Determination of selenoamino acids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The application of the recently introduced ethylchloroformate derivatization method for the separation and determination of selenomethionine and selenocystein in selenium-enriched yeast and yeast-free tablets by means of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system has been studied. The efficiency of three methods for the extraction of selenomethionine from the tablets were compared. Total selenium content of the same tablets were measured using inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-MS and it was found that in the selenized yeast tablets about 80% of the total selenium is present as selenomethionine. The results were in agreement with the values in the labels and with the literature. The accuracy of the total selenium analysis was controlled by the analysis of a reference material.     

In search of 1,3-disila/germa/stannabicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes with short bridgehead-bridgehead distances and low ring strain energies

The strain energies and through-space distances between the two bridgehead E atoms of a selection of 1,3-dimethyl-1,3-ditetrelbicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes (tetrel E = Si, Ge or Sn) were examined by quantum chemical calculations at MP2 and B3LYP levels. The aim is to identify which bridges lead to short through-space E,E distances, and simultaneously, to as low strain as possible. A short E,E distance should improve through-space interaction, and a low strain should promote the thermal stability and possibly also facilitate their synthesis. The bridges examined included CH₂, CMe₂, CtBu₂, C(CH₂)n (n = 2–4), O, NMe, S, PMe, SiMe₂, GeMe₂, and SnMe₂. The calculations indicate that the phospha bridge is a good compromise providing reasonably low strain as well as E,E through-space distances which are only longer than normal E–E single bonds by factors of 1.06–1.10. This paper is dedicated to Professor Mitsuo Kira in recognition of his stimulating Si chemistry and his 2005 Wacker Award.     

Vanadyl salen complexes covalently anchored to an imidazolium ion as catalysts for the cyanosilylation of aldehydes in ionic liquids

Two vanadyl salen complexes having peripheral styryl substituents have been reacted with 1-methyl-3-(3-mercaptopropyl)-imidazolium chloride using azoisobutyronitrile as radical initiator. The resulting compounds contain at the same time a vanadyl salen complex and one imidazolium cation. In agreement with the expectations in view of their structure, these compounds were insoluble in conventional organic solvents, but completely miscible in imidazolium ionic liquids. These vanadyl salen complexes bonded to an imidazolium cation are highly active and reusable catalysts for the cyanosilylation of aldehydes. Moderate enantiomeric excesses were obtained using the chiral version of this complex.     

α-Glucosidase synthesis in batch and continuous culture ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Glucose prevents maltose utilization bySaccharomyces cerevisiae in batch culture, whereas in a mixed carbohydrate-limited chemostat, maltose and glucose were consumed simultaneously. The specific activity of α-glucosidase was dependent on the dilution rate as well as the proportion of maltose in the mixture. Maximum specific activities in the batch and chemostat cultures on mixtures of maltose and glucose were lower than corresponding values observed on maltose alone.     

Fibers and 3D mesh scaffolds from biodegradable starch-based blends: production and characterization

The aim of this work is the production of fibers from biodegradable polymers to obtain 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering of hard tissues. The scaffolds required for this highly demanding application need to have, as well as the biological and mechanical characteristics, a high degree of porosity with suitable dimensions for cell seeding and proliferation. Furthermore, the open cell porosity should have adequate interconnectivity for a continuous flow of nutrients and outflow of cell metabolic residues as well as to allow cell growth into confluent layers. Blends of corn starch, a natural biodegradable polymer, with other synthetic polymers (poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), poly(epsilon-caprolactone), poly(lactic acid)) were selected for this work because of their good balance of properties, namely biocompatibility, processability and mechanical properties. Melt spinning was used to produce fibers from all the blends and 3D meshes from one of the starch-poly(lactic acid) blends. The experimental characterization included the evaluation of the tensile mechanical properties and thermal properties of the fibers and the compression stiffness, porosity and degradation behavior of the 3D meshes. Light microscopy picture of 3D meshes.     

Levels of natural and artifical radioactivity in sediments in the Eastern Black Sea of Turkey

Sediment samples collected from the Eastern Black Sea in 1993 from 15 sampling stations of different depths have been analyzed. Natural and artifical radionuclide activity levels in offshore sediment samples from the Eastern Black Sea in Turkey are reported about seven years after the Chernobyl accident. The purpose of this paper is to follow up the earlier study and present results for the distributions of radionuclides in sediments of the Black Sea.     

Development and Validation of a High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method,with Densitometry,for Quantitative Analysis of Tizoxanide (a Metabolite of Nitazoxanide) in Human Plasma

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A new simple, rapid, and selective high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method with metronidazole as the internal...     

The search for a new model structure of β-Factor XIIa

We present the search for a new model of -factor XIIa, a blood coagulation enzyme, with an unknown experimental 3D-structure. We decided to build not one but three different models using different homologous proteins as well as different techniques and different modellers. Additional studies, including extensive molecular dynamics simulations on the solvated state, allowed us to draw several conclusions concerning homology modelling, in general, and -factor XIIa, in particular.