Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 22
  • Item
    Ring-Closure Mechanisms Mediated by Laccase to Synthesize Phenothiazines, Phenoxazines, and Phenazines
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publications, 2020) Hahn, Veronika; Mikolasch, Annett; Weitemeyer, Josephine; Petters, Sebastian; Davids, Timo; Lalk, Michael; Lackmann, Jan-Wilm; Schauer, Frieder
    The green and environmentally friendly synthesis of highly valuable organic substances is one possibility for the utilization of laccases (EC 1.10.3.2). As reactants for the herein described syntheses, different o-substituted arylamines or arylthiols and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and its derivatives were used. In this way, the formation of phenothiazines, phenoxazines, and phenazines was achieved in aqueous solution mediated by the laccase of Pycnoporus cinnabarinus in the presence of oxygen. Two types of phenothiazines (3-hydroxy- and 3-oxo-phenothiazines) formed in one reaction assay were described for the first time. The cyclization reactions yielded C–N, C–S, or C–O bonds. The syntheses were investigated with regard to the substitution pattern of the reaction partners. Differences in C–S and C–N bond formations without cyclization are discussed.
  • Item
    Medical Gas Plasma Jet Technology Targets Murine Melanoma in an Immunogenic Fashion
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Bekeschus, Sander; Clemen, Ramona; Nießner, Felix; Sagwal, Sanjeev Kumar; Freund, Eric; Schmidt, Anke
    Medical technologies from physics are imperative in the diagnosis and therapy of many types of diseases. In 2013, a novel cold physical plasma treatment concept was accredited for clinical therapy. This gas plasma jet technology generates large amounts of different reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS). Using a melanoma model, gas plasma technology is tested as a novel anticancer agent. Plasma technology derived ROS diminish tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Varying the feed gas mixture modifies the composition of ROS. Conditions rich in atomic oxygen correlate with killing activity and elevate intratumoral immune-infiltrates of CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells and dendritic cells. T-cells from secondary lymphoid organs of these mice stimulated with B16 melanoma cells ex vivo show higher activation levels as well. This correlates with immunogenic cancer cell death and higher calreticulin and heat-shock protein 90 expressions induced by gas plasma treatment in melanoma cells. To test the immunogenicity of gas plasma treated melanoma cells, 50% of mice vaccinated with these cells are protected from tumor growth compared to 1/6 and 5/6 mice negative control (mitomycin C) and positive control (mitoxantrone), respectively. Gas plasma jet technology is concluded to provide immunoprotection against malignant melanoma both in vitro and in vivo.
  • Item
    A coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor for treatment of winter wheat seeds
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Nishime, Thalita M. C.; Wannicke, Nicola; Horn, Stefan; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Brust, Henrike
    Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas have been recently explored for their potential usage in agricultural applications as an interesting alternative solution for a potential increase in food production with a minor impact on the ecosystem. However, the adjustment and optimization of plasma sources for agricultural applications in general is an important study that is commonly overlooked. Thus, in the present work, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with coaxial geometry designed for the direct treatment of seeds is presented and investigated. To ensure reproducible and homogeneous treatment results, the reactor mechanically shakes the seeds during treatment, and ambient air is admixed while the discharge runs. The DBD, operating with argon and helium, produces two different chemically active states of the system for seed modification. The temperature evolution was monitored to guarantee a safe manipulation of seeds, whereas a physiological temperature was assured by controlling the exposure time. Both treatments led to a remarkable increase in wettability and acceleration in germination. The present study showed faster germination acceleration (60% faster after 24 h) and a lower water contact angle (WCA) (82% reduction) for winter wheat seeds by using the described argon discharge (with air impurities). Furthermore, the treatment can be easily optimized by adjusting the electrical parameters. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Item
    Detecting Bacteria on Wounds with Hyperspectral Imaging in Fluorescence Mode
    (Berlin : De Gruyter, 2020) Hornberger, Christoph.; Herrmann, Bert. H.; Daeschlein, Georg; Podewils, Sebastian von; Sicher, Claudia; Kuhn, Jana; Masur, Kai; Meister, Mareike; Wahl, Philip
    Chronic non-healing wounds represent an increasing problem. In order to enable physicians and nurses to make evidence based decisions on wound treatment, the professional societies call for supporting tools to be offered to physicians. Oxygen supply, bacteria colonization and other parameters influence the healing process. So far, these parameters cannot be monitored in an objective and routinely manner. Existing methods like the microbiological analysis of wound swabs, mean a great deal of effort and partly a long delay. In this paper 42 fluorescence images from 42 patients with diabetic foot ulcer, recorded with a hyperspectral imaging system (TIVITA®), converted for fluorescence imaging, were analysed. Beside the fluorescence images, information about the bacterial colonization is available from microbiological analysis of wound swabs. After preprocessing, principal component analysis, PCA, is used for data analysis with a 405 nm excitation wavelength, the emission wavelength range 510 - 745 nm is used for analysis. After dividing the data into a training and a test dataset it could be shown, that bacteria are detectable in the wound area. A quantification in bacterial colonization counts (BCC) was not in the focus of the research in this study stage.
  • Item
    Solid carbon active screen plasma nitrocarburizing of AISI 316L stainless steel in cold wall reactor: influence of plasma conditions
    (Rio de Janeiro : Elsevier, 2020) Jafarpour, Saeed M.; Puth, Alexander; Dalke, Anke; Böcker, Jan; Pipa, AndreiV.; Röpcke, Jürgen; van Helden, Jean-Pierre H.; Biermann, Horst
    Low temperature plasma nitrocarburizing processes are widely used surface treatment techniques to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of stainless steels without loss of their excellent corrosion resistance. In the present study, plasma nitrocarburizing based on the active screen technology was applied in an industrial-scale cold wall reactor for the treatment of AISI 316L. Different technological aspects of a cold wall active screen plasma nitrocarburizing (ASPNC) reactor are addressed. The current study compiles recent achievements for the ASPNC treatment using an active screen made of carbon fibre-reinforced carbon under varying plasma conditions. In addition, it is shown that utilizing an active screen made of carbon opens up the possibility to control the structural properties of expanded austenite by the variation of the plasma conditions. It is revealed that for the ASPNC treatment using an active carbon screen, the high reactivity of the generated plasma at the carbon surface suppresses the requirement to apply a bias discharge.
  • Item
    Electrical Modelling of Switching Arcs in a Low Voltage Relay at Low Currents
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Najam, Ammar; Pieterse, Petrus; Uhrlandt, Dirk
    The arc behaviour of short, low current switching arcs is not well understood and lacks a reliable model. In this work, the behaviour of an arc in the air is studied during contact separation at low DC currents (0.5 A to 20 A) and for small gap lengths (0 mm to 6 mm). The experiments are performed on a low voltage relay with two different electrode configurations. The arc voltage is measured during the opening of the contacts at constant current. The arc length is determined optically by tracing the mean path of the arc over time from a series of high-speed images. From the synchronised data of voltage vs. distance, first a sudden jump of the voltage at the start of contact opening is observed. Secondly, a sudden change in the voltage gradient occurs as the arc is elongated. Short arcs with a length up to approximately 1.25 mm show an intense radiation in the overall gap region and high voltage gradients. An unexpected behaviour never reported before was observed for longer arcs at low current: Two characteristic regions occur, a region in front of the cathode, with a length of approximately 1.25 mm, having an intense radiation and a high voltage gradient as well as a region of much lower radiation intensity and a comparatively lower voltage gradient in the remaining gap area despite a small anode spot region. The characteristic border of approximately 1.25 mm is almost independent of the current. A generalised arc voltage model is proposed based on the assumption that a constant sheath voltage and two discrete field regions exist, which are modelled as two independent linear functions of voltage vs. length. The data for various currents is combined to yield a general non-linear function for predicting the arc voltage vs. arc length and current.
  • Item
    Efficacy of plasma-polymerized allylamine coating of zirconia after five years
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Rohr, Nadja; Fricke, Katja; Bergemann, Claudia; Nebe, J Barbara; Fischer, Jens
    Plasma-polymerized allylamine (PPAAm) coatings of titanium enhance the cell behavior of osteoblasts. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a PPAAm nanolayer on zirconia after a storage period of 5 years. Zirconia specimens were directly coated with PPAAm (ZA0) or stored in aseptic packages at room temperature for 5 years (ZA5). Uncoated zirconia specimens (Zmt) and the micro-structured endosseous surface of a zirconia implant (Z14) served as controls. The elemental compositions of the PPAAm coatings were characterized and the viability, spreading and gene expression of human osteoblastic cells (MG-63) were assessed. The presence of amino groups in the PPAAm layer was significantly decreased after 5 years due to oxidation processes. Cell viability after 24 h was significantly higher on uncoated specimens (Zmt) than on all other surfaces. Cell spreading after 20 min was significantly higher for Zmt = ZA0 > ZA5 > Z14, while, after 24 h, spreading also varied significantly between Zmt > ZA0 > ZA5 > Z14. The expression of the mRNA differentiation markers collagen I and osteocalcin was upregulated on untreated surfaces Z14 and Zmt when compared to the PPAAm specimens. Due to the high biocompatibility of zirconia itself, a PPAAm coating may not additionally improve cell behavior.
  • Item
    Gas Plasma Technology-An Asset to Healthcare during Viral Pandemics Such as the COVID-19 Crisis?
    (New York, NY : IEEE, 2020) Bekeschus, Sander; Kramer, Axel; Suffredini, Elisabetta; von Woedtke, Thomas; Colombo, Vittorio
    The COVID-19 crisis profoundly disguised the vulnerability of human societies and healthcare systems in the situation of a pandemic. In many instances, it became evident that the quick and safe reduction of viral load and spread is the foremost principle in the successful management of such a pandemic. However, it became also clear that many of the established routines in healthcare are not always sufficient to cope with the increased demand for decontamination procedures of items, healthcare products, and even infected tissues. For the last 25 years, the use of gas plasma technology has sparked a tremendous amount of literature on its decontaminating properties, especially for heat-labile targets, such as polymers and tissues, where chemical decontamination often is not appropriate. However, while the majority of earlier work focused on bacteria, only relatively few reports are available on the inactivation of viruses. We here aim to provide a perspective for the general audience of the chances and opportunities of gas plasma technology for supporting healthcare during viral pandemics such as the COVID-19 crisis. This includes possible real-world plasma applications, appropriate laboratory viral test systems, and critical points on the technical and safety requirements of gas plasmas for virus inactivation.
  • Item
    GSH modification as a marker for plasma source and biological response comparison to plasma treatment
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Ranieri, Pietro; Mohamed, Hager; Myers, Brayden; Dobossy, Leah; Beyries, Keely; Trosan, Duncan; Krebs, Fred C.; Miller, Vandana; Stapelmann, Katharina
    This study investigated the use of glutathione as a marker to establish a correlation between plasma parameters and the resultant liquid chemistry from two distinct sources to predefined biological outcomes. Two different plasma sources were operated at parameters that resulted in similar biological responses: cell viability, mitochondrial activity, and the cell surface display of calreticulin. Specific glutathione modifications appeared to be associated with biological responses elicited by plasma. These modifications were more pronounced with increased treatment time for the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Reference Microplasma Jet (COST-Jet) and increased frequency for the dielectric barrier discharge and were correlated with more potent biological responses. No correlations were found when cells or glutathione were exposed to exogenously added long-lived species alone. This implied that short-lived species and other plasma components were required for the induction of cellular responses, as well as glutathione modifications. These results showed that comparisons of medical plasma sources could not rely on measurements of long-lived chemical species; rather, modifications of biomolecules (such as glutathione) might be better predictors of cellular responses to plasma exposure. © 2020 by the authors.
  • Item
    Plasma‐treated flammulina velutipes‐derived extract showed anticancer potential in human breast cancer cells
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Mitra, Sarmistha; Bhartiya, Pradeep; Kaushik, Neha; Nguyen, Linh Nhat; Wahab, Rizwan; Bekeschus, Sander; Choi, Eun Ha; Kaushik, Nagendra Kumar
    Natural products with medicinal properties are among alternative therapies of interest due to their high body tolerance. We aimed to determine whether nonthermal gas plasma could enhance the medicinal value of Flammulina velutipes mushrooms. Generated gas plasma was characterized by its emission spectrum in ambient air, pH, temperature, and H2O2 and NOx concentrations after exposure for various periods. Phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts were measured using antioxidant assays and Fourier transform infrared and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy. We analyzed the effects of the plasma‐treated mushroom‐derived extracts against breast carcinoma using the MCF7 and MDA‐MB231 cell lines. The extracts significantly and concentration dependently inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells without inducing toxicity in normal MCF10A cells, and induced apoptosis via oxidative stress, evidenced by DNA damage (γ‐ H2AX foci formation), and increased the population of MCF7 breast cancer cells arrested in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. The extracts also induced mitochondrion‐mediated apoptosis of MCF7 cells through cytochrome c release and caspase cleavage activity. The plasma improved the biological activity of mushrooms by increasing their phenolic compounds that prevented the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.