Iron(II) and nickel(II) mixed-ligand complexes containing 1,10-phenanthroline and 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline

Two types of mixed-ligand complexes, i.e. [M(phen)2 (dip)]2+ and [M(phen)(dip)2]2+ (M = iron(II) and nickel(II); phen = 1,10-phenanthroline and dip = 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) have been prepared from their related tris-complexes, [M(phen)3]2+ by ligand substitution, and isolated by semi-preparative HPLC. Elemental and chromatographic analyses confirm the purity of the isolated complexes while u.v./vis and i.r. spectra were used to identify and characterize them. 1H-n.m.r. and room temperature Mössbauer spectra of the iron(III) complexes were also measured and the results are discussed. In addition, our preliminary results on hypochromicity in the MLCT band and circular dihroism (CD) emerging in the u.v./vis region upon addition of CT(calf thymus)-DNA to the racemic complexes indicated that the iron(II) mixed-ligand complexes interact with CT-DNA.     

Synthesis of well-defined chain-end- and in-chain-functionalized polystyrenes with a definite number of benzyl chloride moieties and D-glucose residues

Novel well-defined chain-end- and in-chain-functionalized polystyrenes with six, eight, twelve, and sixteen benzyl chloride moieties and with four and eight D-glucose residues have been successfully synthesized by developing the methodology based on living anionic polymerization of using new functionalized agents derived from functionalized 1,1-diphenylethylene (DPE) derivatives. They are 1,10-dichloro-4,4-7,7-tetra(3-methoxymethylphenyl)decane, its iodide derivative, the dianion prepared from 1,1-bis(3-methoxymethylphenyl)ethylene and potassium naphthalenide, and 1,1-bis[3′,5′-bis(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D-glucofuranose-3-oxymethyl)phenyl]ethylene. The developed methodology involves diverse modes of reactions of polystyryllithium with new functionalized agents and either the subsequent transformation reaction with BCl₃ into benzyl chloride moieties or acid-hydrolysis to regenerate D-glucose residues. The resulting chain-multi-functionalized polystyrenes were precisely controlled with respect to chain length and quantitatively functionalized within experimental errors.     

Potential Vasculoprotective Effects of Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) Extract in Diabetic KK-Ay Mice

Polyphenols are bioactive compounds found naturally in fruits and vegetables; they are widely used in disease prevention and health maintenance. Polyphenol-rich blackcurrant extract (BCE) exerts beneficial effects on vascular health in menopausal model animals. However, the vasculoprotective effects in diabetes mellitus (DM) and atherosclerotic vascular disease secondary to DM are unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether BCE is effective in preventing atherosclerosis using KK-A^y mice as a diabetes model. The mice were divided into three groups and fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 1% BCE (BCE1), 3% BCE (BCE2), or Control for 9 weeks. The mice in the BCE2 group showed a considerable reduction in the disturbance of elastic lamina, foam cell formation, and vascular remodeling compared to those in the BCE1 and Control groups. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that the score of endothelial nitric oxide synthase staining intensity was significantly higher in both BCE2 (2.9) and BCE1 (1.9) compared to that in the Control (1.1). Furthermore, the score for the percentage of alpha-smooth muscle actin was significantly lower in the BCE2 (2.9%) than in the Control (2.1%). Our results suggest that the intake of anthocyanin-rich BCE could have beneficial effects on the blood vessels of diabetic patients.     

激光干涉结晶法制备一维周期结构的纳米硅阵列

利用激光干涉结晶方法,采用周期为400 nm的一维(1D)移相光栅掩模调制KrF准分子激光器的脉冲激光束斑的能量分布,在不同厚度的超薄氢化非晶硅(a-Si:H)膜内直接制备1D有序纳米硅(nc-Si)阵列.拉曼散射谱表明,样品上呈条状分布的受辐照区域发生晶化.原子力显微镜和透射电子显微镜测试结果表明：1D的nc-Si阵列的周期和移相光栅掩模一样.随着a-Si:H膜厚度从10nm降至4nm,通过控制激光的能量密度,每个周期中nc-Si条状分布区宽度可达到30nm.nc-Si条状分布区的高分辨电子显微镜照片显 关键词： 纳米硅 激光干涉结晶 移相光栅 定域晶化