Free and Sulfated Sterols of Two Far-East Leptasterias Starfish

NMR spectroscopy, capillary GLC, and GLC-MS are used to study the composition of free and sulfated sterols from the far-east starfishLeptasterias alaskensis asiatica(Fischer) andL. Fisheri(Djakonov). The total free sterols of both species are shown to have similar qualitative and quantitative compositions and contain mainly⁷ -sterols. Sterol sulfate fractions contain cholesterol sulfate as the main component but differ in the ratios of⁵ :⁰ :⁷ -sterol derivatives. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. A new steroid, 3-hydroxycholest-5-en-7-one sulfate, was isolated.     

Pyroelectric nano-rods grown inside alumina nano-pores

This paper reports the formation and properties of nano-composite pyroelectric thin films. They consist of pyroelectric triglycine sulfate (TGS) single-crystal nano-rods grown inside a highly dense array of alumina pores (about 65 nm diameter and density of 1011 cm⁻²). The nucleation and growth of the TGS single crystals are obtained by precipitation from a supersaturated aqueous solution. Nucleation is preferred only at the bottom of the pores due to a tight control of temperature, composition and pore diameter. Growth of single crystals with preferred crystallographic orientation is obtained with the aid of an applied electric field. Various crystallographic orientations (1 0 0) (−1 1 0) (−1 2 0) are obtained separately as a single preferred orientation by changing the amplitude of the electric field during crystal growth. The films exhibit ferroelectric behavior.     

A pH‐responsive cyclopolymer having phospho‐ and sulfopropyl pendents in the same repeating unit: Synthesis,characterization, and its application as an antiscalant

A new zwitterionic monomer 3‐[diallyl{3‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)propyl}ammonio]propane‐1‐sulfonate has been synthesized and cyclopolymerized to give the corresponding polyzwitterion (±) (PZ) bearing both phosphonate and sulfonate functionalities on each repeating unit. phosphonate ester hydrolysis in PZ gave a pH‐responsive dibasic polyzwitterionic acid (±) (PZA) bearing ? PO₃H₂ units. The PZA under pH‐induced transformation was converted into polyzwitterion/anion (± ?) (PZAN) and polyzwitterion/dianion (± =) (PZDAN) having respective ? PO₃H^? and ? PO₃^2? units. The polymers′ interesting solubility and viscosity behaviors have been investigated in detail. The apparent protonation constants in salt‐free water and 0.1 M NaCl of the ? PO₃^2? in (± =) (PZDAN) and ? PO₃H^– in (± ?) (PZAN) as well as in their corresponding monomeric units have been determined. Evaluation of antiscaling properties of the PZA using supersaturated solution of CaSO₄ revealed ≈100% scale inhibition efficiency at a meager concentration of 20 ppm for a duration of 45 h at 40 °C. The PZA has the potential to be used effectively as an antiscalant in reverse osmosis plant. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 5130–5142     

New trends in polylactide (PLA)-based materials: “Green” PLA-Calcium sulfate (nano)composites tailored with flame retardant properties

Starting from gypsum, a by-product of lactic acid fabrication process, novel “green” composites have been produced by melt-blending polylactide (PLA) and this filler after a previous specific dehydration to obtain anhydrite II (AII). Such a material is potentially interesting in biodegradable/rigid packaging and in technical applications requiring rigidity, heat resistance and dimensional stability. In order to obtain PLA-AII composites characterized by specific end-use flame retardant properties, the addition of selected organo-modified layered silicates (OMLS) was considered. Co-addition of AII and OMLS leads to PLA (nano)composites characterized by good (nano)filler dispersion, thermal stability and adequate mechanical resistance. The flame retardant properties as shown by cone calorimetry showed significant increase in the ignition time compared to neat PLA and a substantial decrease, i.e., ca. 40%, of the maximum rate of heat release, whereas the UL94 HB test was successfully passed revealing non-dripping effect and extensive char formation. The study represents a new approach in formulating novel PLA grades with improved characteristic features.     

The development of an integrated platform to identify breast cancer glycoproteome changes in human serum

Protein glycosylation represents one of the major post-translational modifications and can have significant effects on protein function. Moreover, changes in the carbohydrate structure are increasingly being recognized as an important modification associated with cancer etiology. In this report, we describe the development of a proteomics approach to identify breast cancer related changes in either concentration and/or the carbohydrate structures of glycoprotein(s) present in blood samples. Diseased and healthy serum samples were processed by an optimized sample preparation protocol using multiple lectin affinity chromatography (M-LAC) that partitions serum proteins based on glycan characteristics. Subsequently, three separate procedures, 1D SDS-PAGE, isoelectric focusing and an antibody microarray, were applied to identify potential candidate markers for future study. The combination of these three platforms is illustrated in this report with the analysis of control and cancer glycoproteomic fractions. Firstly, a molecular weight based separation of glycoproteins by 1D SDS-PAGE was performed, followed by protein, glycoprotein staining, lectin blotting and LC–MS analysis. To refine or confirm the list of interesting glycoproteins, isoelectric focusing (targeting sialic acid changes) and an antibody microarray (used to detect neutral glycan shifts) were selected as the orthogonal methods. As a result, several glycoproteins including alpha-1B-glycoprotein, complement C3, alpha-1-antitrypsin and transferrin were identified as potential candidates for further study.     

STUDY ON THE BLOOD FAT REGULATION OF THE FUCOIDA—GALACTOSAN SULFATE（FGS） FROM LAMINARIA JAPONICA

FGS was isolated and purified from laminaria japonica by enzymolysis,chromatography methods and so on.The high blood fat model was established by feeding mouse on high fat feedstuff.Compared with control group,the concentration of HDL-C.the ratio of HDL-C.TC increased.while the concentration of TC,LDL-C and TG decreased in experimental groups,Conclusion:FGS was an effective serum lipid regulator and can be developed as medicine and health food.     

STUDY ON THE BLOOD FAT REGULATION OF THE FUCOIDA-GALACTOSAN SULFATE (FGS) FROM LAMINARIA JAPONICA

1. INTRODUCTION Blood fat primarily contains cholesterol, cholesterol ester, phosphatide, triglyceride and free fatty acid in serum of human being and mammalian. Under physiological conditions, the lipids transport in the form of lipoproteins linked with the proteins. Except for the free fatty acid linked with albumin, the other lipids are linked with the globular proteins into high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and so…     

Atomistic insight into chondroitin‐6‐sulfate glycosaminoglycan chain through quantum mechanics calculations and molecular dynamics simulation

Chondroitin‐6‐sulfate (C6S) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) constituent in the extracellular matrix, which participates actively in crucial biological processes, as well as in various pathological conditions, such as atherosclerosis and cancer. Molecular interactions involving the C6S chain are therefore of considerable interest. A computational model for atomistic simulation was built. This work describes the design and validation of a force field for a C6S dodecasaccharide chain. The results of an extensive molecular dynamics simulation performed with the new force field provide a novel insight into the structure and dynamics of the C6S chain. The intramolecular H‐bonds in the disaccharide linkage region are suggested to play a major role in determining the chain structural dynamics. Moreover, the unravelling of an additional H‐bond involving the sulfate groups in C6S is interesting as changes in sulfation have been claimed to be an important factor in several diseases. The force field will prove useful for future studies of crucial interactions between C6S and various nanoassemblies. It can also be used as a basis for modeling of other GAGs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Detection of copper(II) sulfate’s uniformity and its thermal behavior in flammability of cotton fabric

Blue vitriol (copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate), CuSO₄·5H₂O has been chosen and investigated for its effectiveness as a flame-retardant, when impregnated into cotton fabric (cotton with a plain structure; woven 180 g m⁻², with 22 numbers of yarns per 10 mm). Using the vertical flame test, the extent of resistance to burning of the specimens has been determined. The impregnation was accomplished via dipping and stirring of bone-dried, weighed fabrics into the individual and suitable concentrations of the salt at room temperature. Afterwards the samples were squeeze rolled and dried horizontally at 110°C for 30 min in an oven and cooled in a desiccator and reweighed with an analytical precision. They were then kept under ordinary conditions overnight prior the fulfillment of the vertical flame test. The efficient quantities of the aforesaid salt expressed in g per 100 g dry fabric have been determined in an average figure of 12.75%. Estimation of uniformity in a selected sample was carried out via a spectrophotometer and results are in favor of the heterogeneous distribution of the salt in the fabric’s middle sectors. However initial and final parts of specimen showed to be rather uniformed. Thermogravimetric analysis of the pure cotton and the treated ones with insufficient and effective amounts of the salt were fulfilled and their thermograms were compared and commented. The results obtained for the effect of copper(II) sulfate comply with ‘The Dust or Wall Effect Theory’. This action is also assigned to the condensed phase retardation.     

Swelling of poly(ethylene oxide) gel in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate with added sodium chloride

The swelling behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) gels in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with and without NaCl was investigated. In the absence of NaCl, PEO gels with different degrees of cross-linking began to swell from a concentration lower than the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of SDS, then showed sigmoidal enhancements of swelling in a higher SDS concentration region until the degrees of swelling reached maximum values. The SDS concentration at which the swelling began to appear was in reasonable agreement with the critical aggregation concentration (cac) value reported for the aqueous PEO system. For the cases where NaCl was present, the swelling behavior of PEO gel was different from that when NaCl was absent in the following way. The concentrations where the swelling begins to appear, and hence those where the degree of swelling rises steeply, decreased with an increase in NaCl concentration. The ultimate degrees of swelling at higher concentration regions also decreased with an increase in the NaCl concentration. The lowering of the SDS concentrations at which the PEO gel began to swell is in line with the decreases in the cmc of SDS solutions containing NaCl and also with the decreases in the cac of PEO solution. Electronic Publication