Carbon Dioxide Capture with Amine-Grafted Activated Carbon

There are several possible methods by which amine groups can be grafted on the surface of activated carbon (AC) to improve their capacity for CO₂ adsorption. Ethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine were selected as amino compounds for anchoring on the surface of an oxidized AC. Oxidation of AC was carried out by concentrated nitric acid. For each amino compound, two “in-solvent” and “solvent-free” methods with a number of grafting times were studied. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption at 77 K and proximate and ultimate analysis were used to determine physical and chemical characteristics of the samples. Temperature-programmed (TP) CO₂ adsorption test from 30°C to 120°C were performed to investigate the effect of modification on CO₂ capture. The modification clearly had a negative effect on the textural characteristics of the samples, so the samples showed a less CO₂ uptake at lower temperatures. However, the decrease of capture capacity with increasing temperature is to somewhat softer for amine-grafted samples, so that they have a capacity comparable to the parent sample or even more than that at elevated temperatures. This property may give the new adsorbents this opportunity to be used at flue gas temperature with a higher efficiency. CO₂ capture capacity per unit surface area of all the amine-modified samples, however, was significantly improved, compared to the parent sample presenting a great influence of amino groups on the CO₂ capture capacity. Moreover, the used amine compounds and grafting methods were compared in terms of adsorbent characteristics and CO₂ uptake curves. Cyclic adsorption–desorption tests showed a satisfactory regeneration for the modified samples.     

Phytic acid,iron and zinc content in wheat ploidy levels and amphiploids: the impact of genotype and planting seasons

Micronutrient deficiency is one of the most common and widespread nutritional issues. Among the factors mitigating the bioavailability of Zn (zinc) and Fe (iron), phytic acid plays a key role; therefore, in order to scrutinize genetic alterations ?related to micronutrient and phytate contents, we examined the concentrations of zinc, iron, and phytic acid, as well as its mole ratio to ?zinc in various wheat species grown in two planting seasons. The concentrations of phytic acid and its mole ratio to zinc were 0.61?1.55 g kg^?1 dry weight and 1.88?4.17 for autumn, and 0.97?2.02 g kg^?1 dry weight and 2.10?4.05 for spring planting. There was a significant discrepancy among wheat species; tritipyrum had the highest concentration of iron, phytic acid and its mole ratio to zinc, and T. monococcum and T. aestivum recorded reasonable zinc bioavailability. Correlation studies between grain phytic acid concentrations and other measured traits revealed various relationships, denoting an irrefutable impact of planting season and wheat ploidy levels on modification of wheat genotypes. The characters contributing more positively with principal component (PC) 1 were Zn and Fe under spring planting and Fe under autumn planting. Spike number per square meter, biological yield and grain yield in spring cultivation, and grain zinc concentration in autumn cultivation were positively correlated to principal component (PC) 2. Given that the concentration of Fe and Zn in all the studied genotypes is relatively high and due to the existence of other desirable agronomic traits, this study believes that it could possibly enhance the applicability of some of these genotypes for breeding purposes.     

A Novel Mutation in the Aprataxin (APTX) Gene in an Iranian Individual Suffering Early-Onset Ataxia with Oculomotor Apraxia Type 1(AOA1) Disease

Background

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA1) shows early onset with autosomal recessive inheritance and is caused by a mutation in the aprataxin (APTX) gene encoding for the APTX protein.

Methods

In this study, a 7-year-old girl born of a first-cousin consanguineous marriage was described with early-onset progressive ataxia and AOA, with increased cholesterol concentration and decreased albumin concentration in serum. PCR and direct DNA sequencing was performed after DNA extraction.

Results

Sequencing analysis revealed a novel homozygous deletion in c.643 and A>T single nucleotide polymorphism in c.641 in exon 6 of the APTX gene [ENST00000379825].

Conclusion

It seems that this region of exon 6 is probably a hot spot; however, no deletions have been reported in exon 6 yet. Key Words: Ataxia oculomotor apraxia 1 (AOA1), aprataxin (APTX), Iranian     

Molecular and Clinical Investigation of Iranian Patients with Friedreich Ataxia

Background: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by guanine-adenine-adenine (GAA) triplet expansions in the FXN gene. Its product, frataxin, which severely reduces in FRDA patients, leads to oxidative damage in mitochondria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the triple nucleotide repeated expansions in Iranian FRDA patients and to elucidate distinguishable FRDA clinical differences in these patients. Methods: A number of 22 Iranian patients (8 females and 14 males) from 16 unrelated families were studied. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of patients. The frequency and length of (GAA)_n repeats in intron 1 of the FXN gene were analyzed using long-range PCR. In this study, the clinical criteria of FRDA in our patients and the variability in their clinical signs were also demonstrated. Results: An inverse relationship was observed between GAA repeat size and the age of onset. Although some distinguishable clinical features (such as limb ataxia and lower limb areflexia) were found in our patients, 90-95% of them had extensor plantar response and dysarthria. The results showed only one positive diabetes patient and also different effects on eye movement abnormality among our patients. Conclusion: The onset age of symptoms showed a significant inverse correlation with allele size in our patients (P>0.05). Based on comparisons of the clinical data of all patients, clinical presentation of FRDA in Iranian patients did not differ significantly from other FRDA patients previously reported. Key Words: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), Frataxin, Mitochondria     

Effects of non-antibiotic feed additives on performance, tibial dyschondroplasia incidence and tibia characteristics of broilers fed low-calcium diets

This experiment was conducted to investigate and compare the efficacy of different feed additives on performance, tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) incidence and tibia characteristics of male broilers fed low-calcium diets. A completely randomized design, with six treatments and five replicates of five chicks per each was used. Experimental treatments were: (i) Basal diet containing recommended level of calcium (0.9%) as control treatment (Ctrl), (ii) low-calcium (0.67%) diet without any additive (LC), (iii) low-calcium diet + probiotic (2 g/kg diet), (iv) low-calcium diet + prebiotic (2 g/kg diet), (v) low-calcium diet + synbiotic [mix of probiotic and prebiotic (each 2 g/kg diet)], (vi) low-calcium diet + organic acid (1.5 g/kg diet). Birds were reared in an open-sided house system under natural tropical condition until 21 days of age. Feeding with low-calcium diet negatively influenced broiler performance (body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio) and tibia characteristics, whereas dietary inclusion of all feed additives had beneficial effects on above-mentioned parameters and helped the birds to overcome problems related to low-calcium diets. Different treatments had no effect on TD incidence.     

Three Novel Mutations in Iranian Patients with Tay-Sachs Disease

Background: Tay-Sachs disease (TSD), or GM2 gangliosidosis, is a lethal autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder, which is caused by a deficiency of beta-hexosaminidase A (HEXA), resulting in lysosomal accumulation of GM2 ganglioside. The aim of this study was to identify the TSD-causing mutations in an Iranian population. Methods: In this study, we examined 31 patients for TSD-causing mutations using PCR, followed by restriction enzyme digestion. Results: Molecular genetics analysis of DNA from 23 patients of TSD revealed mutations that has been previously reported, including four-base duplications c.1274_1277dupTATC in exon 11 and IVS2+1G>A, deletion TTAGGCAAGGGC in exon 10 as well as a few novel mutations, including C331G, which altered Gln>Glu in HEXB, A>G, T>C, and p.R510X in exon 14, which predicted a termination codon or nonsense mutation. Conclusion: In conclusion, with the discovery of these novel mutations, the genotypic spectrum of Iranian patients with TSD disease has been extended and could facilitate definition of disease-related mutations. Key Words: Tay-Sachs disease, β- hexosaminidase A, β- hexosaminidase B     

Is Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio Considered as a Prognostic Marker with Age and Tumor Location in Colorectal Cancer?

Background:

Bax and Bcl-2 are the major members of Bcl-2 family whose play a key role in tumor progression or inhibition of intrinsic apoptotic pathway triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, the balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic members of this family can determine the cellular fate.

Methods:

In this study, the relative level of mRNA expression of Bax and Bcl-2 genes was determined using RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and RT-qPCR technique from 22 tumoral tissues and adjacent non-tumoral tissues from adenocarcinoma colorectal cancer.

Results:

The potential prognostic and predictive significance of Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were demonstrated in colorectal cancer. The significant correlation between qPCR data and different clinicopathologic parameters of colorectal carcinoma, including age, gender, tumor size, tumor stage, tumor location, and tumor differentiation was also examined. Interestingly, no significant correlation was seen between Bax and Bcl-2 expressions and clinicopathological parameters of colorectal cancer. However, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was statistically correlated with age and tumor location. Patients with age above 50 showed decreased levels of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Moreover, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was significantly lower in tumors resected from colon compared to sigmoid colon, rectosigmoid and rectum tumors.

Conclusion:

This study indicates a significant correlation between age and tumor location with Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio, suggesting predictive value as a potential molecular marker of colorectal cancer.Key Words: Colorectal cancer, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, Bax expression, Bcl-2 expression