PLATINUM(II) COMPLEX CONTAINING N-(BIS (-2,4-DIMETHOXY-BENZYL)CARBAMOTHIOYL)- 4-METHYLBENZAMIDE LIGAND: SYNTHESIS,CRYSTAL STRUCTURE,HIRSHFELD SURFACE ANALYSIS,AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

Journal of Structural Chemistry - A new complex of Pt(II) bearing N-(bis(2,4-dimethoxybenzyl)carbamothioyl)-4-methylbenzamide ligand is prepared and characterized by 1H, 13C, HMQC, COSY NMR and...     

Study of thermal effects on the performance of micro-tubular solid-oxide fuel cells

Mathematical modeling of methane-fed anode-supported micro-tubular solid-oxide fuel cell (MT-SOFC) is developed. Steam reforming of methane is considered in two cases of: direct internal reforming (DIR) and gradual internal reforming (GIR). The polarization curves and temperature distribution of a cell fed with three variations of fueling (i.e., DIR and GIR of methane and pure hydrogen) are compared with each other. The simulation results are verified through temperature and performance measurements of a MT-SOFC sample operating on above three variations of fueling. In DIR operating condition, a drop in the anode gas temperature at a short distance after entering the cell takes place which results in high temperature gradient. In GIR operating condition, the temperature distribution in axial direction is steadier. The ohmic loss is lower in the case of pure hydrogen fuel than internal reforming of methane, but the concentration loss is lower in methane-fed operating conditions.     

The mixed alkali effect in ionically conducting glasses revisited: a study by molecular dynamics simulation

When more than two kinds of mobile ions are mixed in ionic conducting glasses and crystals, there is a non-linear decrease of the transport coefficients of either type of ion. This phenomenon is known as the mixed mobile ion effect or Mixed Alkali Effect (MAE), and remains an unsolved problem. We use molecular dynamics simulation to study the complex ion dynamics in ionically conducting glasses including the MAE. In the mixed alkali lithium-potassium silicate glasses and related systems, a distinct part of the van Hove functions reveals that jumps from one kind of site to another are suppressed. Although, consensus for the existence of preferential jump paths for each kind of mobile ions seems to have been reached amongst researchers, the role of network formers and the number of unoccupied ion sites remain controversial in explaining the MAE. In principle, these factors when incorporated into a theory can generate the MAE, but in reality they are not essential for a viable explanation of the ion dynamics and the MAE. Instead, dynamical heterogeneity and "cooperativity blockage" originating from ion-ion interaction and correlation are fundamental for the observed ion dynamics and the MAE. Suppression of long range motion with increased back-correlated motions is shown to be a cause of the large decrease of the diffusivity especially in dilute foreign alkali regions. Support for our conclusion also comes from the fact that these features of ion dynamics are common to other ionic conductors, which have no glassy networks, and yet they all exhibit the MAE.     

WNT1 Gene from WNT Signaling Pathway Is a Direct Target of miR-122 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an invasive form of hepatic cancer arising from the accumulation of multiple genetic alterations. In this study, the causal role of disturbed canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway was approved, and some of HCC-driven important gene candidates were determined. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs, are the key regulators of important cancer genes, and their participation in tumorigenesis has been shown. By reviewing literature, WNT1 gene with functional significance was selected to approve miRNAs as new subjects for targeted therapy.For proper and fast miRNA detection and also confirmation of the role of bioinformatics in obtaining practical data, we benefited from different bioinformatics tools such as TargetScan, miRanda, and DIANA. In order to use an HCC model, we used HepG2 cell line. Luciferase assay was applied to assess the ability of the selected miRNAs in targeting WNT1 3′-UTR. To overexpress the selected miRNA in HepG2 cell line, viral construct was prepared. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to evaluate selected miRNA and target gene expression levels. miR-122 was selected according to data concerning various bioinformatics tools.miR-122 was downregulated and WNT1 gene expression was upregulated in HepG2 cell line. After viral construct transduction, miR-122 expression was elevated and WNT1 expression was notably declined. Finally, we introduced WNT1 gene as one of the important genes in HCC, and also, we showed that miR-122 can regulate WNT1 gene expression.Moreover, our study determines the potential of bioinformatics analyses in providing accurate and reliable data for miRNA: messenger RNA (mRNA) prediction.     

Simultaneous determination of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in serum by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simultaneous determination of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography is described. Total analysis time is 13 min. A reversed-phase (Ultrasphere ODS, 5 microns) column is used with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methanol-dichloromethane (70:10:20, v/v/v) and a flow-rate of 1.2 ml/min. Retinol is monitored at 325 nm, alpha-tocopherol at 292 nm and beta-carotene at 450 nm. Serum is deproteinized with ethanol containing the internal standard (alpha-tocopherol acetate), then extracted with hexane. The evaporated organic layer is reconstituted with the mobile phase and injected. The choice of the eluent is discussed, as well as the choice of an internal standard and the need for an antioxidant during the extraction step. Sixteen different eluents are compared in terms of analysis time and selectivity. The linear concentration ranges (retinol 0.016-13.7 microM, alpha-tocopherol 0.18-91.8 microM, beta-carotene 0.05-5.75 microM), within-run coefficients of variation (retinol less than 7%; alpha-tocopherol less than 8%, beta-carotene less than 7%), between-run coefficients of variation (retinol less than 13%, alpha-tocopherol less than 9%, beta-carotene less than 8%) and recoveries (retinol greater than 95%, alpha-tocopherol greater than 91%, beta-carotene greater than 80%) are suitable for clinical investigations. Serum reference values were found to be 2.47 +/- 0.61 microM (retinol), 30.5 +/- 6.8 microM (alpha-tocopherol) and 0.91 +/- 0.55 microM (beta-carotene). A significant difference (p less than 0.001) between males and females was found for retinol.     

Impact of double cryogelation process on a macroporous dye-affinity hydrogel

Cryogels with interconnected channels allow high flow-through properties and mass transfer when dealing with complex mixtures such as non-clarified crude extracts. However, their mechanical strength can be challenged due to a large void volume inside the polymeric network. We have addressed this problem by forming a double-layer cryogel applied as a dye-affinity chromatography gel. In this study, poly(acrylamide-co-allyl glycidyl ether) cryogel was prepared at sub-zero temperature. The second layer was then prepared inside the primary cryogel under the same conditions to form a double-layer network. Cibacron Blue F3GA, a dye molecule, was immobilized on the surface of the cryogels. Bovine serum albumin was used as a model molecule to study the adsorption/elution procedure in batch and continuous modes. The maximum batch binding capacity and the dynamic binding capacity for the single-layer cryogel were 18 and 0.11, and for the double-layer cryogel were 7.5 and 0.9 mg/g of gel, respectively. However, the mechanical stability of the double-layer cryogel increased 7-fold (144 kPa). It was found that the kinetic and adsorption isotherms follow pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models, respectively. The regeneration of the columns after adsorption/elution cycles was evaluated, and no significant loss of capacity was observed after 10 cycles.     

Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of a new conducting polymer: Polyrhodanine

An antimicrobial drug, rhodanine (Rh), was electrochemically polymerized on a Pt electrode using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The high quality and homogeneous polyrhodanine (pRh) films with a dark-purple color were obtained. The chemical structure characterization was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-vis spectroscopy techniques. Further, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques used to investigate thermal properties of the film. It is found that thermal stability of pRh films is relatively high. It is also observed that tetrahydrofurane (THF) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) are good solvents for the polymer.     

Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of V-doped mesoporous TiO2 photosensitized with porphyrin supported by SBA-15

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A highly efficient photocatalyst was produced by immobilizing V-doped mesoporous TiO2/tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (V-TiO2/TCPP) onto SBA-15 walls, and...