Comparative bioavailability of two zolpidem hemitartrate formulations in healthy human Brazilian volunteers using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

To assess the bioequivalence of two zolpidem hemitartrate formulations in 30 healthy volunteers. Plasma samples were obtained over a 24 h period. Plasma concentrations of zolpidem were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with positive ion electrospray ionization using multiple reaction monitoring. Values of peak concentration (C_max), area under curve (AUC), half-life, elimination constant, volume of distribution and clearance showed statistically significant differences when comparing women (604.34 ng h/ml, 127.36 ng/ml, 4.4 h, 0.18 1/h, 50.56 L and 8.55 L/h, respectively) and men (276.1 ng h/ml, 70.9 ng/ml, 3.3 h, 0.26 1/h, 91.42 L and 24.34 L/h, respectively), receiving the same dose (5 mg), respectively. The geometric means with corresponding 90% confidence interval for Test/Reference percentage ratios were 99.73% (CI 93.69–106.16) for C_max, 97.44% (90% CI = 91.85–103.37%) for area under curve of plasma concentration until the last concentration observed (AUC_last) and 98.30% (90% CI = 92.48–104.49) for the area under curve between the first sample (pre-dosage) and infinity (AUC_0–inf). Since the 90% CI for AUC_last, AUC_0–inf and C_max ratios were within the 80–125% interval proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration, it was concluded that zolpidem hemitartrate formulation (5 mg orodispersible tablet) is bioequivalent to the zolpidem hemitartrate formulation (Patz SL 5 mg sublingual tablet) with regard to both the rate and the extent of absorption. A new formulation of zolpidem 2.5 mg may be useful in women for the same clinical benefits as the 5 mg formulation in men.     

Markov shifts and topological entropy of families of homoclinic tangles

The existence of a homoclinic orbit in dynamical systems implies chaotic behaviour with positive entropy. In this work, we determine explicitly the Markov shifts associated to certain Smale horseshoe homoclinic orbits which allow us to compute a lower bound for the topological entropy that such a system can have. It is done associating a heteroclinic orbit which belongs to the same isotopy class and then determining the Markov partition of the dynamical core of an end periodic mapping.     

Dynamic Interactions in Synthetic Receptors: A Guest Exchange Saturation Transfer Study

The accumulated knowledge regarding molecular architectures is based on established, reliable, and accessible analytical tools that provide robust structural and functional information on assemblies. However, both the dynamicity and low population of noncovalently interacting moieties within studied molecular systems limit the efficiency and accuracy of traditional methods. Herein, the use of a saturation transfer-based NMR approach to study the dynamic binding characteristics of an anion to a series of synthetic receptors derived from bambusuril macrocycles is demonstrated. The exchange rates of BF₄⁻ are mediated by the side chains on the receptor (100 s⁻¹<k_ex<5000 s⁻¹), which play a critical role in receptor-anion binding dynamics. The signal amplification obtained with this approach allows for the identification of different types of intermolecular interactions between the receptor and the anion, something that could not have been detected by techniques hitherto used to study molecular assemblies. These findings, which are supported by a computational molecular dynamic study, demonstrate the uniqueness and added value of this NMR method.     

Vapoluminescent Behavior and the Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Transformations of Chloroform Solvates of [Au2(μ-1,2-bis(diphenylarsino)ethane)2](AsF6)2

The mono- and di-chloroform solvates of [Au₂(μ-1,2-bis(diphenylarsino)ethane)₂](AsF₆)₂ undergo single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations that result in gain (over 12 hours) or slow loss (over five years) of only one chloroform molecule. The change in solvation results in changes in the structure and luminescence of the digold cation. The cation consists of a pair of slightly bent As-Au-As units that are connected through the two bridging dpae ligands and by aurophilic interactions with Au⋅⋅⋅Au contacts of 3.05152(15) Å in the disolvate or 2.9570(5) Å in the monosolvate.     

Purity assessment using the mass balance approach for inorganic in-house certified reference material production at Inmetro

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - The production of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) is one of the essential activities of the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology...     

Synthesis of 1-aryl-3H-[1,2,5]triazepino[5,4-a]benzimidazol-4(5H)-ones and quantum chemical investigation of the rotamers of the Boc-protected hydrazide key intermediate

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Multivariate calibration for the improvement of the quantification of cadmium in the presence of potassium as interferent by total reflection X-ray fluorescence

A multivariate calibration method was applied to improve the accuracy of the determination of cadmium in the presence of potassium by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). Due to TXRF's relatively low resolution, a particular interference caused by potassium at line Kα 3.31 keV as interference can compromise the cadmium determination at line Lα 3.13 keV, respectively. The method is based on the hypothesis that the application of a multivariate calibration method, for example, partial least squares, could reduce variations due to interference and, consequently, improve the selectivity and accuracy in Cd determination. In this work, this strategy was evaluated on the X-ray fluorescence emission signals between 2.50 and 3.90 keV for a set of 26 different synthetic calibration mixtures and eight different mixtures for external calibration. Based on a certified reference material (Clay 2—CRM051) with high potassium levels, a significant improvement of accuracy for cadmium determination was observed, overcoming the problems associated with spectral interferences by potassium.     

Pressure controllable phase transition in MoTe2 by the interlayer band occupancy

High pressure can effectively control the phase transition of MoTe₂ in experiment, but the mechanism is still unclear. In this work, we show by first-principles calculations that the phase transition is suppressed and $1T^{\prime }$ phase becomes more stable under high pressure, which originates from the pressure-induced change of the interlayer band occupancies near the Fermi energy. Specifically, the interlayer states of $1T^{\prime }$ phase tend to be fully occupied under high pressure, while they keep partially occupied for the $T_d$ phase. The increase of the band occupancies makes the $1T^{\prime }$ phase more favorable in energy and prevents the structure changing from $1T^{\prime }$ to $T_d$ phase. Moreover, we also analyze the superconductivity under high pressure based on BCS theory by calculating the density of states and phonon spectra. Our results may shed some light on understanding the relationship between the interlayer band occupancy and crystal stability of MoTe₂ under high pressures.     

In Situ Measurement of Native Extracellular Matrix Strain

Experimental Mechanics - Cells directly interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) in their microenvironment; however, the mechanical properties of the networks at this scale are not well...     

Recovery and Purity of High Molar Mass Bio-hyaluronic Acid Via Precipitation Strategies Modulated by pH and Sodium Chloride

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - The effects of ethanol/broth proportions and the number of steps at varying pH in the presence or absence of sodium chloride (NaCl) were studied as...