Comprehensive analysis of the role of ubiquitin-specific peptidases in colorectal cancer:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most frequent and the second most fatal cancer.The search for more effective drugs to treat this disease is ongoing.A better understanding of the mechanisms of CRC development and progression may reveal new therapeutic strategies.Ubiquitin-specific peptidases(USPs),the largest group of the deubiquitinase protein family,have long been implicated in various cancers.There have been numerous studies on the role of USPs in CRC;however,a comprehensive view of this role is lacking.AIM To provide a systematic review of the studies investigating the roles and functions of USPs in CRC.METHODS We systematically queried the MEDLINE(via PubMed),Scopus,and Web of Science databases.RESULTS Our study highlights the pivotal role of various USPs in several processes implicated in CRC:Regulation of the cell cycle,apoptosis,cancer stemness,epithelial–mesenchymal transition,metastasis,DNA repair,and drug resistance.The findings of this study suggest that USPs have great potential as drug targets and noninvasive biomarkers in CRC.The dysregulation of USPs in CRC contributes to drug resistance through multiple mechanisms.CONCLUSION Targeting specific USPs involved in drug resistance pathways could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for overcoming resistance to current treatment regimens in CRC.

Effects of Lanthanum and Europium on Rooting of Plantlet Eriobotrya Japonica Lindl. in vitro

The effect of La 3+ and Eu 3+ on the rooting of Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. plantlet in vitro was studied with adding La 3+ and Eu 3+ to the rooted medium. The rooting rate, the number of root and the length of root were studied after transplanting 20 d. The activity of peroxidase, nitrate reductase and fresh weight of roots were determined after transplanting 44 d. The results show that the optimum concentration range of La 3+ (1.0～3.0 μmol·L -1), Eu 3+ (2.0～3.0 μmol·L -1) in the rooted medium can increase the rooting rate and the fresh weight of roots, and promote the length of root and raise the activities of peroxidase and nitrate reductase significantly. La 3+ has more effect in improving the rooting rate, root length and the activities of peroxidase and less effect in promoting root fresh weight and the activities of nitrate reductase than Eu 3+.

Isolation of marine benzo[a]pyrene-degrading Ochrobactrum sp. BAP5 and proteins characterization

A bacterial strain BAP5 with a relatively high degradation ability of benzo[a]pyrene （BaP） was isolated from marine sediments of Xiamen Western Sea, China and identified as Ochrobactrum sp. according to 16S rRNA gene sequence as well as Biolog microbial identification system. Strain BAP5 could grow in mineral salt medium with 50 mg/L of BaP and degrade about 20% BaP after 30 d of incubation. Ochrobactrum sp. BAP5 was able to utilize other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） （such as phenanthrene, pyrene and fluoranthene） as the sole carbon source and energy source, suggesting its potential application in PAHs bioremediation. The profile of total soluble protein from Ochrobactrum sp. BAP5 was also investigated. Some over- and special-expressed proteins of strain BAP5 when incubated with the presence of BaP were detected by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and found to be related with PAHs metabolism, DNA translation, and energy production based on peptide fingerprint analysis through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.

Studies on the Molecular Chain Conformation Stability of Aminated Konjac Glucomannan

Konjac glucomannan （KGM） was aminated by 2-chloroethyl-amine （CEA） as reagent so as to study the influence of concentration of CEA （based on the amount of KGM）, concentration of NaOH, reaction time and temperature on the extent of amination. And the molecular simulation technology was adopted to analyze the conformation stability of aminate （AKGM）. The results indicate that when the amount of CEA is higher, the extent of amination is higher. The optimum concentration of NaOH, reaction time and temperature are 10% NaOH, 70 ℃ and 45 rain, respectively. IR shows KGM is successfully aminated. The conformation of AKGM is in a random clew-like shape.

Biochar amendments increase soil organic carbon storage and decrease global warming potentials of soil CH4 and N2O under N addition in a subtropical Moso bamboo plantation

Background: Nitrogen(N) deposition affects soil greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions, while biochar application reduces GHG emissions in agricultural soils. However, it remains unclear whether biochar amendment can alleviate the promoting effects of N input on GHG emissions in forest soils. Here, we quantify the separate and combined effects of biochar amendment(0, 20, and 40 t·ha) and N addition(0, 30, 60, and 90 kg N·ha·yr) on soil GHG fluxes in a long-term field experiment at a Moso bamboo(Phyllostachys edulis) plantation.Results: Low and moderate N inputs(≤60 kg N·ha·yr) significantly increase mean annual soil carbon dioxide(CO) and nitrous oxide(NO) emissions by 17.0%–25.4% and 29.8%–31.2%, respectively, while decreasing methane(CH) uptake by 12.4%–15.9%, leading to increases in the global warming potential(GWP) of soil CHand NO fluxes by 32.4%–44.0%. Moreover, N addition reduces soil organic carbon(C;SOC) storage by 0.2%–6.5%. Compared to the control treatment, biochar amendment increases mean annual soil CO2emissions, CHuptake, and SOC storage by 18.4%–25.4%, 7.6%–15.8%, and 7.1%–13.4%, respectively, while decreasing NO emissions by 17.6%–19.2%, leading to a GWP decrease of 18.4%–21.4%. Biochar amendments significantly enhance the promoting effects of N addition on soil COemissions, while substantially offsetting the promotion of N2O emissions, inhibition of CHuptake, and decreased SOC storage, resulting in a GWP decrease of 9.1%–30.3%.Additionally, soil COand CHfluxes are significantly and positively correlated with soil microbial biomass C(MBC) and pH. Meanwhile, NO emissions have a significant and positive correlation with soil MBC and a negative correlation with pH.Conclusions: Biochar amendment can increase SOC storage and offset the enhanced GWP mediated by elevated N deposition and is, thus, a potential strategy for increasing soil C sinks and decreasing GWPs of soil CHand NO under increasing atmospheric N deposition in Moso bamboo plantations.

Strong controls of daily minimum temperature on the autumn photosynthetic phenology of subtropical vegetation in China

Background:Vegetation phenology research has largely focused on temperate deciduous forests,thus limiting our understanding of the response of evergreen vegetation to climate change in tropical and subtropical regions.Results:Using satellite solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence(SIF)and MODIS enhanced vegetation index(EVI)data,we applied two methods to evaluate temporal and spatial patterns of the end of the growing season(EGS)in subtropical vegetation in China,and analyze the dependence of EGS on preseason maximum and minimum temperatures as well as cumulative precipitation.Our results indicated that the averaged EGS derived from the SIF and EVI based on the two methods(dynamic threshold method and derivative method)was later than that derived from gross primary productivity(GPP)based on the eddy covariance technique,and the time-lag for EGSsif and EGSevi was approximately 2 weeks and 4 weeks,respectively.We found that EGS was positively correlated with preseason minimum temperature and cumulative precipitation(accounting for more than 73%and 62%of the study areas,respectively),but negatively correlated with preseason maximum temperature(accounting for more than 59%of the study areas).In addition,EGS was more sensitive to the changes in the preseason minimum temperature than to other climatic factors,and an increase in the preseason minimum temperature significantly delayed the EGS in evergreen forests,shrub and grassland.Conclusions:Our results indicated that the SIF outperformed traditional vegetation indices in capturing the autumn photosynthetic phenology of evergreen forest in the subtropical region of China.We found that minimum temperature plays a significant role in determining autumn photosynthetic phenology in the study region.These findings contribute to improving our understanding of the response of the EGS to climate change in subtropical vegetation of China,and provide a new perspective for accurately evaluating the role played by evergreen vegetation in the regional carbon budget.

Re-estimating the changes and ranges of forest biomass carbon in China during the past 40 years

Background: In recent decades the future of global forests has been a matter of increasing concern, particularly in relation to the threat of forest ecosystem responses under potential climate change. To the future predictions of these responses, the current forest biomass carbon storage(FCS) should first be clarified as much as possible,especially at national scales. However, few studies have introduced how to verify an FCS estimate by delimiting the reasonable ranges. This paper addresses an estimation of national FCS and its verification using two-step process to narrow the uncertainty. Our study focuses on a methodology for reducing the uncertainty resulted by converting from growing stock volume to above-and below-ground biomass(AB biomass), so as to eliminate the significant bias in national scale estimations.Methods: We recommend splitting the estimation into two parts, one part for stem and the other part for AB biomass to preclude possible significant bias. Our method estimates the stem biomass from volume and wood density(WD), and converts the AB biomass from stem biomass by using allometric relationships.Results: Based on the presented two-step process, the estimation of China’s FCS is performed as an example to explicate how to infer the ranges of national FCS. The experimental results demonstrate a national FCS estimation within the reasonable ranges(relative errors: + 4.46% and-4.44%), e.g., 5.6–6.1 PgC for China’s forest ecosystem at the beginning of the 2010 s. These ranges are less than 0.52 PgC for confirming each FCS estimate of different periods during the last 40 years. In addition, our results suggest the upper-limits by specifying a highly impractical value of WD(0.7 t·m-3) on the national scale. As a control reference, this value decides what estimate is impossible to achieve for the FCS estimates.Conclusions: Presented methodological analysis highlights the possibility to determine a range that the true value could be located in. The two-step process will help to verify national FCS and also to reduce uncertainty in related studies. While the true value of national FCS is immeasurable, our work should motivate future studies that explore new estimations to approach the true value by narrowing the uncertainty in FCS estimations on national and global scales.

Influence of soil density on gas permeability and water retention in soils amended with in-house produced biochar

Biochar has been used as an environment-friendly enhancer to improve the hydraulic properties(e.g.suction and water retention)of soil.However,variations in densities alter the properties of the soil ebiochar mix.Such density variations are observed in agriculture(loosely compacted)and engineering(densely compacted)applications.The influence of biochar amendment on gas permeability of soil has been barely investigated,especially for soil with different densities.The major objective of this study is to investigate the water retention capacity,and gas permeability of biochar-amended soil(BAS)with different biochar contents under varying degree of compaction(DOC)conditions.In-house produced novel biochar was mixed with the soil at different amendment rates(i.e.biochar contents of 0%,5%and 10%).All BAS samples were compacted at three DOCs(65%,80%and 95%)in polyvinyl chloride(PVC)tubes.Each soil column was subjected to dryingewetting cycles,during which soil suction,water content,and gas permeability were measured.A simplified theoretical framework for estimating the void ratio of BAS was proposed.The experimental results reveal that the addition of biochar significantly decreased gas permeability kg as compared with that of bare soil(BS).However,the addition of 5%biochar is found to be optimum in decreasing kg with an increase of DOC(i.e.k_(g,65%)>k_(g,80%)>k_(g,95%))at a relatively low suction range(<200 kPa)because both biochar and compaction treatment reduce the connected pores.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of North China Mountain Walnut Revealed by ISSR

North China Mountain Walnut (NCMW) is one of the ancestors of extant cultivated species, and a valuable gene resource for resistance breeding of walnut in China. Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) primers were designed to evaluate the level and pattern of genetic diversity in eight populations of NCMW. Nine ISSR primers yielded 91 amplification products with different sizes, of which 84 (92.31%) were polymorphic. A high species-level genetic diversity was detected with Nei’s (H = 0.2592) and Shannon’s diversity (I = 0.4003). In contrast, the population-level genetic diversity was relatively lower (PPB = 43.27%, H = 0.1347, I = 0.1862). Coefficient of populations differentiation (GST) was 0.5066, indicating that inter-population and intra-population variation contributed 50.66% and 49.34% respectively to the total genetic variability. This relative level of variation was further supported by AMOVA analysis. Limited gene flow (Nm = 0.5133.), habitat fragmentation and geographical isolation might be responsible for the population structure of NCMW. UPGMA cluster analysis classified the eight populations into three groups which showed no significant relationship between the genetic similarity coefficient and geographic origin but showed remarkable association with morpho-physiological characters, particularly nut traits. The results of the study provide species-level and population-level genetic profiles for further exploitation and conservation of genetic diversity of NCMW.

Studies on the Hydrogen Bonding Network Structures of Amino-konjacglucomannan-zinc Chelate

Amino-Konjacglucomannan （NH2-KGM） was prepared through the reaction of ammonium hydroxide with KGM by ultrasonic. The influence of amount of ammonium hydroxide, concentration of KGM and ultrasonic time on the extent of amination was studied. Then, NH2-KGM and zinc sulfate were used as materials for the preparation of NH2-KGM-Zn complex. The results indicated that the extent of amination increases with increasing the ammonium hydroxide. The optimum concentration of KGM and ultrasonic time are 0.3% and 75 rain respectively. IR showed KGM is successfully aminated and NH2-KGM forms stable complex with zinc（II ）. The hydrogen bonding network structures of NH2-KGM-Zn are more stable and the key linking points of hydrogen bonding network are at the OH（6） and 0（3） positions of mannose and OH（2） of glucose and 0（3） of mannose on the KGM ring. It is more favorable for NH2-KGM-Zn to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds between KGM.

Correlation of Individual Heterozygosity of Microsatellite Marker Loci with Heterosis of Growth Traits in Pig Populations

To investigate the correlation of individual heterozygosity and heterosis of three traits in crossbred F1 pig populations, the F1 populations were built by random mating Yorkshire x Meishan （YM, n = 82）, and its reciprocal （MY, n =47） and two straightbred populations （Yorkshire = 34, Meishan = 55） were used as control groups. The heterosis of birth weight （BWT）, average daily gain （ADG）, and feed conversion ratio （FCR） were acquired as well. In the research, the significant marker loci for the heterosis of the three traits were observed by one-way ANOVA （P〈0.01） in a total of 39 marker loci on SSC4, SSC6, SSC7, SSC8, and SSC13, and the numbers of the significant marker loci were 12 （BWT）, 18 （ADG）, and 17 （FCR）, respectively, based on which the general heterozygosity （GH） was divided into significant marker loci heterozygosity （SH） and insignificant marker loci heterozygosity （IH）. Furthermore, the trends of alteration in heterosis with the stepwise increase in heterozygosity by 0.05 were explored. This was done by the regression analysis of the three kinds of heterozygosity against heterosis of the three traits. The results showed that, for BWT, the heterosis increased with the increase in GH （r=0.9337, P=0.0021） and SH （r=0.9165, P=0.0102）; for ADG, the heterosis increased with the increase in IH （r=0.7012, P=0.0353） and GH （r=0.7470, P=0.0537, near significant）; for FCR, the heterosis of feed efficiency increased with the increase in IH （r=0.8721, P=0.0022）. The results indicated that the correlation was not always higher or more significant for SH with heterosis than it was for IH or GH with heterosis, and it might be because of the reciprocal cancellation of the positive effect and negative effect of QTL linked to the significant marker loci.

Prevalence and antibiogram of bacterial isolates from urinary tract infections at Dessie Health Research Laboratory,Ethiopia

Objective:To determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria from suspected urinary tract infections.Methods:A retrospective analysis of Imcterial pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility was done on urine samples at Dessic Regional Laboratory in the period 2003 to 2010.Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using disc diffusion technique as per the standard of Kirby-Bauer method.Results:The male to female ratio of the patients was 1:1.96.Of the total 1404 samples..119(22.7%,were culture positive.Escherirhia coli was the dominant isolate(63.6%) followed by Klebsiella spp.(8.5%) and Proteus spp.(8.2%).The overall resistance rates to erythromycin,amoxycillin,and tetracycline were 85.6%,88.9%and 76.7%,respectively,The three most frequently isolated bacteria had resistance rates of 80.1%-90.0%to.amoxycillin,and tetracycline and sensitivity rates of 0to 25%to nitrofurantoin,ciprofloxacin and genlamiein.Antibiogram of isolates showed that 152i47.85%isolates were resistance to two and more antimicrobials.Conclusions:In the study area resistance rates to erythromycin,amoxycillin and tetracycline were high.Since most isolates were sensitive to nitrofurantoin and gentamicin.they are considered as appropriate antimicrobials for empirical treatment urinary tract infections.

Influence of Cross-Inoculation on Groundnut and Bambara Groundnut-<i>Rhizobium</i>Symbiosis: Contribution to Plant Growth and Yield in the Field at Sarh (Chad) and Ngaoundere (Cameroon)

In the context of sustainable research aiming at improving seed yield and maintaining soil fertility, a study on cross-inoculation of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean (L.) Verd.) with rhizobia strains from four crop legumes was carried out at Sarh (Chad) and Ngaoundere (Cameroon). The experiment was conducted in each site following a randomized complete block design with 6 treatments known as the control, and 5 cross-inoculation formulations (RA, RN, RS, RV and MR), each of which was replicated thrice. Results obtained show that cross-inoculation contributed to the improvement of growth (plant sizes and biomasses) of the two crop legumes, as well as their seed yield at harvest. The enhanced yield expressed in kg/ha varied from 9.83% to 63.73% for groundnut and 72.71% for Bambara groundnut. These findings suggest that groundnut and Bambara groundnut do have a symbiotic affinity with rhizobia from other crop legumes. Whereas Groundnut, Cowpea, Soybean, Bambara groundnut rhizobia (GR, CR, SR, BR) alone, and the fourth in a mixture (RM) could be used to help improving groundnut seed yields;this mixture would not be indicated for intensive cultivation of Bambara groundnut later.

Molecular typing of methicillin and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical specimens by double locus sequence typing(DLST)method

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)strains are the essential cause of infections in communities and hospitals.The present study was conducted to determine the molecular typing of MRSA,isolated from hospitalized patients,using the double-locus sequence typing(DLST).In total,280 S.aureus isolated from clinical specimens by phenotypic(catalase,coagulase,DNase,oxacillin,vancomycin screening agar and antibiotic disk diffusion),and molecular methods(PCR for determining the mecA,vanA and nuc genes).The DLST and sequencing was performed for MRSA containing mecA.Out of 280 specimens,confirmed as Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus),123(43.9%)strains were MRSA.The highest resistance toward the erythromycin(15μg),followed by ciprofloxacin(5μg),clindamycin(2μg),tetracycline(30μg),gentamicin(10μg)and rifampicin(5μg),was 98.3%,97.5%,94.3%,90.2%,83.7%and 41.4%,respectively.Also,the least resistance(0%)was observed in each of teicoplanin(30μg),linzolide(30μg),and vancomycin(30μg).All(100%)of MRSA strains had the mecA,and none of them have had the vanA.The results of DLST showed that the most common sequence types were BPH 2003 and 0217.The DLST type 18-32 was a significant cluster of MRSA.By sequencing MRSA and comparing the dominant types via the DLST,it is possible to establish the etiology of the disease in a much shorter time,and prevent the complications of the disease.Therefore,the combination of partial sequences of clfB and spa can serve as useful genetic markers for MRSA typing.It concluded that the MRSA in our region was relatively high,but no vancomycin resistance was found.The majority of the MRSA DLST type was 18–32.

Multilocus Sequence Typing of the Guangdong Isolates of <i>Riemerella anatipestifer</i>from Ducks in China

It is a very important significance to explore the bacterial typing methods rapidly, accurately and understand the genetic relation between isolates for controlling effectively the disease and preventing the dissemination and diffusion of the pathogen. The changes in the genetic material nucleotide sequences result in variation and evolution of bacteria, the development of molecular biology and genomics make typing of bacteria from phenotype to molecular typing. Riemerella anatipestifer is the causative agent of polyserositis of ducks and geese. We studied 54 isolates of Riemerella anatipestifer from Guangdong in China by multicolor sequence typing (MLST). The result showed that 54 isolates of Riemerella anatipestifer were divided into 14 STs, and among E3, b12xiao and Cb1 three isolates have with independent of type STs. It was found that there was high homology of RA and low genetic variability in the same area. The synonymous mutation and non synonymous mutation rate: dN/dS in seven housekeeping genes was lower than 0.25. Cluster analysis showed that the 54 isolates were clustered into 5 groups. eBRUST analysis showed that all isolates were clustered into one Group. It also proved that the genetic relationship was very closed in duck plague pathogen in this area;the source may be the same ancestors.

Effectiveness of Direct Seeding for Forest Restoration on Severely Degraded Land in Lampang Province, Thailand

This study tested the effectiveness of direct seeding to establish framework tree species, for restoring forest ecosystems at an opencast lignite mine in Lampang Province, Thailand. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) experiment tested five tree species (Afzelia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib, Eugenia cumini (L.) Druce, Ficus racemosa Roxb., Gmelina arborea Roxb. and Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken) with 5 substrate amelioration treatments and 3 replicates. Germination percent was the highest for Afzelia xylocarpa (88.1%) and lowest for Ficus racemosa (5.9%). The substrate amelioration treatments had no significant effects on both seed germination and seedling establishment for all species tested. Schleichera oleosa had the highest seedling establishment percent (45%) followed by Afzelia xylocarpa (40%). A suitability scoring system indicated that these two species were the most suitable for direct seeding to complement other techniques of mine site rehabilitation in northern Thailand, where establishment of indigenous forest tree species is required for biodiversity recovery.

Responses of soil CH_(4) fluxes to nitrogen addition in two tropical montane rainforests in southern China

Background:Atmospheric nitrogen(N)deposition is projected to increase in the next few decades,which may have a marked impact on soil-atmosphere CH_(4) fluxes.However,the impacts of increased atmospheric N depositions on soil CH_(4) flux in tropical rainforests are still poorly understood.From January 2015 to December 2018,a field experiment was conducted in a primary tropical montane rainforest(PTMR)and a secondary tropical montane rainforest(STMR)in southern China to quantify the impact of N additions at four levels(N0:0 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1);N25:25 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1);N50:50 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1);N100:100 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1)on soil CH_(4) flux.Results:Four years of measurements showed clear seasonal variations in CH_(4) flux in all treatment plots for both forest types(PTMR and STMR),with lower rates of soil CH_(4) uptake during the wet season and higher rates of soil CH_(4) uptake during the dry season.Soil CH_(4) uptake rates were significantly and negatively correlated with both soil temperature and soil moisture for both forest types.Annual CH_(4) uptake for the N0 plots from the PTMR and STMR soils were2.20 and1.98 kg N⋅ha^(-1)⋅year^(-1),respectively.At the PTMR site,mean CH_(4) uptake compared with the N0 treatment was reduced by 19%,29%,and 36%for the N25,N50,and N100 treatments,respectively.At the STMR site,mean CH_(4) uptake compared with the N0 treatment was reduced by 15%,18%,and 38%for the N25,N50,and N100 treatments,respectively.High level N addition had a stronger inhibitory impact on soil CH_(4) uptake than did the low level N addition.Conclusion:Our data suggest that soil CH_(4) uptake in tropical rainforests is sensitive to N deposition.If atmospheric N deposition continues to increase in the future,the soil CH_(4) sink strength of tropical rainforests may weaken further.

Non-thermal plasma modified growth and differentiation process of Capsicum annuum PP805 Godiva in in vitro conditions

With the aim of evaluating the possible impacts of cold plasma on the structure and growth pattern of Capsicum annuum, the current study was carried out. The seeds were exposed to an argon-derived plasma（0.84 W cm^（-2） surface power densities） for 0, 1 or 2 minutes. Plasmatreated seeds were grown in the Murashige and Skoog（MS） medium or MS medium supplemented with BA and IAA. The presence of purple stems was recorded in plasma-treated plants grown in the medium supplemented with hormones. The recorded morphological differences were dependent on the exposure time of plasma treatments and/or the presence of hormones in the culture media. Plasma treatment of 1 minute had an improving effect on the shoot and root lengths as well as total leaf area, whereas plasma treatment of 2 minutes had an adverse effect. In contrast to the 1 minute treatment, plasma treatment of 2 minutes significantly impaired growth and hence reduced the total biomass. Alterations in stem diameter and differences in tissue patterns（especially in the vascular system） occurred, and were mainly dependent on the plasma exposure time and/or the presence of hormones. This is a first report on the effects of cold plasma on plant growth in in vitro conditions.

Studies of the Relationship between Structure and Antioxidant Activity in Interesting Systems, Including Tyrosol, Hydroxytyrosol Derivatives Indicated by Quantum Chemical Calculations

In nature, tyrosol (TY) and hydroxytyrosol (HT) are found in olive leaves which are for medical aims, with immune stimulant and antibiotic properties as well as the ability to be used for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer. This ability of phytochemical TY and HT compounds are mainly believed to be of higher radical scavenging potential with effective antioxidant properties. In order to establish the possible structure-antioxidant activity relationship of tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, hydroxytyrosol acetate and two designed hydroxytyrosol derivatives were studied by the help of quantum chemical calculations. The molecular electronic properties such as heat formation of the neutral, radical and orbitals energies were calculated as descriptors to predict the H atom donating abilities of compounds. Considering the results from the calculated descriptors, the derivatives having OH group substitutions in position number four of the aromatic ring can be classified highly active and better antioxidant compound. Therefore, the designed hydroxytyrosol derivatives showed most active feasible H atom donation. This work can be useful to design novel antioxidants.

Assessment of the consecutive harmful dinoflagellate blooms during 2015 in the Izmit Bay(the Marmara Sea)

A series of red tides were observed during 2015 in the Izmit Bay（the Marmara Sea） which is located in the most industrialized and populated region of Turkey. Six samplings were carried out in this area following the red tides.Nitrite-N, nitrate-N, ammonia, silica and orthophosphate concentrations were analyzed spectrophotometrically.Physicochemical conditions were measured by CTD probe. Plankton quantification was performed using counting chambers under microscopes. Prorocentrum micans was the most abundant species, except on May 14,2015, when Noctiluca scintillans was dominant. The abundance of P. micans reached average 18×10~6 ind./L on May 3, 2015 in the Karamürsel station, simultaneously with elevated levels of NH_3 and o-PO_4^（3–）. The sample was also abundant in dead amphipods（（72±12） ind./L） that had been covered by mucilage aggregates produced by P.micans. The highest biomass（calculated by carbon） was recorded as（268±26.0） mg/L on May 14 in the Hereke station. Beside the anthropogenic wastewater discharges, unknown sources and resuspensions caused increases in nutrient levels. After long term northeaster gusts（35 km/h for 5 d） an upwelling occurred on November 6, 2015 after wind-induced sediment resuspension. Although nutrient discharges remarkably decreased over 30 years through established wastewater treatment plants, harmful phytoplankton blooms still occur. Comparing the present results with other studies in nearby Mediterranean seas reveals that the most intense harmful dinoflagellate bloom in recent years occurred in the Izmit Bay. Therefore, additional protection measures necessary for a cleaner Izmit Bay. These incidents also demonstrate that contaminants, accumulated in sediment,may have long-lasting effects on enclosed marine ecosystems.