Classification of cultivation area of ginseng by near infrared spectroscopy and ICP-AES

A rapid and nondestructive near infrared (NIR) method using soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) for the classification of cultivation area (Korea and China) was evaluated and confirmed. Raw, first, and second derivative NIR spectra were compared to develop a robust classification rule. The chemical properties of ginseng samples were also investigated to find out the differences between Korean samples and Chinese samples. These differences make NIR spectroscopic method viable. The average value of each Korean and Chinese ginseng sample for crude fiber, crude protein, starch, and 10 inorganic constituents were measured and compared with F-test and t-test. The inorganic constituents were also measured by induced coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). It could be found that the amount of starch and ten inorganic elements for example Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn in ginseng samples are considerably different based on cultivation area. SIMCA has been applied to the inorganic data to investigate the possibility of ICP-AES as classification tool. However, it was observed that the result was not equal to than NIR spectra data. The overall results showed the availability of NIR method using SIMCA would be adequate for classification of cultivation of ginseng, since NIR spectra includes useful and various information on chemical properties in spite of broad and overlapped bands.     

Multivariate classification based on metal contents in human senile cataract lenses

Multivariate classification methods were used to evaluate data on the concentrations of eight metals in human senile lenses measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Principal components analysis and hierarchical clustering separated senile cataract lenses, nuclei from cataract lenses, and normal lenses into three classes on the basis of the eight elements. Stepwise discriminant analysis was applied to give discriminant functions with five selected variables. Results provided by the linear learning machine method were also satisfactory; the k-nearest neighbour method was less useful.     

A study of hepato-biliary and alimentary scintigrams using a triple tracer method

In order to evaluate the gastric emptying and postprandial mixing of bile with food, the scintigraphies of hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal tracts by using three different kinds of radioisotopes were performed simultaneously (99mTc-E.HIDA for hepatobiliary scintigraphy, 111In-DTPA containing orange juice and 131I-albumin containing scrambled egg for gastrointestinal scintigraphy). This method was available for observation of gastric emptying of liquid and solid foods and also examination of the mixing effect of bile and food quantitatively.     

Trace determination of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using liquid chromatography with on-line electrochemical reduction and fluorescence detection

An efficient clean-up procedure coupled with a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with on-line electrochemical (EC) reduction and fluorescence detection (FLD) was developed to quantify nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) in the airborne particulate. In this process, NPAHs were extracted ultrasonically followed by analysis by using a reversed phase column with an aqueous eluent containing 70% aqueous acetonitrile and sodium monocholoroacetate as a buffer solution. The extraction efficiencies were above 83% for 1-nitropyrene and 1,3-dinitropyrene (1,3-DNP) 1,6-DNP, and 1,8-DNP, and calibration graphs were linear with very good correlation coefficients (r>0.999) and the detection limits were in the range of 1.0-2.2 pg for dinitropyrenes and nitropyrene. The proposed method provides a relatively simple and convenient procedure for determining the NPAHs samples in airborne particulate.     

PHOTOHEMOLYSIS OF HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES LABELED IN BAND 3 WITH EOSIN-ISOTHIOCYANATE

Eosin-isothiocyanate (EYNCS) is 50 to 100 times more effective in sensitizing delayed photo-hemolysis of human erythrocytes than is eosin when matched for absorbance in the reaction medium. These dyes are equally efficient in generating singlet oxygen, a potent membrane oxidant. When cells are treated with sensitizer and washed extensively prior to illumination, EYNCS phototoxicity persists, while that of eosin is lost. SDS-gel electrophoresis of membranes from EYNCS-exposed cells shows a large fluorescence signal coincident with band 3 protein that is abolished by pretreatment with H₂DIDS, the inhibitor of anion exchange by band 3. This treatment reduces the photohemolytic potency of EYNCS by over 90%. The marked enhancement of photohemolytic activity upon binding sensitizer to band 3 implicates band 3 itself as a site of photodamage leading to lysis.     

RAPID AND SENSITIVE OPTICAL ROTATION MEASUREMENT: KINETICS OF CONFORMATIONAL CHANGE OF RHODOPSIN INTERMEDIATE

A rapid and sensitive optical rotation (OR) measurement system using laser light has been developed to meet the demands of flash-photolysis experiments. The optimal OR resolution of the apparatus is 0.3mdeg with 10 μs time constant with single shot. The OR resolution could be easily improved less than 0.1 mdeg with accumulation of data by a kinetic processor. Applications are briefly described for the study of transient conformational change of photochemical intermediates of octopus rhodopsin following a blue light flash.     

Synthesis of 7,9-dideoxybaccatin IV analogs from sinenxan A

Sinenxan A, a taxoid isolated from callus tissue cultures of Taxus yunnanensis was converted into 13-oxo-7,9-dideoxy-2-debenzoyl-2-acetyl-baccatin IV and 7,9-dideoxy-2-debenzoyl-4-deacetyl-baccatin IV, a key framework of 1,7,9-trideoxypaclitaxel. Several special steps in this transformation are worthy of note: (1) deoxygenation by treatment with hypophosphorous acid at C-14 position; (2) a highly regioselective O-deacetylation of taxanes at C-5 position; and (3) stereoselective reduction of the 13-carbonyl group by transannular assistance from the C-4-hydroxyl.     

Development of aryl-containing dipyrrolyldiketone difluoroboron complexes (BONEPYs): Tune the hydrogen bond o–CH···F for fluoride recognition

Dipyrrolyldiketone difluoroboron complexes (BONEPYs) were synthesized by condensation of the corresponding pyrroles and malonyl chloride followed by treatment with BF₃·OEt₂. The aryl-substituted pyrrole is introduced to form a cyclic system in order to investigate anion binding studies. In BONEPYs 1–3 the o-H of the aryl group forms hydrogen bonding with F⁻ to give a more table complex. In contrast, the intramolecular hydrogen-bonded BONEPY endo-4 is more stable than its exo isomer. While adding F⁻, the hydrogen bonds must be broken first to give 4·(3)F⁻. Owing to the electron-rich group (-OMe), the o-H of the phenyl group can hardly interact with F⁻ via hydrogen bonding to give the less stable complex 4·(5)F⁻. The energy differences between the different conformations were calculated using DFT methods, which is consistent to the experimental observations.     

The aftermath of the interplay between the endoplasmic reticulum stress response and redox signaling

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an essential organelle of eukaryotic cells. Its main functions include protein synthesis, proper protein folding, protein modification, and the transportation of synthesized proteins. Any perturbations in ER function, such as increased demand for protein folding or the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the ER lumen, lead to a stress response called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The primary aim of the UPR is to restore cellular homeostasis; however, it triggers apoptotic signaling during prolonged stress. The core mechanisms of the ER stress response, the failure to respond to cellular stress, and the final fate of the cell are not yet clear. Here, we discuss cellular fate during ER stress, cross talk between the ER and mitochondria and its significance, and conditions that can trigger ER stress response failure. We also describe how the redox environment affects the ER stress response, and vice versa, and the aftermath of the ER stress response, integrating a discussion on redox imbalance-induced ER stress response failure progressing to cell death and dynamic pathophysiological changes.Subject terms: Mechanisms of disease, Cell biology     

Fibre optic fluorometric enzyme sensors for hydrogen peroxide and lactate,based on horseradish peroxidase and lactate oxidase

An optical biosensor for the determination of hydrogen peroxide based on immobilized horseradish peroxidase is described. The fluorescence of the dimeric product of the enzyme catalysed oxidation of homovanillic acid is utilized to determine the concentration of H₂O₂. The membrane-bound enzyme is attached to a bifurcated fibre bundle permitting excitation and detection of the fluorescence by a fluorometer. The response of the sensor is linear from 1 to 130 M hydrogen peroxide; the coefficient of variation is 3%. The sensor is stable for more than 10 weeks. The operating pH for maximal sensor response is 8.15. This allows the sensor to be used in combination with oxidase reactions producing hydrogen peroxide, as is demonstrated with a co-immobilized lactate oxidase-horseradish peroxidase optode for the determination of L-lactate. The fluorescence intensity of this sensor depends linearly on the concentration of lactate between 3 and 200 M and a throughput of 10 samples per hour is possible. The precision is in the same range as that of the monoenzyme optode. The lifetime of the bienzyme sensor for lactate is considerably shorter than that of the peroxidase sensor; it is limited by the stability of the immobilized lactate oxidase enzyme. The sensor has been applied to the determination of lactate in control serum.