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Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of great interest to researchers in chemistry and material science due to their various chemical and physical properties, which include high surface area, augmen...

The hypothesis that gibberellic acid is involved in the regulation of spinach flowering was tested. The two-fold objectives of the present study were, first, to isolate and identify gibberellic aci...

Drug delivery systems offer the advantage of sustained targeted release with minimal side effect. In the present study, the therapeutic efficacy of a porous silica-calcium phosphate nanocomposite (SCPC) as a new delivery system for 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies showed that two formulations; SCPC50/5-FU and SCPC75/5-FU hybrids were very cytotoxic for 4T1 mammary tumor cells. In contrast, control SCPCs without drug did not show any measurable toxic effect. Release kinetics studies showed that SCPC75/5-FU hybrid provided a burst release of 5-FU in the first 24 h followed by a sustained release of a therapeutic dose (30.7 microg/day) of the drug for up to 32 days. Moreover, subcutaneous implantation of SCPC75/5-FU hybrid disk in an immunocompetent murine model of breast cancer stopped 4T1 tumor growth. Blood analyses showed comparable concentrations of Ca, P and Si in animals implanted with or without SCPC75 disks. These results strongly suggest that SCPC/5-FU hybrids can provide an effective treatment for solid tumors with minimal side effects.

Qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out on vegetative tissues of potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. “Katahdin”) in search of natural products thought to play a role in tuber induction. Tissues were obtained from plants initially grown in a growth chamber under noninducing conditions (30°C day and 28°C night with an 18-h photoperiod), and then half of the plants were moved to inducing chambers (28°C day and 13°C night with a 10-h photoperiod) for 10 days prior to tissue harvest. Plants from each chamber were then harvested at 2-day intervals for 10 days, separated into above- and belowground portions, and the lyophilized tissues were extracted and subjected to rigorous purification and separation using high-performance liquid chromatography. This was followed by identification and quantification using combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Compounds isolated and identified included gibberellic acid; cytokinins cis-zeatin riboside, trans-zeatin, trans-zeatin riboside, and isopentenyladenine; and jasmonates jasmonic acid, tuberonic acid and its methyl ester, methyl 7-isocucurbate, and 9,10-dihydromethyljasmonate. Methyl 7-isocucurbate and 9,10-dihydromethyljasmonate were detected for the first time in potato tissue as endogenous compounds. Cytokinin and jasmonate levels generally increased under inducing conditions, whereas gibberellic acid levels declined progressively during the 10-day sampling period. Only gibberellic acid, jasmonic acid, and cis-zeatin riboside levels were significantly influenced by induction.

The study aimed to identify the status of applying the principles of accountability in the public and private universities in Jordan. This was done by comparing between Yarmouk University and Jerash University from the perspective of the employees. The study sample consisted of 250 faculty members and one administrator at Yarmouk University and Jerash University. The questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The study reached several conclusions, most notably of which include the presence of statistically significant differences in the reality of applying the accountability principles at universities in general, and in the administrative, and academic fields. This, however, is dependent on the variable of the university in favor of Jerash University. The study concluded on a number of recommendations most important of which is the necessity of activating the accountability mechanisms and tools in three areas: administrative, and academic areas of public universities in a higher degree. It also includes a commitment with unified criteria of accountability to ensure the maintenance of an acceptable level of justice and transparency.

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) seed extracts (BMSE) have been used as traditional medicine for treating various ailments, although in many cases, the active component(s) are unidentified. In this study, bitter melon seeds were extracted in water, ethanol, or ethanol: water (1:1). The aqueous seed extracts (BMSE-W) exhibited marked cytotoxicity towards human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) and human colon tumor 116 (HCT1116) cells. The activity in BMSE-W was unaffected by heat and proteinases treatments, and eluted in the total volume of size-exclusion HPLC, suggesting the small, organic nature of the active component(s). Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometic (GC-MS) analysis of the HPLC fractions identified methoxy-phenyl oxime (MPO) as a major active component. Acetophenone oxime, a commercially available structural homolog of MPO, demonstrated cytotoxicity comparable with that of the BMSE-W. The oxime functional group was found to be critical for activity. Increased poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase and beta-actin cleavage, and chromatin condensation observed in treated cells suggested apoptosis as a plausible cause for the cytotoxicity. This study, for the first time, identified a cytotoxic oxime in BMSE-W.

Background Acute renal failure or injury is a common complication of treatment of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or high risk MDS, but the effect of renal function of patients who have acute myeloid leukemia/high risk MDS is not clearly highlighted as a predictor of survival, to the best of our knowledge this issue has not been studied in depth before. Aim study the effect of chronic kidney disease on the survival of patient with acute myeloid leukemia/High Risk MDS. Methods A retrospective study of all AML & high risk MDS patients treated at AGMC, Ohio, USA during 2001-2010. After IRB approval of the project, patients’ charts were reviewed to gather information on demographics, diagnosis types/subtypes, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), treatment, and cytogenetics. Patients were classified as low-intermediate risk or high risk according to cytogenetic background using WHO criteria. Also according to GFR patients were classified to GFR 60. Overall survival (OS) rates were determined by Kaplan-Meier Survival Analysis. Prognostic factors were evaluated by Log Rank analysis. Result Out of 130 patients we were able to classify 99 patients (75%). Patient were grouped into 59 Pts with GFR>60, 37 Pts with GFR 30-60 and 3 Pts with GFR Conclusion Glomerular filtration rate GFR is a major identified factor in patients survival who have acute myeloid leukemia AML/High Risk MDS, those patients with GFR 30-60 do better in term of survival, we don’t have any explanation for that, more data with high number of patients needed to elaborate on this issue. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

e18011 Background: The incidence of obesity is increasing worldwide and is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. In AML high body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased risk of treatment-related complications; the overall survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia is inferior, with most studies conducted in the pediatric population. Aim: To evaluate the effect of increasing (BMI) in the overall survival (OS) of adult patients with AML/High risk MDS. Methods: After obtaining IRB approval, all adult patients with AML diagnosed and treated at our institution (2002–2010) were studied. Data collection included patient demographics, laboratory tests, bone marrow biopsies, BMI, and survival information. We classified the AML patients into two groups according to BMI (kg/m2) classification by WHO; normal Weight 18-25 kg/m2, overweight and obese >25 kg/m2. Chi-Square and T-test were used for between group comparisons and Kaplan-Meier test was applied for survival estimates. Results: Adult patients with newly diagnosed AML (n = 130) had a median age of 55 years (range: 19-90), and 43 (56%) patients were older than 75 years. Seventy-two patients (55%) were male and 58 (45%) were female. 45 patients (35%) in total had complex cytogenetics, 20 patients (15%) had AML arise from MDS.Forty-four patients (34%) were considered normal weight; Eighty-six patients (66%) were classified as overweight or obese. Overall median survival was 28 weeks; patients with BMI 18-25 kg/m2 had a 36-week median survival, while patients with BMI 2 had a 25-week median survival (p25) was slightly lower than normal weight group (18-25 kg/m2), although this did not translate into a survival benefit. Future large scale studies may be needed to further define the role of BMI in survival benefit for these patients.

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) seed extracts (BMSE) have been used as traditional medicine for treating various ailments, although in many cases, the active component(s) are unidentified. In this study, bitter melon seeds were extracted in water, ethanol, or ethanol: water (1:1). The aqueous seed extracts (BMSE-W) exhibited marked cytotoxicity towards human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) and human colon tumor 116 (HCT116) cells. The activity in BMSE-W was unaffected by heat and proteinases treatments, and eluted in the total volume of size-exclusion HPLC, suggesting the small, organic nature of the active component(s). Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometic (GC-MS) analysis of the HPLC fractions identified methoxy-phenyl oxime (MPO) as a major active component. Acetophenone oxime, a commercially available structural homolog of MPO, demonstrated cytotoxicity comparable with that of the BMSE-W. The oxime functional group was found to be critical for activity. Increased poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase and β-actin cleavage, and chromatin condensation observed in treated cells suggested apoptosis as a plausible cause for the cytotoxicity. This study, for the first time, identified a cytotoxic oxime in BMSE-W.

A chemoluminescent sensor utilizing the substrate 2,6-pyridinedicarboxaldehydebis(o-hydroxyphenylimine) (S1) was developed for low-concentration detection of mercuric ions in aqueous solutions. The sensor selectively detects mercury in the presence of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and iron ions. A strong binding was observed between the mercuric ions and the substrate at a pH range of 6.5–7.5, which makes the substrate a distinctive luminescence sensor for detecting mercury at ambient conditions. The sensor shows a linear response towards Hg2+ in the concentration range 5.0 × 10–5 to 2.5 × 10–8 M with a limit of detection of 5.0 × 10–8 M. The sensor can also detect zinc ions at a pH of 10 or higher. The results indicate that this sensor has a promising future for the detection of mercury in real environmental water samples.