No abstract

Column kinetics for metal removal could be described more adequately by a modified dose–response model than by the Thomas model or Bohart–Adams model conventionally used. The new empirical model can be used either in a linearized form or a non-linearized form. Use of the model minimizes the error resulting from use of the Thomas model, especially at lower or higher time periods of the breakthrough curve.

No abstract

Many polyphenolic compounds have demonstrated anticarcinogenic activities in animal models. These compounds include flavanone, flavonols, isoflavone, and catechins. In this article, tea catechins will be used as an example to illustrate current research in this area. Many laboratory studies have demonstrated the inhibition of tumorigenesis in animal models by different tea preparations. The animal models include tumorigenesis in the mouse lung, rat and mouse esophagi, mouse forestomach, mouse skin, mouse duodenum, rat small intestine, rat and mouse livers, and rat colon. In most of the studies, the inhibitory activity of tea could be demonstrated when tea preparations were given either during or after the carcinogen treatment period. Black tea was also effective, although the activity was weaker than green tea in some experiments. Decaffeinated tea preparations were also active in many model systems. The molecular mechanisms for these broad inhibitory actions are not fully understood. They are most likely related to the biochemical actions of the tea polyphenols, which include antioxidative activities and inhibition of cell proliferation and of tumor promotion-related activities. The effect of tea consumption on human cancers is not clear in spite of numerous investigations. The bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of tea polyphenols are being studied in animals and humans to provide a basis for more quantitative analyses on the effect of tea on carcinogenesis. More mechanistic and dose-response studies will help us to understand the effects of tea consumption on human carcinogenesis. Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 4): 971-976 (1997)

A new method for the simultaneous determination of seven heavy metal ions in water by solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was developed. The copper, nickel, cobalt, silver, lead, cadmium, and mercury ions were pre-column derivatized with tetra( m-aminophenyl)porphyrin (T m-APP) to form colored chelates. The metal-T m-APP chelates in 100 mL of sample were preconcentrated to 1 mL by solid-phase extraction with a C(18 )cartridge; an enrichment factor of 100 was achieved. The chelates were separated on a Waters Xterra()RP(18) column by gradient elution with methanol (containing 0.05 mol L(-1) pyrrolidine-acetic acid buffer salt, pH 10.0) and acetone (containing 0.05 mol L(-1) pyrrolidine-acetic acid buffer salt, pH 10.0) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1) and detected with a photodiode array detector. The detection limits of copper, cobalt, nickel, silver, lead, cadmium, and mercury are 2, 2, 3, 4, 3, 3, and 3 ng L(-1), respectively, in the original sample. The method was also applied to the determination of these metals in water with good results.

Abstract. Plant transpiration links physiological responses of vegetation to water supply and demand with hydrological, energy, and carbon budgets at the land–atmosphere interface. However, despite being the main land evaporative flux at the global scale, transpiration and its response to environmental drivers are currently not well constrained by observations. Here we introduce the first global compilation of whole-plant transpiration data from sap flow measurements (SAPFLUXNET, https://sapfluxnet.creaf.cat/, last access: 8 June 2021). We harmonized and quality-controlled individual datasets supplied by contributors worldwide in a semi-automatic data workflow implemented in the R programming language. Datasets include sub-daily time series of sap flow and hydrometeorological drivers for one or more growing seasons, as well as metadata on the stand characteristics, plant attributes, and technical details of the measurements. SAPFLUXNET contains 202 globally distributed datasets with sap flow time series for 2714 plants, mostly trees, of 174 species. SAPFLUXNET has a broad bioclimatic coverage, with woodland/shrubland and temperate forest biomes especially well represented (80 % of the datasets). The measurements cover a wide variety of stand structural characteristics and plant sizes. The datasets encompass the period between 1995 and 2018, with 50 % of the datasets being at least 3 years long. Accompanying radiation and vapour pressure deficit data are available for most of the datasets, while on-site soil water content is available for 56 % of the datasets. Many datasets contain data for species that make up 90 % or more of the total stand basal area, allowing the estimation of stand transpiration in diverse ecological settings. SAPFLUXNET adds to existing plant trait datasets, ecosystem flux networks, and remote sensing products to help increase our understanding of plant water use, plant responses to drought, and ecohydrological processes. SAPFLUXNET version 0.1.5 is freely available from the Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3971689; Poyatos et al., 2020a). The “sapfluxnetr” R package – designed to access, visualize, and process SAPFLUXNET data – is available from CRAN.

Background Previous latent class analysis of adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) identified two phenotypes, distinguished by the degree of inflammation. We aimed to identify phenotypes in children with ARDS in whom developmental differences might be important, using a latent class analysis approach similar to that used in adults. MethodsThis study was a secondary analysis of data aggregated from the Randomized Evaluation of Sedation Titration for Respiratory Failure (RESTORE) clinical trial and the Genetic Variation and Biomarkers in Children with Acute Lung Injury (BALI) ancillary study. We used latent class analysis, which included demographic, clinical, and plasma biomarker variables, to identify paediatric ARDS (PARDS) phenotypes within a cohort of children included in the RESTORE and BALI studies. The association of phenotypes with clinically relevant outcomes and the performance of paediatric data in adult ARDS classification algorithms were also assessed. Findings 304 children with PARDS were included in this secondary analysis. Using latent class analysis, a two-class model was a better fit for the cohort than a one-class model (p<0•001). Latent class analysis identified two classes: class 1 (181 [60%] of 304 patients with PARDS) and class 2 (123 [40%] of 304 patients with PARDS), referred to as phenotype 1 and 2 hereafter. Phenotype 2 was characterised by higher concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, a higher incidence of vasopressor use, and more frequent diagnosis of sepsis, consistent with the adult hyperinflammatory phenotype. All levels of severity of PARDS were observed across both phenotypes. Children with the hyperinflammatory phenotype (phenotype 2) had worse clinical outcomes than those with the hypoinflammatory phenotype (phenotype 1), with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation (median 10•0 days [IQR 6•3-21•0] for phenotype 2 vs 6•6 days [4•1-10•8] for phenotype 1, p<0•0001), and higher incidence of mortality (17 [13•8%] of 123 patients vs four [2•2%] of 181 patients, p=0•0001). When using adult phenotype classification algorithms in children, the soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFr1), vasopressor use, and interleukin (IL)-6 variables gave an area under the curve (AUC) of 0•956, and the sTNFr1, vasopressor use, and IL-8 variables gave an AUC of 0•954, compared with the gold standard of latent class analysis. Interpretation Latent class analysis identified two phenotypes in children with ARDS with characteristics similar to those in adults, including worse outcomes among patients with the hyperinflammatory phenotype. PARDS phenotypes should be considered in design and analysis of future clinical trials in children.

Two new 7,8-secolignans, marphenols A and B (1 and 2, resp.), together with a known related derivative, 7,8-secoholostylone B (3), were isolated from the stems of Schisandra wilsoniana. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques. The anti-HIV-1 activities of 1-3 were evaluated. Compound 1 inhibited HIV-1(IIIB)-induced syncytia formation with an EC(50) value of 0.55 μg ml(-1). It reduced p24 antigen expression in acutely HIV-1(IIIB)-infected C8166 cells and primary isolate HIV-1(TC-2)-infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), with EC(50) values of 3.34 and 0.52 μg ml(-1), respectively. It showed no effects on the HIV-1(IIIB) replication in chronically infected H9 cells as well as fusion inhibition.