Natural and fallout radionuclide concentrations in the environment of Islamabad

A study on the concentration of natural and fallout radionuclides in environmental samples collected from different localities of Islamabad was performed. For the determination of gamma-emitters such as ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs high purity germanium (HPGe) detector was used while for the analysis of ⁹⁰Sr, a beta-emitter, liquid scintillation counting system was used. The indoor absorbed dose rate was measured by a CaF₂ : Dy thermoluminescence detector. Other radiation parameters were also determined to evaluate the radiation hazard. All the results were well within the permissible limits showing that there is no radiation hazard in the environment of Islamabad.     

Preparation of Sn-β-alanine: A new freeze-dried kit to be labelled with99mTc for liver scintigraphy

Sn-alanine kits were prepared in lyophilized form containing 7.02·10^–2 M -alanine and 5.5·10^–4M stannous chloride dihydrate. The optimal pH value of the preparation was found to be equal to 4.3–5.1. The radiochemical purity and the stability of^99mTc-alanine were assessed by gel filtration column scanning techniques (GCS) and thin layer chromatography, and the labelling yield of the complex was higher than 95%. The organ distribution data in mice showed that more than 90% of the injected dose had been accumulated in the liver. However, a negligible amount of radioactivity was detected in the non-target organs. The stability of^99mTc-alanine was followed for 5 hours and the Sn-alanine kit was stable for at least 3 months.     

Trichosides A and B,new withanolide glucosides from Tricholepis eburnea

Trichosides A (1) and B (2), new withanolide glucosides, have been isolated from the n-butanolic fraction of the 75% methanolic extract of aerial parts of Tricholepis eburnea. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis including ESI-MS, 2D NMR and acid hydrolysis.     

Lanthanum immobilized on chitosan: a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for facile synthesis of novel (α,β‐unsaturated) β‐aminoketones

A new heterogeneous catalyst, lanthanum immobilized on chitosan, was synthesized and used for the aza‐Michael reaction of β‐enaminone under microwave irradiation. The characteristic structural features of the catalyst were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopies and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The stability of the catalyst was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis. The use of recyclable catalyst and glycerol as solvent makes this procedure environmentally benign and economically viable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Xanthan sulfuric acid: An efficient and biodegradable solid acid catalyst for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes under solvent-free conditions

Xanthan sulfuric acid (XSA) is found to be an efficient catalyst for the electrophilic substitution reaction of indole with aromatic aldehydes to afford the corresponding bis(indolyl)methanes at room temperature under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was characterized for the first time with the help of powder XRD, SEM–EDX and DSC–TGA. The attractive features of this green, new methodology are excellent yield of products, clean reaction profile, reusability of the catalyst, energy sustainable protocol, simple experimental and easier work-up procedures.     

Mutation scanning analysis of genetic variation within and among Echinococcus species: Implications and future prospects

Adult tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus (family Taeniidae) occur in the small intestines of carnivorous definitive hosts and are transmitted to particular intermediate mammalian hosts, in which they develop as fluid‐filled larvae (cysts) in internal organs (usually lung and liver), causing the disease echinococcosis. Echinococcus species are of major medical importance and also cause losses to the meat and livestock industries, mainly due to the condemnation of infected offal. Decisions regarding the treatment and control of echinococcosis rely on the accurate identification of species and population variants (strains). Conventional, phenetic methods for specific identification have some significant limitations. Despite advances in the development of molecular tools, there has been limited application of mutation scanning methods to species of Echinococcus. Here, we briefly review key genetic markers used for the identification of Echinococcus species and techniques for the analysis of genetic variation within and among populations, and the diagnosis of echinococcosis. We also discuss the benefits of utilizing mutation scanning approaches to elucidate the population genetics and epidemiology of Echinococcus species. These benefits are likely to become more evident following the complete characterization of the genomes of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis.     

A convenient and mild synthesis of new 2-aryl-3-hydroxy-6,7-dihydro-1H-indol-4(5H)-ones via a one-pot,three-component reaction in water

A simple and convenient synthesis of 2-aryl-3-hydroxy-6,7-dihydro-1H-indol-4(5H)-ones is achieved in high yields via the one-pot, three-component reaction of arylglyoxals, 1,3-cyclohexanedione, and ammonium acetate in water under reflux conditions.     

Radiostrontium separation from sodium molybdate solution and its measurement using LSA: an application to radiopharmaceutical analysis

Technetium (^99mTc), a decay product of molybdenum (⁹⁹Mo), is employed as radioisotope in nuclear medicine. Several practical devices known as generators are commercially available which enable the user to separate the daughter from the parent radionuclide. The present study is focused on quality control of chromatographic technetium generator. A properly constructed generator should comply with international requirements of radionuclide purity of ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁹Mo ≤ 6 × 10^?8 and ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁹Mo ≤ 6 × 10^?7. For this purpose an analytical method was optimized to quantify radiostrontium (⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr) in sodium molybdate [Na ₂ ⁹⁹ MoO₄] solution, a fission product used for ⁹⁹Mo/^99mTc generators. Dowex 1 × 8 and alumina were used in sequence followed by tributyl phosphate extraction for radiostrontium separation. Cerenkov measurement of ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr (through its descendent ⁹⁰Y) was performed using Perkin Elmer Tricarb LSA 3170 with detection efficiency of 42 and 14 %, respectively. Since efficiency of Cerenkov counting is sensitive to presence of color, spectral index of sample was used to correct the counting efficiency. The chemical recovery for strontium was 22 % and for yttrium was 80 % as determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Lower limit of detection was found to be 6.3 and 14.4 Bq L^?1 for ⁹⁰Sr and ⁸⁹Sr, respectively with 60 min counting time. Hence method can be applied successfully to analyze ^89,90Sr in fission molybdenum used as radiopharmaceutical with a relative error of <10 %.     

An efficient and novel protocol for the synthesis of spiro[1,3]oxazino[5,6-c]quinoline derivatives by one-pot,three-component reaction

Research on Chemical Intermediates - One-pot, three-component reaction of various aryl glyoxal monohydrates, 5-methylisoxazol-3-amine and 4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one in the presence of a catalytic...     

A new and facile synthesis of 3-(2-aryl-6-nitro-1H-indol-3-yl)quinoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones by sodium alginate as biopolymeric catalyst

Research on Chemical Intermediates - New 3-(2-aryl-6-nitro-1H-indol-3-yl)quinoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones were synthesized, and good-to-excellent yields were achieved through one-pot, three-component...