Base-switched methylenation and formylation using tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) as a carbon source have been achieved under mild conditions, catalyzed by CuCl(2), with atmospheric oxygen as oxidant. Bisindolylmethanes, diphenylmethanes and 3-formylindoles were synthesized with excellent regioselectivity and good yield.

Background: To investigate the predictive value of ankle-brachial index (ABI) for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients and methods: 1563 CKD patients were enrolled in the cohort and were followed up for about 3 years in China. CKD was defined as an eGFR less than 60 ml/min/1.73m2. 573 participants were diagnosed with PAD using ABI <= 0.90. Their average age was 73.4 ±8.2 years. Results: During a median follow-up of 38 months, there were 1353 CKD patients with complete data. A total of 313 patients (161 with and 152 without PAD) died during follow-up. 184 deaths (99 with and 85 without PAD) were caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). All-cause and CVD mortality of CKD patients with PAD was increased 2.2-fold and 2.4-fold compared with CKD patients without PAD. The hazard ratio (HR) of PAD for all-cause and CVD mortality was 2.15 (95 % CI: 1.66 - 2.79) and 2.51 (95 % CI: 1.80 - 3.50) respectively. Mortality of CKD patients significantly increased with decreasing ABI. That of CKD patients with ABI <= 0.4 was the highest (42.9 % and 28.6 %, respectively) in different ABI categories. Relative risks of all-cause and CVD mortality of CKD patients with ABI <= 0.4 were increased 3.479-fold (95 % CI: 2.076 - 5.830) and 4.960-fold (95 % CI: 2.644 - 9.302) respectively compared with those of patients with ABI > 1.0 and <= 1.4. Special models to evaluate the predictive value of ABI to mortality of CKD patients suggested that addition of ABI significantly increased the predictive value of the model for 3-year mortality compared with a model including conventional risk factors alone. Conclusions: Low ankle-brachial index can predict increased mortality of chronic kidney disease patients. Addition of ankle-brachial index can significantly improve the prediction of 3-year mortality compared with conventional risk factors alone.

Thirteen pure strains that possessed high methyl red (MR)-decolorizing ability were isolated from dye-contaminated water. Each isolate was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. The results reveal that all of the isolated strains were facultative anaerobic bacteria. Two novel bacterial consortia (AE and AN), which could decolorize MR under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively, were developed. Azo dye decolorization rate was significantly higher with the use of consortia compared to that with the use of individual strains. Both of the consortia can decolorize different azo dyes effectively in a short time, and tolerate MR with high concentrations. To provide further insight into the microbial diversity of the bacteria consortia under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analyses were performed. PCR-DGGE profiles revealed that the microbial community had changed significantly with varying initial concentrations of MR. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that microbial populations in the aerobic compartment belong to Klebsiella, Buttiauxella and Bacillus, whereas Klebsiella, Escherichia, Bacillus and Clostridium were present in the anaerobic compartment. Klebsiella, which was the majority genus in both of the consortia, may play an important role in azo dye removal.

Due to sustained economic growth in China over the last three decades, urbanization has been on a rapidly expanding track. In recent years, regional industrial relocations were also accelerated across the country from the east coast to the west inland. These changes have led to a large-scale redesign of urban infrastructures, including the drainage system. To help the reconstructed infrastructures towards a better sustainability, a tool is required for assessing the efficiency and environmental performance of different renovation schemes. This paper developed an integrated dynamic modeling tool, which consisted of three models for describing the sewer, the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the receiving water body respectively. Three auxiliary modules were also incorporated to conceptualize the model, calibrate the simulations, and analyze the results. The developed integrated modeling tool was applied to a case study in Shenzhen City, which is one of the most dynamic cities and facing considerable challenges for environmental degradation. The renovation scheme proposed to improve the environmental performance of Shenzhen City's urban drainage system was modeled and evaluated. The simulation results supplied some suggestions for the further improvement of the renovation scheme.

Microbial activities in brine, seawater, or estuarine mud are involved in iodine cycle. To investigate the effects of the microbiologically induced iodine on other bacteria in the environment, a total of 13 bacteria that potentially participated in the iodide-oxidizing process were isolated from water or biofilm at a location containing 131 μg ml(-1) iodide. Three distinct strains were further identified as Roseovarius spp. based on 16 S rRNA gene sequences after being distinguished by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Morphological characteristics of these three Roseovarius spp. varied considerably across and within strains. Iodine production increased with Roseovarius spp. growth when cultured in Marine Broth with 200 μg ml(-1) iodide (I(-)). When 10(6) CFU/ml Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus pumilus were exposed to various concentrations of molecular iodine (I(2)), the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were 0.5, 1.0, and 1.0 μg ml(-1), respectively. However, fivefold increases in the MICs for Roseovarius spp. were obtained. In co-cultured Roseovarius sp. IOB-7 and E. coli in Marine Broth containing iodide (I(-)), the molecular iodine concentration was estimated to be 0.76 μg ml(-1) after 24 h and less than 50 % of E. coli was viable compared to that co-cultured without iodide. The growth inhibition of E. coli was also observed in co-cultures with the two other Roseovarius spp. strains when the molecular iodine concentration was assumed to be 0.52 μg ml(-1).

Hepadnaviruses, including the pathogenic hepatitis B virus (HBV), replicate their small DNA genomes through protein-primed reverse transcription, mediated by the Terminal Protein (TP) domain in their P proteins and an RNA stem-loop, ε, on the pregenomic (pg) RNA. No direct structural data are available for P proteins but their reverse transcriptase (RT) domains contain motifs that are conserved in all RTs (box A to box G), implying a similar architecture; however, experimental support for this notion is limited. Exploiting assays available for duck HBV (DHBV) but not HBV P protein, we assessed the functional consequences of numerous mutations in box E which in human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) RT forms the DNA primer grip. This substructure coordinates primer 3' end positioning and RT subdomain movements during the polymerization cycle, and is a prime target for non-nucleosidic RT inhibitors (NNRTIs) of HIV-1 RT. Box E was indeed critical for DHBV replication, with the mutations affecting folding, ε RNA interaction and polymerase activity of P protein in a similar position- and amino acid side-chain dependent fashion as in HIV-1 RT. Structural similarity to HIV-1 RT was underlined by molecular modeling and confirmed by the replication activity of chimeric P proteins carrying box E, or even box C to box E, from HIV-1 RT. Hence box E in DHBV and likely in HBV P protein forms a primer grip-like structure that may provide a new target for anti-HBV NNRTIs.

OBJECTIVES: Sox2 is a major transcription factor and the transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α)/EGFR autocrine loop is a hallmark of prostate cancer progression. In this study, we have evaluated the effects and potential mechanisms of Sox2 on cell proliferation and apoptosis, and investigated effects of TGF-α on expression of Sox2 on androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression of Sox2 has been determined by RT-PCR, western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry, using RNAi and over-expression strategy to study functions of Sox2 in DU145 and PC-3 cells. Changes in level of proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis profiles were measured by MTT, colony-forming, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays, cell cycle and annexin V analysis. RESULTS: Sox2 was expressed in six human prostate cancer cell lines, and its inhibition reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in DU145 cells. We have shown that knock-down of Sox2 inhibited G(1) to S phase transition concomitantly with down-regulation of cyclin E and up-regulation of p27 proteins. Conversely, over-expression of Sox2 led to the opposite effect in PC-3 cells but its inhibition induced apoptosis by down-regulation of survivin in DU145 cells. We also found that TGF-α up-regulated Sox2 and survivin protein expression via the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Sox2 expression is necessary for cell proliferation and evasion of apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and TGF-α could regulate Sox2 and survivin expression by activating the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway.

The influence of nanoparticles of various sizes and surface functionalities on the self-assembling fibrillogenesis of beta-amyloid (1-40) peptide was investigated. Functionalized nanoparticles including quantum dots and gold nanoparticles were co-incubated with monomeric Aβ(1-40) peptides under seed-mediated growth method to study their influences on the elongation phase of the fibrillogenesis. It is observed that charge-to-surface area ratio of the nanoparticles and the functional moiety and electrostatic charges of the conjugated ligands on the particle surfaces took crucial regulatory role in the Aβ(1-40) fibrillogenesis.

In vitro and in vivo bioimaging, Yb/Tm doped fluoride nanocrystals (NCs) as nanoprobes have attracted much attention due to their near infrared (NIR) upconversion (UC) emission at 800 nm under NIR 980 nm excitation. Our paper presents a simple and general method which can further improve the intensity of NIR 800 nm emission of Tm³⁺ through adding Ho³⁺ as the second sensitizer of Tm³⁺ in Yb/Tm doped NaYF₄ nanorods. The intensity of the NIR 800 nm emission is demonstrated to increase by up to 3 times along with the adding of Ho³⁺. Experimental data illustrates that the sensitizations of Tm³⁺ by both Yb³⁺ and Ho³⁺ provide a more efficient energy transfer (ET) route for intense 800 nm emission than that by Yb³⁺ alone.

The apoptosis of glomerular mesangial cells (GMC) in rat Thy-1 nephritis (Thy-1N), a model of human mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN) is accompanied by sublytic C5b-9 deposition, but the mechanism of sublytic C5b-9-mediated GMC apoptosis has not been elucidated. In the present study, the gene expression profiles both in the GMC stimulated by sublytic C5b-9 and the rat renal tissue of Thy-1N were detected using microarrays. Among the co-upregulated genes, the up-regulation of interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) was further confirmed. Increased caspase 8 and caspase 3 expression and caspase 8 promoter activity in the GMC were also identified. Meanwhile, over-expression or knockdown of IRF-1 not only enhanced or inhibited GMC apoptosis and caspase 8 and 3 induction, but also increased or decreased caspase 8 promoter activity, respectively. The element of IRF-1 binding to the caspase 8 promoter was first revealed. Furthermore, silencing IRF-1 or repressing the activation of caspases 8 and 3 significantly reduced GMC apoptosis, including other pathologic changes of Thy-1N. These novel findings indicate that GMC apoptosis of Thy-1N is associated with IRF-1-activated caspase 8 pathway.