Racemization of aspartic acid in root dentin as a tool for age estimation in a Kuwaiti population.

Science.gov (United States)

Elfawal, Mohamed Amin; Alqattan, Sahib Issa; Ghallab, Noha Ayman

2015-01-01

Estimation of age is one of the most significant tasks in forensic practice. Amino acid racemization is considered one of the most reliable and accurate methods of age estimation and aspartic acid shows a high racemization reaction rate. The present study has investigated the application of aspartic acid racemization in age estimation in a Kuwaiti population using root dentin from a total of 89 upper first premolar teeth. The D/L ratio of aspartic acid was obtained by HPLC technique in a test group of 50 subjects and a linear regression line was established between aspartic acid racemization and age. The correlation coefficient (r) was 0.97, and the standard error of estimation was ±1.26 years. The racemization age "t" of each subject was calculated by applying the following formula: ln [(1 + D/L)/(1 - D/L)] = 0.003181 t + (-0.01591). When the proposed formula "estimated age t = ln [(1 + D/L)/(1 - D/L)] + 0.01591/0.003181" was applied to a validation group of 39 subjects, the range of error was less than one year in 82.1% of the cases and the standard error of estimation was ±1.12. The current work has established a reasonably significant correlation of the D-/L-aspartic acid ratio with age, and proposed an apparently reliable formula for calculating the age in Kuwaiti populations through aspartic acid racemization. Further research is required to find out whether similar findings are applicable to other ethnic populations. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Chemical form of tumor-tropic 99mTc-DL-homocysteine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, A.; Okada, S.

1989-01-01

Analyses of the chemical forms of 99m Tc-complexes provide important information for the development of a new tumor-tropic 99m Tc-labeled radiopharmaceutical. We attempted to determine the chemical form of 99m Tc-DL-homocysteine ( 99m Tc-Hcy) which was previously reported to be tumor-tropic. By analyzing the functional residues of Hcy in the 99m Tc-Hcy molecule, it was estimated that the sulfhydryl and amino residues participated in the chelate formation. Gel filtration analysis of 99m Tc-Hcy indicated that its molecular size was bigger than that of 99m Tc-penicillamine monomer. The analysis also indicated that 99m Tc-Hcy complex seemed to be a relatively small oligomer. Although an uncertainty remains on the valency of Tc in 99m Tc-Hcy molecule and the accurate molecular size of this complex, its putative chemical form is described. (author)

Racemization of enantiopure secondary alcohols by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase

KAUST Repository

Musa, Musa M.

2013-01-01

Controlled racemization of enantiopure phenyl-ring-containing secondary alcohols is achieved in this study using W110A secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus (W110A TeSADH) and in the presence of the reduced and oxidized forms of its cofactor nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide. Racemization of both enantiomers of alcohols accepted by W110A TeSADH, not only with low, but also with reasonably high, enantiomeric discrimination is achieved by this method. Furthermore, the high tolerance of TeSADH to organic solvents allows TeSADH-catalyzed racemization to be conducted in media containing up to 50% (v/v) of organic solvents. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Recent advances in racemic protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Bingjia; Ye, Linzhi; Xu, Weiliang; Liu, Lei

2017-09-15

Solution of the three-dimensional structures of proteins is a critical step in deciphering the molecular mechanisms of their bioactivities. Among the many approaches for obtaining protein crystals, racemic protein crystallography has been developed as a unique method to solve the structures of an increasing number of proteins. Exploiting unnatural protein enantiomers in crystallization and resolution, racemic protein crystallography manifests two major advantages that are 1) to increase the success rate of protein crystallization, and 2) to obviate the phase problem in X-ray diffraction. The requirement of unnatural protein enantiomers in racemic protein crystallography necessitates chemical protein synthesis, which is hitherto accomplished through solid phase peptide synthesis and chemical ligation reactions. This review highlights the fundamental ideas of racemic protein crystallography and surveys the harvests in the field of racemic protein crystallography over the last five years from early 2012 to late 2016. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Intravenous dexketoprofen induces less injection pain than racemic ketoprofen.

Science.gov (United States)

Sjövall, S; Kokki, M; Nokela, A; Halinen, L; Turunen, M; Kokki, H

2015-08-01

Ketoprofen has high analgesic efficacy against inflammatory and nociceptive pain. Additionally, when ketoprofen is administered in conjunction with an opioid during pain management, it prevents the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia. The main limitation for racemic ketoprofen IV administration is venous irritation. Dexketoprofen is the active enantiomer of racemic ketoprofen and has a similar analgesic efficacy in a dose proportion of 1 : 2, but it causes fewer adverse effects than racemic ketoprofen. It has been claimed that dexketoprofen may cause less frequent and less severe injection pain than racemic ketoprofen. In this study, we compared the injection pain of IV administered racemic ketoprofen and dexketoprofen in elective surgical patients. The ethics committee of our institution approved this randomized, double-blinded, two-treatment, two-period, crossover clinical comparison of ketoprofen and dexketoprofen. A total of 221 ASA I-III adult patients, aged 20-75 years, were initially IV administered either 0·5 mg/kg racemic ketoprofen followed 2 h later with 0·25 mg/kg dexketoprofen (group 1) or vice versa (group 2). Both compounds were diluted in 20 mL of normal saline and were injected over 6 min. Patients reported injection pain on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) (0 = no pain, 10 = most pain). Significantly less injection pain was reported after dexketoprofen administration. A total of 201 of 209 patients reported pain during racemic ketoprofen injection, and 157 of 210 patients reported pain during dexketoprofen injection, respectively. Moderate or severe pain was reported by 90 (41%) patients during racemic ketoprofen administration and by 43 (20%) during dexketoprofen injection (P = 0·001). The mean of injection pain during racemic ketoprofen injection was 4·2 (SD 2·5) and was 2·5 (2·4) during dexketoprofen injection (P = 0·001). No serious or unexpected adverse events were reported. Dexketoprofen causes

Calibration of amino acid racemization (AAR) kinetics in United States mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Quaternary mollusks using 87Sr/ 86Sr analyses: Evaluation of kinetic models and estimation of regional Late Pleistocene temperature history

Science.gov (United States)

Wehmiller, J.F.; Harris, W.B.; Boutin, B.S.; Farrell, K.M.

2012-01-01

The use of amino acid racemization (AAR) for estimating ages of Quaternary fossils usually requires a combination of kinetic and effective temperature modeling or independent age calibration of analyzed samples. Because of limited availability of calibration samples, age estimates are often based on model extrapolations from single calibration points over wide ranges of D/L values. Here we present paired AAR and 87Sr/ 86Sr results for Pleistocene mollusks from the North Carolina Coastal Plain, USA. 87Sr/ 86Sr age estimates, derived from the lookup table of McArthur et al. [McArthur, J.M., Howarth, R.J., Bailey, T.R., 2001. Strontium isotopic stratigraphy: LOWESS version 3: best fit to the marine Sr-isotopic curve for 0-509 Ma and accompanying Look-up table for deriving numerical age. Journal of Geology 109, 155-169], provide independent age calibration over the full range of amino acid D/L values, thereby allowing comparisons of alternative kinetic models for seven amino acids. The often-used parabolic kinetic model is found to be insufficient to explain the pattern of racemization, although the kinetic pathways for valine racemization and isoleucine epimerization can be closely approximated with this function. Logarithmic and power law regressions more accurately represent the racemization pathways for all amino acids. The reliability of a non-linear model for leucine racemization, developed and refined over the past 20 years, is confirmed by the 87Sr/ 86Sr age results. This age model indicates that the subsurface record (up to 80m thick) of the North Carolina Coastal Plain spans the entire Quaternary, back to ???2.5Ma. The calibrated kinetics derived from this age model yield an estimate of the effective temperature for the study region of 11??2??C., from which we estimate full glacial (Last Glacial Maximum - LGM) temperatures for the region on the order of 7-10??C cooler than present. These temperatures compare favorably with independent paleoclimate information

Positionally isomeric organic gelators: structure-gelation study, racemic versus enantiomeric gelators, and solvation effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Caplar, Vesna; Frkanec, Leo; Sijaković Vujicić, Natasa; Zinić, Mladen

2010-03-08

Low molecular weight gelator molecules consisting of aliphatic acid, amino acid (phenylglycine), and omega-aminoaliphatic acid units have been designed. By varying the number of methylene units in the aliphatic and omega-aminoaliphatic acid chains, as defined by descriptors m and n, respectively, a series of positionally isomeric gelators having different positions of the peptidic hydrogen-bonding unit within the gelator molecule has been obtained. The gelation properties of the positional isomers have been determined in relation to a defined set of twenty solvents of different structure and polarity and analyzed in terms of gelator versatility (G(ver)) and effectiveness (G(eff)). The results of gelation tests have shown that simple synthetic optimizations of a "lead gelator molecule" by variation of m and n, end-group polarity (carboxylic acid versus sodium carboxylate), and stereochemistry (racemate versus optically pure form) allowed the identification of gelators with tremendously improved versatility (G(ver)) and effectiveness (G(eff)). Dramatic differences in G(eff) values of up to 70 times could be observed between pure racemate/enantiomer pairs of some gelators, which were manifested even in the gelation of very similar solvents such as isomeric xylenes. The combined results of spectroscopic ((1)H NMR, FTIR), electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction studies suggest similar organization of the positionally isomeric gelators at the molecular level, comprising parallel beta-sheet hydrogen-bonded primary assemblies that form inversed bilayers at a higher organizational level. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies of selected enantiomer/racemate gelator pairs and their o- and p-xylene gels revealed the simultaneous presence of different polymorphs in the racemate gels. The increased gelation effectiveness of the racemate compared to that of the single enantiomer is most likely a consequence of its spontaneous resolution into enantiomeric

Enantiopure vs. Racemic Naphthalimide End-Capped Helicenic Non-Fullerene Electron Acceptors: Impact on Organic Photovoltaics Performance

OpenAIRE

Josse , Pierre; Favereau , Ludovic; Shen , Chengshuo; Dabos-Seignon , Sylvie; Blanchard , Philippe; Cabanetos , Clement; Crassous , Jeanne

2017-01-01

International audience; Impact of the enantiopurity on organic photovoltaics (OPV) performance was investigated through the synthesis of racemic and enantiomerically pure naphthalimide end-capped helicenes and their application as non-fullerene molecular electron acceptors in OPV devices. A very strong increase of the device performance was observed by simply switching from the racemic to the enantiopure forms of these π-helical non-fullerene acceptors with power conversion efficiencies jumpi...

Investigation into chromatographic decomposition of tritium labelled aminoacid racemates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myasoedov, N.F.; Zolotarev, Yu.A.; Penkina, V.I.; Petrenik, O.V.

1983-01-01

Results of investigations of ligand-exchange chromatography of amino acids racemates on asymmetric sorbent containing L-oxy-proline groups in polystyrene carcass, and filled with copper ions, are described. Conditions are chosen for ligand-exchange chromatography of amino acids with high specific radioactivity labelled with tritium providing quantitative decomposition of racemates for several hours. Sorbent on polyacryl amide carcass is synthesized, the possibility of its application for the separation of amino acid racemates is studied

Racemic crystallography of synthetic protein enantiomers used to determine the X-ray structure of plectasin by direct methods

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Pentelute, Brad L; Tereshko, Valentina; Thammavongsa, Vilasak; Schneewind, Olaf; Kossiakoff, Anthony A; Kent, Stephen B H

2009-01-01

We describe the use of racemic crystallography to determine the X-ray structure of the natural product plectasin, a potent antimicrobial protein recently isolated from fungus. The protein enantiomers l-plectasin and d-plectasin were prepared by total chemical synthesis; interestingly, l-plectasin showed the expected antimicrobial activity, while d-plectasin was devoid of such activity. The mirror image proteins were then used for racemic crystallization. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction data were collected to atomic resolution from a racemic plectasin crystal; the racemate crystallized in the achiral centrosymmetric space group with one l-plectasin molecule and one d-plectasin molecule forming the unit cell. Dimer-like intermolecular interactions between the protein enantiomers were observed, which may account for the observed extremely low solvent content (13%–15%) and more highly ordered nature of the racemic crystals. The structure of the plectasin molecule was well defined for all 40 amino acids and was generally similar to the previously determined NMR structure, suggesting minimal impact of the crystal packing on the plectasin conformation. PMID:19472324

Complete separation of racemic p-boronophenylalanine by high performance liquid chromatography with crown ether-coated reversed-phase packings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshino, K.; Mieda, S.; Maruyama, T.; Mori, Y.; Mishima, Y.; Ichihashi, M.

1992-01-01

Since the L-form of p-boronophenylalanine (p-bpa) has been shown to be more efficiently incorporated into melanoma cells than racemic p-bpa separation of racemic p-bpa into its stereoisomers is an important subject. One of the preparative methods used to resolve racemic p-bpa involves the use of α-chymotrypsin. However, there has been a problem in that optical purity of resolved L- or D-p-bpa products was not easily determined. In this paper, the authors describe a method which can be used to confirm the optical purity of b-pba using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with crown ether-coated reversed-phase packings

48 CFR 2953.102 - Quotation for Simplified Acquisitions DL 1-2078.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Quotation for Simplified Acquisitions DL 1-2078. 2953.102 Section 2953.102 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CLAUSE AND FORMS FORMS General 2953.102 Quotation for Simplified Acquisitions DL 1-2078. The following...

Measurement of the {ovr {ital B}} {r_arrow} {ital Dl}{ovr {nu} } Partial Width and Form Factor Parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Athanas, M.; Avery, P.; Jones, C.D.; Lohner, M.; Prescott, C.; Yelton, J.; Zheng, J. [University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States); Brandenburg, G.; Briere, R.A.; Ershov, A.; Gao, Y.S.; Kim, D.Y.; Wilson, R.; Yamamoto, H. [Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States); Browder, T.E.; Li, F.; Li, Y.; Rodriguez, J.L. [University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 (United States); Bergfeld, T.; Eisenstein, B.I.; Ernst, J.; Gladding, G.E.; Gollin, G.D.; Hans, R.M.; Johnson, E.; Karliner, I.; Marsh, M.A.; Palmer, M.; Selen, M.; Thaler, J.J. [University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Edwards, K.W.; Edwards, K.W. [the Institute of Particle Physics (Canada); Bellerive, A.; Bellerive, A.; Janicek, R.; Janicek, R.; MacFarlane, D.B.; MacFarlane, D.B.; Patel, P.M.; Patel, P.M. [the Institute of Particle Physics (Canada); Sadoff, A.J. [Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York 14850 (United States); Ammar, R.; Baringer, P.; Bean, A.; Besson, D.; Coppage, D.; Darling, C.; Davis, R.; Hancock, N.; Kotov, S.; Kravchenko, I.; Kwak, N. [University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 (United States); Anderson, S.; Kubota, Y.; Lee, S.J.; ONeill, J.J.; Patton, S.; Poling, R.; Riehle, T.; Savinov, V.; Smith, A. [University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States); Alam, M.S.; Athar, S.B.; Ling, Z.; Mahmood, A.H.; Severini, H.; Timm, S.; Wappler, F. [State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York 12222 (United States); Anastassov, A.; Blinov, S.; Duboscq, J.E.; Fujino, D.; Gan, K.K.; Hart, T.; Honscheid, K.; Kagan, H.; Kass, R.; Lee, J.; Spencer, M.B.; Sung, M.; Undrus, A.; Wanke, R.; Wolf, A.; Zoeller, M.M. [Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States); Nemati, B.; Richichi, S.J.; Ross, W.R.; Skubic, P. [University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 (United States); Bishai, M.; Fast, J.; Gerndt, E.; Hinson, J.W.; Menon, N.; Miller, D.H.; Shibata, E.I.; and others

1997-09-01

We have studied the decay {bar B}{r_arrow}Dl{bar {nu}} , where l=e or {mu} . From a fit to the differential decay rate d{Gamma}/dw we measure the rate normalization F{sub D}(1){vert_bar}V{sub cb}{vert_bar} and form factor slope {cflx {rho}}{sup 2}{sub D} , and, using measured values of {tau}{sub B} , find {Gamma}({bar B}{r_arrow}Dl{bar {nu}}) = (12.0{plus_minus}0.9{plus_minus}2.1) ns{sup {minus}1}. The resulting branching fractions are B({bar B}{sup 0}{r_arrow}D{sup +}l{sup {minus}}{bar {nu}})=(1.87{plus_minus}0.15{plus_minus} 0.32){percent} and B(B{sup {minus}}{r_arrow}D{sup 0} l{sup {minus}}{bar {nu}})=(1.94{plus_minus}0.15{plus_minus}0.34){percent} . The form factor parameters are in agreement with those measured in {bar B}{r_arrow}D{sup *}l{bar {nu}} decays, as predicted by heavy quark effective theory. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Synthesis of radiolabeled racemic and enanthiomeric antiarrhythmic agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsi, R.S.P.; Stolle, W.T.; Stelzer, L.S.; Hester, J.B.; Perricone, S.C.

1992-01-01

Ventricular fibrillation is a leading cause of fatality in patients suffering from cardiovascular disorders. Among approaches to treating cardiac dysrhythmia with medicinal agents is the use of compounds categorized as open-quotes Class IIIclose quotes antiarrhythmic agents to prolong cardiac action potential and increase the refractoriness of cardiac tissues without affecting the sodium current. Investigations into structural requirements necessary for such biological activities led to the synthesis of a series of aniline-propanolamine derivatives. This report describes the preparation of carbon-14 and tritium labeled forms of racemic and enantiomeric forms of these derivatives for conducting drug disposition studies in test animals and human subjects

Comparative analysis of pharmacological treatments with N-acetyl-DL-leucine (Tanganil) and its two isomers (N-acetyl-L-leucine and N-acetyl-D-leucine) on vestibular compensation: Behavioral investigation in the cat.

Science.gov (United States)

Tighilet, Brahim; Leonard, Jacques; Bernard-Demanze, Laurence; Lacour, Michel

2015-12-15

Head roll tilt, postural imbalance and spontaneous nystagmus are the main static vestibular deficits observed after an acute unilateral vestibular loss (UVL). In the UVL cat model, these deficits are fully compensated over 6 weeks as the result of central vestibular compensation. N-Acetyl-dl-leucine is a drug prescribed in clinical practice for the symptomatic treatment of acute UVL patients. The present study investigated the effects of N-acetyl-dl-leucine on the behavioral recovery after unilateral vestibular neurectomy (UVN) in the cat, and compared the effects of each of its two isomers N-acetyl-L-leucine and N-acetyl-D-leucine. Efficacy of these three drug treatments has been evaluated with respect to a placebo group (UVN+saline water) on the global sensorimotor activity (observation grids), the posture control (support surface measurement), the locomotor balance (maximum performance at the rotating beam test), and the spontaneous vestibular nystagmus (recorded in the light). Whatever the parameters tested, the behavioral recovery was strongly and significantly accelerated under pharmacological treatments with N-acetyl-dl-leucine and N-acetyl-L-leucine. In contrast, the N-acetyl-D-leucine isomer had no effect at all on the behavioral recovery, and animals of this group showed the same recovery profile as those receiving a placebo. It is concluded that the N-acetyl-L-leucine isomer is the active part of the racemate component since it induces a significant acceleration of the vestibular compensation process similar (and even better) to that observed under treatment with the racemate component only. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

United States Navy DL Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-10

United States Navy DL Perspective CAPT Hank Reeves Navy eLearning Project Director 10 August 2010 Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No...Marine Corps (USMC) Navy eLearning Ongoing Shared with USMC, Coast Guard 9 NeL Help Site https://ile-help.nko.navy.mil/ile/ https://s-ile

Racemic cobalt phosphonates incorporating flexible bis(imidazole) co-ligands.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jian-Shen; Cai, Zhong-Sheng; Ren, Min; Bao, Song-Song; Zheng, Li-Min

2015-11-07

By incorporating flexible bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene (bix) co-ligands, four new racemic cobalt phosphonates with formulae Co3(3-ppap)2(1,4-bix)2(H2O)4·4H2O (1), Co3(3-ppap)2(1,3-bix)2(H2O)4·5H2O (2), Co3(3-ppap)2(1,2-bix)2(H2O)4·4H2O (3) and Co3(ppa)2(1,2-bix)2·4H2O (4) are isolated, where 3-ppapH3 represents 3-phenyl-3-((phosphonomethyl)amino)propanoic acid and ppaH3 is 2-phenyl-2-(phosphonomethylamino)acetic acid. Compounds 1-3 crystallize in the monoclinic space group P21/c and show two-dimensional structures in which the Co3(3-ppap)2 chains are bridged by 1,4-bix, 1,3-bix and 1,2-bix ligands in trans-modes, respectively. Within the chain, a racemic dimer of Co2(3-ppap)2(2-) is found, where the Co atoms are doubly bridged by O-P-O units from the (S)- and (R)-3-ppap(3-) ligands. The dimers are connected by another crystallographically independent Co atom through O-P-O linkages to form an infinite racemic chain. The packing modes of the layers in 1-3 are quite different, however, which are ABAB in the cases of 1 and 3 while ABCDABCD in the case of 2, attributed to the positional isomerism of the bix co-ligands. Compound 4 displays a chain structure in which the 1,2-bix bridges the Co atoms in cis-mode within the chain. Magnetic properties are investigated for all compounds.

Specific racemization and isomerization of the aspartyl residue of αA-crystallin due to UV-B irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Noriko; Momose, Yuko; Ishibasi, Yoshihiro; Uemura, Toshimasa; Takita, Masatoshi; Takehana, Makoto

1997-01-01

We have reported that the aspartyl (Asp)-151 residue in αA-crystallin in human eye lens was inverted to the D-isomer and isomerized to β-Asp residue with age. We report here that ultraviolet (UV)-B irradiation induces the racemization and isomerization of the Asp-151 residue of αA-crystallin from lenses of 6-week-old rats to form D-isomer and β-Asp residue. Simultaneous racemization and isomerization of the specific Asp residue indicate that the reaction proceeds via formation of a succinimide intermediate. This modification was not observed in UV-A irradiated and normal lenses. UV-B irradiation induced the racemization of only the Asp-151 residue and did not affect the other Asp residues in αA-crystallin. On the other hand, the high molecular weight fraction of the lens protein increased upon UV-B irradiation. Modification of the Asp residue would affect the three-dimensional packing array of the lens protein. (author)

Effect of raceme-localized supplemental light on soybean reproductive abscission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, R.L.; Brun, W.A.; Brenner, M.L.

1987-01-01

The percentage of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] reproductive structures that abscise is a potentially important yield factor. To better understand the involvement of light in the abscission of reproductive structures, a series of in vitro raceme-culture and growth-chamber experiments were conducted. In the in vitro raceme-culture experiments, racemes with four to six flowers at or past anthesis were excised from the soybean plant (genotype IX93-100), embedded in a complete nutrient, solid agar medium, and subjected to various light treatments. A series of three experiments indicated that the racemes contain a photoreceptor, possibly phytochrome, capable of regulating sucrose accumulation. In each of the growth chamber studies, supplemental light was supplied directly to individual soybean flowers via fiber optic light guides. The light source increased the photon flux to the flowers by 10-fold. The first growth chamber experiment showed that flowers receiving supplemental light were more intense sinks for 14 C-sucrose than were controls (intensity value of 1.0 vs 0.4 x 10 -7 , intensity = [dps of flower/dps of raceme]/[kg dry wt of flower]). In a second study, 42% of flowers treated with supplemental light set pods, while only 26% of control flowers set pods. A third experiment showed that red supplemental light produced 55% fruit set, compared to 41% set for far-red light, and 35% for controls. These experiments indicate that both photoassimilate accumulation and abscission in young soybean reproductive structures may be regulated by light quality

Separation and enrichment of enantiopure from racemic compounds using magnetic levitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaochuan; Wong, Shin Yee; Bwambok, David K; Atkinson, Manza B J; Zhang, Xi; Whitesides, George M; Myerson, Allan S

2014-07-18

Crystallization of a solution with high enantiomeric excess can generate a mixture of crystals of the desired enantiomer and the racemic compound. Using a mixture of S-/RS-ibuprofen crystals as a model, we demonstrated that magnetic levitation (MagLev) is a useful technique for analysis, separation and enantioenrichment of chiral/racemic products.

New gene cluster from the thermophile Bacillus fordii MH602 in the conversion of DL-5-substituted hydantoins to L-amino acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Yan-Zhen; Wan, Yong-Min; He, Bing-Fang; Ying, Han-Jie; Ouyang, Ping-Kai

2009-12-01

The thermophile Bacillus fordii MH602 was screened for stereospecifically hydrolyzing DL-5-substituted hydantoins to L-alpha-amino acids. Since the reaction at higher temperature, the advantageous for enhancement of substrate solubility and for racemization of DL-5-substituted hydantoins during the conversion were achieved. The hydantoin metabolism gene cluster from thermophile was firstly reported in this paper. The genes involved in hydantoin utilization (hyu) were isolated on an 8.2 kb DNA fragment by Restriction Site-dependent PCR, and six ORFs were identified by DNA sequence analysis. The hyu gene cluster contained four genes with novel cluster organization characteristics: the hydantoinase gene hyuH, putative transport protein hyuP, hyperprotein hyuHP, and L-carbamoylase gene hyuC. The hyuH and hyuC genes were heterogeneously expressed in E. coli. The results indicated that hyuH and hyuC are involved in the conversion of DL-5-substituted hydantoins to an N-carbamyl intermediate that is subsequently converted to L-alpha-amino acids. Hydantoinase and carbamoylase from B. fordii MH602 comparing respectively with reported hydantoinase and carbamoylase showed the highest identities of 71% and 39%. The novel cluster organization characteristics and the difference of the key enzymes between thermopile B. fordii MH602 and other mesophiles were presumed to be related to the evolutionary origins of concerned metabolism.

Late preconditioning is blocked by racemic ketamine, but not by S(+)-ketamine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Müllenheim, J.; Rulands, R.; Wietschorke, T.; Frässdorf, J.; Preckel, B.; Schlack, W.

2001-01-01

Racemic ketamine blocks K(ATP) channels in isolated cells and abolishes short-term cardioprotection against prolonged ischemia. We investigated the effects of racemic ketamine and S(+)-ketamine on ischemic late preconditioning (LPC) in the rabbit heart in vivo. A coronary occluder was chronically

dl-Alaninium iodide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin Lamberts

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The crystal structure of dl-alanine hydroiodide (1-carboxyethanaminium iodide, C3H8NO2+·I−, is that of an organic salt consisting of N-protonated cations and iodide anions. The compound features homochiral helices of N—H...O hydrogen-bonded cations in the [010] direction; neighbouring chains are related by crystallographic inversion centers and hence show opposite chirality. The iodide counter-anions act as hydrogen-bond acceptors towards H atoms of the ammonium and carboxy groups, and cross-link the chains along [100]. Thus, an overall two-dimensional network is formed in the ab plane. No short contacts occur between iodide anions.

Fe uptake from meso and D,L-racemic Fe(o,o-EDDHA) isomers by strategy I and II plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerdán, Mar; Alcañiz, Sara; Juárez, Margarita; Jordá, Juana D; Bermúdez, Dolores

2006-02-22

One of the most efficient fertilizers to correct Fe deficiency in calcareous soils and waters with high bicarbonate content is based on ferric ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(o-hydroxyphenylacetic) acid [Fe(o,o-EDDHA)]. Fe(o,o-EDDHA) forms two groups of geometric isomers known as meso and D,L-racemic. To determine the Fe uptake from meso and D,L-racemic Fe(o,o-EDDHA), four iron-efficient plants, two plants representative of strategy I (tomato and pepper) and two plants representative of strategy II (wheat and oats), were grown in hydroponic culture. Results indicated that strategy II plants took up iron from both Fe(o,o-EDDHA) isomers equally. However, strategy I plants took mainly the iron associated with the meso form (the lowest stability isomer).

The use of hydroxy-DL-proline-2-14C in the investigation of hydroxyproline metabolism in normal subjects and in patients with renal insufficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, W.; Sluys Veer, J. van der

1976-01-01

The metabolism of hydroxproline was investigated in six healthy subjects and four patients with chronic renal insufficiency (creatinine clearances respectively 40, 10, 7, 2.5 ml/min). For this purpose, hydroxy-DL-proline-2- 14 C was administered intravenously and the excretion patterns of radio-activity in plasma, urine and expired air ( 14 CO 2 ) were determined. A separation procedure (using thin layer chromatography followed by oxidation with D-animo acid oxidase) made it possible to determine the concentration of hydroxy-L-proline-2- 14 C in the presence of the D-isomer and the degradation products of both. Although the use of a racemic mixture as tracer made conclusions more difficult, it could be shown that in uremic patients the concentration of hydroxy-DL-proline-2 14 C remained high in the blood for a longer period, the metabolites appeared in the urine later, and the peak respiratory 14 CO 2 excretion was reached later and was lower than in the healthy subjects. On this basis it was concluded that the metabolism of hydroxyproline is diminished in patients with renal insufficiency

Towards the chiral metabolomics: Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry based DL-amino acid analysis after labeling with a new chiral reagent, (S)-2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl-1-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl) pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate, and the application to saliva of healthy volunteers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mochizuki, Toshiki; Takayama, Takahiro; Todoroki, Kenichiro; Inoue, Koichi; Min, Jun Zhe; Toyo’oka, Toshimasa, E-mail: toyooka@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp

2015-05-22

seemed to be negligible. Based on the results using L-Ala-d{sub 3}, the D-Ala in saliva seemed to be produced due to the racemization with some enzymes such as racemase. The racemization reaction was reversible, i.e., D-Ala-d{sub 3} was also racemized to L-Ala-d{sub 3} in saliva. Thus, care should be taken during the analysis of DL-amino acids in saliva. The present method using DMT-(S)-Pro-OSu may be applicable for the determination of chiral amine metabolomics, because the resulting derivatives produce the same product ions without relation to the compounds and show highly sensitive detection in the SRM mode of MS/MS. Consequently, DMT-(S)-Pro-OSu seems to be a useful chiral derivatization reagent for the determination of amines and amino acids in biological samples.

High-yield conversion of (R)-2-octanol from the corresponding racemate by stereoinversion using Candida rugosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Yao; Xu, Yan; Qing Mu, Xiao; Tang, Yan; Jiang, Juan; Hao Sun, Zhi

2005-01-01

Whole cells of Candida rugosa catalyzed the conversion of (R)-2-octanol from the corresponding racemate with the optical purity of 97% e.e. and yield of 92% in 10 h. The product was formed through a stereoinversion involving enantioselective oxidation and asymmetric reduction with 2-octanone as the intermediate.

Effect of different concentrations of dl-isoleucine, dl-valine, and dl-alanine on growth and sporulation in Fusarium oxysporum f. udum (Butl.) Sn. et H.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, M; Chaudhary, S K

1977-01-01

D1-alanine and dl-valine, when added as an extra nitrogen for fortifying the already present inorganic nitrogen source, actually acted as growth retardant for F. oxysporum f. udum (Butl.) Sn. et H. Sporulation of microconidia was indifferently affected by these two amino acids. DI-valine stimulated microconidial formation in young cultures only. In both young and old cultures the lowest concentration of dl-valine depressed macronidial sporulation. In old cultures the lowest concentration of valine stimulated chlamydospore differentiation rapidly, higher concentrations being less effective. D1-alanine, as an additional nitrogen source, depressed both macro- and microconidal sporulation. It did not even invigorate chlamydospore formation. D1-isoleucine, on the other hand, belongs to the category of growth promoters and profuse and stimulative sporulators of macro- and microconidia. This pathogen needs very specific and preferential doses of the three amino acids, if these are used as a booster in addition to the already present nitrogen source. The response, both in terms of mycelial growth and sporulation of the three spore forms, was also conditioned by the age of the culture.

Amino Acid Enantiomeric Ratios in Biogeochemistry: Complications and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, G. D.; Sun, H. J.; Tsapin, A. I.

2003-12-01

Amino acid enantiomeric ratios have been used for many years as an indicator of the process of racemization, and thus as a method to determine the age of biological samples such as bones, shells, and teeth. Dating biological samples by this method relies on an accurate knowledge of the environmental temperatures the sample has experienced, and the racemization kinetic parameters in the sample matrix. In some environments, where an independent dating method such as radiocarbon is available, the observed amino acid D/L ratios are found to be either higher or lower than those expected due to racemization alone. The observed D/L ratios in these cases can be clues to biogeochemical processes operating in addition to, or in place of, chemical racemization. In Siberian permafrost (Brinton et al. 2002, Astrobiology 2, 77) we have found D/L ratios lower than expected, which we have interpreted as evidence for low-level D-amino acid metabolism and recycling in microorganisms previously thought to be metabolically dormant. In microbially-colonized Antarctic Dry Valley sandstones (McDonald and Sun 2002, Eos Trans. AGU 83, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract B11A-0720) we have found D/L ratios higher than can be accounted for by racemization alone, most likely due to the accumulation of D-amino-acid-containing peptidoglycan material from multiple bacterial generations. D/L profiles in polar ices and in ice-covered lakes (Tsapin et al. 2002, Astrobiology 2, 632) can be used to indicate the sources and histories of water or ice samples. Multiple biological and biogeochemical processes may complicate the interpretation of amino acid enantiomeric excesses in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial samples; however, amino acid racemization remains a useful tool in biogeochemistry and astrobiology. With a good knowledge of the environmental history of samples, amino acid D/L profiles can be used as a window into processes such as molecular repair and biomass turnover that are difficult to

Oxidative kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols catalyzed by chiral ferrocenyloxazolinylphosphine-ruthenium complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishibayashi, Yoshiaki; Yamauchi, Akiyoshi; Onodera, Gen; Uemura, Sakae

2003-07-25

Oxidative kinetic resolution of racemic secondary alcohols by using acetone as a hydrogen acceptor in the presence of a catalytic amount of [RuCl(2)(PPh(3))(ferrocenyloxazolinylphosphine)] (2) proceeds effectively to recover the corresponding alcohols in high yields with an excellent enantioselectivity. When 1-indanol is employed as a racemic alcohol, the oxidation proceeds quite smoothly even in the presence of 0.0025 mol % of the catalyst 2 to give an optically active 1-indanol in good yield with high enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee), where turnover frequency (TOF) exceeds 80,000 h(-1). From a practical viewpoint, the kinetic resolution is investigated in a large scale, optically pure (S)-1-indanol (75 g, 56% yield, >99% ee) being obtained from racemic 1-indanol (134 g) by employing this kinetic resolution method twice.

Enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic styrene oxide and its substituted derivatives using newly-isolated Sphingopyxis sp. exhibiting a novel epoxide hydrolase activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Jung-Hee; Lee, Eun Yeol

2014-02-01

(S)-Styrene oxide, (S)-2-chlorostyrene oxide (CSO), (S)-3-CSO and (S)-4-CSO with 99.9 %ee were obtained with a yield of 20.6, 39.3, 28.7 and 26.8 % from 4 mM corresponding racemic substrates using 10 mg cells of a newly-isolated Sphingopyxis sp. at pH 8.0 and 25 °C in 1 ml 100 mM Tris/HCl buffer after 420, 100, 120 and 55 min, respectively. For racemic 2CSO, well-known for one of the racemates that is difficult to obtained in enantiomerically pure form, (S)-2-CSO with 99.9 %ee, 39.3 % yield (theoretical yield 50 %) and enantiomeric ratio of 42.1 was obtained. The newly-isolated strain can thus be used as whole-cell biocatalyst in the production of various (S)-CSO with a chlorine group at different positions.

Synthesis of radiolabeled racemic and enantiomeric antiarrhythmic agents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stolle, W.T.; Stelzer, L.S.; Hester, J.B.; Perricone, S.C.; Hsi, R.S.P. (Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI (United States))

1994-10-01

Ibutilide fumarate, racemic N-[4-[4-(ethyl-n-heptylamino)-hydroxybutyl]phenyl]methanesulfonamide hemifumarate, and artilide, the R-(+)-enantiomer of N-[4-[4-(ethyl-n-heptylamino)-hydroxybutyl]phenyl]methanesulfonamide hemifumerate, are under clinical investigation as Class III antiarrhythmic agents. For conducting drug disposition studies, we synthesized carbon-14 labeled ibutilide, as well as its two enantiomeric forms. In addition, high specific activity tritium labeled ibutilide was also prepared to facilitate development of a radioimmunoassay and for studying receptor site characteristics of this agent. Results of metabolism studies with [[sup 14]C]ibutilide led us to prepare tritium labeled artilide, which is more readily accessible than the C-14 labeled drug. The optical antipode of artilide was also labeled with tritium for comparative drug disposition investigations on the two enantiomers. (author).

Age estimation in forensic sciences: application of combined aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Alkass, Kanar; Buchholz, Bruce A; Ohtani, Susumu; Yamamoto, Toshiharu; Druid, Henrik; Spalding, Kirsty L

2010-05-01

Age determination of unknown human bodies is important in the setting of a crime investigation or a mass disaster because the age at death, birth date, and year of death as well as gender can guide investigators to the correct identity among a large number of possible matches. Traditional morphological methods used by anthropologists to determine age are often imprecise, whereas chemical analysis of tooth dentin, such as aspartic acid racemization, has shown reproducible and more precise results. In this study, we analyzed teeth from Swedish individuals using both aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon methodologies. The rationale behind using radiocarbon analysis is that aboveground testing of nuclear weapons during the cold war (1955-1963) caused an extreme increase in global levels of carbon-14 ((14)C), which has been carefully recorded over time. Forty-four teeth from 41 individuals were analyzed using aspartic acid racemization analysis of tooth crown dentin or radiocarbon analysis of enamel, and 10 of these were split and subjected to both radiocarbon and racemization analysis. Combined analysis showed that the two methods correlated well (R(2) = 0.66, p Aspartic acid racemization also showed a good precision with an overall absolute error of 5.4 +/- 4.2 years. Whereas radiocarbon analysis gives an estimated year of birth, racemization analysis indicates the chronological age of the individual at the time of death. We show how these methods in combination can also assist in the estimation of date of death of an unidentified victim. This strategy can be of significant assistance in forensic casework involving dead victim identification.

Cyclic resolution of racemic ibuprofen via coupled efficient lipase and acid-base catalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ying; Wang, Fang; Tan, Tianwei

2009-03-01

Extracellular lipase LIP prepared in our lab from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica was used for the resolution of racemic ibuprofen. The (S)-enantiomer was preferred by lipase LIP, and the unreacted (R)-enantiomer was extracted and racemized in basic solvent-water medium to be re-resolved. Solvent, content of solvent, base concentration, and temperature have a strong effect on racemization. The (S)-ester was separated and hydrolyzed to (S)-ibuprofen in acidic dimethyl sulfoxide-water mixture containing 70% dimethyl sulfoxide. The high purity (S)-ibuprofen (ee = 0.98) was obtained using lipase LIP to catalyze hydrolysis of (S)-ester in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH = 8). (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A comparative study of Ro 03-8799: racemic mixture and enantiomers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, H.F.V.; Bleehen, N.M.; Workman, P.; Dunphy, E.P.; Dische, S.; Saunders, M.I.; Des Rochers, C.; Lenox-Smith, I.; Smithen, C.E.

1986-01-01

The maximum single dose of the 2-nitroimidazole hypoxic cell radiosensitiser Ro 03-8799 is limited to 1 g/m 2 by the occurrence of a well characterised acute syndrome of sweating, nausea and mental changes. In an attempt to increase the tolerable dose, the clinical toxicity of the racemic mixture was compared with that of the R- and S-enantiomers of Ro 03-8799. Twelve patients received escalating alternate doses of racemic mixture and R- or S-enantiomer, the dose levels being 0.25 g/m 2 , 0.5 g/m 2 , 0.75 g/m 2 and 1.0 g/m 2 . Careful monitoring of the acute syndrome failed to demonstrate any consistent differences between racemic mixture and either enantiomer. This would suggest that the toxicity is not mediated via any specific central nervous system receptor. It is concluded that separation of Ro 03-8799 into its enantiomers will not enable a clinically useful increase in dosage. (author)

Racemization of Valine by Impact-Induced Heating

Science.gov (United States)

Furukawa, Yoshihiro; Takase, Atsushi; Sekine, Toshimori; Kakegawa, Takeshi; Kobayashi, Takamichi

2018-03-01

Homochirality plays an important role in all living organisms but its origin remains unclear. It also remains unclear whether such chiral molecules survived terrestrial heavy impact events. Impacts of extraterrestrial objects on early oceans were frequent and could have affected the chirality of oceanic amino acids when such amino acids accumulated during impacts. This study investigated the effects of shock-induced heating on enantiomeric change of valine with minerals such as olivine ([Mg0.9, Fe0.1]2SiO4), hematite (Fe2O3), and calcite (CaCO3). With a shock wave generated by an impact at 0.8 km/s, both d- and l-enriched valine were significantly decomposed and partially racemized under all experimental conditions. Different minerals had different shock impedances; therefore, they provided different P-T conditions for identical impacts. Furthermore, the high pH of calcite promoted the racemization of valine. The results indicate that in natural hypervelocity impacts, amino acids in shocked oceanic water would have decomposed completely, since impact velocity and the duration of shock compression and heating are typically greater in hypervelocity impact events than those in experiments. Even with the shock wave by the impact of small and decelerated projectiles in which amino acids survive, the shock heating may generate sufficient heat for significant racemization in shocked oceanic water. However, the duration of shock induced heating by small projectiles is limited and the population of such decelerated projectiles would be limited. Therefore, even though impacts of asteroids and meteorites were frequent on the prebiotic Earth, impact events would not have significantly changed the ee of proteinogenic amino acids accumulated in the entire ocean.

Age estimation in forensic sciences: Application of combined aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alkass, K; Buchholz, B A; Ohtani, S; Yamamoto, T; Druid, H; Spalding, S L

2009-11-02

Age determination of unknown human bodies is important in the setting of a crime investigation or a mass disaster, since the age at death, birth date and year of death, as well as gender, can guide investigators to the correct identity among a large number of possible matches. Traditional morphological methods used by anthropologists to determine age are often imprecise, whereas chemical analysis of tooth dentin, such as aspartic acid racemization has shown reproducible and more precise results. In this paper we analyze teeth from Swedish individuals using both aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon methodologies. The rationale behind using radiocarbon analysis is that above-ground testing of nuclear weapons during the cold war (1955-1963) caused an extreme increase in global levels of carbon-14 ({sup 14}C) which have been carefully recorded over time. Forty-four teeth from 41 individuals were analyzed using aspartic acid racemization analysis of tooth crown dentin or radiocarbon analysis of enamel and ten of these were split and subjected to both radiocarbon and racemization analysis. Combined analysis showed that the two methods correlated well (R2=0.66, p < 0.05). Radiocarbon analysis showed an excellent precision with an overall absolute error of 0.6 {+-} 04 years. Aspartic acid racemization also showed a good precision with an overall absolute error of 5.4 {+-} 4.2 years. Whereas radiocarbon analysis gives an estimated year of birth, racemization analysis indicates the chronological age of the individual at the time of death. We show how these methods in combination can also assist in the estimation of date of death of an unidentified victim. This strategy can be of significant assistance in forensic casework involving dead victim identification.

Chemical synthesis and X-ray structure of a heterochiral {D-protein antagonist plus vascular endothelial growth factor} protein complex by racemic crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Uppalapati, Maruti; Ault-Riché, Dana; Kenney, John; Lowitz, Joshua; Sidhu, Sachdev S; Kent, Stephen B H

2012-09-11

Total chemical synthesis was used to prepare the mirror image (D-protein) form of the angiogenic protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A). Phage display against D-VEGF-A was used to screen designed libraries based on a unique small protein scaffold in order to identify a high affinity ligand. Chemically synthesized D- and L- forms of the protein ligand showed reciprocal chiral specificity in surface plasmon resonance binding experiments: The L-protein ligand bound only to D-VEGF-A, whereas the D-protein ligand bound only to L-VEGF-A. The D-protein ligand, but not the L-protein ligand, inhibited the binding of natural VEGF(165) to the VEGFR1 receptor. Racemic protein crystallography was used to determine the high resolution X-ray structure of the heterochiral complex consisting of {D-protein antagonist + L-protein form of VEGF-A}. Crystallization of a racemic mixture of these synthetic proteins in appropriate stoichiometry gave a racemic protein complex of more than 73 kDa containing six synthetic protein molecules. The structure of the complex was determined to a resolution of 1.6 Å. Detailed analysis of the interaction between the D-protein antagonist and the VEGF-A protein molecule showed that the binding interface comprised a contact surface area of approximately 800 Å(2) in accord with our design objectives, and that the D-protein antagonist binds to the same region of VEGF-A that interacts with VEGFR1-domain 2.

Synthesis of DL-cystine {sup 35}S; Synthese de la DL-cystine {sup 35}S

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herbert, M; Emiliozzi, R; Pichat, L [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1959-07-01

Description of DL cystine 35 S-synthesis, starting from hydrogen sulphide {sup 35}S, in four stages with an overall yield of 63 per cent. (author) [French] Description d'une synthese de DL cystine {sup 35}S au depart d'hydrogene sulfure {sup 35}S en quatre etapes avec un rendement global de 63 pour cent. (auteur)

Age estimation based on aspartic acid racemization in human sclera.

Science.gov (United States)

Klumb, Karolin; Matzenauer, Christian; Reckert, Alexandra; Lehmann, Klaus; Ritz-Timme, Stefanie

2016-01-01

Age estimation based on racemization of aspartic acid residues (AAR) in permanent proteins has been established in forensic medicine for years. While dentine is the tissue of choice for this molecular method of age estimation, teeth are not always available which leads to the need to identify other suitable tissues. We examined the suitability of total tissue samples of human sclera for the estimation of age at death. Sixty-five samples of scleral tissue were analyzed. The samples were hydrolyzed and after derivatization, the extent of aspartic acid racemization was determined by gas chromatography. The degree of AAR increased with age. In samples from younger individuals, the correlation of age and D-aspartic acid content was closer than in samples from older individuals. The age-dependent racemization in total tissue samples proves that permanent or at least long-living proteins are present in scleral tissue. The correlation of AAR in human sclera and age at death is close enough to serve as basis for age estimation. However, the precision of age estimation by this method is lower than that of age estimation based on the analysis of dentine which is due to molecular inhomogeneities of total tissue samples of sclera. Nevertheless, the approach may serve as a valuable alternative or addition in exceptional cases.

ABox abduction in ALC using a DL tableau

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Halland, K

2012-10-01

Full Text Available a DL tableau Ken Halland School of Computing University of South Africa Pretoria, South Africa hallakj@unisa.ac.za Katarina Britz Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research UKZN and CSIR Meraka Institute South Africa arina... Intelligence]: Knowledge Representation Formalisms and Methods General Terms Algorithms, Theory Keywords Description logics, abduction, semantic tableaux 1. INTRODUCTION Abduction is a form of non-standard reasoning where expla- nations are sought...

The effect of amino acid backbone length on molecular packing: crystalline tartrates of glycine, β-alanine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and DL-α-aminobutyric acid (AABA).

Science.gov (United States)

Losev, Evgeniy; Boldyreva, Elena

2018-02-01

We report a novel 1:1 cocrystal of β-alanine with DL-tartaric acid, C 3 H 7 NO 2 ·C 4 H 6 O 6 , (II), and three new molecular salts of DL-tartaric acid with β-alanine {3-azaniumylpropanoic acid-3-azaniumylpropanoate DL-tartaric acid-DL-tartrate, [H(C 3 H 7 NO 2 ) 2 ] + ·[H(C 4 H 5 O 6 ) 2 ] - , (III)}, γ-aminobutyric acid [3-carboxypropanaminium DL-tartrate, C 4 H 10 NO 2 + ·C 4 H 5 O 6 - , (IV)] and DL-α-aminobutyric acid {DL-2-azaniumylbutanoic acid-DL-2-azaniumylbutanoate DL-tartaric acid-DL-tartrate, [H(C 4 H 9 NO 2 ) 2 ] + ·[H(C 4 H 5 O 6 ) 2 ] - , (V)}. The crystal structures of binary crystals of DL-tartaric acid with glycine, (I), β-alanine, (II) and (III), GABA, (IV), and DL-AABA, (V), have similar molecular packing and crystallographic motifs. The shortest amino acid (i.e. glycine) forms a cocrystal, (I), with DL-tartaric acid, whereas the larger amino acids form molecular salts, viz. (IV) and (V). β-Alanine is the only amino acid capable of forming both a cocrystal [i.e. (II)] and a molecular salt [i.e. (III)] with DL-tartaric acid. The cocrystals of glycine and β-alanine with DL-tartaric acid, i.e. (I) and (II), respectively, contain chains of amino acid zwitterions, similar to the structure of pure glycine. In the structures of the molecular salts of amino acids, the amino acid cations form isolated dimers [of β-alanine in (III), GABA in (IV) and DL-AABA in (V)], which are linked by strong O-H...O hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the three crystal structures comprise different types of dimeric cations, i.e. (A...A) + in (III) and (V), and A + ...A + in (IV). Molecular salts (IV) and (V) are the first examples of molecular salts of GABA and DL-AABA that contain dimers of amino acid cations. The geometry of each investigated amino acid (except DL-AABA) correlates with the melting point of its mixed crystal.

A New Approach to Amino Acid Racemization in Enamel: Testing of a Less Destructive Sampling Methodology.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Griffin, R.C.; Moody, H.; Penkman, K.E.H.; Fagan, M.J.; Curtis, N.; Collins, M.J.

2008-01-01

Aspartic acid racemization has been found to be an accurate measure of age at death for recent forensic material. This paper examines the practicality of using acid etching of the tooth surface to extract amino acids from the enamel for racemization analysis. By serial etching of the tooth and

Allelic variation in KIR2DL3 generates a KIR2DL2-like receptor with increased binding to its HLA-C ligand.

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, William R; Steiner, Noriko; Hou, Lihua; Dakshanamurthy, Sivanesan; Hurley, Carolyn Katovich

2013-06-15

Although extensive homology exists between their extracellular domains, NK cell inhibitory receptors killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) 2DL2*001 and KIR2DL3*001 have previously been shown to differ substantially in their HLA-C binding avidity. To explore the largely uncharacterized impact of allelic diversity, the most common KIR2DL2/3 allelic products in European American and African American populations were evaluated for surface expression and binding affinity to their HLA-C group 1 and 2 ligands. Although no significant differences in the degree of cell membrane localization were detected in a transfected human NKL cell line by flow cytometry, surface plasmon resonance and KIR binding to a panel of HLA allotypes demonstrated that KIR2DL3*005 differed significantly from other KIR2DL3 allelic products in its ability to bind HLA-C. The increased affinity and avidity of KIR2DL3*005 for its ligand was also demonstrated to have a larger impact on the inhibition of IFN-γ production by the human KHYG-1 NK cell line compared with KIR2DL3*001, a low-affinity allelic product. Site-directed mutagenesis established that the combination of arginine at residue 11 and glutamic acid at residue 35 in KIR2DL3*005 were critical to the observed phenotype. Although these residues are distal to the KIR/HLA-C interface, molecular modeling suggests that alteration in the interdomain hinge angle of KIR2DL3*005 toward that found in KIR2DL2*001, another strong receptor of the KIR2DL2/3 family, may be the cause of this increased affinity. The regain of inhibitory capacity by KIR2DL3*005 suggests that the rapidly evolving KIR locus may be responding to relatively recent selective pressures placed upon certain human populations.

Synthesis of racemic 2-deutero-3-fluoro-alanine and its salts, and intermediates therefor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

The racemates of 2-deutero-3-fluoro-alanine and its salts are prepared by reductive amination of 3-fluoro-pyruvic acid, its hydrate or salts thereof, via the intermediate 2-imino-3-fluoro propionic acid salt, using alkali metal borodeuterides as reducing agents. The racemates thus obtained are valuable in the production of the corresponding 2-deutero-3-fluoro-D-alanine, and its pharmacologically acceptable salts, and derivatives thereof, which are potent antibacterial agents

Expression, purification and preliminary X-ray characterization of dl-2-haloacid dehalogenase from Methylobacterium sp. CPA1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Omi, Rie [Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Jitsumori, Keiji; Yamauchi, Takahiro; Ichiyama, Susumu; Kurihara, Tatsuo; Esaki, Nobuyoshi [Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kamiya, Nobuo; Hirotsu, Ken, E-mail: hirotsu@sci.osaka-cu.ac.jp; Miyahara, Ikuko [Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan)

2007-07-01

A recombinant form of dl-2-haloacid dehalogenase from Methylobacterium sp. CPA1 has been expressed in E. coli, purified and crystallized. The crystal belongs to space group P6{sub 3}. Diffraction data have been collected to 1.75 Å resolution. dl-2-Haloacid dehalogenase from Methylobacterium sp. CPA1 (dl-DEX Mb) is a unique enzyme that catalyzes the dehalogenation reaction without the formation of an ester intermediate. A recombinant form of dl-DEX Mb has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystal belongs to the hexagonal space group P6{sub 3}, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 186.2, c = 114.4 Å. The crystals are likely to contain between four and eight monomers in the asymmetric unit, with a V{sub M} value of 4.20–2.10 Å{sup 3} Da{sup −1}. A self-rotation function revealed peaks on the χ = 180° section. X-ray data have been collected to 1.75 Å resolution.

Allelic Variation in KIR2DL3 Generates a KIR2DL2-like Receptor with Increased Binding to Its HLA-C Ligand12

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, William R.; Steiner, Noriko; Hou, Lihua; Dakshanamurthy, Sivanesan; Hurley, Carolyn Katovich

2013-01-01

Although extensive homology exists between their extracellular domains, natural killer cell inhibitory receptors KIR2DL2*001 and KIR2DL3*001 have previously been shown to differ substantially in their HLA-C binding avidity. To explore the largely uncharacterized impact of allelic diversity, the most common KIR2DL2/3 allelic products in European American and African American populations were evaluated for surface expression and binding affinity to their HLA-C group 1 and 2 ligands. Although no significant differences in the degree of cell membrane localization were detected in a transfected human NKL cell line by flow cytometry, surface plasmon resonance and KIR binding to a panel of HLA allotypes demonstrated that KIR2DL3*005 differed significantly from other KIR2DL3 allelic products in its ability to bind HLA-C. The increased affinity and avidity of KIR2DL3*005 for its ligand was also demonstrated to have a larger impact on the inhibition of IFN-γ production by the human KHYG-1 NK cell line compared to KIR2DL3*001, a low affinity allelic product. Site-directed mutagenesis established that the combination of arginine at residue 11 and glutamic acid at residue 35 in KIR2DL3*005 were critical to the observed phenotype. Although these residues are distal to the KIR/HLA-C interface, molecular modeling suggests that alteration in the interdomain hinge angle of KIR2DL3*005 towards that found in KIR2DL2*001, another strong receptor of the KIR2DL2/3 family, may be the cause of this increased affinity. The regain of inhibitory capacity by KIR2DL3*005 suggests that the rapidly evolving KIR locus may be responding to relatively recent selective pressures placed upon certain human populations. PMID:23686481

Synthesis of racemic, R- and S-[1-11C]-β-hydroxybutyric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorell, J.-O.; Stone-Elander, S.; Karolinska Hospital and Inst., Stockholm; Koenig, W.A.; Halldin, C.; Widen, L.

1991-01-01

Racemic, R- and S-β-hydroxybutyric acid were labelled with 11 C in the carboxylic position by a two-step stereospecific synthesis starting with carrier-added [ 11 C]cyanide and R/S, R- or S-propylene oxide. Hydrolysis of the intermediate nitrile with hydrochloric acid gave racemic [1- 11 C]-β-hydroxybutyric acid and R- or S-[1- 11 C]-β-hydroxybutyric acid with an enantiomeric excess of 87-97%. The total synthesis time (including HPLC purification) was 45-50 min from end of trapping. The isolated decay-corrected radiochemical yield was 20-30% based on [ 11 C]cyanide. The radiochemical purity of the products was > 99%]. (author)

Crystal structure of racemic 2-[(β-arabinopyranosylsulfanyl]-4,6-diphenylpyridine-3-carbonitrile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sherif F. Hammad

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In the racemic title compound, C23H20N2O4S, the sulfur atom is attached equatorially to the sugar ring with unequal S—C bonds, viz.: S—Cs = 1.808 (2 and S—Cp = 1.770 (2 Å (s = sugar, p = pyridyl. The dihedral angles between the pyridine ring and its attached phenyl groups are 42.24 (8 and 6.37 (14°. In the crystal, a system of classical O—H...O and O—H...(O,O hydrogen bonds links the molecules to form tube-like assemblies propagating parallel to the c-axis direction. Weak C—H...N interactions are also observed.

Resveratrol, 4' Acetoxy Resveratrol, R-equol, Racemic Equol or S-equol as Cosmeceuticals to Improve Dermal Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Lephart, Edwin D

2017-06-03

Phytochemicals are botanical compounds used in dermatology applications as cosmeceuticals to improve skin health. Resveratrol and equol are two of the best-known polyphenolic or phytoestrogens having similar chemical structures and some overlapping biological functions to 17β-estradiol. Human skin gene expression was reviewed for 28 different biomarkers when resveratrol, 4' acetoxy resveratrol (4AR), R -equol, racemic equol or S -equol were tested. Sirtuin 1 activator (SIRT 1) was stimulated by resveratrol and 4AR only. Resveratrol, R -equol and racemic equol were effective on the aging biomarkers proliferating cell nuclear factor (PCNA), nerve growth factor (NGF), 5α-reductase and the calcium binding proteins S100 A8 and A9. Racemic equol and 4AR displayed among the highest levels for the collagens, elastin and tissue inhibitor of the matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP 1). S -equol displayed the lowest level of effectiveness compared to the other compounds. The 4AR analog was more effective compared to resveratrol by 1.6-fold. R -equol and racemic equol were almost equal in potency displaying greater inhibition vs. resveratrol or its 4' analog for the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), but among the inflammatory biomarkers, resveratrol, 4AR, R -equol and racemic equol displayed high inhibition. Thus, these cosmeceuticals display promise to improve dermal health; however, further study is warranted to understand how phytochemicals protect/enhance the skin.

Enrichment of variations in KIR3DL1/S1 and KIR2DL2/L3 among H1N1/09 ICU patients: an exploratory study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David La

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Infection by the pandemic influenza A (H1N1/09 virus resulted in significant pathology among specific ethnic groups worldwide. Natural Killer (NK cells are important in early innate immune responses to viral infections. Activation of NK cells, in part, depend on killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR and HLA class I ligand interactions. To study factors involved in NK cell dysfunction in overactive immune responses to H1N1 infection, KIR3DL1/S1 and KIR2DL2/L3 allotypes and cognate HLA ligands of H1N1/09 intensive-care unit (ICU patients were determined. METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS: KIR3DL1/S1, KIR2DL2/L3, and HLA -B and -C of 51 H1N1/09 ICU patients and 105 H1N1-negative subjects (St. Theresa Point, Manitoba were characterized. We detected an increase of 3DL1 ligand-negative pairs (3DL1/S1(+ Bw6(+ Bw4(-, and a lack of 2DL1 HLA-C2 ligands, among ICU patients. They were also significantly enriched for 2DL2/L3 ligand-positive pairs (PVA, P=0.024, Pc=0.047; Odds Ratio:2.563, CI95%:1.109-5.923, 3DL1*00101 (Ab>VA, PSTh, P=0.034, Pc=0.268, and 3DL1*029 (Ab>STh, P=0.039, Pc=0.301. Aboriginal patients ligand-positive for 3DL1/S1 and 2DL1 had the lowest probabilities of death (R(d (R(d=28%, compared to patients that were 3DL1/S1 ligand-negative (R(d=52% or carried 3DL1*029 (R(d=52%. Relative to Caucasoids (CA, two allotypes were enriched among non-aboriginal ICU patients (NAb: 3DL1*00401 (NAb>CA, P<0.001, Pc<0.001 and 3DL1*01502 (CADL1/S1, 2DL2/L3, and 2DL1 had the lowest probabilities of death (R(d=36%, compared to subjects with 3DL1*01502 (R(d=48% and/or 3DL1*00401 (R(d=58%. CONCLUSIONS: Specific KIR3DL1/S1 allotypes, 3DL1/S1 and 2DL1 ligand-negative pairs, and 2DL2/L3 ligand-positive pairs were enriched among ICU patients. This suggests a possible association with NK cell dysfunction in patients with overactive immune responses to H1N1/09, leading to

Comparison of immunogenicity and protective efficacy of genital herpes vaccine candidates herpes simplex virus 2 dl5-29 and dl5-29-41L in mice and guinea pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoshino, Yo; Pesnicak, Lesley; Dowdell, Kennichi C; Lacayo, Juan; Dudek, Timothy; Knipe, David M; Straus, Stephen E; Cohen, Jeffrey I

2008-07-29

A replication-defective herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 vaccine, dl5-29, which is deleted for two essential early genes, UL5 and UL29, is highly immunogenic and protective in mice and guinea pigs. In a prior study, a derivative of HSV-2 dl5-29 termed dl5-29-41L, which has an additional deletion in UL41 (that encodes the virion-host shut-off protein), was more immunogenic and protective against challenge with wild-type HSV-2 in mice when compared with dl5-29. To determine if deletion of UL41 improves the efficacy of dl5-29 in protecting guinea pigs from HSV-2, animals were immunized with dl5-29, dl5-29-41L, or PBS. The geometric mean neutralizing antibody titers from the dl5-29 and dl5-29-41L recipients were comparable (10(1.97) and 10(2.19), respectively, p=0.15). After intravaginal challenge with wild-type HSV-2, the dl5-29-41L and dl5-29 recipients shed similar titers of HSV-2 from the vagina. Mean acute disease severity scores, numbers of recurrences during 3 months after infection, and latent viral loads in sacral ganglia were similar for dl5-29 and dl5-29-41L (all p values >0.05). dl5-29 and dl5-29-41L completely protected mice from lethal challenge with HSV-2 and induced virus-specific CD8(+) T cells in the spleens of the animals. Thus, dl5-29 was as immunogenic and protective as dl5-29-41L under these conditions. dl5-29 was at least 250,000-fold less virulent than parental virus by intracranial inoculation in healthy mice, and caused no disease in SCID mice. Both dl5-29-41L and dl5-29 are equally effective and immunogenic in guinea pigs, and dl5-29 is very safe in immunocompromised animals.

Selection of Suitable Microorganism for Biocatalytic Oxidation Reaction of Racemic Propranolol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahime SONGÜR

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Propranolol is one of the β-blockers which are pharmaceutically important, especially used for treatment of cardiovasculer disease. In this study, the production of enantiomerically pure propranolol was aimed via biocatalytic deracemization including tandem oxidation-reduction reactions of racemic propranolol. Within this content, firstly suitable microorganism for the oxidation of racemic propranolol was investigated. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH enzyme for oxidation of propranolol and NADH oxidase enzyme for cofactor regeneration were necessary for the oxidation reactions. For this reason, ADH and NADH oxidase enzymes activities of different microorganisms were measured to select the microorganism for using as enzyme source. These microorganisms are Lactobacillus kefir NRRL B-1839, Rhodotorula glutunis DSM 70398, Rhizopus oryzae CBS 111718, Rhizopus arhizus. The highest ADH and NADH oxidase activities were obtained for L. kefir.

Racemization of enantiopure secondary alcohols by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase

KAUST Repository

Musa, Musa M.; Phillips, Robert S.; Laivenieks, Maris; Vieille, Claire; Takahashi, Masateru; Hamdan, Samir

2013-01-01

, the high tolerance of TeSADH to organic solvents allows TeSADH-catalyzed racemization to be conducted in media containing up to 50% (v/v) of organic solvents. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Study of the Asteroid 2009 DL46

Science.gov (United States)

Vodniza, Alberto Quijano

2017-06-01

2009 DL46 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 2009-February 28. This asteroid has a diameter of about 194 meters (119 to 268 meters) [1], and Brian Warner has obtained a rotation period of at least 10 hours [2]. The asteroid 2009 DL46 flew past Earth on May 24/2016 at a distance of about 6.2 lunar distances (0.0158293668567628 A.U) [3]. The NEOWISE mission had a great likelihood to observing this asteroid in early May. Radiotelescopes of Goldstone and Arecibo had planned to make observations of 2009 DL46. “Using the Goldstone facility, we had planned to make radar observations of 2009 DL46” said Landis, Rob R. (HQ-DG000). This asteroid is on list for possible human mission targets. From our Observatory, located in Pasto-Colombia, we captured several pictures, videos and astrometry data during several hours during three days. Our data was published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) and also appears at the web page of NEODyS [4]. The pictures and data of the asteroid were captured with the following equipment: CGE PRO 1400 CELESTRON (f/11 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope) and STL-1001 SBIG camera.. Astrometry was carried out, and we calculated the orbital elements. Summary and conclusions: We obtained the following orbital parameters: eccentricity = 0.30731 +/- 0.00025, semi-major axis = 1.460279 +/- 0.000532 A.U, orbital inclination = 7.9503 +/- 0.0048 deg, longitude of the ascending node = 63.45053 +/- 0.00034 deg, argument of perihelion = 159.8804 +/- 0.0024 deg, mean motion = 0.558535 +/- 0.000305 deg/d, perihelion distance = 1.01151363 +/- 3.39e-6 A.U, aphelion distance = 1.90904 +/- 0.00106 A.U, absolute magnitude = 22.5. The parameters were calculated based on 83 observations. Dates: 2016 May: 18 to 21 with mean residual = 0.29 arcseconds. The asteroid has an orbital period of 1.76 years (644.53 days).[1] http://newton.dm.unipi.it/neodys/index.php?pc=1.1.9&n=2009DL46.[2] http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/2009DL46/2009DL46_planning.html[3] http

Age estimation of living Indian individuals based on aspartic acid racemization from tooth biopsy specimen

Science.gov (United States)

Rastogi, Manu; Logani, Ajay; Shah, Naseem; Kumar, Abhishek; Arora, Saurabh

2017-01-01

Background: Age estimation in living individuals is imperative to amicably settle civil and criminal disputes. A biochemical method based on amino acid racemization was evaluated for age estimation of living Indian individuals. Design: Caries-free maxillary/mandibular premolar teeth (n = 90) were collected from participants with age proof documents and divided into predefined nine age groups. Materials and Methods: Dentine biopsy from the labial aspect of the tooth crown was taken with an indigenously developed microtrephine. The samples were processed and subjected to gas chromatography. Dextrorotatory:levorotatory ratios were calculated, and a regression equation was formulated. Results: Across all age groups, an error of 0 ± 4 years between protein racemization age and chronological age was observed. Conclusion: Aspartic acid racemization from dentine biopsy samples could be a viable and accurate technique for age estimation of living individuals who have attained a state of skeletal maturity. PMID:29263613

Syntheses of DL-[2-13C]leucine and its use in the preparation of [3-DL-[2-13C]leucine]oxytocin and [8-DL-[2-13C]leucine]oxytocin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viswanatha, V.; Larsen, B.; Hruby, V.J.

1979-01-01

DL-[2- 13 C]Leucine was prepared by condensing the sodium salt of ethyl acetamido-[2- 13 C]cyanoacetate with isobutylbromide in hexamethylphosphoroustriamide followed by acid hydrolysis. N-BOC-DL-[2- 13 C]Leucine was prepared and incorporated into [8-DL-[2- 13 C]leucine]oxytocin by total synthesis. The 13 C-labeled hormone derivative [8-[2- 13 C]leucine]oxytocin was separated from its 8-position diastereoisomer by partition chromatography. The specifically 13 C-labeled peptide hormone diastereoisomeric analog [3-DL-[2- 13 C]leucine]oxytocin also was prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis. No suitable solvent system for partition chromatography separation of the latter diastereoisomeric peptide mixture could be found. However an excellent preparative separation of the diastereoisomers could be obtained by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography on a partisil 10 M9 ODS column using the solvent system 0.05 M ammonium acetate (pH 4.0), acetonitrile (81:19, v/v) to give pure [3-[2- 13 C]leucine]oxytocin and [3-D-[2- 13 C]leucine]oxytocin. An excellent separation of [8-[2- 13 C]leucine]oxytocin and the corresponding delata-D-leucine diastereoisomer derivative could also be accomplished by high pressure liquid chromatography. (author)

Characterization of a meso-chiral isomer of a hexanuclear Cu(II) cage from racemization of the L-alanine Schiff base.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajesh, Chinnaiyan Mahalingam; Ray, Manabendra

2014-09-14

We are reporting structural characterization of two new hexanuclear cages (H3O)2[Cu3(μ3-OH)(μ3-NH3)(0.5)(L)3]2·8H2O (1) and (H3O)2[Cu3(μ3-OH)(μ3-H2O)(0.5)(L)3]2·8H2O (1a) where L(2-) is the dianionic form of the Schiff base of L-alanine and salicylaldehyde. The complex 1 has two C3 symmetric hydroxo bridged trinuclear halves joined by an ammonia or water molecule at the center through H-bonding. Each of the trinuclear halves is enantiopure but of opposite chirality to the other half, making the hexanuclear unit a meso isomer. Temperature dependent magnetic measurements showed the presence of ferromagnetic interactions among trinuclear Cu(II) units, a rare occurrence among trinuclear Cu(II) complexes. Characterization of the LiHL showed it to be enantiopure. Addition of a base, monitored using optical rotation, showed that racemization occurs as a result of base addition. The racemization depends on the base as well as the temperature. Base or Cu(II) induced racemization of amino acid derivatives has been indicated in a number of cases in the past but structural characterization of the products or formation of this type of chiral hexanuclear architecture was never reported. Structures of the complex and the ligand have a number of interesting H-bonding situations.

Synthesis of racemic [3-11C]phenylalanine and [3-11C] DOPA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halldin, C.; Laangstroem, B.

1984-01-01

The synthesis of racemic [3- 11 C]phenylalanine and [3- 11 C]DOPA is reported. The [ 11 C]benzaldehyde and [ 11 C]veratraldehyde prepared in a two-step reaction from the corresponding [ 11 C]acid salt and [ 11 C]alcohol, by means of selective oxidation with tetrabutylammonium hydrogen chromate, were reacted with 2-phenyl-5-oxazolone or 2-(4-chloro)phenyl-5-oxazolone in the presence of a tertiary amine to give the corresponding [α- 11 C]-4-arylene-2-aryl-5-oxazolones. Ring opening of these olefins, hydrogenation, and removal of protecting groups was carried out in one step using hydroiodic cid/phosphorus, with the production of the racemic [3- 11 C]amino acids in 8-30% radiochemical yield (starting with 11 CO 2 ) within 52-60 min (including LC separation). (author)

Prediction and explanation over DL-Lite data streams

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Klarman, S

2013-12-01

Full Text Available the popular DL-Lite family, and study the logic foundations of prediction and explanation over DL-Lite data streams, i.e., reasoning from finite segments of streaming data to conjectures about the content of the streams in the future or in the past. We propose...

Protolytic properties and complexation of DL-alpha-alanine and DL-alpha-valine and their dipeptides in aqueous and micellar solutions of surfactants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chernyshova, O. S.; Boychenko, Oleksandr; Abdulrahman, H.; Loginova, L. P.

In this work we investigated the effect of the micellar media of anionic (sodium dodecylsulfate, SDS), cationic (cetylpiridinium chloride, CPC) and non-ionic (Brij-35) surfactants on the protolytic properties of amino acids DL-alpha-alanine, DL-alpha-valine and dipeptides

Otoliths as recorders of palaeoenvironments: comparison of radiocarbon age and isoleucine epimerization in Pleistocene golden perch 'Macquaria ambigua' otoliths from Willandra Lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalish, J.M.; Pritchard, C.; Miller, G.H.; Rosewater, A.

1997-01-01

Fish otoliths form by the accretion of layers of calcium carbonate and organic-rich material that often form distinctive layers over time scales ranging from days to years. These layers are not resorbed during the life of the fish and have potential to provide data relevant to both the biology of the fish and the environment to which the fish has been exposed. Environmental variability based on otoliths can be estimated through measures of stable oxygen isotopes, trace elements, and the widths of both daily and annual increments. Although otoliths can be dated based on measurement of radiocarbon by accelerator mass spectrometry this method is relatively expensive. An alternative method for dating golden perch otoliths is based on measurements of isoleucine D/L ratios. Miller and Rosewater (1995) demonstrated that golden perch otoliths are near a perfect closed system for racemization and that otoliths have potential of dating surrounding sediments older than 100 ka. Despite the suitability of these structures for racemization measurements, many of collections of Pleistocene otoliths from Willandra Lakes are not appropriate for determination of sample age. Most otoliths sampled in the region have been derived from surface collections, while it is recommended that samples should have been buried at least 1 m during most of their history. Therefore, the majority of existing otolith collections are not appropriate for geochronology or palaeothermometry. Nevertheless, when used in conjunction with radiocarbon dates, racemization data may be of value in assessing the relationship among otoliths in an assemblage. Radiocarbon ages and isoleucine D/L ratios were determined for 30 otoliths collected from Willandra Lakes. The rostrum of each otolith was analysed for D/L ratios and a portion of the posterior of the same otolith was analysed for radiocarbon by accelerator mass spectrometry. Sample weights for both analyses ranged from 14.0 to 25.6 mg. The central portion of the

Differential expression of cyclin Dl in human pituitary tumors: relation to MIB-1 and p27/Kipl labeling indices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hewedi, I.H.; Osman, W.M.; El Mahdy, M.M.

2011-01-01

Pituitary tumors are a common form of endocrine neoplasia. However few studies assessed the expression of the principal cyclin regulating checkpoint exit, cyclin Dl. Cyclin Dl expression in pituitary tumors and its possible relation to MIB-1 and p27/K.ipl labeling indices (Us) was explored. Design: We studied a total of 199 pituitaries, including normal pituitaries (n = 7), pituitary adenomas (n = 187), and pituitary carcinoma (n = 5). All tissues were tested as cores of archived tissue microarrays that were immuno stained for cyclin Dl, MIB-1 and p27 using a standard technique. Tissue cores were subjected to automated analysis to evaluate the staining LIs, Results: No cyclin Dl positive cells in the normal anterior pituitary gland was found. Sparse nuclear staining was noted in pituitary tumors. Higher expression of cyclin Dl was noted in pituitary carcinomas compared to adenomas (p < 0.001), in non-functioning adenomas compared to functioning ones (p < 0.001) in macroadenomas versus micro adenomas (p — 0.017) and in recurrent non recurrent adenomas (p < 0.001). Cyclin Dl LI and MIB-1 LI were related among adenomas (p < 0.001) and carcinomas (p = 0.041). p27 LI was neither related to pituitary adenoma recurrence nor invasion. Conclusions: Expression of cyclin Dl in pituitary tumors is related to cell proliferation, recurrence, and metastatic potential. Nuclear cyclin Dl expression is a good marker of aggressive behavior in pituitary tumors

Stereoselective aminoacylation of a dinucleoside monophosphate by the imidazolides of DL-alanine and N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-DL-alanine

Science.gov (United States)

Profy, A. T.; Usher, D. A.

1984-01-01

The aminoacylation of diinosine monophosphate was studied experimentally. When the acylating agent was the imidazolide of N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-DL-alanine, a 40 percent enantiomeric excess of the isomer was incorporated at the 2' site and the positions of equilibrium for the reversible 2'-3' migration reaction differed for the D and L enantiomers. The reactivity of the nucleoside hydroxyl groups was found to decrease on the order 2'(3') less than internal 2' and less than 5', and the extent of the reaction was affected by the concentration of the imidazole buffer. Reaction of IpI with imidazolide of unprotected DL-alanine, by contrast, led to an excess of the D isomer at the internal 2' site. Finally, reaction with the N-carboxy anhydride of DL-alanine occurred without stereoselection. These results are found to be relevant to the study of the evolution of optical chemical activity and the origin of genetically directed protein synthesis.

ETANA-DL: Managing Complex Information Applications - an Archaeology Digital Library

OpenAIRE

Ravindranathan, Unni; Shen, Rao; Goncalves, Marcos A.; Fan, Weiguo; Fox, Edward A.; Flanagan, James

2004-01-01

Archaeological research results in the generation of large quantities of heterogeneous information managed by different projects using custom information systems. We will demonstrate a prototype Digital Library (DL) for integrating and managing archaeological data and providing services useful to various user communities. ETANA-DL is a model-based, componentized, extensible, archaeological DL that manages complex information sources using the client-server paradigm of the Open Archives Initia...

Assessment of the Thermodynamic Properties of DL-p-Mentha-1,8-diene, 4-Isopropyl-1-Methylcyclohexene (DL-limonene) by Inverse Gas Chromatography (IGC).

Science.gov (United States)

Farshchi, Negin; Abbasian, Ali; Larijani, Kambiz

2018-05-10

Limonene is a colorless liquid hydrocarbon and had been investigated as a plasticizer for many plastics. Prediction of solubility between different materials is an advantage in many ways, one of the most convenient ways to know the compatibility of materials is to determine the degree of solubility of them in each other. The concept of "solubility parameter" can help practitioners in this way.In this study, inverse gas chromatography (IGC) method at infinite dilution was used for determination of the thermodynamic properties of DL-p-mentha-1,8-diene, 4-Isopropyl-1-methylcyclohexene (DL-limonene). The interaction between DL-limonene and 13 solvents were examined in the temperature range of 63-123°C through the assessment of the thermodynamic sorption parameters, the parameters of mixing at infinite dilution, the weight fraction activity coefficient and the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters. Additionally, the solubility parameter for DL-limonene and the temperature dependence of these parameters was investigated as well.Results show that there is a temperature dependence in solubility parameter, which increases by decreasing temperature. However, there were no specific dependence between interaction parameters and temperature, but chemical structure appeared to have a significant effect on them as well as on the type and strength of intermolecular interactions between DL-limonene and investigated solvents. The solubility parameter δ2 of DL-limonene determined to be 19.20 (J/cm3)0.5 at 25°C.

Hvordan påvirker brugen af trådløse telefoner kommunikationen og relationen mellem patient og sygeplejerske?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paasch, Bettina Sletten

Trådløse telefoner anvendes i vid udstrækning i sygehusvæsnet, og mange sygeplejersker bærer i dag en personlig arbejdstelefon. Teknologi er ikke et neutralt redskab, der kan indføres uden at skabe forandring, men bibringer nye måder at kommunikere på, nye typer af relationer, nye muligheder og...... nærværende i sin kontakt med patienten vil det formentlig have betydning for relationen og kommunikationen med patienten. Formålet med nærværende projekt er derfor at undersøge, hvilke forandringer implementeringen af trådløse telefoner hos sygeplejersker har afstedkommet. Formålet søges belyst gennem...... værdifuldt. Viden om hvilke forandringer trådløse telefoner afstedkommer i forhold til kommunikation og relationer, vil gøre det muligt at forholde sig kritisk til sygehusets diskurs, og medvirke til refleksion over hvorvidt dets virkelighed konstitueres i overensstemmelse med dets værdier....

Racemic epinephrine compared to salbutamol in hospitalized young children with bronchiolitis; a randomized controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN46561076

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LeBlanc John C

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bronchiolitis is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract illness in infancy, and hospital admission rates appear to be increasing in Canada and the United States. Inhaled beta agonists offer only modest short-term improvement. Trials of racemic epinephrine have shown conflicting results. We sought to determine if administration of racemic epinephrine during hospital stay for bronchiolitis improved respiratory distress, was safe, and shortened length of stay. Methods The study was a randomized, double-blind controlled trial of aerosolized racemic epinephrine compared to salbutamol every one to 4 hours in previously well children aged 6 weeks to ≤ 2 years of age hospitalized with bronchiolitis. The primary outcome was symptom improvement as measured by the Respiratory Distress Assessment Instrument (RDAI; secondary outcomes were length of stay in hospital, adverse events, and report of symptoms by structured parental telephone interview one week after discharge. Results 62 children with a mean age of 6.4 months were enrolled; 80% of children had Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV. Racemic epinephrine resulted in significant improvement in wheezing and the total RDAI score on day 2 and over the entire stay (p 0.05. Adverse events were not significantly different in the two arms. At one week post-discharge, over half of parents reported that their child still had a respiratory symptom and 40% had less than normal feeding. Conclusion Racemic epinephrine relieves respiratory distress in hospitalized infants with bronchiolitis and is safe but does not abbreviate hospital stay. Morbidity associated with bronchiolitis as identified by parents persists for at least one week after hospital discharge in most infants.

Allelic Variation in KIR2DL3 Generates a KIR2DL2-like Receptor with Increased Binding to Its HLA-C Ligand12

OpenAIRE

Frazier, William R.; Steiner, Noriko; Hou, Lihua; Dakshanamurthy, Sivanesan; Hurley, Carolyn Katovich

2013-01-01

Although extensive homology exists between their extracellular domains, natural killer cell inhibitory receptors KIR2DL2*001 and KIR2DL3*001 have previously been shown to differ substantially in their HLA-C binding avidity. To explore the largely uncharacterized impact of allelic diversity, the most common KIR2DL2/3 allelic products in European American and African American populations were evaluated for surface expression and binding affinity to their HLA-C group 1 and 2 ligands. Although no...

Emanuel Rádl a náboženství

OpenAIRE

Píša, Josef

2008-01-01

Diploma thesis "Emanuel Rádl and Religion" deals with Radl's philosophy of religion. Author tries to explain basic ideas of Radl's philosophy. He describe Radl's thoughts in motion. Author tries to defend it's recency for nowadays science and philosophy. The main topic of the thesis is Rádl's thoughts on Christianity and his refusal of oriental religions 'and phiIosophies. Rádl described dangerous tendencies in European thinking at the beginning of Twentieth Century. He predicted rise of raci...

Phase-Modulated Nonresonant Laser Pulses Can Selectively Convert Enantiomers in a Racemic Mixture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomas, Esben Folger; Henriksen, Niels Engholm

2017-01-01

-modulated, nonresonant, linearly polarized Gaussian laser pulses that can selectively deracemize a racemic mixture of 3D-oriented, 3,5-difluoro-3',5'-dibromobiphenyl (F2H3C6-C6H3Br2) molecules, the laser-induced dynamics of which are well studied experimentally. These results strongly suggest that designing a closed......Deracemization occurs when a racemic molecular mixture is transformed into a mixture containing an excess of a single enantiomer. Recent advances in ultrafast laser technology hint at the possibility of using shaped pulses to generate deracemization via selective enantiomeric conversion; however......, experimental implementation remains a challenge and has not yet been achieved. Here we suggest a simple, yet novel approach to laser-induced enantiomeric conversion based on dynamic Stark control. We demonstrate theoretically that current laser and optical technology can be used to generate a pair of phase...

Tutorial on Modeling VAT Rules Using OWL-DL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Morten Ib; Simonsen, Jakob Grue; Larsen, Ken Friis

. In an ERP setting such a model could reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and increase the quality of the system. We have selected OWL-DL because we believe that description logic is suited for modeling VAT rules due to the decidability of important inference problems that are key to the way we plan...... to use the model and because OWL-DL is relatively intuitive to use....

Positron emission tomography shows high specific uptake of racemic carbon-11 labelled norepinephrine in the primate heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farde, L.; Halldin, C.; Naagren, K.; Suhara, Tetsuya; Karlsson, P.; Schoeps, K.O.; Swahn, C.G.; Bone, D.

1994-01-01

(-)-Norepinephrine is the predominant neurotransmitter of the sympathetic innervation of the heart. Racemic norepinephrine was labelled with carbon-11 and injected i.v. into Cynomolgus monkeys. Five minutes after injection there was a more than tenfold higher radioactivity in the heart than in adjacent tissue. Pretreatment with the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine reduced the uptake by more than 80%. The high specific uptake of racemic [ 11 C]norepinephrine indicates that enatiomerically pure(-)-[ 11 C]norepinephrine has promising potential for detailed mapping of the sympathetic innervation of the human myocardium. (orig.)

Positron emission tomography shows high specific uptake of racemic carbon-11 labelled norepinephrine in the primate heart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farde, L [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Halldin, C [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Naagren, K [Turku Univ., Cyclotron/PET Center (Finland); Suhara, Tetsuya [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Karlsson, P [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Schoeps, K O [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Swahn, C G [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden); Bone, D [Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Inst., Stockholm (Sweden)

1994-04-01

(-)-Norepinephrine is the predominant neurotransmitter of the sympathetic innervation of the heart. Racemic norepinephrine was labelled with carbon-11 and injected i.v. into Cynomolgus monkeys. Five minutes after injection there was a more than tenfold higher radioactivity in the heart than in adjacent tissue. Pretreatment with the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine reduced the uptake by more than 80%. The high specific uptake of racemic [[sup 11]C]norepinephrine indicates that enatiomerically pure(-)-[[sup 11]C]norepinephrine has promising potential for detailed mapping of the sympathetic innervation of the human myocardium. (orig.)

Synthesis of racemic [methyl-d3]-labeled cis- and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravard, A.; Crooks, P.A.

1994-01-01

A method is described for the synthesis of the racemic [methyl-d 3 ] forms of the nicotine metabolites cis-3'-hydroxycotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine. The key intermediate was [methyl-d 3 ]-N-methylhydroxylamine, obtained from a selective hydrogenation of d 3 -nitro-methane. This intermediate was converted to [methyl-d 3 ]-α-3-pyridyl-N-methylnitrone, which was condensed with methyl acrylate to give a mixture of isomeric isoxazolidines. The hydrogenolysis of this mixture afforded a 70:30 mixture of [methyl-d 3 ] cis- and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, from which the pure cis-isomer could be isolated by recrystallization from acetone. [Methyl-d 3 ]-trans-3'-hydroxycotinine could be prepared in high yield from the cis-isomer via chiral inversion utilizing a Mitsunobu reaction, or by chromatographic separation from a mixture of the cis- and trans-3'-benzoyloxycotinine, followed by O-debenzoylation in methanolic NaOH. (author)

Synthesis and catalytic activity of ruthenium complexes modified with chiral racemic per- and polyfluorooxaalkanoates

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lipovská, P.; Rathouská, L.; Šimůnek, O.; Hošek, J.; Kolaříková, V.; Rybáčková, M.; Cvačka, Josef; Svoboda, Martin; Kvíčala, J.

2016-01-01

Roč. 191, Nov (2016), s. 14-22 ISSN 0022-1139 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : racemic * chiral * ruthenium complex * perfluorooxaalkanoate * polyfluorooxaalkanoate Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry Impact factor: 2.101, year: 2016

Synthesis and evaluation of racemic [11C]NS2456 and its enantiomers as selective serotonin reuptake radiotracers for PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.F.; Bender, D.; Marthi, K.; Cumming, P.; Hansen, S.B.; Peters, D.; Oestergaard Nielsen, E.; Scheel-Krueger, J.; Gjedde, A.

2001-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers are needed for quantifying serotonin uptake sites in the living brain. Therefore, we evaluated a new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, NS2456, to determine whether it is suited for use in PET. Racemic NS2456 [(1RS,5SR)-8-methyl-3-[4-trifluoromethoxyphenyl]-8-azabicyclo [3.2.1]oct-2-ene] and its N-demethylated analog, racemic NS2463, selectively inhibited serotonin uptake in rat brain synaptosomes; their IC 50 values were 3000-fold lower for [ 3 H]serotonin than for either [ 3 H]dopamine or [ 3 H]noradrenaline. The enantiomers of NS2463 were also potent inhibitors of serotonin uptake in vitro, but they failed to show stereoselectivity. Racemic NS2463 as well as its enantiomers were radiolabelled by N-methylation with C-11, yielding [ 11 C]NS2456 for use in PET of the living porcine brain. The compounds crossed the blood-brain barrier rapidly and accumulated preferentially in regions rich in serotonin uptake sites (e.g., brainstem, subthalamus and thalamus). However, their binding potentials were relatively low and no stereoselectivity was found. Thus, neither racemic [ 11 C]NS2456 nor its [ 11 C]-labelled enantiomers are ideal for PET neuroimaging of neuronal serotonin uptake sites

Scalability of DL_POLY on High Performance Computing Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mabule Samuel Mabakane

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a case study on the scalability of several versions of the molecular dynamics code (DL_POLY performed on South Africa‘s Centre for High Performance Computing e1350 IBM Linux cluster, Sun system and Lengau supercomputers. Within this study different problem sizes were designed and the same chosen systems were employed in order to test the performance of DL_POLY using weak and strong scalability. It was found that the speed-up results for the small systems were better than large systems on both Ethernet and Infiniband network. However, simulations of large systems in DL_POLY performed well using Infiniband network on Lengau cluster as compared to e1350 and Sun supercomputer.

Resource Allocation and Cluster Formation for Imperfect NOMA in DL/UL Decoupled HetNets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir; Radaydeh, Redha; Al-Qahtani, Fawaz; Abd El-Malek, Ahmed H.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Being capable of serving multiple users with the same radio resource, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can provide desirable performance enhancements in a fair and spectral efficient manner. In this paper, we investigate the resource allocation (RA) and cluster formation (CF) aspects of NOMA for downlink (DL) uplink (UL) decoupled (DUDe) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). A non-ideal NOMA scheme is considered with power disparity and sensitivity constraints (PDSCs), delay tolerance, and residual interference after cancellation. Taking the PDSCs into account, we analytically show that using the DL decoding order limits UL-NOMA performance by that of OMA, while employing an inverse order result in a performance gain that is mainly determined by the channel gain disparity of users. Thereafter, a generic CF method is proposed for any type of user graph, which iteratively forms clusters using Blossom algorithm. Finally, highly non-convex RA problem is converted into a convex form by employing geometric programming (GP) where power and bandwidth are optimized to maximize network sumrate and max-min fairness objectives.

Resource Allocation and Cluster Formation for Imperfect NOMA in DL/UL Decoupled HetNets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir

2017-04-15

Being capable of serving multiple users with the same radio resource, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can provide desirable performance enhancements in a fair and spectral efficient manner. In this paper, we investigate the resource allocation (RA) and cluster formation (CF) aspects of NOMA for downlink (DL) uplink (UL) decoupled (DUDe) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). A non-ideal NOMA scheme is considered with power disparity and sensitivity constraints (PDSCs), delay tolerance, and residual interference after cancellation. Taking the PDSCs into account, we analytically show that using the DL decoding order limits UL-NOMA performance by that of OMA, while employing an inverse order result in a performance gain that is mainly determined by the channel gain disparity of users. Thereafter, a generic CF method is proposed for any type of user graph, which iteratively forms clusters using Blossom algorithm. Finally, highly non-convex RA problem is converted into a convex form by employing geometric programming (GP) where power and bandwidth are optimized to maximize network sumrate and max-min fairness objectives.

Metabolic and Pharmacokinetic Differentiation of STX209 and Racemic Baclofen in Humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raymundo Sanchez-Ponce

2012-09-01

Full Text Available STX209 is an exploratory drug comprising the single, active R-enantiomer of baclofen which is in later stage clinical trials for the treatment of fragile x syndrome (FXS and autism spectrum disorders (ASD. New clinical data in this article on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of the R- and S-enantiomers of baclofen presents scientific evidence for stereoselective metabolism of only S-baclofen to an abundant oxidative deamination metabolite that is sterically resolved as the S-enantiomeric configuration. This metabolite undergoes some further metabolism by glucuronide conjugation. Consequences of this metabolic difference are a lower Cmax and lower early plasma exposure of S-baclofen compared to R-baclofen and marginally lower urinary excretion of S-baclofen after racemic baclofen administration. These differences introduce compound-related exposure variances in humans in which subjects dosed with racemic baclofen are exposed to a prominent metabolite of baclofen whilst subjects dosed with STX209 are not. For potential clinical use, our findings suggest that STX209 has the advantage of being a biologically defined and active enantiomer.

Thermodynamics of Dissolution for Crystalline Racemic Tartaric and Glutaric Acids and Isatin in KOH Aqueous Solutions at 298.15 K

Science.gov (United States)

Lytkin, A. I.; Chernikov, V. V.; Krutova, O. N.; Litvinenko, V. E.; Volkov, A. V.; Bychkova, S. A.; Skvortsov, I. A.

2018-01-01

Enthalpies of dissolution are found for crystalline racemic tartaric and glutaric acids and isatin in water and in potassium hydroxide solutions at 298.15 K via direct calorimetry. The protolytic equilibria in isatin aqueous solutions are studied at 298.15 K and ionic strengths of 0.5 (relative to potassium nitrate) by potentiometric means. Standard enthalpies of formation are calculated for racemic tartaric and glutaric acids, isatin, and the products of their dissociation in aqueous solutions.

Comparative study of the selective degradations of two enantiomers in the racemate and an enriched concentration of indoxacarb in soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu-Ping; Hu, De-Yu; Ling, Hu-Rong; Zhong, Lei; Huang, An-Xiang; Zhang, Kan-Kan; Song, Bao-An

2014-09-17

In this study, selective degradations of the two enantiomers of indoxacarb in the concentrate (2.33S/1R) and racemate (1S/1R) are examined. The absolute configurations of indoxacarb enantiomers were determined using X-ray diffraction. The results showed that in two alkaline soils, the S-(+)-indoxacarb was preferentially degraded in both the concentrate and racemate. In one acid soil, the two enantiomers degraded no-selectivity. In another acid soil and one neutral soil, the R-(-)-indoxacarb was preferentially degraded in both the concentrate and racemate. Indoxacarb enantiomers were configurationally stable in the five soils, and no interconversion was observed during the incubation. Because no significant difference in degradation was observed after samples were sterilized, the observed enantioselectivity may be attributed primarily to microbial activity in soils. The results indicate that the selective degradation behavior was the same for both formulations that were tested.

Determination of the X-ray structure of the snake venom protein omwaprin by total chemical synthesis and racemic protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Banigan, James R; Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Sawaya, Michael R; Thammavongsa, Vilasak; Hendrickx, Antoni P A; Schneewind, Olaf; Yeates, Todd O; Kent, Stephen B H

2010-10-01

The 50-residue snake venom protein L-omwaprin and its enantiomer D-omwaprin were prepared by total chemical synthesis. Radial diffusion assays were performed against Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus anthracis; both L- and D-omwaprin showed antibacterial activity against B. megaterium. The native protein enantiomer, made of L-amino acids, failed to crystallize readily. However, when a racemic mixture containing equal amounts of L- and D-omwaprin was used, diffraction quality crystals were obtained. The racemic protein sample crystallized in the centrosymmetric space group P2(1)/c and its structure was determined at atomic resolution (1.33 A) by a combination of Patterson and direct methods based on the strong scattering from the sulfur atoms in the eight cysteine residues per protein. Racemic crystallography once again proved to be a valuable method for obtaining crystals of recalcitrant proteins and for determining high-resolution X-ray structures by direct methods.

DL-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid protects primary neurons from oxygen-glucose deprivation induced injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Di Cui

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Cerebral infarction is a type of ischemic stroke and is one of the main causes of irreversible brain damage. Although multiple neuroprotective agents have been investigated recently, the potential of DL-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid (DL-AP3 in treating oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD-induced neuronal injury, has not been clarified yet. This study was aimed to explore the role of DL-AP3 in primary neuronal cell cultures. Primary neurons were divided into four groups: (1 a control group that was not treated; (2 DL-AP3 group treated with 10 μM of DL-AP3; (3 OGD group, in which neurons were cultured under OGD conditions; and (4 OGD + DL-AP3 group, in which OGD model was first established and then the cells were treated with 10 μM of DL-AP3. Neuronal viability and apoptosis were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry. Expressions of phospho-Akt1 (p-Akt1 and cytochrome c were detected using Western blot. The results showed that DL-AP3 did not affect neuronal viability and apoptosis in DL-AP3 group, nor it changed p-Akt1 and cytochrome c expression (p > 0.05. In OGD + DL-AP3 group, DL-AP3 significantly attenuated the inhibitory effects of OGD on neuronal viability (p < 0.001, and reduced OGD induced apoptosis (p < 0.01. Additionally, the down-regulation of p-Akt1 and up-regulation of cytochrome c, induced by OGD, were recovered to some extent after DL-AP3 treatment (p < 0.05 or p < 0.001. Overall, DL-AP3 could protect primary neurons from OGD-induced injury by affecting the viability and apoptosis of neurons, and by regulating the expressions of p-Akt1 and cytochrome c.

DL-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid protects primary neurons from oxygen-glucose deprivation induced injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Di; Xu, Jun; Xu, Quanyi; Zuo, Guokun

2017-02-21

Cerebral infarction is a type of ischemic stroke and is one of the main causes of irreversible brain damage. Although multiple neuroprotective agents have been investigated recently, the potential of DL-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid (DL-AP3) in treating oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced neuronal injury, has not been clarified yet. This study was aimed to explore the role of DL-AP3 in primary neuronal cell cultures. Primary neurons were divided into four groups: (1) a control group that was not treated; (2) DL-AP3 group treated with 10 μM of DL-AP3; (3) OGD group, in which neurons were cultured under OGD conditions; and (4) OGD + DL-AP3 group, in which OGD model was first established and then the cells were treated with 10 μM of DL-AP3. Neuronal viability and apoptosis were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry. Expressions of phospho-Akt1 (p-Akt1) and cytochrome c were detected using Western blot. The results showed that DL-AP3 did not affect neuronal viability and apoptosis in DL-AP3 group, nor it changed p-Akt1 and cytochrome c expression (p > 0.05). In OGD + DL-AP3 group, DL-AP3 significantly attenuated the inhibitory effects of OGD on neuronal viability (p neurons from OGD-induced injury by affecting the viability and apoptosis of neurons, and by regulating the expressions of p-Akt1 and cytochrome c.

Shape memory polymer hybrids of SBS/dl-PLA and their shape memory effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Heng; Chen, Zhi; Zheng, Zheng; Zhu, Xiaomin; Wang, Haitao

2013-01-01

The hybrids of styrene-butadiene-styrene tri-block copolymer (SBS) and amorphous poly(dl-lactic acid) (dl-PLA) are found to exhibit shape memory effects, which gives an example of a dual-domain shape memory system consisting of an elastic domain and a thermo-switch domain. The dual-domain manner in this hybrid is studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Subsequently, the tensile test clarifies the interactions of the two domains on shape memory effects. As an elastic domain, SBS offers good shape recovery when its content exceeds 50 wt%. As a thermo-switch domain, dl-PLA triggers the shape memory effect at ca. 55 °C and offers good shape fixing when the content exceeds 30 wt%. An easy-to-do and easy-to-know feature of the hybrid is that the optimization of shape memory effect can be achieved by generating bicontinous phases of SBS and dl-PLA, in which the dl-PLA content ranges from 30 to 70 wt%. -- Highlights: ► The composite materials of SBS and amorphous dl-PLA were prepared by blending. ► A continuous domain was observed with the increasing content of dl-PLA. ► The composites exhibited shape memory effects.

The effects of S(-)-, R(+)-, and racemic bupivacaine on lysophosphatidate-induced priming of human neutrophils

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hollmann, Markus W.; Kurz, Katrin; Herroeder, Susanne; Struemper, Danja; Hahnenkamp, Klaus; Berkelmans, Noud S.; den Bakker, Christel G.; Durieux, Marcel E.

2003-01-01

Local anesthetics modulate inflammatory responses and may therefore be potentially useful in mitigating perioperative inflammatory injury. The inflammatory modulating effects of S(-)-bupivacaine are not known. Therefore, we compared the effects of S(-)-bupivacaine, R(+)-bupivacaine, and racemic

Racemic methyl 3,10-dioxa-2-azatricyclo[6.2.1.02,6]undecane-4- carboxylate

KAUST Repository

Moosa, Basem; Fazal, Atif; Ali, Shaikh A.; Fettouhi, Mohammed

2011-01-01

The structure of the racemic title compound, C10H 15NO4, consists of a tricyclic skeleton comprising a six-membered piperidine ring and five-membered isoxazolidine and tetrahydrofuran rings. The piperidine ring adopts a distorted chair conformation

Deracemization of Racemic Amino Acids Using (R)- and (S)-Alanine Racemase Chiral Analogues as Chiral Converters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paik, Manjeong; Jeon, So Hee; Lee, Wonjae; Kang, Jong Seong; Kim, Kwan Mook

2014-01-01

Our findings show that both (R)- and (S)-ARCA can be practical chiral converters for L- and D-amino acids, respectively, in the deracemization of racemic amino acids. The overall stereoselectivities of both chiral converters are generally greater than 90%. In addition, we developed chiral and achiral HPLC methods for the analysis of stereoselectivity determination. This chromatographic method proved much more accurate and convenient at determining both enantiomer and diastereomer purity than did those previously reported. Deracemization is the stereoselective process of converting a racemate into either a pure enantiomer or a mixture in which one enantiomer is present in excess.1 Previous studies have shown that (S)-alanine racemase chiral analogue (ARCA) [(S)-2-hydroxy-2'-(3-phenyluryl-benzyl)-1,1'-binaphthyl-3-carboxaldehyde], developed as a chiral convertor compound that imitates the function of alanine racemase, plays an essential role in the stereoselective conversion of amino acid. Since (S)-ARCA showed a higher stability with D-amino acids than with L-amino acids, several L-amino acids were preferentially converted to D-amino acids via (S)-ARCA/D-amino acid imine diastereomer formation. For the deracemization process undertaken in this study, we utilized both (R)-ARCA and (S)-ARCA as chiral converters, which were expected to generate L- and D-amino acids, respectively, from the starting racemic mixtures

Total chemical synthesis and X-ray structure of kaliotoxin by racemic protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Pentelute, Brad L; Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Gates, Zachary P; Sawaya, Michael R; Yeates, Todd O; Kent, Stephen B H

2010-11-21

Here we report the total synthesis of kaliotoxin by 'one pot' native chemical ligation of three synthetic peptides. A racemic mixture of D- and L-kaliotoxin synthetic protein molecules gave crystals in the centrosymmetric space group P1 that diffracted to atomic-resolution (0.95 Å), enabling the X-ray structure of kaliotoxin to be determined by direct methods.

Synthesis of Chiral Cyclic Carbonates via Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Epoxides and Carbon Dioxide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Wu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The catalytic synthesis of cyclic carbonates using carbon dioxide as a C1-building block is a highly active area of research. Here, we review the catalytic production of enantiomerically enriched cyclic carbonates via kinetic resolution of racemic epoxides catalysed by metal-containing catalyst systems.

Self-assembled nanoparticles of modified-chitosan conjugates for the sustained release of dl-α-tocopherol

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Quinones, Javier Perez; Gothelf, Kurt Vesterager; Kjems, Jørgen

2013-01-01

Synthetic O6-succinylated chitosan and commercial glycol chitosan were covalently linked to dl-α-tocopheryl monoesters for controlled release of vitamin E. These conjugates formed self-assembled nanoparticles in aqueous solution with 254–496 nm mean diameters and dl-α-tocopherol contents between 27...... and 39% (w/w). The particles appeared as 40–75 nm almost spherical nanoparticles when studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy upon drying. Drug linking to chitosan matrix was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and proton NMR. Conjugates were also characterized by differential scanning...... calorimetry and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. In vitro tocopherol release studies performed in water at acid pH indicated a drug release dependence on drug content, hydrated particle sizes and employed chitosan derivative. Almost constant release rates were observed the first 7 h. The obtained nanoparticles...

The use of MP-AES for determination of plant available P in soil by DL method and distribution of soils into P status classes by DL, AL and Mehlich 3 methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Toomsoo, Avo; Jürgens, Meit; Kõlli, Raimo; Künnapas, Allan; Albre, Imbi; Tõnutare, Tõnu; Rodima, Ako

2017-04-01

Only small percentage of soil total phosphorus is easily exchangeable between solid and solution phase. Plants are able to assimilate P from environment only in the form of orthophosphate ions (H2PO4- and HPO42-) from soil solution. Deficit of P in soil solution prevents plant normal growth and decreases yield quantity and quality. The excess of P in soil solution causes the pollution of environment and eutrophication of water bodies. Therefore it is important to give to the plant producers the correct fertilization recommendations. Lot of analytical methods are developed for the determination of plant available P in soils. In the Baltic Sea region seven different soils' P analysis methods in use. Each method has its own gradation and often there is more than one gradation for the same method depending from agroecological conditions. For agricultural soils in Estonia there are soil P status gradations according to Mehlich 3, DL and AL methods. Phosphate content in soil can be determined by molybdate method Vis-spectrometrically. Very often for analysis of soils' P content also ICP-OES, ICP-MS and also MP-AES instrumental methods are used The aim of our work was to investigate the possibility of using MP-AES for determination of plant available P in soil by DL method and also to compare how the analysed soils are distributed to M3, AL and DL fertilizer requirement groups according to the P content.

Longevity of elastin in human intervertebral disc as probed by the racemization of aspartic acid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sivan, Sarit-Sara; Van El, Benno; Merkher, Yulia

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Aging and degeneration of human intervertebral disc (IVD) are associated with biochemical changes, including racemization and glycation. These changes can only be counteracted by protein turnover. Little is known about the longevity of IVD elastin in health or disease. Yet, such knowl...

Design and synthesis of a novel multifunctional stabilizer for highly stable uc(dl)-tetrahydropalmatine nanosuspensions and in vitro study

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Beibei; Wang, Yancai; Wang, Lulu; Zhou, Yuqi; Shang, Xueyun; Zhao, Juan; Liu, Yangyang; Du, Juan

2018-05-01

The present study aimed to prepare stable uc(dl)-tetrahydropalmatine (uc(dl)-THP) nanosuspensions of optimized formulation with PEGylated chitosan as a multifunctional stabilizer using the antisolvent precipitation method. A central composite design project of three factors and five-level full factorial (53) was applied to design the experimental program, and response surface methodology analysis was used to optimize the experimental conditions. The effects of critical influencing factors such as PEGylated chitosan concentration, operational temperature, and ultrasonic energy on particle size and zeta potential were investigated. Under the optimization nanosuspension formulation, the particle size was 269 nm and zeta potential was at 37.4 mV. Also, the uc(dl)-THP nanosuspensions maintained good physical stability after 2 months, indicating the potential ability of the multifunctional stabilizer for stable nanosuspension formulation. Hence, the present findings indicated that PEGylated chitosan could be used as the ideal stabilizer to form a physically stable nanosuspension formulation.

USE OF-EPR-DL FIELD TEST EQUIPMENT FOR DETECTION OF SIGMA PHASE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abraão Danilo Gomes Barreto

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This work has objective to correlate the intergranular corrosion susceptibility test named EPR-DL (Electrochemical Potentiokinetic Reactivation of Double Loop with the sigma phase formation and other phases. It has been used samples from a UNS S32760 steel pipe for conducting various aging heat treatments. Held isothermal heat treatment at 850°C for 1 min, 10 min, 30 min, 1 h, 1h30min and 10 h. Each heat treated sample and as received were tested using the electrochemical polarization reactivation of double loop technique (EPR-DL. It was possible the detection of deleterious phases with DL-EPR portable cell. The EPR-DL test of some samples showed a second peak of reactivation in which the results showed that this peak might be associated with ferrite or be related to the presence of chi phase

Sorption of single enantiomers and racemic mixture of (+/-)-.alpha.-pinene into Nafion membranes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Brožová, Libuše; Žitka, Jan; Sysel, P.; Hovorka, Š.; Randová, A.; Storch, Jan; Kačírková, Marie; Izák, Pavel

2015-01-01

Roč. 55, č. 11 (2015), s. 2967-2972 ISSN 1944-3994 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP106/12/0569 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 ; RVO:67985858 Keywords : sorption * racemic mixtures * pinene Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry; CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering (UCHP-M) Impact factor: 1.272, year: 2015 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19443994.2014.939496

Poly(dl)lactic acid/polyglycolic acid/iron and poly(dl)lactic acid/polyglycolic acid/samarium cobalt composites for use as a delivery mechanism for magnetically directed chondrogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Oppermann, Dean Alan

Magnetically directed chondrogenesis (MDC) is a fundamental approach to articular cartilage repair. In MDC a magnet is implanted into the subchondral trabecular bone underlying a cartilage defect and used to attract chondrocytes, magnetically tagged with Fe nanoparticles, to the defect site. Pilot studies by Halpern, Crimp and Grande, using solid neodymium (Nd) magnets, indicated optimistic results by producing a hyaline-like articular cartilage after 8 weeks implantation. Since solid Nd magnets introduce long-term biocompatibility issues, the focus of this dissertation was to develop P(dl)A/PGA/Fe and P(dl)A/PGA/SmCo 5 implants for use in MDC. The effect of implant porosity, implant composition and magnetic material (Fe or SmCo5) on the initial and degraded magnetic properties were evaluated. The biocompatibility of P(dl)A/PGA/Fe implants were investigated by implantation into New Zealand white rabbits for 8 weeks. The effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ethylene oxide (EO) sterilization techniques on the molecular weight and chemical structure of P(dl)A/PGA polymers were evaluated using gel permeation chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The effect of implant morphology, size and number on the von Mises stress in the trabecular bone surrounding the implant was evaluated using a finite element model. In general, SmCo5 implants resulted in higher magnetic fields initially and after 8 weeks of degradation than comparable Fe implants. Increases in magnetic field strength were achieved by increasing the volume fraction of magnetic material and by increasing the PGA concentration. The magnetic field strength degradation rate decreased with increases in volume fraction of magnetic material and increases in PLA concentration. Implantation studies indicated that 50/50 P(dl)A/PGA were more bioactive than 75/25 P(dl)A/PGA with an increased cellular response that is specific to bone growth. The compressive strength and elastic modulus of porous

Effectiveness of Iron Ethylenediamine-N,N′-bis(hydroxyphenylacetic) Acid (o,o-EDDHA/Fe3+) Formulations with Different Ratios of Meso and d,l-Racemic Isomers as Iron Fertilizers

OpenAIRE

Alcañiz Lucas, Sara; Jordá Guijarro, Juana Dolores; Cerdán, Mar

2017-01-01

Two o,o-EDDHA/Fe3+ formulations (meso, 93.5% w/w of meso isomer; and d,l-racemic, 91.3% w/w of d,l-racemic mixture) were prepared, and their efficacy to avoid or to relieve iron deficiency in Fe-sufficient and Fe-deficient tomato plants grown on hydroponic solution was compared with that of the current o,o-EDDHA/Fe3+ formulations (50% of meso and d,l-racemic isomers). The effectiveness of the three o,o-EDDHA/Fe3+ formulations was different depending on the iron nutritional status of plants. T...

Treating Simple Tibia Fractures with Poly-DL-Lactic Acid Screw as a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

) absorbable screw as a ... fractures. Keywords: Simple tibia fracture, Fracture healing time Poly-DL-lactic acid, Poly-DL-Lactic Acid, ..... bilateral cortex of the bone due to the weak anti- ... Hu YL, Yuan WQ, Wang LF, Liu HF, Jin D. A prospective.

Synthesis of [methyl-14C]crotonobetaine from DL-[methyl-14C]carnitine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loester, H.; Seim, H.

1996-01-01

The causes of carnitine deficiency syndromes are not completely understood, but decomposition of L-carnitine in vivo is likely to be involved. Carnitine is metabolized to γ-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine is probably an intermediate in this pathway. To validate experimentally the precursor-product relationship between the three physiologically occuring γ-betaines - L-carnitine, crotonobetaine, γ-butyrobetaine - labelling with stable or radioactive isotopes became necessary. Methyl-labelled carnitine isomers (L(-)-, D(+)- or DL-) or γ-butyrobetaine can be easily synthesized by methylation of 4-amino-3-hydroxybutyric acid isomers or 4-aminobutyric acid, respectively. Because of problems with the 4-aminocrotonic acid, we synthesized labelled crotonbetaine from labelled carnitine. Thus, DL-[methyl- 14 C]carnitine was dehydrated by reaction with concentrated sulfuric acid. After removal of the latter the products were separated and purified by ion exchange chromatography on DOWEX 50 WX8 (200 - 400 mesh) and gradient elution with hydrochloric acid. In addition to the labelled main product [methyl- 14 C]crotonobetaine (yield about 50 %), [methyl- 14 C]glycine betaine and [methyl- 14 C]acetonyl-trimethylammonium (ATMA) were formed. The end products were identified by combined thin layer chromatography/autoradiography and quantified by liquid scintillation counting. (Author)

Crystallization Behavior and Relaxation Dynamics of Supercooled S‑Ketoprofen and the Racemic Mixture along an Isochrone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adrjanowicz, Karolina; Kaminski, Kamil; Paluch, Marian

2015-01-01

In this paper, we study crystallization behavior and molecular dynamics in the supercooled liquid state of the pharmaceutically important compound ketoprofen at various thermodynamic conditions. Dielectric relaxation for a racemic mixture was investigated in a wide range of temperatures and press...

SatelliteDL: a Toolkit for Analysis of Heterogeneous Satellite Datasets

Science.gov (United States)

Galloy, M. D.; Fillmore, D.

2014-12-01

SatelliteDL is an IDL toolkit for the analysis of satellite Earth observations from a diverse set of platforms and sensors. The core function of the toolkit is the spatial and temporal alignment of satellite swath and geostationary data. The design features an abstraction layer that allows for easy inclusion of new datasets in a modular way. Our overarching objective is to create utilities that automate the mundane aspects of satellite data analysis, are extensible and maintainable, and do not place limitations on the analysis itself. IDL has a powerful suite of statistical and visualization tools that can be used in conjunction with SatelliteDL. Toward this end we have constructed SatelliteDL to include (1) HTML and LaTeX API document generation,(2) a unit test framework,(3) automatic message and error logs,(4) HTML and LaTeX plot and table generation, and(5) several real world examples with bundled datasets available for download. For ease of use, datasets, variables and optional workflows may be specified in a flexible format configuration file. Configuration statements may specify, for example, a region and date range, and the creation of images, plots and statistical summary tables for a long list of variables. SatelliteDL enforces data provenance; all data should be traceable and reproducible. The output NetCDF file metadata holds a complete history of the original datasets and their transformations, and a method exists to reconstruct a configuration file from this information. Release 0.1.0 distributes with ingest methods for GOES, MODIS, VIIRS and CERES radiance data (L1) as well as select 2D atmosphere products (L2) such as aerosol and cloud (MODIS and VIIRS) and radiant flux (CERES). Future releases will provide ingest methods for ocean and land surface products, gridded and time averaged datasets (L3 Daily, Monthly and Yearly), and support for 3D products such as temperature and water vapor profiles. Emphasis will be on NPP Sensor, Environmental and

Hypoglycemic effect of DL-aminocarnitine in streptozotocin diabetic mice: inhibition of gluconeogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenkins, D.L.; Griffith, O.W.

1986-01-01

DL-Aminocarnitine and palmitoyl-DL-aminocarnitine are potent, non-covalent inhibitors of carnitine palmitoyl transferase. In both diabetic and non-diabetic fasted mice, DL-aminocarnitine (0.3 mmol/kg) and palmitoyl-DL-aminocarnitine (0.1 mmol/kg) decrease the blood concentration of ketone bodies to levels observed in fed control mice. Both carnitine palmitoyltransferase inhibitors also normalize plasma glucose levels in diabetic mice. The hypoglycemic effect is maximal at 8 hours, the continues for at least 12 hours. In the present studies the authors have used [ 14 C]alanine, a pyruvate precursor, to prove the effect of aminocarnitine on gluconeogenesis. Diabetic mice given L-[U- 14 C]alanine (1 mmol/kg) by intraperitoneal injection convert 10-15% of the administered dose to [ 14 C]glucose after 10 min; less than 0.1% of the radioactivity is recovered in glycogen. If 0.3 mmol/kg aminocarnitine is given subcutaneously 1 hr prior to giving [ 14 C]analine, the radioactivity recovered in plasma glucose is reduced by approximately 40%. The authors conclude that the hypoglycemic effect of DL-aminocarnitine in diabetic mice is due, at least in part, to inhibition of gluconeogenesis. The possibility that aminocarnitine also stimulates glucose utilization in diabetic animals is not excluded

A functional role of Rv1738 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis persistence suggested by racemic protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunker, Richard D; Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Bashiri, Ghader; Chaston, Jessica J; Pentelute, Bradley L; Lott, J Shaun; Kent, Stephen B H; Baker, Edward N

2015-04-07

Protein 3D structure can be a powerful predictor of function, but it often faces a critical roadblock at the crystallization step. Rv1738, a protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is strongly implicated in the onset of nonreplicating persistence, and thereby latent tuberculosis, resisted extensive attempts at crystallization. Chemical synthesis of the L- and D-enantiomeric forms of Rv1738 enabled facile crystallization of the D/L-racemic mixture. The structure was solved by an ab initio approach that took advantage of the quantized phases characteristic of diffraction by centrosymmetric crystals. The structure, containing L- and D-dimers in a centrosymmetric space group, revealed unexpected homology with bacterial hibernation-promoting factors that bind to ribosomes and suppress translation. This suggests that the functional role of Rv1738 is to contribute to the shutdown of ribosomal protein synthesis during the onset of nonreplicating persistence of M. tuberculosis.

Racemic methyl 3,10-dioxa-2-azatricyclo[6.2.1.02,6]undecane-4- carboxylate

KAUST Repository

Moosa, Basem

2011-04-29

The structure of the racemic title compound, C10H 15NO4, consists of a tricyclic skeleton comprising a six-membered piperidine ring and five-membered isoxazolidine and tetrahydrofuran rings. The piperidine ring adopts a distorted chair conformation, while the isoxazolidine and tetrahydrofuran rings have envelope conformations.

EPR investigation of gamma-irradiated L-citrulline, α-methyl-DL-serine, 3-fluoro-DL-valine and N-acetyl-L-cysteine

Science.gov (United States)

Osmanoğlu, Y. Emre; Sütçü, Kerem; Başkan, M. Halim

2017-02-01

The spectroscopic parameters of the paramagnetic species produced in gamma-irradiated L-citrulline, α-methyl-DL-serine, 3-fluoro-DL-valine and N-acetyl-L-cysteine were investigated at room temperature at a dose of 20 kGy by using EPR technique. The paramagnetic species were attributed to NH2CONH(CH2)3ĊNH2COOH, HOCH2ĊCH3COOH and HOĊHCCH3NH2COOH, CH3CH3ĊCHNH2COOH and SHCH2ĊNHCOCH3COOH radicals, respectively. EPR data of the unpaired electron with the environmental protons and 14N nucleus were used to characterize the contributing radicals produced in gamma irradiated compounds. In this paper, the stability of these compounds at room temperature after irradiation was also studied.

The glutamate transport inhibitor DL-Threo-β-Benzyloxyaspartic acid (DL-TBOA) differentially affects SN38- and oxaliplatin-induced death of drug-resistant colorectal cancer cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cuesta, Elena Pedraz; Christensen, Sandra; Jensen, Anders A.

2015-01-01

affinity glutamate transporters Solute Carrier (SLC)-1A1 and -1A3 (EAAT3, EAAT1) is associated with the resistant phenotypes. Analyses included real-time quantitative PCR, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analyses, radioactive tracer flux measurements, and biochemical analyses of cell viability...... was undetectable. The changes in SLC1A1 expression were accompanied by parallel changes in DL-Threo-β-Benzyloxyaspartic acid (TBOA)-sensitive, UCPH101-insensitive [(3)H]-D-Aspartate uptake, consistent with increased activity of SLC1A1 (or other family members), yet not of SLC1A3. DL-TBOA co-treatment concentration...... and glutamate transporter activity are altered in SN38-resistant CRC cells. Importantly, the non-selective glutamate transporter inhibitor DL-TBOA reduces chemotherapy-induced p53 induction and augments CRC cell death induced by SN38, while attenuating that induced by oxaliplatin. These findings may point...

Effect of sodium caproate on the volumetric and viscometric properties of glycine, DL-α-alanine, and DL-α-amino-n-butyric acid in aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jianji; Yan Zhenning; Lu Jinsuo

2004-01-01

The apparent molar volumes (V m,2 ) and relative viscosities (η r ) at T=(298.15 and 308.15) K have been obtained for glycine, DL-α-alanine, and DL-α-amino-butyric acid in aqueous sodium caproate solutions from measurements of density and the flow time. The standard partial molar volumes (V 0 m,2 ), standard volumes of transfer (Δ t V 0 ), the viscosity B-coefficients, and the activation thermodynamic quantities (Δμ 2 0≠ and ΔS 2 0≠ ) of viscous flow have been calculated for the amino acids. It is shown that the standard partial molar volumes, viscosity B-coefficients, and activation free energies for viscous flow increase with increasing number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain of the amino acids. An increase in V 0 m,2 and Δ t V 0 with increasing electrolyte concentrations have been explained due to the interactions of sodium caproate with the charged center of zwitterions for the amino acids. A comparison of the V 0 m,2 values for glycine, DL-α-alanine, and DL-α-aminon-n-butyric acid in different aqueous salts solutions showed that carboxylate ions have stronger interactions with amino acid than chloride, thiocyanate, and nitrate ions. Results of viscosity are discussed in terms of changes in solvent structure

Racemic methyl 3,10-dioxa-2-azatricyclo[6.2.1.02,6]undecane-4-carboxylate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Basem A. Moosa

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The structure of the racemic title compound, C10H15NO4, consists of a tricyclic skeleton comprising a six-membered piperidine ring and five-membered isoxazolidine and tetrahydrofuran rings. The piperidine ring adopts a distorted chair conformation, while the isoxazolidine and tetrahydrofuran rings have envelope conformations.

Hepatic and pulmonary apoptosis after hemorrhagic shock in swine can be reduced through modifications of conventional Ringer's solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayuste, Eduardo C; Chen, Huazhen; Koustova, Elena; Rhee, Peter; Ahuja, Naresh; Chen, Zhang; Valeri, C Robert; Spaniolas, Konstantinos; Mehrani, Tina; Alam, Hasan B

2006-01-01

Cytotoxic properties of racemic (D-,L-isomers) lactated Ringer's solution detected in vitro and in small animal experiments, have not been confirmed in large animal models. Our hypothesis was that in a clinically relevant large animal model of hemorrhage, resuscitation with racemic lactated Ringer's solution would induce cellular apoptosis, which can be attenuated by elimination of d-lactate. Yorkshire swine (n = 49, weight 40-58 kg) were subjected to uncontrolled (iliac arterial and venous injuries) and controlled hemorrhage, totaling 40% of estimated blood volume. They were randomized (n = 7/group) to control groups, which consisted of (1) no hemorrhage (NH), (2) no resuscitation (NR), or resuscitation groups, which consisted of (3) 0.9% saline (NS), (4) racemic lactated Ringer's (DL-LR), (5) L-isomer lactated Ringer's (L-LR), (6) Ketone Ringer's (KR), (7) 6% hetastarch in 0.9% saline (Hespan). KR was identical to LR except for equimolar substitution of lactate with beta-hydroxybutyrate. Resuscitation was performed in three phases, simulating (1) prehospital, (2) operative, (3) postoperative/recovery periods. Arterial blood gasses, circulating cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1, -6, -10), and markers of organ injury were serially measured. Metabolic activity of brain, and liver, was measured with microdialysis. Four hours postinjury, organs were harvested for Western blotting, ELISA, TUNEL assay, and immunohistochemistry. All resuscitation strategies restored blood pressure, but clearance of lactic acidosis was impeded following DL-LR resuscitation. Metabolic activity decreased during shock and improved with resuscitation, without any significant inter-group differences. Levels of cytokines in circulation were similar, but tissue levels of TNF in liver and lung increased six- and threefolds (p < 0.05) in NR group. In liver, all resuscitation strategies significantly decreased TNF levels compared with the NR group, but in the lung resuscitation with lactated Ringer (DL

A study of the irradiation temperature coefficient for L-alanine and DL-alanine dosemeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desrosiers, M. F.; Lin, M.; Cooper, S. L.; Cui, Y.; Chen, K.

2006-01-01

Alanine dosimetry is now well established both as a reference and routine dosemeter for industrial irradiation processing. Accurate dosimetry under the relatively harsh conditions of industrial processing requires a characterisation of the parameters that influence the dosemeter response. The temperature of the dosemeter during irradiation is a difficult quantity to measure so that the accuracy of the temperature coefficient that governs the dosemeter response becomes a critical factor. Numerous publications have reported temperature coefficients for several types of alanine dosemeters. The observed differences in the measured values were commonly attributed to the differences in the polymer binder or the experimental design of the measurement. However, the data demonstrated a consistent difference in the temperature coefficients between L-alanine and DL-alanine. Since there were no commonalities in the dosemeter composition or the measurement methods applied, a clear conclusion is not possible. To resolve this issue, the two isomeric forms of alanine dosemeters were prepared and irradiated in an identical manner. The results indicated that the DL-alanine temperature coefficient is more than 50% higher than the L-alanine temperature coefficient. (authors)

KIR2DL4 differentially signals downstream functions in human NK cells through distinct structural modules.

Science.gov (United States)

Miah, S M Shahjahan; Hughes, Tracey L; Campbell, Kerry S

2008-03-01

KIR2DL4 (2DL4) is a member of the killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) family in human NK cells. It can stimulate potent cytokine production and weak cytolytic activity in resting NK cells, but the mechanism for 2DL4-mediated signaling remains unclear. In this study we characterized the signaling pathways stimulated by 2DL4 engagement. In a human NK-like cell line, KHYG-1, cross-linking of 2DL4 activated MAPKs including JNK, ERK, and p38. Furthermore, 2DL4 cross-linking resulted in phosphorylation of IkappaB kinase beta (IKKbeta) and the phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaBalpha, which indicate activation of the classical NF-kappaB pathway. Engagement of 2DL4 was also shown to activate the transcription and translation of a variety of cytokine genes, including TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, MIP1alpha, MIP1beta, and IL-8. Pharmacological inhibitors of JNK, MEK1/2 and p38, blocked IFN-gamma, IL-8, and MIP1alpha production, suggesting that MAPKs are regulating 2DL4-mediated cytokine production in a nonredundant manner. Activation of both p38 and ERK appear to be upstream of the stimulation of NF-kappaB. Mutation of a transmembrane arginine in 2DL4 to glycine (R/G mutant) abrogated FcepsilonRI-gamma association, as well as receptor-mediated cytolytic activity and calcium responses. Surprisingly, the R/G mutant still activated MAPKs and the NF-kappaB pathway and selectively stimulated the production of MIP1alpha, but not that of IFN-gamma or IL-8. In conclusion, we provide evidence that the activating functions of 2DL4 can be compartmentalized into two distinct structural modules: 1) through transmembrane association with FcepsilonRI-gamma; and 2) through another receptor domain independent of the transmembrane arginine.

The Intergenic Recombinant HLA-B∗46:01 Has a Distinctive Peptidome that Includes KIR2DL3 Ligands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo G. Hilton

2017-05-01

Full Text Available HLA-B∗46:01 was formed by an intergenic mini-conversion, between HLA-B∗15:01 and HLA-C∗01:02, in Southeast Asia during the last 50,000 years, and it has since become the most common HLA-B allele in the region. A functional effect of the mini-conversion was introduction of the C1 epitope into HLA-B∗46:01, making it an exceptional HLA-B allotype that is recognized by the C1-specific natural killer (NK cell receptor KIR2DL3. High-resolution mass spectrometry showed that HLA-B∗46:01 has a low-diversity peptidome that is distinct from those of its parents. A minority (21% of HLA-B∗46:01 peptides, with common C-terminal characteristics, form ligands for KIR2DL3. The HLA-B∗46:01 peptidome is predicted to be enriched for peptide antigens derived from Mycobacterium leprae. Overall, the results indicate that the distinctive peptidome and functions of HLA-B∗46:01 provide carriers with resistance to leprosy, which drove its rapid rise in frequency in Southeast Asia.

Self-reinforced bioresorbable poly-L/DL-lactide [SR-P(L/DL)LA] 70/30 miniplates and miniscrews are reliable for fixation of anterior mandibular fractures: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ylikontiola, Leena; Sundqvuist, Kai; Sàndor, George K B; Törmälä, Pertti; Ashammakhi, Nureddin

2004-03-01

Bioresorbable osteofixation devices are being increasingly used in orthognathic surgery and in cases of trauma to avoid problems associated with conventional metal osteofixation devices. The aim of this clinical study was to assess the reliability and efficacy of bioresorbable self-reinforced poly-L/DL-lactide (SR-P(L/DL)LA 70/30) plates and screws in the fixation of mandibular fractures in adults. Ten patients (20 to 49 years old) with isolated anterior mandibular parasymphyseal fractures were treated by means of open reduction and internal fixation using SR-P(L/DL)LA 70/30 bioresorbable plates and screws. During the minimum of 6 months of follow-up, no problems were encountered except for 1 case where a plate became exposed intraorally and infected. This required debridement and later excision of the exposed part of the plate. Despite this setback the fractured bone healed well. SR-P(L/DL)LA 70/30 plates and screws are reliable for internal fixation of anterior mandibular fractures in adults. Proper soft tissue coverage should be ensured to avoid plate exposure. Should implant exposure occur, it might be necessary to excise the exposed part after fracture healing (6-8 weeks postoperatively).

Stability of racemic and chiral steady states in open and closed chemical systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribo, Josep M. [Departament de Quimica Organica, Universitat de Barcelona, c. Marti i Franques 1, Barcelona (Spain); Hochberg, David [Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA), Ctra. Ajalvir Km. 4, 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: hochbergd@inta.es

2008-12-22

The stability properties of models of spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking in chemistry are characterized algebraically. The models considered here all derive either from the Frank model or from autocatalysis with limited enantioselectivity. Emphasis is given to identifying the critical parameter controlling the chiral symmetry breaking transition from racemic to chiral steady-state solutions. This parameter is identified in each case, and the constraints on the chemical rate constants determined from dynamic stability are derived.

Stability of racemic and chiral steady states in open and closed chemical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribo, Josep M.; Hochberg, David

2008-01-01

The stability properties of models of spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking in chemistry are characterized algebraically. The models considered here all derive either from the Frank model or from autocatalysis with limited enantioselectivity. Emphasis is given to identifying the critical parameter controlling the chiral symmetry breaking transition from racemic to chiral steady-state solutions. This parameter is identified in each case, and the constraints on the chemical rate constants determined from dynamic stability are derived

[Cloning and sequencing of KIR2DL1 framework gene cDNA and identification of a novel allele].

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ge; Wang, Chang; Zhen, Jianxin; Zhang, Guobin; Xu, Yunping; Deng, Zhihui

2016-10-01

To develop an assay for cDNA cloning and haplotype sequencing of KIR2DL1 framework gene and determine the genotype of an ethnic Han from southern China. Total RNA was isolated from peripheral blood sample, and complementary DNA (cDNA) transcript was synthesized by RT-PCR. The entire coding sequence of the KIR2DL1 framework gene was amplified with a pair of KIR2DL1-specific PCR primers. The PCR products with a length of approximately 1.2 kb were then subjected to cloning and haplotype sequencing. A specific target fragment of the KIR2DL1 framework gene was obtained. Following allele separation, a wild-type KIR2DL1*00302 allele and a novel variant allele, KIR2DL1*031, were identified. Sequence alignment with KIR2DL1 alleles from the IPD-KIR Database showed that the novel allele KIR2DL1*031 has differed from the closest allele KIR2DL1*00302 by a non-synonymous mutation at CDS nt 188A>G (codon 42 GAG>GGG) in exon 4, which has caused an amino acid change Glu42Gly. The sequence of the novel allele KIR2DL1*031 was submitted to GenBank under the accession number KP025960 and to the IPD-KIR Database under the submission number IWS40001982. A name KIR2DL1*031 has been officially assigned by the World Health Organization (WHO) Nomenclature Committee. An assay for cDNA cloning and haplotype sequencing of KIR2DL1 has been established, which has a broad applications in KIR studies at allelic level.

Synthesis of Racemic β-Chamigrene, a Spiro[5.5]undecane Sequiterpene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simen Antonsen

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The present paper describes a total synthesis of racemic β-chamigrene (1, a sesquiterpene with a spiro[5.5]undecane carbon framework. Compared with previously reported β-chamigrene syntheses, we were able to reduce the total number of reaction steps, which also resulted in a significant improvement of the overall yield. The commercially available ketone 6-methylhept-5-en-2-one was transformed by known simple procedures into 3,3-dimethyl-2-methylenecyclohexanone. This reacted with isoprene by a Diels-Alder reaction to give a spiro ketone. An olefination reaction on this compound gave the target molecule.

Methoxypropylamino β-cyclodextrin clicked AC regioisomer for enantioseparations in capillary electrophoresis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Jie; Wang, Yiying; Liu, Yun; Tang, Jian; Tang, Weihua

2015-01-01

Highlights: In this paper, we demonstrate: • The click synthesis of a AC regioisomer cationic cyclodextrin (CD) as chiral selector. • The good enantioselectivities (chiral resolution over 5) for acidic racemates. • The strong chiral recognition of new CD by NMR study. • Baseline enantioseparation of some acidic racemates at CD of 0.5 mM. - Abstract: In this work, a novel methoxypropylamino β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) clicked AC regioisomer, 6 A -4-hydroxyethyl-1,2,3-triazolyl-6 C -3-methoxypropylamino β-cyclodextrin (HETz-MPrAMCD), was synthesized via nucleophilic addition and click chemistry. The chiral separation ability of this AC regioisomer cationic CD was evaluated toward 7 ampholytic and 13 acidic racemates by capillary electrophoresis. Dependence of enantioselectivity and resolution on buffer pH (5.5–8.0) and chiral selector concentration (0.5–7.5 mM) was investigated. Enantioselectivities (α ≥ 1.05) could be achieved for most analytes under optimal conditions except dansyl-DL-noreleucine and dansyl-DL-serine. The highest resolutions for 2-chloromandelic acid p-hydroxymandelic acid were 15.6 and 9.7 respectively. The inclusion complexation between HETz-MPrAMCD and each 3-phenyllactic acid enantiomer was also revealed with nuclear magnetic resonance study

Methoxypropylamino β-cyclodextrin clicked AC regioisomer for enantioseparations in capillary electrophoresis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Jie; Wang, Yiying; Liu, Yun; Tang, Jian; Tang, Weihua, E-mail: whtang@mail.njust.edu.cn

2015-04-08

Highlights: In this paper, we demonstrate: • The click synthesis of a AC regioisomer cationic cyclodextrin (CD) as chiral selector. • The good enantioselectivities (chiral resolution over 5) for acidic racemates. • The strong chiral recognition of new CD by NMR study. • Baseline enantioseparation of some acidic racemates at CD of 0.5 mM. - Abstract: In this work, a novel methoxypropylamino β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) clicked AC regioisomer, 6{sup A}-4-hydroxyethyl-1,2,3-triazolyl-6{sup C}-3-methoxypropylamino β-cyclodextrin (HETz-MPrAMCD), was synthesized via nucleophilic addition and click chemistry. The chiral separation ability of this AC regioisomer cationic CD was evaluated toward 7 ampholytic and 13 acidic racemates by capillary electrophoresis. Dependence of enantioselectivity and resolution on buffer pH (5.5–8.0) and chiral selector concentration (0.5–7.5 mM) was investigated. Enantioselectivities (α ≥ 1.05) could be achieved for most analytes under optimal conditions except dansyl-DL-noreleucine and dansyl-DL-serine. The highest resolutions for 2-chloromandelic acid p-hydroxymandelic acid were 15.6 and 9.7 respectively. The inclusion complexation between HETz-MPrAMCD and each 3-phenyllactic acid enantiomer was also revealed with nuclear magnetic resonance study.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using DL-alanine for ESR dosimetry applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guidelli, Eder José; Ramos, Ana Paula; Zaniquelli, Maria Elisabete D.; Nicolucci, Patricia; Baffa, Oswaldo

2012-01-01

The potential use of alanine for the production of nanoparticles is presented here for the first time. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple green method, namely the thermal treatment of silver nitrate aqueous solutions with DL-alanine. The latter compound was employed both as a reducing and a capping agent. Particles with average size equal to 7.5 nm, face-centered cubic crystalline structure, narrow size distribution, and spherical shape were obtained. Interaction between the silver ions present on the surface of the nanoparticles and the amine group of the DL-alanine molecule seems to be responsible for reduction of the silver ions and for the stability of the colloid. The bio-hybrid nano-composite was used as an ESR dosimeter. The amount of silver nanoparticles in the nanocomposite was not sufficient to cause considerable loss of tissue equivalency. Moreover, the samples containing nanoparticles presented increased sensitivity and reduced energetic dependence as compared with pure DL-alanine, contributing to the construction of small-sized dosimeters. - Highlights: ► The synthesis is environmentally benign, easy to perform, and of low-cost. ► DL-Alanine was employed both as reducing and capping agent. ► Mean size of 7.5 nm, narrow size distribution, and spherical shape of particles. ► Increased sensitivity and reduced energetic dependence compared with pure alanine. ► The nanocomposite has potential application for ESR dosimetry.

Enantiomerically pure (1S,5R) and racemic 3-(1-benzothiophen-2-yl)-8-azoniabicyclo 3.2.1 oct-2-ene acetate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frostrup, B.; Peters, D.; Bond, A. D.

2012-01-01

of the molecules in the asymmetric unit. The major component of the disorder has the thiophene ring in the same position as in the racemate, but generates a higher-energy molecular conformation. The minor disorder component has different intermolecular interactions but retains a more stable molecular conformation....... isostructural with the racemate, except that the glide symmetry is violated by interchange of CH and CH2 groups within the seven-membered ring. The space-group symmetry is reduced to P1 with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The enantiomer structure shows disorder of the thiophene ring for one...

Supramolecular helical stacking of metallomesogens derived from enantiopure and racemic polycatenar oxazolines.

Science.gov (United States)

Barberá, Joaquín; Cavero, Emma; Lehmann, Matthias; Serrano, José-Luis; Sierra, Teresa; Vázquez, Jesús T

2003-04-16

The present report undertakes a challenge of general interest in supramolecular chemistry: the achievement of helical organizations with controlled structure. To achieve this target we considered the possibility of inducing supramolecular chirality using molecules that were designed to organize into columnar mesophases. The use of oxazoline-derived ligands and metal coordination served as tools to prepare molecules with a phasmidic-like structure, which show columnar organization in the liquid crystalline state. To ensure the formation of chiral mesophases, these complexes bear stereogenic centers in the rigid coordination environment of the metal. X-ray and circular dichroism experiments have revealed that chirality transfer does indeed take place from the chiral molecule to the columnar liquid crystal organization. This chiral columnar organization appears as a helix consisting of stacks of molecules that rotate with respect to one another along the column while maintaining their mean planes parallel to each other. In fact, it has been concluded that packing of these polycatenar molecules must be more efficient upon rotation of a molecule with respect to the adjacent one along the column. Furthermore, the same type of helical supraorganization has been found to be present in the mesophase of the racemic mixture and the mixture of diastereomers prepared from the racemic ligand. In this case, segregation of the optical isomers is proposed to occur to give rise to both types of helix (right-handed and left-handed).

Emanuel Rádl, jeho pojetí filosofie a výchovy

OpenAIRE

Vojtíšková, Michaela

2014-01-01

1 Abstract: Bachelor's thesis Emanuel Rádl, his conception of philosophy and education will follow work and ideas of Czech philosopher and biologist Emanuel Radl. I will study the basic titles of works Consolation of Philosophy and essays devoted to partial topics and to the problem of education in the new Czechoslovak state. The theme of the analysis will be how Rádl thoughts were admitted to the society and how its thinking is valued today. Keywords: philosophy, education, morality, history...

Dioxins, DL-PCB and NDL-PCB accumulation profiles in livers from sheep and cattle reared in North-western Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Benedetto, A; Brizio, P; Guaraldo, P; Stella, C; Cappa, C; Baioni, E; Spalenza, V; Nebbia, C; Abete, M C

2016-06-01

Products of animal origin represent the main route of human exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (DL-compounds). Recently, concerns have been raised about ovine products, particularly the liver, in which relatively high levels of DL-compounds have been reported. We surveyed ovine and bovine livers in areas with no known sources of dioxin or DL-PCB contamination, in order to assess accumulation patterns for both DL-compounds and non-DL (NDL-) PCBs. None of the ovine and bovine samples exceeded the current Maximum Limits (MLs) for DL-compounds. Liver DL-compound TEQ concentrations were up to 5-fold higher in sheep than in cows. No statistically significant differences in total NDL-PCBs levels were found. The main contributors to TEQ levels were the Penta- and Hexa-chlorinated PCDFs and PCB 126. The results confirm the increased bioaccumulation in ovine liver towards specific DL-compounds even in ewes reared in areas with no known sources of PCDD/Fs or DL-PCBs contamination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KIR And HLA Haplotype Analysis in a Family Lacking The KIR 2DL1-2DP1 Genes

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Vojvodić Svetlana

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR gene cluster exhibits extensive allelic and haplotypic diversity that is observed as presence/absence of genes, resulting in expansion and contraction of KIR haplotypes and by allelic variation of individual KIR genes. We report a case of KIR pseudogene 2DP1 and 2DL1 gene absence in members of one family with the children suffering from acute myelogenous leukemia (AML. Killer cell immunoglo-bulin-like receptor low resolution genotyping was performed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR-sequencespecific primers (SSP/sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO method and haplotype assignment was done by gene content analysis. Both parents and the maternal grandfather, shared the same Cen-B2 KIR haplotype, containing KIR 3DL3, -2DS2, -2DL2 and -3DP1 genes. The second haplotype in the KIR genotype of the mother and grandfather was Tel-A1 with KIR 2DL4 (normal and deleted variant, -3DL1, -22 bp deletion variant of the 2DS4 gene and -3DL2, while the second haplotype in the KIR genotype of the father was Tel-B1 with 2DL4 (normal variant, -3DS1, -2DL5, -2DS5, -2DS1 and 3DL2 genes. Haplotype analysis in all three offsprings revealed that the children inherited the Cen-B2 haplotype with the same gene content but two of the children inherited a deleted variant of the 2DL4 gene, while the third child inherited a normal one. The second haplotype of all three offspring contained KIR 2DL4, -2DL5, -2DS1, -2DS4 (del 22bp variant, -2DS5, -3DL1 and -3DL2 genes, which was the basis of the assumption that there is a hybrid haplotype and that the present 3DL1 gene is a variant of the 3DS1 gene. Due to consanguinity among the ancestors, the results of KIR segregation analysis showed the existence of a very rare KIR genotype in the offspring. The family who is the subject of this case is even more interesting because the father was 10/10 human leukocyte antigen (HLA-matched to his daughter, all members of the family have

The study on intergranular corrosion of sensitized Alloy 600 using DL-EPR and Huey method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, B. G.; Lee, H. R.; Kim, H. P.; Ryu, W. S.; Rhee, C. K.

1998-01-01

Intergranular corrosion(IGC) of sensitized Alloy 600 has been studied with double loop-electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation(DL-EPR) and Huey tests. Corrosion of solution annealed Ni-XCr-10Fe(X=6∼15) alloys was also evaluated with DL-EPR and Huey methods to simulate corrosion of Cr-depleted grain boundary region of Alloy 600. Cr concentration of Cr-depleted grain boundary region of Alloy 600. Cr concentration profile across grain boundary was measured with TEM. In the range of the Cr concentration from 6 to 8%, corrosion rates of solution annealed Ni-XCr-10Fe(X=6∼15) alloys were much higher in Huey test than those in DL-EPR. But in the range of the Cr concentration from 12 to 15%, the trend was reversed. The width of IGC crack of Alloy 600 was higher in DL-EPR test than in Huey test in agreement with corrosion of solution annealed Ni-XCr-10Fe alloys. Width of IGC produced by DL-EPR test was almost uniform and wide while that produced by Huey test was sharp and marrow. These results suggest that IGC in DL-EPR test conforms to uniform dissolution model and IGC in Huey test conforms to Cr concentration dependent dissolution model

Purification and partial characterization of an entomopoxvirus (DlEPV from a parasitic wasp of tephritid fruit flies

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Pauline O. Lawrence

2002-05-01

Full Text Available An insect poxvirus [entomopoxvirus (EPV] occurs in the poison gland apparatus of female Diachasmimorpha longicaudata , a parasitic wasp of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa and other tephritid fruit flies. The DlEPV virion is 250-300 nm in diameter, has a "bumpy" appearance and a unipartite double stranded DNA genome of 290-300 kb. DlEPV DNA restriction fragment profiles differed from those reported for Amsacta moorei EPV (AmEPV and Melanoplus sanguinipes EPV (MsEPV, the only two EPVs whose genomes have been sequenced, and from those reported for vaccinia (Vac, a vertebrate poxvirus (chordopoxvirus, ChPV. Blast search and ClustalW alignment of the amino acids deduced from the 2316 nucleotides of a DlEPV DNA fragment cloned from an EcoR1 genomic library revealed 75-78% homology with the putative DNA-directed RNA polymerases of AmEPV, MsEPV, and two ChPV homologs of the Vac J6R gene. Of the deduced 772 amino acids in the DlEPV sequence, 28.4% are conserved/substituted among the four poxviruses aligned, 12.9% occur in at least one EPV, 6.5% in at least one ChPV, 3.1 % in at least one EPV and one ChPV, and 49.1% occur only in DlEPV. Although the RI-36-1 fragment represents a portion of the gene, it contains nucleotides that encode the NADFDGDE consensus sequence of known DNA-directed RNA polymerases. Western blots using a mouse polyclonal anti-DlEPV serum recognized six major protein bands in combined fractions of sucrose-purified DlEPV, at least one band in homogenates of male and female wasps, and at least two bands in host hemolymph that contained DlEPV virions. A digoxigenin-labeled DlEPV genomic DNA probe recognized DNA in dot-blots of male and female wasps. These results confirm that DlEPV is a true EPV and probably a member of the Group C EPVs. Unlike other EPVs, DlEPV does not express the spheroidin protein. Since it also replicates in both the wasp and fly, members of two different insect Orders, DlEPV may represent a new EPV

Vapor pressures and vaporization enthalpy of (−) α-bisabolol and (dl) menthol by correlation gas chromatography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keating, Leasa; Harris, Harold H.; Chickos, James S.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The vaporization enthalpy and vapor pressure of (−) α-bisabolol and (dl)-menthol have been measured as a function of temperature. • Vapor pressures, vaporization enthalpies and boiling temperatures have been compared to available literature data. • Vapor pressures of (l)-menthol are compared to (dl)-menthol. - Abstract: The vapor pressures and vaporization enthalpies of (−) α-bisabolol and (dl)-menthol, two GRAS chemicals (generally recognized as safe) are evaluated by correlation gas chromatography using a series of saturated primary alcohols as standards. Vaporization enthalpies of (96.6 ± 2.4) and (74.2 ± 2.8) kJ mol −1 and vapor pressures of p/Pa = (0.020 ± 0.003) and (4.5 ± 0.44) were evaluated at T = 298.15 K for (−) α-bisabolol and (dl)-menthol, respectively, and compared to literature values. The vapor pressures of both compounds from T = (298.15 to 500) K have been derived from correlations using vapor pressures of a series of 1-alkanols and corresponding gas chromatographic retention times at 10 K intervals. The results were fit to a second order polynomial. Calculated normal boiling temperatures of T B = (574.8 and 492.7) K are calculated for (−) α-bisabolol and (dl)-menthol, respectively. A normal boiling temperature of T B = (485.2, and 489.7) K has previously been reported for (dl)-menthol. Vapor pressures for both (l)-menthol and (dl)-menthol from a previous study and (dl)-menthol from this study are compared with literature values.

Dl-3-n-Butylphthalide Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome and Mitigates Alzheimer's-Like Pathology via Nrf2-TXNIP-TrX Axis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chun-Yan; Xu, Ye; Wang, Xu; Guo, Chuang; Wang, Tao; Wang, Zhan-You

2018-04-25

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play important roles in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), an endogenous inhibitor of antioxidant thioredoxin, is suspected to be an important modulator of oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the underlying mechanism involved in the abnormal homeostasis of TXNIP-thioredoxin (TrX) in AD pathogenesis remains unclear. Using the Swedish mutant form of APP (APPswe)/PSEN1dE9 transgenic mouse (APP/PS1) and human-derived neuronal cells as model systems, we disclosed the impairment of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-TXNIP-TrX signaling in Alzheimer's-like pathology. We observed that the immune staining of TXNIP was increased in postmortem AD brain. The chronic accumulation of inflammatory mediator in neuronal cells facilitates interactions of TXNIP-nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) and NLRP3-ASC, which increases β-amyloid (Aβ) secretion. The antioxidant Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (Dl-NBP) is commonly used for cerebral ischemia treatment. In our study, we elucidated for new mechanisms by which Dl-NBP enhanced TrX activity, suppressed TXNIP, and ameliorated neuronal apoptosis in the APP/PS1 mouse brains. In human glioblastoma A172 cells and neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, we delineated the Dl-NBP-mediated signaling pathways by which Dl-NBP-dependent upregulation of Nrf2 mediated the reciprocal regulation of reducing proinflammatory cytokine and inhibiting Aβ production in the glial and neuronal cells overexpressing APPswe. Our data provide a novel insight into the molecular mechanism that impairments of Nrf2-TXNIP-TrX system may be involved in the imbalance of cellular redox homeostasis and inflammatory damage in the AD brain. Dl-NBP treatment could suppress TXNIP-NLRP3 interaction and inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation via upregulating Nrf2. These findings may provide an instrumental therapeutic

Collagen turnover in normal and degenerate human intervertebral discs as determined by the racemization of aspartic acid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sivan, S.-S.; Wachtel, E.; Tsitron, E.; Sakkee, N.; Ham, F. van der; Groot, J.de; Roberts, S.; Maroudas, A.

2008-01-01

Knowledge of rates of protein turnover is important for a quantitative understanding of tissue synthesis and catabolism. In this work, we have used the racemization of aspartic acid as a marker for the turnover of collagen obtained from healthy and pathological human intervertebral disc matrices. We

Review on occurrence and behavior of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in atmosphere of East Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Trinh, Minh Man; Chang, Moo Been

2018-05-01

This paper reviews the data from studies mainly published after 2000 to provide the current understanding of the physicochemical properties, atmospheric occurrence, gas/particle partitioning, fate and temporal trends in atmospheric matrix of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs of East Asia. Ambient PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs concentrations in East Asia are found to be tens to hundreds times higher than that measured in Europe and North America. After strict regulations on PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs emissions are enacted, the concentrations of these compounds decrease dramatically in Eastern Asian countries. In general, most of PCDD/Fs distribute in particle phase while dl-PCBs majorly exist in gas phase. Three main factors including physicochemical properties of the compounds, properties of particle and atmospheric condition affect the gas/particle partitioning of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs. The accuracy of absorption and adsorption models on predicting gas/particle partitioning of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs is evaluated. Gas-phase compounds are mostly removed from the atmosphere via reactions with OH radicals while those in particle phase are majorly removed by wet/dry deposition processes. The effects of removing processes and long-range transport on gas/particle partitioning are also discussed.

Conflict Resolution in Partially Ordered OWL DL Ontologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ji, Q.; Gao, Z.; Huang, Z.

2014-01-01

Inconsistency handling in OWL DL ontologies is an important problem because an ontology can easily be inconsistent when it is generated or modified. Current approaches to dealing with inconsistent ontologies often assume that there exists a total order over axioms and use such an order to select

WEB-DL endovascular treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lubicz, B; Klisch, J; Gauvrit, J-Y

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Flow disruption with the WEB-DL device has been used safely for the treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms, but the stability of aneurysm occlusion after this treatment is unknown. This retrospective multicenter European study analyzed short- and midterm data...... in patients treated with WEB-DL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve European neurointerventional centers participated in the study. Clinical data and pre- and postoperative short- and midterm images were collected. An experienced interventional neuroradiologist independently analyzed the images. Aneurysm occlusion...... was classified into 4 grades: complete occlusion, opacification of the proximal recess of the device, neck remnant, and aneurysm remnant. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (34 women and 11 men) 35-74 years of age (mean, 56.3 ± 9.6 years) with 45 aneurysms treated with the WEB device were included. Aneurysm locations...

Penambahan Urea atau DL-Metionina ke dalam Ransum Komplit Biomassa Ubi Jalar pada Kelinci

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L. Khotijah

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Twenty male cross-breed weanling rabbits were used to study the effect of urea or DL-methionine addition in sweet potatoes biomass complete diets. Completely randomized design was used in this experiment with four treatments and five replications. The treatments consisted of A (comercial diet; B (sweet potatoes biomass diet; BU (B + 0.5% urea and BM (B + 0.5% DL-methionine. The dry matter intake, average daily gain (AVG, feed conversion ratio, dry matter and protein digestibility and nitrogen retention were measured in this experiment. The result showed that the treatments did not significantly affect dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio, digestibility of dry matter and protein, but supplementation of DL-methionine significantly affected average daily gain and nitrogen retention (P<0.05. It was concluded that urea or DL-methionine supplementation in sweet potatoes biomass diets could support good performance of rabbits and it could be used as an alternative source of feed for rabbits.

Differential Functional Connectivity Alterations of Two Subdivisions within the Right dlPFC in Parkinson's Disease

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Julian Caspers

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD often show impairments in executive function (EF like decision-making and action control. The right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC has been strongly implicated in EF in healthy subjects and has repeatedly been reported to show alterations related to EF impairment in PD. Recently, two key regions for cognitive action control have been identified within the right dlPFC by co-activation based parcellation. While the posterior region is engaged in rather basal EF like stimulus integration and working memory, the anterior region has a more abstract, supervisory function. To investigate whether these functionally distinct subdivisions of right dlPFC are differentially affected in PD, we analyzed resting-state functional connectivity (FC in 39 PD patients and 44 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Patients were examined both after at least 12 h withdrawal of dopaminergic drugs (OFF and under their regular dopaminergic medication (ON. We found that only the posterior right dlPFC subdivision shows FC alterations in PD, while the anterior part remains unaffected. PD-related decreased FC with posterior right dlPFC was found in the bilateral medial posterior parietal cortex (mPPC and left dorsal premotor region (PMd in the OFF state. In the medical ON, FC with left PMd normalized, while decoupling with bilateral mPPC remained. Furthermore, we observed increased FC between posterior right dlPFC and the bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC in PD in the ON state. Our findings point to differential disturbances of right dlPFC connectivity in PD, which relate to its hierarchical organization of EF processing by stronger affecting the functionally basal posterior aspect than the hierarchically higher anterior part.

Thermal properties of some small peptides (N-acetyl-amino acid-N′-methylamides) with non-polar side groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badea, Elena; Della Gatta, Giuseppe; Pałecz, Bartłomiej

2014-01-01

Highlights: • T fus and Δ fus H m of methylamides of N-acetyl substituted non-polar amino acids were measured. • T fus and Δ fus H m increased as a function of the molar mass of the alkyl side chains. • DL racemates showed T fus of about 40 °C lower than those of the corresponding pure L enantiomers. • Ideal solubility of solids at T = 298.15 K was estimated based on their T fus and Δ fus S m . - Abstract: Temperatures and molar enthalpies of fusion of a series of uncharged small peptides, namely the methylamides of N-acetyl substituted glycine, α-amino-butyric acid, alanine, valine, norvaline, leucine, isoleucine, norleucine, and proline, were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.), and molar entropies of fusion were derived. Both L- and DL-compunds were taken into account for the chiral molecules. No solid-to-solid transitions were detected from room temperature to fusion except for N-acetyl-N′-methyl alaninamide. Comparisons were made with the values for the N-acetyl amides of the corresponding amino acids previously reported. Both L enantiomers and DL racemates of α-aminobutyric acid, alanine, valine and isoleucine methylamides displayed temperatures of fusion sharply increasing as a function of molar mass, whereas much lower values, in countertendency with their molar mass increase, were found for proline and leucine methylamides. The racemic DL crystals showed temperatures of fusion of about 40 °C lower than those of the corresponding pure L enantiomers, except for proline and leucine derivatives. The enthalpies and entropies of fusion also varied as a function of molar mass following a similar trend with that of temperatures of fusion, except for alanine derivatives which showed lower values than expected. The values of ideal solubility of solids at T = 298.15 K were estimated based on their temperatures and molar entropies of fusion. Results were discussed with reference to the packing patterns based on hydrogen bonding and

Dosimetry of electron and gamma radiation with DL-alanine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, Z.M. da; Campos, L.L.

1996-01-01

A dosimetric method based on the quantitative determination of stabilised free radicals in irradiated crystalline DL-alanine by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was proposed as early in 1962. Since then, alanine dosemeters owing to their unique properties have been investigated by many authors and used in dosimetry of various types of radiation, namely gamma rays, electron and neutrons. Alanine is a simple aminoacid, on irradiation at room temperature predominantly free paramagnetic radicals of the type CH 3 -CH-COOH are produced. This paper reports the application of powder DL-alanine/ESR dosemeter for measurement of absorbed dose of gamma radiation from 60 Co sources and reactor nucleus and electron beams from accelerator. The obtained results give useful information about the instrumental care necessary to obtain the needed overall accuracy in determination of absorbed dose. (author)

Optimization of experimental conditions for the monitoring of nucleation and growth of racemic Diprophylline from the supercooled melt

Science.gov (United States)

Lemercier, Aurélien; Viel, Quentin; Brandel, Clément; Cartigny, Yohann; Dargent, Eric; Petit, Samuel; Coquerel, Gérard

2017-08-01

Since more and more pharmaceutical substances are developed as amorphous forms, it is nowadays of major relevance to get insights into the nucleation and growth mechanisms from supercooled melts (SCM). A step-by-step approach of recrystallization from a SCM is presented here, designed to elucidate the impact of various experimental parameters. Using the bronchodilator agent Diprophylline (DPL) as a model compound, it is shown that optimal conditions for informative observations of the crystallization behaviour from supercooled racemic DPL require to place samples between two cover slides with a maximum sample thickness of 20 μm, and to monitor recrystallization during an annealing step of 30 min at 70 °C, i.e. about 33 °C above the temperature of glass transition. In these optimized conditions, it could be established that DPL crystallization proceeds in two steps: spontaneous nucleation and growth of large and well-faceted particles of a new crystal form (primary crystals: PC) and subsequent crystallization of a previously known form (RII) that develops from specific surfaces of PC. The formation of PC particles therefore constitutes the key-step of the crystallization events and is shown to be favoured by at least 2.33 wt% of the major chemical impurity, Theophylline.

Use Of Amino Acid Racemization To Investigate The Metabolic Activity Of ?Dormant? Microorganisms In Siberian Permafrost

Science.gov (United States)

Tsapin, A.; McDonald, G.

2002-12-01

search for extraterrestrial life or its remnants is based on studying the most probable environments in which life (extant or extinct) may be found, and determining the maximum period of time over which such life could be preserved. The terrestrial permafrost, inhabited by cold adapted microbes, can be considered as an extraterrestrial analog environment. The cells and their metabolic end-products in Earth's permafrost can be used in the search for possible ecosystems and potential inhabitants on extraterrestrial cryogenic bodies. The study of microorganisms (or their remnants) that were buried for a few million years in permafrost provides us with a unique opportunity to determine the long-term viability of (micro)organisms. We have analyzed the degree of racemization of aspartic acid in permafrost samples from Northern Siberia (Brinton et al. 2002, Astrobiology 2, 77), an area from which microorganisms of apparent ages up to a few million years have previously been isolated and cultured. We find that the extent of aspartic acid racemization in permafrost cores increases very slowly up to an age of approximately 25,000 years (around 5 m depth). The apparent temperature of racemization over the age range 0-25,000 years, determined using measured aspartic acid racemization rate constants, is ?19 C. This apparent racemization temperature is significantly lower than the measured environmental temperature (?11 to ?13 C), and suggests active recycling of D-aspartic acid in Siberian permafrost up to an age of around 25,000 years. This indicates that permafrost organisms are capable of repairing some molecular damage incurred while they are in a ?dormant? state over geologic time.

The effect of N-acetylated DL-penicillamin and DL-homocysteine thiolactone on the mercury distribution in adult rats, rat foetuses and macaca monkeys after exposure to methyl mercuric chloride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaseth, J.; Wannag, A.; Norseth, T.; Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway)

1976-01-01

The distribution and excretion of mercury was studied in pregnant rats, given a single intravenous dose of 2 μmol/kg of CH 3 203 HgCl on the 13th day of pregnancy. Oral treatment for one week with N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (4 mmol/kg per day) increased the mercury excretion in faces (from 45 to 120 nmol) and urine (from 9 to 160 nmol). Such treatment mobilized mercury from all the organs tested and the foetal and maternal brain levels of mercury were decreased to 1/5 and 1/3 of the controls, respectively. A four-day period of treatment with N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine started three days after the injection of methyl mercury reduced the foetal and maternal brain levels to 1/2 and 2/3 of the controls, respectively. The rapid removal of metal deposits following treatment with N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine is attributed to a free penetration of the complexing thiol into the tissue cells in question. No signs of toxicity were detected in monkeys given an effective daily dose of the agent (4 mmol/kg) for 6 days. In contrast N-acetyl-DL-homocysteine thiolactone was found to be toxic in the monkeys. In addition, the latter agent was ineffective in increasing the mercury elimination from the brains of monkeys, rats and rat foetuses. (author)

Calorimetric determination of the heat of precipitation of pseudoephedrine racemic compound--its agreement with the heat of solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Pudipeddi, M; Sokoloski, T D; Duddu, S P; Carstensen, J T

1995-10-01

The heat of precipitation of dl-pseudoephedrine was determined by direct calorimetry using a Tronac isoperibolic calorimeter. The precipitation of dl-pseudoephedrine was induced by mixing aqueous solutions of the two enantiomers, namely, d- and l-pseudoephedrine, directly in the calorimeter. The molar heat of precipitation of dl-pseudoephedrine was -2.7 and -3.0 kcal/mol at 25 and 30 degrees C, respectively. The aqueous solubility of dl-pseudoephedrine was determined over a temperature range of 20-40 degrees C. The van't Hoff solubility plot was nonlinear. The apparent heat of solution at saturation was obtained from the solubility data using a nonlinear regression model. A good agreement between the magnitude of the apparent heat of solution at saturation and the heat of precipitation was noticed at both 25 and 30 degrees C.

Synthesis of [methyl-{sup 14}C]crotonobetaine from DL-[methyl-{sup 14}C]carnitine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loester, H.; Seim, H. [Leipzig Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry

1996-02-01

The causes of carnitine deficiency syndromes are not completely understood, but decomposition of L-carnitine in vivo is likely to be involved. Carnitine is metabolized to {gamma}-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine is probably an intermediate in this pathway. To validate experimentally the precursor-product relationship between the three physiologically occuring {gamma}-betaines - L-carnitine, crotonobetaine, {gamma}-butyrobetaine - labelling with stable or radioactive isotopes became necessary. Methyl-labelled carnitine isomers (L(-)-, D(+)- or DL-) or {gamma}-butyrobetaine can be easily synthesized by methylation of 4-amino-3-hydroxybutyric acid isomers or 4-aminobutyric acid, respectively. Because of problems with the 4-aminocrotonic acid, we synthesized labelled crotonbetaine from labelled carnitine. Thus, DL-[methyl-{sup 14}C]carnitine was dehydrated by reaction with concentrated sulfuric acid. After removal of the latter the products were separated and purified by ion exchange chromatography on DOWEX 50 WX8 (200 - 400 mesh) and gradient elution with hydrochloric acid. In addition to the labelled main product [methyl-{sup 14}C]crotonobetaine (yield about 50 %), [methyl-{sup 14}C]glycine betaine and [methyl-{sup 14}C]acetonyl-trimethylammonium (ATMA) were formed. The end products were identified by combined thin layer chromatography/autoradiography and quantified by liquid scintillation counting. (Author).

Synthesis of racemic and chiral albicanol, albicanyl acetate and cyclozonarone: cytotoxic activity of ent-cyclozonarone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delgado, Virginia; Armstrong, Veronica; Cortes, Manuel; Barrero, Alejandro F.

2008-01-01

The total synthesis of racemic cyclozonarone ((±)-3) was achieved from E,E-farnesol (4) in an eight-step sequence in 6.6% overall yield. Albicanol ((±)-1) and its acetate ((±)-2) are intermediates. A similar sequence starting from natural (-)-drimenol (5) gave (+)-albicanol (1) and (+)-cyclozonarone (3) (42% and 11% yield, respectively). The cytotoxic activity of (+)-cyclozonarone was assayed and showed some selectivity towards MS-1 (mice endothelial cells). (author)

Fully convergent chemical synthesis of ester insulin: determination of the high resolution X-ray structure by racemic protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Avital-Shmilovici, Michal; Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Gates, Zachary P; Phillips, Nelson B; Weiss, Michael A; Kent, Stephen B H

2013-02-27

Efficient total synthesis of insulin is important to enable the application of medicinal chemistry to the optimization of the properties of this important protein molecule. Recently we described "ester insulin"--a novel form of insulin in which the function of the 35 residue C-peptide of proinsulin is replaced by a single covalent bond--as a key intermediate for the efficient total synthesis of insulin. Here we describe a fully convergent synthetic route to the ester insulin molecule from three unprotected peptide segments of approximately equal size. The synthetic ester insulin polypeptide chain folded much more rapidly than proinsulin, and at physiological pH. Both the D-protein and L-protein enantiomers of monomeric DKP ester insulin (i.e., [Asp(B10), Lys(B28), Pro(B29)]ester insulin) were prepared by total chemical synthesis. The atomic structure of the synthetic ester insulin molecule was determined by racemic protein X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 1.6 Å. Diffraction quality crystals were readily obtained from the racemic mixture of {D-DKP ester insulin + L-DKP ester insulin}, whereas crystals were not obtained from the L-ester insulin alone even after extensive trials. Both the D-protein and L-protein enantiomers of monomeric DKP ester insulin were assayed for receptor binding and in diabetic rats, before and after conversion by saponification to the corresponding DKP insulin enantiomers. L-DKP ester insulin bound weakly to the insulin receptor, while synthetic L-DKP insulin derived from the L-DKP ester insulin intermediate was fully active in binding to the insulin receptor. The D- and L-DKP ester insulins and D-DKP insulin were inactive in lowering blood glucose in diabetic rats, while synthetic L-DKP insulin was fully active in this biological assay. The structural basis of the lack of biological activity of ester insulin is discussed.

Effectiveness of Iron Ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(hydroxyphenylacetic) Acid (o,o-EDDHA/Fe3+) Formulations with Different Ratios of Meso and d,l-Racemic Isomers as Iron Fertilizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcañiz, Sara; Jordá, Juana D; Cerdán, Mar

2017-01-18

Two o,o-EDDHA/Fe 3+ formulations (meso, 93.5% w/w of meso isomer; and d,l-racemic, 91.3% w/w of d,l-racemic mixture) were prepared, and their efficacy to avoid or to relieve iron deficiency in Fe-sufficient and Fe-deficient tomato plants grown on hydroponic solution was compared with that of the current o,o-EDDHA/Fe 3+ formulations (50% of meso and d,l-racemic isomers). The effectiveness of the three o,o-EDDHA/Fe 3+ formulations was different depending on the iron nutritional status of plants. The three o,o-EDDHA/Fe 3+ formulations tested were effective in preventing iron chlorosis in healthy plants. However, the higher the meso concentration in the formulations, the higher the effectiveness in the recovery of iron chlorotic plants from iron deficiency. Accordingly, o,o-EDDHA/Fe 3+ formulations rich in meso isomer are recommended in hydroponic systems.

In vitro Degradation of Butanediamine-Grafted Poly(DL-Lactic acids)

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

The degradation of butanediamine-grafted poly(DL-lactic acid) polymers (BDPLAs) in vitro together with PDLLA and maleic anhydride-grafted poly(DL-lactic acid) polymers (MPLAs) was investigated by observation of the changes of the pH value of incubation media, and weight loss ratio during degradation duration of 12 weeks. The results reveal that the acidity of PDLLA degradation products was weakened or neutralized by grafting butanediamine onto PDLLA. A uniform degradation of BDPLAs was observed in comparison with an acidity-induced auto-accelerating degradation featured by PDLLA and MPLAs. The biodegradation behaviors of BDPLAs can be adjusted by controlling the content of BDA. BDPLAs might be a new derivative of PDLLA-based biodegradable materials for medical applications without acidity-caused irritations and acidity-induced auto-accelerating degradation behavior as that of PDLLA.

Acoustic and thermal anomalies in a liquid-glass transition of racemic S(+)-R(-) ketoprofen

Science.gov (United States)

Shibata, Tomohiko; Takayama, Haruki; Kim, Tae Hyun; Kojima, Seiji

2014-01-01

Acoustic and thermal properties of pharmaceutical racemic S(+)-R(-) ketoprofen were investigated in wide temperature range including glassy, supercooled liquid and liquid states by Brillouin scattering and temperature modulated DSC. Sound velocity and acoustic attenuation exhibited clear changes at 265 K indicating a liquid-glass transition and showed the typical structural relaxation above Tg. The high value of the fragility index m = 71 was determined by the dispersion of the complex heat capacity. New relaxation map was suggested in combination with previous study of dielectric measurement.

Effect of gemfibrozil on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of racemic warfarin in healthy subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Lilja, Jari J; Backman, Janne T; Neuvonen, Pertti J

2005-01-01

Aims Case reports suggest that gemfobrozil can increase the anticoagulant effect of warfarin. Because gemfibrozil inhibits CYP2C9 in vitro, we studied its effects on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of racemic warfarin. Methods In a randomized cross-over study, 10 healthy subjects ingested 600 mg gemfibrozil or placebo twice daily for 8 days. On day 3, they were administered a single dose of 10 mg racemic R-S-warfarin orally. The concentrations of R- and S-warfarin in plasma and thromboplastin time were monitored up to 168 h. Results Gemfibrozil decreased the mean (±SD) area under the plasma concentration-time curve [AUC(0–∞)] of S-warfarin by 11%, from 19.9 ± 5.2 mg l−1 h to 17.6 ± 4.7 mg l−1 h (95% CI on the difference −3.7, −0.78; P gemfibrozil phase to 29.5 ± 6.9 mg l−1 h during the placebo phase (95% CI −3.3, −0.33; P Gemfibrozil did not alter the anticoagulant effect of warfarin. Conclusion Unexpectedly, gemfibrozil slightly decreased the plasma concentrations of R- and S-warfarin. Displacement of warfarin from plasma albumin by gemfibrozil or its interference with the absorption of warfarin could explain the present findings. Usual therapeutic doses of gemfibrozil seem to have limited effects on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single dose warfarin in healthy subjects. PMID:15801938

Effect of glycine, DL-alanine and DL-2-aminobutyric acid on the temperature of maximum density of water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, Carmen M.; Torres, Andres Felipe

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of α-amino acids on the temperature of maximum density of water is presented. • The addition of α-amino acids decreases the temperature of maximum density of water. • Despretz constants suggest that the amino acids behave as water structure breakers. • Despretz constants decrease as the number of CH 2 groups of the amino acid increase. • Solute disrupting effect becomes smaller as its hydrophobic character increases. - Abstract: The effect of glycine, DL-alanine and DL-2-aminobutyric acid on the temperature of maximum density of water was determined from density measurements using a magnetic float densimeter. Densities of aqueous solutions were measured within the temperature range from T = (275.65 to 278.65) K at intervals of T = 0.50 K over the concentration range between (0.0300 and 0.1000) mol · kg −1 . A linear relationship between density and concentration was obtained for all the systems in the temperature range considered. The temperature of maximum density was determined from the experimental results. The effect of the three amino acids is to decrease the temperature of maximum density of water and the decrease is proportional to molality according to Despretz equation. The effect of the amino acids on the temperature of maximum density decreases as the number of methylene groups of the alkyl chain becomes larger. The results are discussed in terms of (solute + water) interactions and the effect of amino acids on water structure

MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATION OF KINETIC RESOLUTION OF RACEMIC ALCOHOL USING BURKHOLDERIA CEPACIA LIPASE IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS

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A. C. Mathpati

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Lipases, a subclass of hydrolases, have gained a lot of importance as they can catalyze esterification, transesterification and hydrolysis reaction in non-aqueous media. Lipases are also widely used for kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols into enantiopure compounds. The lipase activity is affected by organic solvents due to changes in the conformational rigidity of enzymes, the active site, or altering the solvation of the transition state. The activity of lipases strongly depends on the logP value of solvents. Molecular dynamics (MD can help to understand the effect of solvents on lipase conformation as well as protein-ligand complex. In this work, MD simulations of Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL and complex between R and S conformation of acetylated form of 1-phenylethanol with BCL using gromacs have been carried in various organic solvents. The RMSD values were within the range of 0.15 to 0.20 nm and radius of gyration was found to be with 1.65 to 1.9 nm. Major changes in the B factor compared to reference structure were observed between residues 60 to 80, 120 to 150 and 240 to 260. Higher unfolding was observed in toluene and diethyl ether compared to hexane and acetonitrile. R acetylated complex was found to favorably bind BCL compared to S form. The predicted enantioselectivity were in good agreement with the experimental data.

Nanoindentation characterisation of poly(DL-lactide)/collagen nanocomposites

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Suchý, Tomáš; Rýglová, Šárka; Sucharda, Zbyněk; Balík, Karel; Šepitka, J.; Lukeš, J.

2012-01-01

Roč. 15, S1 (2012), s. 89-90 ISSN 1025-5842. [Congress of the Société de Biomécanique /37./. Toulouse, 16.10.2012-19.10.2012] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA106/09/1000 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30460519 Keywords : collagen * poly(DL-lactide) * nanofibres Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.393, year: 2012

Thermochemistry of the Dissolution of Dipeptides Containing DL-α-Alanine in Aqueous Solutions of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate at 298.15 K

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, V. I.; Badelin, V. G.

2018-05-01

Enthalpies of the dissolution of DL-α-alanylglycine (AlaGly), DL-α-alanyl-DL-α-alanine (AlaAla), DL-α-alanyl-DL-α-valine (AlaVal), and DL-α-alanyl-DL-norleucine (AlaNln) in an aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at SDS concentration of m = 0-0.07 mol kg-1 and temperature T = 298.15 K are measured via calorimetry. The standard values of the enthalpy of dissolution (Δsol H m ) and the transfer of dipeptides (Δtr H m ) from water to aqueous SDS solutions are calculated using the experimental data. The dependences of Δsol H m and Δtr H m the SDS concentration at a constant concentration of dipeptide are established. Thermochemical characteristics of the transfer of AlaGly, AlaAla, AlaVal, and AlaNln in the investigated range of SDS concentrations are compared. The results are interpreted by considering ion-ion, ion-polar, and hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions between SDS and dipeptide molecules.

Biomarkers in sediments. The racemization/epiremitation of amino acids like tool in geochronology and paleothermometrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres, T.; Llamas, F. J.; Canoira, L.; Garcia-Alonso, P.; Ortiz, J. E.

1999-01-01

The study of amino acids as biomarkers in sediments has become a necessary methodology and tool for the analysis of palaeoenvironmental conditions and, therefore, of climatic evolution in the past. Research based on the selection and analysis of geological biomarkers, and more specifically activities relating to the racemization/epimerization of amino acids, makes it possible to obtain the geochronological and photoelectrochemical data required to establish different hypotheses for Long-Term Performance Assessment of a repository for high level radioactive wastes

Chemical properties of technetium-99m-DL-homocysteine, a possible tumor-imaging agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Atsushi; Goto, Rensuke; Okada, Shoji

1988-01-01

The chemical properties of 99m Tc-DL-homocysteine ( 99m Tc-Hcy) showing high accumulation in several experimental tumors were investigated. The form of tumor-tropic 99m Tc-Hcy was a polymeric complex which appeared at void volume on Sephadex G-15 by eluting with 5 mM Hcy. This complex changed into smaller complexes of ca. 600 molecular weight in the presence of 150 mM NaCl and 5 mM Hcy, suggesting that 99m Tc-Hcy was a complex composed of smaller polymers which are weakly bound together by an ionic bond. The complex showed a negative charge. The Hcy/Tc molar ratio in the complex was approximately 2 and no Sn was detected. (author)

Development of DL-alanine systems for gamma radiation and electron dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, Zelia Maria da

1994-01-01

Two different dosimetric systems using DL-Alanine samples were employed to determine the absorbed dose from 60 Co gamma-rays source and electrons emitted from an accelerator. The first dosimetric system is based on the relationship between free radicals produced and the absorbed dose using the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique. Details on the sample preparation, the spectrometer parameter setting, the analysis of the ESR signal to dose, the influence of dose rate and the radiation type dependence are described. The second dosimetric system is based on the determination by absorbance spectrophotometry of the complex produced, which are formed when the irradiated alanine is dissolved in a solution containing ferrous ammonium sulphate xylenol in 0,05 N H 2 SO 4 . Different concentrations for each reagents has been analyzed in the preparation of this solution as well as the influence caused by radiation type and dose rate in the absorbance. (author)

Dioxins and dl-PCBs in gull eggs from Spanish Natural Parks (2010-2013).

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Laura; Gene'rosa Martrat, Ma; Parera, Jordi; Bertolero, Albert; Ábalos, Manuela; Santos, Francisco Javier; Lacorte, Silvia; Abad, Esteban

2016-04-15

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence and distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and biphenyls (PCBs), concretely those so-called as dioxin-like PCBs, in yellow-legged gull eggs (Larus michahellis) collected from five Natural Parks (some of them National Parks) in Spain during the period 2010-2013. PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs were detected in all the samples. Due to the proximity to important urban and industrial areas higher concentrations were determined in colonies located in the Northern Mediterranean coast than those found in the Southern Mediterranean or Atlantic colonies where a softer anthropogenic impact occurs. Mean ∑PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 49 to 223pg/g lipid weight (lw) and ∑dl-PCB concentrations varied from 146 to 911ng/g lw. In the Natural Park of the Ebro Delta (Northern Mediterranean coast) two gull species share habitat: yellow-legged and Audouin gull (Larus audouinii). Eggs from both species were collected and PCDD/F and dl-PCB levels compared. The species that feeds exclusively on pelagic fish (L. audouinii) had significantly higher PCDD/F and dl-PCB levels than the scavenger L. michahellis, pointing out the diet-dependent differences in the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants between similar cohabitant breeding species. Finally, mean TEQ values were in general below those considered as critical for toxicological effects in birds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Repetibilidade e número mínimo de medições para caracteres de cacho de bacabi (Oenocarpus mapora Repeatability and minimum number of measurements for characters of bacabi palm (Oenocarpus mapora racemes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria do Socorro Padilha de Oliveira

2010-12-01

Full Text Available A bacabi (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karsten é uma palmeira perene nativa da Amazônia, que produz cachos com centenas de frutos que apresentam grande potencialidade à agroindústria de polpa, mas tem sido pouco estudada. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram estimar os coeficientes de repetibilidade e determinar a previsibilidade e o número de medições necessárias para caracteres de cacho dessa palmeira. Foram avaliados 27 indivíduos de bacabi pertencentes ao Banco de Germoplasma de Oenocarpus/Jessenia da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, em Belém-PA. De cada planta, foram colhidos três cachos em maturação completa para a mensuração de seis caracteres: peso total do cacho (PTC e de frutos por cacho (PFC, número de ráquilas por cacho (NRC, comprimento da ráquis por cacho (CRC, peso de 100 frutos (PCF e rendimento de frutos por cacho (RFC. As estimativas de repetibilidade foram obtidas pelos métodos estatísticos da análise de variância, componentes principais e análise estrutural. Em todos os caracteres, as estimativas de repetibilidade apresentaram valores muito semelhantes nos três métodos. As estimativas dos coeficientes de repetibilidade e as previsibilidades foram relativamente altas (r 0,60 e R² 81,7% para os caracteres número de ráquilas e rendimento de frutos por cacho, demonstrando regularidade dos genótipos nas várias medições (cachos, em todos os métodos. Para esses caracteres, o número mínimo de cachos necessários para a avaliação do real valor dos genótipos foi de treze (RFC e cinco (NRC cachos com confiabilidade de 95%, tornando-os factíveis no uso de inferências genéticas para as condições do estudo. Os demais caracteres exibiram repetibilidades e coeficientes de determinação de médias a baixas magnitudes, indicando necessidade de maior controle ambiental para suas mensurações.Bacabi (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karsten is a native Amazonian palm that produces racemes with hundreds of fruits with great

Interaction of La3+, Ce3+, Pr3+ and Sm3+ with DL-aspartic acid in dimethyl sulphoxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxena, M.C.; Saxena, R.S.

1980-01-01

La(III), Ce(III), Pr(III) and Sm(III) form 1:1 and 1:2 complexes with DL-aspartic acid in 20% aq. dimethyl sulphoxide at μ = 0.1M (NaClO 4 ) as revealed by pH-metric and conductometric titrations. Stabilities of the complexes follow the order: La 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ . The overall changes in ΔG, ΔH and ΔS for the metal-ligand interaction have also been reported at 30deg C. (auth.)

The Histamine H3 Receptor Antagonist DL77 Ameliorates MK801-Induced Memory Deficits in Rats

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Nermin Eissa

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The role of Histamine H3 receptors (H3Rs in memory, and the prospective of H3R antagonists in pharmacological control of neurodegenerative disorders, e.g., Alzheimer disease (AD is well-accepted. For that reason, the procognitive effects of the H3R antagonist DL77 on cognitive impairments induced with MK801 were tested in an inhibitory passive avoidance paradigm (PAP and novel object recognition (NOR task in adult male rats, using donepezil (DOZ as a standard drug. Acute systemic pretreatment with DL77 (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, i.p. significantly ameliorated memory deficits induced with MK801 in PAP (all P < 0.05, n = 7. The ameliorative effect of most promising dose of DL77 (5 mg/kg, i.p. was reversed when rats were co-injected with the H3R agonist R-(α-methylhistamine (RAMH, 10 mg/kg, i.p. (p = 0.701 for MK801-amnesic group vs. MK801+DL77+RAMH group, n = 6. In the NOR paradigm, DL77 (5 mg/kg, i.p. counteracted long-term memory (LTM deficits induced with MK801 (P < 0.05, n = 6–8, and the DL77-provided effect was similar to that of DOZ (p = 0.788, n = 6–8, and was reversed when rats were co-injected with RAMH (10 mg/kg, i.p. (p = 0.877, n = 6, as compared to the (MK801-amnesic group. However, DL77 (5 mg/kg, i.p. did not alter short-term memory (STM impairment in NOR test (p = 0.772, n = 6–8, as compared to (MK801-amnesic group. Moreover, DL77 (5 mg/kg failed to modify anxiety and locomotor behaviors of animals innate to elevated-plus maze (EPM (p = 0.67 for percentage of time spent exploring the open arms, p = 0.52 for number of entries into the open arms, p = 0.76 for percentage of entries into the open arms, and p = 0.73 number of closed arm entries as compared to saline-treated groups, all n = 6, demonstrating that the procognitive effects observed in PAP or NOR tests were unconnected to alterations in emotions or in natural locomotion of tested animals. These results signify the potential involvement of H3Rs in modulating

Neuroanatomy of the vmPFC and dlPFC predicts individual differences in cognitive regulation during dietary self-control across regulation strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Liane; Tusche, Anita; Manoharan, Nicolas; Hutcherson, Cendri; Hare, Todd; Plassmann, Hilke

2018-06-04

Making healthy food choices is challenging for many people. Individuals differ greatly in their ability to follow health goals in the face of temptation, but it is unclear what underlies such differences. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), we investigated in healthy humans (i.e., men and women) links between structural variation in gray matter volume and individuals' level of success in shifting toward healthier food choices. We combined MRI and choice data into a joint dataset by pooling across three independent studies that employed a task prompting participants to explicitly focus on the healthiness of food items before making their food choices. Within this dataset, we found that individual differences in gray matter volume in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) predicted regulatory success. We extended and confirmed these initial findings by predicting regulatory success out of sample and across tasks in a second dataset requiring participants to apply a different regulation strategy that entailed distancing from cravings for unhealthy, appetitive foods. Our findings suggest that neuroanatomical markers in the vmPFC and dlPFC generalized to different forms of dietary regulation strategies across participant groups. They provide novel evidence that structural differences in neuroanatomy of two key regions for valuation and its control, the vmPFC and dlPFC, predict an individual's ability to exert control in dietary choices. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Dieting involves regulating food choices in order to eat healthier foods and fewer unhealthy foods. People differ dramatically in their ability to achieve or maintain this regulation, but it is unclear why. Here, we show that individuals with more gray matter volume in the dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex are better at exercising dietary self-control. This relationship was observed across four different studies examining two different forms of dietary

The Academic Publication Service AlmaDL Journals and the New Challenges of Open Access

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piero Grandesso

2018-03-01

Full Text Available AlmaDL Journals is an Open Access publishing service of the University of Bologna, Italy. After 5 years from the publication of the first paper in Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage about the service, we review the transformations and the growth it has experienced during this time span, with a look at the changes that have occurred in Open Access publishing that have driven and inspired the modifications adopted by AlmaDL Journals.

[Assessment of the use of racemic ketamine and its S(+) isomer, associated or not with low doses of fentanyl, in balneotherapy for major burn patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Cantinho, Fernando Antônio de Freitas; Silva, Antonio Carlos Pereira da

2009-01-01

The care of the wounds of major burn patients triggers severe painful stimuli. The objective of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of different drug combinations in anesthesia for balneotherapy. After approval by the Ethics Commission, 200 procedures of balneotherapy in 87 major burn adult patients were evaluated. Midazolam was used in all cases. The vials of ketamine were numbered and, therefore, at the time of the use, one did not know whether racemic or S(+)ketamine was being used. Each morning it was decided by drawing lots whether fentanyl would be used or not in the procedures of that day. Patients were included in one of four groups: ISO/sf (S(+) isomer without fentanyl), ISO/cf (S(+) isomer with fentanyl), RAC/sf (racemic ketamine without fentanyl), and RAC/cf (racemic ketamine with fentanyl). The initial doses proposed were as follows: midazolam, 0.06 mg.kg-1; ketamine, 1.0 to 1.1 mg.kg-1; and fentanyl, 0.8 (1/4)g.kg1-1; additional doses were administered as needed. Only one patient recalled the pain of balneotherapy. In the group that received S(+)ketamine, the use of fentanyl did not bring additional advantages; however, when associated with racemic ketamine, fentanyl reduced the total dose and the number of ketamine boluses. The extension of body surface burned was the main determinant of the severity of post-procedure pain. Reduced pain severity was the main factor considered by patients when grading their satisfaction with the anesthesia. The four different drug combinations proved to be safe and guaranteed the absence of pain during balneotherapy. Characteristics not directly related to the anesthetics proved to be more important in the incidence of post-procedure pain, which was the main factor considered by major burn patient to define their satisfaction with the anesthesia used.

The synthesis of no-carrier-added DL-4-[18F]fluorodeprenyl via the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plenevaux, Alain; Guillaume, Marcel

1991-01-01

No-carrier-added DL-α-methyl-β-4-[ 18 F]fluorophenyl-N-methyl-N-propynylethylamine (DL-4-[ 18 F]fluorodeprenyl) was synthesized via a 3-step procedure. The overall yield was 11%, the synthesis time was 90 min and the specific activity >0.57 Ci/μmol (end of synthesis). This synthesis approach, the conversion of an aromatic aldehyde to a homologous methyl ketone, extends the flexibility of the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction by applying it to the synthesis of radiotracers which do not bear electron-withdrawing activating groups on the aromatic ring. The tissue distribution of DL-4-[ 18 F]fluorodeprenyl in mice at 1, 10 and 50 min was also measured and showed that metabolic defluorination was not significant. Clearance or radioactivity from brain after injection of DL-4-[ 18 F]fluorodeprenyl was more rapid than that previously observed for [ 11 C]L-deprenyl. (author)

HIV-1 Control by NK Cells via Reduced Interaction between KIR2DL2 and HLA-C∗12:02/C∗14:03.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zhansong; Kuroki, Kimiko; Kuse, Nozomi; Sun, Xiaoming; Akahoshi, Tomohiro; Qi, Ying; Chikata, Takayuki; Naruto, Takuya; Koyanagi, Madoka; Murakoshi, Hayato; Gatanaga, Hiroyuki; Oka, Shinichi; Carrington, Mary; Maenaka, Katsumi; Takiguchi, Masafumi

2016-11-22

Natural killer (NK) cells control viral infection in part through the interaction between killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands. We investigated 504 anti-retroviral (ART)-free Japanese patients chronically infected with HIV-1 and identified two KIR/HLA combinations, KIR2DL2/HLA-C ∗ 12:02 and KIR2DL2/HLA-C ∗ 14:03, that impact suppression of HIV-1 replication. KIR2DL2 + NK cells suppressed viral replication in HLA-C ∗ 14:03 + or HLA-C ∗ 12:02 + cells to a significantly greater extent than did KIR2DL2 - NK cells in vitro. Functional analysis showed that the binding between HIV-1-derived peptide and HLA-C ∗ 14:03 or HLA-C ∗ 12:02 influenced KIR2DL2 + NK cell activity through reduced expression of the peptide-HLA (pHLA) complex on the cell surface (i.e., reduced KIR2DL2 ligand expression), rather than through reduced binding affinity of KIR2DL2 to the respective pHLA complexes. Thus, KIR2DL2/HLA-C ∗ 12:02 and KIR2DL2/HLA-C ∗ 14:03 compound genotypes have protective effects on control of HIV-1 through a mechanism involving KIR2DL2-mediated NK cell recognition of virus-infected cells, providing additional understanding of NK cells in HIV-1 infection. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

S-Amlodipine: An Isomer with Difference—Time to Shift from Racemic Amlodipine

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Jamshed Dalal

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Calcium channel blockers are among the first-line drugs for treatment of hypertension (HTN. S-amlodipine (S-AM, an S-enantiomer of amlodipine, is available in India and in other countries like China, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and Nepal. Being clinically researched for nearly two decades, we performed in-depth review of S-AM. This review discusses clinical evidence from total 42 studies (26 randomized controlled trials, 14 observational studies, and 2 meta-analyses corroborating over 7400 patients treated with S-AM. Efficacy and safety of S-AM in HTN in comparison to racemic amlodipine, used as monotherapy and in combination with other antihypertensives, efficacy in angina, and pleiotropic benefits with S-AM, are discussed in this review.

Oral and transdermal DL-methylphenidate-ethanol interactions in C57BL/6J mice: potentiation of locomotor activity with oral delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Guinevere H; Griffin, William C; Patrick, Kennerly S

2011-12-01

Many abusers of dl-methylphenidate co-abuse ethanol. The present animal study examined behavioral effects of oral or transdermal DL-methylphenidate in combination with a high, depressive dose of ethanol to model co-abuse. Locomotor activity of C57BL/6J mice was recorded for 3 h following dosing with either oral DL-methylphenidate (7.5 mg/kg) or transdermal DL-methylphenidate (Daytrana®;1/4 of a 12.5 cm(2) patch; mean dose 7.5 mg/kg), with or without oral ethanol (3 g/kg). Brains were enantiospecifically analyzed for the isomers of methylphenidate and the transesterification metabolite ethylphenidate. An otherwise depressive dose of ethanol significantly potentiated oral DL-methylphenidate induced increases in total distance traveled for the first 100 min (pbrain D-methylphenidate concentrations were significantly elevated by ethanol in both the oral (65% increase) and transdermal (88% increase) groups. The corresponding L-ethylphenidate concentrations were 10 ng/g and 130 ng/g. Stimulant induced motor activity in rodents may correlate with abuse liability. Potentiation of DL-methylphenidate motor effects by concomitant ethanol carries implications regarding increased abuse potential of DL-methylphenidate when combined with ethanol. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disposition of the enantiomers of hydroxychloroquine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis following multiple doses of the racemate.

OpenAIRE

McLachlan, A J; Tett, S E; Cutler, D J; Day, R O

1993-01-01

In eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving racemic hydroxychloroquine, blood and urine concentrations of the enantiomers of hydroxychloroquine and its major metabolites were measured each month over the first 6 months of therapy. Plasma concentrations of hydroxychloroquine enantiomers were measured in five of these patients. In all patients, the blood concentration of (R)-hydroxychloroquine exceeded that of the (S)-enantiomer, the mean (R)/(S) ratio being 2.2 (range 1.6-2.9). A sim...

Rancang Bangun Plugin Protégé Menggunakan Ekspresi SPARQL-DL Dengan Masukan Bahasa Alami

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Fahrurrozi

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Semantic web is a technology that allows us to build a knowledge base or ontology for the information of the web page can be understood by computers. One software for building ontology-based semantic web is a protégé. Protege allows developers to develop an ontology with an expression of logic description. Protégé provides a plugin such as DL-Query and SPARQL-Query to display information that involve expression of class, property and individual in the ontology. The problem that then arises is DL-plugin Query only able to process the rules that involve expression of class to any object property, despite being equipped with the function of reasoning. while the SPARQL-Query plugin does not have reasoning abilities such as DL-Query plugin although the SPARQL-Query plugin can query memperoses rules involving class, property and individual. This research resulted in a new plugin using SPARQL-DL with input natural language as a protégé not provide a plugin with input natural language to see results from the combined expression-expression contained in the ontology that allows developers to view information ontology language that is easier to understand without having think of SPARQL query structure is complicated.

Bioglass {sup trademark} coated poly(DL-lactide) foams for tissue engineering scaffolds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gough, J.E. [Materials Science Centre, UMIST, Manchester M1 7HS (United Kingdom); Arumugam, M. [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Blaker, J. [Department of Materials and Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BP (United Kingdom); Boccaccini, A.R. [Dept. of Materials and Center for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 28P (United Kingdom)

2003-07-01

The purpose of this study was to prepare poly(DL-lactic acid) (PDLLA)/Bioglass trademark composites of foam-like structure, to measure the degree of bioactivity of the composites by studying the formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) and to test the initial attachment of human osteoblasts within the porous network. It was found that crystalline HA formed on the Bioglass trademark coated PDLLA foams after 7 days of immersion in SBF. HA formed also on the surfaces of non-coated PDLLA foams, however the rate and amount of HA formation were much lower than in the composites. The rapid formation of HA on the Bioglass trademark /PDLLA foam surfaces confirmed the high bioactivity of these materials. Osteoblasts attached within the porous network throughout the depth of the foams. Cell density was found to be higher in the PDLLA/Bioglass trademark composites compared to the pure PDLLA foams. The composite foams developed here exhibit the required bioactivity to be used as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [German] Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Herstellung von poroesen Verbundwerkstoffen bestehend aus Poly(DL-Laktidsaeure) (PDLLA) und Bioglass trademark und der anschliessenden Untersuchung der Bioaktivitaet. Die Bioaktivitaet wurde anhand von In-vitro-Methoden untersucht: Durch Ermittlung der Bildungsrate von Hydroxylapatit (HA) auf der Oberflaeche nach Eintauchen in simulierter Koerperfluessigkeit (SBF) und mittels Zellkulturstudien mit menschlichen Osteoblasten. Nach 7 Tagen in SBF hatte die Bildung von kristallinem HA auf der Oberflaeche von mit Bioglass trademark -beschichteten PDLLA Schaeumen stattgefunden. Auf der Oberflaeche von unbeschichtetem PDLLA konnte ebenfalls die Bildung von HA gezeigt werden, jedoch war die Bildungsrate hier bedeutend langsamer verglichen mit den Verbundwerkstoffen. Die rasche Formung von HA auf der Bioglass trademark /PDLLA

The glutamate transport inhibitor DL-Threo-β-Benzyloxyaspartic acid (DL-TBOA) differentially affects SN38- and oxaliplatin-induced death of drug-resistant colorectal cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedraz-Cuesta, Elena; Christensen, Sandra; Jensen, Anders A.; Jensen, Niels Frank; Bunch, Lennart; Romer, Maria Unni; Brünner, Nils; Stenvang, Jan; Pedersen, Stine Falsig

2015-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer death globally and new biomarkers and treatments are severely needed. Here, we employed HCT116 and LoVo human CRC cells made resistant to either SN38 or oxaliplatin, to investigate whether altered expression of the high affinity glutamate transporters Solute Carrier (SLC)-1A1 and -1A3 (EAAT3, EAAT1) is associated with the resistant phenotypes. Analyses included real-time quantitative PCR, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analyses, radioactive tracer flux measurements, and biochemical analyses of cell viability and glutathione content. Results were evaluated using one- and two-way ANOVA and Students two-tailed t-test, as relevant. In SN38-resistant HCT116 and LoVo cells, SLC1A1 expression was down-regulated ~60 % and up-regulated ~4-fold, respectively, at both mRNA and protein level, whereas SLC1A3 protein was undetectable. The changes in SLC1A1 expression were accompanied by parallel changes in DL-Threo-β-Benzyloxyaspartic acid (TBOA)-sensitive, UCPH101-insensitive [ 3 H]-D-Aspartate uptake, consistent with increased activity of SLC1A1 (or other family members), yet not of SLC1A3. DL-TBOA co-treatment concentration-dependently augmented loss of cell viability induced by SN38, while strongly counteracting that induced by oxaliplatin, in both HCT116 and LoVo cells. This reflected neither altered expression of the oxaliplatin transporter Cu 2+ -transporter-1 (CTR1), nor changes in cellular reduced glutathione (GSH), although HCT116 cell resistance per se correlated with increased cellular GSH. DL-TBOA did not significantly alter cellular levels of p21, cleaved PARP-1, or phospho-Retinoblastoma protein, yet altered SLC1A1 subcellular localization, and reduced chemotherapy-induced p53 induction. SLC1A1 expression and glutamate transporter activity are altered in SN38-resistant CRC cells. Importantly, the non-selective glutamate transporter inhibitor DL-TBOA reduces chemotherapy-induced p53 induction and augments

Synthesis of 1- and 3-11C-labelled L-lactic acid using multi-enzyme catalysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjurling, P.; Laangstroem, B.

1990-01-01

The synthesis of 1- and 3- 11 C-labelled L-lactic acid from the corresponding racemic 1- or 3- 11 C-labelled alanine using a multi-enzymatic reaction route, is presented. DL-[1- 11 C]Alanine was synthesised by reacting sodium 1-hydroxy-ethyl sulfite with hydrogen [ 11 C]cyanide, obtained from [ 11 C]carbon dioxide, and ammonia followed by acid hydrolysis. DL-[3- 11 C]-Alanine was synthesised by a methylation of a glycine derivative, N-(diphenylmethylene)-glycine tert-butyl ester, with [ 11 C]methyl iodide, obtained from [ 11 C]carbon dioxide, and subsequent hydrolysis. The racemic 1- or 3- 11 C-labelled alanine was then converted to pyruvic acid, by D-amino acid oxidase/catalase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, which was directly reduced to L-lactic acid by L-lactic dehydrogenase in a one-pot procedure. The total synthesis time was 40 minutes, counted from release of [ 11 C]carbon dioxide. The decay corrected radiochemical yields were ca. 80% for L-[1- 11 C]lactic acid, based on hydrogen cyanide, and ca. 60% for L-[3- 11 C]lactic acid, based on carbon dioxide. The radiochemical purities were higher than 99% analysed by HPLC. (author)

Chemo-enzymatic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 4-methylcyclohexanone via kinetic resolution of racemic carboxylic acids: direct access to enantioenriched lactone.

Science.gov (United States)

Drożdż, Agnieszka; Chrobok, Anna

2016-01-21

A new method for the asymmetric chemo-enzymatic Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of prochiral 4-methylcyclohexanone to (R)-4-methylcaprolactone in the presence of (±)-4-methyloctanoic acid, Candida Antarctica lipase B and 30% aq. H2O2 has been developed. A mechanism for the asymmetric induction based on kinetic resolution of racemic carboxylic acids is proposed.

In vitro degradation of nanoparticles prepared from polymers based on DL-lactide, glycolide and poly(ethylene oxide)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zweers, M.L.T.; Engbers, G.H.M.; Grijpma, Dirk W.; Feijen, Jan

2004-01-01

Nanoparticles of poly(DL-lactic acid) (PDLLA), poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene oxide)–PLGA diblock copolymer (PEO–PLGA) were prepared by the salting-out method. The in vitro degradation of PDLLA, PLGA and PEO–PLGA nanoparticles in PBS (pH 7.4) at 37 °C was studied. The

DL-ReSuMe: A Delay Learning-Based Remote Supervised Method for Spiking Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Taherkhani, Aboozar; Belatreche, Ammar; Li, Yuhua; Maguire, Liam P

2015-12-01

Recent research has shown the potential capability of spiking neural networks (SNNs) to model complex information processing in the brain. There is biological evidence to prove the use of the precise timing of spikes for information coding. However, the exact learning mechanism in which the neuron is trained to fire at precise times remains an open problem. The majority of the existing learning methods for SNNs are based on weight adjustment. However, there is also biological evidence that the synaptic delay is not constant. In this paper, a learning method for spiking neurons, called delay learning remote supervised method (DL-ReSuMe), is proposed to merge the delay shift approach and ReSuMe-based weight adjustment to enhance the learning performance. DL-ReSuMe uses more biologically plausible properties, such as delay learning, and needs less weight adjustment than ReSuMe. Simulation results have shown that the proposed DL-ReSuMe approach achieves learning accuracy and learning speed improvements compared with ReSuMe.

Allogeneic unresponsiveness to orthotopic cardiac transplants in DL-A-identical radiation chimeras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, A.D.; Spencer, F.C.; Hirose, H.; Engelman, R.M.; Cannon, F.D.; Ferrebee, J.W.; Rapaport, F.T.

1975-01-01

Nine Cooperstown beagles of known DL-A genotypes were exposed to supralethal total-body irradiation and received bone-marrow allografts from DL-A-identical donors. Four to 5 months later, the resulting chimeras received orthotopic cardiac allografts from their corresponding donors of marrow. Six chimeras died of operative complications in the immediate postoperative period. The other 3 chimeras survived from 173 to 547 days; 1 dog died at 173 days as a result of right-sided heart failure, secondary to stenosis at the site of the pulmonary artery anastomosis. The other two recipients continue to be active and healthy at 545 and 547 days. The results indicate that dogs can be rendered specifically tolerant to orthotopic cardiac allografts by supralethal total-body irradiation and the transplantation of marrow obtained from the prospective allograft donor

Organocatalytic aza-Michael/retro-aza-Michael reaction: pronounced chirality amplification in aza-Michael reaction and racemization via retro-aza-Michael reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yong-Feng; Li, Li; Luo, Meng-Xian; Yang, Ke-Fang; Lai, Guo-Qiao; Jiang, Jian-Xiong; Xu, Li-Wen

2011-05-01

A detailed experimental investigation of an aza-Michael reaction of aniline and chalcone is presented. A series of Cinchona alkaloid-derived organocatalysts with different functional groups were prepared and used in the aza-Michael and retro-aza-Michael reaction. There was an interesting finding that a complete reversal of stereoselectivity when a benzoyl group was introduced to the cinchonine and cinchonidine. The chirality amplification vs. time proceeds in the quinine-derived organocatalyst containing silicon-based bulky group, QN-TBS, -catalyzed aza-Michael reaction under solvent-free conditions. In addition, we have demonstrated for the first time that racemization was occurred in suitable solvents under mild conditions due to retro-aza-Michael reaction of the Michael adduct of aniline with chalcone. These indicate the equilibrium of retro-aza-Michael reaction and aza-Michael reaction produce the happening of chirality amplification in aza-Michael reaction and racemization via retro-aza-Michael reaction under different conditions, which would be beneficial to the development of novel chiral catalysts for the aza-Michael reactions. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Formation of Diastereoisomeric Piperazine-2,5-dione from dl-Alanine in the Presence of Olivine and Water

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchida, Shigeshi; Naraoka, Hiroshi; Masuda, Harue

2017-03-01

dl-Alanine (Ala) was heated with/without powdered olivine and water at 120 °C for 8 days to investigate the formation of the diastereoisomers of piperazine-2,5-dione (diketopiperazine, DKP). When only dl-Ala was heated with a small amount of water, 3.0 % of dl-Ala changed to cis- and trans-DKP after 8 days. DKPs were not detected after heating when no water was added. The presence of a small amount of water is important factor controlling peptide production rates under thermal conditions. When DL-Ala was heated with olivine powder for 8 days, the yields of cis- and trans-DKP were 6.8 and 4.9 %, respectively. The high yield of cis-DKP compared with trans-DKP was attributed to greater thermal stability of cis-DKP. After heating for 8 days, the diastereoisomeric excess of cis-DKP without olivine was 7.3 %, whereas a much higher value of 16.3 % was obtained in the presence of olivine. Taken together, these results show that olivine is not only an efficient catalyst for the formation of DKPs but that it also play a significant role in determining the diastereoisomer selectivity of these cyclic dipeptides.

Maldives: An archipelago that burns. A first survey of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs from human activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colombo, Andrea, E-mail: andrea.colombo@marionegri.it [Department of Environmental Health Sciences, IRCCS — Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Milano (Italy); Bettinetti, Roberta [Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, via Dunant 3, Varese, VA (Italy); Strona, Giovanni [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via Enrico Fermi 1, I-21020 Ispra, VA (Italy); Cambria, Felice; Fanelli, Roberto [Department of Environmental Health Sciences, IRCCS — Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Milano (Italy); Zubair, Zameer [CDE Consulting, Orchidmaage, Ameeru Ahmed Magu, 20095 Malé (Maldives); Galli, Paolo [Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, via Dunant 3, Varese, VA (Italy); MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Centre), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll (Maldives)

2014-11-01

Due to its geographical peculiarities, the Republic of Maldives represents a case study of great interest for the investigation of persistent organic pollutants, from both a socio-economic and an ecological perspective. Thus, we conducted a first survey to assess the current status of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCB) concentrations in Maldivian soils. The range for PCDD/F and DL-PCB soil concentrations was 0.01–49.3 pg WHO{sub 2005}-TEQ g{sup −1} and 0.01–3.69 pg WHO{sub 2005}-TEQ g{sup −1} dw respectively. PCDD/F concentrations exceeding several international soil guidelines were found in samples from locations in the proximity of local waste combustion sources. DL-PCB concentrations were lower than PCDD/Fs and comparable to those in previous reports from background areas and in areas with developing industrial and agricultural activities. PCDD/F and DL-PCB levels (expressed as WHO{sub 2005}-TEQ) in soils were strongly correlated (r = 0.89), which suggests that, in most of the sites, they are originated from the same emission sources. Results indicate that PCDD/F soil concentrations (expressed as WHO{sub 2005}-TEQ) tend to decrease with the distance from the local pollution sources. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PCDD/Fs in the most polluted locations are mainly generated by waste combustion. These findings highlight the need for immediate changes in waste management policies in the Archipelago, in order to reduce the release of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the fragile local environment. - Highlights: • PCDD/F concentrations were higher in the proximity local waste combustion sources. • DL-PCB concentrations are markedly lower than PCDD/Fs. • PCDD/F and DL-PCB concentrations are well correlated. • PCDD/F concentration decrease with the distance from local sources. • PCA identified the PCDD/F pollution source in the most

Expression and distribution of the glucocorticoid receptor DlGR1 in the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax brain

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Nicolò Parrinello

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Cortisol is the main corticosteroid secreted by the interrenal cells of the head kidney and it exerts a role in mantaining the omeostatic status in fish. In teleosts its effects are mediated through intracellular receptors expressed in several tissues, that are ligand-dependent transcription factors by binding to specific tissue DNA sequences. In Dicentrarchus labrax we previously cloned and sequenced a glucocorticoid receptor, DlGR1, isolated from leukocytes of peritoneal cavity. In this work we showed mRNA expression and tissue immunohistochemical localization of brain DlGR1 by in situ hybridization assays, with a riboprobe with DlGR1 cDNA trascriptional activation domain, and by immunohistochemical methods, using a specific antibody for a selected sequence of the receptor tran- scriptional domain. The mRNA and the protein are expressed in pyramidal cells of the optic lobe and in the small globular neurons of the diencephalon.

Efficient Production of Enantiopure d-Lysine from l-Lysine by a Two-Enzyme Cascade System

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Xin Wang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The microbial production of d-lysine has been of great interest as a medicinal raw material. Here, a two-step process for d-lysine production from l-lysine by the successive microbial racemization and asymmetric degradation with lysine racemase and decarboxylase was developed. The whole-cell activities of engineered Escherichia coli expressing racemases from the strains Proteus mirabilis (LYR and Lactobacillus paracasei (AAR were first investigated comparatively. When the strain BL21-LYR with higher racemization activity was employed, l-lysine was rapidly racemized to give dl-lysine, and the d-lysine yield was approximately 48% after 0.5 h. Next, l-lysine was selectively catabolized to generate cadaverine by lysine decarboxylase. The comparative analysis of the decarboxylation activities of resting whole cells, permeabilized cells, and crude enzyme revealed that the crude enzyme was the best biocatalyst for enantiopure d-lysine production. The reaction temperature, pH, metal ion additive, and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate content of this two-step production process were subsequently optimized. Under optimal conditions, 750.7 mmol/L d-lysine was finally obtained from 1710 mmol/L l-lysine after 1 h of racemization reaction and 0.5 h of decarboxylation reaction. d-lysine yield could reach 48.8% with enantiomeric excess (ee ≥ 99%.

Separation of the stereoisomers of the main metabolite of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, flobufen, by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Wsól, V; Fell, A F; Kvasnicková, E; Hais, I M

1997-02-07

The major metabolite of a novel non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, DL-4-(2',4'-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-2-oxo-2-methylbutanoic acid (flobufen, I), namely 4-(2',4'-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-2-methyl-gamma-butyrolactone (4-dihydroflobufen lactone, III), has four stereoisomers consisting of two racemic pairs of enantiomers. Of three chiral stationary phases tested, Cyclobond I beta-RSP (Astec) (beta-cylodextrin derivatized with R,S-hydroxypropyl) was best able to separate the (+2)(--) racemate, with a liquid phase containing acetonitrile as modifier and triethylamine acetate as buffer. Using the Box-Wilson Central Composite Design for three factors, an optimum combination of pH and concentrations of the modifier and buffer was eventually obtained. A chromatographic response function based on a combination of the Kaiser peak separation function, Pi, and retention time of the second eluting enantiomer, tRL, served as a response criterion for the process of optimization. The optimum conditions developed for the (+2)(--) racemate were also found to be suitable for separating the (+-)(-+) racemate, for which earlier studies had shown the separation to be more facile. Separation of the four stereoisomers of III, for which the chiral chromatographic system optimized in this study is proposed as the second stage, is targeted at a biochemical study of the stereoisomeric metabolism of I.

Methionine metabolism in piglets Fed DL-methionine or its hydroxy analogue was affected by distribution of enzymes oxidizing these sources to keto-methionine.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Zhengfeng; Luo, Hefeng; Wei, Hongkui; Huang, Feiruo; Qi, Zhili; Jiang, Siwen; Peng, Jian

2010-02-10

Previous evidence shows that the extensive catabolism of dietary essential amino acids (AA) by the intestine results in decreased availability of these AA for protein synthesis in extraintestinal tissues. This raises the possibility that extraintestinal availability of AA may be improved by supplying the animal with an AA source more of which can bypass the intestine. To test this hypothesis, six barrows (35-day-old, 8.6 +/- 1.4 kg), implanted with arterial, portal, and mesenteric catheters, were fed a DL-methionine (DL-MET) or DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyrate (DL-HMTB) diet once hourly and infused intramesenterically with 1% p-amino hippurate. Although the directly available L-MET in DL-MET diet was about 1.2-fold that in DL-HMTB diet, the net portal appearance of L-MET was not different between the two diets. Compared with the low mRNA abundance and low activity of D-2-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase (D-HADH) and l-2-hydroxy acid oxidase (L-HAOX) in the intestine, the high mRNA abundance and high activity of D-AA oxidase (D-AAOX) indicated that the intestine had a relatively higher capacity of D-MET utilization than of dl-HMTB utilization to L-MET synthesis and its subsequent metabolism. However, in contrast to the much lower D-AAOX activity (nmol/g tissue) in the stomach than in the liver and kidney, both d-HADH and L-HAOX activity in the stomach was comparable with those in the liver and/or kidney, indicating the substantial capacity of the stomach to convert DL-HMTB to L-MET. Collectively, the difference in distribution of activity and mRNA abundance of D-AAOX, D-HADH, and L-HAOX in the piglets may offer a biological basis for the similar portal appearance of L-MET between DL-MET and DL-HMTB diets, and thus may provide new important insights into nutritional efficiency of different L-MET sources.

Efficacy of DL-methionine hydroxy analogue-free acid in comparison to DL-methionine in growing male white Pekin ducks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kluge, H; Gessner, D K; Herzog, E; Eder, K

2016-03-01

The present study was performed to assess the bioefficacy of DL-methionine hydroxy analogue-free acid (MHA) in comparison to DL-methionine (DLM) as sources of methionine for growing male white Pekin ducks in the first 3 wk of life. For this aim, 580 1-day-old male ducks were allocated into 12 treatment groups and received a basal diet that contained 0.29% of methionine, 0.34% of cysteine and 0.63% of total sulphur containing amino acids or the same diet supplemented with either DLM or MHA in amounts to supply 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25% of methionine equivalents. Ducks fed the control diet without methionine supplement had the lowest final body weights, daily body weight gains and feed intake among all groups. Supplementation of methionine improved final body weights and daily body weight gains in a dose dependent-manner. There was, however, no significant effect of the source of methionine on all of the performance responses. Evaluation of the data of daily body weight gains with an exponential model of regression revealed a nearly identical efficacy (slope of the curves) of both compounds for growth (DLM = 100%, MHA = 101%). According to the exponential model of regression, 95% of the maximum values of daily body weight gain were reached at methionine supplementary levels of 0.080% and 0.079% for DLM and MHA, respectively. Overall, the present study indicates that MHA and DLM have a similar efficacy as sources of methionine for growing ducks. It is moreover shown that dietary methionine concentrations of 0.37% are required to reach 95% of the maximum of daily body weight gains in ducks during the first 3 wk of life. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Thermodynamics of DL-alanine solvation in water-dimethylsulfoxide mixtures at 298.15 K

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, S.; Mahali, K.; Mondal, S.; Dolui, B. K.

2015-04-01

In this study we mainly discuss the transfer Gibbs free energy Δ G {/t 0}( i) and Δ S {/t 0}( i)entropy of DL-alanine at 298.15 K and consequently the involved chemical transfer free energy (Δ G {/t,ch 0}( i)) and entropy ( TΔ S {/t,ch 0}( i)) in aqueous mixtures of dimethylsulfoxide are discussed to clarify the solvation chemistry of DL-alanine. For the evaluation of these energy terms, solubility of this amino acid has been measured by formol titrimetry at five equidistant temperatures i.e., from 288.15 to 308.15 K in different composition of this mixed solvent system. The various solvent parameters as well as thermodynamic parameters like molar volume, density, dipole moment and solvent diameter of this solvent system have also been reported here. The chemical effects of the transfer Gibbs energies (Δ G {/t,ch 0}( i)) and entropies of transfer ( TΔ S {/t,ch 0}( i)) have been obtained after elimination of cavity effect and dipole-dipole interaction effects from the total transfer energies. Here the chemical contribution of transfer energetics of DL-alanine is mainly guided by the composite effects of increased dispersion interaction, basicity effect and decreased acidity, hydrogen bonding effects, hydrophilic hydration and hydrophobic hydration of aqueous DMSO mixtures as compared to that of reference solvent, water.

Scalability of DL_POLY on High Performance Computing Platform

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mabakane, Mabule S

2017-12-01

Full Text Available stream_source_info Mabakanea_19979_2017.pdf.txt stream_content_type text/plain stream_size 33716 Content-Encoding UTF-8 stream_name Mabakanea_19979_2017.pdf.txt Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 SACJ 29(3) December... when using many processors within the compute nodes of the supercomputer. The type of the processors of compute nodes and their memory also play an important role in the overall performance of the parallel application running on a supercomputer. DL...

Comparative efficiency of racemic- and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid to mobilize mercury in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prester, Lj.; Restek Samarzija, N.; Blanusa, M.; Piasek, M.; Kostial, K.; Jones, M.M.; Singh, P.K.

1996-01-01

Two stereoisomeric forms of chelating agent 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), meso- and racemic (rac-) DMSA, were compared for mercury mobilization in rats (Experiment 1). Acute oral toxicity of both chelators (LD 50 ) was also tested (Experiment 2). Experiments were carried out on 6-7 weeks old albino Wistar female rats. In Experiment 1 three groups of 9-10 animals were given intraperitoneally 0.5 mg HgCl 2 /kg b.w. and 2.5 mCi (92.5 kBq) of radioactive mercury in the form of 203 Hg(NO 3 ) 2 .Five days after mercury, therapy with 1.0 mmol/kg/day of either meso- or rac-DMSA was started and continued for four days. Whole body radioactivity was measured during the four-day therapy, i.e. 24 hours after each chelator application. In Experiment 2, chelators were given by gastric tube. They were dissolved in 8% NaHCOP 3 with addition of NaOH in equivalent quantities to obtain soluble sodium salts. Meso-DMSA was given at doses of 6, 8 or 12 mmol/kg and rac-DMSA at doses of 12 or 18.7 mmol/kg (3 rats at each dose level). Rat mortality was recorded during 8 days. Results of Experiment 1 showed that the efficiency of rac-DMSA in reducing body retention of mercury-203 was significantly higher than of meso-DMSA. At the end of experiment, reduction of mercury -203 whole body retention was 62% of control in meso-DMSA compared to 29% of control in rac D MSA group. In Experiment 2, the approximate oral LD 50 value were estimated to be >18.7 mmol/kg for meso-DMSA and between 8 and 12 mmol/kg for rac-DMSA. In conclusion, rac-DMSA reduces more efficiently mercury body load than its meso-form. However, more studies are needed to evaluate advantage of rac-DMSA application in spite of its higher toxicity compared to meso-DMSA. (author)

NON-RACEMIC AMINO ACID PRODUCTION BY ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION OF ACHIRAL INTERSTELLAR ICE ANALOGS WITH CIRCULARLY POLARIZED LIGHT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Marcellus, Pierre; Nuevo, Michel; Danger, Gregoire; Deboffle, Dominique; Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt, Louis; Meinert, Cornelia; Filippi, Jean-Jacques; Meierhenrich, Uwe J.; Nahon, Laurent

2011-01-01

The delivery of organic matter to the primitive Earth via comets and meteorites has long been hypothesized to be an important source for prebiotic compounds such as amino acids or their chemical precursors that contributed to the development of prebiotic chemistry leading, on Earth, to the emergence of life. Photochemistry of inter/circumstellar ices around protostellar objects is a potential process leading to complex organic species, although difficult to establish from limited infrared observations only. Here we report the first abiotic cosmic ice simulation experiments that produce species with enantiomeric excesses (e.e.'s). Circularly polarized ultraviolet light (UV-CPL) from a synchrotron source induces asymmetric photochemistry on initially achiral inter/circumstellar ice analogs. Enantioselective multidimensional gas chromatography measurements show significant e.e.'s of up to 1.34% for ( 13 C)-alanine, for which the signs and absolute values are related to the helicity and number of CPL photons per deposited molecule. This result, directly comparable with some L excesses measured in meteorites, supports a scenario in which exogenous delivery of organics displaying a slight L excess, produced in an extraterrestrial environment by an asymmetric astrophysical process, is at the origin of biomolecular asymmetry on Earth. As a consequence, a fraction of the meteoritic organic material consisting of non-racemic compounds may well have been formed outside the solar system. Finally, following this hypothesis, we support the idea that the protosolar nebula has indeed been formed in a region of massive star formation, regions where UV-CPL of the same helicity is actually observed over large spatial areas.

Níveis de substituição da DL-metionina pela metionina hidróxi análoga em base equimolar, em dietas para frangos de corte Levels of substitution of Dl-methionine by methionine hidroxy analogue in basis equimolar in broilers diets

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Paulo Visentini

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho objetivou testar o efeito de níveis de substituição da DL-Metionina (DL-Met por Metionina Hidróxi Análoga acido livre (MHA-FA como fonte do aminoácido metionina para frangos de corte de 1 a 44 dias de idade. Foram utilizados 700 pintos de corte de um dia de idade, machos, da linhagem Ross. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos para evitar o efeito ambiental, constituído de cinco tratamentos com sete repetições de 20 aves.Substituiu-se em base equimolar a DL-Met por MHA-FA (0, 25, 50, 75 e 100%. As dietas foram isonutritivas para todos os tratamentos diferindo apenas quanto à fonte de metionina e equivalência utilizada. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: consumo alimentar, peso corporal, conversão alimentar, empenamento, gordura abdominal, rendimento de carcaça e peso de fígado. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas (P>0,05 entre as fontes de metionina estudadas, exceto para empenamento que foi inferior quando se utilizou a MHA-FA. Com base nos resultados encontrados, conclui-se que a DL-Metionina e a MHA-FA suplementadas em base equimolar, não modificam o desempenho zootécnico de frangos de corte de 1 a 44 dias de idade.The objective of this work was to study the effects of substitution of DL-Methionine (DL-Met by Methionine Hidroxi Analogue free acid (MHA-FAin on equimolar basis, at different levels, as source of Methionine for broilers, from 1 to 44 days. Seven hundred male one day old chicks (ROSS, were used. The experimental design was in BLOCKs, to avoid ambiental effects, chicks were randomly distributed in five treatments with seven replicates of twenty birds each. The constitution of treatments was based on the substitution of DL-Met by MHA-FA in equimolar basis (0;25; 50; 75 and 100%. Diets were isonutritives for all treatments, differing only in respect to the source of Methionine. The parameters evaluated in this study were: body weight, feed consumption, feathering, abdominal fat pad

Novel HPTLC and UV-AUC analyses: For simple, economical, and rapid determination of Zileuton racemate

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Saurabh B. Ganorkar

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Novel, simple, rapid and reliable High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC and UV-spectroscopic area under curve (UV-AUC methods were developed and validated for the analysis of zileuton racemate in bulk and in in-house tablet formulation. HPTLC quantitation of zileuton was done by UV detection at 260 nm and analysis was performed on (20 × 10 cm aluminium sheets precoated with silica gel 60-F254 (E. Merck as stationary phase and toluene–methanol–glacial acetic acid (3.5:1.5:0.1 v/v as mobile phase. Quantitation by HPTLC method was performed over the concentration range of 200–1200 ng/band. The HPTLC method resulted into a compact and well resolved band for zileuton at retention factor (Rf of 0.51 ± 0.02. Linear regression analysis data for calibration of HPTLC method represented a good linear relationship with regression coefficient; r2 = 0.997. UV-AUC method was developed using sodium lauryl sulphate (0.05 M as a hydrotropic agent to enhance water solubility and area was determined at a wavelength range in between 248.40 and 271.0 nm. Correlation coefficient for UV-AUC analysis was found to be r2 = 0.999. The developed UV-AUC method depicted a fine linear relationship for zileuton racemate in a concentration range of 2–12 μg/mL. Both the developed methods were validated for precision, robustness, ruggedness, accuracy, sensitivity as per guidelines laid by the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH. Statistical analysis proved that the developed methods were precise, robust, sensitive and accurate and can be used effectively for the analysis of zileuton in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations.

REPETIBILIDADE DE CARACTERES DO CACHO DE AÇAIZEIRO NAS CONDIÇÕES DE BELÉM-PA REPEATIBILITY OF CHARACTERS OF THE RACEME OF AÇAI PALM AT BELÉM-PA

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MARIA DO SOCORRO PADILHA DE OLIVEIRA

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Estimou-se o coeficiente de repetibilidade em caracteres do cacho de açaizeiro (Euterpe oleracea Mart. nas condições de Belém-PA, com o intuito de determinar a capacidade de eles expressarem a variabilidade genética dessa fruteira. Para tanto, foram colhidos quatro cachos por planta, todos apresentando completa maturação, em 30 genótipos pertencentes à Coleção de Germoplasma de Açaí da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, onde foram mensurados seis caracteres: peso total do cacho (PTC, peso de frutos por cacho (PFC, número de frutos por cacho (NFC, número de ráquilas por cacho (NRC, peso médio do fruto (PMF e rendimento de frutos por cacho (RFC. A análise da repetibilidade, do número de medições necessárias e do coeficiente de determinação para cada caráter foi obtida através do método da análise de variância, utilizando o modelo com dois fatores de variação. Verificou-se que todos os caracteres apresentaram diferenças significativas entre genótipos, com o número de frutos, número de ráquilas e peso médio do fruto, evidenciando diferenças ao nível de 1% de probabilidade. Porém, o maior coeficiente de repetibilidade foi registrado para peso médio do fruto, enquanto os demais caracteres apresentaram valores inexpressivos. Essa variável teve, também, o maior coeficiente de determinação; entretanto, o número de repetições desejável para esse caráter deve ser quase o triplo do usado nesse estudo. Pelo fato de o coeficiente de repetibilidade expressar o valor máximo de herdabilidade, conclui-se que o PMF pode ser usado como parâmetro de seleção em métodos de melhoramento menos rigorosos.Was considered the repeatibility coefficient in characters of raceme in açai palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart. at Belém-PA with the intention of determining their capacity to express the genetic variability of that fruit bowl. For that were picked four racemes by plant, all presenting complete maturation, in 30 genotypes

Asymmetric aminolytic kinetic resolution of racemic epoxides using recyclable chiral polymeric Co(III)-salen complexes: a protocol for total utilization of racemic epoxide in the synthesis of (R)-Naftopidil and (S)-Propranolol.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Manish; Kureshy, Rukhsana I; Shah, Arpan K; Das, Anjan; Khan, Noor-ul H; Abdi, Sayed H R; Bajaj, Hari C

2013-09-20

Chiral polymeric Co(III) salen complexes with chiral ((R)/(S)-BINOL, diethyl tartrate) and achiral (piperazine and trigol) linkers with varying stereogenic centers were synthesized for the first time and used as catalysts for aminolytic kinetic resolution (AKR) of a variety of terminal epoxides and glycidyl ethers to get enantio-pure epoxides (ee, 99%) and N-protected β-amino alcohols (ee, 99%) with quantitative yield in 16 h at RT under optimized reaction conditions. This protocol was also used for the synthesis of two enantiomerically pure drug molecules (R)-Naftopidil (α1-blocker) and (S)-Propranolol (β-blocker) as a key step via AKR of single racemic naphthylglycidyl ether with Boc-protected isoproylamine with 100% epoxide utilization at 1 g level. The catalyst 1 was successfully recycled for a number of times.

The novel non-imidazole histamine H3 receptor antagonist DL77 reduces voluntary alcohol intake and ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahi, Amine; Sadek, Bassem; Nurulain, Syed M; Łażewska, Dorota; Kieć-Kononowicz, Katarzyna

2015-11-01

It has become clear that histamine H3 receptors (H3R) have been implicated in modulating ethanol intake and preference in laboratory animals. The novel non-imidazole H3R antagonist DL77 with excellent selectivity profile shows high in-vivo potency as well as in-vitro antagonist affinity with ED50 of 2.1 ± 0.2 mg/kg and pKi=8.08, respectively. In the present study, and applying an unlimited access two-bottle choice procedure, the anti-alcohol effects of the H3R antagonist, DL77 (0, 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg; i.p.), were investigated in adult mice. In this C57BL/6 line, effects of DL77 on voluntary alcohol intake and preference, as well as on total fluid intake were evaluated. Results have shown that DL77, dose-dependently, reduced both ethanol intake and preference. These effects were very selective as both saccharin and quinine, used to control for taste sensitivity, and intakes were not affected following DL77 pre-application. More importantly, systemic administration of DL77 (10 mg/kg) during acquisition inhibited ethanol-induced conditioned-place preference (EtOH-CPP) as measured using an unbiased protocol. The anti-alcohol activity observed for DL77 was abrogated when mice were pretreated with the selective H3R agonist R-(α)-methyl-histamine (RAMH) (10 mg/kg), or with the CNS penetrant H1R antagonist pyrilamine (PYR) (10mg/kg). These results suggest that DL77 has a predominant role in two in vivo effects of ethanol. Therefore, signaling via H3R is essential for ethanol-related consumption and conditioned reward and may represent a novel therapeutic pharmacological target to tackle ethanol abuse and alcoholism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of dissolved oxygen on redox potential and milk acidification by lactic acid bacteria isolated from a DL-starter culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Nadja; Werner, Birgit Brøsted; Vogensen, Finn Kvist

2015-01-01

potential to negative values. Kinetic parameters of the DL-starter culture were comparable with the best acidifying and reducing strains, indicating their additive effects. Acidification curves were mostly diauxic at all oxygen levels, displaying 2 maxima of acidification rate: before (aerobic maximum...... subspecies in DL-starter cultures. This knowledge is important for dairies to ensure optimized, fast, and controlled milk fermentations, leading to greater standardization of dairy products.......Milk acidification by DL-starter cultures [cultures containing Lactococcus lactis diacetylactis (D) and Leuconostoc (L) species] depends on the oxidation-reduction (redox) potential in milk; however, the mechanisms behind this effect are not completely clear. The objective of this study...

Digital learning for development in Asia (DL4D) | CRDI - Centre de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Digital learning for development in Asia (DL4D). Education is a pillar of development. The Sustainable Development Goals identify it as a global development priority with a commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030. The benefits of education are wide-ranging. Asia's strong economic ...

Treating Simple Tibia Fractures with Poly-DL-Lactic Acid Screw as a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate the curative effect of poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) absorbable screw as a locked intramedullary nail for simple tibia fractures. Methods: In this study, 35 patients treated with the PDLLA screw were observed, and another 35 patients treated with a traditional locking intramedullary nail were treated as ...

Bio-efficacy comparison of herbal-methionine and DL-methionine based on performance and blood parameters of broiler chickens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheila Hadinia

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to compare the bio-efficacy of herbal methionine (H-Met relative to DL-methionine (DL-Met on 160 “Ross 308” broiler chickens. DL-Met and H-Met were added to the basal diet in eight experimental treatments with three and four concentrations respectively in starter, grower and finisher period. Blood parameters which were measured at 24 and 42 days of age consisted of: serum proteins (total protein, albumin and globulin, serum uric acid, serum fats (low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, triglyceride and cholesterol and serum enzymes (alanine amino transaminase and aspartate amino transaminase. Completely randomized design, multi-exponential and multilinear regressions were used to determine bio-efficacy of H-Met in terms of performance and blood parameters of broilers. The results showed that supplemented methionine (Met sources had no significant effect on blood parameters at 24 day of age. At 42 day of age the amounts of globulin and serum high density lipoprotein (HDL increased with supplemented Met, (p < 0.05. Regression analysis revealed that H-Met was 55.00, 71.00, 78.00, 47.00, 58.00 and 73.00% as efficacious as DL-Met for body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, albumin, globulin and high density lipoprotein criteria, respectively. The average of bio-efficacy of H-Met compared to DL-Met was 67.00% and 59.00% on average across performance criteria and blood criteria respectively and was 63.00% across these two criteria tested. The results of the present study indicated that H-Met can be administered as a new and a natural source of Met in poultry industry.

Partial molar volumes of L-alanine, DL-serine, DL-threonine, L-histidine, glycine, and glycylglycine in water, NaCl, and DMSO aqueous solutions at T 298.15 K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Quan; Li Zhifen; Wang Baohuai

2006-01-01

The apparent molar volumes of L-alanine, DL-serine, DL-threonine, L-histidine, glycine, and glycylglycine in water and in the aqueous solutions of NaCl and DMSO with various concentrations at T = 298.15 K have been measured by the precise vibrating-tube digital densimeter. The calculated partial molar volumes at infinite dilution have been used to obtain corresponding transfer volumes from water to various solutions. The experimental results show that the standard partial molar volumes of the above amino acids and peptide at the dilute DMSO aqueous solutions are very close to those in water. However, the volumes show several types of variations with the increase of the concentrations of DMSO due to different types of side chain of amino acids, which should be discussed specifically. The NaCl changes considerably the infinite dilution standard partial molar volumes of the above amino acids and peptide in the aqueous solutions. The infinite dilution standard partial molar volumes of the each amino acids and peptide increase with the concentrations of NaCl. The experimental results have been rationalized by a cosphere overlap model

Correlation between synergistic action of Radix Angelica dahurica extracts on analgesic effects of Corydalis alkaloid and plasma concentration of dl-THP.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Zheng-Gen; Liang, Xin-Li; Zhu, Jing-Yun; Zhao, Guo-Wei; Yang, Ming; Wang, Guang-Fa; Jiang, Qie-Ying; Chen, Xu-Long

2010-05-04

Yuanhu Zhitong prescription that consists of Corydalis yanhusuo and Radix Angelicae dahuricae has been used for the treatment of gastralgia, costalgia, headache and dysmenorrhea in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our previous studies demonstrated that Corydalis alkaloid (CA, derived from the root of Corydalis yanhusu) had potent analgesic properties, and the total coumarins of Angelica dahurica (Cou) and volatile oil (VO) that derived from the root of Radix Angelicae dahuricae all could increase the analgesic effect of CA. The major objective of this paper was to investigate the mechanism that leading the analgesia of CA increased by Cou and (or) VO. The relationship between analgesic effect of CA and the plasma concentration of Dl-tetrahydropalmatine (dl-THP, active component of CA) was assayed in mice writhing test. The CA (34, 68 and 134 mg/kg) reduced the nociception by acetic acid intraperitoneal injection in a dose-dependent manner, and there was a significant linear relationship between the analgesic effect of CA and the plasma concentration of dl-THP. Then the plasma concentration of dl-THP at different time intervals in rats after oral administration of CA, CA-Cou, CA-VO and CA-Cou-VO were examined by using HPLC. The results indicated that Cou and (or) VO raised the plasma concentration of dl-THP prominently. In conclusion, the reason that Radix Angelica dahurica extracts reinforced the analgesic effects of Corydalis alkaloid was related to the improvement of the plasma concentration of dl-THP. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Possible Involvement of Human Mast Cells in the Establishment of Pregnancy via Killer Cell Ig-Like Receptor 2DL4.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueshima, Chiyuki; Kataoka, Tatsuki R; Hirata, Masahiro; Sugimoto, Akihiko; Iemura, Yoshiki; Minamiguchi, Sachiko; Nomura, Takashi; Haga, Hironori

2018-06-01

The involvement of mast cells in the establishment of pregnancy is unclear. Herein, we found that human mast cells are present in the decidual tissues of parous women and expressed a human-specific protein killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) 2DL4, a receptor for human leukocyte antigen G expressed on human trophoblasts. In contrast, decreased numbers of decidual mast cells and reduced KIR2DL4 expression were observed in these cells of infertile women who had undergone long-term corticosteroid treatment. Co-culture of the human mast cell line, LAD2, and human trophoblast cell line, HTR-8/SVneo, accelerated the migration and tube formation of HTR-8/SVneo cells in a KIR2DL4-dependent manner. These observations suggest the possible involvement of human mast cells in the establishment of pregnancy via KIR2DL4 and that long-term corticosteroid treatment may cause infertility by influencing the phenotypes of decidual mast cells. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crystal structures of coordination polymers from CaI2 and proline

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin Lamberts

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Completing our reports concerning the reaction products from calcium halides and the amino acid proline, two different solids were found for the reaction of l- and dl-proline with CaI2. The enantiopure amino acid yields the one-dimensional coordination polymer catena-poly[[aqua-μ3-l-proline-tetra-μ2-l-proline-dicalcium] tetraiodide 1.7-hydrate], {[Ca2(C5H9NO25(H2O]I4·1.7H2O}n, (1, with two independent Ca2+ cations in characteristic seven- and eightfold coordination. Five symmetry-independent zwitterionic l-proline molecules bridge the metal sites into a cationic polymer. Racemic proline forms with Ca2+ cations heterochiral chains of the one-dimensional polymer catena-poly[[diaquadi-μ2-dl-proline-calcium] diiodide], {[Ca(C5H9NO22(H2O2]I2}n, (2. The centrosymmetric structure is built by one Ca2+ cation that is bridged towards its symmetry equivalents by two zwitterionic proline molecules. In both structures, the iodide ions remain non-coordinating and hydrogen bonds are formed between these counter-anions, the amino groups, coordinating and co-crystallized water molecules. While the overall composition of (1 and (2 is in line with other structures from calcium halides and amino acids, the diversity of the carboxylate coordination geometry is quite surprising.

Overall Quality of Life (OQoL) questionnaire in frail elderly: a study of reproducibility and responsiveness of the Depression List (DL)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gregersen, M.; Jordansen, M.M.; Gerritsen, D.L.

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The DL is a generic interview-based questionnaire and previously validated in measuring OQoL in nursing home residents. Our aim was to examine its reproducibility and responsiveness in the frail elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The design was three repeated DL-measures 10, 30 and 365

Validation of a 1DL earliness per se (eps) flowering QTL in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum).

Science.gov (United States)

Zikhali, Meluleki; Leverington-Waite, Michelle; Fish, Lesley; Simmonds, James; Orford, Simon; Wingen, Luzie U; Goram, Richard; Gosman, Nick; Bentley, Alison; Griffiths, Simon

2014-01-01

Vernalization, photoperiod and the relatively poorly defined earliness per se ( eps ) genes regulate flowering in plants. We report here the validation of a major eps quantitative trait locus (QTL) located on wheat 1DL using near isogenic lines (NILs). We used four independent pairs of NILs derived from a cross between Spark and Rialto winter wheat varieties, grown in both the field and controlled environments. NILs carrying the Spark allele, defined by QTL flanking markers Xgdm111 and Xbarc62 , consistently flowered 3-5 days earlier when fully vernalized relative to those with the Rialto. The effect was independent of photoperiod under field conditions, short days (10-h light), long days (16-h light) and very long days (20-h light). These results validate our original QTL identified using doubled haploid (DH) populations. This QTL represents variation maintained in elite north-western European winter wheat germplasm. The two DH lines used to develop the NILs, SR9 and SR23 enabled us to define the location of the 1DL QTL downstream of marker Xgdm111 . SR9 has the Spark 1DL arm while SR23 has a recombinant 1DL arm with the Spark allele from Xgdm111 to the distal end. Our work suggests that marker assisted selection of eps effects is feasible and useful even before the genes are cloned. This means eps genes can be defined and positionally cloned in the same way as the photoperiod and vernalization genes have been. This validation study is a first step towards fine mapping and eventually cloning the gene directly in hexaploid wheat.

Cluster Formation and Joint Power-Bandwidth Allocation for Imperfect NOMA in DL-HetNets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir; Al-Qahtani, Fawaz; Radaydeh, Redha; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

and estimation errors. Then, a generic cluster formation (CF) and Power-Bandwidth Allocation (PBA) is formulated as a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem for downlink (DL) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). After dividing the MINLP problem

Optical resolution of DL-amino acids by ligand exchange : I. a study of the resolution of DL-aspartic acid with the aid of copper complexes of L(a)-alanine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kan, Van J.J.H.; Bachus, J.J.P.M.

1970-01-01

Spectrophotometric studies were made of the reaction of the Cu complexes of L-alanine with DL-aspartic acid to give a ppt. of a Cu-D-aspartic acid complex, and the effects of stirring, addn. of NaClO4 as supporting electrolyte, pH, and temp. on the quantity of the complex pptd. were detd. Both L-

tDCS Stimulation of the dlPFC Selectively Moderates the Detrimental Impact of Emotion on Analytical Reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Trémolière, Bastien; Maheux-Caron, Véronique; Lepage, Jean-François; Blanchette, Isabelle

2018-01-01

There is evidence of a detrimental effect of emotion on reasoning. Recent studies suggest that this relationship is mediated by working memory, a function closely associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Relying on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), the present research explores the possibility that anodal stimulation of the dlPFC has the potential to prevent the effect of emotion on analytical reasoning. Thirty-four participants took part in a lab experiment and were tested twice: one session using offline anodal stimulation (with a 2 mA current stimulation applied to the left dlPFC for 20 min), one session using a control (sham) stimulation. In each session, participants solved syllogistic reasoning problems featuring neutral and emotionally negative contents. Results showed that anodal stimulation diminished the deleterious effect of emotion on syllogistic reasoning, but only for a subclass of problems: problems where the conclusion was logically valid. We discuss our results in the light of the reasoning literature as well as the apparent variability of tDCS effects.

A single-cell analysis platform for electrochemiluminescent detection of platelets adhesion to endothelial cells based on Au@DL-ZnCQDs nanoprobes.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Dongping; Shang, Yunfei; Qiu, Youyi; Zhou, Bin; Yang, Peihui

2018-04-15

A novel single-cell analysis platform (SCA) was developed for the investigation of platelets adhesion to single human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) via using the adhesion molecule (E-selectin) on the damaged HUVEC as the marker site, and integrating electrochemiluminescence (ECL) with the ultrasensitive Au@DL-ZnCQDs nanoprobes. The Au@DL-ZnCQDs nanocomposite, a kind of double layer zinc-coadsorbed carbon quantum dot (ZnCQDs) core-shell nanoprobe, was firstly constructed by using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as the core to load with ZnCQDs and then the citrate-modified silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as the bridge to link AuNPs-ZnCQDs with ZnCQDs to form the core-shell with double layer ZnCQDs (DL-ZnCQDs) nanoprobe, revealed a 10-fold signal amplification. The H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage HUVECs were utilized as the cellular model on which anti-E-selectin functionalized nanoprobes specially recognized E-selectin, the SCA showed that the ECL signals decreased with platelets adhesion to single HUVEC. The proposed SCA could effectively and dynamically monitor the adhesion between single HUVEC and platelets in the absence and presence of collagen activation, moreover, be able to quantitatively detect the number of platelets adhesion to single HUVEC, and show a good analytical performance with linear range from 1 to 15 platelets. In contrast, the HUVEC was down-regulated the expression of adhesion molecules by treating with quercetin inhibitor, and the SCA also exhibited the feasibility for analysis of platelets adhesion to single HUVEC. Therefore, the single-cell analysis platform provided a novel and promising protocol for analysis of the single intercellular adhesion, and it will be beneficial to elucidate the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization and quantification of racemic and meso-ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-5-sulfophenylacetic) acid/iron (III) by ion-pair ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Biasone, Alessandro; Cianci, Giusto; Di Tommaso, Donata; Piaggesi, Alberto; Tagliavini, Emilio; Galletti, Paola; Moretti, Fabio

2013-03-22

EDDHSA/Fe is a promising substitute of EDDHA/Fe to fight iron chlorosis. o,o-EDDHSA structure contains two chiral carbons giving the racemic and meso couples of stereoisomers. Ion-pair HPLC and UHPLC-UV/Vis-ESI-MS/MS methods were developed for the determination of racemic and meso-o,o-EDDHSA/Fe in commercial samples of chelates. The lack of a commercial EDDHSA standard was overcome by sulfonation of a commercial available o,o-EDDHA standard and subsequent quantification by (1)H-NMR. Assignment of configurations was carried out starting from racemic and meso-o,o-EDDHA/Fe by direct sulfonation to give the corresponding o,o-EDDHSA/Fe isomers. The performances of these methods were assessed in terms of intra and inter-day precision, linearity and selectivity. The high selectivity and lower detection limit (nanomolar) of the UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method could allow to deepen the knowledge relative to meso and rac-o,o-EDDHSA/Fe interactions with plants, its fate in different soil conditions, its mobility and other environmental aspects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Life history parameters of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) from Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garde, Eva; Hansen, Steen H; Ditlevsen, Susanne

2015-01-01

Life history parameters for narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were estimated based on age estimates from aspartic acid racemization of eye lens nuclei. Eyes, reproductive organs, and measures of body lengths were collected from 282 narwhals in East and West Greenland in the years 1993, 2004, and 2007–...... projection matrix was parameterized with the data on age structure and fertility rates. The annual rate of increase of narwhals in East Greenland was estimated to be 3.8% while narwhals in West Greenland had a rate of increase at 2.6%. Key words:......Life history parameters for narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were estimated based on age estimates from aspartic acid racemization of eye lens nuclei. Eyes, reproductive organs, and measures of body lengths were collected from 282 narwhals in East and West Greenland in the years 1993, 2004, and 2007......–2010. Age estimates were based on the racemization of L-aspartic acid to D-aspartic acid in the nucleus of the eye lens. The ratio of D- and L-enantiomers was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The age equation used, 420.32X − 24.02·year where X is the D/L ratio, was determined from data...

A top-down approach to crystal engineering of a racemic Δ2-isoxazoline.

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardo, Giuseppe M; Rescifina, Antonio; Chiacchio, Ugo; Bacchi, Alessia; Punzo, Francesco

2014-02-01

The crystal structure of racemic dimethyl (4RS,5RS)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-4,5-dicarboxylate, C13H12N2O7, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. By analysing the degree of growth of the morphologically important crystal faces, a ranking of the most relevant non-covalent interactions determining the crystal structure can be inferred. The morphological information is considered with an approach opposite to the conventional one: instead of searching inside the structure for the potential key interactions and using them to calculate the crystal habit, the observed crystal morphology is used to define the preferential lines of growth of the crystal, and then this information is interpreted by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Comparison with the X-ray structure confirms the validity of the strategy, thus suggesting this top-down approach to be a useful tool for crystal engineering.

Toxicity and oxidative stress of different forms of organic selenium (Se) and dietary protein in mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, D.; Heinz, G.; Eisemann, J.; Pendleton, G.

1994-01-01

High concentrations of Se have been found in aquatic food chains associated with irrigation drainwater and toxicity to fish and wildlife. Earlier studies have compared toxicities of Se as selenite and as seleno-DL-methionine (DL) in mallards. This study compares DL, seleno-L-methionine (L), selenized yeast (Y) and selenized wheat (W). Day-old mallard ducklings received an untreated diet (controls) containing 75% wheat (22% protein) or the same diet containing 15 or 30 ppm Se in the above forms. After 2 weeks blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical assays and Se analysis. All forms of selenium caused significant increases in plasma and hepatic glutathione peroxidase activities. Se as L was the most toxic, resulting in high mortality (64%) and impaired growth (>50%) and the greatest increase in ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione with 30 ppm in the diet. Se as Y accumulated the least in liver. In a subsequent experiment with 30% dietary protein Se as L was less toxic.

Incorporation of DL-methionine /sup 3/H into the rat brain in the course of triethyl tin sulphate intoxication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kozik, M B; Ozarzewska, E; Piechowski, A [Akademia Medyczna, Poznan (Poland)

1976-01-01

The incorporation of DL-methionine /sup 3/H into the rat brain in the course of acute edema caused by the triethyl tin sulphate (TET) was investigated by autoradiography. The results indicate that TET intoxication effects in lower incorporation of methionine into the experimental rat brain in comparison to that in normal animals. The changes in dynamics of DL-methionine /sup 3/H incorporation after TET intoxication are presented. The possible pathogenetic mechanism of the observed changes is discussed.

A DAFT DL_POLY distributed memory adaptation of the Smoothed Particle Mesh Ewald method

Science.gov (United States)

Bush, I. J.; Todorov, I. T.; Smith, W.

2006-09-01

The Smoothed Particle Mesh Ewald method [U. Essmann, L. Perera, M.L. Berkowtz, T. Darden, H. Lee, L.G. Pedersen, J. Chem. Phys. 103 (1995) 8577] for calculating long ranged forces in molecular simulation has been adapted for the parallel molecular dynamics code DL_POLY_3 [I.T. Todorov, W. Smith, Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. London 362 (2004) 1835], making use of a novel 3D Fast Fourier Transform (DAFT) [I.J. Bush, The Daresbury Advanced Fourier transform, Daresbury Laboratory, 1999] that perfectly matches the Domain Decomposition (DD) parallelisation strategy [W. Smith, Comput. Phys. Comm. 62 (1991) 229; M.R.S. Pinches, D. Tildesley, W. Smith, Mol. Sim. 6 (1991) 51; D. Rapaport, Comput. Phys. Comm. 62 (1991) 217] of the DL_POLY_3 code. In this article we describe software adaptations undertaken to import this functionality and provide a review of its performance.

In situ growth of hydroxyapatite within electrospun poly(DL-lactide) fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Wenguo; Li, Xiaohong; Zhou, Shaobing; Weng, Jie

2007-09-15

Development of nanocomposites of hydroxyapatite (HA) and polylactic acid (PLA) is attractive, as the advantageous properties of the two types of materials can be combined to suit better the mechanical and biological demands for biomedical uses. To solve the problematic issue of agglomeration of HA crystallites in the PLA matrix, a novel method is introduced in the present study to use electrospun nanofibers as the reaction confinement for composite fabrication. Poly(DL-lactide) ultrafine fibers with calcium nitrate entrapment were prepared by electrospinning and then incubated in phosphate solution to form in situ calcium phosphate on the polymer matrix. The formation of nonstoichiometric nanostructured HA and well dispersion of HA particles on the electrospun fibers were observed. Higher crystalline HA phase was indicated in samples after sintering at 1200 degrees C. The formation of the calcium-phosphate phase was dependent upon the precipitation conditions, and the effects of the incubation time, temperature, and the pH values of the incubation medium were investigated on the spontaneous precipitation and amorphous-crystalline transformation of HA in the current study. Considering the biodegradability of matrix polymer and the crystallinity and uniform dispersal of HA, optimal conditions for composite preparation were incubating calcium-containing ultrafine fibers at 37 degrees C in pH 7.4 or at 25 degrees C in pH 9.0 of diammonium hydrogen phosphate solutions for 7 days. Around 25%-34% of mineral contents can be synthesized in the resulting composites, which was higher than the theoretical value due to the nonstoichiometric HA formed in the composite, and the fiber degradation and partial calcium nitrate involved in the HA formation. Copyright 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enantioselectivity and Thermostability of a Novel Hyperhermotolerant Lipase from Geobacillus Thermodenitrificans nr68 (Lip.nr-68) on Secondary Racemic Alcohols Acetylation

Science.gov (United States)

Nik Him, N. R.; Ibrahim, D.

2018-05-01

In our previous work, a new lipase enzyme has been purified from a species identified as a Gram negative Geobacillus thermodenitrificans nr68, isolated from a hot spring in Malaysia with growth temperature of 48°C. This new lipase, called Lip.nr-68 has been characterized as a hyperthermotolerant protein with high stability at 65°C and has been showing excellent characteristics that are very much comparable yet better than some of those of well-known industrially-used lipases. It shows high activity against long-chain triglycerides with molecular weight of the purified enzyme estimated to be 33.5 kDa using SDS-PAGE analysis. This paper is focusing on hyperthermotolerant Lip.nr-68 performance in promoting for enantioselectivity activities towards three secondary racemic alcohols namely 1-phenylethanol, 1-cyclohexilethanol and 1-(naft-2-il) ethanol by acetylation with vinyl acetate. Lip.nr-68 has been confirmed to show high and usual enantioselectivitiy according to the Kazlauskas Rule towards all secondary racemic alcohols and has significantly approved as an enantiomer selective biocatalyst towards 1-phenylethanol and 1-cyclohexylethanol at 65°C. Lip.nr-68 has showed a reduction of (R) and (S) enantiomers as well as the production of 68-98% ee and almost 94% yield of 3-4 mg/ml for 1-cyclohexilethanol.

The "racemic approach" in the evaluation of the enantiomeric NorA efflux pump inhibition activity of 2-phenylquinoline derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Carotti, Andrea; Ianni, Federica; Sabatini, Stefano; Di Michele, Alessandro; Sardella, Roccaldo; Kaatz, Glenn W; Lindner, Wolfgang; Cecchetti, Violetta; Natalini, Benedetto

2016-09-10

Among the mechanisms adopted by bacteria, efflux pumps (EPs) have been recognized as being significantly involved in contributing to resistance to commonly used antibacterial agents. However, little is known about their three-dimensional structures or the steric requirements for their inhibition. Lack of such knowledge includes NorA, one of the most studied Staphylococcus aureus EPs. In the present study, the use of two commercialized Cinchona alkaloid-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phases allowed the enantioseparation of four 2-((2-(4-propoxyphenyl)quinolin-4-yl)oxy)alkylamines 1-4 previously found to be potent S. aureus NorA efflux pump inhibitors when tested as racemates. In the identified optimal polar-ionic conditions (MeOH/THF/H2O-49/49/2 (v/v/v)+25mM formic acid, 12.5mM diethylamine), repeated consecutive injections of 1 allowed the isolation of sufficient amount of its enantiomers (2.6mg and 2.8mg, for (R)-1 and (S)-1, respectively) and then to evaluate their ability to inhibit the S. aureus NorA efflux pump. The biological evaluation highlighted the main contribution of the (R)-1 enantiomer to both the EtBr efflux inhibition and synergistic effect with against SA-1199B (norA+/A116E GrlA) respect to the racemate activity. The comparison between the experimental electronic circular dichroism and the time-dependent density functional theory calculations spectra of the two isolated enantiomeric fractions allowed for all compounds a clear and easy assignment of the enantiomeric elution order. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

3,6-bis-(2-pyridyl)-pyridazine as supramolecular (CO)initiator for DL-lactide polymerization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogenboom, R.; Schubert, U.S.

2003-01-01

The synthesis of a new hydroxy functionalized dipyridylpyridazine by a Diels-Alder reaction between 5-hexyn-1-ol and dipyridyltetrazine was reported. An aluminum alkoxide was generated in situ from this functional ligand to initiate the controlled ring opening polymn. of of DL-lactide resulting in a

Distinction of synthetic dl-α-tocopherol from natural vitamin E (d-α-tocopherol) by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Enhanced selectivity of a polymeric C18 stationary phase at low temperature and/or at high pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Yui, Yuko; Miyazaki, Shota; Ma, Yan; Ohira, Masayoshi; Fiehn, Oliver; Ikegami, Tohru; McCalley, David V; Tanaka, Nobuo

2016-06-10

Separation of diastereomers of dl-α-tocopherol was studied by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using three types of stationary phases, polymeric ODS, polymeric C30, and monomeric ODS. Polymeric ODS stationary phase (Inertsil ODS-P, 3mmID, 20cm) was effective for the separation of the isomers created by the presence of three chiral centers on the alkyl chain of synthetic dl-α-tocopherol. Considerable improvement of the separation of isomers was observed on ODS-P phase at high pressure and at low temperature. Complete separation of four pairs of diastereomers was achieved at 12.0°C, 536bar, while three peaks were observed when the separation was carried out either at 12.0°C at low pressure or at 20°C at 488bar. Higher temperature (30.0°C) with the ODS-P phase resulted in only partial separation of the diastereomers even at high pressure. Only slight resolution was observed for the mixture of diastereomers with the C30 stationary phase (Inertsil C30) at 12.0°C and 441bar, although the stationary phase afforded greater resolution for β- and γ-tocopherol than ODS-P. A monomeric C18 stationary phase did not show any separation at 12.0°C and 463bar. The results suggest that the binding site of the polymeric ODS-P phase is selective for flexible alkyl chains that provided the longest retention for the natural form, (R,R,R) form, and the enantiomer, (S,S,S) form, of dl-α-tocopherol. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cluster Formation and Joint Power-Bandwidth Allocation for Imperfect NOMA in DL-HetNets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir

2017-04-15

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has recently drawn attentions on its ability to fairly serve multiple users on the same radio resource with a desirable performance. However, achievable NOMA gain is primarily limited by channel gain disparity and successive interference cancellation (SIC) receiver characteristics. Accordingly, we introduce an imperfect SIC receiver model considering the power disparity and sensitivity constraints, delay tolerance, and residual interference due to detection and estimation errors. Then, a generic cluster formation (CF) and Power-Bandwidth Allocation (PBA) is formulated as a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem for downlink (DL) heterogeneous networks (HetNets). After dividing the MINLP problem into mixed-integer and non-linear subprobems, we first transform CF into a multi-partite matching, which is solved sequentially using bi-partite matching techniques. For sumrate maximization, max-min fairness, and energy & spectrum efficiency objectives, we secondly put highly non-convex joint PBA into a convex form using geometric programming (GP). Extensive simulations unleash the potential of NOMA to handle large number of users, traffic offloading, and user fairness.

Synthesis of nano-sized stereoselective imprinted polymer by copolymerization of (S)-2-(acrylamido) propanoic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of racemic propranolol and copper ion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alizadeh, Taher, E-mail: talizadeh@ut.ac.ir [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University College of Science, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Bagherzadeh, Azam; Shamkhali, Amir Nasser [Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-06-01

A new chiral functional monomer of (S)-2-(acrylamido) propanoic acid was obtained by reaction of (L)-alanine with acryloyl chloride. The resulting monomer was characterized by FT-IR and HNMR and then utilized for the preparation of chiral imprinted polymer (CIP). This was carried out by copolymerization of (L)-alanine-derived chiral monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, in the presence of racemic propranolol and copper nitrate, via precipitation polymerization technique, resulting in nano-sized networked polymer particles. The polymer obtained was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and FT-IR. The non-imprinted polymer was also synthesized and used as blank polymer. Density functional theory (DFT) was also employed to optimize the structures of two diasterometric ternary complexes, suspected to be created in the pre-polymerization step, by reaction of optically active isomers of propranolol, copper ion and (S)-2-(acrylamido) propanoic acid. Relative energies and other characteristics of the described complexes, calculated by the DFT, predicted the higher stability of (S)-propranolol involved complex, compared to (R)-propranolol participated complex. Practical batch extraction test which employed CIP as solid phase adsorbent, indicated that the CIP recognized selectively (S)-propranolol in the racemic mixture of propranolol; whereas, the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) showed no differentiation capability between two optically active isomers of propranolol. - Highlights: • A new chiral functional monomer of (S)-2-(acrylamido) propanoic acid was synthesized. • (S)-propranolol-selective imprinted polymer was synthesized using the chiral monomer. • Racemic propranolol mixed with Cu(II) was used as template in the imprinting. • Density functional theory was employed to clarify the imprinting mechanism. • (S)-propranolol-Cu(II) complex was shown to conduct the imprinting process.

Hydrolyses of alpha-naphthyl acetate, beta-naphthyl acetate, and acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkeby, S; Moe, D

1983-01-01

Using simultaneous coupling azo dye techniques kidney enzymes active against alpha-naphthyl acetate, beta-naphthyl acetate, and acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester are characterized. The enzymes show identical distribution in the section. The banding patterns in zymograms are the same after...

Nanoindentation Testing of Composite Based on Collagen and Poly(DL-Lactide) Nanofibers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Suchý, Tomáš; Sucharda, Zbyněk; Šupová, Monika; Balík, Karel; Šepitka, J.; Lukeš, J.

2012-01-01

Roč. 106, S3 (2012), s545-s546 ISSN 0009-2770. [Local Mechanical Properties 2011. Olomouc, 09.11.2011-11.11.2011] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA106/09/1000 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30460519 Keywords : nanoindentation * poly (DL-lactide) * collagen Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 0.453, year: 2012 http://www.chemicke-listy.cz/docs/full/2012_s3_s523-s550.pdf

DL_MG: A Parallel Multigrid Poisson and Poisson-Boltzmann Solver for Electronic Structure Calculations in Vacuum and Solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Womack, James C; Anton, Lucian; Dziedzic, Jacek; Hasnip, Phil J; Probert, Matt I J; Skylaris, Chris-Kriton

2018-03-13

The solution of the Poisson equation is a crucial step in electronic structure calculations, yielding the electrostatic potential-a key component of the quantum mechanical Hamiltonian. In recent decades, theoretical advances and increases in computer performance have made it possible to simulate the electronic structure of extended systems in complex environments. This requires the solution of more complicated variants of the Poisson equation, featuring nonhomogeneous dielectric permittivities, ionic concentrations with nonlinear dependencies, and diverse boundary conditions. The analytic solutions generally used to solve the Poisson equation in vacuum (or with homogeneous permittivity) are not applicable in these circumstances, and numerical methods must be used. In this work, we present DL_MG, a flexible, scalable, and accurate solver library, developed specifically to tackle the challenges of solving the Poisson equation in modern large-scale electronic structure calculations on parallel computers. Our solver is based on the multigrid approach and uses an iterative high-order defect correction method to improve the accuracy of solutions. Using two chemically relevant model systems, we tested the accuracy and computational performance of DL_MG when solving the generalized Poisson and Poisson-Boltzmann equations, demonstrating excellent agreement with analytic solutions and efficient scaling to ∼10 9 unknowns and 100s of CPU cores. We also applied DL_MG in actual large-scale electronic structure calculations, using the ONETEP linear-scaling electronic structure package to study a 2615 atom protein-ligand complex with routinely available computational resources. In these calculations, the overall execution time with DL_MG was not significantly greater than the time required for calculations using a conventional FFT-based solver.

Inhalation Exposure to Dioxins and dl-PCBs Depending on the Season in Upper Silesia, Poland: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dziubanek, Grzegorz; Marchwińska, Ewa; Hajok, Ilona; Piekut, Agata

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal fluctuation of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs levels in the ambient air of Upper Silesia in the aspect of human inhalation exposure as well as the estimation of health risk attributed to this exposure pathway to dioxins and dl-PCBs. In the study air samples were taken in five urban districts of Upper Silesia, Poland, where the houses are heated with coal. The same sampling points in summer and winter were analyzed for dioxins/furans and dl-PCBs. In addition, information was collected on awareness of the residents about the co-incineration of plastic waste and effects of this activity on human health. The results show that the average daily exposure of residents of Upper Silesia to TCDD and DLCs in the heating season was about 6.5.-fold higher than in summer. The risk assessment showed that expected excess of cancer cases per 1,000,000 people ranged from 4.5 to 13.2 in winter and from 0.9 to 2.1 in summer. The practice of mixing waste with coal for houses heating has been confirmed by investigated families, who do not associate it with the possibility of negative health effects. Air pollution can be a significant source of dioxin and dl-PCB for people during the winter season, as a result of co-burning coal and waste containing plastics. The dose of dioxins inhaled through the respiratory pathway in winter can be associated with the higher cancer risk in the population of Upper Silesia. Copyright© by the National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2015.

effect of dl-carnitine on tissue content of ad eno ine triphospha te

African Journals Online (AJOL)

BSN

values of 16.2 ± 5.2µ mols lg dry weight for ATP and I 1.7± 2.5 ~11nols/g dry weight for CP in normal (non ischaem1c) myocardial tissue. Continuous perfusion of the heans "ith perfusate contaming 4.9µmols/ml. DL-Carnitine appeared to prevent the lowermg of ATP and CP levels as a result of induction of ischaemia.

Effects of OROS-MPH Versus Dl-Amphetamine-XR on Driving Performance of ADHD Adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Gordon Millichap

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Driving performance of 35 adolescent ADHD patients (19 boys/16 girls; mean age 17.8 years on a driving simulator was compared while taking OROS methylphenidate (Concerta, 72 mg, mixed dl-amphetamine salts (Adderall XR, 30 mg, or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study at University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

Maghemite and poly-DL-alanine based core–shell multifunctional nanohybrids for environmental protection and biomedicine applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Covaliu, Cristina Ileana, E-mail: cristina_covaliu@yahoo.com [University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, Bucharest (Romania); Paraschiv, Gigel; Biriş, Sorin-Ştefan [University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, Bucharest (Romania); Jitaru, Ioana; Vasile, Eugeniu [University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, Bucharest (Romania); Diamandescu, Lucian [National Institute of Materials Physics, Bucharest (Romania); Velickovic, Tanja Cirkovic; Krstic, Maja [University of Belgrade, Faculty of Chemistry, Belgrade (Serbia); Ionita, Valentin [University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Bucharest (Romania); Iovu, Horia [University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, Bucharest (Romania); Matei, Ecaterina [University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Bucharest (Romania)

2013-11-15

This paper deals with the synthesis of two nanohybrid materials based on maghemite (γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and poly-DL-alanine using a two-step procedure consisting of maghemite nanoparticles synthesis by microemulsion method and nanohybrids obtaining by coating of maghemite nanoparticles with poly-DL-alanine biopolymer in two different molar ratios (H1:5 and H1:15). The maghemite and their corresponding nanohybrids were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction and Atomic absorption spectroscopy. The two nanohybrids under the investigation have the average particle sizes of 22 nm and 23 nm. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy data indicate the existence of some interactions between the maghemite nanoparticles and poly-DL-alanine shell. The saturation magnetization values for maghemite and the two nanohybrids determined by a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer correspond to a typical superparamagnetic behavior suitable for applying in biomedical field. Also, with respect of biomedical application the biological activity of maghemite and its corresponding nanohybrids was investigated on healthy human cells (PBMC) and cancerous cells (HeLa). Furthermore, in order to support the multifunctionality of the γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} sample and nanohybrids we also investigated their wastewater treatment properties by measuring the removal efficiency of heavy metal Cd (II) ions.

Synthesis of the racemate and individual enantiomers of [11C]methylphenidate for studying presynaptic dopaminergic neutron with positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Y.-S.; Sugano, Y.; Fowler, J.S.; Salata, C.

1994-01-01

Carbon-11 labeled dl-threo-methylphenidate (methyl-2-phenyl-2-(2-piperidyl)acetate, Ritalin), a psychostimulant drug widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was prepared in two steps: O-methylation of the N-protected dl-threo-ritalinic acid derivative with [ 11 C]methyl iodide followed by deprotection. The same strategy was applied for the preparation of C-11 labeled individual enantiomers of threo-methylphenidate from N-protected d-threo-l-threo-ritalinic acid. The subsequent C18 sep-pak and reverse-phase HPLC purification resulted in ca. 40% radiochemical yield with a total synthesis time of 40 minutes and an average specific activity of 1.5 Ci/μmole (at EOB). (author)

Determination of chemical forms of C-14 in liquid discharges from nuclear power plants

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Světlík, Ivo; Fejgl, M.; Povinec, P. P.; Kořínková, Tereza; Tomášková, Lenka; Pospíchal, J.; Kurfiřt, M.; Striegler, R.; Kaufmanová, M.

2017-01-01

Roč. 177, OCT (2017), s. 256-260 ISSN 0265-931X Institutional support: RVO:61389005 Keywords : analytical routines * dissolved organic forms of C-14 (DIC) * dissolved inorganic forms of C-14 (DOC) * Nuclear power plant (NPP) * liquid releases Subject RIV: DL - Nuclear Waste, Radioactive Pollution ; Quality OBOR OECD: Environment al sciences (social aspects to be 5.7) Impact factor: 2.310, year: 2016

Durable Residual Wall Lining (DL) Installation Concepts and Acceptability as an IRS Replacement Tool for Malaria Vector Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Marie Louise; Lenau, Torben Anker

that will eliminate the need for repeated spraying of walls over a period of 3-4 years after installation. The objective of this project was to evaluate a variety of methods for attaching DL to various wall surfaces found in traditional, rural African housing. Assessments were made as to strength of attachment under...... various stresses and appearance after installation. The experiments took place in Anwona village near Obuasi, Ghana with the support and cooperation of AngloGold Ashanti’s Malaria Control Center. 55 mechanical and adhesive products were tested for their ability to hold a static load (simulating long...... observations were included in the DL Installation Manual, the final delivery of this project....

Design, preparation and application of a Pirkle-type chiral stationary phase for enantioseparation of some racemic organic acids and molecular dynamics studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reşit Çakmak

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study consists of two parts. In the first part of the study; a Pirkle-type chiral stationary phase was prepared by synthesizing an aromatic amine derivative of (R-2-amino-1-butanol as a chiral selectorand binding to L- tyrosine -modified cyanogen bromide (CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B and then, packed into the separation column. T he chromatographic performance of the separation column was evaluated w ith racemic mandelic acid and 2-phenylpropionic acid by using phosphate buffers at three different pHs as mobile phase. In the resolution processes, t he prepared solutions were loaded onto the separation column at two different concentrations and at three different pHs for each racemic organic acid, separately. Enantiomeric excess (ee % of the eluates was determined on CHIRALPAK AD-H chiral analytical column by HPLC. The maximum ee% for mandelic acid and 2-phenylpropionic acid was determined to be 60.84 and 27.4, respectively. Separation factors (k 1 ’, k 2 ’, α, and Rs were calculated for each acid. The structures of the obtained compounds were characterized using the spectroscopic methods (NMR, and elemental analysis. In the second part of the study; enantioselective interactions between the prepared CSP and the analytes have been widely studied by docking, molecular dynamics simulation and quantum mechanical computation methods. The reason of column eluation of rac-2-phenylpropionic acid with lower enantiomeric yield was explained by these techniques.

Isotopic evidence for extraterrestrial non- racemic amino acids in the Murchison meteorite

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, M. H.; Macko, S. A.

1997-09-01

Many amino acids contain an asymmetric centre, occurring as laevorotatory, L, or dextrorotatory, D, compounds. It is generally assumed that abiotic synthesis of amino acids on the early Earth resulted in racemic mixtures (L- and D-enantiomers in equal abundance). But the origin of life required, owing to conformational constraints, the almost exclusive selection of either L- or D-enantiomers, and the question of why living systems on the Earth consist of L-enantiomers rather than D-enantiomers is unresolved. A substantial fraction of the organic compounds on the early Earth may have been derived from comet and meteorite impacts. It has been reported previously that amino acids in the Murchison meteorite exhibit an excess of L-enantiomers, raising the possibility that a similar excess was present in the initial inventory of organic compounds on the Earth. The stable carbon isotope compositions of individual amino acids in Murchison support an extraterrestrial origin-rather than a terrestrial overprint of biological amino acids-although reservations have persisted (see, for example, ref. 9). Here we show that individual amino-acid enantiomers from Murchison are enriched in 15N relative to their terrestrial counterparts, so confirming an extraterrestrial source for an L-enantiomer excess in the Solar System that may predate the origin of life on the Earth.

Hypoparathyroidism: what is the best calcium carbonate supplementation intake form?

Science.gov (United States)

Gollino, Loraine; Biagioni, Maria Fernanda Giovanetti; Sabatini, Nathalia Regina; Tagliarini, José Vicente; Corrente, José Eduardo; Paiva, Sérgio Alberto Rupp de; Mazeto, Gláucia Maria Ferreira da Silva

2017-11-15

In hypoparathyroidism, calcium supplementation using calcium carbonate is necessary for the hypocalcemia control. The best calcium carbonate intake form is unknown, be it associated with feeding, juice or in fasting. The objective was to evaluate the calcium, phosphorus and Calcium×Phosphorus product serum levels of hypoparathyroidism women after total thyroidectomy, following calcium carbonate intake in three different forms. A crossover study was carried out with patients presenting definitive hypoparathyroidism, assessed in different situations (fasting, with water, orange juice, breakfast with a one-week washout). Through the review of clinical data records of tertiary hospital patients from 1994 to 2010, 12 adult women (18 50 years old) were identified and diagnosed with definitive post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism. The laboratory results of calcium and phosphorus serum levels dosed before and every 30min were assessed, for 5h, after calcium carbonate intake (elementary calcium 500mg). The maximum peak average values for calcium, phosphorus and Calcium×Phosphorus product were 8.63mg/dL (water), 8.77mg/dL (orange juice) and 8.95mg/dL (breakfast); 4.04mg/dL (water), 4.03mg/dL (orange juice) and 4.12mg/dL (breakfast); 34.3mg 2 /dL 2 (water), 35.8mg 2 /dL 2 (orange juice) and 34.5mg 2 /dL 2 (breakfast), respectively, and the area under the curve 2433mg/dLmin (water), 2577mg/dLmin (orange juice) and 2506mg/dLmin (breakfast), 1203mg/dLmin (water), 1052mg/dLmin (orange juice) and 1128mg/dLmin (breakfast), respectively. There was no significant difference among the three different tests (p>0.05). The calcium, phosphorus and Calcium×Phosphorus product serum levels evolved in a similar fashion in the three calcium carbonate intake forms. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of the racemate and individual enantiomers of [[sup 11]C]methylphenidate for studying presynaptic dopaminergic neutron with positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Y -S; Sugano, Y; Fowler, J S; Salata, C [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1994-10-01

Carbon-11 labeled dl-threo-methylphenidate (methyl-2-phenyl-2-(2-piperidyl)acetate, Ritalin), a psychostimulant drug widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was prepared in two steps: O-methylation of the N-protected dl-threo-ritalinic acid derivative with [[sup 11]C]methyl iodide followed by deprotection. The same strategy was applied for the preparation of C-11 labeled individual enantiomers of threo-methylphenidate from N-protected d-threo-l-threo-ritalinic acid. The subsequent C18 sep-pak and reverse-phase HPLC purification resulted in ca. 40% radiochemical yield with a total synthesis time of 40 minutes and an average specific activity of 1.5 Ci/[mu]mole (at EOB). (author).

Native chemical ligation at Asx-Cys, Glx-Cys: chemical synthesis and high-resolution X-ray structure of ShK toxin by racemic protein crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Bobo; Kubota, Tomoya; Mandal, Kalyaneswar; Bezanilla, Francisco; Kent, Stephen B H

2013-08-14

We have re-examined the utility of native chemical ligation at -Gln/Glu-Cys- [Glx-Cys] and -Asn/Asp-Cys- [Asx-Cys] sites. Using the improved thioaryl catalyst 4-mercaptophenylacetic acid (MPAA), native chemical ligation could be performed at -Gln-Cys- and Asn-Cys- sites without side reactions. After optimization, ligation at a -Glu-Cys- site could also be used as a ligation site, with minimal levels of byproduct formation. However, -Asp-Cys- is not appropriate for use as a site for native chemical ligation because of formation of significant amounts of β-linked byproduct. The feasibility of native chemical ligation at -Gln-Cys- enabled a convergent total chemical synthesis of the enantiomeric forms of the ShK toxin protein molecule. The D-ShK protein molecule was ~50,000-fold less active in blocking the Kv1.3 channel than the L-ShK protein molecule. Racemic protein crystallography was used to obtain high-resolution X-ray diffraction data for ShK toxin. The structure was solved by direct methods and showed significant differences from the previously reported NMR structures in some regions of the ShK protein molecule.

Enantioselective micellar electrokinetic chromatography of dl-amino acids using (+)-1-(9-fluorenyl)-ethyl chloroformate derivatization and UV-induced fluorescence detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Prior, Amir; van de Nieuwenhuijzen, Erik; de Jong, Gerhardus J; Somsen, Govert W

2018-05-22

Chiral analysis of dl-amino acids was achieved by micellar electrokinetic chromatography coupled with UV-excited fluorescence detection. The fluorescent reagent (+)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate was employed as chiral amino acid derivatizing agent and sodium dodecyl sulfate served as pseudo-stationary phase for separating the formed amino acid diastereomers. Sensitive analysis of (+)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate-amino acids was achieved applying a xenon-mercury lamp for ultraviolet excitation, and a spectrograph and charge-coupled device for wavelength-resolved emission detection. Applying signal integration over a 30-nm emission wavelength interval, signal-to-noise ratios for derivatized amino acids were up to 23 times higher as obtained using a standard photomultiplier for detection. The background electrolyte composition (electrolyte, pH, sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration, and organic solvent) was studied in order to attain optimal chemo- and enantioseparation. Enantioseparation of twelve proteinogenic dl-amino acids was achieved with chiral resolutions between 1.2 and 7.9, and detection limits for most derivatized amino acids in the 13-60 nM range (injected concentration). Linearity (coefficients of determination > 0.985) and peak-area and migration-time repeatabilities (relative standard deviations lower than 2.6 and 1.9%, respectively) were satisfactory. The employed fluorescence detection system provided up to 100-times better signal-to-noise ratios for (+)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate-amino acids than ultraviolet absorbance detection, showing good potential for d-amino acid analysis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PCDDs/PCDFs, dl-PCBs and HCB in the flue gas from coal fired CFB boilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Grochowalski, Adam; Konieczyński, Jan

2008-08-01

The aim of the project was to measure the actual emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) from four selected power plants in Poland in order to update the national inventory of PCDDs/PCDFs emission. Relatively low PCDDs/PCDFs as well as dl-PCBs concentrations in flue gas obtained in measurements in this study for four different circulated fluidized bed (CFB) boilers indicate practical absence of any hazards caused by PCDDs/PCDFs emission from these units. The results of PCDDs/PCDFs determination obtained in this study indicate that hard coal combustion in large CFB in the four central heating plants (CHP) is not a significant source of PCDDs/PCDFs emission to the environment even if operated by co-firing of waste coal. PCDDs/PCDFs concentration in flue gases as well as emission factors were recorded in the range of 0.012-0.060 ng I-TEQ/m(n)(3) and 7.51-46.4 microg I-TEQ/TJ, respectively. Dl-PCBs concentration was practically below the LOQ=0.006 ng WHO-PCB TEQ/m(n)(3) in all experiments. HCB concentration as well as emission factors were recorded in the range of 11.5-42.0 ng/m(n)(3) and 6.19-26.7 mg/TJ, respectively, where the highest value was obtained for co-firing of waste coal, however. Obtained in this work emission factors will be used for national emission inventory purposes instead of the factors proposed by Toolkit or taken from previous measurements. However, consideration should be given to the fact that the measurements in most cases are related to single installations. Therefore, the need for further development of national factors for the power generation industry in Poland is desired.

The Potential of Flexible UL/DL Slot Assignment in 5G Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Catania, Davide; Gatnau, Marta; Cattoni, Andrea Fabio

2014-01-01

5th Generation (5G) small cells are expected to satisfy the increasing demand for wireless data traffic. In the presence of large scale dense and randomly deployed cells, autonomous and distributed configuration mechanisms are highly desirable. However, small cells typically serve a small number...... of users, such that sudden traffic imbalances between downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) are expected in the new 5G system. We exploit the flexibility of time-division duplex (TDD) to deal with such imbalances by adapting swiftly to instantaneously varying traffic needs. In this paper we propose a distributed...

Rat duodenal motility in vitro: Prokinetic effects of DL-homocysteine thiolactone and modulation of nitric oxide mediated inhibition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stojanović Marija

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Homocysteine is a significant but modifiable risk factor for vascular diseases. As gastrointestinal smooth musculature is similar to blood vessel muscles, we investigated how elevated homocysteine levels affect nitric oxide-mediated neurotransmission in the gut. There is accumulated evidence that a dysfunction of NO neurons in the myenteric plexus may cause various diseases in the gastrointestinal tract such as achalasia, diabetic gastroparesis and infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effects of homocysteine on NO-mediated responses in vitro, and to examine the effects of DL-homocysteine thiolactone on the spontaneous motility of rat duodenum and nitrergic neurotransmission. DL-homocysteine thiolactone concentration of 10 μmol/L leads to the immediate increase in tone, amplitude and frequency of spontaneous movements in isolated rat duodenum. L-NAME (30 μmol/L leads to an increase in basal tone, amplitude and frequency of spontaneous contractions. The relaxations induced by EFS were significantly reduced in duodenal segments incubated in DL-homocysteine thiolactone compared with the control group. EFS-induced relaxations were inhibited by L-NAME in both experimental and control groups. These results suggest that a high level of homocysteine causes an important impairment of non-adrenergic non-cholinergic innervation of the rat duodenum. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175043

AlmaDL Journals: servizi di qualità per l’editoria scientifica ad accesso aperto dell’Università di Bologna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marialaura Vignocchi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article illustrates AlmaDL Journals, the open access e-publishing service supporting scientific peer reviewed journals edited by Departments and research groups of the University of Bologna. Digital technologies and the Internet have deeply changed the way researchers and scholars access and share information. Moreover new technologies challenge professionals involved in the publishing value chain and publication life cycle at various levels. The traditional scholarly communication model fails to meet researchers’ needs and expectations. Initiatives such as the AlmaDL Journals seeks to provide alternative models that take full advantage of the digital environment and new media while ensuring quality requirements and the traditional functions of scientific serial publications.

B→D*lν and B→Dlν form factors in staggered chiral perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laiho, Jack; Water, Ruth S. van de

2006-01-01

We calculate the B→D and B→D* form factors at zero recoil in staggered chiral perturbation theory. We consider heavy-light mesons in which only the light (u, d, or s) quark is staggered; current lattice simulations generally use a highly improved action such as the Fermilab or nonrelativistic QCD action for the heavy (b or c) quark. We work to lowest nontrivial order in the heavy-quark expansion and to one-loop order in the chiral expansion. We present results for a partially quenched theory with three sea quarks in which there are no mass degeneracies (the ''1+1+1'' theory) and for a partially quenched theory in which the u and d sea quark masses are equal (the ''2+1'' theory). We also present results for full (2+1) QCD, along with a numerical estimate of the size of staggered discretization errors. Finally, we calculate the finite volume corrections to the form factors and estimate their numerical size in current lattice simulations

Magnetic resonance imaging of racemous cysticercosis of the cauda equina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa Junior, Leodante Batista da; Lemos, Sandro Pedroso; Lambertucci, Jose Roberto

2003-01-01

37-year-old man presented with low back pain for the last 6 months followed by sensation of numbness in the lower limbs that evolved with paraparesis, urinary retention and impotence. Subsequently, he lost control over the bowel function. Neurological examination revealed increased muscle tone along with grade zero power in both lower limbs. Knee and ankle jerks were exaggerated. Nine months prior to admission, a type II diabetes mellitus was diagnosed and he has been taking insulin ever since. MRI revealed multiple cystic lesions in the cauda equina opposite the L1-S1 vertebral bodies with no involvement of the spinal cord (Figure A: sagittal section T1-weighted image after contrast with cystic lesions on the left side - yellow arrow -, and T2-weighted image on the right - red arrows pointing cystic lesions). The cysts were hypointense on T1-weighted images (Figure B: horizontal section - yellow arrows) and hyperintense in T2-weighted images (Figure A - red arrows). Computerized tomography of the brain showed moderate ventricle dilatation (Figure C) with no intra or extra axial lesions. He was submitted to laminectomy and the cysts were surgically removed. An intense inflammatory process (arachnoiditis) involving the nerve roots of the cauda equina was reported. Histology of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of racemous cysticercosis. He improved quickly after surgery. Three months later, at the outpatient clinic, he walked with support, resumed sphincter control of the bladder and bowel and had no more pain. Ten months later he returned to hospital walking with crutches, with hypoesthesia and paraesthesia on the left leg and urinary incontinence. He refused treatment with albendazole and steroids. (author)

Racemization of alanine by the alanine racemases from Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus stearothermophilus: energetic reaction profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faraci, W.S.; Walsh, C.T.

1988-01-01

Alanine racemases are bacterial pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes providing D-alanine as an essential building block for biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall. Two isozymic alanine racemases, encoded by the dadB gene and the alr gene, from the Gram-negative mesophilic Salmonella typhimurium and one from the Gram-positive thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus have been examined for the racemization mechanism. Substrate deuterium isotope effects and solvent deuterium isotope effects have been measured in both L → D and D→ L directions for all three enzymes to assess the degree to which abstraction of the α-proton or protonation of substrate PLP carbanion is limiting in catalysis. Additionally, experiments measuring internal return of α- 3 H from substrate to product and solvent exchange/substrate conversion experiments in 3 H 2 O have been used with each enzyme to examine the partitioning of substrate PLP carbanion intermediates and to obtain the relative heights of kinetically significant energy barriers in alanine racemase catalysis

Radium-226 in certified uranium reference ores DL-1a, BL-4a, DH-1a and BL-5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.W.; Steger, H.F.

1983-05-01

Radium-226 radioactivity in uranium reference ores BL-4a and BL-5 and uranium-thorium reference ores DL-1a and DH-1a was determined in an interlaboratory program. Twelve of thirteen participants used certified radium solutions from the United States National Bureau of Standards (NBS) for calibration purposes. Recommended values of sup(226)Ra activity and associated parameters were calculated by statistical treatment of the results. In all cases, the recommended values are within 2 percent of activities predicted assuming secular equilibrium in the sup(238)U decay series. The recommended values for radium activity are 1.40, 15.5, 31.5 and 857 Bq/ for DL-1a, BL-4a, DH-1a and BL-5, respectively

Widely Used Herpes Simplex Virus 1 ICP0 Deletion Mutant Strain dl1403 and Its Derivative Viruses Do Not Express Glycoprotein C Due to a Secondary Mutation in the gC Gene.

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Cristina W Cunha

Full Text Available Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1 ICP0 is a multi-functional phosphoprotein expressed with immediate early kinetics. An ICP0 deletion mutant, HSV-1 dl1403, has been widely used to study the roles of ICP0 in the HSV-1 replication cycle including gene expression, latency, entry and assembly. We show that HSV-1 dl1403 virions lack detectable levels of envelope protein gC, and that gC is not synthesized in infected cells. Sequencing of the gC gene from HSV-1 dl1403 revealed a single amino acid deletion that results in a frameshift mutation. The HSV-1 dl1403 gC gene is predicted to encode a polypeptide consisting of the original 62 N-terminal amino acids of the gC protein followed by 112 irrelevant, non-gC residues. The mutation was also present in a rescuant virus and in two dl1403-derived viruses, D8 and FXE, but absent from the parental 17+, suggesting that the mutation was introduced during the construction of the dl1403 virus, and not as a result of passage in culture.

Integration of an OWL-DL knowledge base with an EHR prototype and providing customized information.

Science.gov (United States)

Jing, Xia; Kay, Stephen; Marley, Tom; Hardiker, Nicholas R

2014-09-01

When clinicians use electronic health record (EHR) systems, their ability to obtain general knowledge is often an important contribution to their ability to make more informed decisions. In this paper we describe a method by which an external, formal representation of clinical and molecular genetic knowledge can be integrated into an EHR such that customized knowledge can be delivered to clinicians in a context-appropriate manner.Web Ontology Language-Description Logic (OWL-DL) is a formal knowledge representation language that is widely used for creating, organizing and managing biomedical knowledge through the use of explicit definitions, consistent structure and a computer-processable format, particularly in biomedical fields. In this paper we describe: 1) integration of an OWL-DL knowledge base with a standards-based EHR prototype, 2) presentation of customized information from the knowledge base via the EHR interface, and 3) lessons learned via the process. The integration was achieved through a combination of manual and automatic methods. Our method has advantages for scaling up to and maintaining knowledge bases of any size, with the goal of assisting clinicians and other EHR users in making better informed health care decisions.

Estimation and characterization of PCDD/Fs, dl-PCBs, PCNs, HxCBz and PeCBz emissions from magnesium metallurgy facilities in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Zhiqiang; Zheng, Minghui; Liu, Wenbin; Zhang, Bing; Liu, Guorui; Su, Guijin; Lv, Pu; Xiao, Ke

2011-12-01

Magnesium production is considered to be one potential source of unintentional persistent organic pollutants (unintentional POPs). However, studies on the emissions of unintentional POPs from magnesium metallurgy are still lacking. Emissions of unintentional POPs, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), hexachlorobenzene (HxCBz) and pentachlorobenzene (PeCBz) are covered under the Stockholm Convention. In this study, these emissions were investigated through a magnesium smelting process. Stack gas and fly ash samples from a typical magnesium plant in China were collected and analyzed to estimate the emissions of unintentional POPs from magnesium metallurgy. Emissions factors of 412 ng TEQ t(-1) for PCDD/Fs, 18.6 ng TEQ t(-1) for dl-PCBs, 3329 μg t(-1) for PCNs, 820 μg t(-1) for HxCBz, and 1326 μg t(-1) for PeCBz were obtained in 2009. Annual emissions from magnesium metallurgy in China were estimated to be 0.46 g WHO-TEQ for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, 1651 g for PCNs, 403 g for HxCBz and 653 g for PeCBz, respectively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of dissolved oxygen on redox potential and milk acidification by lactic acid bacteria isolated from a DL-starter culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Nadja; Werner, Birgit Brøsted; Vogensen, Finn Kvist; Jespersen, Lene

2015-03-01

Milk acidification by DL-starter cultures [cultures containing Lactococcus lactis diacetylactis (D) and Leuconostoc (L) species] depends on the oxidation-reduction (redox) potential in milk; however, the mechanisms behind this effect are not completely clear. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dissolved oxygen on acidification kinetics and redox potential during milk fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Fermentations were conducted by single strains isolated from mixed DL-starter culture, including Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris, by the DL-starter culture, and by the type strains. High and low levels of oxygen were produced by flushing milk with oxygen or nitrogen, respectively. The kinetics of milk acidification was characterized by the maximum rate and time of acidification (Vamax and Tamax), the maximum rate and time of reduction (Vrmax and Trmax), the minimum redox potential (Eh7 final), and time of reaching Eh7 final (Trfinal). Variations in kinetic parameters were observed at both the species and strain levels. Two of the Lc. lactis ssp. lactis strains were not able to lower redox potential to negative values. Kinetic parameters of the DL-starter culture were comparable with the best acidifying and reducing strains, indicating their additive effects. Acidification curves were mostly diauxic at all oxygen levels, displaying 2 maxima of acidification rate: before (aerobic maximum) and after (anaerobic maximum) oxygen depletion. The redox potential decreased concurrently with oxygen consumption and continued to decrease at slower rate until reaching the final values, indicating involvement of both oxygen and microbiological activity in the redox state of milk. Oxygen flushing had a negative effect on reduction and acidification capacity of tested LAB. Reduction was significantly delayed at high initial oxygen, exhibiting longer Trmax, Trfinal, or both

Long-term evaluation of degradation and foreign-body reaction of subcutaneously implanted poly(DL-lactide-epsilon-caprolactone)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

denDunnen, WFA; Robinson, PH; vanWessel, R; Pennings, AJ; vanLeeuwen, MBM; Schakenraad, JM

1997-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the degradation and foreign-body reaction of poly(DL-lactide-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLA(85)CL(50)) bars. This specific biomaterial is used for the construction of nerve guides, which can be used in the reconstruction of short nerve gaps. Subcutaneously implanted

Polychlorinated dioxins, furans (PCDD/Fs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and indicator PCBs (ind-PCBs) in egg and egg products in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Olanca, Burcu; Cakirogullari, Gul Celik; Ucar, Yunus; Kirisik, Dursun; Kilic, Devrim

2014-01-01

The aim of the study is to determine concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and indicator PCBs (ind-PCBs) in eggs from cage hens without soil contact, pasteurized egg samples and imported egg yolk powder samples in Turkey. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, and ind-PCBs in eggs and pasteurized egg samples are in the range of 0.247-1.527 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)g(-1) fat, 0.282-1.762 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)g(-1) fat and 202-1,235 pg g(-1) fat, respectively. For egg yolk powder samples, concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, and ind-PCBs are in the range of 0.122-0.494 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)g(-1) fat, 0.214-0.640 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)g(-1) fat and 217-1,498 pg g(-1) fat, respectively. All results for PCDD/Fs, PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, and ind-PCBs are below the values of 2.5 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)g(-1) fat, 5.0 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)g(-1) fat and 40 ng g(-1) fat imposed in Turkish Regulation for eggs and egg products, respectively. In all samples 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD and PCB126 are the most prominent congeners. Mean estimated daily exposure to PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs for Turkish population from egg is 0.011 pg WHO-TEQ(2005)d(-1)kg body weight (bw)(-1). Although the exposure levels are below the TDI of 2 pg WHO-TEQ(1998)kg bw(-1), the results were based only on consumption of egg. In order to estimate total dietary intake for Turkish population, various food items should be investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of molecular weight and glass transition on relaxation and release behaviour of poly(DL-lactic acid) tablets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steendam, R.; Van Steenbergen, M.J.; Hennink, W.E.; Frijlink, H.W.; Lerk, C.F.

2001-01-01

Different molecular weight grades of poly(DL-lactic acid) were applied as release controlling excipients in tablets for oral drug administration. The role of molecular weight and glass transition in the mechanism of water-induced volume expansion and drug release of PDLA tablets was investigated.

Evaluation of anticancer properties of a new α-methylene-δ-lactone DL-249 on two cancer cell lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pomorska Dorota K.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The anticancer activity of a new synthetic α-methylene-δ-lactone DL-249 was reported in leukemia HL-60 and breast cancer MCF-7 cells and compared with the activity of a natural α-methylene-γ-lactone from Tanacetum parthenium, parthenolide.

Piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of DL-alanine and L-lysine amino-acid polymer nanofibres

Science.gov (United States)

de Matos Gomes, Etelvina; Viseu, Teresa; Belsley, Michael; Almeida, Bernardo; Costa, Maria Margarida R.; Rodrigues, Vitor H.; Isakov, Dmitry

2018-04-01

The piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of electrospun polyethylene oxide nanofibres embedded with polar amino acids DL-alanine and L-lysine hemihydrate are reported. A high pyroelectric coefficient of 150 μC m‑2 K‑1 was measured for L-lysine hemihydrate and piezoelectric current densities up to 7 μA m‑2 were obtained for the nanofibres. The study reveals a potential for polymer amino-acid nanofibres to be used as biocompatible energy harvesters for autonomous circuit applications like in implantable electronics.

Morphological Evaluation of Soft Tissue Augmentation Using Porous Poly-DL-Lactic Acid With Straight Holes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ken, Yukawa; Noriko, Tachikawa; Furuichi, Akiko; Shohei, Kasugai

2016-12-01

This study investigated the biological reaction to porous poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) scaffolds with holes for soft tissue augmentation. The control group was porous PDLLA with a diameter of 5.0 mm and a height of 2.0 mm. For the 2 test groups, 7 holes were drilled from the upper to the lower base of the scaffolds; the holes had diameters of 0.5 and 1.0 mm. A scaffold was placed in the periosteum of the cranium. The height and molecular weight (Mw) of the scaffolds were measured at 4 and 8 weeks. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to measure the connective tissue and blood vessel areas. All groups had similar scaffold heights, but the Mw decreased significantly over time. There were significant differences in the connective tissue and blood vessel areas among the control, 0.5-mm, and 1.0-mm groups at the same time point. The soft tissue was increased by drilling holes in the scaffolds. Porous poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) contributed favorable prognosis for soft tissue. A wider hole was associated with increased connective tissue and blood vessel areas. The scaffold height and Mw were not impacted by size of the holes.

PCDD/PCDF and dl-PCB in the ambient air of a tropical Andean city: passive and active sampling measurements near industrial and vehicular pollution sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Cortés, J; González, C M; Morales, L; Abalos, M; Abad, E; Aristizábal, B H

2014-09-01

Concentration gradients were observed in gas and particulate phases of PCDD/F originating from industrial and vehicular sources in the densely populated tropical Andean city of Manizales, using passive and active air samplers. Preliminary results suggest greater concentrations of dl-PCB in the mostly gaseous fraction (using quarterly passive samplers) and greater concentrations of PCDD/F in the mostly particle fraction (using daily active samplers). Dioxin-like PCB predominance was associated with the semi-volatility property, which depends on ambient temperature. Slight variations of ambient temperature in Manizales during the sampling period (15°C-27°C) may have triggered higher concentrations in all passive samples. This was the first passive air sampling monitoring of PCDD/F conducted in an urban area of Colombia. Passive sampling revealed that PCDD/F in combination with dioxin-like PCB ranged from 16 WHO-TEQ2005/m(3) near industrial sources to 7 WHO-TEQ2005/m(3) in an intermediate zone-a reduction of 56% over 2.8 km. Active sampling of particulate phase PCDD/F and dl-PCB were analyzed in PM10 samples. PCDD/F combined with dl-PCB ranged from 46 WHO-TEQ2005/m(3) near vehicular sources to 8 WHO-TEQ2005/m(3) in the same intermediate zone, a reduction of 83% over 2.6 km. Toxic equivalent quantities in both PCDD/F and dl-PCB decreased toward an intermediate zone of the city. Variations in congener profiles were consistent with variations expected from nearby sources, such as a secondary metallurgy plant, areas of concentrated vehicular emissions and a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI). These variations in congener profile measurements of dioxins and dl-PCBs in passive and active samples can be partly explained by congener variations expected from the various sources. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activity in dlPFC and its effective connectivity to vmPFC are associated with temporal discounting

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Todd A Hare

2014-03-01

Full Text Available There is widespread interest in identifying computational and neurobiological mechanisms that influence the ability to choose long-term benefits over more proximal and readily available rewards in domains such as dietary and economic choice. We present the results of a human fMRI study that examines how neural activity relates to observed individual differences in the discounting of future rewards during an intertemporal monetary choice task. We found that a region of left dlPFC BA-46 was more active in trials where subjects chose delayed rewards, after controlling for the subjective value of those rewards. We also found that the connectivity from dlPFC BA-46 to a region of vmPFC widely associated with the computational of stimulus values, increased at the time of choice, and especially during trials in which subjects chose delayed rewards. Finally, we found that estimates of effective connectivity between these two regions played a critical role in predicting out-of-sample, between-subject differences in discount rates. Together with previous findings in dietary choice, these results suggest that a common set of computational and neurobiological mechanisms facilitate choices in favor of long- term reward in both settings.

Comportamiento volumétrico de la DL-valina en soluciones acuosas de nitrato de sodio a diferentes temperaturas

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Manuel Páez-Meza

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Se determinaron las densidades de la DL-valina (Ácido 2-amino-3-metilbutanoico en soluciones acuosas de nitrato de sodio en el intervalo de temperaturas desde 283.15 K hasta 318.15 K usando un densímetro de tubo vibratorio Anton Paar DMA 5000. Se calcularon: los volúmenes molares aparentes, los volúmenes molares aparentes a dilución infinita, la segunda derivada de los volúmenes molares parciales a dilución infinita con respecto a la temperatura, así como los volúmenes molares parciales de transferencia y los números de hidratación. Los resultados obtenidos se discutieron en términos de las interacciones predominantes en solución, encontrándose que la DL-valina tiene un efecto disruptor de la estructura del solvente y que a dilución infinita predominan las interacciones soluto-solvente entre el grupo isopropil del aminoácido y los iones sodio y nitrato.

EPR study of gamma-irradiated N-methyl-L-alanine, DL-2-methyl glutamic acid hemihydrate and Di-leucine hydrochloride in solid state

Science.gov (United States)

Sütçü, Kerem; Osmanoğlu, Y. Emre

2017-12-01

In this study, it was aimed to investigate ɣ-irradiated powders of N-methyl-L-alanine (NMLA), DL-2-methyl glutamic acid hemihydrate (DL2MGAH), and Di-leucine hydrochloride (DLHCl) at room temperature by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. After the γ-irradiation the samples indicated the existence of the CH3ĊNHCH3COOH, HOOCCH3NH2CĊHCH2COOH·1/2H2O and (CH3)2ĊCH2CH NHCOOHCOCH (NH2HCl) CH2CH (CH3)2 radicals, respectively. The spectral parameters of the radicals were determined. The results were compared with the earlier studies and discussed accordingly.

Kritische Sicht der Literatur über die (südslawische Entsprechung der Gruppe tl/dl unter spezieller Berücksichtigung des rumänischen mocirlǎ

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Varja Orešnik Cvetko

1993-12-01

Full Text Available Das Problem der Entsprechung der urslawischen Verbindung *tl/dl in den siisla­ wischen Sprachen war teilweise Gegenstand von kontroversen Interpretationen. Noch besonders strittig war die Interpretation des zweifachen Nachweises in den Preisinger Denkmfilem. So stellt z.B. Issatschenko 1943 in seiner deutschen Zusammenfassung folgendes fest (S. 85: "Neben dl in modliti, modlim, vzedli II 59, 36, 62 haben wir bereits assimiliertes l in crilatcem I 4. /.../ Ramovš vertritt nun, ebenso wie Grafenau­ er, die These, Preis. I sei in Kärnten entstanden /.../. Aber gerade die Kärntner slov. Dialekte haben altes dl bewahrt, vgl. gailtalerisch kridųo. Warum  haben  wir dann nicht auch *kridlatcem ? Für uns ist hier wichtig, dass Preis. II eine andere Lautung hat, als die beiden Beichten, die, nach Ramovš, den 'jüngeren' Sprachstand aufwei­ sen."

Comparison of response between food supplemented with powdered iron and iron in syrup form for iron deficiency anemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, P.

2003-01-01

Objective: To evaluate and compare the response between food supplemented with iron in powdered and iron in syrup forms for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children aged 1-5 years. Results: Over half (51 %) of the patients were between 1-2 years of age. One hundred thirty-two were males and 68 females. Most of the patients belonged to poor socioeconomic class. The iron in powder form was better tolerated than iron syrup as this group witnessed fewer episodes of gastrointestinal disturbances. The rise in mean Hb level after 6 weeks of treatment in group A and B was 1.6 g/dl and 1.9 g/dl respectively. Hemoglobin rise in group B was more than group A but this was statistically non-significant (p>0.05). There was small but significant (p<0.05) rise in serum ferritin in both the groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups for response to the two forms of iron administration. Conclusion: The powdered form of iron is a cost-effective and better tolerated method of iron administration in children and can be considered as an alternate option for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children. (author)

Chirality-dependent friction of bulk molecular solids.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dian; Cohen, Adam E

2014-08-26

We show that the solid-solid friction between bulk chiral molecular solids can depend on the relative chirality of the two materials. In menthol and 1-phenyl-1-butanol, heterochiral friction is smaller than homochiral friction, while in ibuprofen, heterochiral friction is larger. Chiral asymmetries in the coefficient of sliding friction vary with temperature and can be as large as 30%. In the three compounds tested, the sign of the difference between heterochiral and homochiral friction correlated with the sign of the difference in melting point between racemate (compound or conglomerate) and pure enantiomer. Menthol and ibuprofen each form a stable racemic compound, while 1-phenyl-1-butanol forms a racemic conglomerate. Thus, a difference between heterochiral and homochiral friction does not require the formation of a stable interfacial racemic compound. Measurements of chirality-dependent friction provide a unique means to distinguish the role of short-range intermolecular forces from all other sources of dissipation in the friction of bulk molecular solids.

(±-Pestalachloride D, an Antibacterial Racemate of Chlorinated Benzophenone Derivative from a Soft Coral-Derived Fungus Pestalotiopsis sp.

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Dong-Sheng Deng

2013-03-01

Full Text Available A new antibacterial chlorinated benzophenone derivative, (±-pestalachloride D (1, along with a related analog, (±-pestalachloride C (2, was recently isolated from the marine-derived fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. isolated from a soft coral Sarcophyton sp. collected from Yongxing Island in the South China Sea. Both chiral HPLC analysis and single-crystal X-ray data indicated that 1 is a racemic mixture. Interestingly, 1 did not exhibit any effect in the zebrafish embryo teratogenicity assay, while 2 led to abnormal growth. The potential impact on zebrafish embryo growth is discussed based on their crystal structures. The main difference of crystal structures between 1 and 2 is that the six-member non-aromatic ring (O4, C10, C9, C8, C2′, and C3′ in 1 exhibits a distorted chair conformation, while 2 shows a distorted boat conformation. Moreover, compounds 1 and 2 both exhibited moderate antibacterial activity.

Production of D-alanine from DL-alanine using immobilized cells of Bacillus subtilis HLZ-68.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yangyang; Li, Xiangping; Zhang, Caifei; Yu, Xiaodong; Huang, Fei; Huang, Shihai; Li, Lianwei; Liu, Shiyu

2017-09-13

Immobilized cells of Bacillus subtilis HLZ-68 were used to produce D-alanine from DL-alanine by asymmetric degradation. Different compounds such as polyvinyl alcohol and calcium alginate were employed for immobilizing the B. subtilis HLZ-68 cells, and the results showed that cells immobilized using a mixture of these two compounds presented higher L-alanine degradation activity, when compared with free cells. Subsequently, the effects of different concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol and calcium alginate on L-alanine consumption were examined. Maximum L-alanine degradation was exhibited by cells immobilized with 8% (w/v) polyvinyl alcohol and 2% (w/v) calcium alginate. Addition of 400 g of DL-alanine (200 g at the beginning of the reaction and 200 g after 30 h of incubation) into the reaction solution at 30 °C, pH 6.0, aeration of 1.0 vvm, and agitation of 400 rpm resulted in complete L-alanine degradation within 60 h, leaving 185 g of D-alanine in the reaction solution. The immobilized cells were applied for more than 15 cycles of degradation and a maximum utilization rate was achieved at the third cycle. D-alanine was easily extracted from the reaction solution using cation-exchange resin, and the chemical and optical purity of the extracted D-alanine was 99.1 and 99.6%, respectively.

Displacement of DL-[3H]-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid ( [3H]APB) binding with methyl-substituted APB analogues and glutamate agonists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, M.B.; Crooks, S.L.; Johnson, R.L.; Koerner, J.F.

1985-01-01

The binding of the excitatory amino acid antagonist DL-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (DL-APB) to rat brain synaptic plasma membranes was characterized. As determined by Scatchard analysis, the binding was saturable and homogeneous with a Kd = 6.0 microM and Bmax = 380 pmol/mg of protein. The binding was dependent on the presence of Ca 2+ and Cl - ions and was diminished upon freezing. The association rate constant was 6.8 X 10(-3) microM -1 min -1 , and the dissociation rate constant was 2.0 X 10(-2) min -1 . The L isomers of APB, glutamate, and aspartate were more potent as displacers of APB binding than the D isomers. With the exception of kynurenic acid, all compounds examined in both systems were more potent as displacers of APB binding than as inhibitors of synaptic transmission. This difference in potency was most pronounced for agonists at dentate granule cells. L-Glutamate, D-glutamate, and L-glutamate tetrazole were between 140- and 7500-fold more potent as displacers of DL-APB binding than as inhibitors of synaptic transmission. D-2-Amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid and alpha-methyl-APB were between 10- and 20-fold more potent as displacers of binding

dl-Asparaginium nitrate

Science.gov (United States)

Moussa Slimane, Nabila; Cherouana, Aouatef; Bendjeddou, Lamia; Dahaoui, Slimane; Lecomte, Claude

2009-01-01

In the title compound, C4H9N2O3 +·NO3 −, alternatively called (1RS)-2-carbamoyl-1-carboxy­ethanaminium nitrate, the asymmetric unit comprises one asparaginium cation and one nitrate anion. The strongest cation–cation O—H⋯O hydrogen bond in the structure, together with other strong cation–cation N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generates a succession of infinite chains of R 2 2(8) rings along the b axis. Additional cation–cation C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link these chains into two-dimensional layers formed by alternating R 4 4(24) and R 4 2(12) rings. Connections between these layers are provided by the strong cation–anion N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as by one weak C—H⋯O inter­action, thus forming a three-dimensional network. Some of the cation–anion N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are bifurcated of the type D—H⋯(A 1,A 2). PMID:21577586

Long-acting poly(DL:lactic acid-castor oil) 3:7-bupivacaine formulation: effect of hydrophobic additives.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolsky-Papkov, Marina; Golovanevski, Ludmila; Domb, Abraham J; Weiniger, Carolyn F

2011-12-01

To reduce formulation viscosity of bupivacaine/poly(DL lactic acid co castor oil) 3:7 without increasing bupivacaine release rates. Poly(DL lactic acid) 3:7 was synthesized and bupivacaine formulation prepared by mixing with additives ricinoleic acid or castor oil. In vitro release measurements identified optimum formulation. Anesthetized ICR mice were injected around left sciatic nerve using nerve stimulator with 0.1 mL of formulation. Animals received 10% bupivacaine-polymer formulation with 10% castor oil (p(DLLA:CO)3:7-10% bupi-10% CO) or 15% bupivacaine-polymer with 10% castor oil (p(DLLA:CO)3:7-15% bupi-10% CO). Sensory and motor block were measured. Viscosity of 10% and 15% bupivacaine-p(DLLA:CO)3:7 formulations was reduced using hydrophobic additives; however, castor oil reduced bupivacaine release rates and eliminated burst effect. Less than 10% of the incorporated bupivacaine was released during 6 h, and less than 25% released in 24 h in vitro. In vivo formulation injection resulted in a 24 h motor block and a sensory block lasting at least 72 h. Incorporation of hydrophobic low-viscosity additive reduced viscosity in addition to burst release effects. Bupivacaine-polymer formulation with castor oil additive demonstrated prolonged sensory analgesia in vivo, with reduced duration of motor block.

Investigation of the bacteriophage community in induced lysates of undefined mesophilic mixed-strain DL-cultures using classical and metagenomic approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muhammed, Musemma K.; Olsen, Mette L.; Kot, Witold

2018-01-01

To investigate the notion that starter cultures can be a reservoir of bacteriophages (phages) in the dairy environment, strains of three DL-starters (undefined mesophilic mixed-strain starters containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species) were selected...

Warfarin binding to plasma of workers exposed to toluene diisocyanate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bachmann, K.; Shapiro, R.; Forney, R.B. Jr.

1982-02-01

The extent of (14)C-warfarin binding to plasma proteins was evaluated in a group of normal, healthy volunteers and in two groups of individuals occupationally exposed to toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Plasma binding was assessed by ultrafiltration after the addition of racemic (14)C-warfarin to a final concentration of 0.8 microgram/ml. Chronic occupational exposure to TDI did not affect the extent of warfarin binding since warfarin free fractions (normalized to an albumin concentration of 4.5 g/dl) were 1.09 +/- 0.23 (mean +/- SD), 0.98 +/- 0.19, and 0.97 +/- 0.15 for controls and the two groups of TDI-exposed individuals, respectively.

Stereoselective Effects of Abused “Bath Salt” Constituent 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone in Mice: Drug Discrimination, Locomotor Activity, and Thermoregulation

Science.gov (United States)

Gannon, Brenda M.; Williamson, Adrian; Suzuki, Masaki; Rice, Kenner C.

2016-01-01

3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a common constituent of illicit “bath salts” products. MDPV is a chiral molecule, but the contribution of each enantiomer to in vivo effects in mice has not been determined. To address this, mice were trained to discriminate 10 mg/kg cocaine from saline, and substitutions with racemic MDPV, S(+)-MDPV, and R(−)-MDPV were performed. Other mice were implanted with telemetry probes to monitor core temperature and locomotor responses elicited by racemic MDPV, S(+)-MDPV, and R(−)-MDPV under a warm (28°C) or cool (20°C) ambient temperature. Mice reliably discriminated the cocaine training dose from saline, and each form of MDPV fully substituted for cocaine, although marked potency differences were observed such that S(+)-MDPV was most potent, racemic MDPV was less potent than the S(+) enantiomer, and R(−)-MDPV was least potent. At both ambient temperatures, locomotor stimulant effects were observed after doses of S(+)-MDPV and racemic MDPV, but R(−)-MDPV did not elicit locomotor stimulant effects at any tested dose. Interestingly, significant increases in maximum core body temperature were only observed after administration of racemic MDPV in the warm ambient environment; neither MDPV enantiomer altered core temperature at any dose tested, at either ambient temperature. These studies suggest that all three forms of MDPV induce biologic effects, but R(−)-MDPV is less potent than S(+)-MDPV and racemic MDPV. Taken together, these data suggest that the S(+)-MDPV enantiomer is likely responsible for the majority of the biologic effects of the racemate and should be targeted in therapeutic efforts against MDPV overdose and abuse. PMID:26769917

Meeting Teacher Expectations in a DL Professional Development Programme--A Case Study for Sustained Applied Competence as Programme Outcome

Science.gov (United States)

Kruger, Cornè Gerda; Van Rensburg, Ona Janse; De Witt, Marike W.

2016-01-01

Meeting teacher expectations for a professional development programme (PDP) is expected to strengthen sustainable applied competence as programme outcome since teachers will be more motivated to apply the programme content in practice. A revised distance learning (DL) programme was augmented by a practical component comprising a work-integrated…

Investigation on the chirality of positrons from 22Na decay and their asymmetrical interactions with D-, L- and DL-alanines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conte, E.; Pieralice, M.

1987-01-01

An investigation on the chirality of the positrons from 22 Na and on their asymmetrical interactions with D-, L-, and DL-alanines was carried out. By using nuclear gamma-spectroscopy, the asymmetrical interaction was proved to be induced with a distinguishably asymmetrical effect

Titrating lovaza from 4 to 8 to 12 grams/day in patients with primary hypertriglyceridemia who had triglyceride levels >500 mg/dl despite conventional triglyceride lowering therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glueck Charles J

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Omega-3 fatty acids are important in treatment of severe primary hypertriglyceridemia (HTG. In 15 patients with severe primary HTG (TG >500 mg/dl despite conventional TG lowering therapy, we assessed efficacy-safety of sequential monthly treatment with Lovaza, 4 to 8 to 12 g/day. Methods With TG >500 mg/dl despite Type V diet, hyperinsulinemia and diabetes control, and fibric acids, Lovaza (4 g/d was added for 1 month, and if TG remained >500 mg/dl, increased to 8 g/d for 1 month, and then to 12 g/d for 1 month, and subsequently reduced to 4 g/day for 4 months. Results Primary HTG, median TG 884 mg/dl, 14 men, 1 woman, all white, age 50 ± 7 years, 12 non-diabetic, 3 with stable diabetes control. Weight and diet held stable throughout. In 5 patients, after 1, 2, and 3 months on 4 g/day, TG fell Conclusion Titration of Lovaza from 4 to 8 to 12 g/d safely offers an effective way to lower TG beyond conventional 4 g therapy.

Rationale and Safety Assessment of a Novel Intravaginal Drug-Delivery System with Sustained DL-Lactic Acid Release, Intended for Long-Term Protection of the Vaginal Microbiome.

Science.gov (United States)

Verstraelen, Hans; Vervaet, Chris; Remon, Jean-Paul

2016-01-01

Bacterial vaginosis is a prevalent state of dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiota with wide-ranging impact on human reproductive health. Based on recent insights in community ecology of the vaginal microbiome, we hypothesize that sustained vaginal DL-lactic acid enrichment will enhance the recruitment of lactobacilli, while counteracting bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria. We therefore aimed to develop an intravaginal device that would be easy to insert and remove, while providing sustained DL-lactic acid release into the vaginal lumen. The final prototype selected is a vaginal ring matrix system consisting of a mixture of ethylene vinyl acetate and methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate copolymer loaded with 150 mg DL-lactic acid with an L/D-lactic acid ratio of 1:1. Preclinical safety assessment was performed by use of the Slug Mucosal Irritation test, a non-vertebrate assay to evaluate vaginal mucosal irritation, which revealed no irritation. Clinical safety was evaluated in a phase I trial with six healthy nulliparous premenopausal volunteering women, with the investigational drug left in place for 7 days. Colposcopic monitoring according to the WHO/CONRAD guidelines for the evaluation of vaginal products, revealed no visible cervicovaginal mucosal changes. No adverse events related to the investigational product occurred. Total release from the intravaginal ring over 7 days was estimated through high performance liquid chromatography at 37.1 (standard deviation 0.9) mg DL-lactic acid. Semisolid lactic acid formulations have been studied to a limited extent in the past and typically consist of a large volume of excipients and very high doses of lactic acid, which is of major concern to mucosal safety. We have documented the feasability of enriching the vaginal environment with pure DL-lactic acid with a prototype intravaginal ring. Though the efficacy of this platform remains to be established possibly requiring further development, this approach may offer a

The effects of DL-AP5 and glutamate on ghrelin-induced feeding behavior in 3-h food-deprived broiler cockerels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Taati, Majid; Nayebzadeh, Hassan; Zendehdel, Morteza

This study was designed to examine the effects of intracerebroventricular injection of DL-AP5 (N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist) and glutamate on ghrelin-induced feeding behavior in 3-h food-deprived (FD3) broiler cockerels. At first, guide cannula was surgically implanted in the

INFLUENCE OF SPEED, TIME OF HOMOGENIZATION, TYPE OF SURFACE ACTIVE SUBSTANCE ON THE SIZE OF PENTOXYPHILLINE NANOPARTICLES BASED ON POLY-DL-LAKTIDE-CO-GLICOLIDE

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T. V. Timchenko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nanopharmacology is a set of methods and techniques used in the creation, study, production and use of nanostructures (size about 1–700 nm with new chemical, physical, and biological properties. For a long time pharmacologists have been working on molecular, and sometimes even on a submolecular level for synthesizing new drugs and explaining their mechanism of action. Thanks to this, the interest of pharmacology in nanotechnology is connected with new ways of obtaining and using medicines. One way of obtaining new forms of drugs is the synthesis of nanoparticles, since they allow the active substance to overcome the protective barriers of the body such as, for example, the immune system. Due to the fact that the surface of nanoparticles (nanocapsules is multilayered, their resistance to the action of the protective mechanisms of the body increases, which allows the drug to retain the activity of the pharmacological action, as well as its structure for a longer time. The possibility of penetration through biological barriers, tissue-specificity, rate of drug release depends largely on the size and surface properties of nanoparticles.The aim of our study was to study the influence of such important factors as time, homogenization rate and the type of surface active substance, on the size of the obtained nanoparticles of pentoxifylline based on poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA.Materials and methods. The research was carried out using the information retrieval database (PubMed, as well as the results of our own research.Results and discussion. It has been found that the dispersion phase of the sample, in which polyvinyl alcohol was used as the surfactant, had the smallest size, particularly, the average hydrodynamic radius of the particles amounted to 175.4 nm. The influence of the speed and time of homogenization on the size of nano particles of pentoxifylline based on PLGA was experimentally proved. Also, microphotographs of nanoparticles of

Isotopic variants of light and heavy L-pyroglutamic acid succinimidyl esters as the derivatization reagents for DL-amino acid chiral metabolomics identification by liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mochizuki, Toshiki; Todoroki, Kenichiro; Inoue, Koichi; Min, Jun Zhe; Toyo’oka, Toshimasa, E-mail: toyooka@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp

2014-02-06

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Isotopic variants of chiral labeling reagents were newly synthesized. •Analysis of DL-amino acids was performed by UPLC–ESI–MS/MS. •Highly efficient enantioseparation and detection of DL-amino acids were performed. •Differential analysis of DL-amino acid was successfully performed in real samples. -- Abstract: L-Pyroglutamic acid succinimidyl ester (L-PGA-OSu) and its isotopic variant (L-PGA[d{sub 5}]-OSu) were newly synthesized and evaluated as the chiral labeling reagents for the enantioseparation of amino acids, in terms of separation efficiency by reversed-phase chromatography and detection sensitivity by ESI-MS/MS. The enantiomers of amino acids were easily labeled with the reagents at 60 °C within 10 min in an alkaline medium containing triethylamine. Although all the diastereomers derived from 18 proteolytic amino acids could not be satisfactorily separated, the pairs of 9 amino acids were completely separated by reversed-phase chromatography using the small particle (1.7 μm) ODS column (Rs = 1.95–8.05). The characteristic daughter ions, i.e., m/z 84.04 and m/z 89.04, were detected from all the derivatives by the collision induced dissociation of the protonated molecular ions. A highly sensitive detection at a low-fmol level (0.5–3.2 fmol) was also obtained from the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) chromatograms. An isotope labeling strategy using light and heavy L-PGA-OSu for the differential analysis of the DL-amino acids in different sample groups is also presented in this paper. The differential analysis of biological sample (i.e., human serum) and food product (i.e., yogurt) were tried to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. The ratios of the DL-amino acids in human serum samples, spiked with the different concentrations of D-amino acids, were determined by the procedures using L-PGA-OSu and L-PGA[d{sub 5}]-OSu. The D/L ratios in the two sample groups at different concentrations of

Isotopic variants of light and heavy L-pyroglutamic acid succinimidyl esters as the derivatization reagents for DL-amino acid chiral metabolomics identification by liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mochizuki, Toshiki; Todoroki, Kenichiro; Inoue, Koichi; Min, Jun Zhe; Toyo’oka, Toshimasa

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Isotopic variants of chiral labeling reagents were newly synthesized. •Analysis of DL-amino acids was performed by UPLC–ESI–MS/MS. •Highly efficient enantioseparation and detection of DL-amino acids were performed. •Differential analysis of DL-amino acid was successfully performed in real samples. -- Abstract: L-Pyroglutamic acid succinimidyl ester (L-PGA-OSu) and its isotopic variant (L-PGA[d 5 ]-OSu) were newly synthesized and evaluated as the chiral labeling reagents for the enantioseparation of amino acids, in terms of separation efficiency by reversed-phase chromatography and detection sensitivity by ESI-MS/MS. The enantiomers of amino acids were easily labeled with the reagents at 60 °C within 10 min in an alkaline medium containing triethylamine. Although all the diastereomers derived from 18 proteolytic amino acids could not be satisfactorily separated, the pairs of 9 amino acids were completely separated by reversed-phase chromatography using the small particle (1.7 μm) ODS column (Rs = 1.95–8.05). The characteristic daughter ions, i.e., m/z 84.04 and m/z 89.04, were detected from all the derivatives by the collision induced dissociation of the protonated molecular ions. A highly sensitive detection at a low-fmol level (0.5–3.2 fmol) was also obtained from the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) chromatograms. An isotope labeling strategy using light and heavy L-PGA-OSu for the differential analysis of the DL-amino acids in different sample groups is also presented in this paper. The differential analysis of biological sample (i.e., human serum) and food product (i.e., yogurt) were tried to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. The ratios of the DL-amino acids in human serum samples, spiked with the different concentrations of D-amino acids, were determined by the procedures using L-PGA-OSu and L-PGA[d 5 ]-OSu. The D/L ratios in the two sample groups at different concentrations of amino

Lister vaccine strain of vaccinia virus armed with the endostatin-angiostatin fusion gene: an oncolytic virus superior to dl1520 (ONYX-015) for human head and neck cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Tysome, James R; Wang, Pengju; Alusi, Ghassan; Briat, Arnaud; Gangeswaran, Rathi; Wang, Jiwei; Bhakta, Vipul; Fodor, Istvan; Lemoine, Nick R; Wang, Yaohe

2011-09-01

Oncolytic viral therapy represents a promising strategy for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with dl1520 (ONYX-015) the most widely used oncolytic adenovirus in clinical trials. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Lister vaccine strain of vaccinia virus as well as a vaccinia virus armed with the endostatin-angiostatin fusion gene (VVhEA) as a novel therapy for HNSCC and to compare them with dl1520. The potency and replication of the Lister strain and VVhEA and the expression and function of the fusion protein were determined in human HNSCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Finally, the efficacy of VVhEA was compared with dl1520 in vivo in a human HNSCC model. The Lister vaccine strain of vaccinia virus was more effective than the adenovirus against all HNSCC cell lines tested in vitro. Although the potency of VVhEA was attenuated in vitro, the expression and function of the endostatin-angiostatin fusion protein was confirmed in HNSCC models both in vitro and in vivo. This novel vaccinia virus (VVhEA) demonstrated superior antitumor potency in vivo compared with both dl1520 and the control vaccinia virus. This study suggests that the Lister strain vaccinia virus armed with an endostatin-angiostatin fusion gene may be a potential therapeutic agent for HNSCC.

Diversity and survivability of microbial community in ancient permafrost sediment of northeast Siberia

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, R.; Lau, M.; Vishnivetskaya, T. A.; Lloyd, K. G.; Pfiffner, S. M.; Rivkina, E.; Onstott, T. C.

2017-12-01

The prevalence of microorganisms in frozen permafrost has been well documented in ancient sediment up to several million years old. However, the long term survivability and metabolic activity of microbes over geological timespans remain underexplored. Siberian permafrost sediment was collected at various depths (1.4m, 11.8 m and 24.8m) to represent a wide range of geological time from thousands to millions of years. Extracellular (eDNA) and intracellular DNA (iDNA) was simultaneously recovered for sequencing to characterize the potentially extinct and extant microbial community. Additionally, aspartic acid racemization assay (D/L Asp) was used to infer the metabolic activity of microbes in ancient permafrost. As compared with the young sample (1.4m), DNA yield and content of aspartic acid dramatically decreased in old samples (11.8m and 24.8m). However, D/L Asp and eDNA/iDNA significantly increased with the geological age. Such findings suggested that ancient microbiomes might be subjected to racemization or even DNA/proteins degradation at subzero temperature over the wide geological time scale. Preliminary characterization of microbial community indicated that the majority of sequences in old samples were identified as bacteria and only a small fraction was identified as archaea from the iDNA pool. While the eDNA and iDNA fractions shared similar dominant taxa at phylum level, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in eDNA library was much higher than iDNA. By contrast, the phylum affiliated with Firmicutes was more numerically abundant in the iDNA fraction. More dramatic differences were observed between eDNA and iDNA library at lower taxonomic levels. Particularly, the microbial lineages affiliated with the genera Methanoregula, Desulfosporosinus and Syntrophomonas were only detected in the iDNA library. Such taxonomic difference between the relic eDNA and iDNA suggested that numerous species become locally "extinct" whereas many other taxa might survive in

DL-7-azatryptophan and citrulline metabolism in the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain 1F

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.H.; Van Baalen, C.; Tabita, F.R.

1987-01-01

An alternative route for the primary assimilation of ammonia proceeds via glutamine synthetase-carbamyl phosphate synthetase and its inherent glutaminase activity in Anabaena sp. strain 1F, a marine filamentous, heterocystous cyanobacterium. Evidence for the presence of this possible alternative route to glutamate was provided by the use of amino acid analogs as specific enzyme inhibitors, enzymological studies, and radioistopic labeling experiments. The amino acid pool patterns of continuous cultures of Anabaena sp. strain 1F were markedly influenced by the nitrogen source. A relatively high concentration of glutamate was maintained in the amino acid pools of all cultures irrespective of the nitrogen source, reflecting the central role of glutamate in nitrogen metabolism. The addition of 1.0 microM azaserine increased the intracellular pools of glutamate and glutamine. All attempts to detect any enzymatic activity for glutamate synthase by measuring the formation of L-[ 14 C]glutamate from 2-keto-[1- 14 C]glutarate and glutamine failed. The addition of 10 microM DL-7-azatryptophan caused a transient accumulation of intracellular citrulline and alanine which was not affected by the presence of chloramphenicol. The in vitro activity of carbamyl phosphate synthetase and glutaminase increased severalfold in the presence of azatryptophan. Results from radioisotopic labeling experiments with [ 14 C]bicarbonate and L-[1- 14 C]ornithine also indicated that citrulline was formed via carbamyl phosphate synthetase and ornithine transcarbamylase. In addition to its effects on nitrogen metabolism, azatryptophan also affected carbon metabolism by inhibiting photosynthetic carbon assimilation and photosynthetic oxygen evolution

Vorinostat-eluting poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) nanofiber-coated stent for inhibition of cholangiocarcinoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Tae Won; Lee, Hye Lim; Song, Yeon Hui; Kim, Chan; Kim, Jungsoo; Seo, Sol-Ji; Jeong, Young-Il; Kang, Dae Hwan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to fabricate a vorinostat (Zolinza™)-eluting nanofiber membrane-coated gastrointestinal (GI) stent and to study its antitumor activity against cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells in vitro and in vivo. Vorinostat and poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) dissolved in an organic solvent was sprayed onto a GI stent to make a nanofiber-coated stent using an electro-spinning machine. Intact vorinostat and vorinostat released from nanofibers was used to assess anticancer activity in vitro against various CCA cells. The antitumor activity of the vorinostat-eluting nanofiber membrane-coated stent was evaluated using HuCC-T1 bearing mice. A vorinostat-incorporated polymer nanofiber membrane was formed on the surface of the GI stent. Vorinostat was continuously released from the nanofiber membrane over 10 days, and its release rate was higher in cell culture media than in phosphate-buffered saline. Released vorinostat showed similar anticancer activity against various CCA cells in vitro compared to that of vorinostat. Like vorinostat, vorinostat released from nanofibers induced acetylation of histone H4 and inhibited histone deacetylases 1⋅3⋅4/5/7 expression in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, vorinostat nanofibers showed a higher tumor growth inhibition rate in HuCC-T1 bearing mice than vorinostat injections. Vorinostat-eluting nanofiber membranes showed significant antitumor activity against CCA cells in vitro and in vivo. We suggest the vorinostat nanofiber-coated stent may be a promising candidate for CCA treatment.

Impact of NaCl reduction in Danish semi-hard Samsoe cheeses on proliferation and autolysis of DL-starter cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Søndergaard, Lise; Ryssel, Mia; Svendsen, Carina; Høier, Erik; Andersen, Ulf; Hammershøj, Marianne; Møller, Jean R; Arneborg, Nils; Jespersen, Lene

2015-11-20

Reduction of sodium chloride (NaCl) in cheese manufacturing is a challenge for the dairy industry. NaCl has a profound role on microbial development influencing cheese sensory and technological properties. The purpose of this work was to investigate how proliferation, distribution and autolysis of two commercial DL-starter cultures (C1 and C2) used in the production of Danish semi-hard Samsoe cheeses were affected by reduced NaCl levels. Cheeses containing autolysis were monitored during ripening, as well as the impact of NaCl content and autolysis on the formation of free amino acids (FAA). Reduction of NaCl resulted in higher LAB counts at the early stages of ripening, with differences between the two DL-starter cultures. The unsalted cheeses produced with C1 had retained a significantly higher number of the initial LAB counts (cfu/g) after 1 and 2 weeks of ripening (i.e. 58% and 71%), compared to the normal-salted cheeses (i.e. 22% and 21%), whereas no significant difference was found between the reduced-salt (i.e. 31% and 35%) and normal-salted cheeses. At the later stages of ripening (i.e. 7 and 11 weeks) NaCl had no significant influence. For cheeses produced with C2, a significant influence of NaCl was only found in cheeses ripened for 7 weeks, where the unsalted and reduced-salt cheeses had retained a significantly higher number of the initial LAB counts (cfu/g) (i.e. 39% and 38%), compared to the normal-salted cheeses (i.e. 21%). In the Samsoe cheeses, bacteria were organized as single cells, in groups of 2-3 cells or in groups of ≥4 cells. During ripening the decrease in the number of viable bacteria was mainly due to a reduction in the number of viable bacteria organized in groups of ≥4 cells. A negative correlation between NaCl content and PepX activity was observed. At the end of ripening the total FAA content was lower in the unsalted cheeses, compared to the reduced- and normal-salted cheeses. In conclusion, NaCl had a significant influence on

Analysis of metalaxyl racemate using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with four kinds of detectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tao; Fan, Jun; Gao, Ruiqi; Wang, Tai; Yu, Ying; Zhang, Weiguang

2016-10-07

Chiral stationary phase-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with various detectors has been one of most commonly used methods for analysis and separation of chiral compounds over the past decades. Various detectors exhibit different characteristics in qualitative and quantitative studies under different chromatographic conditions. Herein, a comparative evaluation of HPLC coupled with ultraviolet, optical rotation, refractive index, and evaporative light scattering detectors has been conducted for qualitative and quantitative analyses of metalaxyl racemate. Effects of separation conditions on the peak area ratio between two enantiomers, including sample concentration, column temperature, mobile phase composition, as well as flow rate, have been investigated in detail. In addition, the limits of detection, the limits of quantitation, quantitative range and precision for these two enantiomers by using four detectors have been also studied. As indicated, the chromatographic separation conditions have been slight effects on ultraviolet and refractive index detections and the peak area ratio between two enantiomers remains almost unchanged, but the evaporative light scattering detection has been significantly affected by the above-mentioned chromatographic conditions and the corresponding peak area ratios varied greatly. Moreover, the limits of detection, the limits of quantitation, and the quantitative ranges of two enantiomers with UV detection were remarkably lower by 1-2 magnitudes than the others. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prediction of the PCDD/F and dl-PCB 2005-WHO-TEQ content based on the contribution of six congeners: Toward a new screening approach for fish samples?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cariou, Ronan; Marchand, Philippe; Venisseau, Anais; Brosseaud, Aline; Bertrand, Dominique; Qannari, El Mostafa; Antignac, Jean-Philippe; Le Bizec, Bruno

2010-01-01

Current European Union regulation regarding polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in food and feed is based on Toxic Equivalent Quotient (TEQ) concept. For confirmatory purpose, the isotope-dilution method associated to a measurement by gas chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry is usually the method of choice for precisely measuring the 29 target congeners in three separated fractions. Time and cost related to these analyses are very significant. Various kinds of screening concepts can be considered. In the present study, we elaborated and validated a prediction model for the 2005 World Health Organization TEQ in fish, based on the measurement of 4 PCDD/F and 2 non-ortho dl-PCB congeners, potentially analyzable in a single extracted fraction by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Large independent datasets have been used for model elaboration (n = 108) and validation (n = 363, n = 357 and n = 6). - This study describes a statistical regression model approach for screening PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in fish.

Simple and Efficient Synthesis of Racemic 2-(tert-Butoxycarbon-ylamino-2-methyl-3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylpropanoic Acid, a New Derivative of β-(1,2,4-Triazol-1-ylalanine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelali Kerbal

2011-04-01

Full Text Available A simple synthetic approach to racemic N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-2-methyl-3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylalanine (5 in four steps and 68% overall yield starting from oxazoline derivative 1 is reported. This synthesis involves the alkylation of 1H-1,2,4-triazole with an O-tosyloxazoline derivative, followed by an oxazoline ring-opening reaction and oxidation of the N-protected β‑aminoalcohol by potassium permanganate.

Low-Vacuum Deposition of Glutamic Acid and Pyroglutamic Acid: A Facile Methodology for Depositing Organic Materials beyond Amino Acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Iwao; Maeda, Shunsaku; Suda, Yoriko; Makihara, Kenji; Takahashi, Kazuhiko

2014-01-01

Thin layers of pyroglutamic acid (Pygl) have been deposited by thermal evaporation of the molten L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) through intramolecular lactamization. This deposition was carried out with the versatile handmade low-vacuum coater, which was simply composed of a soldering iron placed in a vacuum degassing resin chamber evacuated by an oil-free diaphragm pump. Molecular structural analyses have revealed that thin solid film evaporated from the molten L-Glu is mainly composed of L-Pygl due to intramolecular lactamization. The major component of the L-Pygl was in β-phase and the minor component was in γ-phase, which would have been generated from partial racemization to DL-Pygl. Electron microscopy revealed that the L-Glu-evaporated film generally consisted of the 20 nm particulates of Pygl, which contained a periodic pattern spacing of 0.2 nm intervals indicating the formation of the single-molecular interval of the crystallized molecular networks. The DL-Pygl-evaporated film was composed of the original DL-Pygl preserving its crystal structures. This methodology is promising for depositing a wide range of the evaporable organic materials beyond amino acids. The quartz crystal resonator coated with the L-Glu-evaporated film exhibited the pressure-sensing capability based on the adsorption-desorption of the surrounding gas at the film surface.

A comparison of three materials used in ESR dosimetry: L-α-alanine, DL-α-alanine and standard bone powder. Response to Co-60 gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stuglik, Z.; Sadlo, J.

1995-01-01

Three solid state materials: L-α-alanine, DL-α-alanine and standard bone powder were irradiated with gamma analyzed with ESR method. It was stated that the G-value of paramagnetic centres in L-α-alanine is practically the same as in DL-alpha-alanine and about 50 times higher than in non-deproteinized bone powder. The sensitivities of investigated materials are proportional to their G-values if double integrals of ESR signals are chosen as a measure of radiation effects. When first derivatives of ESR absorption bands are used to the construction of dose-response curves (peak-to-peak method) the sensitivities of all investigated materials are comparable. (author). 14 refs, 1 fig., 3 tabs

Influence of the raceme of order on the plants and processing systems in the quality of castor bean’s seed = Influência da ordem dos racemos na planta e sistemas de beneficiamento na qualidade de sementes de mamona

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katilayne Vieira de Almeida

2012-04-01

Full Text Available To obtain high quality seeds, required efficient and accurate control of all stages of production are required, from selecting seeds in the plant itself and processing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the order of racemes in fruit harvest and processing in three systems of quality of castor beans. The castor bean seeds were from the production field BRS 149 Nordestina, installed at the Experimental Station of Embrapa Algodão from Barbalha-CE. A completely randomized delineation was used, with a 3 x 3 factorial with four replications, where the factors were: harvest in three orders of racemes (primary, secondary, and tertiary harvested racemes and three systems of processing (manual, manual machine, and mechanical machine peeling. The seeds from each treatment were subjected to germination tests, vigor, purity analysis, water content, and oil content. The secondary and tertiary racemes produce seeds with high physiological quality in relation to primary. The seeds peeled by a mechanical peeler machine provided greater seedling length, while the seeds processed manually had higher oil content. = Para a obtenção de sementes de alta qualidade, é necessário o controle eficiente e rigoroso de todas as etapas de produção, desde a escolha das sementes na própria planta e beneficiamento. Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar a influência da ordem dos racemos na colheita dos frutos e de três sistemas de beneficiamento na qualidade das sementes de mamona. As sementes de mamoneira foram provenientes do campo de produção da cultivar BRS 149 Nordestina, instalado na Estação Experimental da Embrapa Algodão de Barbalha-CE. Foi adotado o delineamento inteiramente casualizado, usando-se o esquema fatorial de 3 x 3, com quatro repetições, onde os fatores foram: colheita em três ordens de racemos (frutos colhidos dos racemos primários, secundários e terciários e três sistemas de beneficiamento (manual, m

An examination of the thermodynamics of fusion, vaporization, and sublimation of ibuprofen and naproxen by correlation gas chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Rachel; Chickos, James

2012-02-01

The vaporization enthalpies of (S)-ibuprofen and (S)-naproxen measured by correlation gas chromatography at T = 298.15 K are reported and compared with literature values. Adjustment of the fusion enthalpies of (RS)- and (S)-ibuprofen and (S)-naproxen to T = 298.15 K and combined with the vaporization enthalpy of the (S)-enantiomer of both ibuprofen and naproxen also at T = 298.15 K resulted in the sublimation enthalpies of both (S)-enantiomers. On the assumption that the vaporization enthalpy of the racemic form of ibuprofen is within the experimental uncertainty of the chiral form, the sublimation enthalpy of racemic ibuprofen was also evaluated. The vaporization and sublimation enthalpies compare favorably to the most of the literature values for the racemic form of ibuprofen but differ from the value reported for chiral ibuprofen. The literature values of (S)-naproxen are somewhat smaller than the values measured in this work. The following vaporization enthalpies were measured for (S)-ibuprofen and (S)-naproxen, respectively: ΔH(vap) (298.15 K), 106.0 ± 5.5, 132.2 ± 5.0 kJ·mol(-1) . Sublimation enthalpies of 122.7 ± 5.6 and 155.2 ± 7.1 kJ·mol(-1) were calculated for the (S)-enantiomers of ibuprofen and naproxen and a value of 128.9 ± 5.8 kJ·mol(-1) was estimated for the racemic form of ibuprofen. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of temperature on the partial molar volume, isentropic compressibility and viscosity of DL-2-aminobutyric acid in water and in aqueous sodium chloride solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, Carmen M.; Rodríguez, Diana M.; Ribeiro, Ana C.F.; Esteso, Miguel A.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Apparent volumes, apparent compressibilities, viscosities of DL-2-aminobutyric acid. • Effect of temperature on the values for these properties. • Hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions and the effect of sodium chloride. - Abstract: Density, sound velocity and viscosity of DL-2-aminobutyric acid in water and in aqueous sodium chloride solutions have been measured at temperatures of (293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15 and 313.15) K. The experimental results were used to determine the apparent molar volume and the apparent molar compressibility as a function of composition at these temperatures. The limiting values of both the partial molar volume and the partial molar adiabatic compressibility at infinite dilution of DL-2-aminobutyric acid in water and in aqueous sodium chloride solutions were determined at each temperature. The experimental viscosity values were adjusted by a least-squares method to a second order equation as proposed by Tsangaris-Martin to obtain the viscosity B coefficient which depends on the size, shape and charge of the solute molecule. The influence of the temperature on the behaviour of the selected properties is discussed in terms of both the solute hydration and the balance between hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions between the acids and water, and the effect of the sodium chloride concentration.

EPR and optical absorption studies of Cr3+ ions in potassium sodium dl-tartrate tetrahydrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kripal, Ram; Singh, Pragya; Shukla, Santwana

2011-01-01

EPR spectra of Cr 3+ ions doped in potassium sodium dl-tartrate tetrahydrate single crystals are recorded at 77 K. The spin Hamiltonian and zero field parameters g, |D| and |E| are measured from the resonance lines obtained at various rotations of the magnetic field. The values obtained are: g x =1.9257±0.0002, g y =1.9720±0.0002, g z =2.0102±0.0002, |D|=313±2 (x10 -4 ) cm -1 and |E|=101±2 (x10 -4 ) cm -1 . From the results of EPR study, the site symmetry of Cr 3+ ion in the crystal is discussed. The optical absorption at room temperature is also studied. From the observed band positions, the crystal field splitting parameter (D q ) and the Racah inter-electronic repulsion parameters (B and C) are evaluated. The bonding parameters are obtained by correlating optical and EPR data and the nature of bonding in the crystal is discussed. -- Research Highlights: → EPR spectra of Cr 3+ ions doped in potassium sodium dl-tartrate tetrahydrate single crystals are done at 77 K. → The spin Hamiltonian and zero field parameters g, |D| and |E| are measured. From the results of EPR study, the site symmetry of Cr 3+ ion in the crystal is discussed. → The optical absorption at room temperature is also studied and the crystal field splitting parameter (D q ) as well as the Racah inter-electronic repulsion parameters (B and C) is evaluated. → The bonding parameters are obtained by correlating optical and EPR data and the nature of bonding in the crystal is discussed.

Light-microscopic and electron-microscopic evaluation of short-term nerve regeneration using a biodegradable poly(DL-lactide-epsilon-caprolacton) nerve guide

NARCIS (Netherlands)

denDunnen, WFA; Stokroos, [No Value; Blaauw, EH; Holwerda, A; Pennings, AJ; Robinson, PH; Schakenraad, JM

The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term peripheral nerve regeneration across a IO-mm gap, using a biodegradable poly(DL-lactide-epsilon-caprolacton) nerve guide, with an internal diameter of 1.5 mm and a wall thickness of 0.30 mm. To do so, we evaluated regenerating nerves using light

Developpement and characterization of an DL-Alanine Gel to be applied in the measurement of the dose distribution with the Spectrophotometry Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuno, Erick Yukio

2007-01-01

The aim of this work is to develop a DL-Alanine, Fe-II based gel dosimeter to be applied in the dosimetry of the Co-60 gamma-radiation fields in the dose range of radiation therapy procedures. The aminoacid DL-Alanine is dissolved in an acid solution containing the Fe-II and added to the gel. A series of essays was performed with different chemicals and different procedures were made to evaluate the behavior of the obtained dosimetric gel as function of the time. The absorption spectra, before and after the irradiation, present maximum in 457 nm and 588 nm, respectively. These two peaks correspond to absorption wavelengths of the chemical species Fe-II and Fe-III, respectively, both species being in equilibrium. With the irradiation, the formation of the radicals that oxide the Fe-II into Fe-III occurs, altering the chemical balance of both species - hence the increase of the Fe-III - and causing the gel to change its tonality, in such a way that it is possible to determine the absorbed dose. In the analysis of the spectra and respective dose-response curves it was observed that the dosimetric gel shows linearity in dose range of 0.5 to 40 Gy. From the obtained linearity results, stability and lower detectable dose - 0,3 Gy - it is possible to conclude that the present DL-Alanine, Fe-II based dosimetric gel presents an excellent potential to the application to which it is proposed, namely, the determination of the dose fields in radiation therapy and its future application as a standard in the determination of these fields, in 3D, using the Magnetic Resonance Imaging. (author)

The Origin of Amino Acids in Lunar Regolith Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Jamie E.; Callahan, Michael P.; Dworkin, Jason P.; Glavin, Daniel P.; McLain, Hannah L.; Noble, Sarah K.; Gibson, Everett K., Jr.

2016-01-01

We analyzed the amino acid content of seven lunar regolith samples returned by the Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 missions and stored under NASA curation since collection using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Consistent with results from initial analyses shortly after collection in the 1970s, we observed amino acids at low concentrations in all of the curated samples, ranging from 0.2 parts-per-billion (ppb) to 42.7 ppb in hot-water extracts and 14.5 ppb to 651.1 ppb in 6M HCl acid-vapor-hydrolyzed, hot-water extracts. Amino acids identified in the Apollo soil extracts include glycine, D- and L-alanine, D- and L-aspartic acid, D- and L-glutamic acid, D- and L-serine, L-threonine, and L-valine, all of which had previously been detected in lunar samples, as well as several compounds not previously identified in lunar regoliths: -aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), D-and L-amino-n-butyric acid (-ABA), DL-amino-n-butyric acid, -amino-n-butyric acid, -alanine, and -amino-n-caproic acid. We observed an excess of the L enantiomer in most of the detected proteinogenic amino acids, but racemic alanine and racemic -ABA were present in some samples.

Synthesis and Computational Studies Demonstrate the Utility of an Intramolecular Styryl Diels-Alder Reaction and Di-t-butylhydroxytoluene Assisted [1,3]-Shift to Construct Anticancer dl-Deoxypodophyllotoxin.

Science.gov (United States)

Saavedra, Diana I; Rencher, Benjamin D; Kwon, Doo-Hyun; Smith, Stacey J; Ess, Daniel H; Andrus, Merritt B

2018-02-16

Deoxypodophyllotoxin is a secondary metabolite lignan possessing potent anticancer activity with potential as a precursor for known anticancer drugs, but its use is limited by scarcity from natural sources. We here report the total synthesis of racemic deoxypodophyllotoxin in seven steps using an intramolecular styryl Diels-Alder reaction strategy uniquely suited to assemble the deoxypodophyllotoxin core. Density functional theory was used to analyze concerted, polar, and singlet-open-shell diradical reaction pathways, which identified a low-energy concerted [4 + 2] Diels-Alder pathway followed by a faster di-t-butylhydroxytoluene assisted [1,3]-formal hydrogen shift.

Effective Scheme of Channel Tracking and Estimation for Mobile WiMAX DL-PUSC System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phuong Thi Thu Pham

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces an effective joint scheme of channel estimation and tracking for downlink partial usage of subchannel (DL-PUSC mode of mobile WiMAX system. Based on the pilot pattern of this particular system, some channel estimation methods including conventional interpolations and a more favorable least-squares line fitting (LSLF technique are comparatively studied. Besides, channel estimation performance can be remarkably improved by taking advantage of channel tracking derived from the preamble symbol. System performances in terms of packet error rate (PER and user link throughput are investigated in various channels adopted from the well-known ITU models for mobile environments. Simulation results show a significant performance enhancement when the proposed joint scheme is utilized, at least 5 dB, compared to only commonly used channel estimation approaches.

Theoretical and experimental approach on the molecular interactions of the DL-Alanine with an electrolytic environment

Science.gov (United States)

Cantero-López, Plinio; Yañez-Osses, Osvaldo; Páez-Meza, Manuel Silvestre; López, Johana E.; Páez-Hernández, Dayán; Arratia-Pérez, Ramiro

2017-11-01

The molecular interactions that promote the stability of proteins and amino acids in saline solutions is a central topic of molecular biophysics. However, a well-supported molecular picture of the phenomena has not been established yet. In this paper, we studied as model system the mix between DL-Alanine in aqueous solutions of STP (Na2S2O3·5H2O) at different temperatures, from volumetric and viscometric properties. The thermophysical properties obtained indicate the presence of a strong preferential solvation, structure-making action and a possible salt in effect. Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations provide a new insight to support these arguments.

Miscibility of dl-α-tocopherol β-glucoside in DPPC monolayer at air/water and air/solid interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neunert, G. [Department of Physics and Biophysics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznan (Poland); Makowiecki, J.; Piosik, E.; Hertmanowski, R. [Faculty of Technical Physics, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan (Poland); Polewski, K. [Department of Physics and Biophysics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznan (Poland); Martynski, T., E-mail: tomasz.martynski@put.poznan.pl [Faculty of Technical Physics, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan (Poland)

2016-10-01

The role of newly synthesized tocopherol glycosidic derivative in modifying molecular organization and phase transitions of phospholipid monolayer at the air/water interface has been investigated. Two-component Langmuir films of dl-α-tocopheryl β-D-glucopyranoside (BG) mixed with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in the whole range of mole fractions were formed at the water surface. An analysis of surface pressure versus mean molecular area (π-A) isotherms and Brewster angle microscope images showed that the presence of BG molecules changes the structure and packing of the DPPC monolayer in a BG concentration dependent manner. BG molecules incorporated into DPPC monolayer inhibit its liquid expanded to liquid condensed phase transition proportionally to the BG concentration. The monolayers were also transferred onto solid substrates and visualized using an atomic force microscope. The results obtained indicate almost complete miscibility of BG and DPPC in the monolayers at surface pressures present in the biological cell membrane (30-35·10{sup -3} N·m{sup -1}) for a BG mole fraction as high as 0.3. This makes the monolayer less packed and more disordered, leading to an increased permeability. The results support our previous molecular dynamics simulation data. - Highlights: • Langmuir films of α-tocopherol derivative with DPPC was studied thermodynamically. • Mixed DPPC/BG films were transferred onto mica substrates for topography imaging by using AFM. • Miscibility of BG/DPPC films at surface pressures present in membranes was observed up to MF = 0.3.

The Ptch1DL mouse: a new model to study lambdoid craniosynostosis and basal cell nevus syndrome associated skeletal defects

OpenAIRE

Feng, Weiguo; Choi, Irene; Clouthier, David E.; Niswander, Lee; Williams, Trevor

2013-01-01

Mouse models provide valuable opportunities for probing the underlying pathology of human birth defects. Employing an ENU-based screen for recessive mutations affecting craniofacial anatomy we isolated a mouse strain, Dogface-like (DL), with abnormal skull and snout morphology. Examination of the skull indicated that these mice developed craniosynostosis of the lambdoid suture. Further analysis revealed skeletal defects related to the pathology of basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS) including de...

Photo induced dissociation of amino acids free from thermal degradation effects: A case study applied to DL-Valine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Á. Miranda da; Mocellin, A.; Farrokhpour, H.; Mundim, M.S.P.; Brito, A. Naves de

2013-01-01

We present a careful study of the thermal degradation effects in the mass spectrum of DL-Valine using a quadrupole mass spectrometer and a time of flight – mass spectrometer. This allows setting the temperature of 95 ± 10 °C as threshold for the sublimation of our solid sample. Based on the assignments for each ionic fragment detected, it is possible to separate the mass peaks in groups, explaining what are the principal bond breaks involved in the specific ionic yield, whose procedure can be extended to other amino acids

Photo induced dissociation of amino acids free from thermal degradation effects: A case study applied to DL-Valine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Á. Miranda da; Mocellin, A. [Instituto, Universidade de Brasília, Box 04455, 70919-970 Brasília-DF (Brazil); Farrokhpour, H. [Chemistry Department, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mundim, M.S.P. [Instituto, Universidade de Brasília, Box 04455, 70919-970 Brasília-DF (Brazil); Brito, A. Naves de, E-mail: arnaldo.naves@gmail.com [Instituto de Física “Gleb Wataghin”, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-859 Campinas, SP (Brazil)

2013-08-15

We present a careful study of the thermal degradation effects in the mass spectrum of DL-Valine using a quadrupole mass spectrometer and a time of flight – mass spectrometer. This allows setting the temperature of 95 ± 10 °C as threshold for the sublimation of our solid sample. Based on the assignments for each ionic fragment detected, it is possible to separate the mass peaks in groups, explaining what are the principal bond breaks involved in the specific ionic yield, whose procedure can be extended to other amino acids.

Bupivacaína racêmica, levobupivacaína e ropivacaína em anestesia loco-regional para oftalmologia: um estudo comparativo Racemic bupivacaine, levobupi vacaine and ropivacaine in regional anesthesia for ophtalmology: a comparative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edno Magalhães

2004-04-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: A bupivacaína racêmica, utilizada largamente em anestesia peribulbar devido à boa qualidade de bloqueio motor, apresenta menor margem de segurança para cardiotoxicidade em relação a ropivacaína e bupivacaína levógira. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar o grau de bloqueio motor e alteração da pressão intra-ocular (PIO em anestesia peribulbar produzida pela bupivacaína racêmica, levobupivacaína e ropivacaína. MÉTODOS: Noventa e sete pacientes, estado físico I e II da classificação da Sociedade Americana de Anestesiologistas, submetidos a anestesia peribulbar, foram divididos em três grupos: grupo A-(n=16 bupivacaína racêmica 0,75% com adrenalina 1:200.000; grupo B -(n=16 bupivacaína levógira 0,75% com adrenalina 1:200.000; grupo C -(n=15 ropivacaína 0,75%. Utilizou-se 7ml da solução anestésica com 280 UI de hialuronidase, em punção única no rebordo orbital inferior. Foram registrados a PIO e grau de bloqueio motor 5 minutos antes da punção e 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 e 10 minutos após a punção. O bloqueio motor foi avaliado pela escala de Nicoll. Para a análise estatística, foram utilizados os testes de Wilcoxon, análise de freqüência simples e t de Student. Foi considerado significativo pBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Racemic bupivacaine, used in peribulbar anesthesia owing to its high potential to promote motor blockade, presents a smaller safety margin for cardiotoxicity in relation to ropivacaine and levobupivacaine. The objective of this study was to compare the degree of motor blockade and alteration of intraocular pressure (IOP produced by racemic bupivacaine, levobupivacaine and ropivacaine in peribulbar block. METHOD: Ninety seven patients, ASA physical status I and II, submitted to peribulbar anesthesia, were randomly allocated into three groups: group A-(n=16 receiving racemic bupivacaine 0.75% with epinephrine 1:200.000; group B -(n=16 levobupivacaine 0.75% with epinephrine 1:200.000; group C -(n=15

Insertional inactivation of genes responsible for the D-alanylation of lipoteichoic acid in Streptococcus gordonii DL1 (Challis) affects intrageneric coaggregations.

Science.gov (United States)

Clemans, D L; Kolenbrander, P E; Debabov, D V; Zhang, Q; Lunsford, R D; Sakone, H; Whittaker, C J; Heaton, M P; Neuhaus, F C

1999-05-01

Most human oral viridans streptococci participate in intrageneric coaggregations, the cell-to-cell adherence among genetically distinct streptococci. Two genes relevant to these intrageneric coaggregations were identified by transposon Tn916 mutagenesis of Streptococcus gordonii DL1 (Challis). A 626-bp sequence flanking the left end of the transposon was homologous to dltA and dltB of Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 7469 (formerly called Lactobacillus casei). A 60-kb probe based on this flanking sequence was used to identify the homologous DNA in a fosmid library of S. gordonii DL1. This DNA encoded D-alanine-D-alanyl carrier protein ligase that was expressed in Escherichia coli from the fosmid clone. The cloned streptococcal dltA was disrupted by inserting an ermAM cassette, and then it was linearized and transformed into S. gordonii DL1 for allelic replacement. Erythromycin-resistant transformants containing a single insertion in dltA exhibited a loss of D-alanyl esters in lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and a loss of intrageneric coaggregation. This phenotype was correlated with the loss of a 100-kDa surface protein reported previously to be involved in mediating intrageneric coaggregation (C. J. Whittaker, D. L. Clemans, and P. E. Kolenbrander, Infect. Immun. 64:4137-4142, 1996). The mutants retained the parental ability to participate in intergeneric coaggregation with human oral actinomyces, indicating the specificity of the mutation in altering intrageneric coaggregations. The mutants were altered morphologically and exhibited aberrant cell septa in a variety of pleomorphs. The natural DNA transformation frequency was reduced 10-fold in these mutants. Southern analysis of chromosomal DNAs from various streptococcal species with the dltA probe revealed the presence of this gene in most viridans streptococci. Thus, it is hypothesized that D-alanyl LTA may provide binding sites for the putative 100-kDa adhesin and scaffolding for the proper presentation of this adhesin to

Impact of NaCl reduction in Danish semi-hard Samsoe cheeses on development and autolysis of DL-starter cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Lise; Ryssel, Mia; Svendsen, Carina

2015-01-01

of two commercial DL-starter cultures (C1 and C2) used in the production of Danish semi-hard Samsoe cheeses were affected by reduced NaCl levels. Cheeses containing .... Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), distribution of bacteria as single cells or microcolonies, their viability in the cheeses and cell autolysis were monitored during ripening, as well as the impact of NaCl content and autolysis on the formation of free amino acids (FAA). Reduction of NaCl resulted in higher LAB...

Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of (2RS,4R)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid

Science.gov (United States)

Muche, Simon; Müller, Matthias; Hołyńska, Małgorzata

2018-03-01

The condensation reaction of ortho-vanillin and L-cysteine leads to formation of a racemic mixture of (2RS,4R)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and not, as reported in the available literature, to a Schiff base. The racemic mixture was fully characterized by 1D and 2D NMR techniques, ESI-MS and X-ray diffraction. Addition of ZnCl2 led to formation of crystals in form of colorless needles, suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. The measured crystals were identified as the diastereomer (2R,4R)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid 1. The bulk material is racemic. Thiazolidine exists as zwitterion in solid state, as indicated by the crystal structure.

Effect of antioxidant therapy with dl-alpha-tocopherol on cardiovascular structure in experimental renal failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Amann, Kerstin; Törnig, Johannes; Buzello, Mareike; Kuhlmann, Alexander; Gross, Marie-Luise; Adamczak, Marcin; Buzello, Moriz; Ritz, Eberhard

2002-09-01

Chronic renal failure is characterized by remodeling of the structure of the heart and the vasculature, for example, left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, capillary/myocyte mismatch, as well as thickening of intramyocardial arteries and of peripheral arteries and veins. Furthermore, uremia is a state of increased oxygen stress. It was the purpose of this study to examine whether these findings are interrelated. To investigate whether antioxidative therapy with dl-alpha-tocopherol (Toco; vitamin E) interferes with the development of abnormal cardiovascular structure in experimental renal failure, 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to partial renal ablation (subtotal nephrectomy, SNX) or to sham operation (sham). SNX were either left untreated or received the antioxidant Toco (2 x 1500 IE/kg BW/week in the pellets). Blood pressure was measured using tail plethysmography. The experiment was terminated after 12 weeks. Heart and left ventricular weight were determined and the following parameters were measured using morphometry and stereology: volume densities of cardiomyocytes, capillaries and non-vascular interstitium; length density and total length of cardiac capillaries, wall thickness of intramyocardial arterioles and of the aorta. Systolic blood pressure and body weight were comparable in all groups. Treatment with Toco led to significantly increased plasma concentrations of Toco. Left ventricular weight and wall thickness of intramyocardial arteries were significantly higher in both SNX groups compared to sham controls. Volume density of the cardiac interstitial tissue was significantly higher in untreated SNX than in Toco treated SNX and sham control rats. Length density of capillaries was significantly lower in untreated SNX than in control rats; however, the values were significantly higher, and even higher than in sham controls, when SNX were treated with Toco. Treatment with the antioxidant dl-alpha-tocopherol prevented cardiomyocyte

Synthesis and Biological Assessment of Racemic Benzochromenopyrimidinimines as Antioxidant, Cholinesterase, and Aβ1-42 Aggregation Inhibitors for Alzheimer's Disease Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dgachi, Youssef; Ismaili, Lhassane; Knez, Damijan; Benchekroun, Mohamed; Martin, Hélène; Szałaj, Natalia; Wehle, Sarah; Bautista-Aguilera, Oscar M; Luzet, Vincent; Bonnet, Alexandre; Malawska, Barbara; Gobec, Stanislav; Chioua, Mourad; Decker, Michael; Chabchoub, Fakher; Marco-Contelles, José

2016-06-20

Given the complex nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), compounds that are able to simultaneously address two or more AD-associated targets show greater promise for development into drugs for AD therapy. Herein we report an efficient two-step synthesis and biological evaluation of new racemic benzochromene derivatives as antioxidants, inhibitors of cholinesterase and β-amyloid (Aβ1-42 ) aggregation. Based on the results of the primary screening, we identified 15-(3-methoxyphenyl)-9,11,12,15-tetrahydro-10H,14H-benzo[5,6]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-14-imine (3 e) and 16-(3-methoxyphenyl)-9,10,11,12,13,16-hexahydro-15H-benzo[5',6']chromeno[2',3':4,5]pyrimido[1,2-a]azepin-15-imine (3 f) as new potential multitarget-directed ligands for AD therapy. Further in-depth biological analysis showed that compound 3 f is a good human acetylcholinesterase inhibitor [IC50 =(0.36±0.02) μm], has strong antioxidant activity (3.61 μmol Trolox equivalents), and moderate Aβ1-42 antiaggregating power (40.3 %). © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Resource Allocation and Interference Management for D2D-Enabled DL/UL Decoupled Het-Nets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir

2017-10-06

In this paper, resource allocation and interference mitigation are investigated for heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where the lowest tier consists of device-to-device (D2D) cells. In order to alleviate dead-zone problem, we first consider downlink/ uplink (DL/UL) decoupling (DUDe) user association and quantify its capability on interference management and networkwide D2D performance enhancement. Secondly, we propose an UL fractional frequency reuse (FFR) scheme where subband (SB) bandwidths are adaptively determined based on: i) user equipment (UE) density, ii) e-node-B (eNB) density, and iii) ON/OFF switching frequency of smallcells. Obtained results show that the adaptive method significantly reduces the number of outage users. Thereafter, a novel concatenated bi-partite matching (CBM) method is proposed for joint SB assignment (SA) and resource block allocation (RA) of cellular UEs (CUEs). Numerical results show that the CBM provides a close performance to exhaustive solution with greatly reduced running time. The CBM is then extended to a centralized mode selection, SA, and RA for D2D cells. Alternatively, we develop offline and online semidistributed approaches where a D2D-cell can reuse white-list RBs (WRBs), which are not occupied by the adjacent smallcells. In the former, D2D-cell members are not aware of intra-cell and inter-cell interference and uniformly distribute their maximum permissible power to WRBs. In the latter, we put D2D sumrate maximization into a convex form by exploiting the proximity gain of D2D UEs (DUEs). Online distributed solution is then developed by message passing of dual variables and consistency prices. Finally, virtues and drawbacks of the developed approaches are compared and explained.

Resource Allocation and Interference Management for D2D-Enabled DL/UL Decoupled Het-Nets

KAUST Repository

Celik, Abdulkadir; Radaydeh, Redha Mahmoud Mesleh; Al-Qahtani, Fawaz S.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

In this paper, resource allocation and interference mitigation are investigated for heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where the lowest tier consists of device-to-device (D2D) cells. In order to alleviate dead-zone problem, we first consider downlink/ uplink (DL/UL) decoupling (DUDe) user association and quantify its capability on interference management and networkwide D2D performance enhancement. Secondly, we propose an UL fractional frequency reuse (FFR) scheme where subband (SB) bandwidths are adaptively determined based on: i) user equipment (UE) density, ii) e-node-B (eNB) density, and iii) ON/OFF switching frequency of smallcells. Obtained results show that the adaptive method significantly reduces the number of outage users. Thereafter, a novel concatenated bi-partite matching (CBM) method is proposed for joint SB assignment (SA) and resource block allocation (RA) of cellular UEs (CUEs). Numerical results show that the CBM provides a close performance to exhaustive solution with greatly reduced running time. The CBM is then extended to a centralized mode selection, SA, and RA for D2D cells. Alternatively, we develop offline and online semidistributed approaches where a D2D-cell can reuse white-list RBs (WRBs), which are not occupied by the adjacent smallcells. In the former, D2D-cell members are not aware of intra-cell and inter-cell interference and uniformly distribute their maximum permissible power to WRBs. In the latter, we put D2D sumrate maximization into a convex form by exploiting the proximity gain of D2D UEs (DUEs). Online distributed solution is then developed by message passing of dual variables and consistency prices. Finally, virtues and drawbacks of the developed approaches are compared and explained.

Sustainable recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries using DL-malic acid: Leaching and kinetics aspect.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Conghao; Xu, Liping; Chen, Xiangping; Qiu, Tianyun; Zhou, Tao

2018-02-01

An eco-friendly and benign process has been investigated for the dissolution of Li, Co, Ni, and Mn from the cathode materials of spent LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 batteries, using DL-malic acid as the leaching agent in this study. The leaching efficiencies of Li, Co, Ni, and Mn can reach about 98.9%, 94.3%, 95.1%, and 96.4%, respectively, under the leaching conditions of DL-malic acid concentration of 1.2 M, hydrogen peroxide content of 1.5 vol.%, solid-to-liquid ratio of 40 g l -1 , leaching temperature of 80°C, and leaching time of 30 min. In addition, the leaching kinetic was investigated based on the shrinking model and the results reveal that the leaching reaction is controlled by chemical reactions within 10 min with activation energies (Ea) of 21.3 kJ·mol -1 , 30.4 kJ·mol -1 , 27.9 kJ·mol -1 , and 26.2 kJ·mol -1 for Li, Co, Ni, and Mn, respectively. Diffusion process becomes the controlled step with a prolonged leaching time from 15 to 30 min, and the activation energies (Ea) are 20.2 kJ·mol -1 , 28.9 kJ·mol -1 , 26.3 kJ·mol -1 , and 25.0 kJ·mol -1 for Li, Co, Ni, and Mn, respectively. This hydrometallurgical route was found to be effective and environmentally friendly for leaching metals from spent lithium batteries.

PROPIEDADES VOLUMÉTRICAS DE LA DL-ALANINA EN SOLUCIONES ACUOSAS DE TETRAFLUOROBORATO DE 1-BUTIL, 3-METILIMIDAZOLIO A DIFERENTES TEMPERATURAS

OpenAIRE

Páez, Manuel S.; Páez, Francisco J.; Torres, Francisco J.

2016-01-01

Densities of DL-alanine in aqueous ionic liquid, 1-butyl, 3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate solutions were measured from 283.15 to 313.15 K. The densities measured were used to calculate apparent molar volumes (VΦ), apparent molar volume limits (VΦ0), transfer molar volume limits (ΔVΦ0) and hydration number (NH). The behavior of (ΔVΦ0) was interpreted in terms of solute-solvent interactions on the basis of the cosphere overlap model. The hydration numbers were positive and explained by de...

Effects of oral L-carnitine and DL-carnitine supplementation on alloxan-diabetic rats

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Roberto Barbosa Bazotte

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The effect of oral L-carnitine (LC or DL-carnitine (DLC supplementation during one or four weeks (200 or 400 mg.kg-1.day-1 in diabetic rats was investigated. After the supplementation period, the blood was collected for the evaluation of total (TC and free L-carnitine (FC, glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and triacylglycerol. Tissues were collected for the determination of TC and FC concentrations. The carnitine supplementation did not change levels of glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-C and LDL-C in the blood. Diabetic rats showed hypertriacylglycerolemia and decreased blood and tissue levels of FC and TC. Normalization of the blood triacylglycerol and increased blood and tissue levels of FC and TC were observed with the LC or DLC supplementation. However, the hyperglycemia remained unchanged. Thus, the reduction of blood triacylglycerol obtained with carnitine supplementation in the diabetic rats did not depend on an amelioration in the glycemia and was mediated partly at least by an increment of serum and tissue concentrations of FC and TC.

Investigation of Polychlorinated Dioxins, Furans (PCDD/Fs and Dioxin-like Polychlorinated Bbiphenyls (dl-PCBs in Human Milk

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Aldo Pacheco Ferreira

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A study on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs was conducted in a pooled sample of breast milk from 27 first-time mothers (primiparous living in twelve locations at mesoregion industrial area, southern of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between August 2012 and July 2014. Questionnaires with questions regarding to food habits, social and economic conditions, places of dwelling were applied. Mothers were breast-feeding only one infant and milk was collected between 4 and 6 weeks after delivery. TEQs of PCDDs/Fs, and dl-PCBs were 10.6, 4.77, 6.96 TEQ pg/g, respectively. The understanding and identification of pollution sources may be helpful for taking better counter measures against breast milk dioxin contamination. It’s important for pregnant women to have a diet free as possible of contaminants chemical. Further research must be undertaken in the context of epidemiological investigations to more accurately assess the effects of these compounds. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;}    

PROPIEDADES VOLUMÉTRICAS DE LA DL-ALANINA EN SOLUCIONES ACUOSAS DE TETRAFLUOROBORATO DE 1-BUTIL, 3-METILIMIDAZOLIO A DIFERENTES TEMPERATURAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel S. Páez

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Densities of DL-alanine in aqueous ionic liquid, 1-butyl, 3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate solutions were measured from 283.15 to 313.15 K. The densities measured were used to calculate apparent molar volumes (VΦ, apparent molar volume limits (VΦ0, transfer molar volume limits (ΔVΦ0 and hydration number (NH. The behavior of (ΔVΦ0 was interpreted in terms of solute-solvent interactions on the basis of the cosphere overlap model. The hydration numbers were positive and explained by dehydration and electrostriction.

[Study of selegiline and related compounds with x-ray diffraction].

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, K; Böcskei, Z; Török, Z

1992-09-01

Selegiline and its parent compounds were studied by X-ray diffraction. It was established that the racemates of primary and secondary amines (p-fluoro-amphetamine, methamphetamine, p-fluoro-methamphetamine) hydrochloride do not form racemic compounds but crystalline as conglomerates, at the same time tertiary amines like selegiline and p-fluoro-selegiline hydrochlorides do. The crystalline structure of five enantiomeric hydrochlorides were determined, the CPhe-C-C-N torsion angle is anti-periplanar in all cases but in p-fluoro-amphetamine where it is gauche.

Antinociceptive Effect of Racemic Flurbiprofen and Caffeine Co-Administration in an Arthritic Gout-Type Pain in Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Liévano-Reyes, Ricardo; Pérez-Méndez, Hermínia Ines; Solís-Oba, Aida; Jaramillo-Morales, Osmar Antonio; Espinosa-Juárez, Josué Vidal; López-Muñoz, Francisco Javier

2016-06-01

Preclinical Research Drug combinations are routinely used in the treatment of pain. In drug associations, adjuvants such as caffeine, are employed with different non-steroidal anti-inflammatories drugs (NSAIDs), however, at present does not exist studies showing the effect of the combination of racemic flurbiprofen (rac-Flur) in association with caffeine. The objective of this work was to evaluate the combination of rac-Flur + caffeine oral in arthritic gout-type pain in rats. The antinociceptive effects of the rac-Flur alone and in combination with caffeine were analyzed on a pain-induced functional impairment model in rat. rac-Flur induced a dose-dependent antinociceptive effect and caffeine did not present any effect. The combination of rac-Flur and caffeine achieve a higher percentage of antinociceptive effect compared with the individual administration of rac-Flur. The dose-response curve (DRCs) shows that the combination of rac-Flur (31.6 mg/kg) + caffeine (17.8 mg/kg) exhibited the maximal antinociceptive efficacy (294.0 ± 21.2 area units), while rac-Flur alone (31.6 mg/kg) showed 207.2 ± 35.2 au, thus indicating an increase in efficacy (potentiation). Furthermore, the DRCs of the combinations presented a displacement to the left, indicating a change in the potency. Caffeine is able to increase the effect of rac-Flur in the arthritic gout-type pain in rats. Drug Dev Res 77 : 192-198, 2016.   © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The vapour pressures over saturated aqueous solutions of DL-2-aminobutyric acid, 4-aminobutyric acid, sodium-D-gluconate, sodium hippurate, and potassium magnesium-L-aspartate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apelblat, Alexander; Korin, Eli

2008-01-01

Vapour pressures of water over saturated solutions of DL-2-aminobutyric acid, 4-aminobutyric acid, sodium-D-gluconate, sodium hippurate, and potassium magnesium-L-aspartate were determined over the (278 to 322) K temperature range. The determined vapour pressures were used to obtain the water activities, the molar enthalpies of vaporization, and the osmotic coefficients of sodium-D-gluconate

The vapour pressures over saturated aqueous solutions of DL-2-aminobutyric acid, 4-aminobutyric acid, sodium-D-gluconate, sodium hippurate, and potassium magnesium-L-aspartate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apelblat, Alexander [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105 (Israel)], E-mail: apelblat@bgu.ac.il; Korin, Eli [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105 (Israel)

2008-05-15

Vapour pressures of water over saturated solutions of DL-2-aminobutyric acid, 4-aminobutyric acid, sodium-D-gluconate, sodium hippurate, and potassium magnesium-L-aspartate were determined over the (278 to 322) K temperature range. The determined vapour pressures were used to obtain the water activities, the molar enthalpies of vaporization, and the osmotic coefficients of sodium-D-gluconate.

Incidental Polymorphism, Non-Isomorphic and Isomorphic Substitution in Calcium-Valine Coordination Polymers

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Kevin Lamberts

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Five coordination polymers with the stoichiometry CaX2(valine2(H2O2 (X = Cl, Br were obtained from the corresponding calcium halides and either racemic and enantiopure valine. In all cases the zwitterionic amino acid is exclusively O coordinated and the halides act as counteranions for the resulting one-dimensional cationic chains. The enantiopure chloride shows dimorphism; both forms differ in connectivity from the bromide. In contrast to this structural variability for L-valine, the derivatives of the racemic amino acid are isomorphous.

(2S-1,1-Dichloro-2-(2-chlorophenyl-2-(4-chlorophenylethane

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Lars Eriksson

2009-02-01

Full Text Available The title compound, C14H10Cl4, is easily crystallized while the other enantiomorph only forms an oil upon crystallization attempts. The title compound has a considerably higher density, ρ ≃ 1.562 Mg m−3 compared to the racemic substance, ρ ≃ 1.514 Mg m−3. This is supported by the fact there are two intermolecular halogen–halogen contacts in the title compound compared with only one the racemic compound. The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 76.83 (5°

Diastereoselectivity in scalemic tartrate/titanium epoxidations.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, J M; Leppard, S J; Oakes, J; Thornthwaite, D

2000-06-01

Nonlinearity in the diastereoselectivity of epoxidation of allylic alcohols with mixtures of titanium isopropoxide, tertbutyl hydroperoxide, and diethyl tartrate was observed. Racemic and enantiomerically pure alcohols E-2-methyl-4-hexen-3-ol and E-1-methoxy-5-(O-tertbutyldimethylsilyloxy)-2-penten-4-ol were prepared. Epoxidation reactions were carried out with Ti(OPri)4 and ButOOH accompanied by diethyl tartrate of varying enantiomeric purity. The simplest explanation of these results is that a dimeric epoxidation reagent is involved, with significantly different reactivity for the homochiral and racemic forms. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A Comparison of Natural (D-α-tocopherol and Synthetic (DL-α-tocopherol Acetate Vitamin E Supplementation on the Growth Performance, Meat Quality and Oxidative Status of Broilers

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K. Cheng

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The present study was conducted to compare the supplementation of natural (D-α-tocopherol and synthetic (DL-α-tocopherol acetate vitamin E on the growth performance, meat quality, muscular antioxidant capacity and genes expression related to oxidative status of broilers. A total of 144 1 day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allocated into 3 groups with 6 replicates of 8 birds each. Birds were given a basal diet (control group, and basal diet supplemented with either 20 IU D-α-tocopherol or DL-α-tocopherol acetate for 42 days, respectively. The results indicated that treatments did not alter growth performance of broilers (p>0.05. Compared with the control group, concentration of α-tocopherol in the breast muscle was increased by the supplementation of vitamin E (p0.05. It was concluded that vitamin E supplementation, especially the natural vitamin E, can enhance the retention of muscular α-tocopherol, improve meat quality and muscular antioxidant capacity of broilers.

Stereoconversion of amino acids and peptides in uryl-pendant binol schiff bases.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hyunjung; Nandhakumar, Raju; Hong, Jooyeon; Ham, Sihyun; Chin, Jik; Kim, Kwan Mook

2008-01-01

(S)-2-Hydroxy-2'-(3-phenyluryl-benzyl)-1,1'-binaphthyl-3-carboxaldehyde (1) forms Schiff bases with a wide range of nonderivatized amino acids, including unnatural ones. Multiple hydrogen bonds, including resonance-assisted ones, fix the whole orientation of the imine and provoke structural rigidity around the imine C==N bond. Due to the structural difference and the increase in acidity of the alpha proton of the amino acid, the imine formed with an L-amino acid (1-l-aa) is converted into the imine of the D-amino acid (1-D-aa), with a D/L ratio of more than 10 for most amino acids at equilibrium. N-terminal amino acids in dipeptides are also predominantly epimerized to the D form upon imine formation with 1. Density functional theory calculations show that 1-D-Ala is more stable than 1-L-Ala by 1.64 kcal mol(-1), a value that is in qualitative agreement with the experimental result. Deuterium exchange of the alpha proton of alanine in the imine form was studied by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and the results support a stepwise mechanism in the L-into-D conversion rather than a concerted one; that is, deprotonation and protonation take place in a sequential manner. The deprotonation rate of L-Ala is approximately 16 times faster than that of D-Ala. The protonation step, however, appears to favor L-amino acid production, which prevents a much higher predominance of the D form in the imine. Receptor 1 and the predominantly D-form amino acid can be recovered from the imine by simple extraction under acidic conditions. Hence, 1 is a useful auxiliary to produce D-amino acids of industrial interest by the conversion of naturally occurring L-amino acids or relatively easily obtainable racemic amino acids.

Interaction between sodium chloride and texture in semi-hard Danish cheese as affected by brining time, DL-starter culture, chymosin type and cheese ripening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Akkerman, Marije; Søndergaard Kristensen, Lise; Jespersen, Lene

2017-01-01

Reduced NaCl in semi-hard cheeses greatly affects textural and sensory properties. The interaction between cheese NaCl concentration and texture was affected by brining time (0-28 h), . dl-starter cultures (C1, C2, and C3), chymosin type (bovine or camel), and ripening time (1-12 weeks). Cheese Na...... is reducible without significant textural impact using well-defined starter cultures and camel chymosin....

Vorinostat-eluting poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide nanofiber-coated stent for inhibition of cholangiocarcinoma cells

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Kwak TW

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Tae Won Kwak,1,* Hye Lim Lee,2,* Yeon Hui Song,2 Chan Kim,3 Jungsoo Kim,2 Sol-Ji Seo,2 Young-Il Jeong,2 Dae Hwan Kang2,4 1Medical Convergence Textile Center, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea; 2Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan, Republic of Korea; 3Amogreentech Co. Ltd. Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; 4Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: The aim of this study was to fabricate a vorinostat (Zolinza™-eluting nanofiber membrane-coated gastrointestinal (GI stent and to study its antitumor activity against cholangiocarcinoma (CCA cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Vorinostat and poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide dissolved in an organic solvent was sprayed onto a GI stent to make a nanofiber-coated stent using an electro-spinning machine. Intact vorinostat and vorinostat released from nanofibers was used to assess anticancer activity in vitro against various CCA cells. The antitumor activity of the vorinostat-eluting nanofiber membrane-coated stent was evaluated using HuCC-T1 bearing mice. Results: A vorinostat-incorporated polymer nanofiber membrane was formed on the surface of the GI stent. Vorinostat was continuously released from the nanofiber membrane over 10 days, and its release rate was higher in cell culture media than in phosphate-buffered saline. Released vorinostat showed similar anticancer activity against various CCA cells in vitro compared to that of vorinostat. Like vorinostat, vorinostat released from nanofibers induced acetylation of histone H4 and inhibited histone deacetylases 1·3·4/5/7 expression in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, vorinostat nanofibers showed a higher tumor growth inhibition rate in HuCC-T1 bearing mice than vorinostat injections. Conclusion: Vorinostat-eluting nanofiber membranes showed significant antitumor

Implementation of 'Davies and Gray/NBL Method' for potentiometric titration of uranium in the Safeguards Laboratory of CNEN by the use of a DL-67 mettler titrator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araujo, Radier Mario Silveira de; Barros, Pedro Dionisio de

2005-01-01

To meet the requirements of the Brazilian State System of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Materials - SSAC, the Safeguards Laboratory of CNEN - LASAL has been applying the 'Davies and Gray/NBL' method for potentiometric determination of total uranium concentration in uranium samples taken during safeguards inspections at nuclear facilities since 1984, using a Radiometer ETS 822 titrator. In order to improve the analytical capability and the procedures related to the titration methodology, the same method was also implemented by using a METTLER DL - 67 titrator. This equipment is microprocessor - controlled and can be connected to additional devices such as printers, analytical balances, etc. It also provides accurate and reproducible results for end-point titrations, providing analytical performance according to the current international safeguards requirements. The implementation of the method in such equipment included the addition of analytical data as well as the improvement of the equipment parameters for uranium determination. Parameters like predispensing volume; titrant data and end-point value were studied. Some uranium samples (solids and solutions) were used during the initial tests with the titrator. A solution of pure uranyl nitrate was used as reference sample for this paper. From this, aliquots were analyzed in both Radiometer ETS-822 and METTLER DL-67. Results obtained from each equipment were compared with the reference value of the sample. The comparison showed that results from METTLER DL-67 meets the precision and accuracy requirements for this kind of analysis and led to the conclusion that the performance of this titrator is adequate for the determination of total uranium content in samples of nuclear materials for safeguards purposes. (author)

Effect of micellized natural (D-α-tocopherol) vs. synthetic (DL-α-tocopheryl acetate) vitamin E supplementation given to turkeys on oxidative status and breast meat quality characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Rey, A I; Segura, J; Olivares, A; Cerisuelo, A; Piñeiro, C; López-Bote, C J

2015-06-01

This study evaluates the effect of vitamin E supplementation source (micellized natural vs. the synthetic form) and dosage (40, 80, or 120 mg/kg) on α-tocopherol concentration in plasma and muscle, antioxidant capacity, and breast meat quality in turkeys. Three hundred female turkeys were randomly selected at an average live weight 63.2 g±0.5 and distributed into 7 groups. One group (control) was fed a standard diet without vitamin E supplementation and the other 6 were given mixed diets supplemented with the natural (d-α-tocopherol) or synthetic (dl-α-tocopheryl acetate) form of vitamin E in 3 dosages (40, 80, or 120 mg/kg). Following 11 wk feeding, results showed that performance parameters were not modified either by source or dosage of vitamin E supplementation to the turkeys. Plasma and muscle α-tocopherol at d 9 of refrigerated storage were higher when turkeys were supplemented with the natural form at higher doses. Losses in the concentration of α-tocopherol in meat between the beginning and the end of the 9 d refrigerated storage were greater in the groups supplemented with the synthetic form of vitamin E compared to those receiving the natural supplementation. The relationship between plasma α-tocopherol and the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity followed a different trend depending on the vitamin E source. Intramuscular fat was not significantly affected by the vitamin E source supplementation; however the slope of the linear regression equation was lower for the natural form than for the synthetic form. Turkeys given the natural form had higher C18:1n-9 but lower C15:1, C17:1, C20:5n-3, and C22:6n-3 in breast muscle. Meat samples from turkeys supplemented with natural vitamin E had higher deoxymyoglobin at d 3, 6, and 9 and lower metmyoglobin at d 9 of refrigerated storage than those receiving the synthetic form. Dietary supplementation with medium doses (80 mg/kg) micellized d-α-tocopherol is an interesting feeding strategy for

Poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles with entrapped trans-cinnamaldehyde and eugenol for antimicrobial delivery applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Carmen; Moreira, Rosana G; Castell-Perez, Elena

2011-03-01

Eugenol and trans-cinnamaldehyde are natural compounds known to be highly effective antimicrobials; however, both are hydrophobic molecules, a limitation to their use within the food industry. The goal of this study was to synthesize spherical poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles with entrapped eugenol and trans-cinnamaldehyde for future antimicrobial delivery applications. The emulsion evaporation method was used to form the nanoparticles in the presence of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a surfactant. The inclusion of antimicrobial compounds into the PLGA nanoparticles was accomplished in the organic phase. Synthesis was followed by ultrafiltration (performed to eliminate the excess of PVA and antimicrobial compound) and freeze-drying. The nanoparticles were characterized by their shape, size, entrapment efficiency, and antimicrobial efficiency. The entrapment efficiency for eugenol and trans-cinnamaldehyde was approximately 98% and 92%, respectively. Controlled release experiments conducted in vitro at 37 °C and 100 rpm for 72 h showed an initial burst followed by a slower rate of release of the antimicrobial entrapped inside the PLGA matrix. All loaded nanoparticles formulations proved to be efficient in inhibiting growth of Salmonella spp. (Gram-negative bacterium) and Listeria spp. (Gram-positive bacterium) with concentrations ranging from 20 to 10 mg/mL. Results suggest that the application of these antimicrobial nanoparticles in food systems may be effective at inhibiting specific pathogens. Nanoencapsulation of lipophilic antimicrobial compounds has great potential for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of delivery in food systems. This study consisted of synthesizing PLGA nanoparticles with entrapped eugenol and trans-cinnamaldehyde. By characterizing these new delivery systems, one can understand the controlled-release mechanism and antimicrobial efficiency that provides a foundation that will enable food manufacturers to design

Influência do desenvolvimento etário e da suplementação com vitamina E (acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol no metabolismo oxidativo dos neutrófilos de bovinos da raça Holandesa (Bos taurus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joselito Nunes Costa

2004-10-01

Full Text Available O presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a influência do desenvolvimento etário e da suplementação com acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol sobre o metabolismo oxidativo de neutrófilos, em bovinos da raça holandesa, no período do nascimento até os 150 dias de idade. Foram utilizados 20 bezerros divididos em dois grupos de dez animais. Os animais do grupo Tratamento receberam 2000UI de acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol, por via intramuscular, ao nascimento, aos 15, 30, 60, 90 e 120 dias de idade, sendo o outro o grupo Controle, que não recebeu qualquer suplementação. Em ambos os grupos, o metabolismo oxidativo dos neutrófilos demonstrou pouca atividade durante os primeiros 60 dias de vida, sendo indicativo da ineficiência deste importante mecanismo bactericida. Não foi observado efeito significativo da administração do acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol sobre o metabolismo oxidativo de neutrófilos.

Text conception(s in context of semi-present Distance Learning (DL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiana Komesu

2013-02-01

Full Text Available By following the example proposed by Corrêa (2011 in the investigation of texts produced by undergraduate and pre-undergraduate students in two different assessment, this work aims to approach “hidden” aspects in the teaching of writing at the university (Street, 2009, to reflections produced in the language field, in particular the ones referred as “socially assumed”, proposed by Voloshinov/Bakhtin (s/d: 1926. It is particularly important to investigate the conception of text in digital context, by means of the study of updated semiotic resources in the production of undergraduate students using a computer with internet access in the process of semi-present Distance Learning (DL. The collected material comprises 29 (twenty nine texts which were produced by students of the semi-present Pedagogy Course from Univesp (Universidade Virtual do Estado de São Paulo – Virtual University from the state of São Paulo, who were studying “Education and Language”, in 2010. This qualitative analysis aims to show that regarding the institution there is a prevalence of structural and procedural aspects for the accomplishment of the proposed activity and, regarding the undergraduate student it is noticed that the production is characterized by a traditional conception of text, mainly recognized by written verbal text, although the proposal prioritized the relation between verbal and non verbal language. Regarding discursive-linguistic studies, it is important to reflect about a text conception that privileges the integration of multiple semiosis by taking into account the socio-historical interlocution character established within utterances of others.

Poly(styrene)-b-poly(DL-lactide) copolymer-based nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae-Young; Kim, Jung Sun; Cho, Hyun-Jong; Kim, Dae-Duk

2014-01-01

Poly(styrene)-b-poly(DL-lactide) (PS-PDLLA) copolymer-based nanoparticles (NPs) of a narrow size distribution, negative zeta potential, and spherical shape were fabricated for the delivery of docetaxel (DCT). The particle size was consistently maintained in serum for 24 hours and a sustained drug release pattern was observed for 10 days in the tested formulations. The cytotoxicity of the developed blank NPs was negligible in prostate cancer (PC-3) cells. Cellular uptake and distribution of the constructed NPs containing a hydrophobic fluorescent dye was monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for 24 hours. Anti-tumor efficacy of the PS-PDLLA/DCT NPs in PC-3 cells was significantly more potent than that of the group treated with commercially available DCT, Taxotere® (P<0.05). Blood biochemistry tests showed that no serious toxicity was observed with the blank NPs in the liver and kidney. In a pharmacokinetic study of DCT in rats, in vivo clearance of PS-PDLLA/DCT NPs decreased while the half-life in blood increased compared to the Taxotere-treated group (P<0.05). The PS-PDLLA NPs are expected to be a biocompatible and efficient nano-delivery system for anticancer drugs. PMID:24940058

Enantiomer Ratios of Meteoritic Sugar Derivatives

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, George

2012-01-01

Carbonaceous meteorites contain a diverse suite of soluble organic compounds. Studies of these compounds reveal the Solar System's earliest organic chemistry. Among the classes of organic compounds found in meteorites are keto acids (pyruvic acid, etc.), hydroxy tricarboxylic acids (1), amino acids, amides, purines and pyrimidines. The Murchison and Murray meteorites are the most studied for soluble and insoluble organic compounds and organic carbon phases. The majority of (indigenous) meteoritic compounds are racemic, (i.e., their D/L enantiomer ratios are 50:50). However, some of the more unusual (non-protein) amino acids contain slightly more of one enantiomer (usually the L) than the other. This presentation focuses on the enantiomer analyses of three to six-carbon (3C to 6C) meteoritic sugar acids. The molecular and enantiomer analysis of corresponding sugar alcohols will also be discussed. Detailed analytical procedures for sugar-acid enantiomers have been described. Results of several meteorite analyses show that glyceric acid is consistently racemic (or nearly so) as expected of non-biological mechanisms of synthesis. Also racemic are 4-C deoxy sugar acids: 2-methyl glyceric acid; 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid; 2,3-dihydroxybutyric acid (two diastereomers); and 3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid. However, a 4C acid, threonic acid, has never been observed as racemic, i.e., it possesses a large D excess. In several samples of Murchison and one of GRA 95229 (possibly the most pristine carbonaceous meteorite yet analyzed) threonic acid has nearly the same D enrichment. In Murchison, preliminary isotopic measurements of individual threonic acid enantiomers point towards extraterrestrial sources of the D enrichment. Enantiomer analyses of the 5C mono-sugar acids, ribonic, arabinonic, xylonic, and lyxonic also show large D excesses. It is worth noting that all four of these acids (all of the possible straight-chained 5C sugar acids) are present in meteorites, including the

Biotransformation and oxidative stress responses in rat hepatic cell-line (H4IIE) exposed to racemic ketoprofen (RS-KP) and its enantiomer, dexketoprofen (S(+)-KP).

Science.gov (United States)

Mennillo, Elvira; Krøkje, Åse; Pretti, Carlo; Meucci, Valentina; Arukwe, Augustine

2018-03-30

Pharmaceuticals such as racemate ketoprofen (RS-KP) and its enantiomer, dexketoprofen (S(+)-KP) are highly detectable non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the aquatic environment and therefore are designated as one of the most emerging groups of pollutants that can affect environmental and human health. The potential impact of these pharmaceuticals was assessed for the first time in vitro using a rat hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (H4IIE). Cells were exposed to low and high concentrations of these drugs. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT reduction assay; CYP1A1 transcriptional and enzymatic levels together with canonical oxidative stress responsive markers (GPx, GR, GST and CAT) were also investigated. Cells exposed to RS-KP and S(+)-KP did not show cytotoxicity effect at the concentrations tested. However, this study highlighted differences between RS-KP and S(+)-KP in most of the evaluated markers, showing compound-, concentration- and time-specific effect patterns which suggest a potential stereo-selective toxicity of these drugs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DL-β-aminobutyric acid-induced resistance in soybean against Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunpeng Zhong

Full Text Available Priming can improve plant innate capability to deal with the stresses caused by both biotic and abiotic factors. In this study, the effect of DL-β-amino-n-butyric acid (BABA against Aphis glycines Matsumura, the soybean aphid (SA was evaluated. We found that 25 mM BABA as a root drench had minimal adverse impact on plant growth and also efficiently protected soybean from SA infestation. In both choice and non-choice tests, SA number was significantly decreased to a low level in soybean seedlings drenched with 25 mM BABA compared to the control counterparts. BABA treatment resulted in a significant increase in the activities of several defense enzymes, such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, peroxidase (POX, polyphenol oxidase (PPO, chitinase (CHI, and β-1, 3-glucanase (GLU in soybean seedlings attacked by aphid. Meanwhile, the induction of 15 defense-related genes by aphid, such as AOS, CHS, MMP2, NPR1-1, NPR1-2, and PR genes, were significantly augmented in BABA-treated soybean seedlings. Our study suggest that BABA application is a promising way to enhance soybean resistance against SA.

Norfloxacin release from surfactant-free nanoparticles of poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) and biodegradation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kweon, J.K. [Chosun College of Science and Technology, Gwangju (Korea); Jeong, Y.I. [Chonnam National University, Gwangju (Korea); Jang, M.K. [Suncheon National University, Suncheon (Korea); Lee, C.H. [Korea Food and Drug Administration, Seoul (Korea); Nah, J.W. [Suncheon National University, Suncheon (Korea)

2002-07-01

We have prepared the surfactant-free nanoparticles of poly(DL- lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) by dialysis method and their physicochemical properties such as particle size and drug contents were investigated against various solvent. The size of PLGA nanoparticles prepared by using dimethylacetamide (DMAc), dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) was smaller than that from acetone. Also, the order of drug contents was DMAc>DMF>DMSO=acetone. These phenomena could be expected from the fact that solvent affects the size of nanoparticles and drug contents. The PLGA nanoparticles have a good spherical shapes as observed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Also, surfactant-free nanoparticles entrapping norfloxacin (NFx) have a good drug loading capacity without free-drug on the surface of nanoparticles confirmed by the analysis of X-ray powder diffraction. Release kinetics of NFx used as a model drug was governed not only by drug contents but also by particle size. Also, the biodegradation rate of PLGA nanoparticles prepared from DMF was faster than that prepared from acetone, indicating that the biodegradation of PLGA nanoparticles is size-dependent. (author). 25 refs., 3 tabs., 5 figs.

Soft x-ray circular dichroism of biomolecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagawa, Kazumichi; Tanaka, Makoto; Agui, Akane

2005-01-01

We succeeded to observe natural circular dichroism NCD for biomolecules in soft X-ray region for the first time. Evaporated films of amino acids, phenylalanine (phe) and serine (ser) were prepared in vacuum with the thickness of about 300 nm. Measurement was carried out at the soft X-ray undulator beamline BL23SU of the Spring-8, where left- and right-circularly polarized light (LCPL and RCPL) was available from an APPLE-2 undulator. Difference spectra DA(hν) was plotted as a function of photon energy hν of soft X-ray to be the difference between absorption coefficient A L for LCPL and absorption coefficient A R for RCPL, namely, DA(hν) ≡ A L (hν) - A R (hν). Values of A L and A R were determined by means of the photoelectric drain current measurement. In the DA(hν) spectra for L-phe films, negative peak was observed at 407 eV. On the contrary, for D-phe films, positive peak was observed at 407 eV with the same magnitude but opposite sign. Moreover, no signal was observed for racemic phenylalanine (DL-phe). In the wavelength region of visible to ultraviolet, there is well-known general law in which NCD signals for D- and L-enantiomers are the same magnitude but opposite sign and racemic compound does not show NCD spectra. Characteristic features in DA(hν) spectra of the L-phe, D-phe and DL-phe were of good agreement with this well-known general law. Based on this good agreement, we concluded that peaks at 407 eV in the DA(hν) spectra are true NCD peaks. For ser films, we assigned peaks at 540 eV and 548 eV to be NCD peaks in the same manner. We hope that our first observation of NCD for biomolecules at soft X-ray region will open new science and technologies such as basic science including elucidation of fundamental mechanism of NCD and application to manipulate biomolecules using circularly polarized soft X-ray beams. (author)

Faecal D/L lactate ratio is a metabolic signature of microbiota imbalance in patients with short bowel syndrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camille Mayeur

Full Text Available Our objective was to understand the functional link between the composition of faecal microbiota and the clinical characteristics of adults with short bowel syndrome (SBS. Sixteen patients suffering from type II SBS were included in the study. They displayed a total oral intake of 2661±1005 Kcal/day with superior sugar absorption (83±12% than protein (42±13% or fat (39±26%. These patients displayed a marked dysbiosis in faecal microbiota, with a predominance of Lactobacillus/Leuconostoc group, while Clostridium and Bacteroides were under-represented. Each patient exhibited a diverse lactic acid bacteria composition (L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. crispatus, L. gasseri, L. johnsonii, L. reuteri, L. mucosae, displaying specific D and L-lactate production profiles in vitro. Of 16 patients, 9/16 (56% accumulated lactates in their faecal samples, from 2 to 110 mM of D-lactate and from 2 to 80 mM of L-lactate. The presence of lactates in faeces (56% patients was used to define the Lactate-accumulator group (LA, while absence of faecal lactates (44% patients defines the Non lactate-accumulator group (NLA. The LA group had a lower plasma HCO3(- concentration (17.1±2.8 mM than the NLA group (22.8±4.6 mM, indicating that LA and NLA groups are clinically relevant sub-types. Two patients, belonging to the LA group and who particularly accumulated faecal D-lactate, were at risk of D-encephalopathic reactions. Furthermore, all patients of the NLA group and those accumulating preferentially L isoform in the LA group had never developed D-acidosis. The D/L faecal lactate ratio seems to be the most relevant index for a higher D-encephalopathy risk, rather than D- and L-lactate faecal concentrations per se. Testing criteria that take into account HCO3(- value, total faecal lactate and the faecal D/L lactate ratio may become useful tools for identifying SBS patients at risk for D-encephalopathy.

D:L-AMINO Acids and the Turnover of Microbial Biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Lomstein, B. A.; Braun, S.; Mhatre, S. S.; Jørgensen, B. B.

2015-12-01

Decades of ocean drilling have demonstrated wide spread microbial life in deep sub-seafloor sediment, and surprisingly high microbial cell numbers. Despite the ubiquity of life in the deep biosphere, the large community sizes and the low energy fluxes in the vast buried ecosystem are still poorly understood. It is not know whether organisms of the deep biosphere are specifically adapted to extremely low energy fluxes or whether most of the observed cells are in a maintenance state. Recently we developed and applied a new culture independent approach - the D:L-amino acid model - to quantify the turnover times of living microbial biomass, microbial necromass and mean metabolic rates. This approach is based on the built-in molecular clock in amino acids that very slowly undergo chemical racemization until they reach an even mixture of L- and D- forms, unless microorganisms spend energy to keep them in the L-form that dominates in living organisms. The approach combines sensitive analyses of amino acids, the unique bacterial endospore marker (dipicolinic acid) with racemization dynamics of stereo-isomeric amino acids. Based on a heating experiment, we recently reported kinetic parameters for racemization of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine and alanine in bulk sediment from Aarhus Bay, Denmark. The obtained racemization rate constants were faster than the racemization rate constants of free amino acids, which we have previously applied in Holocene sediment from Aarhus Bay and in up to 10 mio yr old sediment from ODP Leg 201. Another important input parameter for the D:L-amino acid model is the cellular carbon content. It has recently been suggested that the cellular carbon content most likely is lower than previously thought. In recognition of these new findings, previously published data based on the D:L-amino acid model were recalculated and will be presented together with new data from an Arctic Holocene setting with constant sub-zero temperatures.

Transdermal and oral dl-methylphenidate-ethanol interactions in C57BL/6J mice: transesterification to ethylphenidate and elevation of d-methylphenidate concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Guinevere H; Novak, Andrew J; Griffin, William C; Patrick, Kennerly S

2011-07-01

We tested the hypothesis that C57BL/6J mice will model human metabolic interactions between dl-methylphenidate (MPH) and ethanol, placing an emphasis on the MPH transdermal system (MTS). Specifically, we asked: (1) will ethanol increase d-MPH biological concentrations, (2) will MTS facilitate the systemic bioavailability of l-MPH, and (3) will l-MPH enantioselectively interact with ethanol to yield l-ethylphenidate (l-EPH)? Mice were dosed with MTS (¼ of a 12.5 cm(2) patch on shaved skin) or a comparable oral dl-MPH dose (7.5 mg/kg), with or without ethanol (3.0 g/kg), and then placed in metabolic cages for 3 h. MPH and EPH isomer concentrations in blood, brain, and urine were analyzed by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry monitoring of N-(S)-prolylpiperidyl fragments. As in humans, MTS greatly facilitated the absorption of l-MPH in this mouse strain. Similarly, ethanol led to the enantioselective formation of l-EPH and to an elevation in d-MPH concentrations with both MTS and oral MPH. Although only guarded comparisons between MTS and oral MPH can be made due to route-dependent drug absorption rate differences, MTS was associated with significant MPH-ethanol interactions. Ethanol-mediated increases in circulating concentrations of d-MPH carry toxicological and abuse liability implications should this animal model hold for ethanol-consuming attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder patients or coabusers. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

A Comparison of Natural (D-α-tocopherol) and Synthetic (DL-α-tocopherol Acetate) Vitamin E Supplementation on the Growth Performance, Meat Quality and Oxidative Status of Broilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, K; Niu, Y; Zheng, X C; Zhang, H; Chen, Y P; Zhang, M; Huang, X X; Zhang, L L; Zhou, Y M; Wang, T

2016-05-01

The present study was conducted to compare the supplementation of natural (D-α-tocopherol) and synthetic (DL-α-tocopherol acetate) vitamin E on the growth performance, meat quality, muscular antioxidant capacity and genes expression related to oxidative status of broilers. A total of 144 1 day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allocated into 3 groups with 6 replicates of 8 birds each. Birds were given a basal diet (control group), and basal diet supplemented with either 20 IU D-α-tocopherol or DL-α-tocopherol acetate for 42 days, respectively. The results indicated that treatments did not alter growth performance of broilers (p>0.05). Compared with the control group, concentration of α-tocopherol in the breast muscle was increased by the supplementation of vitamin E (pnatural vitamin E group (pnatural vitamin E group (pnatural rather than synthetic vitamin E reduced MDA accumulation in the thigh (pnatural nor synthetic vitamin E supplementation altered muscular mRNA abundance of genes related to oxidative stress (p>0.05). It was concluded that vitamin E supplementation, especially the natural vitamin E, can enhance the retention of muscular α-tocopherol, improve meat quality and muscular antioxidant capacity of broilers.

Effects of replacing fish meal with soy protein concentrate and of DL-methionine supplementation in high-energy, extruded diets on the growth and nutrient utilization of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Science.gov (United States)

Mambrini, M; Roem, A J; Carvèdi, J P; Lallès, J P; Kaushik, S J

1999-11-01

Our objectives were to test the potential replacement of fish meal by soy protein concentrate (SPC) in high-energy, extruded diets fed to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and to evaluate the efficiency of DL-methionine supplementation of soy-based diets. Groups of trout (initial BW 103 to 106 g) were fed to visual satiety with isonitrogenous (6.6% DM) high-energy (22.8 MJ/kg DM gross energy), extruded diets, in which fish meal was progressively replaced with SPC (0, 50, 75, and 100%). Three 100% SPC diets were formulated to be either unsupplemented or supplemented with DL-methionine, so that total methionine content was .8 or 1.0% of DM. The quality of the SPC source used was assessed by measuring the antitryptic and antigenic activities and the concentrations of the isoflavones daidzein and genistein. Apparent digestibility of the diets was determined using the indirect method. A growth trial was conducted over 90 d at a water temperature of 18 degrees C. In addition to body composition analysis, plasma amino acid concentrations, anti-soy protein antibodies in the serum, and isoflavone concentrations in the bile were measured. The SPC source tested exhibited low antitryptic and antigenic activities, but it contained high concentrations of isoflavones (1,990 and 5,903 ppm for daidzein and genistein, respectively). Protein digestibility was high (92%) and was unaffected either the proportion of SPC in the diet or by DL-methionine supplementation. This was also true for the availability of amino acids, except phenylalanine. Digestibility of lipid and energy was reduced by 19% when SPC totally replaced fish meal. Growth rate was reduced when more than 50% of the dietary protein was of soy origin (daily growth coefficient of 3.2 and 2.1% for the control and the unsupplemented 100% SPC diet, respectively). The effect on growth was mainly explained by a general decline in feed intake (13.7 and 12.0 g DM x kg BW(-1) x d(-1) for the control and the unsupplemented 100

Measurement of $|V_{cb}|$, form factors and branching fractions in the decays $\\overline{B}^0 \\to D^{*+}l^- \\overline{\

CERN Document Server

Buskulic, Damir; Décamp, D; Ghez, P; Goy, C; Lees, J P; Lucotte, A; Minard, M N; Nief, J Y; Odier, P; Pietrzyk, B; Casado, M P; Chmeissani, M; Comas, P; Crespo, J M; Delfino, M C; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fernández, E; Fernández-Bosman, M; Garrido, L; Juste, A; Martínez, M; Orteu, S; Padilla, C; Park, I C; Pascual, A; Perlas, J A; Riu, I; Sánchez, F; Teubert, F; Colaleo, A; Creanza, D; De Palma, M; Gelao, G; Girone, M; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, G; Maggi, M; Marinelli, N; Nuzzo, S; Ranieri, A; Raso, G; Ruggieri, F; Selvaggi, G; Silvestris, L; Tempesta, P; Tricomi, A; Zito, G; Huang, X; Lin, J; Ouyang, Q; Wang, T; Xie, Y; Xu, R; Xue, S; Zhang, J; Zhang, L; Zhao, W; Abbaneo, D; Alemany, R; Bazarko, A O; Bright-Thomas, P G; Cattaneo, M; Cerutti, F; Coyle, P; Drevermann, H; Forty, Roger W; Frank, M; Hagelberg, R; Harvey, J; Janot, P; Jost, B; Kneringer, E; Knobloch, J; Lehraus, Ivan; Lutters, G; Mato, P; Minten, Adolf G; Miquel, R; Mir, L M; Moneta, L; Oest, T; Pacheco, A; Pusztaszeri, J F; Ranjard, F; Rensing, P E; Rizzo, G; Rolandi, Luigi; Schlatter, W D; Schmelling, M; Schmitt, M; Schneider, O; Tejessy, W; Tomalin, I R; Venturi, A; Wachsmuth, H W; Wagner, A; Ajaltouni, Ziad J; Barrès, A; Boyer, C; Falvard, A; Gay, P; Guicheney, C; Henrard, P; Jousset, J; Michel, B; Monteil, S; Montret, J C; Pallin, D; Perret, P; Podlyski, F; Proriol, J; Rosnet, P; Rossignol, J M; Fearnley, Tom; Hansen, J B; Hansen, J D; Hansen, J R; Hansen, P H; Nilsson, B S; Rensch, B; Wäänänen, A; Kyriakis, A; Markou, C; Simopoulou, Errietta; Siotis, I; Vayaki, Anna; Zachariadou, K; Blondel, A; Bonneaud, G R; Brient, J C; Bourdon, P; Rougé, A; Rumpf, M; Valassi, Andrea; Verderi, M; Videau, H L; Candlin, D J; Parsons, M I; Focardi, E; Parrini, G; Corden, M; Georgiopoulos, C H; Jaffe, D E; Antonelli, A; Bencivenni, G; Bologna, G; Bossi, F; Campana, P; Capon, G; Casper, David William; Chiarella, V; Felici, G; Laurelli, P; Mannocchi, G; Murtas, F; Murtas, G P; Passalacqua, L; Pepé-Altarelli, M; Curtis, L; Dorris, S J; Halley, A W; Knowles, I G; Lynch, J G; O'Shea, V; Raine, C; Scarr, J M; Smith, K; Teixeira-Dias, P; Thompson, A S; Thomson, E; Thomson, F; Turnbull, R M; Becker, U; Geweniger, C; Graefe, G; Hanke, P; Hansper, G; Hepp, V; Kluge, E E; Putzer, A; Schmidt, M; Sommer, J; Tittel, K; Werner, S; Wunsch, M; Beuselinck, R; Binnie, David M; Cameron, W; Dornan, Peter J; Martin, E B; Moutoussi, A; Nash, J; Sedgbeer, J K; Stacey, A M; Williams, M D; Dissertori, G; Girtler, P; Kuhn, D; Rudolph, G; Betteridge, A P; Bowdery, C K; Colrain, P; Crawford, G; Finch, A J; Foster, F; Hughes, G; Sloan, Terence; Williams, M I; Galla, A; Giehl, I; Greene, A M; Hoffmann, C; Jakobs, K; Kleinknecht, K; Quast, G; Renk, B; Rohne, E; Sander, H G; Van Gemmeren, P; Zeitnitz, C; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Bencheikh, A M; Benchouk, C; Bonissent, A; Bujosa, G; Calvet, D; Carr, J; Diaconu, C A; Etienne, F; Konstantinidis, N P; Payre, P; Rousseau, D; Talby, M; Sadouki, A; Thulasidas, M; Trabelsi, K; Aleppo, M; Ragusa, F; Berlich, R; Blum, Walter; Büscher, V; Dietl, H; Dydak, Friedrich; Ganis, G; Gotzhein, C; Kroha, H; Lütjens, G; Lutz, Gerhard; Männer, W; Moser, H G; Richter, R H; Rosado-Schlosser, A; Schael, S; Settles, Ronald; Seywerd, H C J; Saint-Denis, R; Stenzel, H; Wiedenmann, W; Wolf, G; Boucrot, J; Callot, O; Choi, Y; Cordier, A; Davier, M; Duflot, L; Grivaz, J F; Heusse, P; Höcker, A; Jacholkowska, A; Jacquet, M; Kim, D W; Le Diberder, F R; Lefrançois, J; Lutz, A M; Nikolic, I A; Park, H J; Schune, M H; Simion, S; Veillet, J J; Videau, I; Zerwas, D; Azzurri, P; Bagliesi, G; Batignani, G; Bettarini, S; Bozzi, C; Calderini, G; Carpinelli, M; Ciocci, M A; Ciulli, V; Dell'Orso, R; Fantechi, R; Ferrante, I; Foà, L; Forti, F; Giassi, A; Giorgi, M A; Gregorio, A; Ligabue, F; Lusiani, A; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A; Palla, Fabrizio; Sanguinetti, G; Sciabà, A; Spagnolo, P; Steinberger, Jack; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, G; Vannini, C; Verdini, P G; Blair, G A; Bryant, L M; Chambers, J T; Gao, Y; Green, M G; Medcalf, T; Perrodo, P; Strong, J A; Von Wimmersperg-Töller, J H; Botterill, David R; Clifft, R W; Edgecock, T R; Haywood, S; Maley, P; Norton, P R; Thompson, J C; Wright, A E; Bloch-Devaux, B; Colas, P; Emery, S; Kozanecki, Witold; Lançon, E; Lemaire, M C; Locci, E; Pérez, P; Rander, J; Renardy, J F; Roussarie, A; Schuller, J P; Schwindling, J; Trabelsi, A; Vallage, B; Black, S N; Dann, J H; Johnson, R P; Kim, H Y; Litke, A M; McNeil, M A; Taylor, G; Booth, C N; Boswell, R; Brew, C A J; Cartwright, S L; Combley, F; Köksal, A; Lehto, M H; Newton, W M; Reeve, J; Thompson, L F; Böhrer, A; Brandt, S; Cowan, G D; Grupen, Claus; Minguet-Rodríguez, J A; Rivera, F; Saraiva, P; Smolik, L; Stephan, F; Apollonio, M; Bosisio, L; Della Marina, R; Giannini, G; Gobbo, B; Musolino, G; Rothberg, J E; Wasserbaech, S R; Armstrong, S R; Elmer, P; Feng, Z; Ferguson, D P S; Gao, Y S; González, S; Grahl, J; Greening, T C; Hayes, O J; Hu, H; McNamara, P A; Nachtman, J M; Orejudos, W; Pan, Y B; Saadi, Y; Scott, I J; Walsh, A M; Walsh, J; Wu Sau Lan; Wu, X; Yamartino, J M; Zheng, M; Zobernig, G

1997-01-01

Two samples of exclusive semileptonic decays, 579 B0->D*+l-nu events and 261 B0->D+l-nu events, are selected from approximately 3.9 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. From the reconstructed differential decay rate of each sample, the product of the hadronic form factor F(w) at zero recoil of the D(*)+ meson and the CKM matrix element |Vcb| are measured to be FD*+(1)|Vcb| = (31.9 +/- 1.8(stat) +/- 1.9(syst) ) Mail afs archive asis auth bin boot categ cern collab comments core date dev drdspool etc export external_repno filename ftp home kadb lib lost+found mail mbox mnt nfs nsr old_archive old_drdspool old_pub opt pages pcfs pub publi publitype reconfigure ref repno sbin share sys tit tmp usr var vmunix 10**-3, FD+(1)|Vcb| = (27.8 +/- 6.8(stat) +/- 6.5(syst) ) Mail afs archive asis auth bin boot categ cern collab comments core date dev drdspool etc export external_repno filename ftp home kadb lib lost+found mail mbox mnt nfs nsr old_archive old_drdspool old_pub opt pages pcfs pub...

Isolation of acetic, propionic and butyric acid-forming bacteria from biogas plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Cibis, Katharina Gabriela; Gneipel, Armin; König, Helmut

2016-02-20

In this study, acetic, propionic and butyric acid-forming bacteria were isolated from thermophilic and mesophilic biogas plants (BGP) located in Germany. The fermenters were fed with maize silage and cattle or swine manure. Furthermore, pressurized laboratory fermenters digesting maize silage were sampled. Enrichment cultures for the isolation of acid-forming bacteria were grown in minimal medium supplemented with one of the following carbon sources: Na(+)-dl-lactate, succinate, ethanol, glycerol, glucose or a mixture of amino acids. These substrates could be converted by the isolates to acetic, propionic or butyric acid. In total, 49 isolates were obtained, which belonged to the phyla Firmicutes, Tenericutes or Thermotogae. According to 16S rRNA gene sequences, most isolates were related to Clostridium sporosphaeroides, Defluviitoga tunisiensis and Dendrosporobacter quercicolus. Acetic, propionic or butyric acid were produced in cultures of isolates affiliated to Bacillus thermoamylovorans, Clostridium aminovalericum, Clostridium cochlearium/Clostridium tetani, C. sporosphaeroides, D. quercicolus, Proteiniborus ethanoligenes, Selenomonas bovis and Tepidanaerobacter sp. Isolates related to Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum produced acetic, butyric and lactic acid, and isolates related to D. tunisiensis formed acetic acid. Specific primer sets targeting 16S rRNA gene sequences were designed and used for real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The isolates were physiologically characterized and their role in BGP discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enantioselective degradation and unidirectional chiral inversion of 2-phenylbutyric acid, an intermediate from linear alkylbenzene, by Xanthobacter flavus PA1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yishan; Han, Ping [School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China); Li, Xiao-yan; Shih, Kaimin [Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China); Gu, Ji-Dong, E-mail: jdgu@hkucc.hku.hk [School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China); The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Shek O, Cape d' Aguilar, Hong Kong (China)

2011-09-15

Highlights: {yields} We isolated a Xanthobacter flavus strain PA1 utilizing the racemic 2-PBA and the single enantiomers as the sole source of carbon and energy. {yields} Both (R) and (S) forms of enantiomers can be degraded in a sequential manner in which the (S) disappeared before the (R) form. {yields} The biochemical degradation pathway involves an initial oxidation of the alkyl side chain before aromatic ring cleavage. - Abstract: Microbial degradation of the chiral 2-phenylbutyric acid (2-PBA), a metabolite of surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), was investigated using both racemic and enantiomer-pure compounds together with quantitative stereoselective analyses. A pure culture of bacteria, identified as Xanthobacter flavus strain PA1 isolated from the mangrove sediment of Hong Kong Mai Po Nature Reserve, was able to utilize the racemic 2-PBA as well as the single enantiomers as the sole source of carbon and energy. In the presence of the racemic compounds, X. flavus PA1 degraded both (R) and (S) forms of enantiomers to completion in a sequential manner in which the (S) enantiomer disappeared much faster than the (R) enantiomer. When the single pure enantiomer was supplied as the sole substrate, a unidirectional chiral inversion involving (S) enantiomer to (R) enantiomer was evident. No major difference was observed in the degradation intermediates with either of the individual enantiomers when used as the growth substrate. Two major degradation intermediates were detected and identified as 3-hydroxy-2-phenylbutanoic acid and 4-methyl-3-phenyloxetan-2-one, using a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and {sup 1}H and {sup 13}C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The biochemical degradation pathway follows an initial oxidation of the alkyl side chain before aromatic ring cleavage. This study reveals new evidence for enantiomeric inversion catalyzed by pure culture of environmental bacteria and emphasizes the

Stereochemistry and neuropharmacology of a ‘bath salt’ cathinone: S-enantiomer of mephedrone reduces cocaine-induced reward and withdrawal in invertebrates

Science.gov (United States)

Vouga, Alexandre; Gregg, Ryan A.; Haidery, Maryah; Ramnath, Anita; Al-Hassani, Hassan K.; Tallarida, Christopher S.; Grizzanti, David; Raffa, Robert B.; Smith, Garry R.; Reitz, Allen B.; Rawls, Scott M.

2015-01-01

Knowledge about the neuropharmacology of mephedrone (MEPH) applies primarily to the racemate, or street form of the drug, but not to its individual enantiomers. Here, through chemical isolation of MEPH enantiomers and subsequent behavioral characterization in established invertebrate (planarian) assays, we began separating adverse effects of MEPH from potential therapeutic actions. We first compared stereotypical and environmental place conditioning (EPC) effects of racemic MEPH, S-MEPH, and R-MEPH. Stereotypy was enhanced by acute treatment (100–1000 μM) with each compound; however, S-MEPH was less potent and efficacious than racemate and R-MEPH. Both R-MEPH (10, 100, 250 μM) and racemate (100 μM) produced EPC, but S-MEPH was ineffective at all concentrations (10–100 μM). After showing that S-MEPH lacked rewarding efficacy, we investigated its ability to alter three of cocaine's behavioral effects (EPC, withdrawal, and stereotypy). Cocaine (1 μM) produced EPC that was abolished when S-MEPH (100 μM) was administered after cocaine conditioning. Spontaneous withdrawal from chronic cocaine exposure caused a reduction in motility that was not evident during acute or continuous cocaine treatment but was attenuated by S-MEPH (100 μM) treatment during the cocaine abstinence interval. Acute stereotypy produced by 1 mM cocaine, nicotine or racemic MEPH was not affected by S-MEPH (10–250 μM). The present results obtained using planarian assays suggest that the R-enantiomer of MEPH is predominantly responsible for its stimulant and rewarding effects and the S-enantiomer is capable of antagonizing cocaine's addictive-like behaviors without producing rewarding effects of its own. PMID:25496724

Stereochemistry and neuropharmacology of a 'bath salt' cathinone: S-enantiomer of mephedrone reduces cocaine-induced reward and withdrawal in invertebrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Vouga, Alexandre; Gregg, Ryan A; Haidery, Maryah; Ramnath, Anita; Al-Hassani, Hassan K; Tallarida, Christopher S; Grizzanti, David; Raffa, Robert B; Smith, Garry R; Reitz, Allen B; Rawls, Scott M

2015-04-01

Knowledge about the neuropharmacology of mephedrone (MEPH) applies primarily to the racemate, or street form of the drug, but not to its individual enantiomers. Here, through chemical isolation of MEPH enantiomers and subsequent behavioral characterization in established invertebrate (planarian) assays, we began separating adverse effects of MEPH from potential therapeutic actions. We first compared stereotypical and environmental place conditioning (EPC) effects of racemic MEPH, S-MEPH, and R-MEPH. Stereotypy was enhanced by acute treatment (100-1000 μM) with each compound; however, S-MEPH was less potent and efficacious than racemate and R-MEPH. Both R-MEPH (10, 100, 250 μM) and racemate (100 μM) produced EPC, but S-MEPH was ineffective at all concentrations (10-100 μM). After showing that S-MEPH lacked rewarding efficacy, we investigated its ability to alter three of cocaine's behavioral effects (EPC, withdrawal, and stereotypy). Cocaine (1 μM) produced EPC that was abolished when S-MEPH (100 μM) was administered after cocaine conditioning. Spontaneous withdrawal from chronic cocaine exposure caused a reduction in motility that was not evident during acute or continuous cocaine treatment but was attenuated by S-MEPH (100 μM) treatment during the cocaine abstinence interval. Acute stereotypy produced by 1 mM cocaine, nicotine or racemic MEPH was not affected by S-MEPH (10-250 μM). The present results obtained using planarian assays suggest that the R-enantiomer of MEPH is predominantly responsible for its stimulant and rewarding effects and the S-enantiomer is capable of antagonizing cocaine's addictive-like behaviors without producing rewarding effects of its own. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Post-translational amino acid racemization in the frog skin peptide deltorphin I in the secretion granules of cutaneous serous glands.

Science.gov (United States)

Auvynet, Constance; Seddiki, Nabila; Dunia, Irene; Nicolas, Pierre; Amiche, Mohamed; Lacombe, Claire

2006-01-01

The dermal glands of the South American hylid frog Phyllomedusa bicolor synthesize and expel huge amounts of cationic, alpha-helical, 24- to 33-residue antimicrobial peptides, the dermaseptins B. These glands also produce a wide array of peptides that are similar to mammalian hormones and neuropeptides, including a heptapeptide opioid containing a D-amino acid, deltorphin I (Tyr-DAla-Phe-Asp-Val-Val-Gly NH2). Its biological activity is due to the racemization of L-Ala2 to D-Ala. The dermaseptins B and deltorphins are all derived from a single family of precursor polypeptides that have an N-terminal preprosequence that is remarkably well conserved, although the progenitor sequences giving rise to mature opioid or antimicrobial peptides are markedly different. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were used to examine the cellular and ultrastructural distributions of deltorphin I and dermaseptin B in the serous glands by immunofluoresence confocal microscopy and immunogold-electron microscopy. Preprodeltorphin I and preprodermaseptins B are sorted into the regulated pathway of secretion, where they are processed to give the mature products. Deltorphin I, [l-Ala2]-deltorphin I and dermaseptin B are all stored together in secretion granules which accumulate in the cytoplasm of all serous glands. We conclude that the L- to D-amino acid isomerization of the deltorphin I occurs in the secretory granules as a post-translational event. Thus the specificity of isomerization depends on the presence of structural and/or conformational determinants in the peptide N-terminus surrounding the isomerization site.

Observation of a current-limited double layer in a linear turbulent-heating device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inuzuka, H.; Torii, Y.; Nagatsu, M.; Tsukishima, T.

1985-01-01

Time- and space-resolved measurements of strong double layers (DLs) have been carried out for the first time on a linear turbulent-heating device, together with those of fluctuation spectra and precise current measurements. A stable stong DL is formed even when the electric current through the DL is less than the so-called Bohm value. Discussion of the formation and decay processes is given, indicating a transition from an ion-acoustic DL to a monotonic DL

Síntese e caracterização de compostos diorganoestânicos com ácido dl-mandélico

OpenAIRE

TERRA, Vilma Reis; BARBIÉRI, Roberto Santos; CASTELO BRANCO, Pedro de Azevedo; ABRAS, Anuar

1998-01-01

Por reação de quantidades eqüimoleculares de R2SnO ou R2SnCl2 (R = -CH3; -C4H9) com ácido dl-mandélico, C6H5CH(OH)COOH, em meio de etanol, foram obtidos novos compostos formulados como [(LR2Sn)2O] [L= C6H5CH(OH)COO-], nos quais o átomo de estanho é pentacoordenado, com o ligante L estabelecendo uma ligação bidentada através dos átomos de oxigênio dos grupos ácido e hidroxila alcoólica. Nas mesmas condições, nenhum produto obtido a partir da reação de (C6H5)2SnO ou (C6H5)2SnCl2 pode ser identi...

Homochiral drugs: a demanding tendency of the pharmaceutical industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Núñez, María C; García-Rubiño, M Eugenia; Conejo-García, Ana; Cruz-López, Olga; Kimatrai, María; Gallo, Miguel A; Espinosa, Antonio; Campos, Joaquín M

2009-01-01

The issue of drug chirality is now a major theme in the design and development of new drugs, underpinned by a new understanding of the role of molecular recognition in many pharmacologically relevant events. In general, three methods are utilized for the production of a chiral drug: the chiral pool, separation of racemates, and asymmetric synthesis. Although the use of chiral drugs predates modern medicine, only since the 1980's has there been a significant increase in the development of chiral pharmaceutical drugs. An important commercial reason is that as patents on racemic drugs expire, pharmaceutical companies have the opportunity to extend patent coverage through development of the chiral switch enantiomers with desired bioactivity. Stimulated by the new policy statements issued by the regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical industry has systematically begun to develop chiral drugs in enantiometrically enriched pure forms. This new trend has caused a tremendous change in the industrial small- and large-scale production to enantiomerically pure drugs, leading to the revisiting and updating of old technologies, and to the development of new methodologies of their large-scale preparation (as the use of stereoselective syntheses and biocatalyzed reactions). The final decision whether a given chiral drug will be marketed in an enantiomerically pure form, or as a racemic mixture of both enantiomers, will be made weighing all the medical, financial and social proficiencies of one or other form. The kinetic, pharmacological and toxicological properties of individual enantiomers need to be characterized, independently of a final decision.

Propagation of biochirality: crossovers and nonclassical crystallization kinetics of aspartic acid in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Tu; Lin, Yu Kun; Tsai, Ya Chung; Lee, Hung Lin

2013-11-01

All experimental procedures discussed could be treated as a screening tool for probing the existence of molecular association among the chiral molecules and the solvent system. The molecular association phases of a racemic conglomerate solution (CS) and a racemic compound solution (RCS), and the templating effect of aspartic acid solid surface were observed to minimize the chance of redissolving racemic conglomerate and racemic compound aspartic acid in water and reforming an RCS in crossovers experiments. Only 1 %wt% of l-aspartic acid was adequate enough to induce a transformation from a racemic compound aspartic acid to a racemic conglomerate aspartic acid. This would make the propagation of biochirality more feasible and sound. However, tetrapeptide, (l-aspartic acid)4 , failed to induce enantioseparation as templates purely by crystallization. Nonclassical crystallization theory was needed to take into account the existence of a CS. Fundamental parameters of the crystallization kinetics such as the induction time, interfacial energy, Gibbs energetic barrier, nucleation rate, and critical size of stable nuclei of: (i) racemic compound aspartic acid, (ii) racemic compound aspartic acid seeded with 1 %wt% l-aspartic acid, (iii) racemic conglomerate aspartic acid, and (iv) l-aspartic acid were evaluated and compared with different initial supersaturation ratios. Morphological studies of crystals grown from the crystallization kinetics were also carried out. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Microfluidic assisted preparation of CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals encapsulated into poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) microcapsules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, J-Y [Nanopowder and Thin Film Technology Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan (China); Yang, C-H [Department of Biological Science and Technology, I-Shou University, Taiwan (China); Huang, K-S [Department of Biological Science and Technology, I-Shou University, Taiwan (China)

2007-08-01

This paper demonstrates a proof-of-concept approach for encapsulating CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) into uniform-sized poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) biocompatible microcapsules utilizing a microfluidic chip. By adapting a blend of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) as stabilizers for constructing a PLGA polymer matrix to entrap CdSe/ZnS QDs, the PLGA polymer solution was constrained to adopt the spherical droplets in a continuous aqueous phase at a microchannel cross-junction. The generation of these droplets was then studied quantitatively. The flow conditions of the two immiscible solutions were adjusted in order to successfully generate the polymer droplets. Size-controllable PLGA microgels containing CdSe/ZnS QDs were produced, ranging in size from 180 to 550 {mu}m in diameter. The narrow size distribution (within {+-} 5%) was obtained by altering the ratio of the flow rate. In contrast to individual QDs, each PLGA microsphere encapsulates thousands of fluorescent QDs in a protective polymer matrix, providing a highly amplified and reproducible signal for fluorescence-based bioanalysis.

Visualization of silver-decorated poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles and their efficacy against Staphylococcus epidermidis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Chisato, E-mail: chisato@dpc.agu.ac.jp [Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, 1-100, Kusumoto-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8650 (Japan); Matsubara, Nobuhiro; Akachi, Yuki; Ogawa, Noriko [Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, 1-100, Kusumoto-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8650 (Japan); Kalita, Golap [Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokisocho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Asaka, Toru [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokisocho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Tanemura, Masaki [Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokisocho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Kawashima, Yoshiaki; Yamamoto, Hiromitsu [Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, 1-100, Kusumoto-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8650 (Japan)

2017-03-01

Understanding of self-protection activity of the bacteria and interaction with drug substances has significant importance for designing of effective drug delivery system for treatment of biofilm infections. Recently silver nanoparticle has attracted attention as antibacterial substance for drug delivery system because of its high antibacterial activity. Here, efflux of silver nanoparticles obtained from within the prepared silver-decorated poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (Ag PLGA) nanoparticles derived from Staphylococcus epidermidis bacterial cell was successfully visualized using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). We also revealed the interaction between prepared Ag PLGA nanoparticles and the bacterial cells at the nanoscale level using field emission scanning electron microscopy and STEM, after a pretreatment process by an ionic liquid. This finding is significant to understand a fundamental function of S. epidermidis bacterial cells, which is not explored previously. The results suggest that Ag PLGA nanoparticles could demonstrate high efficacy against biofilm infections. - Highlights: • Ag PLGA nanoparticles with high efficacy against biofilm infections were prepared. • Self-protection activity of bacteria against Ag nanoparticles was visualized by STEM. • Antibacterial mechanism of Ag PLGA nanoparticles against biofilm was proposed.

Effect of Exogenous Albumin on the Incidence of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery with a Preoperative Albumin Level of Less Than 4.0 g/dl.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Eun-Ho; Kim, Wook-Jong; Kim, Ji-Yeon; Chin, Ji-Hyun; Choi, Dae-Kee; Sim, Ji-Yeon; Choo, Suk-Jung; Chung, Cheol-Hyun; Lee, Jae-Won; Choi, In-Cheol

2016-05-01

Hypoalbuminemia may increase the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). The authors investigated whether the immediate preoperative administration of 20% albumin solution affects the incidence of AKI after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. In this prospective, single-center, randomized, parallel-arm double-blind trial, 220 patients with preoperative serum albumin levels less than 4.0 g/dl were administered 100, 200, or 300 ml of 20% human albumin according to the preoperative serum albumin level (3.5 to 3.9, 3.0 to 3.4, or less than 3.0 g/dl, respectively) or with an equal volume of saline before surgery. The primary outcome measure was AKI incidence after surgery. Postoperative AKI was defined by maximal AKI Network criteria based on creatinine changes. Patient characteristics and perioperative data except urine output during surgery were similar between the two groups studied, the albumin group and the control group. Urine output (median [interquartile range]) during surgery was higher in the albumin group (550 ml [315 to 980]) than in the control group (370 ml [230 to 670]; P = 0.006). The incidence of postoperative AKI in the albumin group was lower than that in the control group (14 [13.7%] vs. 26 [25.7%]; P = 0.048). There were no significant between-group differences in severe AKI, including renal replacement therapy, 30-day mortality, and other clinical outcomes. There were no significant adverse events. Administration of 20% exogenous albumin immediately before surgery increases urine output during surgery and reduces the risk of AKI after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with a preoperative serum albumin level of less than 4.0 g/dl.

Light-induced racemization: artifacts in the analysis of the diastereoisomeric pairs of thioridazine 5-sulfoxide in the plasma and urine of patients treated with thioridazine.

Science.gov (United States)

Eap, C B; Souche, A; Koeb, L; Baumann, P

1991-07-01

The ring sulfoxidation of thioridazine (THD), a widely used neuroleptic agent, yields two diastereoisomeric pairs, fast- and slow-eluting (FE and SE) thioridazine 5-sulfoxide (THD 5-SO). Until now, studies in which concentrations of these metabolites were measured in THD-treated patients have revealed no significant differences in their concentrations. Preliminary experiments in our laboratory had shown that sunlight and, to a lesser extent, dim daylight led to racemization and probably also to photolysis of the diastereoisomeric pairs as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Similar results were also obtained with direct UV light (UV lamp). In appropriate light-protected conditions, THD, northioridazine, mesoridazine, sulforidazine, and FE and SE THD 5-SO were measured in 11 patients treated with various doses of THD for at least 1 week. Significantly higher concentrations of the FE stereoisomeric pair were found. The concentration ratios THD 5-SO (FE)/THD 5-SO (SE) ranged from 0.89 to 1.75 in plasma and from 1.15 to 2.05 in urine. Because it is known that the ring sulfoxide contributes to the cardiotoxicity of the drug even more potently than the parent compound does, these results justify further studies to determine whether there is stereoselectivity in the cardiotoxicity of THD 5-SO.

Magnetic resonance imaging of racemous cysticercosis of the cauda equina; Ressonancia magnetica de paciente com cisticercose racemosa da cauda equina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costa Junior, Leodante Batista da; Lemos, Sandro Pedroso [Hospital da Baleia, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Servico de Neurocirurgia; Lambertucci, Jose Roberto [Minas Gerais Univ., Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina. Servico de Doencas Infecciosas e Parasitarias

2003-12-01

37-year-old man presented with low back pain for the last 6 months followed by sensation of numbness in the lower limbs that evolved with paraparesis, urinary retention and impotence. Subsequently, he lost control over the bowel function. Neurological examination revealed increased muscle tone along with grade zero power in both lower limbs. Knee and ankle jerks were exaggerated. Nine months prior to admission, a type II diabetes mellitus was diagnosed and he has been taking insulin ever since. MRI revealed multiple cystic lesions in the cauda equina opposite the L1-S1 vertebral bodies with no involvement of the spinal cord (Figure A: sagittal section T1-weighted image after contrast with cystic lesions on the left side - yellow arrow -, and T2-weighted image on the right - red arrows pointing cystic lesions). The cysts were hypointense on T1-weighted images (Figure B: horizontal section - yellow arrows) and hyperintense in T2-weighted images (Figure A - red arrows). Computerized tomography of the brain showed moderate ventricle dilatation (Figure C) with no intra or extra axial lesions. He was submitted to laminectomy and the cysts were surgically removed. An intense inflammatory process (arachnoiditis) involving the nerve roots of the cauda equina was reported. Histology of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of racemous cysticercosis. He improved quickly after surgery. Three months later, at the outpatient clinic, he walked with support, resumed sphincter control of the bladder and bowel and had no more pain. Ten months later he returned to hospital walking with crutches, with hypoesthesia and paraesthesia on the left leg and urinary incontinence. He refused treatment with albendazole and steroids. (author)

Development of the DL/H-1 full pressure suit for private spaceflight

Science.gov (United States)

León, Pablo de; Harris, Gary L.

2010-06-01

The objective of this paper is to detail the need for full pressure suits to protect spaceflight participants during the experimental phases of flight testing of new space vehicles. It also details the objectives, historical background, basis for design, problems encountered by the designers and final development of the DL/H-1 full pressure suit. It will include justification for its use and results of the initial tests in the high altitude chamber and spacecraft simulator at the J.D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota. For the test flights of early commercial space vehicles and tourist suborbital spacecrafts, emergency protection from the rarified air of the upper atmosphere and the vacuum of low Earth orbit almost certainly will be a requirement. Suborbital vehicles could be operating in "space equivalent conditions" for as long as 30 min to as much as several hours. In the case of cabin pressure loss, without personal protection, catastrophic loss of crew and vehicle could result. This paper explains the different steps taken by the authors who designed and built a preflight hardware pressure suit that can meet the physiological and comfort requirements of the tourist suborbital industry and the early commercial private spaceflight community. The suborbital tourist and commercial spaceflight industry have unique problems confronting the pressure suit builder such as unpressurized comfort, reasonable expense, unique sizing of the general population, decompression complications of persons not fitting a past military physiology profile and equipment weight issues. In addition, the lack of a certifying agency or guidance from international or national aviation authorities has created the opportunity for the emerging civilian pressure suit industry to create a new safety standard by which it can regulate itself in the same way the recreational SCUBA diving industry has since the late 1950s.

Prevalence of dyslipidemias in the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A; Gómez-Pérez, Francisco J; Rull, Juan; Villalpando, Salvador; Barquera, Simón; Rojas, Rosalba

2010-01-01

To describe the prevalence of lipid abnormalities found in the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANut 2006). Information was obtained from 4 040 subjects aged 20 to 69 years, studied after a 9- to 12-hour fast. Median lipid concentrations were: cholesterol 198.5 mg/dl, triglycerides 139.6 mg/dl, HDL-cholesterol 39.0 mg/dl, non-HDL-cholesterol 159.5 mg/dl and LDL-cholesterol 131.5 mg/dl. The most frequent abnormality was HDL-cholesterol below 40 mg/dl with a prevalence of 60.5% (95%CI 58.2-62.8%). Hypercholesterolemia (> 200 mg/dl) had a frequency of abnormality of 43.6% (95%CI 41.4-46.0%). Only 8.6% of the hypercholesterolemic subjects knew their diagnosis. Hypertriglyceridemia (>or= 150 mg/dl) was observed in 31.5% (IC 95% 29.3-33.9%) of the population. The ENSANUT 2006 data confirm that the prevalence of hypoalphalipoproteinemia and other forms of dyslipidemia in Mexican adults is very high.

Dual enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase and Candida antarctica lipase B

KAUST Repository

Karume, Ibrahim

2016-10-04

The immobilization of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH) using sol–gel method enables its use to racemize enantiopure alcohols in organic media. Here, we report the racemization of enantiopure phenyl-ring-containing secondary alcohols using xerogel-immobilized W110A TeSADH in hexane rather than the aqueous medium required by the enzyme. We further showed that this racemization approach in organic solvent was compatible with Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)-catalyzed kinetic resolution. This compatibility, therefore, allowed a dual enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols using CALB-catalyzed kinetic resolution and W110A TeSADH-catalyzed racemization of phenyl-ring-containing alcohols.

A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study on the Formation of Interstellar Propylene Oxide (CH3CHCH2O)—A Chiral Molecule

Science.gov (United States)

Bergantini, Alexandre; Abplanalp, Matthew J.; Pokhilko, Pavel; Krylov, Anna I.; Shingledecker, Christopher N.; Herbst, Eric; Kaiser, Ralf I.

2018-06-01

This work reveals via a combined experimental, computational, and astrochemical modeling study that racemic propylene oxide (c-C3H6O)—the first chiral molecule detected outside Earth toward the high-mass star-forming region Sagittarius B2(N)—can be synthesized by non-equilibrium reactions initiated by the effects of secondary electrons generated in the track of cosmic rays interacting with ice-coated interstellar grains through excited-state and spin-forbidden reaction pathways operating within low-temperature interstellar ices at 10 K. Our findings confront traditional hypotheses that thermal chemistries followed by processing of interstellar grains dictate the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in molecular clouds. Instead, we reveal a hitherto poorly quantified reaction class involving excited-state and spin-forbidden chemistry leading to racemic mixtures of COMs inside interstellar ices prior to their sublimation in star-forming regions. This fundamental production mechanism is of essential consequence in aiding our understanding of the origin and evolution of chiral molecules in the universe.

Improved survival of acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients of HLA-A3/11 absent for donor KIR3DL2 after non-T-cell depleted HLA-identical sibling hematopoietic stem cells transplantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

farhad shahsavar

2011-08-01

Conclusion: These data indicate that the absence of HLA class I ligand in the recipient for donor-inhibitory KIR can be a prognostic factor for transplantation outcomes in non-T-cell depleted HLA-identical sibling hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and that the lack of HLA-A3/11 for donor KIR3DL2 can contribute to improved survival for patients with ALL.

Distributed Leadership in Organizational Change Processes: A Qualitative Study in Public Hospital Units

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Anne Mette; Jonasson, Charlotte; Ovesen, Maria

2015-01-01

This paper proposes that the emergence and boundaries of distributed leadership (DL) are developed in a dynamic interplay with planned as well as emergent organizational change. The empirical findings are based on a qualitative, longitudinal case study with interviews conducted at two different....../non-routine, various goals, and organizational planning affect a simultaneous widening or restriction of the local DL. In return, such local DL also leads to ongoing changes in the form of novel work routines for improved collaboration. Moreover, the findings show that restrictions of DL are in some cases considered...

Effect of feeding soybean, linseed oil and different forms of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... redox and immune status of turkey hens. The experiment was carried out on 480 turkey hens, type BIG 6, which were divided into four groups. Birds in Group I (control) received soybean oil and synthetic dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate in their feed mixture. Group II received soybean oil and natural RRR-d-alpha-tocopherol.

Positive effect of reduced aeration rate on growth and stereospecificity of DL-malic acid consumption by Azospirillum brasilense: improving the shelf life of a liquid inoculant formulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrasco-Espinosa, Karen; García-Cabrera, Ramsés I; Bedoya-López, Andrea; Trujillo-Roldán, Mauricio A; Valdez-Cruz, Norma A

2015-02-10

Azospirillum brasilense has significance as a growth promoter in plants of commercial interest. Two industrial native strains (Start and Calf), used as a part of an inoculant formulation in Mexico during the last 15 years, were incubated in laboratory-scale pneumatic bioreactors at different aeration rates. In both strains, the positive effect of decreased aeration was observed. At the lowest (0.1 vvm, air volume/liquid volume×minute), the highest biomass were obtained for Calf (7.8 × 10(10)CFU/ml), and Start (2.9 × 10(9)CFU/ml). These were higher in one magnitude order compared to cultures carried out at 0.5 vvm, and two compared to those at 1.0 vvm. At lower aeration, both stereoisomeric forms of malic acid were consumed, but at higher aeration, just L-malate was consumed. A reduction in aeration allows an increase of the shelf life and the microorganism saved higher concentrations of polyhydroxybutyrate. The selected fermentation conditions are closely related to those prevalent in large-scale bioreactors and offer the possibility of achieving high biomass titles with high shelf life at a reduced costs, due to the complete use of a carbon source at low aeration of a low cost raw material as DL-malic acid mixture in comparison with the L-malic acid stereoisomer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Micelle Enhanced Fluorimetric and Thin Layer Chromatography Densitometric Methods for the Determination of (± Citalopram and its S – Enantiomer Escitalopram

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elham A. Taha

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Two sensitive and validated methods were developed for determination of a racemic mixture citalopram and its enantiomer S-(+ escitalopram. The first method was based on direct measurement of the intrinsic fluorescence of escitalopram using sodium dodecyl sulfate as micelle enhancer. This was further applied to determine escitalopram in spiked human plasma, as well as in the presence of common and co-administerated drugs. The second method was TLC densitometric based on various chiral selectors was investigated. The optimum TLC conditions were found to be sensitive and selective for identification and quantitative determination of enantiomeric purity of escitalopram in drug substance and drug products. The method can be useful to investigate adulteration of pure isomer with the cheap racemic form.

Micelle Enhanced Fluorimetric and Thin Layer Chromatography Densitometric Methods for the Determination of (± Citalopram and its S - Enantiomer Escitalopram

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elham A. Taha

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Two sensitive and validated methods were developed for determination of a racemic mixture citalopram and its enantiomer s -(+escitalopram. The first method was based on direct measurement of the intrinsic fluorescence of escitalopram using sodium dodecyl sulfate as micelle enhancer. This was further applied to determine escitalopram in spiked human plasma, as well as in the presence of common and co-administerated drugs. The second method was TLC densitometric based on various chiral selectors was investigated. The optimum TLC conditions were found to be sensitive and selective for identification and quantitative determination of enantiomeric purity of escitalopram in drug substance and drug products. The method can be useful to investigate adulteration of pure isomer with the cheap racemic form.

Micelle Enhanced Fluorimetric and Thin Layer Chromatography Densitometric Methods for the Determination of (±) Citalopram and its S – Enantiomer Escitalopram

Science.gov (United States)

Taha, Elham A.; Salama, Nahla N.; Wang, Shudong

2009-01-01

Two sensitive and validated methods were developed for determination of a racemic mixture citalopram and its enantiomer S-(+) escitalopram. The first method was based on direct measurement of the intrinsic fluorescence of escitalopram using sodium dodecyl sulfate as micelle enhancer. This was further applied to determine escitalopram in spiked human plasma, as well as in the presence of common and co-administerated drugs. The second method was TLC densitometric based on various chiral selectors was investigated. The optimum TLC conditions were found to be sensitive and selective for identification and quantitative determination of enantiomeric purity of escitalopram in drug substance and drug products. The method can be useful to investigate adulteration of pure isomer with the cheap racemic form. PMID:19652757

Experimental evidence for a chiral symmetry-breaking mechanism in aspartic acid: Lattice and sub-lattice matching

Science.gov (United States)

Teschke, Omar; Soares, David Mendez

2017-10-01

A mother crystal formed from a transient molecular structure of (D+L) aspartic acid in solution is reported. Hexagonal structures with a lattice constant of 1.04 nm were crystallized from a solution in which three aspartic acid species coexist: right- and left-handed enantiomorphs, denoted D-aspartic and L-aspartic, respectively, and transitory (D+L) aspartic acid specie. Atomic force microscopy images of the crystalline deposits reveal domains of the transitory (D+L) aspartic acid crystal forming the substrate deposit on silicon wafers, and on top of this hexagonal lattice only L-aspartic acid is observed to conform and crystallize. A preferential crystallization mechanism is then observed for (D+L) aspartic acid crystals that seed only L-aspartic deposits by the geometrical matching of their multiple hexagonal lattice structures with periodicities of 1.04 nm and 0.52 nm, respectively.

De fines y elecciones pirrónicos. Un análisis comparativo de DL 9.107-8 y M 11.141-67

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfonso Correa Motta

2015-01-01

Full Text Available El artículo presenta un análisis comparativo de los últimos parágrafos de la Vida de Pirrón de Diógenes Laercio (9.107-8 y de un capítulo del Adversus ethicos de Sexto Empírico (M 11.[5].141-67. Los resultados de este análisis harán plausible la hipótesis de una fuente común, reproducida parcialmente en DL, pero elaborada y refinada en Sexto. En ambos textos son centrales las nociones de fin y de elección. Se presentan las diferencias entre ambos textos entorno a la primera, y las tensiones internas comunes que implica el tratamiento de la segunda.

Incorporation of DL(1-14C)-leucine into muscle proteins in buffalo calves and its response to exogenous insulin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vivekanandan, R.; Singh, L.N.

1976-01-01

Protein synthesis and the effect of insulin on this process have been studied in buffalo skeletal muscles using DL(1- 14 C)-leucine. The muscle fibres isolated from triceps, showed highest specific radioactivity (SRA) in the sarcoplasmic proteins followed by myofibrillar and stroma proteins. Exogenous insulin stimulated the incorporation in the myofibrillar and stroma fractions but not in the sarcoplasmic proteins. Radioscanning of the polyacrylamide gel electrophorograms further revealed preferential labelling of only some of the myofibrillar proteins in the presence of exogenous insulin. Statistically significant differences in the SRA were observed between nuclear, mitochondrial and post-mitochondrial proteins without exogenous insulin the post-mitochondrial proteins showing highest SRA. Addition of insulin to the assay medium significantly stimulated the incorporation in the nuclear fraction whereas mitochondrial and post-mitochondrial fractions did not respond. Intramuscular injection of insulin, 3 hours prior to collection of tissue, stimulated the incorporation in nuclear as well as post-mitochondrial fractions but had no effect on the mitochondrial protein synthesis. (author)

Representability in DL-Lite_R knowledge base exchange

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arenas, M.; Botoeva, E.; Calvanese, D.; Ryzhikov, V.; Sherkhonov, E.

2012-01-01

Knowledge base exchange can be considered as a generalization of data exchange in which the aim is to exchange between a source and a target connected through mappings, not only explicit knowledge, i.e., data, but also implicit knowledge in the form of axioms. Such problem has been investigated

THE EFFECTS OF VEGETABLE LECITHIN ON SOME SANGUINE BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS AT LACTATING SHEEP AND GOATS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. DRINCEANU

2008-05-01

Full Text Available From a complex experiment of establishing the effects of lecithin supplemented in the diet of small ruminants, in this paper we present the influence of lecithin on some sanguine biochemical parameters at lactating sheep and goat. The researches were made on a experimental group formed by 5 sheep from łurcana breed and 5 goats from Crapatina breed, which were fed in the first experimental period with a base ratio (Br formed by 1.5 kg of hill hay and 0.2 kg concentrate forage mixture, in the second experimental period the Br was supplemented with 100 g lecithin/day/animal. At the end of each experimental period were taken blood samples to establish some biochemical parameters from sanguine serum. The supplementation of base ration with 100 g lecithin/day/animal at lactating sheep and goats did not produced significant changes to values of total proteins (TS, albumin, creatinine, urea and total bilirubins (TB from sanguine serum. Contrary to expectation the cholesterol and triglycerides were higher than normal both in sheep (from 82 mg/dl to 83 mg/dl for cholesterol and from 23 mg/dl to 45 mg/dl for triglycerides but specially in goats (from 59 mg/dl to 68 mg/dl for cholesterol and from 24 mg/dl to 55 mg/dl for triglycerides. Were registered significant increment of activity of alkaline phosphatase and in γ – GT and a decrease of plasmatic activity of pancreatic α-amylase both in sheep and goats.

Cholesteric lyomesophases based on sodium N-lauroyl asparte: characterization of new system by nuclear magnetic resonance and polarizing microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melo, M.V.M.C. de.

1982-01-01

Lyomesophases based on di-sodium N-lauroyl aspartate (SNLA), bi-carboxilated amphiphile obtained from the reaction of n-lauroyl chloride with aspartic acid in racemic or levo form are studies. The different mesophases were characterized by 2 H and 23 Na NMR and by polarizing microscopy. (M.J.C.) [pt

ONLINE-SERVICES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN DISTANCE LEARNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U. A. Vishniakou

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the analysis of distance learning (DL methods, approaches, technologies, tools, the use as known online services so and developing the new ones. The terminology in area of DL is discussed and differences between correspondence course and DL are done. The development tendencies of distance learning are analyzed. Their technical and organization components are done. The course programs for DL are realizing by software which functions are shown. The typical lines of DL, their advances and lacks are conceded. As DL advances are self activity, individuality, independence and so on. As DL lacks are insufficiently individual, psychological, practical aspects, writing forms of DL and so on.Technologies and organization of DL including IT are discussed. The tutor activity is divided on two stages: decision of methodological, organizational problems and realization of distance courses. The various kind of online services in DL such as chats, web, TV, video conferences multimedia, robot learning, web-services are shown. Such IT for DL as CD, net, TV, satellite, cloud are discussed.The models of integration decisions for DL development such as Remote Procedure Calls (RPS, Enterprise Application Integration (EAL, Web-Services (WS, Enterprise Service Bus (ESB are proposed. The content of e-learning online services including intellectual technologies and cloud computing are done. As new one integration method for DL is Semantic Web and Web-service (SWWS with knowledge representation support on ontology base and knowledge processing on agents support are representation.

Evaluation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and poly(DL-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) electrospun fibers for the treatment of HSV-2 infection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aniagyei, Stella E.; Sims, Lee B. [Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Malik, Danial A. [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Tyo, Kevin M. [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Center for Predictive Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Curry, Keegan C. [Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Kim, Woihwan [Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Hodge, Daniel A. [Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Duan, Jinghua [Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Center for Predictive Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Steinbach-Rankins, Jill M., E-mail: jill.steinbach@louisville.edu [Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States); Center for Predictive Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202 (United States)

2017-03-01

More diverse multipurpose prevention technologies are urgently needed to provide localized, topical pre-exposure prophylaxis against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In this work, we established the foundation for a multipurpose platform, in the form of polymeric electrospun fibers (EFs), to physicochemically treat herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection. To initiate this study, we fabricated different formulations of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(DL-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) EFs that encapsulate Acyclovir (ACV), to treat HSV-2 infection in vitro. Our goals were to assess the release and efficacy differences provided by these two different biodegradable polymers, and to determine how differing concentrations of ACV affected fiber efficacy against HSV-2 infection and the safety of each platform in vitro. Each formulation of PLGA and PLCL EFs exhibited high encapsulation efficiency of ACV, sustained-delivery of ACV through one month, and in vitro biocompatibility at the highest doses of EFs tested. Additionally, all EF formulations provided complete and efficacious protection against HSV-2 infection in vitro, regardless of the timeframe of collected fiber eluates tested. This work demonstrates the potential for PLGA and PLCL EFs as delivery platforms against HSV-2, and indicates that these delivery vehicles may be expanded upon to provide protection against other sexually transmitted infections. - Highlights: • PLGA and PLCL EFs exhibit sustained-delivery of ACV through one month. • EFs exhibit high ACV encapsulation efficiency and in vitro biocompatibility. • EFs serve as both physical and chemical barriers to HSV-2 infection. • Potent in vitro efficacy is provided against HSV-2 infection for all formulations. • HSV-2 protection is independent of administration times within one month.

Evaluation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and poly(DL-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) electrospun fibers for the treatment of HSV-2 infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aniagyei, Stella E.; Sims, Lee B.; Malik, Danial A.; Tyo, Kevin M.; Curry, Keegan C.; Kim, Woihwan; Hodge, Daniel A.; Duan, Jinghua; Steinbach-Rankins, Jill M.

2017-01-01

More diverse multipurpose prevention technologies are urgently needed to provide localized, topical pre-exposure prophylaxis against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In this work, we established the foundation for a multipurpose platform, in the form of polymeric electrospun fibers (EFs), to physicochemically treat herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection. To initiate this study, we fabricated different formulations of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(DL-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) EFs that encapsulate Acyclovir (ACV), to treat HSV-2 infection in vitro. Our goals were to assess the release and efficacy differences provided by these two different biodegradable polymers, and to determine how differing concentrations of ACV affected fiber efficacy against HSV-2 infection and the safety of each platform in vitro. Each formulation of PLGA and PLCL EFs exhibited high encapsulation efficiency of ACV, sustained-delivery of ACV through one month, and in vitro biocompatibility at the highest doses of EFs tested. Additionally, all EF formulations provided complete and efficacious protection against HSV-2 infection in vitro, regardless of the timeframe of collected fiber eluates tested. This work demonstrates the potential for PLGA and PLCL EFs as delivery platforms against HSV-2, and indicates that these delivery vehicles may be expanded upon to provide protection against other sexually transmitted infections. - Highlights: • PLGA and PLCL EFs exhibit sustained-delivery of ACV through one month. • EFs exhibit high ACV encapsulation efficiency and in vitro biocompatibility. • EFs serve as both physical and chemical barriers to HSV-2 infection. • Potent in vitro efficacy is provided against HSV-2 infection for all formulations. • HSV-2 protection is independent of administration times within one month.

Determination of gaseous radionuclide forms in the stack air of nuclear power plants

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tecl, J.; Světlík, Ivo

2009-01-01

Roč. 67, č. 5 (2009), s. 950-952 ISSN 0969-8043 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10480505 Keywords : Nuclear-energy facilities * radioactive noble gases * 14C Subject RIV: DL - Nuclear Waste, Radioactive Pollution ; Quality Impact factor: 1.094, year: 2009

[11C]metaraminol, a false neurotransmitter: Preparation, metabolite studies and positron emission tomography examination in monkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naagren, Kjell; Halldin, Christer; Swahn, Carl-Gunnar; Suhara, Tetsuya; Farde, Lars

1996-01-01

No-carrier-added racemic [ 11 C]metaraminol was prepared by a selective condensation of [ 11 C]nitroethane with 3-hydroxy-benzaldehyde using tetrabutylammonium fluoride in tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a catalyst, followed by a reduction with Raney nickel in formic acid. [ 11 C]Metaraminol was produced in 30 to 45% decay-corrected yield from [ 11 C]nitroethane (13 to 20% decay corrected from [ 11 C]CO 2 ) within 45 to 55 min total synthesis time. Reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the separation of the racemic erythro- and threo-forms of [ 11 C]metaraminol. The radiochemical purity was higher than 98%, and the specific radioactivity at the end of synthesis was 500 to 800 Ci/mmol (18 to 30 GBq/μmol). Positron emission tomography (PET) examination of racemic erythro-[ 11 C]metaraminol in a Cynomolgus monkey showed a high uptake of radioactivity in the heart. Following pretreatment with the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine, the radioactivity uptake in the myocardium was markedly reduced (80%), demonstrating the specificity of erythro-[ 11 C]metaraminol for the norepinephrine reuptake system of the heart. Pretreatment with desipramine had no effect on radioactivity in lung. The metabolism was rapid for [ 11 C]metaraminol. The amounts of the total radioactivity representing [ 11 C]metaraminol in plasma, determined by HPLC, were 14% at 6 min and 8% at 34 min. The high specific uptake of racemic erythro-[ 11 C]metaraminol indicates that enantiomerically pure (R,S)-[ 11 C]metaraminol has potential for detailed mapping of the sympathetic innervation of the human myocardium

A unified model of density limit in fusion plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Zanca, P.; Sattin, F.; Escande, D. F.; Pucella, G.; Tudisco, O.

2017-05-01

In this work we identify by analytical and numerical means the conditions for the existence of a magnetic and thermal equilibrium of a cylindrical plasma, in the presence of Ohmic and/or additional power sources, heat conduction and radiation losses by light impurities. The boundary defining the solutions’ space having realistic temperature profile with small edge value takes mathematically the form of a density limit (DL). Compared to previous similar analyses the present work benefits from dealing with a more accurate set of equations. This refinement is elementary, but decisive, since it discloses a tenuous dependence of the DL on the thermal transport for configurations with an applied electric field. Thanks to this property, the DL scaling law is recovered almost identical for two largely different devices such as the ohmic tokamak and the reversed field pinch. In particular, they have in common a Greenwald scaling, linearly depending on the plasma current, quantitatively consistent with experimental results. In the tokamak case the DL dependence on any additional heating approximately follows a 0.5 power law, which is compatible with L-mode experiments. For a purely externally heated configuration, taken as a cylindrical approximation of the stellarator, the DL dependence on transport is found stronger. By adopting suitable transport models, DL takes on a Sudo-like form, in fair agreement with LHD experiments. Overall, the model provides a good zeroth-order quantitative description of the DL, applicable to widely different configurations.

The role of axial chirality in Schiff bases of pyridoxal phosphate and amino acids in the mechanism of racemase enzyme : a quantum-chemical study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Genderen, van M.H.P.; Buck, H.M.

1989-01-01

In the enzymatic racemization of L and D amino acids, the coenzyme pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) forms a Schiff base with the amino acid. In the first step of the isomerization reaction, both the L and D PLP-amino acid compounds are deprotonated by a single basic site in the enzyme, which is normally

The conjugation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID to small peptides for generating multifunctional supramolecular nanofibers/hydrogels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiayang Li

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Here we report supramolecular hydrogelators made of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID and small peptides. The covalent linkage of Phe–Phe and NSAIDs results in conjugates that self-assemble in water to form molecular nanofibers as the matrices of hydrogels. When the NSAID is naproxen (1, the resultant hydrogelator 1a forms a hydrogel at a critical concentration (cgc of 0.2 wt % at pH 7.0. Hydrogelator 1a, also acting as a general motif, enables enzymatic hydrogelation in which the precursor turns into a hydrogelator upon hydrolysis catalyzed by a phosphatase at physiological conditions. The conjugates of Phe–Phe with other NSAIDs, such as (R-flurbiprofen (2, racemic flurbiprofen (3, and racemic ibuprofen (4, are able to form molecular hydrogels, except in the case of aspirin (5. After the conjugation with the small peptides, NSAIDs exhibit improved selectivity to their targets. In addition, the peptides made of D-amino acids help preserve the activities of NSAIDs. Besides demonstrating that common NSAIDs are excellent candidates to promote aromatic–aromatic interaction in water to form hydrogels, this work contributes to the development of functional molecules that have dual or multiple roles and ultimately may lead to new molecular hydrogels of therapeutic agents for topical use.

Probing new physics in B → Dl{sup +}l{sup -} decays by using angular asymmetries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, C.S.; Sahoo, Dibyakrupa [Yonsei University, Department of Physics and IPAP, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

We present a fully general, model-independent study of a few rare semileptonic B decays that get dominant contributions from W-annihilation and W-exchange diagrams, in particular B{sup 0} → anti D{sup 0}l{sup +}l{sup -}, where l = e, μ. We consider the most general Lagrangian for the decay, and define three angular asymmetries in the Gottfried-Jackson frame, which are sensitive to new physics. We show how these angular asymmetries can easily be extracted from the distribution of events in the Dalitz plot for B → Dl{sup +}l{sup -} decays. Especially a non-zero forward-backward asymmetry within the frame would give the very first hint of possible new physics. These observations are also true for related decay modes, such as B{sup +} → D{sup +}l{sup +}l{sup -} and B{sup 0} → D{sup 0} l{sup +}l{sup -}. Moreover, these asymmetry signatures are not affected by either B{sup 0}- anti B{sup 0} or D{sup 0}- anti D{sup 0} mixings. Then this implies that both B{sup 0} → anti D{sup 0}l{sup +}l{sup -} and B{sup 0} → D{sup 0}l{sup +}l{sup -} as well as their CP conjugate modes can all be considered together in our search for signature of new physics. Hence, it would be of great importance to look for and study these decays in the laboratory, LHCb and Belle II in particular. (orig.)

The radioracemization of isovaline. Cosmochemical implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonner, W.A.; Blair, N.E.; Lemmon, R.M.; Flores, J.J.; Pollock, G.E.

1979-01-01

The optically pure D- and L-enantiomers of isovaline, which cannot be racemized by ordinary chemical mechanisms involving α-hydrogen removal, and which has been isolated in apparently racemic form from the Murchison meteorite, have been subjected to partial radiolysis by the ionizing radiation from a 3000 Ci 60 Co γ-ray source. Both in the anhydrous and hydrated solid states and as solid sodium or hydrochloride salts each enantiomer suffered significant radioracemization of the undestroyed residue during its partial radiolysis. The sodium salt of isovaline in 0.1 M aqueous solution suffered extensive radiolysis with relatively small radiation doses, but showed no detectable radioracemization. The significance of these observations with respect to the primordial enantiomeric composition of the isovaline (and other amino acids) indigenous to meteorites is discussed. (author)

Enantioconvergent hydrolysis of racemic styrene oxide at high concentration by a pair of novel epoxide hydrolases into (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Rui; Hu, Die; Zong, Xuncheng; Li, Jinping; Ding, Lei; Wu, Minchen; Li, Jianfang

2017-12-01

To prepare (R)-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol ((R)-PED) with high enantiomeric excess (ee p ) and yield from racemic styrene oxide (rac-SO) at high concentration by bi-enzymatic catalysis. The bi-enzymatic catalysis was designed for enantioconvergent hydrolysis of rac-SO by a pair of novel epoxide hydrolases (EHs), a Vigna radiata EH3 (VrEH3) and a variant (AuEH2 A250I ) of Aspergillus usamii EH2. The simultaneous addition mode of VrEH3 and AuEH2 A250I , exhibiting the highest average turnover frequency (aTOF) of 0.12 g h -1 g -1 , was selected, by which rac-SO (10 mM) was converted into (R)-PED with 92.6% ee p and 96.3% yield. Under the optimized reaction conditions: dry weight ratio 14:1 of VrEH3-expressing E. coli/vreh3 to AuEH2 A250I -expressing E. coli/Aueh2 A250I and reaction at 20 °C, rac-SO (10 mM) was completely hydrolyzed in 2.3 h, affording (R)-PED with 98% ee p . At the weight ratio 0.8:1 of rac-SO to two mixed dry cells, (R)-PED with 97.4% ee p and 98.7% yield was produced from 200 mM (24 mg/ml) rac-SO in 10.5 h. Enantioconvergent hydrolysis of rac-SO at high concentration catalyzed by both VrEH3 and AuEH2 A250I is an effective method for preparing (R)-PED with high ee p and yield.

Radioiodinated methyl-branched fatty acids: Evaluation of catabolites formed in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, F.F. Jr.; Reske, S.N.; Kirsch, G.; Ambrose, K.R.; Blystone, S.L.; Goodman, M.M.

1987-01-01

Radioiodinated terminal iodophenyl-substituted long-chain fatty acids containing either racemic mono-methyl or geminal dimethyl-branching in the alkyl chain have been shown to exhibit delayed myocardial clearance properties which make these agents useful for the SPECT evaluation of myocardial fatty acid uptake patterns. Although the myocardial clearance rate of 15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-R,S- methylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) is considerably delayed, in comparison with the IPPA straight-chain analogue, analysis of the radioiodinated lipids present in the outflow tract of isolated rat hearts administered BMIPP have clearly demonstrated the presence of a polar metabolite. The synthesis of β-hydroxy fatty acids has been developed to allow investigation of the possible formation of β-hydroxy catabolites in vivo. The preparation of β-hydroxy BMIPP and β-hydroxy IPPA are described, and the possible significance of their formation in vivo discussed. 4 figs

Growth and physicochemical properties of organometallic (DL)-trithioureatartrato-O1,O2,O3-cadmium(II) single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Sathyamoorthy, K.; Vinothkumar, P.; Irshad Ahamed, J.; Murali Manohar, P.; Priya, M.; Liu, Jinghe

2018-04-01

Single crystals of organometallic (DL)-trithioureatartrato-O1,O2,O3-cadmium(II) (TUDLC) have been grown from methanol solution by using the slow evaporation of solvent growth technique. The lattice structure and crystalline perfection have been determined by carrying out single crystal X-ray diffraction and high resolution X-ray diffraction measurements. The grown crystal was characterized thermally and mechanically by carrying out thermo-gravimetric and micro hardness measurements. The linear and nonlinear optical characterizations were made by carrying out optical transmittance, surface laser damage threshold, particle size-dependent second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency and photo conductivity measurements. The grown crystal was electrically characterized by carrying out frequency-dependent dielectric measurements. Chemical etching study was also carried out and the dislocation density was estimated. Results obtained in the present study indicate that the grown TUDLC crystal is optically transparent with lower cut-off wavelength 304 nm, mechanically soft, thermally stable up to 101 °C and NLO active with SHG efficiency 2.13 (in KDP unit). The grown crystal is found to have considerably large size, good crystalline perfection, large specific heat capacity, higher surface laser damage threshold and negative photoconductivity.

Parity violation and parity conservation in unstirred crystallization: Effect of first crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szurgot, M. [Center of Mathematics and Physics, Technical University of Lodz (Poland)

2012-02-15

Statistics of nucleation of chiral forms was studied to establish the effect of the number of first crystals and their handedness on distributions of enantiomers. Various bimodal, trimodal and unimodal distributions are obtained in unstirred crystallization, depending on the number of initial crystals and growth conditions. The binomial distribution satisfactorily describes experimental distributions of enantiomeric excess and may be used to predict distributions and probabilities of nucleation of enantiomers. The first nucleated crystals determine the handedness of secondary crystals, and number of initial crystals governs statistics of chiral nucleation. According to the binomial distribution if single crystals nucleate as the first, the bimodal distributions result with D and L peaks. If LD, LL, and DD pairs are nucleated as first, trimodal distributions with D, R, and L peaks are created, and if groups of crystals of various handedness nucleate as the first the unimodal distributions of enantiomeric excess with racemate R peaks are formed. Chiral nucleation experiments on sodium bromate were the basis for the theoretical considerations and verifications of predictions resulting from binomial distributions on probabilities of the creation of L and D crystals, and racemates, and the presence of D, L, and R peaks in the distributions. Growth conditions affect the number of the first crystals and effectiveness of cloning, and as a result, the distributions of enantiomers. Formation of pure enantiomers and/or racemates proves that the conservation of chiral symmetry, and the breakage of chiral symmetry can occur in unstirred crystallization. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

X-ray studies on crystalline complexes involving amino acids and peptides. XXXII. Effect of chirality on ionisation state, stoichiometry and aggregation in the complexes of oxalic acid with DL- and L-lysine.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatraman, J; Prabu, M M; Vijayan, M

1997-08-01

Crystals of the oxalic acid complex of DL-lysine (triclinic P1; a = 5.540(1), b = 10.764(2), c = 12.056(2) A, alpha = 77.8(1), beta = 80.6(1), gamma = 75.6(1).; R = 4.7% for 2023 observed reflections) contain lysine and semioxalate ions in the 1:1 ratio, whereas the ratio of lysine and semioxalate/oxalate ions is 2:3 in the crystals of the L-lysine complex (monoclinic P2(1); alpha = 4.906(1), b = 20.145(4), c = 12.455(1) A, beta = 92.5(1).; R = 4.4% for 1494 observed reflections). The amino acid molecule in the L-lysine complex has an unusual ionisation state with positively charged alpha- and side-chain amino groups and a neutral carboxyl group. The unlike molecules aggregate into separate alternating layers in the DL-lysine complex in a manner similar to that observed in several of the amino acid complexes. The L-lysine complex exhibits a new aggregation pattern which cannot be easily explained in terms of planar features, thus emphasizing the fundamental dependence of aggregation on molecular characteristics. Despite the differences in stoichiometry, ionisation state and long-range aggregation patterns, the basic element of aggregation in the two complexes exhibits considerable similarity.

Enhanced catalysis and enantioselective resolution of racemic naproxen methyl ester by lipase encapsulated within iron oxide nanoparticles coated with calix[8]arene valeric acid complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayin, Serkan; Akoz, Enise; Yilmaz, Mustafa

2014-09-14

In this study, two types of nanoparticles have been used as additives for the encapsulation of Candida rugosa lipase via the sol-gel method. In one case, the nanoparticles were covalently linked with a new synthesized calix[8]arene octa valeric acid derivative (C[8]-C4-COOH) to produce new calix[8]arene-adorned magnetite nanoparticles (NP-C[8]-C4-COOH), and then NP-C[8]-C4-COOH was used as an additive in the sol-gel encapsulation process. In the other case, iron oxide nanoparticles were directly added into the sol-gel encapsulation process in order to interact electrostatically with both C[8]-C4-COOH and Candida rugosa lipase. The catalytic activities and enantioselectivities of two novel encapsulated lipases (Enc-NP-C[8]-C4-COOH and Enc-C[8]-C4-COOH@Fe3O4) in the hydrolysis reaction of racemic naproxen methyl ester were evaluated. The results showed that the activity and enantioselectivity of the lipase were improved when the lipase was encapsulated in the presence of calixarene-based additives. Indeed, the encapsulated lipases have an excellent rate of enantioselectivity, with E = 371 and 265, respectively, as compared to the free enzyme (E = 137). The lipases encapsulated with C[8]-C4-COOH and iron oxide nanoparticles (Enc-C[8]-C4-COOH@Fe3O4) retained more than 86% of their initial activities after 5 repeated uses and 92% with NP-C[8]-C4-COOH.

Periodontal ligament cellular structures engineered with electrospun poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) nanofibrous membrane scaffolds.

Science.gov (United States)

Inanç, Bülend; Arslan, Y Emre; Seker, Sükran; Elçin, A Eser; Elçin, Y Murat

2009-07-01

Periodontal tissue engineering is expected to overcome the limitations associated with the existing regenerative techniques for the treatment of periodontal defects involving alveolar bone, cementum, and periodontal ligament. Cell-based tissue engineering approaches involve the utilization of in vitro expanded cells with regenerative capacity and their delivery to the appropriate sites via biomaterial scaffolds. The aim of this study was to establish living periodontal ligament cell-containing structures on electrospun poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofiber membrane scaffolds, assess their viability and characteristics, and engineer multilayered structures amenable to easy handling. Human periodontal ligament (hPDL) cells were expanded in explant culture and then characterized morphologically and immunohistochemically. PLGA nanofiber membranes were prepared by the electrospinning process; mechanical tensile properties were determined, surface topography, nanofiber size, and porosity status were investigated with SEM. Cells were seeded on the membranes at approximately 50,000 cell/cm(2) and cultured for 21 days either in expansion or in osteogenic induction medium. Cell adhesion and viability were demonstrated using SEM and MTT, respectively, and osteogenic differentiation was determined with IHC and immunohistomorphometric evaluation of osteopontin, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein marker expression. At days 3, 6, 9, and 12 additional cell/membrane layers were deposited on the existing ones and multilayered hybrid structures were established. Results indicate the feasibility of periodontal ligament cell-containing tissue-like structures engineering with PDL cells and electrospun nanofiber PLGA scaffolds supporting cell adhesion, viability and osteogenic differentiation properties of cells in hybrid structures amenable to macroscopic handling.

Human dietary exposure and levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) and non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs) in free-range eggs close to a secondary aluminum smelter, Northern Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Squadrone, S.; Brizio, P.; Nespoli, R.; Stella, C.; Abete, M.C.

2015-01-01

PCDD/Fs and PCBs are environmentally persistent substances that have been associated with adverse effects on human health. Contamination of soils, animal feed and pastures leads to their bioaccumulation of in food products of animal origin, which are considered the major source of intake of these contaminants in humans. We analyzed eggs from free-range hens, sampled from small farms, located within a distance of 4.5 km from a secondary aluminum smelter in Northern Italy. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs and NDL-PCBs were higher in eggs from locations close to the plant, and strongly exceeded the limits set by EU Regulation 1259/2011 (2.5 pg WHO TEQ fat g"−"1 for PCDD/Fs, 5.0 pg WHO TEQ g"−"1 for PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs L, 40 ng g"−"1 for NDL-PCBs). Consuming contaminated eggs may pose a risk for human health, especially for children (≤9 years) and infants (≤3 years), due to the 2-fold excess of the current exposure limits. - Highlights: • We analyzed free-range eggs from farms close to a secondary aluminum smelter (ALS). • Concentrations of dioxins and PCBs strongly exceeded the limit set by EU Regulation. • Concentrations decrease at increasing distances from the plant. • Consuming contaminated eggs may pose a health risk for humans. - Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs and NDL-PCBs are of concern in free-range eggs close to a secondary aluminum smelter.

Is deep dreaming the new collage?

Science.gov (United States)

Boden, Margaret A.

2017-10-01

Deep dreaming (DD) can combine and transform images in surprising ways. But, being based in deep learning (DL), it is not analytically understood. Collage is an art form that is constrained along various dimensions. DD will not be able to generate collages until DL can be guided in a disciplined fashion.

C3 toxin and poly-DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone conduits in the critically damaged peripheral nervous system: a combined therapeutic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Leibig, Nico; Boyle, Veronika; Kraus, Daniel; Stark, Gerhard Bjoern; Penna, Vincenzo

2015-03-01

Peripheral nerve regeneration over longer distances through conduits is limited. In the presented study, critical size nerve gap bridging with a poly-DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone (PLC) conduit was combined with application of C3 toxin to facilitate axonal sprouting. The PLC filled with fibrin (n = 10) and fibrin gel loaded with 1-μg C3-C2I and 2-μg C2II (n = 10) were compared to autologous nerve grafts (n = 10) in a 15-mm sciatic nerve gap lesion model of the rat. Functional and electrophysiological analyses were performed before histological evaluation. Evaluation of motor function and nerve conduction velocity at 16 weeks revealed no differences between the groups. All histological parameters and muscle weight were significantly elevated in nerve graft group. No differences were observed in both PLC groups. The PLCs are permissive for nerve regeneration over a 15-mm defect in rats. Intraluminal application of C3 toxin did not lead to significant enhancement of nerve sprouting.

Growth and hematology of juvenile pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg 1887 fed with increasing levels of vitamin E (DL-α-tocopheryl acetate

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RICARDO Y. SADO

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Intensive fish production systems are characterized by 100% artificial feeding, so any dietary imbalances or deficiencies may lead to diseases outbreaks and economic losses. This study was set out to determine the effects of increasing levels of dietary vitamin E on growth and hematology of juvenile pacu. Fishes were fed for 90 days, twice a day until apparent satiation with semi-purified diets containing 0.0; 25; 50; 150; 300 or 600 mg.kg−1 diet DL-α-tocopheryl acetate in a completely randomized design trial (n=4; biometrical and hematological data were collected and analyzed. Fishes fed with vit E diet (150 mg.kg−1 showed higher (p<0.05 weight gain and specific growth. Hematocrit, erythroblast number and total plasma protein were increased (p<0.05 in fishes fed diet with no vit E diet. Vitamin E supplementation in artificial diets for pacu is essential for growth and maintenance of normal erythropoiesis.

New wheat-rye 5DS-4RS·4RL and 4RS-5DS·5DL translocation lines with powdery mildew resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Shulan; Ren, Zhenglong; Chen, Xiaoming; Yan, Benju; Tan, Feiquan; Fu, Tihua; Tang, Zongxiang

2014-11-01

Powdery mildew is one of the serious diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L., 2 n = 6 × = 42, genomes AABBDD). Rye (Secale cereale L., 2 n = 2 × = 14, genome RR) offers a rich reservoir of powdery mildew resistant genes for wheat breeding program. However, extensive use of these resistant genes may render them susceptible to new pathogen races because of co-evolution of host and pathogen. Therefore, the continuous exploration of new powdery mildew resistant genes is important to wheat breeding program. In the present study, we identified several wheat-rye addition lines from the progeny of T. aestivum L. Mianyang11 × S. cereale L. Kustro, i.e., monosomic addition lines of the rye chromosomes 4R and 6R; a disomic addition line of 6R; and monotelosomic or ditelosomic addition lines of the long arms of rye chromosomes 4R (4 RL) and 6R (6 RL). All these lines displayed immunity to powdery mildew. Thus, we concluded that both the 4 RL and 6 RL arms of Kustro contain powdery mildew resistant genes. It is the first time to discover that 4 RL arm carries powdery mildew resistant gene. Additionally, wheat lines containing new wheat-rye translocation chromosomes were also obtained: these lines retained a short arm of wheat chromosome 5D (5 DS) on which rye chromosome 4R was fused through the short arm 4 RS (designated 5 DS-4 RS · 4 RL; 4 RL stands for the long arm of rye chromosome 4R); or they had an extra short arm of rye chromosome 4R (4 RS) that was attached to the short arm of wheat chromosome 5D (5 DS) (designated 4 RS-5 DS · 5 DL; 5 DL stands for the long arm of wheat chromosome 5D). These two translocation chromosomes could be transmitted to next generation stably, and the wheat lines containing 5 DS-4 RS · 4 RL chromosome also displayed immunity to powdery mildew. The materials obtained in this study can be used for wheat powdery mildew resistant breeding program.

Enantioselective apoptosis induced by individual isomers of bifenthrin in Hep G2 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Huigang; Li, Juan

2015-03-01

Bifenthrin (BF) has been used in racemate for agricultural purposes against soil insects, leading to increased inputs into soil environments. However, most of the studies about the toxicology research on BF were performed in its racemic form. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the enantiomer-specific cis-BF-induced apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation on human hepatocarcinoma cells (Hep G2). The results of cell viability assay and cytoflow assay indicated an obvious enantioselective hepatocyte toxicity of 1S-cis-BF in Hep G2 cells. 1S-cis-BF also induced ROS production, up-regulated Bax protein expression and down-regulated Bcl-2 expression levels. The present study suggested that enantioselective toxicity should be evaluated on currently used chiral pesticides, such as synthetic pyrethroids. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Primordial soup was edible: abiotically produced Miller-Urey mixture supports bacterial growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Xueshu; Backman, Daniel; Lebedev, Albert T; Artaev, Viatcheslav B; Jiang, Liying; Ilag, Leopold L; Zubarev, Roman A

2015-09-28

Sixty years after the seminal Miller-Urey experiment that abiotically produced a mixture of racemized amino acids, we provide a definite proof that this primordial soup, when properly cooked, was edible for primitive organisms. Direct admixture of even small amounts of Miller-Urey mixture strongly inhibits E. coli bacteria growth due to the toxicity of abundant components, such as cyanides. However, these toxic compounds are both volatile and extremely reactive, while bacteria are highly capable of adaptation. Consequently, after bacterial adaptation to a mixture of the two most abundant abiotic amino acids, glycine and racemized alanine, dried and reconstituted MU soup was found to support bacterial growth and even accelerate it compared to a simple mixture of the two amino acids. Therefore, primordial Miller-Urey soup was perfectly suitable as a growth media for early life forms.

Self-reinforced bioresorbable polymer P (L/DL LA 70:30 for the manufacture of craniofacial implant

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Steferson L. Stares

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The importance of self-reinforced bioabsorbable polymers has been growing due to their use in orthopedic and dental implants. Bioabsorbable polymeric implants manufactured only by the processes of injection or extrusion without the post processing of self-reinforcing leave a great deal on presenting an appealing alternative in terms of the mechanical strength suitable for use in the fixation of bone fractures. One of the most promising ways to promote the increase of mechanical properties of bioresorbable polymers is through the self-reinforcing technique. Self-reinforcing occurs when the internal structure of the polymer is strongly oriented in the direction of the deformation. Knowing the levels of mechanical strength obtained is essential to determine the sites of application of the component. The objective of this work was to study the method and the influence of self-reinforcing conditions, such as reduction ratio, temperature and deformation speed, on the quality and mechanical properties of small cylindrical bars obtained from the bioresorbable polymer P (L/DL LA 70:30. The different processing conditions led to distinct levels of mechanical strength. Resistance values obtained in this work are the highest ever recorded for this material. It is important to stress that the values of mechanical strength achieved are within the limits accepted as safe for utilization in the fixation of craniofacial fractures, a fact that significantly enhances the prospects in this area.

Testing the Effects of DL-Alpha-Tocopherol Supplementation on Oxidative Damage, Total Antioxidant Protection and the Sex-Specific Responses of Reproductive Effort and Lifespan to Dietary Manipulation in Australian Field Crickets (Teleogryllus commodus

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C. Ruth Archer

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The oxidative stress theory predicts that the accumulation of oxidative damage causes aging. More generally, oxidative damage could be a cost of reproduction that reduces survival. Both of these hypotheses have mixed empirical support. To better understand the life-history consequences of oxidative damage, we fed male and female Australian field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus four diets differing in their protein and carbohydrate content, which have sex-specific effects on reproductive effort and lifespan. We supplemented half of these crickets with the vitamin E isoform DL-alpha-tocopherol and measured the effects of nutrient intake on lifespan, reproduction, oxidative damage and antioxidant protection. We found a clear trade-off between reproductive effort and lifespan in females but not in males. In direct contrast to the oxidative stress theory, crickets fed diets that improved their lifespan had high levels of oxidative damage to proteins. Supplementation with DL-alpha-tocopherol did not significantly improve lifespan or reproductive effort. However, males fed diets that increased their reproductive investment experienced high oxidative damage to proteins. While this suggests that male reproductive effort could elevate oxidative damage, this was not associated with reduced male survival. Overall, these results provide little evidence that oxidative damage plays a central role in mediating life-history trade-offs in T. commodus.

Molecular epidemiology and in vitro evidence suggest that Leishmania braziliensis strain helps determine antimony response among American tegumenary leishmaniasis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Silvana C; Guimarães, Luiz Henrique; Silva, Juliana A; Magalhães, Viviane; Medina, Lilian; Queiroz, Adriano; Machado, Paulo Roberto L; Schriefer, Albert

2018-02-01

Antimony is the first line drug for treating American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in Brazil. In this country, Leishmania braziliensis causes at least three distinct forms of disease: localized cutaneous (CL), mucosal (ML) and disseminated leishmaniasis (DL). All forms can be found in Corte de Pedra, Northeast Brazil. ML and DL respond poorly to antimony, in contrast to CL. The L. braziliensis population causing ATL in Corte de Pedra is genetically very diverse, with strains of the parasite associating with the clinical form of leishmaniasis. We tested the hypotheses that antimony refractoriness is associated with L. braziliensis genotypes, and that parasites from ML and DL present greater in vitro resistance to antimony than L. braziliensis from CL. Comparison of geographic coordinates of living sites between antimony responders and non-responders by Cusick and Edward́s test showed that refractoriness and responsiveness to the drug were similarly wide spread in the region (p>0.05). Parasites were then genotyped by sequencing a locus starting at position 425,451 on chromosome 28, which is polymorphic among L. braziliensis of Corte de Pedra. Haplotype CC- in CHR28/425,451 was associated with risk of treatment failure among CL patients (Fisheŕs exact test, p=0.03, odds ratio=4.65). This haplotype could not be found among parasites from ML or DL. Finally, sensitivity to antimony was evaluated exposing L. braziliensis promastigotes to increasing concentrations of meglumine antimoniate in vitro. Parasites from ML and DL were more resistant to antimony at doses of 2mg/100μL and beyond than those isolated from CL (Fisher's exact test, p=0.02 and p=0.004, respectively). The intrinsically lower susceptibility of L. brazliensis from ML and DL to antimony parallels what is observed for patients' responsiveness in the field. This finding reinforces that ML and DL patients would benefit from initiating treatment with drugs currently considered as second line, like

Experimental evaluation of gonadotoxical action of diazolin

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Breydak O.A.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of gonadotoxic effect of diazolin was conducted according to the methodical recommendations. "Methods of experimental studies to establish thresholds of action of industrial poisons on the generative function for the purpose of hygienic regulation". Experiments were carried out on nonlinear white male rats. The preparation was introduced intragastrically within 72 days in a dose of 100 mg / kg (experimental group 1 and 20 mg / kg (2 experimental group, which made up 1/100DL50 and 1/500 DL50. For the assessment of sexual glands microscopic studies of the testes (external examination, weight, size, functional and morphological parameters were used. The parameters obtained during experiments were compared with the results of the control group and values of standards in laboratory animals. Influence of diazolin in the dose of 100 mg/kg (1/100 DL50 resulted in the increase in the total number of sperm cells with simultaneous decrease of their mobility, redox processes, osmotic and acid resistance. However, these changes did not reach statistical significance. Number of dead sperm cells and their pathological forms and indicators of semen-forming epithelium were within the control. Diazolin in the dose of 20 mg/kg (1/500 DL50 and 100 mg/kg (1/100 DL50 shows no gonadotoxical action.

Spurious cooperativity in alkylated succinic acids

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Naim, A.

1998-03-01

The proton-proton correlation, as measured by the ratio between the second and the first dissociation constants of dibasic acid, is sometimes very large and far beyond what could be explained by electrostatic theories. We propose a novel interpretation of this phenomenon based on the idea of spurious cooperativity. The general theoretical framework underlying the onset of spurious cooperativity is developed first. The basic result is that whenever a binding (or dissociating) two-site (or more) system splits into a mixture of noninterconverting isomers the binding isotherm (or the titration curve) behaves as if it is more negatively cooperative compared with the genuine cooperativities of the individual isomer. The theory is applied to a specific system of α-α' dialkyl succinic acid. It is known that the Meso form of these alkylated derivatives show a normal correlation of the same order of magnitude as in succinic acid. On the other hand, the Racemic form of these alkylated derivatives shows anomalous strong negative correlations when the alkyl groups become large (e.g., isopropyl and tert butyl). It is shown that the theory of spurious cooperativity can explain the different behavior of the Racemic and the Meso forms, as well as the onset of anomalous strong negative correlations when the alkyl groups become large.

The retention mechanism of technetium-99m-HM-PAO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neirinckx, R D; Burke, J F; Harrison, R C

1988-01-01

Preparations of d,l- and meso-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HM-PAO) labeled with technetium-99m were added to rat brain homogenates diluted with phosphate buffer (1:10). The conversion of d,l-HM-PAO to hydrophilic forms took place with an initial rate constant of 0.12 min-1. Incubation of the b......Preparations of d,l- and meso-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HM-PAO) labeled with technetium-99m were added to rat brain homogenates diluted with phosphate buffer (1:10). The conversion of d,l-HM-PAO to hydrophilic forms took place with an initial rate constant of 0.12 min-1. Incubation....... This correspondence of values supports the notion that GSH may be important for the in vivo conversion of 99mTc-labeled HM-PAO to hydrophilic forms and may be the mechanism of trapping in brain and other cells. A kinetic model for the trapping of d,l- and meso-HM-PAO in tissue is developed that is based on data...

Determination of susceptibility to intergranular corrosion of stainless steels type X5CrNi18-10 in field

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Bore V. Jegdic

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the DL EPR method (electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation with double loop was modified and used to study the susceptibility to intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of a stainless steel type X5CrNi18-10. The tests were performed in a special electrochemical cell, with the electrolyte in the gel form. Modified DL EPR method is characterized by simple and high accuracy measurements as well as repeatability of the test results. The indicator of susceptibility to intergranular corrosion (Qr/QpGBA obtained by modified DL EPR method is in a very good agreement with the same indicator obtained by standard DL EPR method. The modified DL EPR method is quantitative and highly selective method. Small differences in the susceptibility of the stainless steel type CrNi18-10 to intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking can be determined. Test results can be obtained in a short time. The cost of tests performed by modified DL EPR method is much lower than the cost of tests by conventional chemical methods. Modified DL EPR method can be applied in the field on the stainless steels constructions.

Intracistronic complementation in the simian virus 40 A gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Tornow, J; Cole, C N

1983-01-01

A set of eight simian virus 40 mutants was constructed with lesions in the A gene, which encodes the large tumor (T) antigen. These mutants have small deletions (3-20 base pairs) at either 0.497, 0.288, or 0.243 map units. Mutants having both in-phase and frameshift mutations at each site were isolated. Neither plaque formation nor replication of the mutant DNAs could be detected after transfection of monkey kidney cells. Another nonviable mutant, dlA2459, had a 14-base-pair deletion at 0.193 map unit and was positive for viral DNA replication. Each of the eight mutants were tested for ability to form plaques after cotransfection with dlA2459 DNA. The four mutants that had in-phase deletions were able to complement dlA2459. The other four, which had frameshift deletions, did not. No plaques were formed after cotransfection of cells with any other pair of group A mutants. This suggests that the defect in dlA2459 defines a distinct functional domain of simian virus 40 T antigen. Images PMID:6312452

Jamesbrittenia bergae (Scrophulariaceae, a distinctive new species from Limpopo, South Africa

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P. Lemmer

2003-09-01

Full Text Available Jamesbrittenia bergae P.Lemmer is a new species from the Farm Brakvallei near Thabazimbi in Limpopo [Northern Province]. Large, medium-textured. bright scarlet flowers w ith yellow throats are borne singly in upper leaf axils; the flowering branches, although terminal, do not form elongated racemes: leaves are greyish green, coarsely serrated. It grows in full sun on ferricrete outcrops.

The amino acid and hydrocarbon contents of the Paris meteorite: Insights into the most primitive CM chondrite

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Zita; Modica, Paola; Zanda, Brigitte; D'Hendecourt, Louis Le Sergeant

2015-05-01

The Paris meteorite is one of the most primitive carbonaceous chondrites. It is reported to be the least aqueously altered CM chondrite, and to have experienced only weak thermal metamorphism. We have analyzed for the first time the amino acid and hydrocarbon contents of this pristine meteorite by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). When plotting the relative amino acids abundances of several CM chondrites according to the increasing hydrothermal scale (petrologic subtypes), from the CM2.7/2.8 Paris to the CM2.0 MET 01070, Paris has the lowest relative abundance of β-alanine/glycine (0.15), which fits with the relative abundances of β-alanine/glycine increasing with increasing aqueous alteration for CM chondrites. These results confirm the influence of aqueous alteration on the amino acid abundances and distribution. The amino acid analysis shows that the isovaline detected in this meteorite is racemic (D/L = 0.99 ± 0.08; L-enantiomer excess = 0.35 ± 0.5%; corrected D/L = 1.03; corrected L-enantiomer excess = -1.4 ± 2.6%). The identified hydrocarbons show that Paris has n-alkanes ranging from C16 to C25 and 3- to 5-ring nonalkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The lack of alkylated PAHs in Paris seems to be also related to this low degree of aqueous alteration on its parent body. The extraterrestrial hydrocarbon content, suggested by the absence of any biomarker, may well have a presolar origin. The chemistry of the Paris meteorite may thus be closely related to the early stages of the solar nebula with a contribution from interstellar (molecular cloud) precursors.

Efeito da idade e da suplementação oral com o acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol sobre os níveis séricos de vitamina E e sobre o metabolismo oxidativo dos neutrófilos em bezerros

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J. N. Costa

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito da idade e da suplementação oral com acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol sobre os níveis séricos de vitamina E e sobre o metabolismo oxidativo dos neutrófilos de bezerros da raça Jersey do nascimento aos 45 dias de idade. Foram utilizados 14 bezerros divididos em dois grupos de sete animais cada. O grupo tratamento recebeu 2g de acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol, por via oral, diariamente, até os 45 dias de vida e o controle não recebeu nenhum tipo de suplementação para esta vitamina. Foram colhidas amostras de soro sanguíneo ao nascimento, aos cinco, 10, 20, 30 e 45 dias de idade, para: determinação sérica da vitamina E e para a avaliação da função dos neutrófilos. Concluímos que a suplementação oral com acetato de DL-alfa-tocoferol, na dose de 2 g/dia/VO, do nascimento aos 45 dias de idade aumentou significativamente (p≤ 0,05 os níveis séricos de vitamina E em bezerros. Os menores percentuais de neutrófilos redutores foram detectados logo após o nascimento e os maiores aos 45 dias de idade. A suplementação com vitamina E não alterou significativamente a função oxidativa dos neutrófilos, mas os valores superiores obtidos para os animais do grupo tratado, para o teste estimulado, sugerem uma ação neutrófilica mais potente diante uma infecção natural nesses animais.

Effect of growth condition on biofilm formation by phenoldegrading bacteria isolated from polluted and nonpolluted sources

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Arifah Khusnuryani

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Our previous research have isolated four phenol degrading bacteria. There are ATA6, DOK135, and DL120 which isolated from polluted source (hospital wastewater, also HP3 which isolated from non polluted source (peat soil. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of some environmental factors on the ability of four isolates to form biofilm. The environment factors were varied, such as growth medium, incubation temperature, and medium pH. Biofilm formation was measured using microtiter plate and crystal violet method, and the absorbance was read with microtiter auto reader at wavelenght 490 nm. The result showed that ATA6 was a strong biofilm former, DOK135 and HP3 were moderate biofilm former, and DL120 was a weak biofilm former. The results indicate that there is variation in the ability of selected isolates to form biofilm on various environmental factors. Generally, the isolates formed thicker biofilm in TSB medium which is a complex medium that provide more complete nutrient and formed biofilm optimally at 30oC. ATA6 formed biofilm optimally at pH 7 and HP3 at pH 9, while pH treatment did not affect on isolates DOK135 and DL120 to form biofilm.

Enrichment of Non-Terrestrial L-Proteinogenic Amino Acids by Aqueous Alteration on the Tagish Lake Meteorite Parent Body

Science.gov (United States)

Glavin, Daniel P.; Elsila, Jamie E.; Burton, Aaron S.; Callahan, Michael P.; Dworkin, Jason P.; Herd, Christopher D. K.

2012-01-01

The distribution and isotopic and enantiomeric compositions of amino acids found in three distinct fragments of the Tagish Lake C2-type carbonaceous chondrite were investigated via liquid chromatography fluorescence detection time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Large L-enantiomeric excesses (L(sub ee) approx. 43 to 59%) of the a-hydrogen aspartic and glutamic amino acids were measured in Tagish Lake, whereas alanine, another alpha-hydrogen protein amino acid, was found to be nearly racemic (D approx. L) using both techniques. Carbon isotope measurements of D- and L-aspartic acid and D- and L-alanine in Tagish Lake fall well outside of the terrestrial range and indicate that the measured aspartic acid enantioenrichment is indigenous to the meteorite. Alternate explanations for the Lexcesses of aspartic acid such as interference from other compounds present in the sample, analytical biases, or terrestrial amino acid contamination were investigated and rejected. These results can be explained by differences in the solid-solution phase behavior of aspartic acid, which can form conglomerate enantiopure solids during crystallization, and alanine, which can only form racemic crystals.

Intermolecular-directed reactivity in solid media. Radiogenic formation of phosphorus-centered radicals in chiral diphosphine disulfides studied by ESR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aagaard, O.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.; de Waal, B.F.M.; Buck, H.M. (Eindhoven Univ. of Technology (Netherlands)); Kanters, J.A.; Schouten, A. (State Univ. of Utrecht (Netherlands))

1990-07-04

Single-crystal, powder, and frozen-matrix ESR experiments have been performed to study the radiogenic electron-capture properties of several diastereoisomeric and asymmetric diphosphine disulfides (R{sub 1}R{sub 2}P(S)P(S)R{sub 3}R{sub 4}). The principal values of the hyperfine couplings of several phosphorus-centered radical configurations are determined and related to the spin density distribution. Attention is focused on the strong differences in radiogenic properties, observed between the meso and racemic forms of phenyl- and tolyl-substituted diphosphine disulfides. The most striking result is that X irradiation of the crystalline meso compounds MePhP(S)P(S)MePh, Me(p-Tol)P(S)P(S)Me(p-Tol), and Ph(PhCH{sub 2})P(S)P(S)Ph(CH{sub 2}Ph) does not lead to the formation of a three-electron bond P-P {sigma}* radical but invariably results in configurations in which the unpaired electron is primarily localized on one half of the molecule. X irradiation of the corresponding racemic forms, on the other hand, gives rise to P-P {sigma}* configurations.

MDMA (N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine) and its stereoisomers: Similarities and differences in behavioral effects in an automated activity apparatus in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Richard; Glennon, Richard A

2008-01-01

Racemic MDMA (0.3-30 mg/kg), S(+)-MDMA (0.3-30 mg/kg), R(-)-MDMA (0.3-50 mg/kg) and saline vehicle (10 ml/kg) were comprehensively evaluated in fully automated and computer-integrated activity chambers, which were designed for mice, and provided a detailed analysis of the frequency, location, and/or duration of 18 different activities. The results indicated that MDMA and its isomers produced stimulation of motor actions, with S(+)-MDMA and (+/-)-MDMA usually being more potent than R(-)-MDMA in measures such as movement (time, distance, velocity), margin distance, rotation (clockwise and counterclockwise), and retraced activities. Interestingly, racemic MDMA appeared to exert a greater than expected potency and/or an enhanced effect on measures such as movement episodes, center actions (entries and distance), clockwise rotations, and jumps; actions that might be explained by additive or synergistic (i.e. potentiation) effects of the stereoisomers. In other measures, the enantiomers displayed different effects: S(+)-MDMA produced a preference to induce counterclockwise (versus clockwise) rotations, and each isomer exerted a different profile of effect on vertical activities and jumps. Furthermore, each isomer of MDMA appeared to attenuate the effect of its opposite enantiomer on some behaviors; antagonism effects that were surmised from a lack of expected activities by racemic MDMA. S(+)-MDMA (but not R(-)-MDMA), for example, produced an increase in vertical entries (rearing) and a preference to increase counterclockwise (versus clockwise) rotations; (+/-)-MDMA also should have induced such effects but did not. Apparently, R(-)-MDMA, when combined with S(+)-MDMA to form (+/-)-MDMA, prevented the appearance of those increases (from control) in activities. Similarly, R(-)-MDMA (but not S(+)-MDMA) produced increases in episodes (i.e. jumps) and vertical distance that racemic MDMA also should have, but were not, exhibited. Evidently, the presence of S(+)-MDMA in the

Dual enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution by Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase and Candida antarctica lipase B

KAUST Repository

Karume, Ibrahim; Musa, Musa M.; Bsharat, Odey; Takahashi, Masateru; Hamdan, Samir; El Ali, Bassam

2016-01-01

The immobilization of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH) using sol–gel method enables its use to racemize enantiopure alcohols in organic media. Here, we report the racemization of enantiopure phenyl

Efficient Havinga–Kondepudi resolution of conglomerate amino acid derivatives by slow cooling and abrasive grinding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeman, Michel; Noorduin, Wim L.; Millemaggi, Alessia; Vlieg, Elias; Meekes, Hugo; Enckevort, Willem J.P. van; Kaptein, Bernard; Kellogg, Richard M.

2010-01-01

The complete resolution of the conglomerate racemates of two amino acid derivatives susceptible to racemization in solution was achieved by slow crystallization from a supersaturated solution accompanied by cooling and abrasive grinding.

Ecotoxicological properties of ketoprofen and the S(+)-enantiomer (dexketoprofen): Bioassays in freshwater model species and biomarkers in fish PLHC-1 cell line.

Science.gov (United States)

Mennillo, Elvira; Arukwe, Augustine; Monni, Gianfranca; Meucci, Valentina; Intorre, Luigi; Pretti, Carlo

2018-01-01

The increased use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has resulted in their ubiquitous presence in the environment. The toxicological properties of these 2 widely prescribed NSAIDs, namely racemic ketoprofen and its enantiomer S(+)-ketoprofen (dexketoprofen), were evaluated, firstly, by acute and chronic toxicity tests using 3 representative model organisms (Vibrio fischeri, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and Ceriodaphnia dubia) and, secondly, by evaluating the responses of biotransformation systems and multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRP1/MRP2) using the Poeciliopsis lucida hepatocellular carcinoma 1 (PLHC-1) fish hepatic cell line. Toxicity data from both acute and chronic dexketoprofen exposure indicated higher sensitivity through inhibition of bioluminescence and algal growth and through increased mortality/immobilization compared to racemic ketoprofen exposure. The growth inhibition test showed that racemic ketoprofen and dexketoprofen exhibited different effect concentration values (240.2 and 65.6 μg/L, respectively). Furthermore, racemic ketoprofen and dexketoprofen did not exert cytotoxic effects in PLHC-1 cells and produced compound-, time-, and concentration-specific differential effects on cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) and glutathione S-transferase levels. For CYP1A, the effects of racemic ketoprofen and dexketoprofen differed at the transcriptional and catalytic levels. Exposure to racemic ketoprofen and dexketoprofen modulated MRP1 and MRP2 mRNA levels, and these effects were also dependent on compound, exposure time, and concentration of the individual drug. The present study revealed for the first time the interactions between these NSAIDs and key detoxification systems and different sensitivity to the racemic mixture compared to its enantiomer. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:201-212. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Gender Differences in D-Aspartic Acid Content in Skull Bone

OpenAIRE

Torikoshi-Hatano, Aiko; Namera, Akira; Shiraishi, Hiroaki; Arima, Yousuke; Toubou, Hirokazu; Ezaki, Jiro; Morikawa, Masami; Nagao, Masataka

2012-01-01

In forensic medicine, the personal identification of cadavers is one of the most important tasks. One method of estimating age at death relies on the high correlation between racemization rates in teeth and actual age, and this method has been applied successfully in forensic odontology for several years. In this study, we attempt to facilitate the analysis of racemized amino acids and examine the determination of age at death on the basis of the extent of aspartic acid (Asp) racemization in ...

Prevalence of dyslipidemias in the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 Prevalencia de las dislipidemias en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2006

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Carlos A Aguilar-Salinas

2010-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of lipid abnormalities found in the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANut 2006. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Information was obtained from 4 040 subjects aged 20 to 69 years, studied after a 9- to 12-hour fast. RESULTS: Median lipid concentrations were: cholesterol 198.5 mg/dl, triglycerides 139.6 mg/dl, HDL-cholesterol 39.0 mg/dl, non-HDL-cholesterol 159.5 mg/dl and LDL-cholesterol 131.5 mg/dl. The most frequent abnormality was HDL-cholesterol below 40 mg/dl with a prevalence of 60.5% (95%CI 58.2-62.8%. Hypercholesterolemia (> 200 mg/dl had a frequency of abnormality of 43.6% (95%CI 41.4-46.0%. Only 8.6% of the hypercholesterolemic subjects knew their diagnosis. Hypertriglyceridemia (> 150 mg/dl was observed in 31.5% (IC 95% 29.3-33.9% of the population. CONLUSIONS: The ENSANUT 2006 data confirm that the prevalence of hypoalphalipoproteinemia and other forms of dyslipidemia in Mexican adults is very high.OBJETIVO: Presentar la prevalencia de las dislipidemias observada en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2006 (ENSANUT 2006. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se incluyeron 4040 individuos con edad entre 20 y 69 años estudiados bajo un ayuno de 9 a 12 horas. RESULTADOS: Las concentraciones medias de los lípidos sanguíneos fueron colesterol 198.5 mg/dl, triglicéridos 139.6 mg/dl, colesterol HDL 39.0 mg/dl, colesterol noHDL 159.5 mg/dl y colesterol LDL 131.5 mg/dl. La anormalidad más común fue la hipoalfalipoproteinemia (colesterol HDL 200 mg/dl fue la segunda anormalidad en frecuencia, con 43.6% (IC95% 41.4-46.0%. Sólo el 8.6% de los casos conocía su diagnóstico. La hipertrigliceridemia (> 150 mg/dl fue observada en 31.5% (IC95% 29.3-33.9% de la población en estudio. CONCLUSIONES: Los datos de la ENSANUT 2006 confirman que la prevalencia de hipoalfalipoproteinemia y otras formas de dislipidemia es muy alta en los adultos mexicanos.

B-cell infiltration and frequency of cytokine producing cells differ between localized and disseminated human cutaneous leishmaniases

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MGS Vieira

2002-10-01

Full Text Available Biopsies from human localized cutaneous lesions (LCL n = 7 or disseminated lesions (DL n = 8 cases were characterized according to cellular infiltration,frequency of cytokine (IFN-g, TNF-alpha or iNOS enzyme producing cells. LCL, the most usual form of the disease with usually one or two lesions, exhibits extensive tissue damage. DL is a rare form with widespread lesions throughout the body; exhibiting poor parasite containment but less tissue damage. We demonstrated that LCL lesions exhibit higher frequency of B lymphocytes and a higher intensity of IFN-gamma expression. In both forms of the disease CD8+ were found in higher frequency than CD4+ T cells. Frequency of TNF-alpha and iNOS producing cells, as well as the frequency of CD68+ macrophages, did not differ between LCL and DL. Our findings reinforce the link between an efficient control of parasite and tissue damage, implicating higher frequency of IFN-gamma producing cells, as well as its possible counteraction by infiltrated B cells and hence possible humoral immune response in situ.

СHIRAL RECOGNITION OF CYSTEINE MOLECULES BY CHIRAL CdSe AND CdS QUANTUM DOTS

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M. V. Mukhina

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Here, we report the investigation of mechanism of chiral molecular recognition of cysteine biomolecules by chiral CdSe and CdS semiconductor nanocrystals. To observe chiral recognition process, we prepared enantioenriched ensembles of the nanocrystals capped with achiral ligand. The enantioenriched samples of intrinsically chiral CdSe quantum dots were prepared by separation of initial racemic mixture of the nanocrystals using chiral phase transfer from chloroform to water driven by L- and D-cysteine. Chiral molecules of cysteine and penicillamine were substituted for achiral molecules of dodecanethiol on the surfaces of CdSe and CdS samples, respectively, via reverse phase transfer from water to chloroform. We estimated an efficiency of the hetero- (d-L or l-D and homocomplexes (l-L formation by comparing the extents of corresponding complexing reactions. Using circular dichroism spectroscopy data we show an ability of nanocrystals enantiomers to discriminate between left-handed and right-handed enantiomers of biomolecules via preferential formation of heterocomplexes. Development of approaches for obtaining chiral nanocrystals via chiral phase transfer offers opportunities for investigation of molecular recognition at the nano/bio interfaces.

Efficient preparation of enantiopure D-phenylalanine through asymmetric resolution using immobilized phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from Rhodotorula glutinis JN-1 in a recirculating packed-bed reactor.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Longbao Zhu

Full Text Available An efficient enzymatic process was developed to produce optically pure D-phenylalanine through asymmetric resolution of the racemic DL-phenylalanine using immobilized phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (RgPAL from Rhodotorula glutinis JN-1. RgPAL was immobilized on a modified mesoporous silica support (MCM-41-NH-GA. The resulting MCM-41-NH-GA-RgPAL showed high activity and stability. The resolution efficiency using MCM-41-NH-GA-RgPAL in a recirculating packed-bed reactor (RPBR was higher than that in a stirred-tank reactor. Under optimal operational conditions, the volumetric conversion rate of L-phenylalanine and the productivity of D-phenylalanine reached 96.7 mM h⁻¹ and 0.32 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. The optical purity (eeD of D-phenylalanine exceeded 99%. The RPBR ran continuously for 16 batches, the conversion ratio did not decrease. The reactor was scaled up 25-fold, and the productivity of D-phenylalanine (eeD>99% in the scaled-up reactor reached 7.2 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹. These results suggest that the resolution process is an alternative method to produce highly pure D-phenylalanine.

Efficient preparation of enantiopure D-phenylalanine through asymmetric resolution using immobilized phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from Rhodotorula glutinis JN-1 in a recirculating packed-bed reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Longbao; Zhou, Li; Huang, Nan; Cui, Wenjing; Liu, Zhongmei; Xiao, Ke; Zhou, Zhemin

2014-01-01

An efficient enzymatic process was developed to produce optically pure D-phenylalanine through asymmetric resolution of the racemic DL-phenylalanine using immobilized phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (RgPAL) from Rhodotorula glutinis JN-1. RgPAL was immobilized on a modified mesoporous silica support (MCM-41-NH-GA). The resulting MCM-41-NH-GA-RgPAL showed high activity and stability. The resolution efficiency using MCM-41-NH-GA-RgPAL in a recirculating packed-bed reactor (RPBR) was higher than that in a stirred-tank reactor. Under optimal operational conditions, the volumetric conversion rate of L-phenylalanine and the productivity of D-phenylalanine reached 96.7 mM h⁻¹ and 0.32 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. The optical purity (eeD) of D-phenylalanine exceeded 99%. The RPBR ran continuously for 16 batches, the conversion ratio did not decrease. The reactor was scaled up 25-fold, and the productivity of D-phenylalanine (eeD>99%) in the scaled-up reactor reached 7.2 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹. These results suggest that the resolution process is an alternative method to produce highly pure D-phenylalanine.

Isolation and amino acid sequence of a dehydratase acting on d-erythro-3-hydroxyaspartate from Pseudomonas sp. N99, and its application in the production of optically active 3-hydroxyaspartate.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagano, Hiroyuki; Shibano, Kana; Matsumoto, Yu; Yokota, Atsushi; Wada, Masaru

2017-06-01

An enzyme catalyzing the ammonia-lyase reaction for the conversion of d-erythro-3-hydroxyaspartate to oxaloacetate was purified from the cell-free extract of a soil-isolated bacterium Pseudomonas sp. N99. The enzyme exhibited ammonia-lyase activity toward l-threo-3-hydroxyaspartate and d-erythro-3-hydroxyaspartate, but not toward other 3-hydroxyaspartate isomers. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme, which belongs to the serine/threonine dehydratase family, shows similarity to the sequence of l-threo-3-hydroxyaspartate ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.16) from Pseudomonas sp. T62 (74%) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (64%) and serine racemase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe (65%). These results suggest that the enzyme is similar to l-threo-3-hydroxyaspartate ammonia-lyase from Pseudomonas sp. T62, which does not act on d-erythro-3-hydroxyaspartate. We also then used the recombinant enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli to produce optically pure l-erythro-3-hydroxyaspartate and d-threo-3-hydroxyaspartate from the corresponding dl-racemic mixtures. The enzymatic resolution reported here is one of the simplest and the first enzymatic method that can be used for obtaining optically pure l-erythro-3-hydroxyaspartate.

Rediscovering Chirality - Role of S-Metoprolol in Cardiovascular Disease Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Jagdish C; Shah, Siddharth N; Chinchansurkar, Sunny; Dey, Arindam; Jain, Rishi

2017-06-01

The process of drug discovery and development today encompass a myriad of paths for bringing a new therapeutic molecule that has minimal adverse effects and of optimal use to the patient. Chirality was proposed in the direction of providing a purer and safer form of drug [Ex- cetrizine and levocetrizine]. Decades have passed since the introduction of this concept and numerous chiral molecules are in existence in therapeutics, yet somehow this concept has been ignored. This review aims to rediscover the ignored facts about chirality, its benefits and clear some common myths considering the example of S-Metoprolol in the management of Hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Relevant articles from Pubmed, Embase, Medline and Google Scholar were searched using the terms "Chiral", "Chirality", "Enantiomers", "Isomers", "Isomerism", "Stereo-chemistry", and "S-Metoprolol". Out of 103 articles found 17 articles mentioning in general about the concept of chirality and articles on study of S-metoprolol in various cardiovascular diseases were then reviewed. Many articles mention about the importance of chirality yet the concept has not been highlighted much. Clear benefits with chiral molecules have been documented for various drug molecules few amongst them being anaesthetics, antihypertensives, antidepressants. Benefits of S-metoprolol over racemate are also clear in terms of responder rates, dose of administration and adverse effects profile in various cardiovascular diseases. Chirality is a good way forward in providing a new drug molecule which is safe with lesser pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics variability, lesser side effects and more potent action. S-metoprolol is chirally pure form of racemate metoprolol and has lesser side effects, is safer in patients of COPD and Diabetes who also have hypertension and comparable responder rates at half the doses when compared to racemate.

Effects of molecular chirality on self-assembly and switching in liquid crystals at the cross-over between rod-like and bent shapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ocak, Hale; Poppe, Marco; Bilgin-Eran, Belkız; Karanlık, Gürkan; Prehm, Marko; Tschierske, Carsten

2016-09-21

A bent-core compound derived from a 4-cyanoresorcinol core unit with two terephthalate based rod-like wings and carrying chiral 3,7-dimethyloctyloxy side chains has been synthesized in racemic and enantiomerically pure form and characterized by polarizing microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and electro-optical investigations to study the influence of molecular chirality on the superstructural chirality and polar order in lamellar liquid crystalline phases. Herein we demonstrate that the coupling of molecular chirality with superstructural layer chirality in SmCsPF domain phases (forming energetically distinct diastereomeric pairs) can fix the tilt direction and thus stabilize synpolar order, leading to bistable ferroelectric switching in the SmC* phases of the (S)-enantiomer, whereas tristable modes determine the switching of the racemate. Moreover, the mechanism of electric field induced molecular reorganization changes from a rotation around the molecular long axis in the racemate to a rotation on the tilt-cone for the (S)-enantiomer. At high temperature the enantiomer behaves like a rod-like molecule with a chirality induced ferroelectric SmC* phase and an electroclinic effect in the SmA'* phase. At reduced temperature sterically induced polarization, due to the bent molecular shape, becomes dominating, leading to much higher polarization values, thus providing access to high polarization ferroelectric materials with weakly bent compounds having only "weakly chiral" stereogenic units. Moreover, the field induced alignment of the SmCsPF(()*()) domains gives rise to a special kind of electroclinic effect appearing even in the absence of molecular chirality. Comparison with related compounds indicates that the strongest effects of chirality appear for weakly bent molecules with a relatively short coherence length of polar order, whereas for smectic phases with long range polar order the effects of the interlayer interfaces can override

Determination of the sensitization of two coatings by steel welding 308l by the EPR-Dl and Astm A-262 practice A techniques; Determinacion de la sensibilizacion de dos revestimientos por soldadura de acero 308L por las tecnicas EPR-DL y ASTM A-262 practica A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arganis J, C. R.; Zenteno S, J. C.; Robles F, J. L.; Rodriguez M, E.; Vazquez P, A., E-mail: carlos.arganis@inin.gob.mx [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2014-10-15

A stainless steel 308l coating was deposited by the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) on steel A36 with a thickness of 4.726 mm in three layers. The sensitization was measured with the technique of Electrochemical Potentiodynamic Reactivation of Double-loop (EPR-Dl), using a portable cell and other of conventional window. The standard Astm A-262, practice A was used to verify the sensitization values. Two samples were used, a welding on a plate of 323 x 172 x 76.2 mm and the second welding on the end of a plate of 12.7 mm of thickness and 280 mm of longitude, with a post-welding process with gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) with electrode ERNiCr{sub 3} and a process SMAW with electrode ENICRFe{sub 3}. The coating on the plate showed low values of sensitization grade (DOS) in all the points, indicating a very quick heat extraction and an inter dendritic structure type step. The second sample presented DOS values that are related with a structure of low sensitization and the influence of the heat of the post-welding process and a structure of recrystallized grains. (Author)

Potential challenges facing distributed leadership in health care: evidence from the UK National Health Service.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Graeme; Beech, Nic; MacIntosh, Robert; Bushfield, Stacey

2015-01-01

The discourse of leaderism in health care has been a subject of much academic and practical debate. Recently, distributed leadership (DL) has been adopted as a key strand of policy in the UK National Health Service (NHS). However, there is some confusion over the meaning of DL and uncertainty over its application to clinical and non-clinical staff. This article examines the potential for DL in the NHS by drawing on qualitative data from three co-located health-care organisations that embraced DL as part of their organisational strategy. Recent theorising positions DL as a hybrid model combining focused and dispersed leadership; however, our data raise important challenges for policymakers and senior managers who are implementing such a leadership policy. We show that there are three distinct forms of disconnect and that these pose a significant problem for DL. However, we argue that instead of these disconnects posing a significant problem for the discourse of leaderism, they enable a fantasy of leadership that draws on and supports the discourse. © 2014 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2014 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

SN2-type ring opening of substituted--tosylaziridines with zinc (II) halides: Control of racemization by ... The reaction proceeds via an SN2-type pathway and the partial racemization of the starting ... Journal of Chemical Sciences | News.

The resolution of acyclic P-stereogenic phosphine oxides via the formation of diastereomeric complexes: A case study on ethyl-(2-methylphenyl)-phenylphosphine oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagi, Péter; Varga, Bence; Szilágyi, András; Karaghiosoff, Konstantin; Czugler, Mátyás; Fogassy, Elemér; Keglevich, György

2018-04-01

As an example of acyclic P-chiral phosphine oxides, the resolution of ethyl-(2-methylphenyl)-phenylphosphine oxide was elaborated with TADDOL derivatives, or with calcium salts of the tartaric acid derivatives. Besides the study on the resolving agents, several purification methods were developed in order to prepare enantiopure ethyl-(2-methylphenyl)-phenylphosphine oxide. It was found that the title phosphine oxide is a racemic crystal-forming compound, and the recrystallization of the enantiomeric mixtures could be used for the preparation of pure enantiomers. According to our best method, the (R)-ethyl-(2-methylphenyl)-phenylphosphine oxide could be obtained with an enantiomeric excess of 99% and in a yield of 47%. Complete racemization of the enantiomerically enriched phosphine oxide could be accomplished via the formation of a chlorophosphonium salt. Characterization of the crystal structures of the enantiopure phosphine oxide was complemented with that of the diastereomeric intermediate. X-ray analysis revealed the main nonbonding interactions responsible for enantiomeric recognition. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chirality- and sequence-selective successive self-sorting via specific homo- and complementary-duplex formations

Science.gov (United States)

Makiguchi, Wataru; Tanabe, Junki; Yamada, Hidekazu; Iida, Hiroki; Taura, Daisuke; Ousaka, Naoki; Yashima, Eiji

2015-01-01

Self-recognition and self-discrimination within complex mixtures are of fundamental importance in biological systems, which entirely rely on the preprogrammed monomer sequences and homochirality of biological macromolecules. Here we report artificial chirality- and sequence-selective successive self-sorting of chiral dimeric strands bearing carboxylic acid or amidine groups joined by chiral amide linkers with different sequences through homo- and complementary-duplex formations. A mixture of carboxylic acid dimers linked by racemic-1,2-cyclohexane bis-amides with different amide sequences (NHCO or CONH) self-associate to form homoduplexes in a completely sequence-selective way, the structures of which are different from each other depending on the linker amide sequences. The further addition of an enantiopure amide-linked amidine dimer to a mixture of the racemic carboxylic acid dimers resulted in the formation of a single optically pure complementary duplex with a 100% diastereoselectivity and complete sequence specificity stabilized by the amidinium–carboxylate salt bridges, leading to the perfect chirality- and sequence-selective duplex formation. PMID:26051291

Studies on the effect of Osmia rufa L. (Apoidea, Megachilidae on the effectiveness of pod and seed development in the subgenus Glycine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Halina Skorupska

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Three abundantly blooming forms of Glycogen tabacina and one G. tomentella form were studied. The experiment was conducted under isolated conditions. The effect of Osmia rufa L. on the fertility of raceme flowers was studied. It was found that the G. tabacina and G. tomentella flowers were intensively penetrated by the insects. A very clear increase (3-4 fold in pod development was observed. The results ol the experiment indicate that geitonogamic pollination has a favorable influence on the effectiveness of the blooming of the chasmogamic flowers of the studied species.

Fe(III)-EDDHA and -EDDHMA sorption on Ca-montmorillonite, ferrihydrite, and peat.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Apaolaza, L; Lucena, J J

2001-11-01

The effectiveness of Fe chelates as Fe sources and carriers in soil can be severely limited by the adsorption of Fe chelates or chelating agents in the solid phase. To study this phenomenon, well-characterized peat, Ca-montmorillonite, and ferrihydrite were used as model compounds, and the adsorption of Fe-EDDHA and Fe-EDDHMA chelates were studied. Sorption isotherms for the meso and racemic isomers of these chelates on the soil materials are described. The variability of sorption with pH in peat and ferrihydrite was also determined because both have variable surface charge at different pH values. In montmorillonite, at low concentrations, the retention of Fe from the Fe-EDDHMA chelate is greater than the one of the Fe-EDDHA chelate. As well as the concentration increased, the inverse situation occurs. The behavior of both meso and racemic isomers of chelates in contact with Ca-montmorillonite is similar. The Fe-meso-EDDHA isomer was highly adsorbed on ferrihydrite, but the racemic isomer is not significantly retained by this oxide. For Fe-EDDHMA isomers, the racemic isomer was more retained by the oxide, but a small sorption of the racemic isomer was also observed. Results suggest that Fe-EDDHA chelates were more retained in peat than Fe-EDDHMA chelates. The most retained isomer of Fe-EDDHA was the meso isomer. For Fe-EDDHMA, the adsorption was very low for both racemic and meso isomers.

Teaching Form as Form

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keiding, Tina Bering

2012-01-01

understanding of form per se, or, to use an expression from this text, of form as form. This challenge can be reduced to one question: how can design teaching support students in achieving not only the ability to recognize and describe different form-related concepts in existing design (i.e. analytical...

A dual-application poly (dl-lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-chitosan composite scaffold for potential use in bone tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Boukari, Yamina; Qutachi, Omar; Scurr, David J; Morris, Andrew P; Doughty, Stephen W; Billa, Nashiru

2017-11-01

The development of patient-friendly alternatives to bone-graft procedures is the driving force for new frontiers in bone tissue engineering. Poly (dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and chitosan are well-studied and easy-to-process polymers from which scaffolds can be fabricated. In this study, a novel dual-application scaffold system was formulated from porous PLGA and protein-loaded PLGA/chitosan microspheres. Physicochemical and in vitro protein release attributes were established. The therapeutic relevance, cytocompatibility with primary human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and osteogenic properties were tested. There was a significant reduction in burst release from the composite PLGA/chitosan microspheres compared with PLGA alone. Scaffolds sintered from porous microspheres at 37 °C were significantly stronger than the PLGA control, with compressive strengths of 0.846 ± 0.272 MPa and 0.406 ± 0.265 MPa, respectively (p < 0.05). The formulation also sintered at 37 °C following injection through a needle, demonstrating its injectable potential. The scaffolds demonstrated cytocompatibility, with increased cell numbers observed over an 8-day study period. Von Kossa and immunostaining of the hMSC-scaffolds confirmed their osteogenic potential with the ability to sinter at 37 °C in situ.

A common transport system for methionine, L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine (MSX), and phosphinothricin (PPT) in the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Arvind Kumar; Syiem, Mayashree B; Singh, Rajkumar S; Adhikari, Samrat; Rai, Amar Nath

2008-05-01

We present evidence, for the first time, of the occurrence of a transport system common for amino acid methionine, and methionine/glutamate analogues L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine (MSX) and phosphinothricin (PPT) in cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum. Methionine, which is toxic to cyanobacterium, enhanced its nitrogenase activity at lower concentrations. The cyanobacterium showed a biphasic pattern of methionine uptake activity that was competitively inhibited by the amino acids alanine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, valine, glutamine, and asparagine. The methionine/glutamate analogue-resistant N. muscorum strains (MSX-R and PPT-R strains) also showed methionine-resistant phenotype accompanied by a drastic decrease in 35S methionine uptake activity. Treatment of protein extracts from these mutant strains with MSX and PPT reduced biosynthetic glutamine synthetase (GS) activity only in vitro and not in vivo. This finding implicated that MSX- and PPT-R phenotypes may have arisen due to a defect in their MSX and PPT transport activity. The simultaneous decrease in methionine uptake activity and in vitro sensitivity toward MSX and PPT of GS protein in MSX- and PPT-R strains indicated that methionine, MSX, and PPT have a common transport system that is shared by other amino acids as well in N. muscorum. Such information can become useful for isolation of methionine-producing cyanobacterial strains.

Influence of microflora on texture and contents of amino acids, organic acids, and volatiles in semi-hard cheese made with DL-starter and propionibacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rehn, Lina Ulrika Ingeborg; Vogensen, Finn Kvist; Persson, S.-E.

2011-01-01

The microflora of semi-hard cheese made with DL-starter and propionic acid bacteria (PAB) is quite complex, and we investigated the influence of its variation on texture and contents of organic acids, free amino acids, and volatile compounds. Variation in the microflora within the normal range...... of log 8 to log 9 cfu/g, which was about 1 log unit higher than the total number of starter bacteria and about 2 log units higher than the number of nonstarter lactic acid bacteria. Eye formation was observed during the warm room period and further ripening (at 8 to 10°C). The amounts of acetate......, propionate, total content of free amino acids, 2-propanol, and ethyl propionate in the ripened cheeses were related to the number of PAB. A decrease in the relative content of Asp and Lys and increase of Phe over the ripening time were different from what is observed in semi-hard cheese without PAB...

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in rice straw smoke and their origins in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Minomo, Kotaro; Ohtsuka, Nobutoshi; Nojiri, Kiyoshi; Hosono, Shigeo; Kawamura, Kiyoshi

2011-08-01

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) contained in the smoke generated from rice straw burning in post-harvest paddy fields in Japan were analyzed to determine their congener profiles. Both the apportionment of toxic equivalent (TEQ) by using indicative congeners and the comparison of the homolog profiles showed that the PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs present in the rice-straw smoke were greatly influenced by those present as impurities in pentachlorophenol (PCP) and chlornitrofen (CNP, 4-nitrophenyl-2,4,6-trichlorophenyl ether) formulations that had been widely used as herbicides in paddy fields in Japan. Further, in order to investigate the effects of paddy-field soil on the PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs present in rice-straw smoke, PCDD/PCDF/DL-PCB homolog profiles of rice straw, rice-straw smoke and paddy-field soil were compared. Rice-straw smoke was generated by burning rice straw on a stainless-steel tray in a laboratory. The results suggested that the herbicides-originated PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs and the atmospheric PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs contributed predominantly to the presence of PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs in the rice-straw smoke while the contribution of PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs formed during rice straw burning was relatively minimal. The major sources of the PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs found in the rice-straw smoke were attributed primarily to the paddy-field soil adhered to the rice straw surface and secondarily to the air taken by the rice straw. The principal component analysis supported these conclusions. It is concluded that rice straw burning at paddy fields acts as a driving force in the transfer of PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs from paddy-field soil to the atmosphere. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of Mesodon and other larger terrestrial gastropod shells for dating late Holocene and historic alluvium in the Midwestern USA

Science.gov (United States)

Rakovan, Monica T.; Rech, Jason A.; Pigati, Jeffery S.; Nekola, Jeffery C.; Wiles, Gregory C.

2013-01-01

Understanding the history of stream erosion and changes in channel morphology is important for managing and restoring unstable streams. One of the significant challenges in this type of research is establishing accurate dating of late Holocene and historic alluvium. Here we evaluate the potential of using 14C dating and amino acid racemization (AAR) to date large terrestrial gastropod shells that are often preserved within alluvial sediments. Many terrestrial gastropods incorporate old carbon from limestone or other carbonate rocks into their shells and therefore are unsuitable for radiocarbon dating. Recent studies, however, have shown that some taxa avoid this ‘limestone problem’ and can yield reliable 14C ages. In this study, we measured the 14C activity of specimens for the genera Mesodon, Ventridens, and Allogona collected live and from alluvial sequences dated independently by dendrochronology, 14C dating of wood, and/or 137Cs analyses. Mesodon zaletus contained old carbon in similar concentrations (up to ~ 30%) found in previous studies of other large taxa and should be avoided for 14C dating when possible. In contrast, shells of Ventridens ligera and Allogona profunda showed minimal limestone effects and therefore may be suitable for dating late Holocene alluvium. These results highlight the importance of taxonomic identification of gastropod taxa prior to their use for 14C dating and demonstrate that shell fragments that are not identifiable should be avoided. We also measured d/l ratios (n = 17) of aspartic and glutamic acid from eight different taxa of terrestrial gastropods recovered from four late Holocene and historic stratigraphic sequences. Average d/l ratios of aspartic and glutamic acid from historic sediments < 300 years old are lower in shells from younger stratigraphic units, indicating that AAR can be used to differentiate between multiple historic stratigraphic units.

Serum Chemistry Variables of Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris Kept in Various Forms of Captivity

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U. Farooq*, S. Sajjad1, M. Anwar1 and B.N. Khan2

2012-05-01

Full Text Available There is a dearth of published literature regarding the effect of captivity on serum chemistry variables of tigers kept in the zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. The present study was hence conducted to determine and compare serum chemistry values in tigers of Bengal origin (Panthera tigris tigris kept in captivity at Lahore zoo (LZ (n=4 and in semi natural environment of Lahore Wildlife Park (LWP (n=6, Pakistan. The tigers kept at LZ had significantly (P<0.05 higher mean concentrations of Cl- (108.6±0.57 versus 105.6±0.49 mmol/l and a significantly lower creatinine (1.78±0.06 versus 3.04±0.35mg/dl and AST values (41.66±0.77 versus 54.88±4.22 U/l than tigers kept at LWP. No other significant differences in serum chemistry were observed for both forms of captivity. Results would be useful for the evaluation of physiological and pathological alterations in wild and captive tiger individuals and populations not only in Pakistan but also for other countries harboring the Bengal tigers.

KINETIC RESOLUTION OF ALCOHOLS IN AN ASYMMETRIC MITSUNOBU REACTION USING CHIRAL NONRACEMIC 1,3,2-DIOXAPHOSPHEPANES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hulst, Ron; Basten, Arjan van; Fitzpatrick, Kevin; Kellogg, Richard M.

1995-01-01

Non-racemic chiral trivalent phosphorus derivatives 1 and 2 when employed under Mitsunobu reaction conditions, induce esterification between racemic alcohols and acids with moderate enantiospecificity (up to 39%). At the expense of high conversion, the alcohols can be obtained in high ee (> 99%).

Tautomerism of 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone: evidence for its enantioselective biosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Raab, Thomas; Hauck, Tobias; Knecht, Anja; Schmitt, Ulrich; Holzgrabe, Ulrike; Schwab, Wilfried

2003-08-01

Chiral natural flavor compounds exhibit characteristic enantiomeric excesses due to stereoselective, enzymatically catalyzed reactions during biogenesis. Although the enzymatic formation of the strawberry key flavor compound 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (HDMF; Furaneol(R)) is anticipated, the naturally occurring compound is racemic. As racemization due to keto-enol-tautomerism of HDMF could account for this observation, HDMF was investigated by (1)H-NMR spectroscopy tracing the exchange of the proton bound to the furanone-ring at C2 with deuteron from the medium (D(2)O). In addition, the racemization rate of HDMF was directly determined by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis of enantiomerically enriched HDMF stored at different pH values. Tautomerism and the racemization rate of HDMF was lowest at pH values between 4 and 5. However, tautomerism and thus racemization was catalyzed under stronger acidic conditions (pH 2) and especially at pH values greater than 7, the value published for plant cell cytosol. Approximately 50% of the protons at C2 were exchanged with deuteron within 1 h at pH 7.2. Therefore, in order to demonstrate the enzymatic formation of HDMF, incubation experiments with Zygosaccharomyces rouxii as well as strawberry protein extract were carried out under slightly acidic conditions (pH 5), the most suitable pH value for studies on the enantiomeric ratio of HDMF. In both experiments the formation of enantiomerically enriched HDMF could be demonstrated for the first time, whereas incubation experiments under neutral conditions resulted in the detection of racemic HDMF. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Dl-3-n-Butylphthalide Treatment Enhances Hemodynamics and Ameliorates Memory Deficits in Rats with Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion

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Zhilin Xiong

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Our previous study has revealed that chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH activates a compensatory vascular mechanism attempting to maintain an optimal cerebral blood flow (CBF. However, this compensation fails to prevent neuronal death and cognitive impairment because neurons die prior to the restoration of normal CBF. Therefore, pharmacological invention may be critical to enhance the CBF for reducing neurodegeneration and memory deficit. Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP is a compound isolated from the seeds of Chinese celery and has been proven to be able to prevent neuronal loss, reduce inflammation and ameliorate memory deficits in acute ischemic animal models and stroke patients. In the present study, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI techniques, immunohistochemistry and Morris water maze (MWM to investigate whether NBP can accelerate CBF recovery, reduce neuronal death and improve cognitive deficits in CCH rats after permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO. Rats were intravenously injected with NBP (5 mg/kg daily for 14 days beginning the first day after BCCAO. The results showed that NBP shortened recovery time of CBF to pre-occlusion levels at 2 weeks following BCCAO, compared to 4 weeks in the vehicle group, and enhanced hemodynamic compensation through dilation of the vertebral arteries (VAs and increase in angiogenesis. NBP treatment also markedly reduced reactive astrogliosis and cell apoptosis and protected hippocampal neurons against ischemic injury. The escape latency of CCH rats in the MWM was also reduced in response to NBP treatment. These findings demonstrate that NBP can accelerate the recovery of CBF and improve cognitive function in a rat model of CCH, suggesting that NBP is a promising therapy for CCH patients or vascular dementia.

COMPARATIVE RESEARCHE REGARDING METABOLIC PROFILE OF THE CALIFORNIAN, NEW ZEALAND WHITE, GRAND CHINCHILLA MEAT RABIT BREEDS AND THE F1 NZCH HYBRIDS

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DANIELA-MARCELA TOBĂ (GOINA

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Precious biological characteristics of rabbits make their breeding a very profitable occupation. The rabbit meat, organoleptically same to the white meat, is rich in proteins, but low in fats. Biological researched done in direction to elucidate the biochemical systems that are the basis for organism physiological processes, have revealed that the level in which this process are develop directly influence the rabbits productivity capacity. 60 rabbit’s heads was used as biological material, distributed in: 15 Californian, 15 New Zeeland White, 15 Grand Chinchilla and 15 F1NZCH hybrids obtained from cross-breeding the New Zeeland White as maternal form and Grand Chinchilla as paternal form. Blood was sampled from the rabbit and was biochemical analyzed. The studied indices were: total protein, albumin, urea, uric acid, creatinine, total bilirubine, cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose. The experimental lot formed from F1 NZCH hybrids registered a concentration of 2.1 mg/dl uric acid, and in the other three lots the concentration was under 2 mg/dl. In all four lots, uric acid value was in normal limits. The determined creatinine registered very low values, under 1 mg/dl, at the low limit of reference values. At hybrids from New Zeeland White as maternal form and Grand Chinchilla as paternal form, in equal environmental conditions, the serum biochemical analysis haven’t registered significant differences compared to pure breeds individuals.

Synthesis and optical resolution of a Cu(I) double-stranded helicate with ketimine-bridged tris(bipyridine) ligands.

Science.gov (United States)

Furusho, Yoshio; Goto, Hidetoshi; Itomi, Ken; Katagiri, Hiroshi; Miyagawa, Toyoharu; Yashima, Eiji

2011-09-21

A tetranuclear Cu(I) double-stranded helicate was synthesized from ketimine-bridged tris(bipyridine) ligands and Cu(I) ions, and the racemate was successfully resolved by diastereomeric salt formation using an optically pure phosphate anion followed by anion exchange with NaPF(6) without racemization.

Evaluation of a classical unani pharmacopeial formulation safoof-e-muhazzil in hyperlipidemia: A randomized, standard controlled clinical study

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Umar Jahangir

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim of the Study: The aim of the following study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a compound Unani formulation in hyperlipidemia on clinical and biochemical parameters. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 patients with total cholesterol level of 220 mg/dl and above were included. In Group ′A′ thirty patients with total cholesterol 243.5 ± 5.294 mg/dl received Unani formulation safoof-e-muhazzil (SM in its classical powder form 5 g twice daily orally, in Group ′B′ thirty patients with total cholesterol 234 ± 3.822 mg/dl received the SM but in compressed tablet form in the same dosage and in Group ′C′ 30 patients with total cholesterol 242.7 ± 5.563 mg/dl received atorvastatin 10 mg as a standard control. Follow-up was carried out on second, fourth and 6th week and patients were evaluated on clinical as well as biochemical parameters. Results: Group A before treatment had mean total cholesterol of 243.5 ± 5.294 mg/dl which decreased significantly after treatment to 225.6 ± 5.953 mg/dl (P 0.5 relief in palpitation and 26.17% (P < 0.001 relief in dyspnea post-treatment. Group B fatigue decreased significantly by 18.14% (P < 0.01, palpitation by 22.91% (P < 0.01 and dyspnea by 20.46% (P < 0.01. In Group C a non-significant increase of 2.2% was observed in fatigue post-treatment, palpitation decreased by 10.22% non-significantly and dyspnea decreased significantly by 17.64% (P < 0.001. Results indicate that the test drug safely and effectively ameliorates the clinical condition of patients with hyperlipidemia while decreasing cholesterol level as well.

Environmental Impact Research Program. Doveweeds (Croton supp.) Section 7.4.2, US Army Corps of Engineers Wildlife Resources Management Manual.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-07-01

inflorescences are formed. The inflorescence is an abbre-9viated terminal raceme with pistillate flowers below staminate flowers. The 3 -IC Figure 1...Distribution and distinguishing characteristics of woolly croton (Croton capitatus): (a) flowering branch, (b) fruit, and (c) seeds 4 ovary is 3- celled ...and the capsule is 3- celled and 3-seeded except for C. monanthogynus, which is 1-seeded. When seeds mature in late fall, they are forcefully ejected

Application of a novel method for age estimation of a baleen whale and a porpoise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Nynne H.; Garde, Eva; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter

2013-01-01

Eyeballs from 121 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and 83 harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were used for age estimation using the aspartic acid racemization (AAR) technique. The racemization rate (kAsp) for fin whales was established from 15 fetuses (age 0) and 15 adult whales where age...

Microstructural Evolution in Chroming Coatings Friction Pairs under Dry Sliding Test Conditions

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Xin Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The microstructures of subsurface layers of 20CrMnTi steel pins against chroming and nonchroming T10 under dry sliding tests were studied by means of OM (optical microscopy, XRD (X-ray diffraction, and SEM (scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the chroming coating strengthened the disc surface and significantly affected microstructural evolution. Three layers—the matrix, deformation layer (DL, and surface layer (SL—formed in 20CrMnTi for the chroming T10. The matrix and deformation layer (DL formed in 20CrMnTi for the nonchroming T10. The formation of the microstructure was considered as a result of the shear deformation.

Investigation of the bacteriophage community in induced lysates of undefined mesophilic mixed-strain DL-cultures using classical and metagenomic approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammed, Musemma K; Olsen, Mette L; Kot, Witold; Neve, Horst; Castro-Mejía, Josué L; Janzen, Thomas; Hansen, Lars H; Nielsen, Dennis S; Sørensen, Søren J; Heller, Knut J; Vogensen, Finn K

2018-05-02

To investigate the notion that starter cultures can be a reservoir of bacteriophages (phages) in the dairy environment, strains of three DL-starters (undefined mesophilic mixed-strain starters containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species) were selected and induced by mitomycin C, and the whole starters were induced spontaneously as well as by mitomycin C. Frequency of induction of 17%, 26% and 12% was estimated among the isolates of the three starters, with majority of the induced phages mostly showing morphological similarity to known P335 phages, and with a fraction of them showing atypical features. Sequences of P335 quasi-species phages were found to be the most frequent entities in almost all metaviromes derived from the induced lysates. However, sequences of Sk1virus phages (previously 936 phages) were emerged as the predominant entities following spontaneous induction of one of the starters, suggesting a phage-carrier state. Sequences of other phages such as 949, 1706, C2virus (previously c2 phages) and Leuconostoc species could also be observed but with a lower relative frequency. Taken together, the majority of the P335 quasi-species phages could represent the induced viral community of the starters and the remaining phage groups mainly represent the background ambient viral community. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of racemisation of the enantiomers of glitazone drug compounds at different pH using chiral HPLC and chiral CE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jamali, Babak; Bjørnsdottir, Inga; Nordfang, Ole

2008-01-01

racemisation of the pure enantiomers is very important. In order to obtain the enantiomers of the racemic pioglitazone and the racemic rosiglitazone an HPLC method for chiral separation was developed. Using this method the R and S enantiomers were separated and the method was used to collect each enantiomer...

Stereoselective sulfate conjugation of racemic 4-hydroxypropranolol by human and rat liver cytosol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walle, T.; Walle, U.K. (Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (USA))

1991-03-01

The objective of this study was to determine the stereochemistry of sulfoconjugation of a chiral phenolic amine drug, 4-hydroxypropranolol (HOP), by the human liver. The reaction was catalyzed by the 100,000 g cytosol as the phenolsulfotransferase (PST) enzyme source with PAP35S as the co-substrate. The enantiomers of the intact sulfate conjugate formed, (+)-HOP35S and (-)-HOP35S, were separated by HPLC and measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Complex velocity vs. substrate concentration curves were obtained with two peaks of activity, one at 3 microM (high affinity) and one at 500 microM (low affinity). The high-affinity reaction demonstrated a high degree of stereoselectivity. Whereas the affinity of the enantiomers for this reaction was identical, with a very low apparent KM value of 0.59 microM, the apparent Vmax value for (+)-HOPS formation was 4.6-fold higher than for (-)-HOPS. In sharp contrast, the low-affinity reaction, with an apparent KM of 65 microM, was not stereoselective. Inhibition of the high-affinity reaction by elevated temperature, but not by dichloronitrophenol, indicated that this activity was due to a monoamine form of PST. Inhibition of the low-affinity reaction by dichloronitrophenol, but not by elevated temperature, indicated that this activity was due to a phenol form of PST. As a comparison, experiments with the rat liver cytosol demonstrated only one activity, with apparent KM values of 50 microM for both enantiomers and opposite stereoselectivity in maximum velocity compared to humans, {plus minus}-HOPS ratio 0.72. The results of this study demonstrate stereoselectivity in human hepatic sulfation of a chiral phenolic amine, with clear differences between PST isoenzymes.

Age Estimation in Forensic Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Alkass, Kanar; Buchholz, Bruce A.; Ohtani, Susumu; Yamamoto, Toshiharu; Druid, Henrik; Spalding, Kirsty L.

2010-01-01

Age determination of unknown human bodies is important in the setting of a crime investigation or a mass disaster because the age at death, birth date, and year of death as well as gender can guide investigators to the correct identity among a large number of possible matches. Traditional morphological methods used by anthropologists to determine age are often imprecise, whereas chemical analysis of tooth dentin, such as aspartic acid racemization, has shown reproducible and more precise results. In this study, we analyzed teeth from Swedish individuals using both aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon methodologies. The rationale behind using radiocarbon analysis is that aboveground testing of nuclear weapons during the cold war (1955–1963) caused an extreme increase in global levels of carbon-14 (14C), which has been carefully recorded over time. Forty-four teeth from 41 individuals were analyzed using aspartic acid racemization analysis of tooth crown dentin or radiocarbon analysis of enamel, and 10 of these were split and subjected to both radiocarbon and racemization analysis. Combined analysis showed that the two methods correlated well (R2 = 0.66, p Aspartic acid racemization also showed a good precision with an overall absolute error of 5.4 ± 4.2 years. Whereas radiocarbon analysis gives an estimated year of birth, racemization analysis indicates the chronological age of the individual at the time of death. We show how these methods in combination can also assist in the estimation of date of death of an unidentified victim. This strategy can be of significant assistance in forensic casework involving dead victim identification. PMID:19965905

Antimalarial activity of the bisquinoline trans-N1,N2-bis (7- chloroquinolin-4-yl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine: Comparison of two stereoisomers and detailed evaluation of the S,S enantiomer, Ro 47-7737

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ridley, R.G.; Matile, H.; Jaquet, C.; Dorn, A.; Hofheinz, W.; Leupin, W.; Masciadri, R.; Theil, F.P.; Richter, W.F.; Girometta, M.A.; Guenzi, A.; Urwyler, H.; Gocke, E.; Potthast, J.M.; Csato, M.; Thomas, A.; Peters, W.

1997-01-01

The S,S enantiomer of the bisquinoline trans-N1,N2-bis(7- chloroquinolin-4-yl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine, Ro 47-7737, is significantly more potent against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum than the R,R enantiomer and the previously described racemate. Both the enantiomers and the racemate are

Chiral effects on the 13C resonances of α-tocopherol and related compounds. A novel illustration of Newman's rule of six

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brownstein, S.; Burton, G.W.; Hughes, L.; Ingold, K.U.

1989-01-01

The 100-MHz 13 C NMR spectrum of (2R,4'R,8'R)-α-tocopherol (natural vitamin E) has been completely assigned with the aid of a number of selectively deuteriated (2R,4'R,8'R)-α-tocopherols. The 13 C NMR spectrum of (2RS,4'RS,8'RS)-α-tocopherol (all-racemic, synthetic vitamin E) has also been measured. Many of the individual carbons in this all-racemic mixture of eight α-tocopherol stereoisomers give more than one resonance with eight of the carbons (2-CH 3 , 2',3',4',4'-CH 3 , 5', 8', and 9') giving the maximum number of four resonances from each of the four enantiomeric pairs; these resonances have also been assigned. The structurally related 5'-hydroxy-2-(4',8',12'-trimethyltridecyl)-2,4,6,7-tetramethyl-2,3,-dihydrobenzofuran (HTDBF) has been synthesized for the first time in the 2R,4'R,8'R and 2S,4'R,8'R configurations and their 13 C resonances have been assigned. In its all-racemic form this compound also shows up to four resonances from a single carbon. Related observations have been made with phytol and isophytol. A careful examination of these chirally induced chemical shift differences for the individual carbon atoms, Δ, reveals a bond-alternation effect with maxima at a separation of one, three, and five bonds from the closest chiral center and with the maximum at a five-bond separation being greater than that at a three-bond separation. 32 references, 2 figures, 4 tables

Determination of the sensitization of two coatings by steel welding 308l by the EPR-Dl and Astm A-262 practice A techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arganis J, C. R.; Zenteno S, J. C.; Robles F, J. L.; Rodriguez M, E.; Vazquez P, A.

2014-10-01

A stainless steel 308l coating was deposited by the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) on steel A36 with a thickness of 4.726 mm in three layers. The sensitization was measured with the technique of Electrochemical Potentiodynamic Reactivation of Double-loop (EPR-Dl), using a portable cell and other of conventional window. The standard Astm A-262, practice A was used to verify the sensitization values. Two samples were used, a welding on a plate of 323 x 172 x 76.2 mm and the second welding on the end of a plate of 12.7 mm of thickness and 280 mm of longitude, with a post-welding process with gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) with electrode ERNiCr 3 and a process SMAW with electrode ENICRFe 3 . The coating on the plate showed low values of sensitization grade (DOS) in all the points, indicating a very quick heat extraction and an inter dendritic structure type step. The second sample presented DOS values that are related with a structure of low sensitization and the influence of the heat of the post-welding process and a structure of recrystallized grains. (Author)

Inflammation in disseminated lesions: an analysis of CD4+, CD20+, CD68+, CD31+ and vW+ cells in non-ulcerated lesions of disseminated leishmaniasis

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Dayana Santos Mendes

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Disseminated leishmaniasis (DL differs from other clinical forms of the disease due to the presence of many non-ulcerated lesions (papules and nodules in non-contiguous areas of the body. We describe the histopathology of DL non-ulcerated lesions and the presence of CD4-, CD20-, CD68-, CD31- and von Willebrand factor (vW-positive cells in the inflamed area. We analysed eighteen biopsies from non-ulcerated lesions and quantified the inflamed areas and the expression of CD4, CD20, CD68, CD31 and vW using Image-Pro software (Media Cybernetics. Diffuse lymphoplasmacytic perivascular infiltrates were found in dermal skin. Inflammation was observed in 3-73% of the total biopsy area and showed a significant linear correlation with the number of vW+ vessels. The most common cells were CD68+ macrophages, CD20+ B-cells and CD4+ T-cells. A significant linear correlation between CD4+ and CD20+ cells and the size of the inflamed area was also found. Our findings show chronic inflammation in all DL non-ulcerated lesions predominantly formed by macrophages, plasmacytes and T and B-cells. As the inflamed area expanded, the number of granulomas and extent of the vascular framework increased. Thus, we demonstrate that vessels may have an important role in the clinical evolution of DL lesions.

Enantiomers of HA-966 (3-amino-1-hydroxypyrrolid-2-one) exhibit distinct central nervous system effects: (+)-HA-966 is a selective glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, but (-)-HA-966 is a potent gamma-butyrolactone-like sedative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, L.; Donald, A.E.; Foster, A.C.; Hutson, P.H.; Iversen, L.L.; Iversen, S.D.; Kemp, J.A.; Leeson, P.D.; Marshall, G.R.; Oles, R.J.; Priestley, T.; Thorn, L.; Tricklebank, M.D.; Vass, C.A.; Williams, B.J.

1990-01-01

The antagonist effect of ±-3-amino-1-hydroxypyrrolid-2-one (HA-966) at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor occurs through a selective interaction with the glycine modulatory site within the receptor complex. When the enantiomers of ±-HA-966 were resolved, the (R)-(+)-enantiomer was found to be a selective glycine/NMDA receptor antagonist, a property that accounts for its anticonvulsant activity in vivo. In contrast, the (S)-(-)-enantiomer was only weakly active as an NMDA-receptor antagonist, but nevertheless it possessed a marked sedative and muscle relaxant action in vivo. In radioligand binding experiments, (+)-HA-966 inhibited strychnine-insensitive [ 3 H]glycine binding to rat cerebral cortex synaptic membranes with an IC 50 of 12.5 μM, whereas (-)-HA-966 had an IC 50 value of 339 μM. In mice, (+)-HA-966 antagonized sound and N-methyl-DL-aspartic acid (NMDLA)-induced seizures. The coadministration of D-serine dose-dependently antagonized the anticonvulsant effect of a submaximal dose of (+)-HA-966 against NMDLA-induced seizures. The sedative/ataxic effect of racemic HA-966 was mainly attributable to the (-)-enantiomer. It is suggested that, as in the case of the sedative γ-butyrolactone, disruption of striatal dopaminergic mechanisms may be responsible for this action

PEO-PPO-PEO/Poly(DL-lactide-co-caprolactone) Nanoparticles as Carriers for SN-38: Design, Optimization and Nano-Bio Interface Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Koliqi, Rozafa; Dimchevska, Simona; Geskovski, Nikola; Petruševski, Gjorgji; Chacorovska, Marina; Pejova, Biljana; Hristov, Delyan R; Ugarkovic, Sonja; Goracinova, Katerina

2016-01-01

Encapsulation of extremely hydrophobic substances such as SN-38 into nanoparticles, is a promising approach to solve the solubility issue and enable drug administration. Moreover, nanocarriers' tumor homing behavior, targeted and controlled release at the site of action will optimize therapeutic potency and decrease toxicity of the incorporated drug substance. However, the enormous drug hydrophobicity might limit the capacity for encapsulation as the premature drug precipitation will contribute to fast free drug crystal growth, low drug incorporation and huge waste of the active material. In this article we defined the optimal region for manufacturing of SN-38 loaded PEO-PPO-PEO/P(DL)LCL nanoparticles (NPs) with high efficacy of encapsulation, suitable particle size and different surface properties, using D-optimal design and nanoprecipitation as production method. Further we made an approach to investigate the interactions with macromolecules at the nano-bio interface which are predetermined by the physico-chemical and surface properties of the NPs, and are important determinants for the biological identity of the nanoparticles, the potential for evasion of the physiological barriers and the efficacy of localization at the site of action. Here we present in depth analysis of the behavior of two types of nanoparticles with different surface properties through structured protein interaction and bioreactivity experiments in order to presuppose NP performance and toxicological profile in biological environment.

Chirality effects on 2D phase transitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scalas, E.; Brezesinski, G.; Möhwald, H.

1996-01-01

Monolayers of the racemate and pure enantiomers of 1-hexadecyl-glycerol were investigated by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GID) at 5 and 20 degrees C on compression from 0 mN m(-1) to pressures greater than 30 mN m(-1). The racemate Lattice is centred-rectangular for both temperatures at a...

Densified waste form and method for forming

Science.gov (United States)

Garino, Terry J.; Nenoff, Tina M.; Sava Gallis, Dorina Florentina

2015-08-25

Materials and methods of making densified waste forms for temperature sensitive waste material, such as nuclear waste, formed with low temperature processing using metallic powder that forms the matrix that encapsulates the temperature sensitive waste material. The densified waste form includes a temperature sensitive waste material in a physically densified matrix, the matrix is a compacted metallic powder. The method for forming the densified waste form includes mixing a metallic powder and a temperature sensitive waste material to form a waste form precursor. The waste form precursor is compacted with sufficient pressure to densify the waste precursor and encapsulate the temperature sensitive waste material in a physically densified matrix.

Determination and correlation of solubility and solution thermodynamics of oxiracetam in three (alcohol + water) binary solvents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Kangli; Du, Shichao; Wu, Songgu; Cai, Dongchen; Wang, Jinxu; Zhang, Dejiang; Zhao, Kaifei; Yang, Peng; Yu, Bo; Guo, Baisong; Li, Daixi; Gong, Junbo

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The solubility of racemic oxiracetam in three binary solvents were determined. • The experimental solubility of racemic oxiracetam were correlated by four models. • The dissolution thermodynamic properties of racemic oxiracetam were calculated. - Abstract: In this paper, we proposed a static analysis method to experimentally determine the (solid + liquid) equilibrium of racemic oxiracetam in (methanol + water), (ethanol + water) and (isopropanol + water) binary solvents with alcohol mole fraction ranging from 0.30 to 0.90 at atmosphere pressure (p = 0.1 MPa). For the experiments, the temperatures range from (283.15 to 308.15) K. The results showed that the solubility of oxiracetam increased with the increasing temperature, while decreased with the increasing organic solvent fraction in all three tested binary solvent systems. The modified Apelblat model, the CNIBS/Redlich–Kister model, the combined version of Jouyban–Acree model and the NRTL model were employed to correlate the measured solubility values, respectively. Additionally, some of the thermodynamic properties which can help to evaluate its dissolution behavior were obtained based on the NRTL model.

Total Syntheses of (-)-Mersicarpine, (-)-Scholarisine G, (+)-Melodinine E, (-)-Leuconoxine, (-)-Leuconolam, (-)-Leuconodine A, (+)-Leuconodine F, and (-)-Leuconodine C: Self-Induced Diastereomeric Anisochronism (SIDA) Phenomenon for Scholarisine G and Leuconodines A and C.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhengren; Wang, Qian; Zhu, Jieping

2015-05-27

Enantioselective total syntheses of title natural products from a common cyclohexenone derivative (S)-18 were reported. Ozonolysis of (S)-18 afforded a stable diketo ester (R)-17 that was subsequently converted to two skeletally different natural products, i.e., (-)-mersicarpine (8) with a [6.5.6.7] fused tetracyclic ring system and (-)-scholarisine G (9) with a [6.5.6.6.5] fused pentacyclic skeleton, respectively. The postcyclization diversification was realized by taking advantage of the facile conversion of (+)-melodinine E (6) to N-acyliminium ion 7, from which a hydroxy group was selectively introduced to the C6, C7, C10 and the central C21 position of diazafenestrane system, leading to (-)-leuconodine A (11), (+)-leuconodine F (12), (-)-scholarisine G (9), (-)-leuconodine C (13), and skeletally different (-)-leuconolam (5). Furthermore, an unprecedented non-natural oxabridged oxadiazafenestrane 68 was formed by oxidation of (+)-melodinine E (6). During the course of this study, a strong self-induced diastereomeric anisochronism (SIDA) phenomenon was observed for scholarisine G (9), leuconodines A (11) and C (13). X-ray structures of both the racemic and the enantiopure natural products 9, 11, and 13 were obtained. The different crystal packing of these two forms nicely explained the chemical shift differences observed in the (1)H NMR spectra of the racemic and the enantio-enriched compounds in an achiral environment.

One-Pot Multicomponent Coupling Methods for the Synthesis of Diastereo- and Enantioenriched (Z)-Trisubstituted Allylic Alcohols

Science.gov (United States)

Kerrigan, Michael H.; Jeon, Sang-Jin; Chen, Young K.; Salvi, Luca; Carroll, Patrick J.; Walsh, Patrick J.

2009-01-01

(Z)-Trisubstituted allylic alcohols are widespread structural motifs in natural products and biologically active compounds but are difficult to directly prepare. Introduced herein is a general one-pot multicomponent coupling method for the synthesis of (Z)-α,α,β-trisubstituted allylic alcohols. (Z)-Trisubstituted vinylzinc reagents are formed in situ by initial hydroboration of 1-bromo-1-alkynes. Addition of dialkylzinc reagents induces a 1,2-metallate rearrangement that is followed by a boron-to-zinc transmetallation. The resulting vinylzinc reagents add to a variety of prochiral aldehydes to produce racemic (Z)-trisubstituted allylic alcohols. When enantioenriched aldehyde substrates are employed (Z)-trisubstituted allylic alcohols are isolated with high dr (>20:1 in many cases). For example, vinylation of enantioenriched benzyl protected α- and β-hydroxy propanal derivatives furnished the expected anti-Felkin addition products via chelation control. Surprisingly, silyl protected α-hydroxy aldehydes also afford anti-Felkin addition products. A protocol for the catalytic asymmetric addition of (Z)-trisubstituted vinylzinc reagents to prochiral aldehydes with a (−)-MIB-based catalyst has also been developed. Several additives were investigated as inhibitors of the Lewis acidic alkylzinc halide byproducts, which promote the background reaction to form the racemate. α-Ethyl and α-cyclohexyl (Z)-trisubstituted allylic alcohols can now be synthesized with excellent levels of enantioselectivity in the presence of diamine inhibitors. PMID:19476375

Nanopatterning via Self-Assembly of a Lamellar-Forming Polystyrene-block-Poly(dimethylsiloxane Diblock Copolymer on Topographical Substrates Fabricated by Nanoimprint Lithography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dipu Borah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The self-assembly of a lamellar-forming polystyrene-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS diblock copolymer (DBCP was studied herein for surface nanopatterning. The DBCP was synthesized by sequential living anionic polymerization of styrene and hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D3. The number average molecular weight (Mn, polydispersity index (Mw/Mn and PS volume fraction (φps of the DBCP were MnPS = 23.0 kg mol−1, MnPDMS = 15.0 kg mol−1, Mw/Mn = 1.06 and φps = 0.6. Thin films of the DBCP were cast and solvent annealed on topographically patterned polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS substrates. The lamellae repeat distance or pitch (λL and the width of the PDMS features (dL are ~35 nm and ~17 nm, respectively, as determined by SEM. The chemistry of the POSS substrates was tuned, and the effects on the self-assembly of the DBCP noted. The PDMS nanopatterns were used as etching mask in order to transfer the DBCP pattern to underlying silicon substrate by a complex plasma etch process yielding sub-15 nm silicon features.

The proteolytic system of pineapple stems revisited: Purification and characterization of multiple catalytically active forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Matagne, André; Bolle, Laetitia; El Mahyaoui, Rachida; Baeyens-Volant, Danielle; Azarkan, Mohamed

2017-06-01

Crude pineapple proteases extract (aka stem bromelain; EC 3.4.22.4) is an important proteolytic mixture that contains enzymes belonging to the cysteine proteases of the papain family. Numerous studies have been reported aiming at the fractionation and characterization of the many molecular species present in the extract, but more efforts are still required to obtain sufficient quantities of the various purified protease forms for detailed physicochemical, enzymatic and structural characterization. In this work, we describe an efficient strategy towards the purification of at least eight enzymatic forms. Thus, following rapid fractionation on a SP-Sepharose FF column, two sub-populations with proteolytic activity were obtained: the unbound (termed acidic) and bound (termed basic) bromelain fractions. Following reversible modification with monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG), both fractions were further separated on Q-Sepharose FF and SP-Sepharose FF, respectively. This procedure yielded highly purified molecular species, all titrating ca. 1 mol of thiol group per mole of enzyme, with distinct biochemical properties. N-terminal sequencing allowed identifying at least eight forms with proteolytic activity. The basic fraction contained previously identified species, i.e. basic bromelain forms 1 and 2, ananain forms 1 and 2, and comosain (MEROPS identifier: C01.027). Furthermore, a new proteolytic species, showing similarities with basic bomelain forms 1 and 2, was discovered and termed bromelain form 3. The two remaining species were found in the acidic bromelain fraction and were arbitrarily named acidic bromelain forms 1 and 2. Both, acidic bromelain forms 1, 2 and basic bromelain forms 1, 2 and 3 are glycosylated, while ananain forms 1 and 2, and comosain are not. The eight protease forms display different amidase activities against the various substrates tested, namely small synthetic chromogenic compounds (DL-BAPNA and Boc-Ala-Ala-Gly-pNA), fluorogenic compounds

Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of budC Gene Encoding meso-2,3-Butanediol Dehydrogenase from Bacillus licheniformis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Guo-Chao; Bian, Ya-Qian; Han, Rui-Zhi; Dong, Jin-Jun; Ni, Ye

2016-02-01

The budC gene encoding a meso-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (BlBDH) from Bacillus licheniformis was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Sequence analysis reveals that this BlBDH belongs to short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily. In the presence of NADH, BlBDH catalyzes the reduction of diacetyl to (3S)-acetoin (97.3% ee), and further to (2S,3S)-2,3-butanediol (97.3% ee and 96.5% de). Similar to other meso-2,3-BDHs, it shows oxidative activity to racemic 2,3-butanediol whereas no activity toward racemic acetoin in the presence of NAD(+). For diacetyl reduction and 2,3-butanediol oxidation, the pH optimum of BlBDH is 5.0 and 10.0, respectively. Unusually, it shows relatively high activity over a wide pH range from 5.0 to 8.0 for racemic acetoin reduction. BlBDH shows lower K m and higher catalytic efficiency toward racemic acetoin (K m = 0.47 mM, k cat /K m = 432 s(-1)·mM(-1)) when compared with 2,3-butanediol (K m = 7.25 mM, k cat /K m = 81.5 s(-1)·mM(-1)), indicating its physiological role in favor of reducing racemic acetoin into 2,3-butanediol. The enzymatic characterization of BlBDH provides evidence for the directed engineering of B. licheniformis for producing enantiopure 2,3-butanediol.

Composite poly-L-lactic acid/poly-(α,β)-DL-aspartic acid/collagen nanofibrous scaffolds for dermal tissue regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravichandran, Rajeswari; Venugopal, Jayarama Reddy; Sundarrajan, Subramanian; Mukherjee, Shayanti; Sridhar, Radhakrishnan; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2012-01-01

Tissue engineering scaffolds for skin tissue regeneration is an ever expounding area of research, as the products that meet the necessary requirements are far and elite. The nanofibrous poly-L-lactic acid/poly-(α,β)-DL-aspartic acid/Collagen (PLLA/PAA/Col I and III) scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning and characterized by SEM, contact angle and FTIR analysis for skin tissue regeneration. The cell-scaffold interactions were analyzed by cell proliferation and their morphology observed in SEM. The results showed that the cell proliferation was significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) in PLLA/PAA/Col I and III scaffolds compared to PLLA and PLLA/PAA nanofibrous scaffolds. The abundance and accessibility of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) may prove to be novel cell therapeutics for dermal tissue regeneration. The differentiation of ADSCs was confirmed using collagen expression and their morphology by CMFDA dye extrusion technique. The current study focuses on the application of PLLA/PAA/Col I and III nanofibrous scaffolds for skin tissue engineering and their potential use as substrate for the culture and differentiation of ADSCs. The objective for inclusion of a novel cell binding moiety like PAA was to replace damaged extracellular matrix and to guide new cells directly into the wound bed with enhanced proliferation and overall organization. This combinatorial epitome of PLLA/PAA/Col I and III nanofibrous scaffold with stem cell therapy to induce the necessary paracrine signalling effect would favour faster regeneration of the damaged skin tissues. - Highlights: ► Differentiation of adipose derived stem cells in the presence of bFGF for wound healing ► Introduction of PAA as ECM mimetic cell binding moiety ► Combination of PLLA/PAA/Col I and III nanofibers and stem cell therapy for skin regeneration.

Investigation of a potential scintigraphic marker of apoptosis: radioiodinated Z-Val-Ala-DL-Asp(O-methyl)-fluoromethyl ketone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haberkorn, Uwe E-mail: uwe_haberkorn@med.uni-heidelberg.de; Kinscherf, Ralf; Krammer, Peter H.; Mier, Walter; Eisenhut, Michael

2001-10-01

The imaging of apoptosis represents an attractive diagnostic goal in the area of tumor therapy, degenerative diseases and organ transplantation. Since caspases play a key role during the early period of the intracellular signal cascade of cells undergoing apoptosis we considered benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-DL-Asp(O-methyl)-fluoromethyl ketone [Z-VAD-fmk], a pan-caspase inhibitor, as a potential apoptosis imaging agent. Applying the Tl(TFA){sub 3}/[{sup 131}I]iodide method Z-VAD-fmk was successfully labeled at the benzyloxycarbonyl protecting group. The success of radioiodination, however, depended on the presence of carrier iodide resulting in specific radioactivities of 2.6 GBq/{mu}mol and the formation of a mixture of the 2- and 4-iodophenyl derivative (61%) which could not be separated by HPLC. Uptake measurements were performed with Morris hepatoma cells (MH3924Atk8) which showed expression of the Herpes Simplex Virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk) gene. Apoptosis was induced by treatment of the cells with 25 {mu}M ganciclovir. The TUNEL assay revealed 1.3{+-}0.3 and 23{+-}1.1% apoptotic cells immediately and 24 h after therapy, respectively. A two-fold increase of [{sup 131}I]IZ-VAD-fmk uptake was found at the end of treatment with the HSVtk/suicide system which constantly remained elevated for the following 4 hours. The slow cellular influx and lack of uptake saturation of [{sup 131}I]IZ-VAD-fmk are evidence for simple diffusion as transport mechanism. In addition, the absolute cellular uptake of [{sup 131}I]IZ-VAD-fmk was found to be low. This quality was related to the rather high lipophilicity of [{sup 131}I]IZ-VAD-fmk causing unspecific binding to macromolecules in the medium. Instead of using an inhibitor, synthetic caspase substrates are currently investigated which may accumulate in the apoptotic cell by metabolic trapping thereby enhancing the imaging signal.

Composite poly-L-lactic acid/poly-({alpha},{beta})-DL-aspartic acid/collagen nanofibrous scaffolds for dermal tissue regeneration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ravichandran, Rajeswari [Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Venugopal, Jayarama Reddy, E-mail: nnijrv@nus.edu.sg [Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Sundarrajan, Subramanian [Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Mukherjee, Shayanti [Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Sridhar, Radhakrishnan [Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Ramakrishna, Seeram, E-mail: seeram@nus.edu.sg [Healthcare and Energy Materials Laboratory, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore); Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 (Singapore)

2012-08-01

Tissue engineering scaffolds for skin tissue regeneration is an ever expounding area of research, as the products that meet the necessary requirements are far and elite. The nanofibrous poly-L-lactic acid/poly-({alpha},{beta})-DL-aspartic acid/Collagen (PLLA/PAA/Col I and III) scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning and characterized by SEM, contact angle and FTIR analysis for skin tissue regeneration. The cell-scaffold interactions were analyzed by cell proliferation and their morphology observed in SEM. The results showed that the cell proliferation was significantly increased (p {<=} 0.05) in PLLA/PAA/Col I and III scaffolds compared to PLLA and PLLA/PAA nanofibrous scaffolds. The abundance and accessibility of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) may prove to be novel cell therapeutics for dermal tissue regeneration. The differentiation of ADSCs was confirmed using collagen expression and their morphology by CMFDA dye extrusion technique. The current study focuses on the application of PLLA/PAA/Col I and III nanofibrous scaffolds for skin tissue engineering and their potential use as substrate for the culture and differentiation of ADSCs. The objective for inclusion of a novel cell binding moiety like PAA was to replace damaged extracellular matrix and to guide new cells directly into the wound bed with enhanced proliferation and overall organization. This combinatorial epitome of PLLA/PAA/Col I and III nanofibrous scaffold with stem cell therapy to induce the necessary paracrine signalling effect would favour faster regeneration of the damaged skin tissues. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Differentiation of adipose derived stem cells in the presence of bFGF for wound healing Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Introduction of PAA as ECM mimetic cell binding moiety Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Combination of PLLA/PAA/Col I and III nanofibers and stem cell therapy for skin regeneration.

DL-3-n-butylphthalide-Edaravone hybrids as novel dual inhibitors of amyloid-β aggregation and monoamine oxidases with high antioxidant potency for Alzheimer's therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiang, Xiaoming; Li, Yan; Yang, Xia; Luo, Li; Xu, Rui; Zheng, Yunxiaozhu; Cao, Zhongcheng; Tan, Zhenghuai; Deng, Yong

2017-02-15

Considering the complex etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), multifunctional agents may be beneficial for the treatment of this disease. A series of DL-3-n-butylphthalide-Edaravone hybrids were designed, synthesized and evaluated as novel dual inhibitors of amyloid-β aggregation and monoamine oxidases. Among them, compounds 9a-d exhibited good inhibition of self-induced Aβ 1-42 aggregation with inhibition ratio 57.7-71.5%. For MAO, these new hybrids exhibited good balance of inhibition for MAO-A and MAO-B. In addition, all target compounds retained the antioxidant activity of edaravone, showed equal or better antioxidant activity than edaravone. The results of the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay for blood-brain barrier indicated that compounds 9a-d would be able to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach their biological targets in the central nervous system. The promising results in all assays demonstrated that the strategy behind the designing of compounds was rational and favourable. Taken together, these preliminary findings suggested that the compounds with the strongest bioactivity deserves further investigated for pharmacological development in AD therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separation of Enantiomers by Preferential Crystallization: Mathematical Modeling of a Coupled Crystallizer Configuration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chaaban, Joussef Hussein; Dam-Johansen, Kim; Skovby, Tommy

2014-01-01

A mathematical model describing the separation of enantiomers by simultaneous preferential crystallization in a coupled crystallizer configuration is developed. The model was validated against experimental data for a chemical model compound, the conglomerate forming system of asparagine monohydrate....... The racemic compound and the pure enantiomer can be separated simultaneously in each crystallizer, having sufficient enrichment of the pure enantiomer in the feed solution. The model can also be extended to represent a fully continuous separation process taking into account the continuous supply...

Radiolysis of D(+)-carnitine by 60Co-γ-radiation and formation of L(+)-β-methylcholine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loester, Heinz; Strack, Erich; Seim, Hermann

1986-01-01

The radiolysis of D(+)-carnitine by 60 Co-γ-radiation was examined to obtain optically active β-methylcholine. It was found that the radiolysis leads to a number of trimethylammonium bases but to no other betaines. (+)-β-Methylcholine and acetonyltrimethylammonium could be identified by means of common analytical methods. The amounts of methylamines formed by irradiation were very small. Racemization of the D(+)-carnitine did not occur during irradiation, L(-)-carnitine was not found when an enzymatical determination method was used. The fact that (+)-β-methylcholine was formed from D(+)-carnitine is pharmacologically important, because acetyl-L(+)-β-methylcholine has a strong interaction with muscarinic receptors. (author)

Polymerization of amino acids containing nucleotide bases

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Cheikh, Azzouz; Orgel, Leslie E.

1990-01-01

The nucleoamino acids 1-(3'-amino,3'-carboxypropyl)uracil (3) and 9-(3'-amino,3'-carboxypropyl)adenine (4) have been prepared as (L)-en-antiomers and as racemic mixtures. When 3 or 4 is suspended in water and treated with N,N'-carbon-yldiimidazole, peptides are formed in good yield. The products formed from the (L)-enantiomers are hydrolyzed to the monomeric amino acids by pronase. Attempts to improve the efficiency of these oligomerizations by including a polyuridylate template in the reaction mixture were not successful. Similarly, oligomers derived from the (L)-enantiomer of 3 did not act as templates to facilitate the oligomerization of 4.

Differential effects of the enantiomers of tamsulosin and tolterodine on P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450 3A4.

Science.gov (United States)

Doricakova, Aneta; Theile, Dirk; Weiss, Johanna; Vrzal, Radim

2017-01-01

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a transcription factor regulating P-glycoprotein (P-gp; ABCB1)-mediated transport and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4)-mediated metabolism of xenobiotics thereby affecting the pharmacokinetics of many drugs and potentially modulating clinical efficacy. Thus, pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions can arise from PXR activation. Here, we examined whether the selective α1-adrenoreceptor blocker tamsulosin or the antagonist of muscarinic receptors tolterodine affect PXR-mediated regulation of CYP3A4 and of P-gp at the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein level in an enantiomer-specific way. In addition, the effect of tamsulosin and tolterodine on P-gp activity was evaluated. We used quantitative real-time PCR, gene reporter assay, western blotting, rhodamine efflux assay, and calcein assay for determination of expression, activity, and inhibition of P-glycoprotein. The studied compounds significantly and concentration-dependently increased PXR activity in the ABCB1-driven luciferase-based reporter gene assay. We observed much stronger induction of ABCB1 mRNA by S-tamsulosin as compared to the R or racemic form. R or racemic form of tolterodine and R-tamsulosin concentration-dependently increased P-gp protein expression; the latter also enhanced P-gp efflux function in a rhodamine-based efflux assay. R-tamsulosin and all forms of tolderodine slightly inhibited P-gp. The effect on CYP3A4 expression followed the same pattern but was much weaker. Taken together, tamsulosin and tolterodine are demonstrated to interfere with P-gp and CYP3A4 regulation in an enantiomer-specific way.

Ethylphenidate as a selective dopaminergic agonist and methylphenidate-ethanol transesterification biomarker.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Kennerly S; Corbin, Timothy R; Murphy, Cristina E

2014-12-01

We review the pharmaceutical science of ethylphenidate (EPH) in the contexts of drug discovery, drug interactions, biomarker for dl-methylphenidate (MPH)-ethanol exposure, potentiation of dl-MPH abuse liability, contemporary "designer drug," pertinence to the newer transdermal and chiral switch MPH formulations, as well as problematic internal standard. d-EPH selectively targets the dopamine transporter, whereas d-MPH exhibits equipotent actions at dopamine and norepinephrine transporters. This selectivity carries implications for the advancement of tailored attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pharmacotherapy in the era of genome-based diagnostics. Abuse of dl-MPH often involves ethanol coabuse. Carboxylesterase 1 enantioselectively transesterifies l-MPH with ethanol to yield l-EPH accompanied by significantly increased early exposure to d-MPH and rapid potentiation of euphoria. The pharmacokinetic component of this drug interaction can largely be avoided using dexmethylphenidate (dexMPH). This notwithstanding, maximal potentiated euphoria occurs following dexMPH-ethanol. C57BL/6 mice model dl-MPH-ethanol interactions: an otherwise depressive dose of ethanol synergistically increases dl-MPH stimulation; a substimulatory dose of dl-MPH potentiates a low, stimulatory dose of ethanol; ethanol elevates blood, brain, and urinary d-MPH concentrations while forming l-EPH. Integration of EPH preclinical neuropharmacology with clinical studies of MPH-ethanol interactions provides a translational approach toward advancement of ADHD personalized medicine and management of comorbid alcohol use disorder. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Potential radiopharmaceuticals for the detection of ocular melanoma. Pt. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langevelde, A. van; Molen, H.D. van der; Journee-de Korver, J.G.; Paans, A.M.J.; Pauwels, E.K.J.; Vaalburg, W.; Rijksuniversiteit Leiden

1988-01-01

In order to investigate the possibility of using [1- 11 C] labelled 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and tyrosine as radiopharmaceuticals for the detection of eye melanoma, the biodistributions of the same 1- and 3- 14 C-labelled compounds were investigated in Syrian golden hamsters with Greene melanoma. The results of these investigations were compared with positron emission tomography (PET) images of 11 C labelled DOPA and tyrosine. The synthesis of these 11 C labelled compounds procures of DL mixture, from which D and L forms can be separated. One h after intravenous injection, both 14 C labelled DL-, L- and D-DOPA showed a high uptake in tumour tissue, that of DL- and D-DOPA being the highest. These high uptakes, together with relatively low uptake in bone, skin and eye resulted in high tumour/non tumour ratio (for DL-DOPA 5.9, 4.5 and 6.6 respectively). Extraction of the tumour tissue with trichloroacetic acid showed that L-DOPA was mainly incorporated into melanin, whereas D-DOPA was not. Also, the uptake 1 h after intravenous injection of 1- 14 C-L- and DL-tyrosine into the tumour were high, but L- and DL- were less different; tumour/non tomour ratios were favorable. PET images of the tumour obtained 40-80 min after injection of the [1- 11 C] labelled DOPA and tyrosine confirmed that melanoma detection was promising and that D-DOPA produced a better melanoma image than L-DOPA. (orig.)

Harmonic Maass forms and mock modular forms

CERN Document Server

Bringmann, Kathrin; Ono, Ken

2017-01-01

Modular forms and Jacobi forms play a central role in many areas of mathematics. Over the last 10-15 years, this theory has been extended to certain non-holomorphic functions, the so-called "harmonic Maass forms". The first glimpses of this theory appeared in Ramanujan's enigmatic last letter to G. H. Hardy written from his deathbed. Ramanujan discovered functions he called "mock theta functions" which over eighty years later were recognized as pieces of harmonic Maass forms. This book contains the essential features of the theory of harmonic Maass forms and mock modular forms, together with a wide variety of applications to algebraic number theory, combinatorics, elliptic curves, mathematical physics, quantum modular forms, and representation theory.

A multi-enzymatic cascade reaction for the stereoselective production of γ-oxyfunctionalyzed amino acids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junichi eEnoki

2016-04-01

Full Text Available A stereoselective three-enzyme cascade for synthesis of diasteromerically pure γ-oxyfunctionalized α-amino acids was developed. By coupling a dynamic kinetic resolution using an N-acylamino acid racemase and an L-selective aminoacylase from Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius with a stereoselective isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis, diastereomerically pure oxidized amino acids were produced from racemic N-acetylamino acids. The three enzymes differ in their optimal temperature and pH-spectra. Their different metal cofactor dependencies lead to inhibitory effects. Under optimized conditions, racemic N-acetylmethionine was quantitatively converted into L-methionine-(S-sulfoxide with 97% conversion and 95% de. The combination of these three different biocatalysts allows the direct synthesis of diastereopure oxyfunctionalized amino acids from inexpensive racemic starting material.

Novel flame retardants (N-FRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in fish, penguin, and skua from King George Island, Antarctica.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolschke, Hendrik; Meng, Xiang-Zhou; Xie, Zhiyong; Ebinghaus, Ralf; Cai, Minghong

2015-07-15

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are frequently detected in biota from Antarctica, whereas no data are available for their replacements, such as novel flame retardants (N-FRs). This study presented the occurrence of several N-FRs, PBDEs, and PCBs in tissue samples of an Antarctic rock cod (Trematomus bernacchii), a young gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua), and a brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) collected from King George Island. The total concentrations of N-FRs (ΣN-FRs; mean: 931 pg/g dry weight (dw)) were comparable to PBDEs (Σ8PBDEs; 681 pg/gdw), which were much lower than PCBs (ΣDL-PCBs; 12,800 pg/gdw). Overall, skua contained two to three orders of magnitude higher contamination than penguin and fish. In the future, more attention should be focused on the fate of N-FRs in Antarctica, where usages have increased since PBDEs were banned. To our knowledge, this is the first report of N-FRs in biota from Antarctica. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.