Development and molecular recognition of Calixcrownchip as an electrochemical ALT immunosensor

The developments of immunosensors with a variety of formats are increasingly finding applications in clinical diagnostics and biological researches. A strategy for the immunoassay and preparation of Calixcrownchips is proposed. This strategy is based on the immobilization of antigens or antibodies on the surface of Calixcrown and the direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) that was labeled to an antibody or antigen, with its activity determined by using tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as an electrochemical substrate. The present study includes general considerations of the competitive immunoreaction protocols. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) monoclonal antibody (anti-ALT-mAb) was successfully immobilized on thiol derivative of Calixcrown fixed to a gold surface. ALT antigen was detected by competitive immunoreactions based on microarrays of anti-ALT-mAb or antigen immobilized on the surface of the Calixcrownchip. For the anti-ALT-mAb immobilized microarray the dynamic range is 0.05 ng/mL–10 μg/mL, the detection limit is 0.05 ng/mL and the sensitivity is 10 nA/(ng/mL) respectively. The Calixcrownchip immunosensor microarray provided much better technical performance than a comparable enzyme sensor with immobilized-anti-ALT-mAb. To investigate the complexation site, the structures of the complexes formed between the crown-5-ether moiety of Calix[4]arene and protonated Arginine and Lysine were determined by minimizing the complex formation energies. The complex stability depends on the number of amine groups in the alkyl chain of the amino acid and also the number of methylene groups between the amine groups of the amino acid.     

Simultaneous voltammetry of paracetamol, ascorbic acid, and codeine on a palladium-plated aluminum electrode: oxidation pathway and kinetics

In the present work, the aluminum electrode surface was modified with a thin layer of palladium by dipping its polished surface in a 25% ammonia solution of PdCl₂. The electrocatalytic ability of the modified electrode towards the paracetamol (PCT), ascorbic acid (AA), and codeine (CO) oxidation was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry. The number of electrons for rate-determining step and diffusion coefficient of PCT, AA, and CO were determined. The electro-oxidation pathway and kinetics, including transfer coefficient α and diffusion coefficient D, are estimated. The results indicated that the simultaneous voltammetry of the three compounds was possible in a mixture solution.     

Sonochemical synthetic methods to produce functionalized conducting copolymers

Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the most investigated intrinsically conducting polymers. Copolymerization of aniline with aniline derivatives was considered one of the most effective and promising ways of improving the properties of PANI. In this work, firstly ethyl 3‐aminobenzoate and butyl 3‐aminobenzoate were synthesized from 3‐aminobenzoic acid by direct esterification. Then the copolymerization of 3‐amino benzoic acid, ethyl 3‐aminobenzoate, and butyl 3‐aminobenzoate with aniline was carried out by sonochemical polymerization in aqueous hydrochloric acid using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. The effects of variation in the molar ratio of the two monomers on chain structure, conductivity, and the redox properties of the copolymer are discussed. The prepared polymers are characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR). Thermal behavior of the prepared copolymers was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The copolymers were doped with HCl and their conductivity was measured. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The mechanism of formation and some properties of thin fluorocarbon films deposited onto silicon plates by electron-beam polymerization of hexafluoropropylene from the vapor phase

The results of studying thin fluorocarbon films deposited onto single-crystal silicon plates through electron beam polymerization of hexafluoropropylene from the vapor phase are presented. The films are deposited under the action of an electron beam with an energy of 40 keV at a monomer vapor pressure of 5- 20 hPa. It is shown that plastic solid films consisting of a low-molecular-mass polymer with low thermal stability are formed at a beam current density on the order of 20 μA/cm², while at current densities on the order of 150 μA/cm², rigid brittle films of three-dimensional crossl inked polymer are formed with a thermal stability of about 350°C. It is assumed that the films are formed via chain polymerization, which at high current densities, is accompanied by polyrecombination processes leading to efficient chain crosslinking. It is found that polymer clusters are ordered in the course of film formation.     

Berkelic acid, a novel spiroketal with selective anticancer activity from an acid mine waste fungal extremophile

Berkeley Pit Lake is an abandoned open-pit copper mine filled with 30 billion gallons of acidic, metal-contaminated water. This harsh environment is proving to be a source of unusual microorganisms that produce novel bioactive metabolites. Bioassay-guided fractionation using signal transduction enzyme assays led to the isolation of the novel spiroketal, berkelic acid 1, and of the known gamma-pyrone, spiciferone A 4. Berkelic acid has shown selective, nanomolar activity against OVCAR-3, an ovarian cancer cell line in the National Cancer Institute cell line screen. The isolation and characterization of these compounds are reported here.     

Kalman filtering for reliable estimation of BBB permeability

INTRODUCTION: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of a number of central nervous system disorders. In the past, a number of laboratory techniques have been proposed to quantify permeability coefficient ki, an important index of barrier function. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to estimate ki based on graphical plot technique. The MR technique was found to be in good agreement with the gold standard, quantitative autoradiography (QAR). However, a reduced image signal-to-noise ratio, among other factors such as partial volume effects, did not allow reliable estimation of permeability coefficients. This proof-of-principle study proposes the use of Kalman filter as a filtering technique for a reliable estimation of permeability coefficients. The results are compared to those obtained using the Wiener filter technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI experiments were performed in Wistar rats (N=2) using a 4.7-T Bruker Biospec MR system (Bruker Biospin, Billerica, MA). After acquiring localizer images, T2-weighted diffusion-weighted imaging images were acquired. Finally, a rapid T1 mapping protocol was implemented to acquire one pre-gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid baseline data set followed by postinjection data sets at 3-min intervals for 45 min. Data were postprocessed with and without the application of Kalman and Wiener filters to obtain an estimate of ki. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Comparing T1 maps, Patlak plots and permeability maps with and without the Kalman filtering presented several interesting observations. Kalman-filtered Patlak plots, compared to nonfiltered plots, showed that discrete data points on the plot were closer to the line fit. The number of time points used for the construction of the graphical plot had no effect on permeability coefficient estimates when the Kalman filter was used. A box-and-whiskers plot showed longer Y-error bars for nonfiltered and Wiener data compared to Kalman-filtered data. These observations suggest that it may be possible to obtain reliable permeability coefficient estimates in a short study time by applying the Kalman filter to the data. Future work involves investigating the application of this filter on a large-sample-size animal study and evaluating the role of partial volume effects on BBB permeability estimation.     

A tandem Aldol-Diels-Alder reaction accelerated in water: An approach to the Catalyst-Free One-Pot synthesis of spiro Thio-Oxindoles

Spiro thio-oxindoles are prepared in situ by the reaction of the corresponding aldehydes and thio-oxindoles in a straightforward, environmentally friendly, highly efficient and simple procedure. The reaction took place in water with no catalyst added. This one-pot reaction afforded regio- and diastereoselective products in high yields (61–93%).     

One-pot, three-component condensation of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde derivatives, primary amines with alkyl isocyanides to N-alkyl-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-imino-acetamides

One-pot, three-component condensation of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde derivatives, primary amines with alkyl isocyanides is reported. N-alkyl-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-iminoacetamide derivatives are generated presumably via the preliminary formation of N, N′-disubstituted benzo[b]furan-2,3-diamines and subsequent oxidation with molecular oxygen.      

Factors controlling sulfur dioxide solubilities in organic solvents

Sulfur dioxide solubility in a liquid phase was studied as affected by the donor-acceptor interactions of the system’s components, these interactions being dependent on the basicity of organic solvents. Other factors of influence were also studied in order for fitting solubility data by means of linear multiparameter equations, primarily, the nonspecific solvation ability of solvents and their cohesion energy, which counteracts the incorporation of gas molecules into the liquid phase.