Sodiation as a tool for enhancing the diagnostic value of MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS spectra of complex astaxanthin ester mixtures from Haematococcus pluvialis

The microalga Haematococcus pluvialis produces the pigment astaxanthin mainly in esterified form with a multitude of fatty acids, which results in a complex mixture of carotenol mono‐ and diesters. For rapid fingerprinting of these esters, matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS) might be an alternative to traditional chromatographic separation combined with MS. Investigation of ionization and fragmentation of astaxanthin mono‐ and diester palmitate standards in MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS showed that sodium adduct parent masses [M + Na]⁺ gave much simpler MS² spectra than radical / protonated [M]^+● / [M + H]⁺ parents. [M + Na]⁺ fragments yielded diagnostic polyene‐specific eliminations and fatty acid neutral losses, whereas [M]^+● / [M + H]⁺ fragmentation resulted in a multitude of non‐diagnostic daughters. For diesters, a benzonium fragment, formed by polyene elimination, was required for identification of the second fatty acid attached to the astaxanthin backbone. Parents were forced into [M + Na]⁺ ionization by addition of sodium acetate, and best signal‐to‐noise ratios were obtained in the 0.1 to 1.0 mM range. This method was applied to fingerprinting astaxanthin esters in a crude H. pluvialis extract. Prior to MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS, the extract was fractionated by normal phase Flash chromatography to obtain fractions enriched in mono‐ and diesters and to remove pheophytin a, which compromised monoester signals. All 12 types of all‐trans esterified esters found in LC were identified with MALDI‐TOF/TOF‐MS, with the exception of two minor monoesters. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The thermodynamic method for selecting oxygen carriers used for chemical looping air separation

Chemical looping air separation (CLAS) has been suggested as a new and energy saving method for producing oxygen from air. The selection of suitable oxygen carriers is the key issue for CLAS system. This paper shows a comprehensive thermodynamic method for selecting oxygen carriers used for CLAS through studying the properties of 34 different oxygen releasing reactions referring to 18 elements at different temperatures. The research mainly includes analysis of oxygen releasing capacity by calculating the Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) and the equilibrium partial pressure of oxygen of the reduction or oxidation reaction at different temperatures. Oxygen content and transport capacity were calculated. The spontaneous reaction temperatures for oxygen releasing reactions were presented to determine the operating temperatures. Also, the minimum demand of the steam for the reduction reaction was discussed. On the basis of the comprehensive thermodynamic study, the oxide systems of CrO₂/Cr₂O₃, PbO₂/Pb₃O₄, PbO₂/PbO, Pb₃O₄/PbO, MnO₂/Mn₂O₃, and Ag₂O/Ag have been found suitable for the CLAS process in low temperatures (500–800 K). The systems of PdO₂/PdO, PdO₂/Pd, PdO/Pd, MnO₂/MnO, and MnO₂/Mn₃O₄ were suitable for medium temperatures (800–1100 K) CLAS process. And Co₃O₄/CoO, CuO/Cu₂O, Mn₂O₃/Mn₃O₄, and OsO₂/Os systems only worked successfully in high temperatures (1100–1400 K). In addition, the CaO₂/CaO system was not suitable for CLAS because of the reaction with steam. The various binders such as SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃, ZrO₂, and YSZ which have been used for CLC could also be the supports for CLAS oxygen carriers.     

An efficient electrochemical disinfection of E. coli and S. aureus in drinking water using ferrocene–PAMAM–multiwalled carbon nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposite modified pyrolytic graphite electrode

This work reported an efficient electrochemical treatment for drinking water disinfection using a pyrolytic graphite electrode modified with ferrocenyl tethered poly(amidoamine) dendrimers–multiwalled carbon nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposite. The influence parameters of electrochemical disinfection of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, such as applied potential and sterilization time, were investigated. Further investigation indicated that almost all (99.99 %) of the initial bacteria were killed after applying a low potential of 0.4 V for 10 min. During the electrochemical disinfection process, the oxidized form of ferrocene was formed on electrode, which played a key role in the disinfection towards E. coli and S. aureus. Hence, the proposed method may provide potential application for the disinfection of drinking water.

稀土化合物TbCl3对成骨细胞系MC3T3-E1增殖、分化和矿化功能的影响

在细胞和分子水平上,研究了稀土化合物氯化铽(TbCl₃)对成骨细胞MC3T3-E1增殖、分化及矿化功能的影响。结果表明,细胞水平上,浓度为0.0001、0.001、0.01、0.1、1和10 μmol·L^-1的TbCl₃均促进MC3T3-E1细胞的增殖、分化及其矿化功能,然而,当浓度升至为100和1000 μmol·L^-1时,TbCl₃表现出抑制作用。分子水平上,浓度为0.0001和0.1 μmol·L^-1的TbCl₃明显上调成骨分化相关基因骨形成蛋白2(BMP-2),碱性磷酸酶(ALP),骨涎蛋白(BSP),Ⅰ型胶原蛋白(Col Ⅰ),骨钙素(OCN)和runt 相关转录因子2(Runx2)的表达。浓度为1 000 μmol·L^-1的TbCl₃则抑制上述成骨分化相关基因的表达。浓度为0.000 1、0.1和1 μmol·L^-1的TbCl₃促进成骨分化相关蛋白Runx2,BMP-2和OCN的表达;结果显示,低浓度的TbCl₃促进MC3T3-E1细胞的成骨分化及矿化功能,而高浓度TbCl₃则呈现出抑制作用。TbCl₃通过调控Runx2的表达刺激早期成骨分化相关基因BMP-2、Col Ⅰ和晚期成骨分化相关基因ALP、OCN的表达,从而诱导MC3T3-E1成骨分化。     

Sequence-specific electrochemical detection of double-strand PCR amplicons of PML/RARα fusion gene in acute promyelocytic leukemia

A novel electrochemical method for the sequence-specific detection of double-stranded polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of PML/RARα fusion gene in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was described in detail. Based on a “sandwich” sensing mode involving a pair of locked nucleic acids probes (capture probe and reporter probe), this DNA sensor exhibited excellent selectivity and specificity. The direct and quantitative analysis of double-stranded complementary was firstly performed by our sensor without the use of alkali, helicase enzymes, or denaturants. Finally, combining PCR technique with electrochemical detection scheme, PCR amplicons (191 bp) of the PML/RARα fusion gene were obtained and rapidly identified with a low detection limit of 79 fmol in the 100-μL hybridization system. The results clearly showed the power of sensor as a promising tool for the sensitive, specific, and portable detection of APL and other diseases.     

Zinc Porphyrins with a Pyridine‐Ring‐Anchoring Group for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Anchoring groups are extremely important in controlling the performance of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The design and characterization of sensitizers with new anchoring groups, in particular non‐carboxylic acid groups, has become a recent focus of DSC research. Herein, new donor? π? acceptor zinc? porphyrin dyes with a pyridine ring as an anchoring group have been designed and synthesized for applications in DSCs. Photophysical and electrochemical investigations demonstrated that the pyridine ring worked effectively as an anchoring group for the porphyrin sensitizers. DSCs that were based on these new porphyrins showed an overall power‐conversion efficiency of about 4.0 % under full sunlight (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm^?2).     

High sensitivity chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay for detecting staphylococcal enterotoxin A in multi-matrices

In this study, detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) in multi-matrices using a highly sensitive and specific microplate chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) has been established. A pair of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was selected from 37 anti-SEA mAbs by pairwise analysis, and the experimental conditions of the CLEIA were optimized. This CLEIA exhibited high performance with a wide dynamic range from 6.4 pg mL⁻¹ to 1600 pg mL⁻¹, and the measured low limit of detection (LOD) was 3.2 pg mL⁻¹. No cross-reactivity was observed when this method was applied to test SEB, SEC1, and SED. It has also been successfully applied for analyzing SEA in a variety of environmental, biological, and clinical matrices, such as sewage, tap water, river water, roast beef, peanut butter, cured ham, 10% nonfat dry milk, milk, orange juice, human urine, and serum. Thus, the highly sensitive and SEA-specific CLEIA should make it attractive for quantifying SEA in public health and diagnosis in near future.     

Prenylated Benzene Metabolites from Melicope pteleifolia

Chemical investigation on the stem and root of Melicope pteleifolia afforded three new prenylated benzene metabolites as racemic mixtures, named pteleifolins A–C ( 1 – 3 , resp.). Their gross structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, especially 2D‐NMR experiments. An enantiomer resolution of (±)‐ 1 using chiral HPLC was performed, and the absolute configuration of the enantiomers were determined to be (+)‐(S)‐ 1 and (?)‐(R)‐ 1 by means of circular‐dichroism analysis.     

A SERS-based immunoassay for porcine circovirus type 2 using multi-branched gold nanoparticles

We report on a facile immunoassay for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) based on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using multi-branched gold nanoparticles (mb-AuNPs) as substrates. The mb-AuNPs in the immunosensor act as Raman reporters and were prepared via Tris base-induced reduction and subsequent reaction with p-mercaptobenzoic acid (pMBA). They possess good stability and high SERS activity. Subsequently, the modified mb-AuNPs were covalently conjugated to the monoclonal antibody (McAb) against the PCV2 cap protein to form SERS immuno nanoprobes. These were captured in a microtiterplate via a immunoreaction in the presence of target antigens. The effects of antibody concentration, reaction time and temperature on the sensitivity of the immunoassay were investigated. Under optimized assay conditions, the Raman signal intensity at 1,076 cm^?1 increases logarithmically with the concentrations of PCV2 in the concentration ranging from 8?×?10² to 8?×?10⁶ copies per mL. The limit of detection is 8?×?10² copies per mL. Compared to conventional detecting methods such as those based on PCR, the method presented here is rapid, facile and very sensitive.