Cholesterol Hydroperoxides as Substrates for Cholesterol‐Metabolizing Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Alternative Sources of 25‐Hydroxycholesterol and other Oxysterols

The interaction of the primary autoxidation products of cholesterol, namely 25‐ and 20ξ‐hydroperoxides, with the four principal cholesterol‐metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes is reported. Addition of cholesterol 25‐hydroperoxide to the enzymes CYP27A1 and CYP11A1 induced well‐defined spectral changes while generating 25‐hydroxycholesterol as the major product. The 20ξ‐hydroperoxides induced spectral shifts in CYP27A1 and CYP11A1 but glycol metabolites were detected only with CYP11A1. CYP7A1 and CYP46A1 failed to give metabolites with any of the hydroperoxides. A P450 hydroperoxide‐shunt reaction is proposed, where the hydroperoxides serve as both donor for reduced oxygen and substrate. CYP27A1 was shown to mediate the reduction of cholesterol 25‐hydroperoxide to 25‐hydroxycholesterol, a role of potential significance for cholesterol‐rich tissues with high oxidative stress. CYP27A1 may participate in the removal of harmful autoxidation products in these tissues, while providing a complementary source of 25‐hydroxycholesterol, a modulator of immune cell function and mediator of viral cell entry.     

Role of the Polymer Matrix on the Photoluminescence of Embedded CdSe Quantum Dots

The photoluminescence (PL) of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) that form stable nanocomposites with polymer liquid crystals (LCs) as smectic C hydrogen‐bonded homopolymers from a family of poly[4‐(n‐acryloyloxyalkyloxy)benzoic acids] is reported. The matrix that results from the combination of these units with methoxyphenyl benzoate and cholesterol‐containing units has a cholesteric structure. The exciton PL band of QDs in the smectic matrix is redshifted with respect to QDs in solution, whereas a blueshift is observed with the cholesteric matrix. The PL lifetimes and quantum yield in cholesteric nanocomposites are higher than those in smectic ones. This is interpreted in terms of a higher order of the smectic matrix in comparison to the cholesteric one. CdSe QDs in the ordered smectic matrix demonstrate a splitting of the exciton PL band and an enhancement of the photoinduced differential transmission. These results reveal the effects of the structure of polymer LC matrices on the optical properties of embedded QDs, which offer new possibilities for photonic applications of QD–LC polymer nanocomposites.     

Ambazone salt with p-aminobenzoic acid

In this study, we obtained a novel salt of ambazone (AMB) with p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) that exhibits improved solubility and antibacterial activity. The salt was produced by solvent-drop grinding and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The salt nature of the new form was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy based on the characteristic vibrational band of the protonated amino group. Based on the X-ray powder diffraction data, the compound crystallizes in the triclinic P_-1 space group with the following unit cell parameters: a = 14.294 Å, b = 9.162 Å, c = 8.777 Å, α = 95.90°, β = 100.63°, γ = 91.73°. Thermal analysis reveals the thermal events and different decomposition steps of this solid form as compared to the starting compounds. Powder dissolution measurements showed solubility improvement compared with pure ambazone of 2 and 3.3 times in water and phosphate buffer, respectively. Antibacterial tests showed higher activity of the salt to Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Salmonella bacteria as compared to AMB and PABA. The study demonstrates that the pharmaceutical salt of ambazone with p-aminobenzoic acid (AMB–PABA) can be a possible alternative to ambazone in the treatment of infections with Gram-negative bacteria.     

Two low-cost digital camera-based platforms for quantitative creatinine analysis in urine

In clinical analysis creatinine is a routine biomarker for the assessment of renal and muscular dysfunctions. Although several techniques have been proposed for a fast and accurate quantification of creatinine in human serum or urine, most of them require expensive or complex apparatus, advanced sample preparation or skilled operators. To circumvent these issues, we propose two home-made platforms based on a CD Spectroscope (CDS) and Computer Screen Photo-assisted Technique (CSPT) for the rapid assessment of creatinine level in human urine. Both systems display a linear range (r² = 0.9967 and 0.9972, respectively) from 160 μmol L⁻¹ to 1.6 mmol L⁻¹ for standard creatinine solutions (n = 15) with respective detection limits of 89 μmol L⁻¹ and 111 μmol L⁻¹. Good repeatability was observed for intra-day (1.7–2.9%) and inter-day (3.6–6.5%) measurements evaluated on three consecutive days. The performance of CDS and CSPT was also validated in real human urine samples (n = 26) using capillary electrophoresis data as reference. Corresponding Partial Least-Squares (PLS) regression models provided for mean relative errors below 10% in creatinine quantification.     

On Stability of Thomson’s Vortex <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-gon in the Geostrophic Model of the Point Bessel Vortices

A stability analysis of the stationary rotation of a system of N identical point Bessel vortices lying uniformly on a circle of radius R is presented. The vortices have identical intensity Γ and length scale γ^?1 > 0. The stability of the stationary motion is interpreted as equilibrium stability of a reduced system. The quadratic part of the Hamiltonian and eigenvalues of the linearization matrix are studied. The cases for N = 2,..., 6 are studied sequentially. The case of odd N = 2?+1 ≥ 7 vortices and the case of even N = 2_n ≥ 8 vortices are considered separately. It is shown that the (2? + 1)-gon is exponentially unstable for 0 < γR<R_*(N). However, this (2? + 1)-gon is stable for γR ≥ R_*(N) in the case of the linearized problem (the eigenvalues of the linearization matrix lie on the imaginary axis). The even N = 2n ≥ 8 vortex 2n-gon is exponentially unstable for R > 0.