Investigations into distribution of lidocaine in human autopsy material

With screening methods in the legal medicine drugs were often detected in autopsy material. In this study the antiarrhythmic and the local anesthetic drug lidocaine could be proved in fifty‐one cases and determined in different autopsy materials. For the first time the comparison of so many distribution patterns of lidocaine in human compartments was possible. A liquid‐liquid extraction procedure, a standard addition method and LC/MS/MS were used for analytics. The measured concentrations in blood were in the therapeutic range or lower. The time between lidocaine application and death was given in twenty‐nine cases. These data were very helpful to estimate and interpret the distribution process of lidocaine between application and death. This time exerted a crucial influence on the distribution of lidocaine in the compartments. Most of the intravenous applicated lidocaine was found in heart blood after a very short time of distribution. Afterwards the highest concentrations were measured in brain. Later the highest concentration was found in the kidney samples or in urine. If the time between lidocaine application and death is known, the results of this study can be used to deepen the knowledge of its pharmacokinetics. If this time is unknown, the circumstances and the causes of death can be better explained. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow equivalence and orbit equivalence for shifts of finite type and isomorphism of their groupoids

We give conditions for when continuous orbit equivalence of one-sided shift spaces implies flow equivalence of the associated two-sided shift spaces. Using groupoid techniques, we prove that this is always the case for shifts of finite type. This generalises a result of Matsumoto and Matui from the irreducible to the general case. We also prove that a pair of one-sided shift spaces of finite type are continuously orbit equivalent if and only if their groupoids are isomorphic, and that the corresponding two-sided shifts are flow equivalent if and only if the groupoids are stably isomorphic. As applications we show that two finite directed graphs with no sinks and no sources are move equivalent if and only if the corresponding graph $C^{?}$-algebras are stably isomorphic by a diagonal-preserving isomorphism (if and only if the corresponding Leavitt path algebras are stably isomorphic by a diagonal-preserving isomorphism), and that two topological Markov chains are flow equivalent if and only if there is a diagonal-preserving isomorphism between the stabilisations of the corresponding Cuntz–Krieger algebras (the latter generalises a result of Matsumoto and Matui about irreducible topological Markov chains with no isolated points to a result about general topological Markov chains). We also show that for general shift spaces, strongly continuous orbit equivalence implies two-sided conjugacy.     

Removal of Water-Soluble Extractives Improves the Enzymatic Digestibility of Steam-Pretreated Softwood Barks

Softwood bark contains a large amounts of extractives—i.e., soluble lipophilic (such as resin acids) and hydrophilic components (phenolic compounds, stilbenes). The effects of the partial removal of water-soluble extractives before acid-catalyzed steam pretreatment on enzymatic digestibility were assessed for two softwood barks—Norway spruce and Scots pine. A simple hot water extraction step removed more than half of the water-soluble extractives from the barks, which improved the enzymatic digestibility of both steam-pretreated materials. This effect was more pronounced for the spruce than the pine bark, as evidenced by the 30 and 11% glucose yield improvement, respectively, in the enzymatic digestibility. Furthermore, analysis of the chemical composition showed that the acid-insoluble lignin content of the pretreated materials decreased when water-soluble extractives were removed prior to steam pretreatment. This can be explained by a decreased formation of water-insoluble “pseudo-lignin” from water-soluble bark phenolics during the acid-catalyzed pretreatment, which otherwise results in distorted lignin analysis and may also contribute to the impaired enzymatic digestibility of the barks. Thus, this study advocates the removal of extractives as the first step in the processing of bark or bark-rich materials in a sugar platform biorefinery.     

Perfluoroaryl Bicyclic Cell‐Penetrating Peptides for Delivery of Antisense Oligonucleotides

Exon‐skipping antisense oligonucleotides are effective treatments for genetic diseases, yet exon‐skipping activity requires that these macromolecules reach the nucleus. While cell‐penetrating peptides can improve delivery, proteolytic instability often limits efficacy. It is hypothesized that the bicyclization of arginine‐rich peptides would improve their stability and their ability to deliver oligonucleotides into the nucleus. Two methods were introduced for the synthesis of arginine‐rich bicyclic peptides using cysteine perfluoroarylation chemistry. Then, the bicyclic peptides were covalently linked to a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotide (PMO) and assayed for exon skipping activity. The perfluoroaryl cyclic and bicyclic peptides improved PMO activity roughly 14‐fold over the unconjugated PMO. The bicyclic peptides exhibited increased proteolytic stability relative to the monocycle, demonstrating that perfluoroaryl bicyclic peptides are potent and stable delivery agents.     

Mikrobestimmung von Glycerin in Fett und Phosphatiden

Zusammenfassung Apparatur und Arbeitsweise für die Bestimmung des Glycerins in Fett und Phosphatiden werden angegeben und die Genauigkeit der Methode durch Analysenresultate belegt.

---

Summary An apparatus and a procedure is described for the determination of glycerol in fat and in phosphatides; the accuracy of this method is illustrated by results of different analyses.

---

Résumé Un appareil et une méthode pour le microdosage de la glycérine en graisses et phosphatides sont décrits. La précision de la méthode est prouvée par des résultats d'analyses.

     

MOVPE growth of strain-compensated 1300 nm In1−xGaxAsyP1−y quantum well structures

Different concepts for achieving strain-compensated quantum well structures emitting at 1300 nm have been investigated. Structures employing up to eight compressively strained wells with the same x in well and barrier exhibits excellent structural and optical properties, including very high photoluminescence efficiency. Increased number of quantum wells beyond 8 resulted in deteriorated materials quality, most likely due to accumulated strain-induced roughness of the growing surface. Good laser characteristics, including T₀ values of 64 K, were demonstrated for strain-compensated structures with tensile wells.     

Single‐cell gel electrophoresis (the comet assay): Loops or fragments?

Single-cell gel electrophoresis, or the comet assay, is widely used to measure DNA damage and repair. Upon electrophoresis, the DNA of lysed, agarose-embedded cells known as nucleoids, extends towards the anode in a structure resembling a comet, the relative intensity of the tail reflecting the frequency of DNA breaks. The structural organization of the DNA within comet preparations is not fully understood. We have used fluorescent in situ hybridization with large-insert genomic probes and human Cot-I DNA to investigate whether the production of the comet tail is simply explained by the relaxation of supercoiled DNA loops. We find that, under neutral electrophoresis conditions, when the tail and head DNA are double-stranded, the probed sequence of DNA is seen as a linear array, consistent with extension from a fixed point on the nuclear core or matrix. After alkaline electrophoresis, the appearance of the fluorescent probes suggests that linear DNA has coalesced into a granular form.     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis for identification and investigation of human Gc-globulin (vitamin D-binding protein) and its isoforms interacting with G-actin

A CE procedure was established for the nondenaturing separation and identification of the isoforms of the actin-binding human plasma protein Gc-globulin. To characterize interactions with globular actin (G-actin), a novel method was developed for the simultaneous qualitative assessment of the binding interaction between the three major isoforms of Gc-globulin and G-actin using pre-equilibrium affinity CE and UV detection. Evidence was found that some difference in binding affinity existed among the isoforms, although the quantification of this difference was not feasible by UV detection because of the high affinity nature of the binding. The difference in affinity appeared to be related to the pI of the isoforms; a high pI corresponding to a high affinity. For quantitative binding studies Gc-globulin was fluorescently labeled with 5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein, succinimidyl ester (CFSE). Data suggested that extensive labeling interfered with actin binding but with moderately labeled Gc-globulin it was possible to determine a dissociation constant of K(d) = 21 +/- 1 nM for the binding between labeled Gc-globulin and G-actin using pre-equilibrium affinity CE and LIF detection.     

Methane Oxidation over Cu2+/[CuOH]+ Pairs and Site-Specific Kinetics in Copper Mordenite Revealed by Operando Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and UV/Visible Spectroscopy

Cu-exchanged mordenite (MOR) is a promising material for partial CH₄ oxidation. The structural diversity of Cu species within MOR makes it difficult to identify the active Cu sites and to determine their redox and kinetic properties. In this study, the Cu speciation in Cu-MOR materials with different Cu loadings has been determined using operando electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and operando ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy as well as in situ photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A novel pathway for CH₄ oxidation involving paired [CuOH]⁺ and bare Cu²⁺ species has been identified. The reduction of bare Cu²⁺ ions facilitated by adjacent [CuOH]⁺ demonstrates that the frequently reported assumption of redox-inert Cu²⁺ centers does not generally apply. The measured site-specific reaction kinetics show that dimeric Cu species exhibit a faster reaction rate and a higher apparent activation energy than monomeric Cu²⁺ active sites highlighting their difference in the CH₄ oxidation potential.