Gene network and canonical pathway analysis in prostate cancer: a microarray study

The molecular mechanism playing a role in the development of prostate cancer (PCA) is not well defined. We decided to determine the changes in gene expression in PCA tissues and to compare them to those in non-cancerous samples. Prostate tissue samples were collected by needle biopsy from 21 PCA and 10 benign prostate hyperplasic (BPH) patients. Total RNA was isolated, cDNA was synthesized, and gene expression levels were determined by microarray method. In the progression to PCA, 738 up-regulated and 515 down-regulated genes were detected in samples. Analysis using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software revealed that 466 network and 423 functions-pathways eligible genes were up-regulated, and 363 network and 342 functions-pathways eligible genes were down-regulated. Up-regulated networks were identified around IL-1beta and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) genes. The NFKB gene was centered around two up- and down-regulated networks. Up-regulated canonical pathways were assigned and four of them were evaluated in detail: acute phase response, hepatic fibrosis, actin cytoskeleton, and coagulation pathways. Axonal guidance signaling was the most significant down-regulated canonical pathway. Our data provide not only networks between the genes for understanding the biologic properties of PCA but also useful pathway maps for future understanding of disease and the construction of new therapeutic targets.     

Carbon nanotube detectors for microchip CE: comparative study of single-wall and multiwall carbon nanotube, and graphite powder films on glassy carbon, gold, and platinum electrode surfaces

The performance of microchip electrophoresis/electrochemistry system with carbon nanotube (CNT) film electrodes was studied. Electrocatalytic activities of different carbon materials (single-wall CNT (SWCNT), multiwall CNT (MWCNT), carbon powder) cast on different electrode substrates (glassy carbon (GC), gold, and platinum) were compared in a microfluidic setup and their performance as microchip electrochemical detectors was assessed. An MWCNT film on a GC electrode shows electrocatalytic effect toward oxidation of dopamine (E(1/2) shift of 0.09 V) and catechol (E(1/2) shift of 0.19 V) when compared to a bare GC electrode, while other CNT/carbon powder films on the GC electrode display negligible effects. Modification of a gold electrode by graphite powder results in a strong electrocatalytic effect toward oxidation of dopamine and catechol (E(1/2) shift of 0.14 and 0.11 V, respectively). A significant shift of the half-wave potentials to lower values also provide the MWCNT film (E(1/2) shift of 0.08 and 0.08 V for dopamine and catechol, respectively) and the SWCNT film (E(1/2) shift of 0.10 V for catechol) when compared to a bare gold electrode. A microfluidic device with a CNT film-modified detection electrode displays greatly improved separation resolution (R(s)) by a factor of two compared to a bare electrode, reflecting the electrocatalytic activity of CNT.     

Clinical chemistry without reagents? An infrared spectroscopic technique for determination of clinically relevant constituents of body fluids

A spectroscopic method based on attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy has been developed for reagent-free analysis of blood and urine constituents in the clinical laboratory and for point-of-care-applications. Blood plasma, whole blood, and urine were analyzed without any sample preparation, such as drying, concentration, or enrichment. Sample volumes as small as 5 μL (a single drop of blood) can be used. Mathematical models, including partial least-squares regression, were used to construct a prediction model which can calculate the concentration of albumin, cholesterol, glucose, total protein, urea, and triglycerides in whole blood or blood plasma samples and the concentration of urea, uric acid, phosphate and creatinine in urine samples. The absolute precision and reproducibility of the prediction reached is sufficient for routine clinical analysis and is only limited by the precision of the reference analysis used for calibration. This was achieved by use of a large number of calibration samples (approx. 400 for blood samples and approx. 100 for urine samples) carefully selected for physiological and pathological range and for specific disease profiles.     

Combination of analytical and microbiological techniques to study the antimicrobial activity of a new active food packaging containing cinnamon or oregano against E. coli and S. aureus

The aim of this work is the optimization and application of a group of analytical and microbiological techniques in the study of the activity of essential oils (EOs) incorporated in a new antimicrobial packaging material and the research in depth of the interaction between the microbial cells and the individual compounds present in the active material. For this purpose the antimicrobial activity of the active packaging containing cinnamon or oregano was evaluated against E. coli and S. aureus. The vapour phase activity and the direct contact between the antimicrobial agents themselves, or once incorporated in the packaging material, and the microbial cells have been studied. The direct contact was studied using a broth dilution method. The vapour phase was evaluated by using a new method which involves the use of a filter disk containing the EOs. Furthermore, the kill time assay was used to determine the exposure time for the maximum efficiency in packaging, and transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the antimicrobial activity and the possible mechanism of action against E. coli and S. aureus. Finally, the compounds absorbed by cells were identified. The results showed that the techniques used provide relevant information about the antibacterial activity of cinnamon and oregano in direct contact as well as in the vapour phase. The antimicrobial packaging showed a fast efficiency which supports its likely application as a food packaging material. Bacteria treated with EOs exhibit a wide range of significant abnormalities; these include formation of blebs, coagulation of cytoplasmatic constituents, collapse of the cell structure and lack of cytoplasmatic material. Some of these observations are correlated to the ability of some of these substances to disrupt envelop structure, especially the inner membrane. After an extraction from dead cells, cinnamaldehyde was detected by GC-MS in E. coli exposed to the active packaging containing cinnamon.     

Donor/conductor/acceptor triads spatially organized on the micrometer-length scale: an alternative approach to photovoltaic cells

We have used porous anodised Al(2)O(3) membranes as inert matrix for constructing and organizing spatially ternary donor/conductor/acceptor (DCA) systems exhibiting photovoltaic cell activity on the micrometric-length scale. These DCA triads were built stepwise by first growing a conducting polymer inside the membrane pores, thus forming nanorods that completely fill the internal pore space of the membrane. Then, an electron donor and an electron acceptor were adsorbed one on each side of the membrane, so that they were separated by a distance equal to the membrane thickness (ca. 60 microm), but electronically connected through the conductive polymer. When this device was placed between two electrodes and irradiated with visible light, electrons jumped from the donor molecule, crossed the membrane from side to side through the conductive polymer (a journey of about 60 microm!) until they finally reach the acceptor molecule. In so doing, an electric voltage was generated between the two electrodes, capable of maintaining an electric current flow from the membrane to an external circuit. Our DCA device constitutes the proof of a novel concept of photovoltaic cells, since it is based on the spatial organization at the micrometric scale of complementary, but not covalently linked, electron-donor and electron-acceptor organic species. Thus, our cell is based in translating photoinduced electron transfer between donors and acceptors, which is known to occur at the molecular nanometric scale, to the micrometric range in a spatially organised system. In addition our cell does not need the use of liquid electrolytes in order to operate, which is one of the main drawbacks in dye-sensitised solar cells.     

Ag_(60)纳米颗粒[{Cl@Ag_(12)}@Ag_(48)(dppm)_(12)]的结构(其中dppm=双(二苯基膦基)甲烷)（英文）

本文合成一种新的双膦连接Ag_(60)纳米团簇[{Cl@Ag_(12)}@Ag_(48)(dppm)_(12)],并通过X射线晶体学进行表征.二十面体的银处于核心位置,里面是中心氯化物组成,外面有48个银原子/离子的包裹,顶端是12个双(二苯基膦基)甲烷(dppm)配体.同时利用密度泛函理论对阳离子[{Cl@Ag_(12)}@Ag_(48)(dppm)_(12)]~+进行计算,以确定该结构是否对应于核心数n=58的超原子.DFT计算的优化结构与X射线一致,但是HOMO-LUMO的能差并不能保证共超级稳定性.     

Photoproduction of the $\Theta^+$ and its vector and axial-vector structure

We present recent investigations on the vector and axial-vector transitions of the baryon antidecuplet within the framework of the self-consistent SU（3） chiral quark-soliton model, taking into account the 1/No rotational and linear mscorrections. The main contribution to the electric-like transition form factor comes from the wave-function corrections. This is a consequence of the generalized Ademollo-Gatto theorem. It is also found that in general the leading-order contributions are almost canceled by the rotational 1/No corrections. The results are summarized as follows： the vector and tensor K＇NO coupling constants, gK＊N= 0.74--0.87 and fk＊N =0.53--1.16, respectively, and F→KN = 0.71 MeV, based on the result of the KN coupling constant gKne =0.83. We also show the differential cross sections and beam asymmetries, based on the present results. We also discuss the connection of present results with the original work by Diakonov, Petrov, and Polyakov.     

Phospholipase cleavage of D- and L-chiro-glycosylphosphoinositides asymmetrically incorporated into liposomal membranes

The nature of chiro-inositol-containing inositolphosphoglycans (IPGs), reported to be putative insulin mediators, was studied by examination of the substrate specificities of the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) by using a series of synthetic D- and L-chiro-glycosylphosphoinositides. 3-O-alpha-D-Glucosaminyl- (3) and -galactosaminyl-2-phosphatidyl-L-chiro-inositol (4), which show the maximum stereochemical similarity to the 6-O-alpha-D-glucosaminylphosphatidylinositol pseudodisaccharide motifs of GPI anchors, were synthesized and asymmetrically incorporated into phospholipid bilayers in the form of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs). Similarly, 2-O-alpha-D-glucosaminyl- (5) and -galactosaminyl-1-phosphatidyl-D-chiro-inositol (6), which differ from the corresponding pseudodisaccharide motif of the GPI anchors only in the axial orientation of the phosphatidyl moiety, were also synthesized and asymmetrically inserted into LUVs. The cleavage of these synthetic molecules in the liposomal constructs by PI-PLC from Bacillus cereus and by GPI-PLD from bovine serum was studied with the use of 6-O-alpha-D-glucosaminylphosphatidylinositol (7) and the conserved GPI anchor structure (8) as positive controls. Although PI-PLC cleaved 3 and 4 with about the same efficiency as 7 and 8, this enzyme did not accept 5 or 6. GPI-PLD accepted both the L-chiro- (3 and 4) and the D-chiro- (5 and 6) glycosylinositolphosphoinositides. Therefore, IPGs containing L-chiro-inositol only are expected to be released from chiro-inositol-containing GPIs if the cleavage is effected by a PI-PLC, whereas GPI-PLD cleavage could result in both L-chiro- and D-chiro-inositol-containing IPGs.     

A biosensor based on graphite epoxy composite electrode for aspartame and ethanol detection

A gelatin membrane with carboxyl esterase and alcohol oxidase was subsequently integrated onto the surface of a graphite epoxy composite electrode (GECE). The developed biosensors showed linearity in the range of 2.5–400 μM for aspartame and 2.5–25 μM for ethanol with response times of 170 and 70 s for each analyte, respectively. The resulting bienzyme biosensor was used for aspartame detection in diet coke samples and ethanol detection in beer and wine samples. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the developed biosensor is a selective, practical and economic tool for aspartame and ethanol detection in real samples.     

Bi~(3+)或Sm~(3+)掺杂对NaGd(WO_4)_2∶Eu~(3+)荧光粉结构和发光性质的影响

采用水热法制备了白光LED用NaGd_(0.95-x)(WO_4)_2∶0.05Eu~(3+),x Bi~(3+)(x=0,0.02,0.04,0.06,0.08)和NaGd_(0.95-y)(WO_4)_2∶0.05Eu~(3+),y Sm~(3+)(y=0,0.01,0.02,0.03,0.04)系列红色荧光粉,通过X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜及荧光分光光度计等表征手段分析了样品的物相结构、颗粒形貌以及发光性质。结果表明:少量离子掺杂对NaGd(WO_4)_2的晶体结构影响较小,样品均为四方晶系、白钨矿结构的纯相;颗粒形貌呈四方盘状,且粒度均匀,分散性良好,Bi~(3+)或Sm~(3+)的引入使颗粒尺寸由原来的4μm分别增加至5μm和6μm。该系列荧光粉均可被近紫外光(394 nm)有效激发,其最强发射峰位于614 nm处,归属于Eu~(3+)的5D0→7F2电偶极跃迁。掺杂适量的Bi~(3+)或Sm~(3+)可有效提高NaGd_(0.95)(WO_4)_2∶0.05Eu~(3+)荧光粉的发光强度和红光的色纯度,其中Sm~(3+)的引入对其影响更为明显。