PENETRATION POTENCY OF TOPICAL APPLIED δ-AMINOLEVULINIC ACID FOR PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY OF BASAL CELL CARCINOMA *

Abstract Penetration potency of δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was studied by examining fluorescence of endogenous protoporphyrin IX in different histological types of basal cell carcinoma. Ten basal cell carcinomas were coated with an ointment containing 10% ALA prior to excision; five served as controls. Tumors were excised either 4 h or 12 h after application of ALA using a modified Mohs’micrographic surgical technique. Horizontal sections were cut from deep dermis to tumor surface and examined under a fluorescence microscope. After 4 h of application, only skin appendages demonstrated fluorescence typical of protoporphyrin IX. After 12 h, fluorescence was detectable in tumor cells in deep dermis. The five controls revealed no fluorescence at any site. These results may confirm the high penetration potential of topically applied ALA and its usefulness in photodynamic therapy. For tumors penetrating to deep dermis, an application time of more than 4 h seems necessary, at least when hydrophilic solvents for ALA are used.     

Spectrophotometric determination of iron as phenylfluorone complex sensitized with Triton X-100

Summary The effect of some surfactants and protective colloids on the absorbance of the iron(III)-phenylfluorone complex has been investigated. The binary complex formed at pH 9.0 show a molar absorptivity of 7.5×10⁴ l · mol^–1 · cm^–1 at 530 nm. In the presence of 2% Triton X-100, at the same pH, the molar absorptivity of the sensitized complex was 1.19×10⁵ l · mo^–1 · cm^–1 at 555 nm. Full colour development of the sensitized complex occurred within 25 min and Beer's law was followed up to 0.53 ppm of iron. The molar ratio and continuous variation methods indicated a 13 metal-ligand ratio for the sensitized complex. The effect of various amounts of different ions has been studied under the experimental conditions and some masking agents were recommended. The method has been applied to the determination of iron in copper and nickel metals and some non-ferrous alloys.

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Spektralphotometrische Bestimmung von Eisen als Phenylfluoronkomplex sensibilisiert mit Triton X-100

     

Spectroscopic and Quantum Mechanical Studies of Substituted Anilines and their Charge-Transfer Complexes with Iodine in Different Solvents

Summary. Equilibrium constants and molar extinction coefficients for 1:1 charge-transfer complexes between 2-hydroxyaniline (HA), 5-chloro-2-hydroxyaniline (CHA), and 4-bromo-2,6-dimethylaniline (BMA) as donors and iodine, as a typical σ-acceptor were determined spectrophotometrically in chloroform, dichloromethane, and carbontetrachloride solutions. Spectral characteristics and formation constants are discussed in terms of donor molecular structure and solvent polarity. The stoichiometry of the complexes was established to be 1:1. For this purpose, optical data were subjected to the form of the Rose-Drago equation for 1:1 equilibria. Electronic absorption spectra of the studied anilines were measured in different solvents. Spectral data were reported and band maxima were assigned to the appropriate molecular orbital transitions (π–π^* and n–π^* electronic transition). Solvent effects on the electronic transitions were discussed. Optimized geometry of the studied anilines was obtained at B3LYP/6-31 + G(d). The effect of the electronic factors of the substituents on the geometrical parameters of the ring has been explored. Geometrical values of the ring deviate from the regular hexagonal ring. Intramolecular H-bonds in HA and CHA have been computed at B3LYP/6-31 + G(d) and MP2/6-31 + G(d) levels. The H-bonding distance was calculated to be 2.105 ? in HA and 2.127 ? in CHA. Abstracted from her M.Sc. thesis     

Optimized Green Extraction of Polyphenols from Cassia javanica L. Petals for Their Application in Sunflower Oil: Anticancer and Antioxidant Properties

The total phenolic content (TPC) from Cassia javanica L. petals were extracted using ethanolic solvent extraction at concentrations ranging from 0 to 90% and an SCF-CO₂ co-solvent at various pressures. Ultrasound-assisted extraction parameters were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Antioxidant and anticancer properties of total phenols were assessed. An SCF-CO₂ co-solvent extract was nano-encapsulated and applied to sunflower oil without the addition of an antioxidant. The results indicated that the best treatment for retaining TPC and total flavonoids content (TFC) was SCF-CO₂ co-solvent followed by the ultrasound and ethanolic extraction procedures. Additionally, the best antioxidant activity by β-carotene/linoleic acid and DPPH free radical-scavenging test systems was observed by SCF-CO₂ co-solvent then ultrasound and ethanolic extraction methods. SCF-CO₂ co-solvent recorded the highest inhibition % for PC3 (76.20%) and MCF7 (98.70%) and the lowest IC₅₀ value for PC3 (145 µ/mL) and MCF7 (96 µ/mL). It was discovered that fortifying sunflower oil with SCF-CO₂ co-solvent nanoparticles had a beneficial effect on free fatty acids and peroxide levels. The SCF-CO₂ method was finally found to be superior and could be used in large-scale processing.     

Inversion of guided-wave dispersion data with application to borehole acoustics

The problem of inferring unknown geometry and material parameters of a waveguide model from noisy samples of the associated modal dispersion curves is considered. In a significant reduction of the complexity of a common inversion methodology, the inner of two nested iterations is eliminated: The approach described does not employ explicit fitting of the data to computed dispersion curves. Instead, the unknown parameters are adjusted to minimize a cost function derived directly from the determinant of the boundary condition system matrix. This results in an efficient inversion scheme that, in the case of noise-free data, yields exact results. Multimode data can be simultaneously processed without extra complications. Furthermore, the inversion scheme can accommodate an arbitrary number of unknown parameters, provided that the data have sufficient sensitivity to these parameters. As an important application, we consider the sonic guidance condition for a fluid-filled borehole in an elastic, homogeneous, and isotropic rock formation for numerical forward and inverse dispersion analysis. We investigate numerically the parametric inversion with errors in the model parameters and the influence of bandwidth and noise, and examine the cases of multifrequency and multimode data, using simulated flexural and Stoneley dispersion data.     

MCNP Dose Calculations in a CT Phantom for Therapeutic External Photon Beam

In this paper, we have addressed the problem of the radiation transport with the Monte Carlo N particle(MCNP) code. This is a general purpose Monte Carlo tool designed to transport neutron, photon and electron in three dimensional geometries. To examine the performance of MCNP5 code in the field of external radiotherapy, we performed the modeling of an Electron Density phantom (EDP) irradiated by photons from 60Co source. The model was used to calculate the Percent Depth Dose (PDD) at different depths in an EDP. One field size for PDD has been examined. A 60Co photons source placed at 80 cm source to surface distance (SSD). The results of calculations were compared to TPS data obtained at National Institute of Oncology of Rabat.     

Dielectric Properties of Colossal-Dielectric-Constant Na1/2La1/2Cu3Ti4O12 Ceramics Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

In the current study, we report on the dielectric behavior of colossal-dielectric-constant Na_1/2La_1/2Cu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (NLCTO) ceramics prepared by mechanochemical synthesis and spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 850 °C, 900 °C, and 925 °C for 10 min. X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed that all the ceramics have a cubic phase. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed an increase in the average grain size from 175 to 300 nm with an increase in the sintering temperature. SPS NLCTO ceramics showed a room-temperature colossal dielectric constant (>10³) and a comparatively high dielectric loss (>0.1) over most of the studied frequency range (1 Hz–40 MHz). Two relaxation peaks were observed in the spectra of the electrical modulus and attributed to the response of grain and grain boundary. According to the Nyquist plots of complex impedance, the SPS NLCTO ceramics have semiconductor grains surrounded by electrically resistive grain boundaries. The colossal dielectric constant of SPS NLCTO ceramics was attributed to the internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) effect. The high dielectric loss is thought to be due to the low resistivity of the grain boundary of SPS NLCTO.     

First synthesis of selenadiazolo[3,4‐i] Benzazepine derivatives

5‐Methyl‐4‐nitro‐2,1,3‐benzoselenadiazole ( 1 ) was converted into (E)‐5‐(2‐dimethylamino)vinylbenzo‐[c](1,2,5)selenadiazole‐4‐amine ( 4 ) by initial treatment with dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (DMFDMA) ( 2 ) followed by selective reduction using ammonium bromide in methanol. Compound 4 afforded the selenadiazolo[3,4‐i][1]benzazepine derivatives ( 7, 10, 13, 15 ) upon treatment with malononitrile ( 5 ), ethyl cyanoacetate ( 8 ) and cyanoacetamide ( 11 ) respectively.     

Synthesis of nano-sized zeolite-Y functionalized with 5-amino-3-thiomethyl 1H-pyrazole-4-carbonitrile for effective Fe(III)-chelating strategy

Zeolite crystals having faujasite-type (FAU) topology in the nanometer range were first synthesized from amorphous rice husk ash at a low temperature of 363 K under autogenous pressure. Following this, surface functionalization of the produced zeolite with 5-amino-3-thiomethyl 1H-pyrazole-4-carbonitrile (pyrazole; Py) was carried out by two different methods, namely liquefied-period adsorption of Py (Py/Y_im) and a flexible ligand method (Py/Y_ss). The latter provides a larger amount of Py formed into as-made zeolite-Y. The sorption of Fe(III) onto Py/NaY afforded large meso–macroporosity introduced by the aggregation–assembly between Fe(III)Py complexes and NaY zeolite, which was typically evidenced for Fe(III)Py/Y_ss. The materials were characterized by XRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA) and porous structure by N₂ adsorption–desorption at 77 K. The XRD evaluation showed that the zeolite structure was managed right after adding Fe(III) to Py/Y, although a change in intensity of the zeolite reflections on complex formation was noticed. The FT-IR spectrum of Fe(III)Py/Y_ss exhibited two bands at 3594 and 3542 cm^?1 assigned to bridging hydroxyl groups associated with a Brönsted site, which did not exist in the spectra of Fe(III)Py/Y_im and Fe(III)-exchanged as-made NaY zeolite. This effect was ascribed to the induced greater electronegativity of the ligand towards Fe(III) species in dissociation of water molecules, producing acidic protons that are potential Brönsted acid sites. It was also evident that the Fe(III) adsorption capacity on Py/Y_ss is greater than on as-made NaY zeolite and Py/Y_im, owing most likely to the increasing concentration of the incorporating Py ligand which leads to an increase in the number of binding sites. The Fe(III) adsorption onto Py/Y_ss was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Density functional theory (B3LYP/6-311G*) was performed to understanding the interaction mode of the ligand and complex with zeolite. The QSPR was calculated depending on the optimization geometries, frontier molecular orbitals, thermodynamic parameters, and global chemical reactivates, which were discussed for the studied compounds. The HOMOs, LUMOs and molecular electrostatic potentials were plotted to elucidate the interaction manner of the tested compounds with the zeolite. The nonlinear optical properties were elucidated via 1st and 2nd hyper-polarizabilities. The auto-degradation behavior was predicted for the complex, based on the ionization optional and bond dissociation enthalpy. The interactions between P_y and Fe(III)P_y with the zeolite surface have been described with molecular dynamics using a Monte Carlo simulation.