Possible health impacts of naturally occurring uptake of aristolochic acids by maize and cucumber roots: links to the etiology of endemic (Balkan) nephropathy

Aristolochic acids are known for nephrotoxicity, and implicated in multiple cancer types such as hepatocellular carcinomas demonstrated by recent studies. Natural products that are analogues to aristolochic acids have been constantly isolated from organisms; a larger chemical space of these compounds and a wider coverage of biological sources should be determined in consideration of the potential hazard of aristolochic acid analogues and the wide distribution of their biological sources in the nature. Therefore, we carried out an in silico research of naturally occurring aristolochic acid analogues and their biological sources, as a supplement to existing studies. The result shows a chemical space of 238 naturally occurring aristolochic acid analogues that are present in 175 species of biological sources including 44 traditional medicines. With the computational estimation for toxicity and the implication in hazard assessment of a biological source with the presence of aristolochic acid analogues, we propose that additional awareness should be raised to the public for avoidance of toxic species, especially those that are used as herbal medicines and easily accessible.

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Chernobyl’s Lesser Known Design Flaw: The Chernobyl Liquidator Medal—An Educational Essay

J ◽

10.3390/j2030023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 340-351

Author(s):

Michael McIntire ◽

John Luczaj

Keyword(s):

Electric Fields ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Particle Trajectory ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Beta Particle ◽

Nuclear Decay ◽

Scientific Experiment ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Human Health Impacts ◽

Relativistic Analysis

The honorary Chernobyl Liquidator Medal depicts pathways of alpha, gamma, and beta rays over a drop of blood, signifying the human health impacts of the Chernobyl accident. A relativistic analysis of the trajectories depicted on the Chernobyl Liquidator Medal is conducted assuming static uniform magnetic and electric fields. The parametric trajectories are determined using the energies of alpha (α) and beta (β) particles relevant to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident and compared with the trajectories depicted on the liquidator medal. For minimum alpha particle velocity of 0.0512c, the beta particle trajectory depicted on the medal is highly unlikely to have come from a naturally occurring nuclear decay process. The parametric equations are used to determine the necessary beta energies to reproduce the depicted trajectories. This article documents the unfortunate misrepresentation of a famous scientific experiment on an honorary medal and illustrates the importance of better communication between artists and scientists.

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Pathology of Bone Cells in Pigs with Experimental Turbinate Osteoporosis (Atrophic Rhinitis)

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100065560 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 304-305

Author(s):

A. W. Fetter ◽

C. C. Capen

Keyword(s):

Mucous Membrane ◽

Bone Cells ◽

Atrophic Rhinitis ◽

Infectious Agents ◽

Metabolic Disturbances ◽

Progressive Reduction ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Fundamental Cause ◽

Osteocytic Osteolysis ◽

Uncertain Etiology

Atrophic rhinitis in swine is a disease of uncertain etiology in which infectious agents, hereditary predisposition, and metabolic disturbances have been reported to be of primary etiologic importance. It shares many similarities, both clinically and pathologically, with ozena in man. The disease is characterized by deformity and reduction in volume of the nasal turbinates. The fundamental cause for the localized lesion of bone in the nasal turbinates has not been established. Reduced osteogenesis, increased resorption related to inflammation of the nasal mucous membrane, and excessive resorption due to osteocytic osteolysis stimulated by hyperparathyroidism have been suggested as possible pathogenetic mechanisms.The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate ultrastructurally bone cells in the nasal turbinates of pigs with experimentally induced atrophic rhinitis, and to compare these findings to those in control pigs of the same age and pigs with the naturally occurring disease, in order to define the fundamental lesion responsible for the progressive reduction in volume of the osseous core.

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High Resolution Replication of Organoclay Surfaces

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100055126 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 576-577

Author(s):

W. W. Barker ◽

W. E. Rigsby ◽

V. J. Hurst ◽

W. J. Humphreys

Keyword(s):

Clay Mineral ◽

Organic Molecule ◽

Organic Molecules ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Xrd Pattern ◽

X Ray ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Silicate Layers ◽

Mineral Identification

Experimental clay mineral-organic molecule complexes long have been known and some of them have been extensively studied by X-ray diffraction methods. The organic molecules are adsorbed onto the surfaces of the clay minerals, or intercalated between the silicate layers. Natural organo-clays also are widely recognized but generally have not been well characterized. Widely used techniques for clay mineral identification involve treatment of the sample with H2 O2 or other oxidant to destroy any associated organics. This generally simplifies and intensifies the XRD pattern of the clay residue, but helps little with the characterization of the original organoclay. Adequate techniques for the direct observation of synthetic and naturally occurring organoclays are yet to be developed.

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SEM study of the morphological effects of kinetin and zeatin on the growth and development of the apical meristem in wheat

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100141263 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 978-979

Author(s):

G. M. Hutchins ◽

J. S. Gardner

Keyword(s):

Growth And Development ◽

Furfuryl Alcohol ◽

Apical Meristem ◽

Plant Cells ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Morphological Development ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Chinese Spring Wheat ◽

Sem Study ◽

Moist Environment

Cytokinins are plant hormones that play a large and incompletely understood role in the life-cycle of plants. The goal of this study was to determine what roles cytokinins play in the morphological development of wheat. To achieve any real success in altering the development and growth of wheat, the cytokinins must be applied directly to the apical meristem, or spike of the plant. It is in this region that the plant cells are actively undergoing mitosis. Kinetin and Zeatin were the two cytokinins chosen for this experiment. Kinetin is an artificial hormone that was originally extracted from old or heated DNA. Kinetin is easily made from the reaction of adenine and furfuryl alcohol. Zeatin is a naturally occurring hormone found in corn, wheat, and many other plants.Chinese Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was used for this experiment. Prior to planting, the seeds were germinated in a moist environment for 72 hours.

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Fine structure and properties of defects in naturally occurring silicates and oxides

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100175430 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 460-461

Author(s):

David R. Veblen

Keyword(s):

Chemical Reactions ◽

High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽

Extended Defects ◽

Single Chain ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Resolution Electron ◽

Fine Structures ◽

Image Simulations ◽

Similar Crystal Structure

Extended defects and interfaces control many processes in rock-forming minerals, from chemical reactions to rock deformation. In many cases, it is not the average structure of a defect or interface that is most important, but rather the structure of defect terminations or offsets in an interface. One of the major thrusts of high-resolution electron microscopy in the earth sciences has been to identify the role of defect fine structures in reactions and to determine the structures of such features. This paper will review studies using HREM and image simulations to determine the structures of defects in silicate and oxide minerals and present several examples of the role of defects in mineral chemical reactions. In some cases, the geological occurrence can be used to constrain the diffusional properties of defects.The simplest reactions in minerals involve exsolution (precipitation) of one mineral from another with a similar crystal structure, and pyroxenes (single-chain silicates) provide a good example. Although conventional TEM studies have led to a basic understanding of this sort of phase separation in pyroxenes via spinodal decomposition or nucleation and growth, HREM has provided a much more detailed appreciation of the processes involved.

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