Effect of hydrogen addition on performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of Deccan hemp oil and its methyl ester-fuelled CI engine.

A vegetable oil-fueled diesel engine operation is characterized by low brake thermal efficiency and relatively high smoke emission. Conversion of vegetable oil to biodiesel results in slight improvement in efficiency and smoke emission, but the values are not comparable with diesel. In this work, a single-cylinder diesel engine's performance is evaluated by inducting hydrogen in small quantities in the intake manifold along with Deccan hemp oil (DHO) and its methyl ester (DHOME) as the pilot fuel. The tests were conducted at part-load and full-load conditions at an engine speed of 1500 rpm. Results indicate an increase in brake thermal efficiency from 29.7 to 32.6% and from 27.3 to 29.6% at full load with hydrogen-induced DHOME and DHO engine operation. Unburned-hydrocarbon emissions, carbon monoxide emission, and smoke emission reduced for both the fuels. However, NOx levels increased for the two fuels because hydrogen induction causes high combustion rates and high temperature in the combustion chamber. Hydrogen induction leads to high premixed combustion resulting in high peak pressures.

Deubiquitinating enzyme CYLD negatively regulates RANK signaling and osteoclastogenesis in mice.

Osteoclastogenesis is a tightly regulated biological process, and deregulation can lead to severe bone disorders such as osteoporosis. The regulation of osteoclastic signaling is incompletely understood, but ubiquitination of TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) has recently been shown to be important in mediating this process. We therefore investigated the role of the recently identified deubiquitinating enzyme CYLD in osteoclastogenesis and found that mice with a genetic deficiency of CYLD had aberrant osteoclast differentiation and developed severe osteoporosis. Cultured osteoclast precursors derived from CYLD-deficient mice were hyperresponsive to RANKL-induced differentiation and produced more and larger osteoclasts than did controls upon stimulation. We assessed the expression pattern of CYLD and found that it was drastically upregulated during RANKL-induced differentiation of preosteoclasts. Furthermore, CYLD negatively regulated RANK signaling by inhibiting TRAF6 ubiquitination and activation of downstream signaling events. Interestingly, we found that CYLD interacted physically with the signaling adaptor p62 and thereby was recruited to TRAF6. These findings establish CYLD as a crucial negative regulator of osteoclastogenesis and suggest its involvement in the p62/TRAF6 signaling axis.

Deregulated activation of oncoprotein kinase Tpl2/Cot in HTLV-I-transformed T cells.

Protein kinase Tpl2/Cot is encoded by a protooncogene that is cis-activated by retroviral insertion in murine T cell lymphomas. It has remained unclear whether this oncoprotein kinase is mutated or post-translationally activated in human cancer cells. We have shown here that Tpl2/Cot is constitutively activated in human leukemia cell lines transformed by the human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I). The kinase activity of Tpl2/Cot is normally suppressed through its physical interaction with an inhibitor, the NF-kappaB1 precursor protein p105. Interestingly, a large pool of Tpl2/Cot is liberated from p105 and exhibits constitutive kinase activity in HTLV-I-transformed T cells. In contrast to its labile property in normal cells, the pathologically activated Tpl2/Cot is remarkably stable. Further, whereas the physiological activation of Tpl2/Cot involves its long isoform, the HTLV-activated Tpl2/Cot is predominantly the short isoform. We have also shown that the HTLV-I-encoded Tax protein is able to activate Tpl2/Cot in transfected cells. Finally, Tpl2/Cot participates in the activation of NF-kappaB by Tax. These findings indicate that deregulated activation of Tpl2/Cot may occur in human cancer cells.

Phosphorylation of NF-kappaB1/p105 by oncoprotein kinase Tpl2: implications for a novel mechanism of Tpl2 regulation.

The oncoprotein kinase Tpl2 plays an essential role in macrophage activation by the bacterial component lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In response to LPS stimulation, Tpl2 phosphorylates a downstream kinase, MEK1, leading to the activation of ERK signaling pathway. Recent studies demonstrate that the NF-kappaB1 precursor protein p105 functions as an inhibitor of Tpl2 and that the LPS-stimulated Tpl2 activation requires p105 degradation. However, how p105 inhibits the signaling function of Tpl2 is not completely understood. We show here that p105 does not inhibit the intrinsic kinase activity of Tpl2. When complexed with p105, Tpl2 remains catalytically active and uses p105 as a substrate. However, the p105-bound Tpl2 is unable to phosphorylate its physiological target, MEK1. These findings suggest that p105 functions as a competitive inhibitor of Tpl2 that blocks its access by MEK1.

A small molecule antagonist of the alpha(v)beta3 integrin suppresses MDA-MB-435 skeletal metastasis.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies affecting women in the United States and Europe. Approximately three out of every four women with breast cancer develop metastases in bone which, in turn, diminishes quality of life. The alpha(v)beta3 integrin has previously been implicated in multiple aspects of tumor progression, metastasis and osteoclast bone resorption. Therefore, we hypothesized that the alpha(v)beta3-selective inhibitor, S247, would decrease the development of osteolytic breast cancer metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were treated in vitro with S247 and assessed for viability and adhesion to matrix components. Athymic mice received intracardiac (left ventricle) injections of human MDA-MB-435 breast carcinoma cells expressing enhanced green-fluorescent protein. Mice were treated with vehicle (saline) or S247 (1, 10, or 100 mg/kg/d) using osmotic pumps beginning either one week before or one week after tumor cell inoculation. Bones were removed and examined by fluorescence microscopy and histology. The location and size of metastases were recorded. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: IC50 for S247 adhesion to alpha(v)beta3 or alpha(IIB)beta3a substrates was 0.2 nM vs. 244 nM, respectively. Likewise, S247 was not toxic at doses up to 1000 microM. However, osteoclast cultures treated with S247 exhibited marked morphological changes and impaired formation of the actin sealing zone. When S247 was administered prior to tumor cells, there was a significant, dose-dependent reduction (25-50% of vehicle-only-treated mice; P = 0.002) in osseous metastasis. Mice receiving S247 after tumor cell inoculation also developed fewer bone metastases, but the difference was not statistically significant. These data suggest that, in the MDA-MB-435 model, the alpha(v)beta3 integrin plays an important role in early events (e.g., arrest of tumor cells) in bone metastasis. Furthermore, the data suggest that alpha(v)beta3 inhibitors may be useful in the treatment and/or prevention of breast cancer metastases in bone.