2,3,9,10-Tetrahydroxyberberine

Oxygen Vacancy Promoted Heterogeneous Fenton-like Degradation of Ofloxacin at pH 3.2-9.0 by Cu Substituted Magnetic Fe3O4@FeOOH Nanocomposite.[Pubmed:28934546]

Environ Sci Technol. 2017 Nov 7;51(21):12699-12706.

To develop an ultraefficient and reusable heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst at a wide working pH range is a great challenge for its application in practical water treatment. We report an oxygen vacancy promoted heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction mechanism and an unprecedented ofloxacin (OFX) degradation efficiency of Cu doped Fe3O4@FeOOH magnetic nanocomposite. Without the aid of external energy, OFX was always completely removed within 30 min at pH 3.2-9.0. Compared with Fe3O4@FeOOH, the pseudo-first-order reaction constant was enhanced by 10 times due to Cu substitution (9.04/h vs 0.94/h). Based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman analysis, and the investigation of H2O2 decomposition, (*)OH generation, pH effect on OFX removal and H2O2 utilization efficiency, the new formed oxygen vacancy from in situ Fe substitution by Cu rather than promoted Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) cycle was responsible for the ultraefficiency of Cu doped Fe3O4@FeOOH at neutral and even alkaline pHs. Moreover, the catalyst had an excellent long-term stability and could be easily recovered by magnetic separation, which would not cause secondary pollution to treated water.

Cytotoxicity and mode of action of a naturally occurring naphthoquinone, 2-acetyl-7-methoxynaphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-quinone towards multi-factorial drug-resistant cancer cells.[Pubmed:28887921]

Phytomedicine. 2017 Sep 15;33:62-68.

INTRODUCTION: Malignacies are still a major public concern worldwide and despite the intensive search of new chemotherapeutic agents, treatment still remains a challenging issue. The present study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of 2-acetyl-7-methoxynaphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-quinone (AMNQ) isolated from the bark of Milletia versicolor towards a panel of drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cell lines. METHODS: The resazurin reduction assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of AMNQ against 9 drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cell lines. Cell cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and levels of reactive oxygen species were all analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Following resazurin assay, the naphthoquinone AMNQ displayed IC50 values ranging from 0.79microM (against HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells) to 3.26microM (against MDA-MB231/BCRP breast cancer cells) on 9 tested cancer cell lines, whilst doxorubicin showed IC50 values ranging from 0.40microM (against CCRF-CEM leukemia cells) to 91.37microM (against CEM/ADR5000 leukemia cells). IC50 values below 1microM were recorded with AMNQ towards CCRF-CEM cells (0.57microM), U87MG.DeltaEGFR gliobastoma multiforme cells (0.96microM cells) and HepG2 cells (0.76microM). Compared to its corresponding sensitive cell lines U87MG, sensitivity was observed in epidermal growth factor receptor-transfected U87MG.DeltaEGFR cells to AMNQ. MMP was found to be the main mode of action of induction of apoptosis by AMNQ. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this work demonstrate the cytotoxicity of AMNQ towards various types of cancer cell lines, including MDR phenotypes. AMNQ is a potential antiproliferative natural compound that deserves more investigations to develop novel cytotoxic drugs against sensitive and MDR cancers.

Crystal structure and DFT study of (E)-N-[2-(1H-indol-3-yl)eth-yl]-1-(anthracen-9-yl)methanimine.[Pubmed:28932467]

Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun. 2017 Aug 11;73(Pt 9):1329-1332.

The title compound, C25H20N2, (I), was synthesized from the condensation reaction of anthracene-9-carbaldehyde and tryptamine in dry ethanol. The indole ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.016 A) makes a dihedral angle of 63.56 (8) degrees with the anthracene ring (r.m.s. deviation = 0.023 A). There is a short intra-molecular C-Hcdots, three dots, centeredN inter-action present, and a C-Hcdots, three dots, centeredpi inter-action involving the two ring systems. In the crystal, the indole H atom forms an inter-molecular N-Hcdots, three dots, centeredpi inter-action, linking mol-ecules to form chains along the b-axis direction. There are also C-Hcdots, three dots, centeredpi inter-actions present, involving the central and terminal rings of the anthracene unit, linking the chains to form an overall two-dimensional layered structure, with the layers parallel to the bc plane. The density functional theory (DFT) optimized structure, at the B3LYP/6-311 G(d,p) level, is compared with the experimentally determined mol-ecular structure in the solid state.

After 9 Years of 3-Column Osteotomies, Are We Doing Better? Performance Curve Analysis of 573 Surgeries With 2-Year Follow-up.[Pubmed:28973410]

Neurosurgery. 2018 Jul 1;83(1):69-75.

BACKGROUND: In spinal deformity treatment, the increased utilization of 3-column (3CO) osteotomies reflects greater comfort and better training among surgeons. This study aims to evaluate the longitudinal performance and adverse events (complications or revisions) for a multicenter group following a decade of 3CO. OBJECTIVE: To investigate if performance of 3CO surgeries improves with years of practice. METHODS: Patients who underwent 3CO for spinal deformity with intra/postoperative and revision data collected up to 2 yr were included. Patients were chronologically divided into 4 even groups. Demographics, baseline deformity/correction, and surgical metrics were compared using Student t-test. Postoperative and revision rates were compared using Chi-square analysis. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-three patients were stratified into: G1 (n = 143, 2004-2008), G2 (n = 142, 2008-2009), G3 (n = 144, 2009-2010), G4 (n = 144 2010-2013). The most recent patients were more disabled by Oswestry disability index (G4 = 49.2 vs G1 = 38.3, P = .001), and received a larger osteotomy resection (G4 = 26 degrees vs G1 = 20 degrees , P = .011) than the earliest group. There was a decrease in revision rate (45%, 35%, 33%, 30%, P = .039), notably in revisions for pseudarthrosis (16.7% G1 vs 6.9% G4, P = .007). Major complication rates also decreased (57%, 50%, 46%, 39%, P = .023) as did excessive blood loss (>4 L, 27.2 vs 16.7%, P = .023) and bladder/bowel deficit (4.2% vs 0.7% P = .002). Successful outcomes (no complications or revision) significantly increased (P = .001). CONCLUSION: Over 9 yr, 3COs are being performed on an increasingly disabled population while gaining a greater correction at the osteotomy site. Revisions and complication rate decreased while success rate improved during the 2-yr follow-up period.