| 1. |
- Hu, Jinhong, et al.
(author)
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Safety and immunogenicity of a malaria vaccine, Plasmodium falciparum AMA-1/MSP-1 chimeric protein formulated in montanide ISA 720 in healthy adults
- 2008
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In: PLOS ONE. - : PLOS. - 1932-6203. ; 3:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The P. falciparum chimeric protein 2.9 (PfCP-2.9) consisting of the sequences of MSP1-19 and AMA-1 (III) is a malaria vaccine candidate that was found to induce inhibitory antibodies in rabbits and monkeys. This was a phase I randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the PfCP-2.9 formulated with a novel adjuvant Montanide ISA720. Fifty-two subjects were randomly assigned to 4 dose groups of 10 participants, each receiving the test vaccine of 20, 50, 100, or 200 microg respectively, and 1 placebo group of 12 participants receiving the adjuvant only.METHODS AND FINDINGS: The vaccine formulation was shown to be safe and well-tolerated, and none of the participants withdrew. The total incidence of local adverse events (AEs) was 75%, distributed among 58% of the placebo group and 80% of those vaccinated. Among the vaccinated, 65% had events that were mild and 15% experienced moderate AEs. Almost all systemic adverse reactions observed in this study were graded as mild and required no therapy. The participants receiving the test vaccine developed detectable antibody responses which were boosted by the repeated vaccinations. Sixty percent of the vaccinated participants had high ELISA titers (>1:10,000) of antigen-specific antibodies which could also recognize native parasite proteins in an immunofluorescence assay (IFA).CONCLUSION: This study is the first clinical trial for this candidate and builds on previous investigations supporting PfCP-2.9/ISA720 as a promising blood-stage malaria vaccine. Results demonstrate safety, tolerability (particularly at the lower doses tested) and immunogenicity of the formulation. Further clinical development is ongoing to explore optimizing the dose and schedule of the formulation to decrease reactogenicity without compromising immunogenicity.TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) 2002SL0046; Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN66850051 [66850051].
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| 2. |
- Christensen, Kirsten E, et al.
(author)
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A germanate built from 68126 cavity co-templated by a (H2O)16 water cluster and 2-methylpiperazine
- 2008
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In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : Wiley. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 47:41, s. 7868-7871
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Totally tubular: A new tubular germanate is cotemplated by 2-methylpiperazine and an (H2O)16 cluster in a hydro(solvo)thermal synthesis. The germanate features a large, highly symmetric 68126 cavity (see picture; yellow sphere) built from 12 Ge7X19 (X=O, OH, F) clusters (GeX6 red, GeX5 yellow, GeX4 green).
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| 3. |
- Li, Cheng, et al.
(author)
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Photochemical hydrogen production catalyzed by polypyridyl ruthenium-cobaloxime heterobinuclear complexes with different bridges
- 2009
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In: Journal of Organometallic Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-328X .- 1872-8561. ; 694:17, s. 2814-2819
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two heterobinuclear complexes [(bpy)(2)Ru(bpy-4-CH3,4'-CONH(4-py)Co(dmgBF(2))(2)(OH2)](PF6)(2) (1, dmgBF(2) = (difluoroboryl) dimethylglyoximato) and [(bpy)(2)Ru(bpy-4-CH3,4'-CONHCH2(4-py)Co(dmgBF(2))(2)(OH2)](PF6)(2) (2) were prepared, in which the polypyridyl ruthenium photosensitizer and the cobaloxime catalyst are connected either by a conjugated bridge (1) or by an unconjugated one (2). Complexes 1 and 2 were used as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation. Under optimal conditions, the turnover numbers (ton) for hydrogen evolution were 38 for 1 and 48 for 2 in the presence of 300 equiv of both Et3N and [Et3NH][BF4] in the acetone solution during an 8-h irradiation of visible light (lambda > ca. 400 nm). The complex 2 with an unconjugated bridge proved to be more efficient for photochemical hydrogen generation than the complex 1 with a conjugated bridge under the same reaction condition.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Fan, Y., et al.
(author)
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Mechanical preparation of nano titanium dioxide powder and its optical properties
- 2007
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In: Journal of the Chinese Ceramic Society. - 0454-5648. ; 35:7, s. 832-837
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- mechanical preparation of the nano-sized particles of TiO2 powder by a stirred bead mill was investigated. The particle sizes of the ground products were determined by the acoustic particle sizer, the nitrogen gas adsorption method and a scanning electron microscopy. The diameter of the nano-sized particles, which were obtained after milling for 7 h, is about 50 nm and the specific surface area is up to 70 m2/g. The surface and structure of the samples have been investigated with X-ray diffraction. It is indicated that an intense comminution in the mill leads to a progressive loss in crystallinity of TiO2. The catalytic degradation of methyl orange in water was also studied by a photometer. The results show that the nano-sized particles of TiO2 powder prepared by milling possess photocatalysis effect and are capable of absorption of ultraviolet radiation
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| 7. |
- Jing, R., et al.
(author)
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Synemin is expressed in reactive astrocytes in neurotrauma and interacts differentially with vimentin and GFAP intermediate filament networks
- 2007
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In: J Cell Sci. - : The Company of Biologists. - 0021-9533. ; 120:Pt 7, s. 1267-77
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immature astrocytes and astrocytoma cells contain synemin and three other intermediate filament (IF) proteins: glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin and nestin. Here, we show that, after neurotrauma, reactive astrocytes produce synemin and thus propose synemin as a new marker of reactive astrocytes. Comparison of synemin mRNA and protein levels in brain tissues and astrocyte cultures from wild-type, Vim(-)(/)(-) and Gfap(-)(/)(-)Vim(-)(/)(-) mice showed that in the absence of vimentin, synemin protein was undetectable although synemin mRNA was present at wild-type levels. By contrast, in Gfap(-)(/)(-) astrocytes, synemin protein and mRNA levels, as well as synemin incorporation into vimentin IFs, were unaltered. Biochemical assays with purified proteins suggested that synemin interacts with GFAP IFs like an IF-associated protein rather than like a polymerization partner, whereas the opposite was true for synemin interaction with vimentin. In transfection experiments, synemin did not incorporate into normal, filamentous GFAP networks, but integrated into vimentin and GFAP heteropolymeric networks. Thus, alongside GFAP, vimentin and nestin, reactive astrocytes contain synemin, whose accumulation is suppressed post-transcriptionally in the absence of a polymerization partner. In astrocytes, this partner is vimentin and not GFAP, which implies a functional difference between these two type III IF proteins.
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| 8. |
- Li, Chaoyan, et al.
(author)
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Anthraquinone dyes as photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells
- 2007
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In: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-0248 .- 1879-3398. ; 91:19, s. 1863-1871
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Three anthraquitione dyes with carboxylic acid as anchoring group are designed and synthesized as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Preliminary photophysical and photoelectrochemical measurements show that these anthraquinone dyes have very low performance on DSSC applications, although they have broad and intense absorption spectra in the visible region (up to 800nm). Transient absorption kinetics, fluorescence lifetime measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are conducted to investigate the cause of such low DSSC performance for these dyes. The results show that the strong electron -withdrawing character of the two carbonyl groups on anthraquinone framework may lie behind the low performance by suppressing the efficient electron injection from the dye to the conduction band of TiO2.
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| 9. |
- Li, Longkun, et al.
(author)
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Altered expression of calcium-activated K and Cl channels in detrusor overactivity of rats with partial bladder outflow obstruction
- 2008
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In: BJU International. - 1464-4096 .- 1464-410X. ; 101:12, s. 1588-1594
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To evaluate the activity of large- and small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BKCa, SKCa) and calcium-activated chloride channels (ClCa) in detrusor overactivity (DO) cells after partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirteen female Wistar rats with DO caused by PBOO were studied simultaneously with eight sham-operated rats. The expression of KCa and ClCa channels was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and the function of the two groups compared. RESULTS In the DO cells the expression of BKCa, SKCa2 and SKCa3 was lower, and that of ClCa channels higher, than in the control group cells. Using confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis, the function of BKCa and SKCa channels was suppressed, and that of ClCa channels was enhanced in DO group cells. KCa and ClCa effectors altered the cell membrane potentials more significantly in the DO cells than in the control cells, indicating a decrease in KCa and an increase in ClCa in DO group in either iso- or hypo-osmolar medium. Moreover, the change in BKCa, SKCa and ClCa channel activators in DO cells showed a more excitable state in hypo-osmolar medium than in iso-osmolar medium. CONCLUSION In DO myocytes after PBOO, the expression and function of KCa channels were decreased, and those of ClCa channels increased. These changes all provoke greater cell excitability, and could partly account for the DO.
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| 10. |
- Li, Minna, et al.
(author)
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Oligo thiophene-2-yl-vinyl bridged mono- and binuclear ruthenium(II) tris-bipyridine complexes : Synthesis, photophysics, electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence
- 2008
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In: Journal of Organometallic Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-328X .- 1872-8561. ; 693:1, s. 46-56
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A series of mono- and binuclear ruthenium(II) tris-bipyridine complexes tethered to oligothienylenevinyleries have been synthesized and characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and TOF-MS spectrometry. Photophysics, electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) properties of these complexes are investigated. The electronic absorption spectra of the mononuclear ruthenium complexes show a significant red shift both at MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) and pi-pi* transitions of oligothienylenevinylenes with increase in the number of thiophenyl-2-yl-vinyl unit. For the binuclear complexes these two absorption bands are overlapped.) All the metal complexes have very weak emission compared to that of the reference complex Ru(bpy)(3)(2+). The first reduction potentials of all mononuclear ruthenium complexes are less negative than that of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+), due to the moderate electron-withdrawing effect of oligothienylenevinylenes. For binuclear ruthenium complexes, only one Ru(II/III) oxidation peak (E-1/2=0.96V vs. Ag/Ag+) was observed, suggesting a weak interaction between two metal centers. Three successive reduction processes of bipyridine ligands are similar among all ruthenium complexes except for RuTRu, which has a very sharp peak owing to the accumulation of neutral product oil the electrode surface. All these ruthenium complexes exhibited different ECL property in CH3CN solution without any additional reductant or oxidant. For three mononuclear ruthenium complexes, the ECL intensity strengthens with increase in the number of thiophene-2-yl-vinyl unit. However, the ECL efficiency dramatically decreased in the binuclear ruthenium complexes. The ECL efficiencies of all the)2+, reported complexes do not exceed that of Ru(bpy 3 where the ECL efficiency decreases in the order of RuTRu > Ru3T > Ru2T > RuT > Ru2TRu (RuT, bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-(4-metliyl-4'-(2-thienylethenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium dihexafluorophosphate; Ru2T, bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-(4-methyl-4'-{(E) -2-[5-((E) -2-thienylethenyl)-thienylethenyl])-2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium dihexafluorophosphate; Ru3T, bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-(4-methyl-4'-[(E)-2-{(E)-2-[5-((E)-2-thienylethenyl)- thienylethenyl])}-2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium dihexafluorophosphate; RuTRu, bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-ruthenium-bis-[2-((E)-4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridinyl-4)-e thenyl]-thienyl-bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-ruthenium tetrahexafluorophosphate; Ru2TRu, bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-ruthenium-(E)-1,2-bis-{2-[2-((E)-4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyr idinyl-4)-ethenyl]-thienyl}ethenyl-bis-2,2'-bipyridyl-ruthenium tetrahexafluorophosphate).
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