000 W/L of power, 2.5% citric acid and solid:liquid ratio of 1:15. The extraction yield was satisfactory, with a recovery of 59% of the quantified phenolic compounds, with only 3 min of processing. Ultrasound was considered a suitable method as compared to the conventional extraction, improving the extraction of phenolic acids and facilitating their release.     

Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Ameliorates Phenotype and Cognitive Abilities in a Murine Model of Niemann Pick Type C Disease

Niemann–Pick type C (NPC) disease is a rare autosomal recessive inherited childhood neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids, involving the autophagy-lysosome system. Inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), an enzyme that metabolizes epoxy fatty acids (EpFAs) to 12-diols, exerts beneficial effects in modulating inflammation and autophagy, critical features of the NPC disease. This study aims to evaluate the effects of UB-EV-52, an sEH inhibitor (sEHi), in an NPC mouse model (Npc) by administering it for 4 weeks (5 mg/kg/day). Behavioral and cognitive tests (open-field test (OF)), elevated plus maze (EPM), novel object recognition test (NORT) and object location test (OLT) demonstrated that the treatment produced an improvement in short- and long-term memory as well as in spatial memory. Furthermore, UB-EV-52 treatment increased body weight and lifespan by 25% and reduced gene expression of the inflammatory markers (i.e., Il-1β and Mcp1) and enhanced oxidative stress (OS) markers (iNOS and Hmox1) in the treated Npc mice group. As for autophagic markers, surprisingly, we found significantly reduced levels of LC3B-II/LC3B-I ratio and significantly reduced brain protein levels of lysosomal-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) in treated Npc mice group compared to untreated ones in hippocampal tissue. Lipid profile analysis showed a significant reduction of lipid storage in the liver and some slight changes in homogenated brain tissue in the treated NPC mice compared to the untreated groups. Therefore, our results suggest that pharmacological inhibition of sEH ameliorates most of the characteristic features of NPC mice, demonstrating that sEH can be considered a potential therapeutic target for this disease.     

Spontaneous Cell Detachment and Reattachment in Cancer Cell Lines: An In Vitro Model of Metastasis and Malignancy

There is an unmet need for simplified in vitro models of malignancy and metastasis that facilitate fast, affordable and scalable gene and compound analysis. “Adherent” cancer cell lines frequently release “free-floating” cells into suspension that are viable and can reattach. This, in a simplistic way, mimics the metastatic process. We compared the gene expression profiles of naturally co-existing populations of floating and adherent cells in SW620 (colon), C33a (cervix) and HeLa (cervix) cancer cells. We found that 1227, 1367 and 1333 genes were at least 2-fold differentially expressed in the respective cell lines, of which 122 were shared among the three cell lines. As proof of principle, we focused on the anti-metastatic gene NM23-H1, which was downregulated both at the RNA and protein level in the floating cell populations of all three cell lines. Knockdown of NM23-H1 significantly increased the number of floating (and viable) cells, whereas overexpression of NM23-H1 significantly reduced the proportion of floating cells. Other potential regulators of these cellular states were identified through pathway analysis, including hypoxia, mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), cell adhesion and cell polarity signal transduction pathways. Hypoxia, a condition linked to malignancy and metastasis, reduced NM23-H1 expression and significantly increased the number of free-floating cells. Inhibition of mTOR or Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) significantly increased cell death specifically in the floating and not the adherent cell population. In conclusion, our study suggests that dynamic subpopulations of free-floating and adherent cells is a useful model to screen and identify genes, drugs and pathways that regulate the process of cancer metastasis, such as cell detachment and anoikis.     

2015年世博会卡里塔斯展馆及埃内尔展馆 意大利米兰

正Piuarch建筑师事务所负责设计了2015年米兰世博会埃内尔(意大利国家电力公司)展馆及卡里塔斯展馆。为了将客户想表达的含义与价值观更好地传达给观众,Piuarch选择了一种特殊的建筑语言来体现两个展馆的特点。埃内尔展馆沿东西大街而建,占地900平方米。设计体现出智能电网这一概念,传达出以智能科技优化世博会整体用电的理念。     

Alpha Synuclein only Forms Fibrils In Vitro when Larger than its Critical Size of 70 Monomers

The aggregation of α-synuclein into small soluble aggregates and then fibrils is important in the development and spreading of aggregates through the brain in Parkinson's disease. Fibrillar aggregates can grow by monomer addition and then break into fragments that could spread into neighboring cells. The rate constants for fibril elongation and fragmentation have been measured but it is not known how large an aggregate needs to be before fibril formation is thermodynamically favorable. This critical size is an important parameter controlling at what stage in an aggregation reaction fibrils can form and replicate. We determined this value to be approximately 70 monomers using super-resolution and atomic force microscopy imaging of individual α-synuclein aggregates formed in solution over long time periods. This represents the minimum size for a stable α-synuclein fibril and we hypothesis the formation of aggregates of this size in a cell represents a tipping point at which rapid replication occurs.     

Effect of biodegradable film (lyophilised alga Fucus spiralis and sorbic acid) on quality properties of refrigerated megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis)

The effect of replacing the on‐board currently employed polyethylene film by a novel type of environmentally friendly packaging was studied. For it, a polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradable film including lyophilised alga Fucus spiralis and sorbic acid was applied during megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) refrigeration and its effect on fish quality loss was evaluated. Thus, sensory assessment showed that samples wrapped up with PLA film including 8% alga and 1% sorbic acid were still acceptable on day 11, while control fish specimens (kept under polyethylene film) were rejected at that time. Under such biodegradable film condition, a preservative effect was also implied according to chemical indices assessment related to microbial activity (trimethylamine–N) and lipid oxidation development (peroxide and fluorescent compounds formation); additionally, lower mean numbers for different microbiological groups (aerobes, Enterobacteriaceae and psychrotrophs) were detected. This result provides a promising replacement strategy to enhance refrigerated fish quality and reduce the waste material content.