Myeloperoxidase (MPO) belongs to the family of heme-containing peroxidases, produced mostly from polymorphonuclear neutrophils. The active enzyme (150 kDa) is the product of the
gene located on long ...arm of chromosome 17. The primary gene product undergoes several modifications, such as the removal of introns and signal peptides, and leads to the formation of enzymatically inactive glycosylated apoproMPO which complexes with chaperons, producing inactive proMPO by the insertion of a heme moiety. The active enzyme is a homodimer of heavy and light chain protomers. This enzyme is released into the extracellular fluid after oxidative stress and different inflammatory responses. Myeloperoxidase is the only type of peroxidase that uses H₂O₂ to oxidize several halides and pseudohalides to form different hypohalous acids. So, the antibacterial activities of MPO involve the production of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species. Controlled MPO release at the site of infection is of prime importance for its efficient activities. Any uncontrolled degranulation exaggerates the inflammation and can also lead to tissue damage even in absence of inflammation. Several types of tissue injuries and the pathogenesis of several other major chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, diabetes, and cancer have been reported to be linked with MPO-derived oxidants. Thus, the enhanced level of MPO activity is one of the best diagnostic tools of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers among these commonly-occurring diseases.
Plane Poiseuille flow of a Bingham fluid in a channel armed with a superhydrophobic (SH) lower wall is analysed via a semi-analytical model, accompanied by complementary direct numerical simulations ...(DNS). The SH surface represents a groovy structure with air trapped inside its cavities. Therefore, the fluid adjacent to the wall undergoes stick–slip conditions. The model is developed based on introducing infinitesimal wall-induced perturbations into the motion equations, followed by Fourier series expansions, and solving the resulting equations as a boundary value problem. The Navier slip law accounts for the slip at the liquid/air interface (assuming the Cassie state). The presented analysis is fairly comprehensive, covering the creeping and inertial regimes for thick channels (via the semi-analytical and DNS solutions). The main dimensionless numbers are the Reynolds ($Re$), Bingham ($Bi$) and slip ($b$) numbers, as well as the groove periodicity length ($\ell$) and the slip area fraction ($\varphi$). By increasing $Bi$, the perturbation and slip velocity fields grow. As $Re$ increases, the perturbation and slip velocity fields become asymmetric. For certain flow parameters, an unyielded plug zone may appear on the SH wall liquid/air interface, while its formation is accelerated by inertial effects. The results classify the regimes of creeping and inertial flows via predicting the onset of the unyielded plug zone formation at the SH wall.
Aims
The present study aimed at gaining an insight into the abundance and genetic diversity of culturable N‐fixing epiphyte bacteria on the phyllosphere of maize in arid and semi‐arid regions of ...Iran.
Methods and Results
Leaf samples of the maize variety, ‘single cross 704’ (Zea mays L.) were collected from different locations in Iran. The community of culturable N‐fixing epiphyte bacteria present was examined by 16S rRNA sequencing, BOXAIR‐polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restricted fragment length polymorphisms analysis of 16S rRNA gene (16S‐RFLP). Approximately, 31·82% of the 242 isolates were identified as N‐fixers by cultivation of bacteria in Rennie medium and detection of their nifH gene. The N‐fixers were affiliated with four bacterial phyla: Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. 16S rRNA sequencing detected 16 genera and 24 different species in the identified phyla. The most dominant genus was Bacillus and the species identified were B. pumilus, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. subtilis, B. paralicheniformis, B. licheniformis, B. niabensis and B. megaterium. In total, 22 RFLP groups were present among the isolates originally identified as N‐fixing bacteria. BOXAIR‐PCR showed that there was a low similarity level among the N‐fixing bacteria isolates, and genetic differentiation of individual strains was relatively great.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that nitrogen‐fixing epiphyte bacteria on the phyllosphere of maize may provide significant nitrogen input into arid and semi‐arid ecosystem.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This research implies that phyllosphere epiphyte diazotrophs have much to offer in sustainable agriculture and can be an alternative to chemical N‐fertilizers for providing nitrogen to crops arid and semi‐arid regions.
We develop a comprehensive model for the creeping Poiseuille Bingham flow in channels equipped with a patterned wall, i.e. decorated with grooves or stripes that may represent a superhydrophobic (SH) ...or a chemically patterned (CP) surface, respectively, with longitudinal, transverse and oblique groove (stripe) orientations with respect to the applied pressure gradient. We rely on the Navier slip law to model the boundary condition on the slippery grooves. We develop semi-analytical, explicit-form and complementary computational fluid dynamics models, with solutions that have reasonable agreement. In contrast to its Newtonian analogue, a distinct solution for the oblique configuration, with an a priori unknown transform matrix, must be developed due to the viscoplastic nonlinear rheology. Our focus is to systematically analyse the effects of the Bingham number ($B$), slip number ($b$), groove periodicity length ($\ell$), slip area fraction ($\varphi$) and groove orientation angle ($\theta$), on the slip velocities, effective slip length ($\chi$), slip angle difference ($\theta -s$), mixing index ($I_M$), flow anisotropy and flow regimes. In particular, we demonstrate that, as $B$ increases, the maximum values of the shear component of $\chi$, $\theta -s$ and $I_M$ occur progressively at smaller values of $\theta$, compared with their Newtonian counterparts.
With the increasing concerns over food safety during these years, there has been an intense effort for substituting (eliminating) antibiotic growth promoters in poultry feeds. Therefore, in order to ...investigate the effect of natural alternatives for antibiotics, an experiment was conducted to examine the effect of virginiamycin, a prebiotic (Fructomix), and peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil on productive performance, digestibility, intestinal morphology and immune response of broilers. A total of 240 Ross 308 male broilers were randomly (completely randomized design) allotted to five treatments, with four replicates per treatment (12 chickens per pen). Birds were offered either a maize-soybean meal basal diet (control, CON) or the basal diet supplemented with 200mg/kg virginiamycin (VM); 200mg/kg peppermint oil (PO1); 400mg/kg peppermint oil (PO2); or 500mg/kg Fructomix (FM). After 6 weeks, daily live weight gain and feed intake were higher (P<0.001) for VM-fed birds compared with other groups. Feed conversion ratio was better (P=0.039) in chicks fed the VM (1.74), and PO1 diet (1.75) compared with birds in the CON (1.84) and PO2 (1.86) groups. Primary antibody titers against sheep red blood cell were higher (P<0.001) in broilers fed FM (6.37) compared with other groups. At 21d of age, crude protein digestibility was higher (P=0.001) in PO1 group (0.8645) compared with other groups except VM (0.8505). Finally, higher ether extract digestibility (P=0.040) was detected in birds fed VM (0.8831) compared with PO2 (0.7940), and FM (0.7561) fed birds. In duodenum, villus height: crypt depth was higher (P=0.008) in VM supplemented group (7.07) in comparison with other groups. In conclusion, this study showed that neither PO nor FM could be suggested as effective alternative for VM.
► Chronic lymphocytic leukemia causes an increase in the number of white blood cells. ► We introduced a highly sensitive biosensor for the detection of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. ► A suitable ...25-mer ssDNA probe was immobilized on the surface of the gold nanoparticles. ► We used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a suitable tool for the detection. ► Detection of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in blood sample was checked using the sensor.
A simple and sensitive DNA impedance sensor was prepared for the detection of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The DNA electrochemical biosensor is worked based on the electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) detection of the sequence-specific DNA related to chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The ssDNA probe was immobilized on the surface of the gold nanoparticles. Compared to the bare gold electrode, the gold nanoparticles-modified electrode could improve the density of the probe DNA attachment and hence the sensitivity of the DNA sensor greatly. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed in a solution containing 1.0
mmol
L
−1 K
3Fe(CN)
6/K
4Fe(CN)
6 and 50
mmol
L
−1 phosphate buffer saline pH 6.87 plus 50
mmol
L
−1 KCl. In the CV studied, the potential was cycled from 0.0 to +0.65
V with a scan rate of 50
mV
s
−1. Using EIS, the difference of the electron transfer resistance (Δ
R
et) was linear with the logarithm of the complementary oligonucleotides sequence concentrations in the range of 7.0
×
10
−12–2.0
×
10
−7
mol
L
−1, with a detection limit of 1.0
×
10
−12
mol
L
−1. In addition, the DNA sensor showed a good reproducibility and stability during repeated regeneration and hybridization cycles.
In this theoretical work, the encapsulation effect of bithiophene (2T) inside single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is reported. The optimum configurations of 2T inside SWCNTs (2T@SWCNTs) are ...derived from minimum energy calculations using a Lennard‐Jones expression to describe the van der Waals intermolecular interactions. The great number of atoms present the main handicap for the theoretical study of our systems. A hybrid approach is set out to build a dynamic model of 2T@SWCNTs systems. This approach combines density of functional theory and molecular dynamics. We have finally developed the process necessary to build the dynamic matrix of our systems. After calculation of the dynamical model, for the obtained configuration of 2T@SWCNTs, the nonresonant Raman spectra have been calculated using the spectral moment's method. The charges transfer in the hybrid systems has been investigated by analyzing the Raman active modes of 2T molecule and the G‐band modes of free SWCNTs and 2T@SWCNTs hybrid systems.
Cancer is a multi-factorial disease including alterations in the cell signalling pathways. Currently, several drugs are in use to treat cancer but such drugs show negative side effects on normal ...cells and cause severe toxicity.
The current research is mainly focused on medicinal plants with potential therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of cancer without any adverse effects on normal cells. In this regard, garlic and its active compounds including diallyl sulfide, diallyl trisulfide, ajoene, and allicin have been established to suppress the growth of cancer and killing of cancer cells.
The review focuses on garlic and its active compounds chemopreventive effect through modulating various cell signalling pathways. Additionally, garlic and its active compound were established to induce cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and G2/M phases in cancer cells, increase the expression of tumor suppressor genes, inhibit the angiogenesis process, induction of apoptosis and modulation of various other genetic pathways.
This review sketches the diverse chemopreventive activities of garlic and their active ingredients in the management of cancer mainly focusing on cell signalling pathways.
Abstract
We present a detailed analysis of an H2-rich, extremely strong intervening damped Ly α absorption system (DLA) at z
abs = 2.786 towards the quasar J 0843+0221, observed with the Ultraviolet ...and Visual Echelle Spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope. The total column density of molecular (resp. atomic) hydrogen is log N(H2) = 21.21 ± 0.02 (resp. log N(H i) = 21.82 ± 0.11), making it to be the first case in quasar absorption line studies with H2 column density as high as what is seen in 13CO-selected clouds in the Milky Way. We find that this system has one of the lowest metallicity detected among H2-bearing DLAs, with
$\rm Zn/H = -1.52^{+0.08}_{-0.10}$
. This can be the reason for the marked differences compared to systems with similar H2 column densities in the local Universe: (i) the kinetic temperature, T ∼ 120 K, derived from the J = 0, 1 H2 rotational levels is at least twice higher than expected; (ii) there is little dust extinction with AV
< 0.1; (iii) no CO molecules are detected, putting a constraint on the X
CO factor X
CO > 2 × 1023 cm−2/(km s−1 K), in the very low metallicity gas. Low CO and high H2 contents indicate that this system represents ‘CO-dark/faint’ gas. We investigate the physical conditions in the H2-bearing gas using the fine-structure levels of C i, C ii, Si ii and the rotational levels of HD and H2. We find the number density to be about n ∼ 260–380 cm−3, implying a high thermal pressure of 3–5 × 104 cm−3 K. We further identify a trend of increasing pressure with increasing total hydrogen column density. This independently supports the suggestion that extremely strong DLAs (with log N(H) ∼22) probe high-z galaxies at low impact parameters.
•An exact solution for transient heat conduction in conical shells is presented.•The exact solution is obtained for truncated anisotropic composite shells.•The effect of fibers direction on ...temperature distribution is studied in detail.
This paper presents an exact analytical solution for transient anisotropic heat conduction in a truncated composite conical shell for the first time. The fibers of composite conical shell are winded around the body in any arbitrary direction. Heat convection between the ambient fluid flow and composite conical shell is modeled and the exact solution of heat conduction equation is obtained by combining two popular analytical methods. First, by means of an integral transform in angular direction, the heat conduction equation is transformed and after that the transferred heat equation is solved using separation of variables method. Eventually, an inverse transformation is used in order to achieve the final exact solution of heat conduction equation. Validation of the present analytical solution is performed by comparing the analytical results with the solution of second order finite different method. Besides, the capability of present solution in solving the industrial cases is tested. The present solution is applicable in some industrial cases such as cooling pin fins and aeronautical instruments.
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