Here we describe a new and simple method for preparing alkyl monolayers on silicon, which consists of mechanically scribing oxide-coated silicon while it is wet with 1-alkenes or 1-alkynes (neat or in inert solvents) under ambient conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, wetting data, and stability tests suggest covalent bonding of unsaturated species to exposed silicon surfaces. Enclosures (hydrophobic corrals) made by scribing silicon that is wet with unsaturated hydrophobic species hold droplets of water and liquids with substantially lower surface tensions. Wetting tests suggest that 1-alkynes make better hydrophobic corrals than 1-alkenes, and theoretical results suggest it should be more difficult for alkyl chains of chemisorbed 1-alkenes to pack than those of 1-alkynes. Underivatized interior regions of hydrophobic corrals are functionalized with polyelectrolyte multilayers. Theoretical energies for water and methanol droplets (gravitational and surface) in hydrophobic corrals are calculated, and a model of failure of liquid droplets in hydrophobic corrals is presented.

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed tumors worldwide and is known to be resistant to conventional chemotherapy. New therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for treating HCC. Osthole, a natural coumarin derivative, has been shown to have anti-tumor activity. However, the effects of osthole on HCC have not yet been reported.Methods and FindingsHCC cell lines were treated with osthole at various concentrations for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The proliferations of the HCC cells were measured by MTT assays. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. HCC tumor models were established in mice by subcutaneously injection of SMMC-7721 or Hepa1-6 cells and the effect of osthole on tumor growths in vivo and the drug toxicity were studied. NF-κB activity after osthole treatment was determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and the expression of caspase-3 was measured by western blotting. The expression levels of other apoptosis-related genes were also determined by real-time PCR (PCR array) assays. Osthole displayed a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of the HCC cell proliferations in vitro. It also induced apoptosis and caused cell accumulation in G2 phase. Osthole could significantly suppress HCC tumor growth in vivo with no toxicity at the dose we used. NF-κB activity was significantly suppressed by osthole at the dose- and time-dependent manner. The cleaved caspase-3 was also increased by osthole treatment. The expression levels of some apoptosis-related genes that belong to TNF ligand family, TNF receptor family, Bcl-2 family, caspase family, TRAF family, death domain family, CIDE domain and death effector domain family and CARD family were all increased with osthole treatment.ConclusionOsthole could significantly inhibit HCC growth in vitro and in vivo through cell cycle arrest and inducing apoptosis by suppressing NF-κB activity and promoting the expressions of apoptosis-related genes.

Silicon is arguably the most important material in modern technology and there has been much recent interest in chemically modifying its surface. 1,2 Linford and co-workers 3 recently published a new method of simultaneously preparing alkyl monolayers on silicon and patterning silicon by scribing it with a diamond-tipped rod while it is wet with 1-alkenes or 1-alkynes. They proposed that scribing creates highly active Si species that condense with unsaturated molecules. Here, we report that monolayers on Si can also be produced and Si surfaces concomitantly patterned by scribing Si that is wet with 1-chloro-, 1-bromo-, and 1-iodoalkanes. 4 As before, 3 this process takes place under ambient conditions, without the need to degas reagents. A dry Si surface with its thin (10-20 Å) native oxide layer is simply wet with an alkyl halide and the surface is scribed. We propose that surface species on scribed silicon, which may include SidSi (double) bonds and Si dangling bonds (Si • ), as are present on Si(100)-(2 × 1) and Si(111)-(7 × 7), respectively, 2 react with alkyl halides to produce Si-X (X is Cl, Br, or I) and Si-alkyl species. This process is shown below for Si • : homolytic scission of a C-X bond is followed by condensation of Si • with an alkyl radical.While • CH 2 (CH 2 ) n-1 H could diffuse away from the surface, it is likely that it will return to it by a random walk (a cage effect would also increase the likelihood of reaction with the surface). Bond strength tabulations support this mechanismsthe CH 3 -X 5 and C-X 6 bonds are weaker than the Si-X bond.Step (2) is clearly energetically favorable. 5 Bronikowski and Hamers 7 similarly suggested the following mechanism to explain the 2-fold excess of -Cl over -CH 3 on Si(001) dosed with gaseous CH 3 Cl:A number of reports on unpassivated silicon 2 and on monolayer formation on silicon 1 and gold serve as important precedents to this work. Abbott, Folkers, and Whitesides 8 removed regions of thiol monolayers on gold by micromaching techniques, for example, with a scalpel or a carbon fiber, and subsequently formed a second thiol monolayer in the exposed regions. Xu and Liu 9 used an AFM tip to scrape away areas of a thiol monolayer on gold while it was immersed in a solution of a different thiol. They showed that the thiol in solution adsorbs in the exposed regions. Linford 10 has shown that functionalized particles can be produced in a single step by grinding silicon in the presence of reactive compounds. CH 3 I, 11 CH 3 Cl, 7,12 and CH 3 CH 2 -Br 13,14 undergo dissociative adsorption onto Si(100)-(2 × 1) under ultrahigh vacuum to form Si-X and Si-CH 3 (or Si-CH 2 CH 3 ) species. Sailor and co-workers 15 derivatized both planar and porous silicon by electrochemical reduction of haloalkanes. Monolayers on planar and/or porous Si have been prepared by reacting H-terminated Si with diacylperoxides, 16 alkenes, Dorff, M. J.; Berges, D. A.; Linford, M. R. Langmuir 2001, 19, 5889-5900.(4) Preliminary results from our laboratory also indicate that monolayers are ...

Static time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) was performed on monolayers on scribed silicon (Si(scr)) derived from 1-alkenes, 1-alkynes, 1-holoalkanes, aldehydes, and acid chlorides. To rapidly determine the variation in the data without introducing user bias, a multivariate analysis was performed. First, principal components analysis (PCA) was done on data obtained from silicon scribed with homologous series of aldehydes and acid chlorides. For this study, the positive ion spectra, the negative ion spectra, and the concatentated (linked) positive and negative ion spectra were preprocessed by normalization, mean centering, and autoscaling. The mean centered data consistently showed the best correlations between the scores on PC1 and the number of carbon atoms in the adsorbate. These correlations were not as strong for the normalized and autoscaled data. After reviewing these methods, it was concluded that mean centering is the best preprocessing method for TOF-SIMS spectra of monolayers on Si(scr). A PCA analysis of all of the positive ion spectra revealed a good correlation between the number of carbon atoms in all of the adsorbates and the scores on PC1. PCA of all of the negative ion spectra and the concatenated positive and negative ion spectra showed a correlation based on the number of carbon atoms in the adsorbate and the class of the adsorbate. These results imply that the positive ion spectra are most sensitive to monolayer thickness, while the negative ion spectra are sensitive to the nature of the substrate-monolayer interface and the monolayer thickness. Loadings show an inverse relationship between (inorganic) fragments that are expected from the substrate and (organic) fragments expected from the monolayer. Multivariate peak intensity ratios were derived. It is also suggested that PCA can be used to detect outlier surfaces. Partial least squares showed a strong correlation between the number of carbon atoms in the adsorbate and the number it predicted.

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Yu-ping-feng-san (YPFS) is a Chinese medical formula that is used clinically for allergic diseases and characterized by reducing allergy relapse. Our previous studies demonstrated that YPFS efficiently inhibited T helper 2 cytokines in allergic inflammation. The underlying mechanisms of action of YPFS and its effective components remain unclear. In this study, it was shown that YPFS significantly inhibited production of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), an epithelial cell-derived initiative factor in allergic inflammation, in vitro and in vivo. A method of human bronchial epithelial cell (16HBE) binding combined with HPLC-MS (named 16HBE-HPLC-MS) was established to explore potential active components of YPFS. The following five components bound to 16HBE cells: calycosin-7-glucoside, ononin, claycosin, sec-o-glucosylhamaudol and formononetin. Serum from YPFS-treated mice was analyzed and three major components were detected claycosin, formononetin and cimifugin. Among these, claycosin and formononetin were detected by 16HBE-HPLC-MS and in the serum of YPFS-treated mice. Claycosin and formononetin decreased the level of TSLP markedly at the initial stage of allergic inflammation in vivo. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB, a key transcription factor in TSLP production, was also inhibited by claycosin and formononetin, either in terms of transcriptional activation or its nuclear translocation in vitro. Allergic inflammation was reduced by claycosin and formononetin when they are administered only at the initial stage in a murine model of atopic contact dermatitis. Thus, epithelial cell binding combined with HPLC-MS is a valid method for screening active components from complex mixtures of Chinese medicine. It was demonstrated that the compounds screened from YPFS significantly attenuated allergic inflammation probably by reducing TSLP production via regulating NF-κB activation.

We have previously demonstrated a facile, chemomechanical method of simultaneously functionalizing and patterning silicon with single organic monolayers by scribing it while it is wet with 1-alkenes, [1] 1-alkynes, [1] and 1-haloalkanes. [2] Here we show that this method can be extended to create individual surfaces that have different monolayer coatings in distinct and precisely controlled regions (Figure 1). Like microcontact [*] Dr.

This investigation devotes to the kinetics of the reduction of (MnO) with carbon-saturated liquid iron. The experiment condition involves high content realm of both ("I. MnO)