Plasma-initiated polymerization of (2-methacryloyloxyethyl) thrimethyl ammonium chloride (MTAC))was studied. The effects of discharge time and discharge power on temperature in a tubular-type reactor ...chamber were accurately tested by on-line thermocouple, and the equation relating discharge time, discharge
power and temperature in the tubular-type reactor chamber was derived. The results indicated that temperature played a very important role in controlling the solubility of Poly(MTAC) in water. For T $\geq$ 130°, Poly (MTAC) was cross-linked, and the highest rate of absorbing water of Poly(MTAC) was
15 g-g"1. For T < 130°, Poly(MTAC) was linear, and the highest intrinsic viscosity of Poly(MTAC) was 420.2 $cm^3.g^{-1}$. The polymerization condition of linear Poly(MTAC) was optimized as follows: discharge time 60 s and discharge power 60 W.
Increasing evidence indicates that RhoA may play a central role in the inflammatory response. This study was conducted to examine the role of RhoA in mediating the activation of NF-kappaB in tumor ...necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-stimulated rheumatoid synoviocytes, and to evaluate the modulatory effects of statins on the TNFalpha-induced activation of RhoA and NF-kappaB and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by rheumatoid synoviocytes.
Rheumatoid synoviocytes obtained from patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were stimulated with TNFalpha and incubated with simvastatin (SMV) (1 muM). RhoA activity was assessed by a pull-down assay. NF-kappaB DNA binding activity and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB were measured by a sensitive multiwell colorimetric assay and confocal fluorescence microscopy, respectively.
TNFalpha stimulation elicited a robust increase in RhoA activity in a dose-dependent manner, and SMV mitigated this increase. TNFalpha also hastened NF-kappaB nuclear translocation of subunit p65 and increased DNA binding activity, luciferase reporter gene expression, degradation of IkappaB, and secretion of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and IL-6. SMV prevented the increase in NF-kappaB activation and rise in IL-1beta and IL-6 levels induced by TNFalpha, whereas mevalonate and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate reversed the inhibitory effects of SMV on activation of NF-kappaB and RhoA. Furthermore, cotransfection with a dominant-negative mutant of RhoA demonstrated that the TNFalpha-induced signaling pathway involved sequential activation of RhoA, leading to NF-kappaB activation and, ultimately, to secretion of cytokines.
This study identifies RhoA as the key regulator of TNFalpha-induced NF-kappaB activation, which ultimately results in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in rheumatoid synoviocytes. The findings provide a new rationale for the antiinflammatory effects of statins in inflammatory arthritis.
Objective Increasing evidence indicates that RhoA may play a central role in the inflammatory response. This study was conducted to examine the role of RhoA in mediating the activation of NF-B in ...tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-stimulated rheumatoid synoviocytes, and to evaluate the modulatory effects of statins on the TNF-induced activation of RhoA and NF-B and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by rheumatoid synoviocytes. Methods Rheumatoid synoviocytes obtained from patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were stimulated with TNF and incubated with simvastatin (SMV) (1 M). RhoA activity was assessed by a pull-down assay. NF-B DNA binding activity and nuclear translocation of NF-B were measured by a sensitive multiwell colorimetric assay and confocal fluorescence microscopy, respectively. Results TNF stimulation elicited a robust increase in RhoA activity in a dose-dependent manner, and SMV mitigated this increase. TNF also hastened NF-B nuclear translocation of subunit p65 and increased DNA binding activity, luciferase reporter gene expression, degradation of IB, and secretion of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6. SMV prevented the increase in NF-B activation and rise in IL-1 and IL-6 levels induced by TNF, whereas mevalonate and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate reversed the inhibitory effects of SMV on activation of NF-B and RhoA. Furthermore, cotransfection with a dominant-negative mutant of RhoA demonstrated that the TNF-induced signaling pathway involved sequential activation of RhoA, leading to NF-B activation and, ultimately, to secretion of cytokines. Conclusion This study identifies RhoA as the key regulator of TNF-induced NF-B activation, which ultimately results in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in rheumatoid synoviocytes. The findings provide a new rationale for the antiinflammatory effects of statins in inflammatory arthritis.
The design and synthesis of robust sintering-resistant nanocatalysts for high-temperature oxidation reactions is ubiquitous in many industrial catalytic processes and still a big challenge in ...implementing nanostructured metal catalyst systems. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy for designing robust nanocatalysts through a sintering-resistant support via compartmentalization. Ultrafine palladium active phases can be highly dispersed and thermally stabilized by nanosheet-assembled γ-Al
O
(NA-Al
O
) architectures. The NA-Al
O
architectures with unique flowerlike morphologies not only efficiently suppress the lamellar aggregation and irreversible phase transformation of γ-Al
O
nanosheets at elevated temperatures to avoid the sintering and encapsulation of metal phases, but also exhibit significant structural advantages for heterogeneous reactions, such as fast mass transport and easy access to active sites. This is a facile stabilization strategy that can be further extended to improve the thermal stability of other Al
O
-supported nanocatalysts for industrial catalytic applications, in particular for those involving high-temperature reactions.
The complex organics, residue pharmaceuticals and high salinity in pharmaceutical wastewater pose great challenges to biological wastewater treatment. In this study, granular sludge process was used ...for treating pharmaceutical wastewater because of its high pollutant removal efficiency. The results suggested that granules could not form within 90-d cultivation when directly fed with target hypersaline pharmaceutical wastewater (RP) due to suppression of EPS secretion by high concentration of inhibitory organics, while granules were successfully developed with hypersaline synthetic wastewater (RS) and diluted pharmaceutical wastewater (RD), respectively. Further comparison of pollutant removal performance from target pharmaceutical wastewater showed that simultaneous removal of organics (effluent bCOD<1 mg L-1) and nitrogen (average TN removal efficiency of 70.3%) could be achieved in RD. Nevertheless, long acclimation period (i.e., 20 d) was needed for granules when carbon source was shifted from simple sodium acetate to complex organic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewater, with nitrite significantly accumulated in RS. Analysis of microbial community and nitrogen metabolism pathway indicated the higher abundance of nitrite oxidoreductase than that in the RS to alleviate nitrite accumulation in the RD, and functional strains such as Paracoccus and Mycobacterium played critical roles for high efficiency of organic degradation, nitrification and denitrification.
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•Granules could not form when directly fed with target pharmaceutical wastewater.•Granules cultivated by diluted pharmaceutical wastewater showed long-term stability.•High removal efficiency of COD and N was found treating pharmaceutical wastewater.•Paracoccus and Mycobacterium played key roles in organic removal and SND.•High abundance of enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolic pathway could be detected.
Water lilies belong to the angiosperm order Nymphaeales. Amborellales, Nymphaeales and Austrobaileyales together form the so-called ANA-grade of angiosperms, which are extant representatives of ...lineages that diverged the earliest from the lineage leading to the extant mesangiosperms
. Here we report the 409-megabase genome sequence of the blue-petal water lily (Nymphaea colorata). Our phylogenomic analyses support Amborellales and Nymphaeales as successive sister lineages to all other extant angiosperms. The N. colorata genome and 19 other water lily transcriptomes reveal a Nymphaealean whole-genome duplication event, which is shared by Nymphaeaceae and possibly Cabombaceae. Among the genes retained from this whole-genome duplication are homologues of genes that regulate flowering transition and flower development. The broad expression of homologues of floral ABCE genes in N. colorata might support a similarly broadly active ancestral ABCE model of floral organ determination in early angiosperms. Water lilies have evolved attractive floral scents and colours, which are features shared with mesangiosperms, and we identified their putative biosynthetic genes in N. colorata. The chemical compounds and biosynthetic genes behind floral scents suggest that they have evolved in parallel to those in mesangiosperms. Because of its unique phylogenetic position, the N. colorata genome sheds light on the early evolution of angiosperms.
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