Detoxification mechanisms of a combination of Semen Strychni and Radix Glycyrrhizae: A comparative analyses of differences in toxicokinetics and tissue distribution after oral administration of Semen Strychni-Radix Glycyrrhizae decoction

To evaluate the detoxification effect of a combination of Radix Glycyrrhizae (GU) and Semen Strychni (SN) from toxicokinetics and drug tissue distribution perspectives, decoctions of processed SN and codecoction of SN and GU (SGN) were prepared, and an HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed to monitor the severe exposure level in 1-month toxicokinetics and tissue distribution experiments to detect brucine and strychnine in rats. The toxicokinetic characteristics and tissue distribution before and after the addition of GU were analyzed. The method was successfully applied to evaluate the toxicokinetics and tissue distribution before and after the combination of SN and GU. The results show that GU decreased the blood concentration of toxic components in SN, and a double peak was observed in the drug time curve. The results of tissue distribution show that a combination of GU and SN significantly decreased the accumulation of toxic substances in metabolic organs and accelerated the clearance of toxic substances in the brain. These results provide a reference for the toxicity reduction mechanism of GU combined with SN.     

Influence of heating rate on kinetic quantities of solid phase thermal decomposition

Thermogravimetric analyses of thermal decomposition (pyrolysis, thermal dissociation and combustion) of 9 different samples were carried out in dynamic conditions at different heating rates. The kinetic parameters (E, A and k_m) of thermal decomposition were determined and interrelations between the parameters and heating rate q were analyzed. There were also relations between Arrhenius and Eyring equations analyzed for thermal decomposition of solid phase. It was concluded that Eyring theory is an element, which interconnects used thermokinetic equations containing Arrhenius law and suggests considering kinetic quantities in way relative to 3 kinetic constants (E, A and k_m). Analysis of quantities other than km (i.e. E, A, Δ⁺H, Δ⁺S) in relation to heating rate is an incomplete method and does not lead to unambiguous conclusions. It was ascertained that in ideal case, assuming constant values of kinetic parameters (E and A) towards heating rate and satisfying both Kissinger equations, reaction rate constant k_m should take on values intermediate between constants (k_m)₁ and (k_m)₂ determined from these equations. Whereas behavior of parameters E and A towards q were not subjected to any rule, then plotting relation k_m vs. q in the background of (k_m)₁ and (k_m)₂ made possible classification of differences between thermal decomposition processes taking place in oxidizing and oxygen-free atmosphere.     

Error evaluation of integral methods by consideration on the approximation of temperature integral

Summary In this paper, the integral methods in general use are divided into two types in terms of their different ways to in order to deal with the temperature integral p(x): for Type A the function h(x)=p(x)x²e^x is regarded as constant vs. x, while for Type B h(x) varies vs. x and ln[p(x)] is assumed to have the approximation form of ln[p(x)]=alnx+bx+c (the coefficients a, b, and c are constant). The errors of kinetic parameters calculated by these two types of methods are derived as functions of x and analyzed theoretically. It is found that Type A methods have the common errors of activation energy, while the Coats-Redfern method can lead to more accurate value of frequency factor than others. The accuracy of frequency factor can be further enhanced by adjusting the expression of the Coats-Redfern approximation. Although using quite simple approximation of the temperature integral, the Coats-Redfern method has the best performance among Type A methods, implying that usage of a sophisticated approximation may be unnecessary in kinetic analysis. For Type B, the revised MKN method has a lower error in activation energy and an acceptable error in frequency factor, and thus it can be reliably used. Comparatively, the Doyle method has higher error of activation energy and great error of the frequency factor, and thus it is not recommended to be adopted in kinetic analysis.     

Effect of length and number of interlinking molecules on the strength of adhesion

The fracture energy G of an adhesive bond appears to be a product of two terms: G = G_O [1 + f(R, T)], where G_O is the intrinsic (chemical) strength of the interface and f(R, T), usually much larger than unity, reflects energy dissipated within the adherends at a crack speed R and temperature T. Values of G_O have been determined for interlinked sheets of an SBR elastomer by measuring the peel strength at low rates and high temperatures, and in the swollen state, to minimize internal losses. Both the density ΔN and molecular length L of interlinking molecules were varied. G_O was found to increase in proportion to (ΔN)L^3/2, in accord with the molecular theory of Lake and Thomas. As the peel rate was raised and the test temperature lowered, G was considerably increased by internal dissipative processes, becoming as much as 1000 × G_O near the glass transition. The loss function f(R, T) was found to depend somewhat upon the strand length L, being about twice as large at intermediate peel rates when L was increased by 40%. It also depended on the density ΔN of interlinking molecules, being about twice as large at high peel rates when the density of interlinks was reduced by a factor of six. Thus, the loss function f(R, T) is greater when the interlinking molecules are few and long, and it is lower when they are many and short. However, it is mainly governed by two parameters: peel rate R and temperature difference (T − T_g), in accord with a viscoelastic loss mechanism. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The photoisomerization of retinal

Abstract— –Quantum efficiencies have been measured for the photoisomerization of four stereoisomers of retinal (all-trans, 13-cis, 11 cis, and 9-cis) in two solvents at different wavelengths of irradiation and at various temperatures. In heane at 25°C the quantum efficiencies for isomerization at 365 nm are: 9-cis to trans, 0.5; 13-cis to trans, 0.4; 11-cis to trans, 0.2; all-trans to monocis isomers, 0.2-0.06, depending upon assumptions made regarding the stereo-isomeric composition of the product. These values vary somewhat with the wavelength of the irradiating light. The quantum efficiency for the photoisomerization of all-trans retinal in hexane decreases by a factor of 30 when the temperature is lowered from 25° to – 65°C; the activation energy for this photoisomerization is about 5 kcal/mole. The quantum efficiencies for the isomerization of the monocis isomers to all-trans retinal in hexane are virtually independent of temperature. In ethanol the rates of photoisomerization from trans to cis or cis to trans depend only slightly on the temperature between 25° and – 65°C. The photosensitivities of the stereoisomers of retinal are of the same order of magnitude as those of the retinylidene chromophores of rhodopsin (11 -cis), metarhodopsin I (all-trans), and isorhodopsin (9-cis); but it is not yet possible to derive the photochemistry of rhodopsin uniquely and quantitatively from that of retinal.     

Isomorphism in electron-pair densities of atoms

The spherically averaged electron-pair intracule (relative motion) h(u) and extracule (center-of-mass motion) d(R) densities are a couple of densities which characterize the motion of electron pairs in atomic systems. We study a generalized electron-pair density (q; a, b) that represents the probability density function for the magnitude of two-electron vector a r _j +b r _k of any pair of electrons j and k to be q, where a and b are nonzero real numbers. In particular, h(u)=g(u;1, −1) and d(R) = . It is shown that the scaling property of the Dirac delta function and the inversion symmetry of orbitals in atoms due to the central force field generate several isomorphic relations in the electron-pair density (q; a, b) with respect to the two parameters a and b. The approximate isomorphism d(R)≅8h(2R) known in the literature between the intracule and extracule densities is a special case of the present results. Received: 24 May 2000 / Accepted: 18 July 2000 / Published online: 27 September 2000     

Irradiation of aromatic polymers: The effect of irradiation temperature on crosslinking and scission in polystyrene

Polystyrene of narrow molecular weight distribution, M _w/M _n ≈ 1.03, was subjected to γ irradiation at 100 and 150°C. The yields of scission and crosslinking, G(S) and G(X), where determined from the changes in molecular weight distribution using gel permeation chromatography, (GPC) with supporting evidence from osmometry and viscometry. The ratio G(S)/G(X) increased from 0.02 at 30°C, obtained previously, to 2.8 at 150°C. This was mainly due to a tenfold increase in G(S), whereas G(X) apparently decreased slightly. These results are compatible with increased disproportion of chain scission radicals relative to their combination, analogous to the temperature dependence of mutual termination in the free radical polymerization of styrene. There was no obvious discontinuity through the glass transition temperature, although there may be a change in sign of the temperature coefficient of G(X). This system provides an excellent example of the applicability of measurements of molecular weight distributions and averages to determinations of G(S) and G(X) under conditions when gel measurements are inappropriate, either because of the failure of the system to form gel, or, as in the present case, because of the very large radiation doses required for gel formation.     

呋喃西林水溶液在光和热作用下的稳定性

The influence of both light and heat on the stability of nitrofurazone aqueous solution was studied. Results show that in either heating experiments or the exposure to light at high temperatures, the degradation rate obeyed zero-order kinetics. The total rate constant ktotal caused by both light and heat can be divided into two parts: ktotal =kdark klight, where kdark and klight are the degradation rate constants caused by heat and light, respectively. The klight can be expressed as klight=Alight*exp(-Ea,light/RT)*E, where E is the illuminance of light, and Alight and Ea,light both are experimental constants. The values of these kinetic parameters were determined based on the experiments in the dark and upon exposure to three different light sources. Results show that the values of Alight and Ea, light varied with the light source. To save time, labor, and drugs, exponential heating experiments were employed and compared with the isothermal experiments. Results indicated that kinetic parameters obtained by exponential heating experiments are comparable to those obtained by isothermal experiments either in the dark or upon exposure to light.     

X-ray Structural Analysis of Liquid Solutions of n-Butanol-1 in Cyclohexane

Abstract

Angular distributions of intensity of X-ray radiation scattered in solutions of n-butanol-1 in cyclohexane have been measured and analyzed. The mean least intermolecular distances in the solution were determined. It was established that in the range of very low concentrations X of the solutions studied the distribution of the intermolecular distances R(X) revealed three extremes. In this concentration range the fluctuations of the distance R are related to the earlier observed fluctuations of the solution density: the minimum in R(X) at X?0.028 mole fraction corresponds to the maximum in d(X) in the range 0.015 ≤X≤ 0.035 mole fraction, while the two maxima in R(X) at X ?0.007 and X?0.05 mole fraction correspond to the minima in d(X) in the mole fraction ranges 0≤ X ≤0.015 and 0.026 ≤ X ≤0.05.

In the range 0.05 ≤X≤ 0.9 mole fraction the main role in ordering of the solution molecules is played by the associated molecules of the alcohol with voids containing individual molecules of the solvent.     

Effect of bubble size on foam fractionation of ovalbumin

The bubble size distribution and void fraction (ɛ _g ) (at two bulk liquid pool positions below the bulk liquid-foam interface and one lower foam phase position) in a continuous foam fractionation column containing ovalbumin were obtained using a photoelectric capillary probe. The bubble size and ɛ _g data were gathered for different operating conditions (including the changes in the superficial gas velocity and feed flow rate) at a feed solution of pH 6.5 and used to calculate the specific area, a, of the bubbles. Thus, local enrichment (ER _l ), values of ovalbumin could be estimated and compared with directly obtained experimental results. The ER _l results were also correlated with the bubble size and ɛ _g to understand better the concentration mechanisms of foam fractionation. The high ER _l in the lower foam phase was largely attributable to the abrupt increase in ɛ _g (from 0.25 to 0.75), or the a (from about 12 to 25 cm²/cm³) from the bulk liquid to the foam phase. These changes correspond with enhanced gravity drainage. With an increase in the superficial gas velocity, the bubble size increased and the a decreased in both the bulk liquid and lower foam phases, resulting in a decrease in the local experimentally determined enrichments at high superficial gas velocities. At intermediate feed flow rates, the bubble size reached the maximum. The ɛ _g and a, on the other hand, were the largest for the largest feed flow rate. The ER _l in the lower foam phase was maximized at the lowest feed flow rate. It follows, therefore, that a alone is not sufficient to determine the magnitude of the ER _l in the foam phase.     

Conformational analysis of cinnamanilides

The conformational analysis of cinnamanilides has been carried out using IR spectroscopy. All the anilides studied were found to exist as equilibrium mixtures ofs-cis ands-trans forms in benzene. Thes-cis form was predominant over thes-trans in all the anilides except in thep-nitro anilide in which thes-trans form was predominant. The relative stabilities of the conformers were found to depend upon the electrostatic repulsions between the anilide nitrogen and the β-carbon atom in thes-trans form and those between the π-electrons of the C=O and C=C bonds in thes-cis form.     

Ultrasonic Studies of Binary Mixtures of p-Chlorotoluene with l-Alcohols at 303.15 K

Abstract

Ultrasonic sound velocities and densities were measured for the binary mixtures of p-chlorotoluene with l-alcohols. The alcohols included: l-propanol, l-butanol, l-pentanol, l-hexanol and l-heptanol. Isentropic compressibilities, k_s and deviation in isentropic compressibility, K_s from ideal behaviour have been calculated from the results. The deviation in isentropic compressibility has been ascribed to competition between structure-breaking and structural effects to different extents.     

Effects of Ganoderma,Rhodiola and grape seed extracts on the glucuronidation and oral bioavailability of resveratrol in rats

Herb extracts were shown to inhibit the activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) in vitro. However, the actual in vivo effect of the inhibitory ability on oral bioavailability is yet verified. In this study, resveratrol (RES) was used as a model drug to study the effect of three Chinese herb extracts, Ganoderma, Rhodiola and grape seed, on the in vitro and in vivo inhibition of glucuronidation and the in vivo bioavailability of RES. Overall, although herb extracts might show inhibition on glucuronidation of RES in vitro and in vivo, the inhibition of glucuronidation did not necessarily mean to improve the in vivo bioavailability of RES.     

Control of Chromophore Symmetry by Positional Isomerism of Peripheral Substituents

The first example of the control of porphyrinoid chromophore symmetry based on the positional isomerism of peripheral substituents has been achieved by preparing tetraazaporphyrins (TAPs) with C_4h, D_2h, C_2v, and C_s symmetry due to the relative arrangement of peripheral tert‐butylamino and cyano groups as push and pull substituents, respectively. The four structural isomers were successfully isolated and characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography. The band morphology in the Q‐band region varies depending on the molecular symmetry due to the significant perturbation introduced into the chromophore by the push and pull substituents. The C_4h and C_2v isomers exhibit a single Q band, whereas the Q bands of the D_2h and C_s isomers show a marked splitting. The magnetic circular dichroism spectra indicate that the push–pull TAPs retain the properties of the 16‐membered 18π‐electron perimeter generally observed for porphyrinoids. Theoretical calculations have demonstrated that the perturbation introduced by the substituents lowers the D_4h symmetry of the parent TAP π‐conjugated system, and this results in significant spectral changes. A novel approach to the fine‐tuning of the spectral properties of porphyrinoids based on changes in the chromophore symmetry is described.     

Relaxation of Copolymeric Dendrimers Built from Alternating Monomers

Summary: In this study we extend our previous work concerning the Rouse dynamics of linear alternating copolymers (Macromolecules 2003 , 36, 486) to tree‐like structures and focus on copolymeric dendrimers built from monomers of two kinds A and B; as before, we let the monomers differ in their interaction with the solvent. In the framework of generalized Gaussian structures (GGS), we consider alternating arrangements of monomers over the dendritic structures. We develop a semi‐analytical method to determine for such structures (of arbitrary functionality, f, and number of generations, g), the eigenfrequencies (relaxation times). The method allows us to compute readily the storage, [G′(ω)] and the loss, [G″(ω)] moduli. These quantities show a multitude of features which mainly depend on the difference in the mobilities, or, equivalently, in the friction coefficients ζ_A and ζ_B of the A‐ and B‐beads. These features range from the presence of large plateau‐type regions in [G′(ω)] to the appearance of double‐peaks in [G″(ω)]. In contrast to linear alternating copolymers, the behavior of the dynamic moduli of copolymeric systems with dendritic topology can shed light into their composition, i.e. into the relative numbers of A‐ and B‐beads. We discuss these aspects in view of their experimental relevance.

A system under study: a dendrimer of third generation (g = 3) with functionality f = 3, composed of alternating beads.     

Synthesis and functionalities of poly(N-vinylalkylamide). V. Control of a lower critical solution temperature of poly(N-vinylalkylamide)

N-vinyl-n-butyramide (NVBA), N-vinylisovaleramide (NVIVA), and N-vinyl-n-valeramide (NVVA), which are N-vinylalkylamides with different alkyl groups were synthesized and their solution behavior in a polymeric form was examined. Copolymers of N-vinylisobutyramide (NVIBA) with N-vinylacetamide (NVA), NVIBA with NVVA, and NVVA with NVA were prepared by the solution polymerization to control the LCSTs. The resultant polyNVBA showed a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) sharply at 32°C, but polyN-vinylisovaleramide (polyNVIVA) and polyN-vinyl-n-valeramide(polyNVVA) that have n-butyl and isobutyl groups, respectively, on their side chains were insoluble even in cold water. The water solubility of the resulting polymers was found to vary, depending on the molecular shapes as well as the side chain length of the alkyl groups in question. The copolymers consisting of NVVA, NVIBA, and NVA in water showed LCSTs sharply between 10 and 90°C, depending on changes in their comonomer content. It was found that the changes in LCST that are caused by the incorporation of comonomers are due to changes in the overall hydrophilicity of the polymer. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3087–3094, 1997     

The effect of composition of parenteral solution on the thermal resistance of Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus subtilis spores

Large-volume parenteral solutions were submitted to heat treatments after being inoculated with Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 (T _r =121°C) and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9372 (T _r =104.5°C) spores. The average decimal reduction time for B. stearothermophilus ranged from a D _121°C value of 1.31 to 3.14 min, in glucophysiologic and Ringer’s solutions respectively. For B. subtilis, D _104.5°C value increased from 0.69 to 1.37 min, in Ringer’s (pH=5.91) and 50% glucose (pH 3.05) solutions respectively. The z value ranged from 7.95°C (20% mannitol solution) to 13.14°C (50% glucose solution), corresponding to an activation energy (Ea) of 81.48 and 49.30 kcal/mol, respectively.     

Development of the Peripheral Functionalization Chemistry of meso-Free Corroles

In contrast to the extensive development of the meso-functionalization of porphyrins, that of corroles had rarely been explored until the development of practical synthetic methods for meso-free corroles in 2015. The ready availability of meso-free corroles opened up meso-functionalization chemistry of corroles, giving rise to successful synthesis of various meso-substituted corroles such as meso-halogen, meso-nitro, meso-amino, meso-oxo, and meso-iminocorroles as well as meso–meso-linked corrole dimers and corrole tapes. In some cases, 2NH corroles exist as stable or transient radical species. The impact of meso-functionalization on the structures, electronic properties, optical characteristics, and aromaticity of corroles are highlighted in this Minireview.     

On the effect of temperature on the dielectric relaxation time of some benzene derivatives and certain of their binary mixtures

Dielectric relaxation behaviour of polar molecules in a non-polar solvent, or mixtures of these substances at different microwave frequencies and over a range of temperatures and concentrations give an idea about inter- and intra-molecular forces. Also such studies enable one to calculate thermodynamic parameters such as, the change of activation energy for dipole orientation (Δ G?), the enthalpy (Δ H?) and entropy (Δ S?) of activation. Such studies in the case of binary, ternary, etc. mixtures of polar molecules in pure liquid phase or in dilute solution phase of them in a non-polar solvent help in drawing certain quantitative conclusions regarding their relaxation behaviour as to whether a single component is responsible for observed microwave absorption, or a cooperative phenomenon (average) by all the dipoles of the mixture contribute to it. An experimental investigation is here performed on typical systems. With this in view, systematic dielectric measurements in a range of temperatures are carried out at a single microwave frequency on a single weight fraction in benzene of the four substituted phenols, namely, p-fluorophenylacetonitrile, p-bromonitrobenzene, m-bromonitrobenzene and 2-chloro-6-fluoro-benzaldehyde and on binary (1?:?1) mixtures of [p-2-chloro-6-fluoro-benzaldehyde?+?o-ethylphenol] and [p-fluorophenylacetonitrile?+?2-n-butyl phenol] in benzene as solvent at different temperatures. The results are presented and discussed.