scholarly journals Efficient Degradation of 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole and Other Emerging Pollutants by Recombinant Bacterial Dye-Decolorizing Peroxidases

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 656
Author(s):  
Aya Alsadik ◽  
Khawlah Athamneh ◽  
Ahmed F. Yousef ◽  
Iltaf Shah ◽  
Syed Salman Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Dramatic Improvement ◽  
Wastewater Remediation ◽  
New Class ◽  
Remediation Strategies ◽  
Emerging Pollutant ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
First Time ◽  
Harmful Effects

In recent years, concerns are being raised about the potential harmful effects of emerging pollutants (EPs) on human and aquatic lives. Extensive research is being conducted on developing efficient remediation strategies to target this new class of toxic pollutants. Studies focused on biological (enzyme-based) methods have shown potential as greener and possibly more economical alternatives to other treatment approaches, such as chemical methods. The current study focused on the use of recombinantly produced novel bacterial peroxidases, namely dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs), to study their effectiveness in degrading a number of diverse EPs. In this context, a sensitive bioanalytical Liquid chromatography—tandem mass spectrometry (LCMSMS)-based method was developed to simultaneously detect a mixture of 31 EPs and to examine their degradability by a panel of seven different recombinant bacterial DyPs (rDyPs). We show that up to 9 of the 31 tested EPs could be degraded by at least one of the DyPs tested. The results also indicated that not all rDyPs behaved similarly in their abilities to degrade EPs, as some rDyPs (such as SviDyP and CboDyP) showed a promising potential to degrade EPs while others (such as ScDyP) were almost ineffective. Additionally, the role of redox mediators for effective emerging pollutant degradation by rDyPs was also examined, which showed dramatic improvement in the DyP-mediated degradation of five different EPs. Detailed analysis of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole degradation by SviDyP showed that six distinct breakdown products were generated. The present study showed for the first time that recombinant bacterial DyPs can be used for wastewater remediation by degrading a range of different EPs.

scholarly journals Phenotypic Susceptibility to Bevirimat in Isolates from HIV-1-Infected Patients without Prior Exposure to Bevirimat

2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 2345-2353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas A. Margot ◽  
Craig S. Gibbs ◽  
Michael D. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Viruses ◽  
Gag Polyprotein ◽  
New Class ◽  
Major Mutation ◽  
Hiv Drugs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT Bevirimat (BVM) is the first of a new class of anti-HIV drugs with a novel mode of action known as maturation inhibitors. BVM inhibits the last cleavage of the Gag polyprotein by HIV-1 protease, leading to the accumulation of the p25 capsid-small peptide 1 (SP1) intermediate and resulting in noninfectious HIV-1 virions. Early clinical studies of BVM showed that over 50% of the patients treated with BVM did not respond to treatment. We investigated the impact of prior antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and/or natural genetic diversity on BVM susceptibility by conducting in vitro phenotypic analyses of viruses made from patient samples. We generated 31 recombinant viruses containing the entire gag and protease genes from 31 plasma samples from HIV-1-infected patients with (n = 21) or without (n = 10) prior ARV experience. We found that 58% of the patient isolates tested had a >10-fold reduced susceptibility to BVM, regardless of the patient's ARV experience or the level of isolate resistance to protease inhibitors. Analysis of mutants with site-directed mutations confirmed the role of the V370A SP1 polymorphism (SP1-V7A) in resistance to BVM. Furthermore, we demonstrated for the first time that a capsid polymorphism, V362I (CA protein-V230I), is also a major mutation conferring resistance to BVM. In contrast, none of the previously defined resistance-conferring mutations in Gag selected in vitro (H358Y, L363M, L363F, A364V, A366V, or A366T) were found to occur among the viruses that we analyzed. Our results should be helpful in the design of diagnostics for prediction of the potential benefit of BVM treatment in HIV-1-infected patients.

scholarly journals Magnetically driven jets and winds from weakly magnetized accretion discs

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (3) ◽  
pp. 3112-3133 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Jacquemin-Ide ◽  
J Ferreira ◽  
G Lesur
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Initial Energy ◽  
Accretion Discs ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Magnetorotational Instability ◽  
New Class ◽  
Analytical Criterion ◽  
First Time

Abstract Semi-analytical models of disc outflows have successfully described magnetically driven, self-confined super-Alfvénic jets from near-Keplerian accretion discs. These jet-emitting discs (JEDs) are possible for high levels of disc magnetization μ defined as μ = 2/β, where beta is the usual plasma parameter. In near-equipartition JEDs, accretion is supersonic and jets carry away most of the disc angular momentum. However, these solutions prove difficult to compare with cutting-edge numerical simulations, for the reason that numerical simulations show wind-like outflows but in the domain of small magnetization. In this work, we present for the first time self-similar isothermal solutions for accretion–ejection structures at small magnetization levels. We elucidate the role of magnetorotational instability-like (MRI) structures in the acceleration processes that drive this new class of solutions. The disc magnetization μ is the main control parameter: Massive outflows driven by the pressure of the toroidal magnetic field are obtained up to μ ∼ 10−2, while more tenuous centrifugally driven outflows are obtained at larger μ values. The generalized parameter space and the astrophysical consequences are discussed. We believe that these new solutions could be a stepping stone in understanding the way astrophysical discs drive either winds or jets. Defining jets as self-confined outflows and winds as uncollimated outflows, we propose a simple analytical criterion based on the initial energy content of the outflow, to discriminate jets from winds. We show that jet solution is achieved at all magnetization levels, while winds could be obtained only in weakly magnetized discs that feature heating.

scholarly journals LC-MSMS based screening of emerging pollutant degradation by different peroxidases

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadega A. Almaqdi ◽  
Rana Morsi ◽  
Bahia Alhayuti ◽  
Farah Alharthi ◽  
S. Salman Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Transformation Products ◽  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Redox Mediator ◽  
Soybean Peroxidase ◽  
Emerging Pollutant ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The One ◽  
Treatment Step

Abstract Background The presence of a wide range of bioactive organic pollutants in wastewater and municipal water sources is raising concerns about their potential effects on humans. Not surprisingly, various approaches are being explored that can efficiently degrade these persistent organic pollutants. Use of peroxidases has recently been recognized as a novel remediation approach that may have potential advantages over conventional degradation techniques. However, testing the abilities of different peroxidases to degrade diverse emerging pollutants is tedious and cumbersome. Results In the present study, we present a rapid and robust approach to easily test the degradability of 21 different emerging pollutants by five different peroxidases (soybean peroxidase, chloroperoxidase, lactoperoxidase, manganese peroxidase, and horseradish peroxidase) using an LC-MSMS approach. Furthermore, this approach was also used to examine the role of a redox mediator in these enzymatic degradation assays. Our results show that some of the organic pollutants can be easily degraded by all five of the peroxidases tested, whereas others are only degraded by a specific peroxidase (or when a redox mediator was present) and there are some that are completely resistant to degradation by any of the peroxidases tested (even in the presence of a redox mediator). The degradation of furosemide and trimethoprim by soybean peroxidase and chloroperoxidase, respectively, was investigated in detail by examining the transformation products generated during their degradation. Some of the products generated during enzymatic breakdown of these pollutants have been previously reported by others, however, we report many new transformation products. Conclusions LC-MSMS approaches, like the one described here, can be used to rapidly evaluate the potential of different peroxidases (and redox requirements) to be used as bioremediation agents. Our preliminary result shows peroxidases hold tremendous potential for being used in a final wastewater treatment step.

scholarly journals Difficulties in establishing a limited liability company in Great Britain during the 1860s and the role of financial information: a case history

2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. BARNES ◽  
R. J. FIRMAN
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Case History ◽  
Limited Liability ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Limited Liability Company ◽  
New Class ◽  
First Time ◽  
Made In

As a result of legislation in 1855, 1856 and 1862 that effectively enabled limited liability companies to be formed with minimum difficulty for the first time, there was an explosion of new companies. However, after the collapse of Overend, Gurney Ltd in 1866 they became unpopular. This paper examines the case of a business which failed to raise the necessary funding because of suspicion of exaggerated claims made in public prospectuses and the ways in which it attempted to survive. This gypsum industry case history also illustrates the problems facing the new class of ‘pure’ investors and directors who had little understanding of the industry in which their company was operating and the nature and reliability of the financial information available to them required for their decision-making.

scholarly journals Emerging pollutant mixture mineralization by TiO2 photocatalysts. The role of the water medium

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Rimoldi ◽  
Daniela Meroni ◽  
Ermelinda Falletta ◽  
Valentina Pifferi ◽  
Luigi Falciola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Water Medium ◽  
Tio2 Photocatalysts ◽  
Emerging Pollutant ◽  
Water Media

The role played by different water media in the photodegradation of a mixture of four emerging pollutants was investigated.

scholarly journals New opportunities for treatment of severe bronchial asthma: from clinical studies to portraits of patients

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
N M Nenasheva
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Severe Asthma ◽  
Bronchial Asthma ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
New Class ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
First Time

The proportion of patients with controlled asthma has increased over the last 15 years, however, still there is a significant proportion of patients who do not achieve control of the disease, and therefore have a high risk of exacerbations, hospitalizations, and poor quality of life. Patients with severe asthma, for which there were limited additional pharmacotherapy are the major problem. For the first time in recent years in the treatment of asthma a new class of drugs appeared: longacting anticholinergics - tiotropium which had been entered in stepwise therapy of asthma by GINA 2015. The definition of severe asthma, the role of the cholinergic nervous system in bronchial asthma, mechanism of action and clinical efficacy of tiotropium in severe bronchial asthma adults are described in the article.

scholarly journals Proteo-Transcriptomic Characterization of Sirex nitobei (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) Venom

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Chenglong Gao ◽  
Lili Ren ◽  
Ming Wang ◽  
Zhengtong Wang ◽  
Ningning Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
Crude Venom ◽  
Symbiotic Fungus ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Venom Glands ◽  
Encoding Protein ◽  
First Time

The wood-boring woodwasp Sirex nitobei is a native pest in Asia, infecting and weakening the host trees in numerous ecological and commercial coniferous forest plantations. In China, hosts of S. nitobei are diverse, so the pest has spread to several provinces of China, resulting in considerable economic and ecological damage. During female oviposition, S. nitobei venom along with arthrospores of the symbiotic fungus Amylostereum areolatum or A. chaetica is injected into host trees, and the combination of these two biological factors causes the death of xylem host trees. The presence of venom alone causes only the yellowing and wilting of needles. In this study, we constructed the venom gland transcriptome of S. nitobei for the first time and a total of 15,036 unigenes were acquired. From the unigenes, 11,560 ORFs were identified and 537 encoding protein sequences with signal peptides at the N-terminus. Then, we used the venomics approach to characterize the venom composition of female S. nitobei and predicted 1095 proteins by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. We focused on seven proteins that were both highly expressed in the venom gland transcriptome and predicted in the crude venom proteome. These seven proteins are laccase-2, laccase-3, a protein belonging to the Kazal family, chitooligosaccharidolytic β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, icarapin-like protein, and waprin-Thr1-like protein. Using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), we also proved that the genes related to these seven proteins are specifically expressed in the venom glands. Finally, we revealed the functional role of S. nitobei venom in the physiological response of host trees. It can not only promote the colonization of symbiotic fungus but contribute to the development of eggs and larvae. This study provides a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism of the woodwasp–pine interaction.

The Role of JAK1/2 Inhibitors in the Treatment of Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

2013 ◽  
pp. 301-305
Author(s):  
Clodagh Keohane ◽  
Ruben Mesa ◽  
Claire Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽  
Jak2v617f Mutation ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Dramatic Improvement ◽  
Jak Inhibitor ◽  
Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms ◽  
Therapeutic Landscape ◽  
Phase Iii Trials ◽  
First Time

In 2005, the description of the JAK2V617F mutation for the first time provided a molecular key to enable more rapid diagnosis and target for novel therapeutics in the myeloproliferative neoplasms. In 2007, the first-in-class agent INC18424, ruxolitinib, JAKafi, or JAKAVI was first tested in patients with intermediate-risk 2 or high-risk myelofibrosis regardless of whether they possessed the JAK2V617F mutation. Patients treated with this agent had major reduction in splenomegaly as well as impressive reduction, and in some cases resolution, of symptoms. This study was followed by the two Controlled Myelofibrosis Study with Oral JAK Inhibitor Therapy (COMFORT) trials (the first-ever phase III trials in myelofibrosis), which confirmed results in these aspects were superior to either placebo or standard care, and updated results show a survival advantage with this therapy. This paper discusses these results and data from other JAK inhibitors while speculating on the future of these therapies. It also reflects on the fact that the true targets and agents' mode of action are uncertain. Unlike targeted therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), these agents do not deliver molecular remission, and it is not clear whether their predominant benefit is mediated via JAK2, JAK1, or both. Nonetheless, the advent of the JAK inhibitor is a welcome advance and has made a dramatic improvement to the therapeutic landscape of these conditions.

scholarly journals Efficient degradation of various emerging pollutants by wild type and evolved fungal DyP4 peroxidases

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262492
Author(s):  
Khawlah Athamneh ◽  
Aysha Alneyadi ◽  
Aya Alsadik ◽  
Tuck Seng Wong ◽  
Syed Salman Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Enzymatic Degradation ◽  
Transformation Products ◽  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Redox Mediator ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Complete Degradation ◽  
Degradation Reactions ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass

The accumulation of emerging pollutants in the environment remains a major concern as evidenced by the increasing number of reports citing their potential risk on environment and health. Hence, removal strategies of such pollutants remain an active area of investigation. One way through which emerging pollutants can be eliminated from the environment is by enzyme-mediated bioremediation. Enzyme-based degradation can be further enhanced via advanced protein engineering approaches. In the present study a sensitive and robust bioanalytical liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMSMS)-based approach was used to investigate the ability of a fungal dye decolorizing peroxidase 4 (DyP4) and two of its evolved variants—that were previously shown to be H2O2 tolerant—to degrade a panel of 15 different emerging pollutants. Additionally, the role of a redox mediator was examined in these enzymatic degradation reactions. Our results show that three emerging pollutants (2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), paracetamol, and furosemide) were efficiently degraded by DyP4. Addition of the redox mediator had a synergistic effect as it enabled complete degradation of three more emerging pollutants (methyl paraben, sulfamethoxazole and salicylic acid) and dramatically reduced the time needed for the complete degradation of MBT, paracetamol, and furosemide. Further investigation was carried out using pure MBT to study its degradation by DyP4. Five potential transformation products were generated during the enzymatic degradation of MBT, which were previously reported to be produced during different bioremediation approaches. The current study provides the first instance of the application of fungal DyP4 peroxidases in bioremediation of emerging pollutants.

Psychological Resilience Provides No Independent Protection From Suicidal Risk

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danica W. Y. Liu ◽  
A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Rachel M. Roberts ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Life Project ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
First Time

Abstract. Background: Little is known about the role of resilience in the likelihood of suicidal ideation (SI) over time. Aims: We examined the association between resilience and SI in a young-adult cohort over 4 years. Our objectives were to determine whether resilience was associated with SI at follow-up or, conversely, whether SI was associated with lowered resilience at follow-up. Method: Participants were selected from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project from Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, aged 28–32 years at the first time point and 32–36 at the second. Multinomial, linear, and binary regression analyses explored the association between resilience and SI over two time points. Models were adjusted for suicidality risk factors. Results: While unadjusted analyses identified associations between resilience and SI, these effects were fully explained by the inclusion of other suicidality risk factors. Conclusion: Despite strong cross-sectional associations, resilience and SI appear to be unrelated in a longitudinal context, once risk/resilience factors are controlled for. As independent indicators of psychological well-being, suicidality and resilience are essential if current status is to be captured. However, the addition of other factors (e.g., support, mastery) makes this association tenuous. Consequently, resilience per se may not be protective of SI.

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