Normal- and Reversed-Phase Behaviour of 16,17-Secoestrone Derivatives on Cyanopropyl-Bonded Silica Gel

The retention behaviour of a number of 16,17-secoestrone derivatives has been studied by LC and HPTLC on a polar cyanopropyl-bonded stationary phase using non-aqueous and aqueous-organic mobile phases. The retention behaviour has been discussed in terms of nature of the solute, eluent and stationary phase. The correlation between retention constants of 16,17-secoestrone derivatives obtained from reversed-phases and commercially available ACD log P software (Advanced Chemistry, Toronto, Canada) has also been examined.     

Elemental fluorine : Part 20. Direct fluorination of deactivated aromatic systems using microreactor techniques

Continuous flow microreactor technology has been used for the direct fluorination of a range of deactivated di- and tri-substituted aromatic systems.     

Effect of the Physicochemical Properties of N,N-Disubstituted-2-phenylacetamide Derivatives on their Retention Behavior in RP-TLC

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - The chromatographic behavior of some N,N-disubstituted-2-phenyl-acetamide derivatives has been studied on the chemically bonded...     

Hyperbolic conservation laws with vanishing nonlinear diffusion and linear dispersion in heterogeneous media

We analyze family of solutions to multidimensional scalar conservation law, with flux depending on the time and space explicitly, regularized with vanishing diffusion and dispersion terms. Under a condition on the balance between diffusion and dispersion parameters, we prove that the family of solutions is precompact in L¹_loc{L^1_{\rm loc}}. Our proof is based on the methodology developed in Sazhenkov (Sibirsk Math Zh 47(2):431–454, 2006), which is in turn based on Panov’s extension (Panov and Yu in Mat Sb 185(2):87–106, 1994) of Tartar’s H-measures (Tartar in Proc R Soc Edinb Sect A 115(3–4):193–230, 1990), or Gerard’s micro-local defect measures (Gerard Commun Partial Differ Equ 16(11):1761–1794, 1991). This is new approach for the diffusion–dispersion limit problems. Previous results were restricted to scalar conservation laws with flux depending only on the state variable.     

Thin-Layer Chromatographic Screening of Transformer Oil for 2-Furaldehyde

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC -     

The effect of different workplace nanoparticles on the immune systems of employees

Currently, nanoparticles are widely present in the environment and are being used in various industrial technologies. Nanoparticles affect immune functions, causing different immune responses. The aim of the current study was to evaluate several cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), interferon-γ, adhesive molecule sICAM-1, macrophage inhibitory protein 1a (MIP1a) and secretory immunoglobulin A, in nasal lavage fluid and in the peripheral blood of healthy subjects exposed to workplace nanoparticles. Thirty-six employees from three different environments were examined: 12 from a metalworking company, 12 from a woodworking company and 12 office workers. The nanoparticles in the different workplaces were detected in the air in the immediate vicinity of the employees. The particle number concentration and surface area values were significantly higher in the workplaces of the metal- and woodworking industries, but concentrations of mass were lower (the measurements were performed by an electrical low-pressure impactor ELPI+). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, an attachment to a high-resolution SEM) was used to provide elemental analysis or chemical characterization of the dust particles in a low-vacuum field-free mode operating at a potential of 15 kV spot 3.0. The technique used provided quantitative and spatial analyses of the distribution of elements through mapping (two to three parallel measurements) and point analysis (four to five parallel measurements). Samples from the metal industry contained more ultramicroscopic and nanometric particles, e.g. toxic metals such as Zn, Mn and Cr, and fewer microscopic dust particles. The nasal lavage and peripheral blood were taken at the beginning and the end of the working week, when immune indices were measured. Our data showed a statistically significant increased level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α in serum in both exposed groups compared with office workers as well as a higher level of TNF-α in workers from the woodworking company compared with the metalworking employees. We found an elevated level of IL-6 in the exposed groups as well as an elevated level of IL-8 in the nasal lavage in woodworking employees after work.     

Electrodeposited Pd and PdNi coatings as electrodes for the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Electrodeposition of Pd and PdNi coating samples of different thicknesses, depending on the coating composition and current efficiency, was achieved...     

Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease (PLpro) Inhibitors Using Combined Computational Approach**

In the current pandemic, finding an effective drug to prevent or treat the infection is the highest priority. A rapid and safe approach to counteract COVID-19 is in silico drug repurposing. The SARS-CoV-2 PLpro promotes viral replication and modulates the host immune system, resulting in inhibition of the host antiviral innate immune response, and therefore is an attractive drug target. In this study, we used a combined in silico virtual screening for candidates for SARS-CoV-2 PLpro protease inhibitors. We used the Informational spectrum method applied for Small Molecules for searching the Drugbank database followed by molecular docking. After in silico screening of drug space, we identified 44 drugs as potential SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors that we propose for further experimental testing.