Rapid and simple determination of aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase

Rapid and well-reproducible methods were developed for the determination of aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase. The aldose reductase activity measurement is based on photometric o-toluidine aldose back-measurement, which is widely used in laboratories for the quantitative determination of glucose. The spectrophotometric method based on the quantitative decrease in NADH proved suitable for the measurement of sorbitol dehydrogenase activity.Both methods could well be employed for the measurement of the aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities of normal and diabetic tissue homogenizates, and for the comparison of the measured values.     

The effect of nucleating agents on the crystallization kinetics of polypropylene

Compositions of neat polyproylene (PP), PP–PE (polyethylene) blend and PP–PE–DBS (dibenzylidene sorbitol) were studied with respect to their crystallization kinetics by means of differential scanning calorimetry in isothermal mode. A modified Avrami equation was applied to obtain the crystallization parameters of PP, PP–PE and PP–PE–DBS. Optical and hot-stage microscopy and dynamical analysis were used for structure determination. Experimental results have indicated that PE addition inhibits PP crystallization rate and acts as a plasticizer, while addition of DBS changes the crystallization kinetics. A detailed study of the DBS nucleation effects indicates that owing to the high surface energy, nuclei are formed during primary crystallization, leading to a fine PP crystalline structure and improved mechanical properties.     

储氢合金阴极电还原葡萄糖制备山犁醇

混合稀土储氢合金具有的吸氢性能,可以以氢化物的形式可逆吸放氢,并在适当的条件下以高活性原子氢的形式释放所储存的氢;经活化的混合稀土储氢合金表面偏析形成的富镍层具有良好的催化氢化能力。利用稀土系储氢合金RENi3.9Co0.59Mn0.28Al0.22为阴极,恒电流电解法还原葡萄糖制备山梨醇,采用正交设计法优选得出电解条件：阴极液为0.4mol/L葡萄糖溶液,40℃,pH＝12,电流密度为0.5A/dm^2。在该条件下取得了675的电流效率和80％的还原产率;探讨了储氢合金阴极对葡萄糖电化学还原反应机理。     

Poly(lactic acid)/coplasticized thermoplastic starch blend: Effect of plasticizer migration on rheological and mechanical properties

Polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) are known as bio‐based and biodegradable thermoplastic polymers that can be used in different applications owing to their inherent physical and mechanical properties. In order to reduce the higher costs of PLA and tuning its physical and mechanical properties suitable for short life packaging applications, blending of PLA with the TPS, more economical biodegradable polymer, has been considered in academic and industrial researches. However, melt blending of PLA with TPS without compatibilization process caused some drawbacks such as coarsening morphology and declining mechanical properties and ductility because of thermodynamic immiscibility, which may restrict its usage in packaging applications. Subsequently, our approach in this research is compatibilization of PLA/TPS blends by utilization of primary well tuning of TPS formulation with a combination of sorbitol and glycerol plasticizers. In this work, the wide composition range of melt mixed PLA/TPS blends was prepared using a laboratory twin screw extruder. The effects of microstructure on the rheological and mechanical properties of PLA/TPS blends were studied using different methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, contact angle, oscillatory shear rheological measurements, and tensile and impact strength mechanical tests. The rheological and mechanical properties were interpreted according to the morphological features and considering the possibility of plasticizer migration from TPS to PLA phase during melt blending. Reduction in complex viscosity and storage modulus of PLA matrix samples indicates the improved melt processability of blends. Finally, in comparison with mechanical results reported in literature, our simple approach yielded the blends with elastic modulus and ductility comparable with those of chemically compatibilized PLA/TPS blends.     

成核剂cdbs和纳米碳酸钙对聚丙烯结晶行为和力学性能的影响

聚丙烯;成核剂对氯二苄叉山梨糖醇;纳米碳酸钙;结晶行为;雾度;力学性能     

Zymomonas mobilis as catalyst for the biotechnological production of sorbitol and gluconic acid

The conversion of glucose and fructose into gluconic acid (GA) and sorbitol (SOR) was conducted in a batch reactor with free (CTAB-treated or not) or immobilized cells of Zymomonas mobilis. High yields (more than 90%) of gluconic acid and sorbitol were attained at initial substrate concentration of 600 g/L (glucose plus fructose at 1:1 ratio), using cells with glucose-fructose-oxidoreductase activity of 75 U/L. The concentration of the products varied hyperbolically with time according to the equations (GA)=t(GA)_max/(W_GA +t), (SOR)=t (SOR)_max/(W_Sor+t), v_GA=[W_GA (GA)_max]/(W_GA+t)² and V_SOR=[W_SOR (SOR)_max]/(W_SOR+t)². Taking the test carried out with free CTAB-treated cells as an example, the constant parameters were (GA)_max= 541 g/L, (SOR)_max=552 g/L, W_GA=4.8h, W_SOR=4.9h, υ_GA=112.7 g/L· and υ_SOR=112.7 g/L·.     

纤维素催化转化为高附加值化学品的研究进展

Currently,under huge pressure from energy demands and environmental problems,much attention is being paid to biomass conversion,which will play an important role in meeting the requirements for a sustainable society.As the most abundant biomass on earth, cellulose is usually used as the first research target for biomass conversion.In this review,the recalcitrant structure of cellulose is discussed and non-catalytic hydrolysis by hot-compressed water and catalytic hydrolysis using solid acids are then considered.We also review the catalytic conversion of cellulose into valuable chemicals including hexitols(sorbitol and mannitol),ethylene glycol,and related compounds using various heterogeneous catalysts.     

Phospholipidomic identification of potential plasma biomarkers associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its attendant complications, such as diabetic nephropathy (DN), impose a significant societal and economic burden. The investigation of discovering potential biomarkers for T2DM and DN will facilitate the prediction and prevention of diabetes. Phospholipids (PLs) and their metabolisms are closely allied to nosogenesis and aggravation of T2DM and DN. The aim of this study is to characterize the human plasma phospholipids in T2DM and DN to identify potential biomarkers of T2DM and DN. Normal phase liquid chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry (NPLC-TOF/MS) was applied to the plasma phospholipids metabolic profiling of T2DM and DN. The plasma samples from control (n = 30), T2DM subjects (n = 30), and DN subjects (n = 52) were collected and analyzed. The significant difference in metabolic profiling was observed between healthy control group and DM group as well as between control group and DN group by the help of partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). PLS-DA and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were successfully used to screen out potential biomarkers from complex mass spectrometry data. The identification of molecular components of potential biomarkers was performed on Ion trap-MS/MS. An external standard method was applied to quantitative analysis of potential biomarkers. As a result, 18 compounds in 7 PL classes with significant regulation in patients compared with healthy controls were regarded as potential biomarkers for T2DM or DN. Among them, 3 DM-specific biomarkers, 8 DN-specific biomarkers and 7 common biomarkers to DM and DN were identified. Ultimately, 2 novel biomarkers, i.e., PI C18:0/22:6 and SM dC18:0/20:2, can be used to discriminate healthy individuals, T2DM cases and DN cases from each other group.