Quantitative in vivo1H-spectroscopy of healthy and tumorous human brain tissue at 4 tesla

In 35 healthy volunteers 79 hydrogen spectra were measured from the parietal lobe, parieto-occipital lobe, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, thalamus and insular region. Voxels were selected with a double spin-echo sequence at TE 71, 135 and 270 ms. The spectra were quantitatively evaluated by fitting a Lorentzian model to the resonances of the creatine pool at 3.02 ppm and the choline pool at 3.22 ppm. No differences were found in the intensities of either metabolite in the 6 investigated regions. Creatine and choline were equally distributed in these regions. The interindividual reproducibility of the spectra decreases with longer echo delays. The coefficients of variation of the areas of creatine and choline corrected for the number of acquisitions and the voxel size are ±13% at TE 71 ms, ±23% at TE 135 ms, ±43% at TE 270 ms. This is caused by an interindividual variation in T₂ by ±15%, which affects all resonances of a spectrum. Signal variations from the fit, the Q-factor of the RF-coil loaded with different subjects and variations in the flip angle are less than 10% at each echo delay. The intraindividual variation without repositioning of the subject was better than 10%. Using creatine as an internal reference the ratios of the amplitudes of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) at 2.01 ppm and γ-methylene protons of glutamic acid at 2.34 ppm were not specific for special regions of the brain. Only in the temporal lobe the ratio of NAA and creatine was reduced. A mean concentration ratio of 1.7 for NAA and Cre was measured as an average over all subjects and the investigated brain regions with the exception of the temporal lobe. Initial applications of the method to 7 patients with brain tumors are described.     

Existence of solutions to a new model of biological pattern formation

In this paper we study the existence of classical solutions to a new model of skeletal development in the vertebrate limb. The model incorporates a general term describing adhesion interaction between cells and fibronectin, an extracellular matrix molecule secreted by the cells, as well as two secreted, diffusible regulators of fibronectin production, the positively-acting differentiation factor (“activator”) TGF-β, and a negatively-acting factor (“inhibitor”). Together, these terms constitute a pattern forming system of equations. We analyze the conditions guaranteeing that smooth solutions exist globally in time. We prove that these conditions can be significantly relaxed if we add a diffusion term to the equation describing the evolution of fibronectin.     

One‐Step Synthesis of a [20]Silafullerane with an Endohedral Chloride Ion

Silicon analogues of the most prominent carbon nanostructures, namely, hollow spheroidals such as C₆₀ and the fullerene family, have been unknown to date. Herein we show that discrete Si₂₀ dodecahedra, stabilized by an endohedral guest and valence saturation, are accessible in preparative yields through a chloride‐induced disproportionation reaction of hexachlorodisilane in the presence of tri(n‐butyl)amine. X‐ray crystallography revealed that each silicon dodecahedron contains an endohedral chloride ion that imparts a net negative charge. Eight chloro substituents and twelve trichlorosilyl groups are attached to the surface of each cluster in a strictly regioregular arrangement, a thermodynamically preferred substitution pattern according to quantum‐chemical assessment. Our results demonstrate that the wet‐chemical self‐assembly of a complex, monodisperse Si nanostructure is possible under mild conditions starting from simple Si₂ building blocks.     

Characterization of different substrates for Raman spectroscopic imaging of eukaryotic cells

For Raman spectroscopic analyses of the cells and other biological samples, the choice of the right substrate material is very important to avoid loss of information in characteristic spectral features because of competing background signals. In the current study, Raman spectroscopy is used to characterize several potential Raman substrates. Raman vibrational bands of the substrate material are discussed. The surface topography is analyzed by atomic force microscopy, and the root mean square surface roughness values are reported. Biocompatibility of the substrates is tested with Hep G2 cells evaluating cellular morphology as well as live/dead staining. Calcium fluoride, silicon, fused silica, borofloat glass, and silicon nitride membranes support cell growth and adherence. Silicon, borofloat glass, and fused silica give rise to Raman signals in the region of interest. Calcium fluoride substrate (UV grade) is suitable for Raman spectroscopic investigation of living cells. Nickel foil is suitable substrate for Raman spectroscopic investigation but cellular adherence and viability depend on the quality of the foil. Silicon nitride membranes coated with nickel chrome is a suitable Raman substrate in closed microfluidic systems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reactions of Polyarsenides with Acetylene: Synthesis and Characterization of [Cs([18]crown‐6)]2As7C14H11·6NH3 and As2C6H6

The reaction of Cs₃As₇ with diphenylacetylene in the presence of 18 crown‐6 in liquid ammonia results in the formation of the new compound [Cs( 18 crown‐6)]₂As₇C₁₄H₁₁ · 6NH₃, which crystallizes in black monoclinic crystals. It contains the first monosubstituated heptaarsenide anion with a hydrocarbon‐only substituent and theoretical calculations show a significant influence of the organic substituent on the electronic structure within the cage. The (Z)‐1, 2‐diphenylethenyl‐heptaarsenide di‐anion can be seen as the first step towards the formation of 1, 2,3‐triarsolides. Further experiments regarding the reaction of Rb₃As₁₁ and Cs₃As₁₁ with acetylene gas in liquid ammonia reveal the formation of the diarsabarrelene As₂C₆H₆, which crystallizes as colorless orthorhombic crystals. Calculations based on the structural data obtained by X‐ray crystallography show the electronically inert character of the arsenic lone pair.     

Capillary isoelectric focusing immunoassay as a new nanoscale approach for the detection of oligoclonal bands

The detection of oligoclonal bands (OCBs) in cerebrospinal fluid is an indicator of intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulins which is a neurochemical sign of chronic inflammatory brain diseases. Intrathecally synthesized IgGs are typically observed in patients with multiple sclerosis. The current standard protocol for the detection of OCBs is IEF on agarose or polyacrylamide gels followed by immunoblotting or silver staining. These methods are time consuming, show substantial interlaboratory variation and cannot be used in a high throughput‐approach. We have developed a new nanoscale method for the detection of OCBs based on automated capillary IEF followed by immunological detection. Evidence for intrathecal IgG synthesis was found in all tested patients (n = 27) with multiple sclerosis, even in two subjects who did not have oligoclonal bands according to standard methods. The test specificity was at 97.5% (n = 19). Our findings indicate that the novel OCB‐CIEF‐immunoassay is suitable for the rapid and highly sensitive detection of OCBs in clinical samples. Furthermore, the method allows for a higher sample throughput than the current standard methods.