Volume 2 Issue 1
Authors: Shihua Wu; Dingfang Wu
Abstract: Flavonoids are a group of ubiquitous polyphenolic plant metabolites and found to be one of major active principles of some Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs). There is an increasing interest on the separation and identification of flavonoids with biological activities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, and inhibition of a variety enzyme. Recently, counter-current chromatography (CCC), a unique support-free liquid-liquid partition chromatography, has been widely used to isolate and purify bioactive natural products such as flavonoids from various plants especially from TCMs. As well known, the successful CCC separation largely depends on the selection of two-phase solvent system for the target compound(s). Therefore, the present summarizes two-phase solvent systems recently used in separation of a variety of bioactive flavonoids especially from TCMs. It is very important for current natural product isolation and TCMs research and development.
Keywords: Counter-Current Chromatography; Flavonoids; Natural Products; Phenolics; Solvent Systems; Traditional Chinese Medicines
Authors: Eric Y. Chuang; Shin-Hsiu Tu; Chi-Cheng Huang
Abstract: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease in terms of molecular aberrations. Microarray technology in the past decade has redefined breast cancer as a group of distinct disease based on gene expression profiles of certain intrinsic genes. Luminal subtype breast cancers, most of which are also estrogen receptor (ER) positive clinically, constitute the majority of human breast cancers and better prognosis is reported compared with ER negative breast cancers such as basal-like or HER2-enriched subtype. Significant difference in survival and therapeutic response, however, is observed between Luminal A and Luminal B subtype of breast cancers. The aim of the study is to use gene component analysis for the classification of Luminal A and Luminal B breast cancer and candidate genes constituting the gene component classifiers may reveal therapeutic targets as potential biomarkers in further breast cancer treatment. A total of 169 breast cancer microarray experiments from Taiwan and Mainland China with Han Chinese ethnic origin were analyzed and 80 out of which were consistently designated into Luminal A or Luminal B subtype by Hu306 and PAM50 intrinsic signatures under gene-centring. Partial least square followed by discriminative analysis (PLS-DA) algorithm from the Top 40 of the 2576 filtered genes with the p<10-4 t-statistic selection criteria delivered the best predictive model with parsimony. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering from the Top 40 genes also revealed well segregation of Luminal A and Luminal B breast cancers with only three errors. From our study, gene component analysis could discriminate Luminal A and Luminal B breast cancers and several proliferation-related genes over-expressed in the Luminal B subtype with compromised prognosis were identified.
Keywords: Luminal Breast Cancer; Microarray; Gene Expression; Gene Component Analysis; Han Chinese
Authors: José Ricardo Silva Talamantes; Luz Karina Angulo Balderrama; Sandra Luz Toledo Perea; Elizabeth Romero Samaniego; María María Marcela Acosta Gomez; Gustavo López Badilla
Abstract: The indoor air deterioration of health clinics and hospitals has increased by the presence of microorganisms (MO), which are generated by the presence of chemical contaminants in the air and dust particles that are suspended in the air for long periods of time. This causes worsening health of patients and affects people working and visiting their sick relatives. The use of antibacterial filters (AF) has decreased the percentage of MO in these types of environments and has managed to maintain and improve the health of patients, workers and visitors to these hospitals. With the use of AF in the public health clinic and hospitals was reduced the generation of respiratory infections (RI). These filters are exposed to physical agents (dust), chemical (air pollutants, primarily sulfur and nitrogen oxides in Mexicali, where the study was conducted) and microbiological (bacteria and viruses). These contaminants reduce the operational capacity of these filters and generate aggressive environments that infect the main areas where patients are hospitalized, affecting their health. This research study was conducted from 2010 to 2011, and developed in two stages: (1) analysis techniques with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to determine the effect of air pollutants that have a greater effect on the deterioration of electrical connections antibacterial filters, which causes operational efficiency declines; and (2) the development of a design and development of an automated system (AS) which detects electronic malfunction filters and indicates the period in which it was necessary to change the filter. With the AS, improved cleanliness levels of the air and rate of RI are decreased in the public health and hospitals and hospitals in this city. The stations with higher rates of corrosion and corrosivity levels (CL) were in summer and winter.
Keywords: Antibacterial Filte; Clinics and Public Clinic and Hospital; Pollution; Corrosion