Disinfection of wastewater by a complete equipment based on a novel ultraviolet light source of microwave discharge electrodeless lamp: Characteristics of bacteria inactivation, reactivation and full-scale studies.

Ultraviolet (UV) light is widely used for wastewater disinfection. Traditional electrode-excited UV lamps, such as low-pressure mercy lamps (LPUV), encounter drawbacks like electrode aging and rapid light attenuation. A novel UV source of microwave discharge electrodeless lamp (MDEL) has aroused attention, yet its disinfection performance is unclear and still far from practical application. Here, we successfully developed a complete piece of equipment based on MDELs and achieved the application for disinfection in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The light emitted by an MDEL (MWUV) shared a spectrum similar to that of LPUV, with the main emission wavelength at 254 nm. The inactivation rate of Gram-negative E. coli by MWUV reached 4.5 log at an intensity of 1.6 mW/cm2 and a dose of 20 mJ/cm2. For Gram-positive B. subtilis, an MWUV dose of 50 mJ/cm2 and a light intensity of 1.2 mW/cm2 reached an inactivation rate of 3.4 log. A higher MWUV intensity led to a better disinfection effect and a lower photoreactivation rate of E. coli. When inactivated by MWUV with an intensity of 1.2 mW/cm2 and a dose of 16 mJ/cm2, the maximum photoreactivation rate and reactivation rate constant Kmax of E. coli were 0.63 % and 0.11 % h-1 respectively. Compared with the photoreactivation, the dark repair of E. coli was insignificant. The full-scale application of the MDEL equipment was conducted in two WWTPs (10,000 m3/d and 15,000 m3/d). Generally 2-3 log inactivation rates of fecal coliforms in secondary effluent were achieved within 5-6 s contact time, and the disinfected effluent met the emission standard (1000 CFU/L). This study successfully applied MDEL for disinfection in WWTPs for the first time and demonstrated that MDEL has broad application prospects.

Development of Fluorophosphoramidate as a Biocompatibly Transformable Functional Group and its Application as a Phosphate Prodrug for Nucleoside Analogs.

Synthetic phosphate-derived functional groups are important for controlling the function of bioactive molecules in vivo. Herein we describe the development of a new type of biocompatible phosphate analog, a fluorophosphoramidate (FPA) functional group that has characteristic P-F and P-N bonds. We found that FPA with a primary amino group was relatively unstable in aqueous solution and was converted to a monophosphate, while FPA with a secondary amino group was stable. Furthermore, by improving the molecular design of FPA, we developed a reaction in which a secondary amino group is converted to a primary amino group in the intracellular environment and clarified that the FPA group functions as a phosphate prodrug of nucleoside. Various FPA-gemcitabine derivatives were synthesized and their toxicity to cancer cells were evaluated. One of the FPA-gemcitabine derivatives showed superior toxicity compared with gemcitabine and its ProTide prodrug, which methodology is widely used in various nucleoside analogs, including anti-cancer and anti-virus drugs.

[Luteolin reverses OPCML methylation to inhibit proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of luteolin on the proliferation and expression of OPCML in breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. METHODS: Cultured MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with luteolin at the concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 µmol/L for 24 or 48 h. MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation and flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis. The expressions of OPCML mRNA and protein were detected using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, respectively. OPCML gene methylation in the promoter region was detected using methylation-specific PCR (MSP), and the activity of methylase in the cells was analyzed. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that treatment with luteolin at 5, 10 and 20 µmol/L for 24 h concentration-dependently decreased the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry also showed that luteolin at different concentrations could induce apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.05). Luteolin dose-dependently induced the expression of OPCML mRNA and protein in MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.05), down-regulated the methylation status in the promoter region of OPCML gene, up-regulated the level of non-methylated OPCML, and reduced the activity of methylase in the cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Luteolin inhibits the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells probably by upregulating OPCML expression and its demethylation.

Clusterin role in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with oxaliplatin.

AIM: To explore the prognostic value of clusterin (CLU) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with oxaliplatin (OXA). METHODS: Relative expression of plasma CLU mRNA was examined via fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and CLU protein level in tissue samples was detected through immunohistochemistry. Chi-square test was used to analyze the relationship between CLU mRNA expression and clinical features of HCC patients treated with OXA. Kaplan-Meier method was performed to assess overall survival for the patients, and prognostic value of CLU in HCC patients was estimated via Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: CLU expression in plasma and tissue specimens was significantly higher among HCC patients than in non-malignant controls (P < 0.001 for both). Moreover, elevated CLU mRNA was closely related to tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and response to OXA (P < 0.05). HCC patients with high CLU expression showed poor response to OXA. In addition, low CLU levels predicted long overall survival time among the study subjects (20.8 vs. 36.6 months, P < 0.001). CLU was an independent prognostic indicator for HCC patients treated with OXA (HR = 2.587, 95%CI = 1.749-3.828, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: CLU may be a novel prognostic marker for HCC patients treated with OXA.