Determination of ambroxol in an automated multi-pumping pulsed flow system.

A new flow methodology exploiting the multi-pumping approach was developed for the spectrophotometric determination of ambroxol hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations. The flow manifold was implemented by using, exclusively, multiple solenoid-actuated micro-pumps, which acted simultaneously as sample insertion, solutions propelling and reagents commutation units. Linear calibration plots were obtained over an ambroxol concentration ranging from 10 to 200 mg l(-1) (r.s.d. < 0.5%, n = 15) and a sampling rate of about 60 samples per hour (flow rate = 1.92 ml min(-1), sample volume = 80 microl).     

Unusually stable molecular capsule formation of a tetraphenyleneurea cavitand

An unusually stable molecular capsule was formed by heating phenyleneurea-spanned resorcinarene cavitand with 4-methyl-N-p-tolylbenzamide. The molecular capsule behaved as a discrete molecular entity showing a cylindrical D(4d) structure and showed no guest exchange in toluene-d(8) even at 100 degrees C. [structure: see text]     

Kinetics of the dehydration of CsNd(SO4)2 4 H2O

The kinetics of the dehydration of CsNd(SO₄)₂ · 4 H₂O to CsNd(SO₄)₂ · H₂O and then to CsNd(SO₄)₂ are studied by isothermal weight change. The reactions are phase-boundary-controlled. Reaction mechanism and activation energy depend on sample weight.     

DNA polymerase template interactions probed by degenerate isosteric nucleobase analogs

The development of novel artificial nucleobases and detailed X-ray crystal structures for primer/template/DNA polymerase complexes provide opportunities to assess DNA-protein interactions that dictate specificity. Recent results have shown that base pair shape recognition in the context of DNA polymerase must be considered a significant component. The isosteric azole carboxamide nucleobases (compounds 1-5; ) differ only in the number and placement of nitrogen atoms within a common shape and therefore present unique electronic distributions that are shown to dictate the selectivity of template-directed nucleotide incorporation by DNA polymerases. The results demonstrate how nucleoside triphosphate substrate selection by DNA polymerase is a complex phenomenon involving electrostatic interactions in addition to hydrogen bonding and shape recognition. These azole nucleobase analogs offer unique molecular tools for probing nonbonded interactions dictating substrate selection and fidelity of DNA polymerases.     

Copper corrosion in buffered and non-buffered synthetic seawater: a comparative study

The electrochemical behaviour of copper in neutral buffered and non-buffered synthetic seawater and in pure chloride solutions has been studied by cyclic voltammetry, weight loss measurements, open circuit potential and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Values of the repassivation potentials of Cu in non-buffered and buffered synthetic seawater, at 50 mV s^–1, were 0.12 and 0.46 V vs. SCE, respectively. The sharpness, heights and location of the different peaks as well as their charges were shown to be influenced by the composition of the solution, buffering conditions, deoxygenation, polarization potential and time. High chloride concentrations lead to higher oxidation charges. The anodic and the cathodic charges were shown to increase as the chloride concentration increases. The open circuit potential transients of copper in non-deoxygenated, non-buffered synthetic seawater indicate pitting from the beginning of the exposure, while in buffered solutions the pitting appeared only after a quite long exposure period, i.e. after 40 days. Corrosion rates of Cu samples after 3 months of immersion were higher in solutions of pure chloride (0.5 M) than in synthetic seawater. After six months the differences were even more noticeable. SEM images have showed a somewhat higher density of pits on copper samples immersed in the chloride solution (0.5 M), in comparison with those in synthetic seawater.     

Cancer cells undergoing epigenetic transition show short-term resistance and are transformed into cells with medium-term resistance by drug treatment

To elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms of drug resistance, epigenetically reprogrammed H460 cancer cells (R-H460) were established by the transient introduction of reprogramming factors. Then, the R-H460 cells were induced to differentiate by the withdrawal of stem cell media for various durations, which resulted in differentiated R-H460 cells (dR-H460). Notably, dR-H460 cells differentiated for 13 days (13dR-H460 cells) formed a significantly greater number of colonies showing drug resistance to both cisplatin and paclitaxel, whereas the dR-H460 cells differentiated for 40 days (40dR-H460 cells) lost drug resistance; this suggests that 13dR-cancer cells present short-term resistance (less than a month). Similarly, increased drug resistance to both cisplatin and paclitaxel was observed in another R-cancer cell model prepared from N87 cells. The resistant phenotype of the cisplatin-resistant (CR) colonies obtained through cisplatin treatment was maintained for 2–3 months after drug treatment, suggesting that drug treatment transforms cells with short-term resistance into cells with medium-term resistance. In single-cell analyses, heterogeneity was not found to increase in 13dR-H460 cells, suggesting that cancer cells with short-term resistance, rather than heterogeneous cells, may confer epigenetically driven drug resistance in our reprogrammed cancer model. The epigenetically driven short-term and medium-term drug resistance mechanisms could provide new cancer-fighting strategies involving the control of cancer cells during epigenetic transition.Subject terms: Tumour heterogeneity, Epigenetics     

Fluorescence Lifetime Spectroscopy of Glioblastoma Multiforme¶

Fluorescence spectroscopy of the endogenous emission of brain tumors has been researched as a potentially important method for the intraoperative localization of brain tumor margins. We investigated the use of time‐resolved, laser‐induced fluorescence spectroscopy for demarcation of primary brain tumors by studying the time‐resolved spectra of gliomas. The fluorescence of human brain samples (glioblastoma multiforme, cortex and white matter: six patients, 23 sites) was induced ex vivo with a pulsed nitrogen laser (337 nm, 3 ns). The time‐resolved spectra were detected in a 360–550 nm wavelength range using a fast digitizer and gated detection. Parameters derived from both the spectral‐ (intensities from narrow spectral bands) and the time domain (average lifetime) measured at 390 and 460 nm were used for tissue characterization. We determined that high‐grade gliomas are characterized by fluorescence lifetimes that varied with the emission wavelength (>3 ns at 390 nm, <1 ns at 460 nm) and their emission is overall longer than that of normal brain tissue. Our study demonstrates that the use of fluorescence lifetime not only improves the specificity of fluorescence measurements but also allows a more robust evaluation of data collected from brain tissue. Combined information from both the spectraland the time domain can enhance the ability of fluorescencebased techniques to diagnose and detect brain tumor margins intraoperatively.     

Efficient primer strand extension beyond oxadiazole carboxamide nucleobases

Two oxadiazole carboxamide deoxyribonucleoside analogues are described that can be incorporated and efficiently extended by Taq DNA polymerase. The primer strand extension beyond oxadiazole nucleoside analogues occurs at rates similar to the values observed for the canonical Watson-Crick base pairs irrespective of the template nucleobase. These distinctive chemical effects in DNA polymerase extensions are attributed to the smaller size and unique electronic properties of the oxadiazole nucleobase.     

Direct N- and C-alkenylation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles with magnesium alkylidene carbenoids

Treatment of magnesium alkylidene carbenoids, which were generated from 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides with isopropylmagnesium chloride at −78 °C in toluene, with N-lithio nitrogen-containing heterocycles gave N-alkenylated products in moderate to good yields. Also, the reaction of C-lithio indoles, which were generated from N-protected indoles, with magnesium alkylidene carbenoids gave C-2 or C-3 alkenylated products, corresponding to the protective group. The intermediate of these reactions were found to be the alkenyl anion, which could be trapped with electrophiles to give the heterocycles having fully substituted alkenes.