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Living things produce secondary metabolites, one of which is abundant in plants, namely polyisoprenoid alcohol compounds. Polyisoprenoids are also found in plants with different chain lengths. The distribution of polyisoprenoid compounds (dolichol and polyprenol) was found in the leaf and stem tissues of Pinus merkusii strains derived from Aceh, Tapanuli and Kerinci. The extracted samples were analyzed by the two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (2D-TLC) method. The distribution of dolichol and polyprenol compounds on the stems and leaves of Aceh, Tapanuli and Kerinci pines provided a type II categorization, both dolichol and polyprenol were traced in pine tissues. Total lipids in stem tissue ranged from 564.4-58.9 mg/g dw, polyisoprenoid values ranged from 1.34-2.44 mg/g dw. In the leaves, total lipids ranged from 590 to 669.43 mg/g dw while polyisoprenoid values ranged from 1.29 to 5.70 mg/g dw. The dolichol carbon chain length in the Pine stem of strain composed C70-C90, C65-C90, and C65-C95. Meanwhile, carbon chain-length of C85-C105, C70-C95, and C50-C65 were found in leaf tissues. The length of the polyprenol carbon chain in the stem was C60-C90, C50-C90, and C70-C90 respectively, while the chain lengths on the leaves were C60-C115, C50-C95, and C30-C90. The present study suggested the presence of both dolichol and polyprenols in Pinus merkusii without predomination either dolichol or polyprenol.

BACKGROUND p.Tyr329fs is a cytochrome P450c17 mutation among Chinese individuals. However, data on 17-α-hydroxylase deficiency caused by cytochrome P450c17 p.Tyr329fs homozygous mutation are lacking. This paper is a case report of three patients homozygous for p.Tyr329fs who were diagnosed with 17-α-hydroxylase deficiency between 2005 and 2019. CASE SUMMARY Case 1 presented with hypertension, hypokalemia, sexual infantilism and delayed bone age. The patient had a 46, XY karyotype, was homozygous for p.Tyr329fs and was recently treated with dexamethasone 0.375 mg qn. Case 2 presented with hypokalemia, sexual infantilism, osteoporosis and delayed bone age. The patient had a 46, XY karyotype, was homozygous for p.Tyr329fs and was treated with dexamethasone 0.75 mg qn at the last follow-up. Serum potassium and blood pressure could be maintained within normal range for cases 1 and 2. Case 3 presented with amenorrhea, sexual infantilism, osteopenia and delayed bone age. The patient had a 46, XX karyotype, was homozygous for p.Tyr329fs and was treated with dexamethasone 0.75 mg qn and progynova 1 mg qd. Outpatient follow-up revealed an adrenocorticotropic hormone (8 AM) of < 5.00 pg/mL. CONCLUSION The homozygous p.Tyr329fs mutation usually manifests as a combined deficiency, and definitive diagnosis depends primarily on genetic testing.

In this study, the mechanism of physical-chemical viscosity reduction of different heavy oils under ultrasonic wave is explored. Experiments of viscosity reduction and viscosity recovery of different heavy oils under ultrasonic excitation were carried out, and the optimal ultrasonic parameters, ultrasonic physical disturbance, and cavitation viscosity reduction extent of different oil samples were determined. Based on the element analysis methods, four-component analysis, gas chromatography analysis, and formation water pH value test, the micro-mechanism of the oil chemical structure change and water samples under ultrasonic wave was analyzed. The results show that the water content, temperature, and initial viscosity of heavy oil are the key to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil. The higher viscosity of the initial oil sample, the higher water content, and the temperature were needed. Compared with the lower viscosity oil sample, the higher viscosity oil sample has higher extent of cavitation viscosity reduction and lower extent of physical disturbance viscosity reduction under ultrasonic wave. After ultrasonic treatment, the contents of heteroatoms, resins, and asphaltenes in heavy oil samples with high viscosity decreased significantly, and the conversion extent of high carbon chain to low carbon chain was greater. In addition, the pH of water in heavy oils decreased after ultrasonic treatment, and the pH of water in high viscosity heavy oil decreased more significantly after ultrasonic treatment.

Background: The ability of the human body to produce metabolic energy from light modifies fundamental concepts of biochemistry. Objective: This review discusses the relationships between the long-accepted concept is that glucose has a unique dual role as an energy source and as the main source of carbon chains that are precursors of all organic matter. The capability of melanin to produce energy challenges this premise. Methods: The prevalent biochemical concept, therefore, needs to be adjusted to incorporate a newly discovered state of Nature based on melanin’s ability to dissociate water to produce energy and to reform water from molecular hydrogen and oxygen. Results and Discussion: Our findings regarding the potential implication of QIAPI-1 as a melanin precursor that has bioenergetics capabilities. Conclusion: Specifically, we reported its promising application as a means for treating retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The instant report focuses on the long-term treatment medical effects of melanin in treating ROP.

It has been challenging to adequately investigate the properties of nanosystems with radical nature using conventional electronic structure methods. We address this challenge by calculating the electronic properties of linear carbon chains (l-CC[n]) and cyclic carbon chains (c-CC[n]) with n = 10–100 carbon atoms, using thermally-assisted-occupation density functional theory (TAO-DFT). For all the cases investigated, l-CC[n]/c-CC[n] are ground-state singlets, and c-CC[n] are energetically more stable than l-CC[n]. The electronic properties of l-CC[n]/c-CC[n] reveal certain oscillation patterns for smaller n, followed by monotonic changes for larger n. For the smaller carbon chains, odd-numbered l-CC[n] are more stable than the adjacent even-numbered ones; c-CC[$$4m+2$$4m+2]/c-CC[4m] are more/less stable than the adjacent odd-numbered ones, where m are positive integers. As n increases, l-CC[n]/c-CC[n] possess increasing polyradical nature in their ground states, where the active orbitals are delocalized over the entire length of l-CC[n] or the whole circumference of c-CC[n].

Atmospheric levels of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) at five remote, six rural and four urban sites in Australia were measured using XAD-2 passive air samplers (XAD-PAS). While long-chain CP (LCCP, C>17) levels were below method detection limits (MDLs), short-chain CPs (SCCPs, C10-13) and, for the first time, medium-chain CPs (MCCPs, C14-17) and CPs with a carbon chain length of nine (CP–C9) were found at many sites (88%, 81% and 88%, respectively) across the Australian continent, representing a range of environmental conditions. Applying preliminary sampling rates of the XAD-PAS for CPs, gaseous CP levels in Australian air were 3 for ΣSCCPs and ΣMCCPs, respectively, with a significant decreasing trend from more densely to less densely populated areas. Atmospheric median levels in this study (0.37 and 0.47 ng/m3 for SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively) were at the lower end of the median range (0.32–10 and 3.0–4.2 ng/m3 for SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively) reported for CPs at predominantly urban or industrial sites elsewhere (apart from China and extremely remote sites such as Antarctica). Principal component analysis matched the SCCP and MCCP congener group patterns in samples with those found in commercial mixtures, indicating a prevalence of less chlorinated congener groups in the Australian atmosphere. Information about the Australian production, use and disposal of CPs as well as their levels in other environmental matrices, including humans, is needed for assessing their emissions, behaviour, fate and potential exposure.

The main shortcomings of biodiesel are related to the low-temperature performance and oxidation stability. Hence, this study proposes to investigate the influence of the oleic acid-based esters with various linear and branched chain alcohols on these two properties of biodiesel. The economic impact of biodiesel with various compositions is also evaluated by means of a mathematical model. The results showed that the longer the carbon chain length of the alcohol component, the better the low-temperature performance of the biodiesel. Hence, the cold filter plugging point and solidifying point of methyl oleate were −19 and −24 °C, respectively, whereas the cold filter plugging point and solidifying point of amyl oleate were −36 and −41 °C, respectively. The more irregular the molecular structure, the better the low-temperature performance of oleic acid-based lipids. For instance, the condensate point and solidifying point of oleic acid-based esters with branched chain alcohols should be lower than oleic acid-based esters with linear chain alcohols. On the other hand, for the linear esters of oleic acid, the oxidation stability is better as the carbon chain is longer. For instance, the induction period of methyl oleate is 0.07 h while for amyl oleate, it is 0.36 h, which corresponds to an increase of about 5 times. For the branched esters, although they are sensitive to oxidation, the induction period is higher than that of methyl oleate. Finally, the DEA evaluation model was used to analyze the economic aspects of the resulted biodiesel. The results showed that the addition of ethyl oleate to biodiesel significantly improved the low-temperature performance and oxidation stability of biodiesel with good economic benefits.

International audience; In last decades, a phenomenon named nutrition transition has been observed in many countries around the world. It has been characterised by increased consumption of fat-rich diets, predisposing to cardiometabolic diseases and high prevalence of the obesity. In the dietary recommendations cited to prevent metabolic diseases, there is a consensus to decrease intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) to less than 10% of total energy intake, as recommended by the Food Safety Authorities. However, fatty acids of different chain lengths may exhibit different cardiometabolic effects. Thus, our major aim was to review the cardiometabolic effects of different classes of SFA according to carbon chain length, i.e. short-, medium- and long-chains. The review emphasises that not all SFA may have harmful cardiometabolic effects since short- and medium-chain SFA can provide beneficial health effects and participate to the prevention of metabolic disorders.

Densazalin, a polycyclic alkaloid, was isolated from the marine sponge Haliclona densaspicula collected in Korea. The complete structure of the compound was determined by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and comparison of the calculated and measured electronic circular dichroism spectra. Densazalin possesses a unique 5,11-diazatricyclo[7.3.1.02,7]tridecan-2,4,6-triene moiety, which is connected by two linear carbon chains. This compound was derived from the biogenetic precursor bis-1,3-dialkylpyridnium. Densazalin exhibited cytotoxic activity on two human tumor cell lines (AGS and HepG2) in the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) bioassay, with IC50 values ranging from 15.5 to 18.4 μM.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:55:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-05-01 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Cyanine dyes are interesting compounds for diverse technological applications mainly because of their unique optoelectronic properties. Despite their interesting features, in general, structural and optical properties of these materials are not well described by electronic structure calculations. In this report distinct approaches and methods were used to evaluate structural and optical properties of a series of cyanine dyes to identify suitable methodologies. The results suggest that polymethine dyes can be properly modeled as cationic structures and non-conventional AM1/CIS and PM3/CIS approaches can describe the major optical features of these compounds, due a better description of the electron density on the carbon chains. Our data indicate very suitable and inexpensive approaches to investigate new cyanine dyes. São Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Sciences POSMAT São Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Sciences Department of Physics São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Itapeva São Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Sciences POSMAT São Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Sciences Department of Physics São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Itapeva CNPq: 420449/2018-3 CNPq: 448310/2014-7

Remote and in-situ observations of cometary gases have revealed the presence of a wealth of complex organic molecules, including carbon chains, alcohols, imines and the amino acid glycine. Such chemical complexity in cometary material implies that impacts by comets could have supplied reagents for prebiotic chemistry to young planetary surfaces. However, the assumption that some of the molecules observed in cometary comae at millimetre wavelengths originate from ices stored inside the nucleus has not yet been proven. In fact, the comae of moderately-active comets reach sufficient densities within a few thousand kilometers of the nucleus for an active (solar radiation-driven) photochemistry to ensue. Here we present results from our latest chemical-hydrodynamic models incorporating an updated reaction network, and show that the commonly-observed HC3N (cyanoacetylene) and NH2CHO (formamide) molecules can be efficiently produced in cometary comae as a result of two-body, neutral-neutral, gas-phase reactions involving well-known coma gases. In the presence of a near-nucleus distributed source of CN (similar to that observed by the Rosetta spacecraft at comet 67P), we find that sufficient HC$_3$N and NH2CHO can be synthesized to match the abundances of these molecules in previous observations of Oort Cloud comets. The precise origin of these (and other) complex organic molecules in cometary comae can be verified through interferometric mapping observations, for example, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)., Accepted for publication in MNRAS, April 15th 2021

Some observations of warm carbon chain chemistry (WCCC) cores indicate that they are often located near the edges of molecular clouds. This finding may suggest that WCCC is promoted in star-forming cores exposed to radiation from the interstellar medium. We aim to investigate the chemistry of carbon chains in such a core. A chemical simulation of a gas parcel in a low-mass star-forming core with a full level of irradiation by interstellar photons and cosmic rays was compared to a simulation of a core receiving only one-tenth of such irradiation. In the full irradiation model, the abundances of carbon chains were found to be higher by a factor of few to few hundred, compared to the model with low irradiation. Higher carbon-chain abundances in the prestellar stage and, presumably, in the extended circumstellar envelope, arise because of irradiation of gas and dust by interstellar photons and cosmic rays. A full standard rate of cosmic-ray induced ionization is essential for a high carbon-chain abundance peak to occur in the circumstellar envelope, which is heated by the protostar (the "true" WCCC phenomenon). The full irradiation model has lower abundances of complex organic molecules than the low-irradiation model. We conclude that WCCC can be caused by exposure of a star-forming core to interstellar radiation, or even just to cosmic rays. The Appendix describes an updated accurate approach for calculating the rate of cosmic-ray induced desorption., Accepted for publication in ApJ

A super-carbon-chain compound, named gibbosol C, featuring a polyoxygenated C70-linear-carbon-chain backbone encompassing two acyclic polyol chains, was obtained from the South China Sea dinoflagellate Amphidinium gibbosum. Its planar structure was elucidated by extensive NMR investigations, whereas its absolute configurations, featuring the presence of 36 carbon stereocenters and 30 hydroxy groups, were successfully established by comparison of NMR data of the ozonolyzed products with those of gibbosol A, combined with J-based configuration analysis, Kishi&rsquo, s universal NMR database, and the modified Mosher&rsquo, s MTPA ester method. Multi-segment modification was revealed as the smart biosynthetic strategy for the dinoflagellate to create remarkable super-carbon-chain compounds with structural diversity.

Electro-fermentation (EF) is an upcoming technology that can control the metabolism of exoelectrogenic bacteria (i.e., bacteria that transfer electrons using an extracellular mechanism). The fermenter consists of electrodes that act as sink and source for the production and movement of electrons and protons, thus generating electricity and producing valuable products. The conventional process of fermentation has several drawbacks that restrict their application and economic viability. Additionally, metabolic reactions taking place in traditional fermenters are often redox imbalanced. Almost all metabolic pathways and microbial strains have been studied, and EF can electrochemically control this. The process of EF can be used to optimize metabolic processes taking place in the fermenter by controlling the redox and pH imbalances and by stimulating carbon chain elongation or breakdown to improve the overall biomass yield and support the production of a specific product. This review briefly discusses microbe-electrode interactions, electro-fermenter designs, mixed-culture EF, and pure culture EF in industrial applications, electro methanogenesis, and the various products that could be hence generated using this process.

The electron density of p-CH3CH2COC6H4-C&equiv, CC&equiv, C-p-C6H4COCH3CH2 has been investigated on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected to high resolution at 100 K and from theoretical calculations. An analysis of the X-ray data of the diyne showed interesting &ldquo, liquidity&rdquo, of electron distribution along the carbon chain compared to 1,2-diphenylacetylene. These findings are compatible with the results of topological analysis of Electron Localization Function (ELF), which has also revealed a larger (than expected) concentration of the electron density at the single bonds. Both methods indicate a clear &pi, type or &ldquo, banana&rdquo, character of a single bond and a significant distortion from the typical conjugated structure of the bonding in the diyne with a small contribution of cumulenic structures.

Many polyols are abundant and cheap molecules highly spread in the biomass. These molecules have an enormous potential to be used in electrochemical devices to generate energy and/or value-added molecules. The electrooxidation of polyols can produce different substances of interest in the chemical industry concomitantly to high purity hydrogen in electrolyzers. The cost in the production of all these chemicals depends, among other factors, on the develop of more active and selective catalysts. However, in order to search for these materials using computational experiments, it is mandatory to have a better understanding of the fundamental aspect of the reactions, which permit to base the search on the adsorption energies of one or more key reaction intermediates. To contribute to this task, we performed (spectro)-electrochemical and computational experiments to study the electrooxidation of C-4 polyols. We show that the electrooxidation of polyols does not depend on the relative orientation of their OH groups. Besides, using Pt single crystals, we demonstrate that the trend for the oxidation of the primary carbon (relative to the secondary) increases in the order Pt(111) < Pt(100) < Pt(110) and that this result can be extended to polyols with longer carbon chains. Finally, computational experiments permit us to rationalize these trends looking at the relative stability of double dehydrogenated intermediates on the Pt basal planes.

A series of compounds have been synthesized with a variety of substituents based on a three-carbon chain at the C9-position of 3-hydroxy-N-phenethyl-5-phenylmorphan (3-(2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol). Three of these were found to be μ-opioid receptor agonists in the inhibition of forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation assay and they did not recruit β-arrestin at all in the PathHunter assay and in the Tango assay. Compound 12 (3-((1S,5R,9R)-2-phenethyl-9-propyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol), 13 (3-((1S,5R,9R)-9-((E)-3-hydroxyprop-1-en-1-yl)-2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol), and 15a (3-((1S,5R,9R)-9-(2-hydroxypropyl)-2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol) were partial μ-agonists. Two of them had moderate efficacies (E(MAX)ca. 65%) and one had lower efficacy, and they were ca. 5, 3, and 4 times more potent, respectively, than morphine in vitro. Computer simulations were carried out to provide a molecular basis for the high bias ratios of the C9-substituted 5-phenylmorphans toward G-protein activation.

Carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) still need to be identified. In a recent paper, we reported a correlation between the DIB wavelength and the apparent UV resilience (or boost) of their carriers. We proposed that this might be an indication of the important role of conjugated elongated molecules among the DIB carriers. The aim of this paper is to further understand the origin of this correlation. The analysis of 509 optical DIBs on the lines of sight of HD 183143 and/or HD 204827 reported in the literature shows that this correlation mainly implies the 386 narrow DIBs with a band width 2andζfamilies, while the majority of the 123 broader DIBs, including the identifiedσDIBs, do not display such a correlation. We present a possible origin of this correlation from very strong bands of large conjugated elongated molecules, such as carbon chains, polyacenes, or other catacondensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The total amount of carbon contained in all the carriers of these narrow DIBs is a very small fraction of the interstellar carbon if their oscillator strengths are ≥1. The amount of carbon locked in the carriers of the broader DIBs is higher, especially if their oscillator strengths are significantly weaker.

Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, C8), are a group of industrial chemicals that are detected in the serum of people throughout the world. Long-chain PFCAs (C9 to C13) have high lipophilicity, therefore they may have a high transfer rate to breast milk. This study investigated the lactational transfer of PFCAs with carbon chain lengths of 8 to 13 in mice. Lactating dams were given a single intravenous administration of PFCAs (C8 to C13) during the postnatal period (8&ndash, 13 days after delivery). Milk was collected from the dam 24 h after administration using a milking device built in-house. Plasma was obtained from the dam at the same time as milk collection. The observed milk/plasma (M/P) concentration ratios were 0.32 for C8, 0.30 for C9, 0.17 for C10, 0.21 for C11, 0.32 for C12, and 0.49 for C13. These results indicate that the M/P concentration ratio is not related to the lipophilicity of PFCAs. However, estimated relative daily intake, an indicator of how much PFCA is transferred from dams to pups per body weight, increased with chain length: 4.16 for C8, 8.98 for C9, 9.35 for C10, 9.51 for C11, 10.20 for C12, and 10.49 for C13, which may be related to the lower clearance of long-chain PFCAs. These results indicate the importance of future risk assessment of long-chain PFCAs.

The opportunistic pathogen, Acanthamoeba castellanii is the causative agent for the sight threatening infection Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). It is commonly associated with contact lens wearers, and prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate due to an inadequate preventive strategy to protect the lens from this protist. This problem is compounded by the lack of an effective acanthamoebocide, particularly with cysticidal activity in the contact lens solutions. We have used cytotoxicity assays and a variety of biophysical approaches to show that two molecules with tails made of alkyl carbon, alkylphosphocholines (APCs) and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) had significant chain-length dependent efficacy against A. castellanii trophozoites, the latter producing death via permeabilization, and DNA complexing. QACs were more effective than APCs and had activity against cysts. Conversely, the QAC with 12 alkyl carbon chain, was non toxic, its presence increased A. castellanii trophozoites biomass and delayed encystation by 96 h. Interestingly, it was unable to induce excystation and increased trophozoite sensitivity to APC16. These results present a mono- and multi-inhibitor management strategy effective against trophozoites and cysts that may be useful for formulating into contact lense cleaning solutions and reducing AK incidence.

In an aqueous buffer system, serious reverse and side reactions were found in the asymmetric reduction of 2-octanone with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, some nonionic surfactants added to the aqueous buffer system improved the bioreduction process by decreasing the reverse and side reaction rates in addition to effectively increasing the average positive reaction rate. Further, a shorter carbon chain length of hydrophilic or hydrophobic moieties in surfactants resulted in a higher yield of (S)-2-octanol. The alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants had a less influence than polyoxyethylenesorbitan trialiphatic surfactants on the product e.e. It suggested that the product e.e. resulting from the change of carbon chain length of the hydrophobic moieties varied markedly compared with the change of carbon chain length of the hydrophilic moiety. Emulsifier OP-10 and Tween 20 markedly enhanced the yield and product e.e. at the concentration of 0.4 mmol L−1 with a yield of 73.3 and 93.2%, and the product e.e. of 99.2 and 99.3%, respectively, at the reaction time of 96 h.