Half-life of41Ca

The half-life of⁴¹Ca has been redetermined to be (1.01 ±0.10)×10⁵ yr from the specific activity of a sample of enriched calcium material and its⁴¹Ca concentration. The activity was measured with a Si(Li) detector via the 3.3-keV X rays emitted in the electron capture decay of⁴¹Ca to⁴¹K. The⁴¹Ca concentration was measured by mass spectrometry. Since our result agrees well with the two most recent half-life measurements of Mabuchi et al. (1974), (1.13±0.12)×10⁵ yr, and Klein et al. (1990), (1.03±0.07)×10⁵ yr, we recommend the weighted mean of these three measurements, t_1/2=(1.04±0.05)×10⁵ yr, as the most accurate value of the half-life of⁴¹Ca.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. P. Kienle on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Chemical Constituents of Brown Rice Grain (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis>)

One new compound 3,7,11,15,19-pentamethyl-9α,10α,11α,17α,18α-pentahydroxy-n-tetracosan-1-oxy-p-hydroxycaffeoate (oryzaterpenyl caffeoate) (1), together with three known fatty acids linoleic acid, stearic acid and myristic acid were isolated and identified from the rice grain of Oryza sativa. The structure of the new compound was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques (¹H-¹HCOSY, ¹H-¹³C HETCOR) aided by EI-MS, and IR spectra. __________ Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 535–537, November–December, 2005.     

Measurement of lead-210, bismuth-210, and polonium-210 in environmental samples

Mathematical equations governing the ratio of²¹⁰Bi/²¹⁰Pb and²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activities are used to explain the ingrowth of²¹⁰Bi and²¹⁰Po in environmental samples during post collection. Procedures are described for radiochemical separation of²¹⁰Pb,²¹⁰Bi, and²¹⁰Po in a state of radioactive disequilibrium and quantification by alpha- and beta-counting. Also, the special case is considered where²¹⁰Bi is in equilibrium with²¹⁰Pb, but both are in disequilibrium with²¹⁰Po. In this case, the activities of both²¹⁰Pb and²¹⁰Po are computed by measuring²¹⁰Po activity twice, using alpha-counting.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-substituted-4-nitroimidazole ribonucleosides

The imidazole nucleosides, 4(5)-bromo-5(4)-nitro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazoles, have been prepared via glycosylation of the trimethylsilylated aglycone, 4(5)-bromo-5(4)-nitroimidazole, with tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-ribo-furanose followed by removal of the acetyl protecting groups. The 5-bromo-4-nitro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazole nucleoside was acetonated to produce 5-bromo-4-nitro-1-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-imidazole which was cyclized to provide the corresponding anhydronucleoside 5,5′-anhydro-4-nitro-5-oxo-1-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)imidazole. Sodium hydrosulfide treatment of 5-bromo-4-nitroimidazole nucleoside provided 5-mercapto-4-nitro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazole 5-sodium salt which was alkylated with E-1,5-diiodopent-1-ene to yield 5-(E-1-iodo-1-penten-5-yl)thio-4-nitro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazole. The corresponding iodine-125-labeled compound was prepared similarly using radiolabeled diiodopentene. The 5-bromo-4-nitroimidazole, 5-mercapto-4-nitroimidazole, and 5-iodopentenylthio-4-nitroimidazole nucleosides were cytotoxic to Molt-3 cells in vitro at concentrations higher than 10 μg/mL. The radiolabeled 5-iodopentenylthio-4-nitroimidazole nucleoside showed 2-fold higher uptake in a rapidly growing tumor as compared to uptake in a relatively slower growing tumor in mice.     

Precision measurement ofK-shell fluorescence yields in actinide elements

High-precision measurements ofK Auger electron andK x-ray intensities have been made for several transuranium elements and these have been used to determineK-shell fluorescence yields (ω _K ). The electron spectra were measured with a cooled Si(Li) spectrometer and the photon spectra were taken with Ge(Li) diodes. Very thin mass-separated samples of nuclides, which decay predominantly by electron capture, were used in the present experiments. From our present measurements the following values ofK- shell fluorescence yield have been obtained: Np, 97.2±0.3%; Pu, 97.2±0.4%; Cm, 97.1 ±0.6%; Bk, 97.1±0.4%; Cf, 97.3±0.4%; and Es, 97.2±0.5%. These numbers indicate that theK-fluorescence yield for elements in theZ=93 toZ=99 region remains constant within the experimental error. The weighted average of these numbers is 97.19% with external error of 0.03% and internal error of 0.17%. This value is in excellent agreement with known theoretical calculations.     

Microwave Irradiation and Glutamic Acid-Assisted Phytotreatment of Tannery and Surgical Industrial Wastewater by Sorghum

We investigated how different doses of microwave irradiation (MR) affect seed germination in Sorghum, including the level of remediation against textile and surgical wastewater (WW) by modulating biochemical and morpho-physiological mechanisms under glutamic acid (GA) application. The experiment was conducted to determine the impact of foliar-applied GA on Sorghum under wastewater conditions. Plants were treated with or without microwave irradiation (30 s, 2.45 GHz), GA (5 and 10 mM), and wastewater (0, 25, 50, and 100). Growth and photosynthetic pigments were significantly decreased in plants only treated with various concentrations of WW. GA significantly improved the plant growth characteristics both in MR-treated and -untreated plants compared with respective controls. HMs stress increased electrolyte leakage (EL), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content; however, the GA chelation significantly improved the antioxidant enzymes activities such as ascorbate oxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) both in MR-treated and -untreated plants under WW stress compared with respective controls. The results suggested that the MR-treated plants accumulate higher levels of HMs under GA addition in comparison to the WW-only-treated and MR-untreated plants. The maximum increase in Cd accumulation was observed in the range of 14–629% in the roots, 15–2964% in the stems, and 26–4020% in the leaves; the accumulation of Cu was 18–2757% in the roots, 15–4506% in the stems, and 23–4605% in the leaves; and the accumulation of Pb was 13–4122% in the roots, 21–3588% in the stems, and 21–4990% in the leaves under 10 mM GA and MR-treated plants. These findings confirmed that MR-treated sorghum plants had a higher capacity for HMs uptake under GA and could be used as a potential candidate for wastewater treatment.     

Exogenous Application of Green Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) to Improve the Germination,Physiochemical, and Yield Parameters of Wheat Plants under Salinity Stress

Agriculture is the backbone of every developing country. Among various crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) belongs to the family Poaceae and is the most important staple food crop of various countries. Different biotic (viruses, bacteria and fungi) and abiotic stresses (water logging, drought and salinity) adversely affect the qualitative and quantitative attributes of wheat. Among these stresses, salinity stress is a very important limiting factor affecting the morphological, physiological, biochemical attributes and grain yield of wheat. This research work was carried out to evaluate the influence of phytosynthesized TiO₂ NPs on the germination, physiochemical, and yield attributes of wheat varieties in response to salinity. TiO₂ NPs were synthesized using TiO₂ salt and a Buddleja asiatica plant extract as a reducing and capping agent. Various concentrations of TiO₂ nanoparticles (20, 40, 60 and 80 mg/L) and salt solutions (NaCl) (100 and 150 mM) were used. A total of 20 mg/L and 40 mg/L improve germination attributes, osmotic and water potential, carotenoid, total phenolic, and flavonoid content, soluble sugar and proteins, proline and amino acid content, superoxide dismutase activity, and reduce malondialdhehyde (MDA) content at both levels of salinity. These two concentrations also improved the yield attributes of wheat varieties at both salinity levels. The best results were observed at 40 mg/L of TiO₂ NPs at both salinity levels. However, the highest concentrations (60 and 80 mg/L) of TiO₂ NPs showed negative effects on germination, physiochemical and yield characteristics and causes stress in both wheat varieties under control irrigation conditions and salinity stress. Therefore, in conclusion, the findings of this research are that the foliar application of TiO₂ NPs can help to improve tolerance against salinity stress in plants.     

Dually Responsive Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) Polymersomes for Controlled Delivery

Limited tissue selectivity and targeting of anticancer therapeutics in systemic administration can produce harmful side effects in the body. Various polymer nano-vehicles have been developed to encapsulate therapeutics and prevent premature drug release. Dually responsive polymeric vesicles (polymersomes) assembled from temperature-/pH-sensitive block copolymers are particularly interesting for the delivery of encapsulated therapeutics to targeted tumors and inflamed tissues. We have previously demonstrated that temperature-responsive poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-b-PVCL polymersomes exhibit high loading efficiency of anticancer therapeutics in physiological conditions. However, the in-vivo toxicity of these polymersomes as biocompatible materials has not yet been explored. Nevertheless, developing an advanced therapeutic nanocarrier must provide the knowledge of possible risks from the material’s toxicity to support its future clinical research in humans. Herein, we studied pH-induced degradation of PVCL₁₀-b-PDMS₆₅-b-PVCL₁₀ vesicles in-situ and their dually (pH- and temperature-) responsive release of the anticancer drug, doxorubicin, using NMR, DLS, TEM, and absorbance spectroscopy. The toxic potential of the polymersomes was evaluated in-vivo by intravenous injection (40 mg kg⁻¹ single dose) of PVCL₁₀-PDMS₆₅-PVCL₁₀ vesicles to mice. The sub-acute toxicity study (14 days) included gravimetric, histological, and hematological analyses and provided evidence for good biocompatibility and non-toxicity of the biomaterial. These results show the potential of these vesicles to be used in clinical research.     

Theragnostic Applications of Mammal and Plant-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Latest Findings,Current Technologies,and Prospects

The way cells communicate is not fully understood. However, it is well-known that extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved. Researchers initially thought that EVs were used by cells to remove cellular waste. It is now clear that EVs function as signaling molecules released by cells to communicate with one another, carrying a cargo representing the mother cell. Furthermore, these EVs can be found in all biological fluids, making them the perfect non-invasive diagnostic tool, as their cargo causes functional changes in the cells upon receiving, unlike synthetic drug carriers. EVs last longer in circulation and instigate minor immune responses, making them the perfect drug carrier. This review sheds light on the latest development in EVs isolation, characterization and, application as therapeutic cargo, novel drug loading techniques, and diagnostic tools. We also address the advancement in plant-derived EVs, their characteristics, and applications; since plant-derived EVs only recently gained focus, we listed the latest findings. Although there is much more to learn about, EV is a wide field of research; what scientists have discovered so far is fascinating. This paper is suitable for those new to the field seeking to understand EVs and those already familiar with it but wanting to review the latest findings.