•Increasing particle temperature discrepancy promotes the cracking of volatiles.•The secondary reactions of tyre volatiles are minimised by the use of a carrier gas.•Heavy hydrocarbons of tyre are ...reformed at 600 °C via steam reforming reaction.•Nascent tyre char is catalytic for the steam reforming and methanation reaction.
Pyrolysis process is one of the potential routes to convert waste scrap tyres into high-value resources such as liquid oil that is low in oxygen and high in valuable hydrocarbons. Although many studies have been conducted, the understanding of the fundamental science underpinning the pyrolysis of scrap tyre chip is still far from complete. This paper has examined the mild pyrolysis of scrap tyre chips at 600 °C, in an integrated manner by examining the co-effects of several key parameters including heating rate, volatile residence time, tyre chip size and non-inert gases (CO2 and/or H2O) on the quality of tars. In particular, we aimed to elucidate the influences of particle temperature discrepancy to the surrounding gas environment and reactive gas on the tar yield and properties, under the simulated fixed-bed/rotary kiln condition that is either heated directly by hot flue gas or indirectly by reactor wall. It has been confirmed that, in a simulated fixed-bed reactor with the absence of carrier gas, the particle temperature discrepancy can be correlated exponentially to the secondary cracking extent of volatiles in a temperature discrepancy range of 100 °C. Upon an increase on the temperature discrepancy by either increasing the heating rate or tyre chip size, the inherent long-chain aliphatics preferentially underwent scission, cyclisation and polymerisation, enhancing the yields for both heavy aromatics and methane – rich light gases. The use of carrier gas (i.e. hot flue gas) is beneficial in improving tar yield and aliphaticity. As a convective heating source, it heated particles slowly and also swept out volatile vapours immediately, thereby minimising the secondary reactions. For the two major components, CO2 and steam in hot flue gas, CO2 is rather inert at 600 °C, while steam is reactive enough to reduce the heavy hydrocarbons via steam reforming reaction, upon the catalytic effect of the nascent char derived from scrap tyre chips. The hydrogenation of unsaturated alkene and aromatics was also improved, and even the methanation reaction of CO on the nascent char surface, thus leading to the overwhelming dominance of CH4 in the pyrolysis gas.
Background
Oxidative stress-induced endothelial dysfunction and pyroptosis play an important role during chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Neferine, which is an alkaloid ingredient from the ...lotus seed embryo, has many biological actions such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant. However, the role of neferine in endothelial cell pyroptosis and the involved mechanism remain obscure. The aim is to probe the protective effects of neferine on cell pyroptosis and the involved underlying mechanism.
Methods
After the HUVECs were primed with neferine treatment for 2 h prior to LPS and ATP exposure for 24 h, the cell proliferation was determined by BrdU; the cell LDH release was detected by LDH kits; the levels of intracellular ROS, MDA and SOD were tested by detection kits; Caspase-1 activity kit was used to determine caspase-1 activity; the contents of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18 and GSDMD were tested by RT-PCR and western blot.
Results
We found that neferine could inhibit LPS-ATP-induced oxidative stress and the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling, and increased the endothelial cell viability and SOD production. siRNA which mediated the knockdown of NLRP3 promoted the neferine-induced inhibition effects of cell pyroptosis. Furthermore, these neferine-induced effects were reversed by the over-expression of NLRP3.
Conclusions
Our findings indicated neferine may reduce ROS by anti-oxidation and inhibit LPS-ATP-induced endothelial cell pyroptosis via blocking ROS/NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway, which provides the evidence for therapeutic effect in CKD.
This paper examined the catalytic performance of tyre char, a waste-derived product on the catalytic pyrolysis of lignite at 600-900 °C, upon the use of different gas environment (i.e. argon versus ...steam) and different catalyst to lignite mass ratio. All the resultant products (solid, gas and liquid) and spent catalysts have been characterised intensively to elucidate the specific catalytic role of tyre char and the respective mechanisms. As has been confirmed, the tyre char rich in zinc sulphide is a strong Lewis acid that is able to catalyse the upgrading of lignite volatiles via decarbonylation and steam-reforming of the volatile vapours. The former reaction mainly refers to the conversion of aldehydes to alkanes, whilst the latter one is preferentially implemented for the long-chain heavy hydrocarbons that are prone to deposit on the tyre char surface. The presence of steam in the pyrolysis gas environment promotes the steam-reforming of volatiles and steam-gasification of char, but also enhances the acidity strength for the formation of intermediate SO active site that is responsible for the adsorption of O-bearing volatiles and the dissociation of steam. The enhancement of Lewis acid on catalyst surface is also highly sensitive to the mass of catalyst and the extent of its exposure to the O-bearing species including steam and volatile vapours. The use of large quantity such as three times larger than the lignite are essential for the tyre char to remain highly active upon cyclic usage. An extra activation is also essential after each use. In addition, it is confirmed that the catalytic effect of tyre char is profound for the upgrading of volatile vapours released from fast heating of lignite above 700 °C. At 800 °C, the resultant synthesis gas from lignite is also highly rich in H2 and CO than that reported from the upgraded biomass volatiles based on the use of tyre char. A larger H2 yield was also confirmed for the lignites tested here, due to the abundance of long-chain heavy hydrocarbons derived from them.
•Scrap tyre char is a strong Lewis acid catalyst for pyrolytic tar upgrading;•Tyre char is catalytic for cracking, decarbolynation and steam reforming of tar;•The abundant zinc sulphide within tyre char is responsible for the Lewis acid;•Steam is beneficial in improving the acidity and catalytic activity of tyre char.
C1q/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related protein 12 (CTRP12) is a secretory protein that participates in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in obesity and diabetes. Its role in ...cardiovascular disease, particularly sepsis-induced cardiac injury, is unclear. Here, we stimulated cardiomyocytes with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish an in vitro cardiomyocyte injury model and CTRP12 was overexpressed with an adenovirus delivery system. Overexpression of CTRP12 reduced the transcription and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes, including TNFα, interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-6. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level increased and the oxidation/redox system was disturbed in LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes, as evident from the decrease in superoxide dismutase activity and an increase in reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity and malondialdehyde level. CTRP12 overexpression decreased the increasing level of ROS and ameliorated the unbalance in the oxidation/redox system in LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes. The viability of cardiomyocytes decreased after LPS stimulation, and the cells underwent apoptosis. CTRP12-overexpressing cardiomyocytes showed a decrease in the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, and the ratio of B cell lymphoma (Bcl)-1/Bax in these cells was recovered. In comparison with the control group, LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes showed reduced expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2), while CTRP12-overexpressing cardiomyocytes showed elevated NRF2 expression. Small-interfering RNA-mediated silencing of NRF2 expression in cardiomyocytes resulted in the inhibition of the protective effects of CTRP12. Thus, CTRP12 ameliorated injury in LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes in an NRF2-dependent manner.
Introduction
The α‐globin fusion gene between the HBA2 and HBAP1 genes becomes clinically important in thalassemia screening because this fusion gene can cause severe hemoglobin (Hb) H disease when ...combining with α0‐thalassemia (α0‐thal). Due to its uncommon rearrangement in the α gene cluster without dosage changes, this fusion gene is undetectable by common molecular testing approaches used for α‐thal diagnosis.
Methods
In this study, we used the single‐molecule real‐time (SMRT) sequencing technique to detect this fusion gene in 23 carriers identified by next‐generation sequencing (NGS) among 16,504 screened individuals. Five primers for α and β thalassemia were utilized.
Results
According to the NGS results, the 23 carriers include 14 pure heterozygotes, eight compound heterozygotes with common α‐thal alleles, and one homozygote. By using SMRT, the fusion mutant was successfully detected in all 23 carriers. Furthermore, SMRT corrected the diagnosis in two “pure” heterozygotes: one was compound heterozygote with anti‐3.7 triplication, and the other was homozygote.
Conclusion
Our results indicate that SMRT is a superior method compared to NGS in detecting the α fusion gene, attributing to its efficient, accurate, and one‐step properties.
The evolving Gleason grading system Chen, Ni; Zhou, Qiao
Chinese journal of cancer research,
02/2016, Letnik:
28, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The Gleason grading system for prostate adenocarcinoma has evolved from its original scheme established in the 1960s-1970s, to a significantly modified system after two major consensus meetings ...conducted by the International Society of Urologic Pathology （ISUP） in 2005 and 2014, respectively. The Gleason grading system has been incorporated into the WHO classification of prostate cancer, the AJCC/ UICC staging system, and the NCCN guidelines as one of the key factors in treatment decision. Both pathologists and clinicians need to fully understand the principles and practice of this grading system. We here briefly review the historical aspects of the original scheme and the recent developments of Gleason grading system, focusing on major changes over the years that resulted in the modern Gleason grading system, which has led to a new ＂Grade Group＂ system proposed by the 2014 ISUP consensus, and adopted by the 2016 WHO classification of tumours of the prostate.
Emerging studies show that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. The lncRNA ZEB1 antisense 1 (ZEB1-AS1) derives from the promoter region of ZEB1 ...and we still know little about its expressions, roles and mechanisms.
RACE was used to obtain the sequence of ZEB1-AS1. RNA interference was used to decrease ZEB1-AS1 expression. Adenovirus expression vector was used to increase ZEB1-AS1 expression. CHIP and RIP were used to detect the epigenetic mechanisms by which ZEB1-AS1 regulated ZEB1. CCK8 assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay were used to measure proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells.
In this study, in prostate cancer cells, we found that RNAi-mediated downregulation of ZEB1-AS1 induced significant ZEB1 inhibition while artificial overexpression of ZEB1-AS1 rescued ZEB1 expression, which means that ZEB1-AS1 promotes ZEB1 expression. Also, ZEB1-AS1 indirectly inhibited miR200c, the well-known target of ZEB1, and upregulated miR200c's target BMI1. Mechanistically, ZEB1-AS1 bound and recruited histone methyltransferase MLL1 to the promoter region of ZEB1, induced H3K4me3 modification therein, and activated ZEB1 transcription. Biologically, ZEB1-AS1 promoted proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells.
Collectively, ZEB1-AS1 functions as an oncogene in prostate cancer via epigenetically activating ZEB1 and indirectly regulating downstream molecules of ZEB1.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Germanium, a member of 14th group that falls between Si and Sn, has remained considerably ignored as a nucleophile for a long time. Compared with other forms of Ge-containing nucleophiles, ...germatranes are structure-defined, easily accessible, and stabilized nucleophilic fragments, but they fail to meet the need of high reactivity and facile introducing to organics. Herein, we report a modified structure of germatranes, whose cross-coupling reactivity is greatly improved. The structure can be easily constructed from inexpensive industrial GeO2, and corresponding Ge -Cl and Ge -H can also be obtained after facile transformations. Moreover, Ar- Ge can be effectively synthesized either from Grignard reagents or Pd-catalyzed germylation of aryl halides.
Endothelial cells adopt tissue-specific characteristics to instruct organ development and regeneration
. This adaptability is lost in cultured adult endothelial cells, which do not vascularize ...tissues in an organotypic manner. Here, we show that transient reactivation of the embryonic-restricted ETS variant transcription factor 2 (ETV2)
in mature human endothelial cells cultured in a serum-free three-dimensional matrix composed of a mixture of laminin, entactin and type-IV collagen (LEC matrix) 'resets' these endothelial cells to adaptable, vasculogenic cells, which form perfusable and plastic vascular plexi. Through chromatin remodelling, ETV2 induces tubulogenic pathways, including the activation of RAP1, which promotes the formation of durable lumens
. In three-dimensional matrices-which do not have the constraints of bioprinted scaffolds-the 'reset' vascular endothelial cells (R-VECs) self-assemble into stable, multilayered and branching vascular networks within scalable microfluidic chambers, which are capable of transporting human blood. In vivo, R-VECs implanted subcutaneously in mice self-organize into durable pericyte-coated vessels that functionally anastomose to the host circulation and exhibit long-lasting patterning, with no evidence of malformations or angiomas. R-VECs directly interact with cells within three-dimensional co-cultured organoids, removing the need for the restrictive synthetic semipermeable membranes that are required for organ-on-chip systems, therefore providing a physiological platform for vascularization, which we call 'Organ-On-VascularNet'. R-VECs enable perfusion of glucose-responsive insulin-secreting human pancreatic islets, vascularize decellularized rat intestines and arborize healthy or cancerous human colon organoids. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and epigenetic profiling, we demonstrate that R-VECs establish an adaptive vascular niche that differentially adjusts and conforms to organoids and tumoroids in a tissue-specific manner. Our Organ-On-VascularNet model will permit metabolic, immunological and physiochemical studies and screens to decipher the crosstalk between organotypic endothelial cells and parenchymal cells for identification of determinants of endothelial cell heterogeneity, and could lead to advances in therapeutic organ repair and tumour targeting.
The mechanism of local inflammation and systemic injury in chronic periodontitis is complicated, in which and exosomes play an important role. In our study, we found that T helper cell 17 ...(Th17)/regulatory T cell (Treg) balance is destabilized in the peripheral blood of patients with periodontitis, with upregulated Th17 or downregulated Treg, respectively. Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to simulate the inflammatory microenvironment of chronic periodontitis. The exosomes were extracted from periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) in LPS‐induced periodontitis environment, which inversely effected on CD4+ T cells under normal and inflammatory conditions. Furthermore, compared with exosomes from normal PDLSCs, lower expression of microRNA‐155‐5p (miR‐155‐5p) and higher expression of Sirtuin‐1 (SIRT1) were observed in exosomes from LPS‐stimulated PDLSCs. Exosomes from PDLSCs alleviated inflammatory microenvironment through Th17/Treg/miR‐155‐5p/SIRT1 regulatory network. This study aimed to find the “switching” factors that affected the further deterioration of periodontitis to maximally control the multiple downstream damage signal factors to further understand periodontitis and find new targets for its treatment.
The mechanism of how exosomes from periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) alleviated inflammatory microenvironment through T helper cell 17 (Th17)/regulatory T cell (Treg)/microRNA‐155‐5p (miR‐155‐5p)/Sirtuin‐1 (SIRT1) regulatory network. PDLSCs in the normal environment was favorable for the maintenance of Th17/Treg balance. The expression of miR‐155‐5p is decreased in exosomes released by PDLSCs in the inflammatory microenvironment. After ingestion by CD4+ T cells, the expression of SIRT1 in CD4+ T cells is increased, causing the upregulation of Th17 and the downregulation of Treg.
PDF
