Syntheses of C-5-spirocyclic C-glycoside SGLT2 inhibitors

Several syntheses of C-5-spirocycle-containing C-glycosides are discussed. A multigram-scale synthesis capitalizing on a one-pot aldol-Cannizzaro sequence is described. Spiro oxetane formation using an unprotected penta-ol C-glycoside as substrate is also exemplified. Functional assessment of these compounds for potency and selectivity was evaluated at human SGLT2 and SGLT1.     

Investigation of the influence of high-risk human papillomavirus on the biochemical composition of cervical cancer cells using vibrational spectroscopy

The main aetiology of cervical cancer is infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical cancer is almost 100% curable if detected in the early stages. Thus, information about the presence and levels of HPV in patient samples has high clinical value. As current screening methods, such as the Pap smear test, are highly subjective and in many cases show low sensitivity and specificity, new supportive techniques are desirable to improve the quality of cervical cancer screening. In this study, vibrational spectroscopic techniques (Raman and Fourier Transform Infra Red absorption) have been applied to the investigation of four cervical cancer cell lines: HPV negative C33A, HPV-18 positive HeLa with 20-50 integrated HPV copies per cell, HPV-16 positive SiHa with 1-2 integrated HPV strands per cell and HPV-16 positive CaSki containing 60-600 integrated HPV copies per cell. Results show that vibrational spectroscopic techniques can discriminate between the cell lines and elucidate cellular differences originating from proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. Similarities between C33A and SiHa cells were exhibited in the Raman and infrared spectra and were confirmed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Analysis of the biochemical composition of the investigated cells, with the aid of PCA, showed a clear discrimination between the C33A-SiHa group and HeLa and CaSki cell lines indicating the potential of vibrational spectroscopic techniques as a support to current methods for cervical cancer screening.     

Investigating out-of-specification test results of chemical composition based on metrological concepts

A metrological background for investigating out-of-specification (OOS) test results of chemical composition is discussed. When an OOS test result is identified, it is important to determine its root causes and to avoid reoccurrence of such results. An investigation of the root causes based on metrological concepts would be beneficial. It includes (1) assessment of validation data of the measurement process, (2) evaluation of the measurement uncertainty contributions, and (3) assessment of metrological traceability chains critical for measurement parameters and environmental conditions influencing the test results. The questions, how can the validation data be applied for this investigation, and how can measurement uncertainty contributions and/or metrological traceability chains change a probability of OOS test results, are analyzed.     

Parameters affecting the adhesion strength between a living cell and a colloid probe when measured by the atomic force microscope

In this study, we used the colloid probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique to investigate the adhesion force between a living cell and a silica colloid particle in a Leibovitz's L-15 medium (L-15). The L-15 liquid maintained the pharmaceutical conditions necessary to keep the cells alive in the outside environment during the AFM experiment. The force curves in such a system showed a steric repulsion in the compression force curve, due to the compression of the cells by the colloid probe, and an adhesion force in the decompression force curve, due to binding events between the cell and the probe. We also investigated for the first time how the position on the cell surface, the strength of the pushing force, and the residence time of the probe at the cell surface individually affected the adhesion force between a living cell and a 6.84 μm diameter silica colloid particle in L-15. The position of measuring the force on the cell surface was seen not to affect the value of the maximum adhesion force. The loading force was also seen not to notably affect the value of the maximum adhesion force, if it was small enough not to pierce and damage the cell. The residence time of the probe at the cell surface, however, clearly affected the adhesion force, where a longer residence time gave a larger maximum force. From these results, we could conclude that the AFM force measurements should be made using a loading force small enough not to damage the cell and a fixed residence time, when comparing results of different systems.     

Substrate flexibility of a 2,6-dideoxyglycosyltransferase

We report the first 2,6-dideoxysugar-O-glycosyltransferase with substrate flexibility at the 2 position, confirm the function of a putative NDP-hexose 2,3-dehydratase in the jadomycin B biosynthetic gene cluster and deduce the substrate flexibility of downstream enzymes in l-digitoxose assembly, enabling reprogramming of biosynthetic gene clusters to modify sugar substituents.     

A two-step process for graphically summarizing spatial temporal multivariate data in two dimensions

Graphical illustration and exploration of atmospheric data, like those from the 2006 ASA Data Exposition, is challenging. We chose to employ a two-step process, which consisted of exploring the presented data (1) from a ‘global’ view by simultaneously displaying the spatial and temporal components of individual variables in the data set using a geographic grid of polar coordinate plots or circular histograms that incorporated elevation as a background color, and (2) from a ‘local’ view by displaying the relationships between multiple variables at specific geographic locations and/or time points/periods (selected via step 1) using scatterplot matrices.     

Analysis of the products of thermal decomposition of an aromatic polyamide fabric

The thermal degradation of an aromatic polyamide was studied under conditions of pyrolysis and oxidative degradation at 550°C and of flaming combustion. Techniques described elsewhere were used to determine the volatile compounds quantitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The condensible material and the solid residue were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and MS, and in pyrolysis experiments 28 compounds were identified (CO, CO₂, H₂O, and C₆H₅CN were the primary products). Collectively, these compounds accounted for 79% of the sample weight loss. The remaining 21% was a condensible material that contained at least 17 compounds; the two major components were 1,3-dicyanobenzene and 3-cyanobenzoic acid. Most of the nitrogen content of the polymer remained as involatile residue. This study was sufficiently detailed to obtain a mass balance between the composition of the original polymer and the sum of the observed pyrolysis products. The major products observed in pyrolysis experiments supported a mechanism that involved the cleavage of an aromatic-NH bond and the loss of H₂O to form aromatic nitriles. Hydrolysis of the amide linkage, followed by decarboxylation of the product acid, accounted for the high concentrations of CO₂ observed. Oxidative degradation at 450°C yielded ten identifiable compounds and an additional 19 volatile compounds were formed at 550°C. The condensible fraction, which contained at least 20 compounds, was similar in composition to the fraction collected from the pyrolysis experiments. The sum of the carbon content from the two major volatile products of oxidative degradation (CO and CO₂) and from the solid residue quantitatively accounted for the carbon content in the original sample. Flaming combustion studies revealed a markedly different product distribution than was observed under nonflaming conditions, especially in regard to the higher-molecular-weight species.     

Physicochemical characterization of PEG1500-12-acyloxy-stearate micelles and liquid crystalline phases

PEG 12-acyloxy-stearates are used as drug delivery carriers that have low cell damage effects. The mechanical and physical properties surrounding these processes and surfactants are still however not known. In this study, the physicochemical micellar properties of PEG 12-acyloxy-stearates were characterized by optical microscopic, nuclear magnetic resonance, and small-angle X-ray scattering techniques. We determined the phase diagrams of the surfactants as a function of surfactant concentration and temperature, the micellar size and shape, and micellar dynamics. We found that each surfactant has a micellar, cubic Im3m, and hexagonal phase. The aggregation number in the discrete cubic phase, as determined by small-angle X-ray scattering, was approximately 150 for each surfactant, and showed no measurable chain-length dependence. The diffusion coefficients of the surfactant showed a discontinuity between the micellar and cubic phases, where the cubic phases gave very low values on the order of 10(-)(16) m(2) s(-)(1): this value indicates a non-bicontinuous cubic structure. In summary, these surfactants behave to a large extent as nonionic poly(ethylene glycol) surfactants with extended PEG headgroups.     

Water Absorption into Construction Materials: Comparison of Neutron Radiography Data with Network Absorption Models

Two different porous building materials have been previously measured and analysed (El-Abd and Milczarek, 2004, IEEE Trans. Nuclear Sci.; El-Abd et al., 2004, J. Phys. D) using neutron radiography to measure the water front position over time. The results from this experimental approach show a similar behaviour to the predictions from idealised model structures, in that there is a cross over point where the fastest rate of absorption at first favours the finer structure material and at later times favours the coarser pore structure material. The computer model, Pore-Cor** is used to generate the idealised structures and the absorption of fluid into porous structures follows a Bosanquet wetting algorithm for fluids undergoing both inertial and viscous dynamical flow (Ridgway and Gane, 2002, Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 206, 217–239.). The model structures comprise cubic pores connected by cylindrical throats on a three-dimensional 10× 10× 10 position matrix simulating the void structure of porous media by fitting as closely as possible the modelled mercury intrusion curve to that of the experimentally determined mercury intrusion curve of the actual sample. They show the transition that occurs in the absorption behaviour from the linear t-dependent short timescale inertial regime to the familiar √t Lucas-Washburn viscous regime. The simulated absorption algorithm applied to these model structures also shows a fluid position behaviour that replicates qualitatively, given the limitation of representative sample volume, the cross over seen experimentally. Furthermore, the existence of a preferred wetting path is demonstrated in the experimental as well as the model wetting front behaviour. In the case of the structure containing the broader range of pore sizes, the wetting front is considered to proceed by a network of optimal size combinations (inertial wetting versus viscous drag) and connectivity, leaving some pores behind the wetting front unfilled or only partially filled. ** Pore-Cor is a software program of the Environmental and Fluids Modelling Group, University of Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, U.K.