Application of Mössbauer Spectroscopy for Identification of Iron-Containing Components in Upper Silesian Topsoil Being under Industrial Anthropopressure

The main objective of the presented preliminary study was the identification of iron-containing phases. Iron-containing phases had accumulated in organic topsoil horizons collected from an area that has long been affected by the steel industry and emissions from power plants. X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy methods were used for the determination of the iron-containing mineral phases in topsoil subsamples which, after two-staged separation, varied in terms of magnetic susceptibility and granulometry. The Mössbauer spectra were recorded using paramagnetic and magnetic components, although the latter occurred only in the strongly magnetic fraction. The central part of spectra was fitted by two doublets (D1 and D2), which were identified as aluminosilicates. Simultaneously, the experimental spectra were described using several Zeeman sextets (Z1, Z2, and Z3) corresponding to the occurrence of hematite and magnetite-like phases with iron in tetrahedral and octahedral sites. Identification of magnetic phases in the tested material, including hematite, led to the conclusion that soil contamination in the studied area was presumably caused by emissions from a nearby power plant. Magnetite-like phases with a different iron content detected in topsoil samples could be related to metallurgical and coking processes, reflecting the specificity of the industrial area from which the samples were taken. The specific composition of the iron-containing aluminosilicates also illustrated the intense and long-lasting impact of the steel and coking industries on the studied area.     

Joining of Hypereutectic Al-50Si Alloys Using Lead-Free Brazing Filler Glass in Air

Hypereutectic Al-Si alloys are attractive materials in the fields of electronic packaging and aerospace. A Bi₂O₃-ZnO-B₂O₃ system lead-free brazing filler glass was employed to braze hypereutectic Al-50Si alloys in air. The hypereutectic Al-50Si alloys were pre-oxidized and the low-temperature glass powder was flake-shaped in the brazing process. The effects of brazing temperature and time on joints microstructure evolution, resulting mechanical strength, and air tightness were systematically investigated. The results indicated that the maximum shear strength of the joint was 34.49 MPa and leakage rate was 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ Pa m³/s at a temperature of 495 °C for 30 min. Crystalline phases, including Bi₂₄B₂O₃₉ and Bi₂O₃, were generated in the glass joint. The formation of a diffusion transition layer with a thickness of 3 μm, including elements of Al, Si, Zn, Bi, Na, and B, was the key to form an effective joint. The elements of Al, Si, and Bi had a short diffusion distance while the elements of Zn, Na, and B diffused in a long way under brazing condition.     

Discovery of Surfactant-Like Peptides from a Phage-Displayed Peptide Library

Peptides with specific affinities for various materials have been identified in the past three decades and utilized in materials science and engineering. A peptide’s capability to specifically interact with materials is not naturally derived but screened from a biologically constructed peptide library displayed on phages or cells. To date, due to limitations in the screening procedure, the function of screened peptides has been primarily limited to the affinity for target materials. Herein, we demonstrated the screening of surfactant-like peptides from a phage-displayed peptide library. A screened phage clone displaying a peptide showed high activity for accumulating at emulsion surfaces with certain assembled structures, resulting in stable emulsions. The surface tension for the solution of the chemically synthesized peptide decreased with increasing peptide concentration, demonstrating certain surface activity, which corresponded to the ability to decrease the surface tension of liquids (e.g., water), owing to the accumulation of molecules at the air–liquid or liquid–liquid interface. Peptides with a randomized sequence did not lower the surface tension, indicating the essential role of amino acid sequences in surface activity. Our strategy for identifying novel functional peptides from a phage-displayed peptide library can be used to expand the applicability of peptidyl materials and biosurfactants.     

Temporal Trajectory of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with CKD Stages 3 and 4, Dialysis,and Kidney Transplant

Background and objectives

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration predicts outcome in patients undergoing dialysis. Because survival and cardiovascular risk change across the CKD continuum, serial changes in BNP were compared in patients at different CKD stages and after kidney transplantation.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

Patients with CKD stages 3 and 4 (CKD 3–4), dialysis patients, and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) from one center had two measurements of BNP taken a median of 161 days apart in 2003–2004 and were followed until July 2012. Both BNP-32 (Triage BNP; Biosite Diagnostics) and NT-BNP-76 (proBNP; Roche Diagnostics) were assayed. The interaction between change in log-transformed BNP concentration over time and patient group was tested by fitting regression models on panel data with random effects. Survival after the second measurement was compared by tertile of change in BNP.

Results

Patients with CKD 3–4 (n=48), dialysis patients (n=102), and KTRs (n=73) were followed for a median of 5.7, 4.8, and 5.9 years, respectively. The interaction between patient group and BNP measurements over time was significant for NT-BNP-76 (P<0.001) and BNP-32 (P<0.01). Median NT-BNP-76 increased in dialysis patients and those with CKD 3–4 from 3850 pg/ml (interquartile range [IQR], 1776–12,323 pg/ml) to 18,830 pg/ml (IQR, 6114–61,009 pg/ml; P<0.001) and from 698 pg/ml (IQR, 283–2922 pg/ml) to 2529 pg/ml (IQR, 347–9277 pg/ml; P=0.002), respectively. Change was not significant for KTRs or comparisons made with BNP-32. Survival rate was significantly lower for patients with the highest tertile of change in NT-BNP-76 among patients with CKD 3–4 (P=0.02), but not in the dialysis or KTR groups. In 11 patients who received a kidney transplant during the study, median NT-BNP-76 decreased from 9607 pg/ml (IQR, 2292–31,282 pg/ml) to 457 pg/ml (IQR, 203–863 pg/ml) after transplant (P<0.01).

Conclusions

The temporal trajectory of BNP differs between dialysis patients and those with CKD 3–4 and KTRs. This has important implications for the development of BNP-guided management strategies in CKD.     

A Synthetic Bioactive Peptide Derived from the Asian Medicinal Plant Acacia catechu Binds to Dengue Virus and Inhibits Cell Entry

Dengue virus (DENV) infection has become a critically important globally prevalent infectious disease, especially in tropical and subtropical countries. Since neither currently exists, there is an urgent need for an effective vaccine to prevent, and a specific drug to treat DENV infection. Therapeutic peptides represent an attractive alternative for development into anti-DENV drugs due to their safety and their diverse biological and chemical properties. We recently reported novel bioactive peptides extracted from the Asian medicinal plant Acacia catechu that efficiently inhibited all four DENV serotypes. In this study, we investigated the anti-DENV activity of a synthetic bioactive peptide derived from this plant. The most effective peptide (designated Pep-RTYM) inhibited DENV infection with a half-maximal inhibition concentration value of 7.9 μM. Time-of-addition study demonstrated that Pep-RTYM interacted with DENV particles and inhibited cellular entry. Pep-RTYM at 50 μM significantly reduced DENV production in Vero-kidney epithelial cells about 1000-fold, but it could decrease the virus production in Huh7 hepatocyte cells approximately 40-fold. Binding of Pep-RTYM to DENV particles may prevent virus interaction with cellular receptor and subsequent virus entry. This finding suggests a potential role of Pep-RTYM in the development of a novel anti-DENV drug.     

钠尿肽受体A在小鼠视网膜发育过程中的表达

目的检测钠尿肽受体(NPR)在不同年龄小鼠视网膜内的表达,探讨其在视网膜发育过程中的作用。方法收集从受孕16日(E16)到出生90日(P90)小鼠眼球标本共127只,对NPR-A进行免疫荧光检测。结果NPR-A广泛存在于视网膜神经元中,例如,在外核层,NPR-A于P7开始高表达在视锥、视杆细胞内、外突起上,于P14减弱,P30之后持续稳定弱表达;在内核层,从P7开始NPR-A持续弱表达在双极细胞的突起中,而在水平细胞中未见NPR-A表达;在神经节细胞层,NPR-A于E16开始高表达在神经节细胞胞体中,P14明显减弱,而在神经纤维层,即神经节细胞的轴突中,NPR-A从胚胎期至成年持续高表达;在外网状层和内网状层,NPR-A于P14均高表达,但于P30之后逐渐减弱。此外,NPR-A还广泛的存在于Müller细胞的突起中。结论 NPR-A参与了视网膜的发育,可能是小鼠视网膜神经元发育过程中的关键分子,并对Müller细胞的功能活动起着重要的调节作用。     

载脂蛋白A-I模拟肽D-4F对巨噬细胞源性泡沫细胞清道夫受体A1的抑制作用

 目的:研究载脂蛋白A-I模拟肽D-4F对氧化低密度脂蛋白（oxidized low-density lipoprotein,ox-LDL）所诱导的巨噬细胞源性泡沫细胞清道夫受体A1（scavenger receptor A1,SR-A1）的抑制作用及其机制。方法:体外培养RAW264.7巨噬细胞,给予不同浓度的D-4F（12.5、25和50 mg/L）、紊乱模拟肽sD-4F（50 mmol/L）处理1 h或者5 mmol/L内质网应激（endoplasmic reticulum stress,ERS）抑制剂 4-苯丁酸处理30 min后,再加入ox-LDL （100 mg/L）继续培养12 h。另外培养巨噬细胞给予50 mg/L D-4F 或sD-4F 处理1 h,再加入2 mg/L ERS诱导剂衣霉素（tunicamycin,TM）处理4 h。MTT法检测细胞活力;试剂盒检测细胞内总胆固醇含量;分别采用免疫印迹法和实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应（real-time PCR）技术检测SR-A1和ERS标志分子葡萄糖调节蛋白78 （glucose-regulated protein 78,GRP78）蛋白和mRNA表达变化;采用多功能酶标仪检测DiI-ox-LDL摄取情况。结果:D-4F明显减轻ox-LDL所诱导的巨噬细胞损伤和细胞内的胆固醇蓄积。ox-LDL可显著上调SR-A1和GRP78表达,而D-4F对上述变化具有明显抑制作用,且呈浓度依赖性。D-4F显著抑制TM所诱导的SR-A1和GRP78蛋白水平以及巨噬细胞对ox-LDL的摄取。结论: D-4F可通过抑制SR-A1 表达减轻ox-LDL所诱导的巨噬细胞内胆固醇蓄积和细胞损伤,其机制可能与抑制GRP78介导的ERS信号途径有关。