Determination of anisotropic optical constants and surface coverage of molecular films using polarized visible ATR spectroscopy. Application to adsorbed cytochrome c films

This article describes a method to determine the anisotropic optical constants and surface coverage of molecular films using polarized attenuated total reflectance (ATR) absorbance measurements. We have extended the transfer-matrix formalism to describe birefringent and dichroic films in ATR geometries and have combined it with an iterative numerical procedure to determine the anisotropic values of both the real (n) and imaginary (k) parts of the complex refractive index of the film under investigation. Anisotropic values of the imaginary part of the refractive index (k) allow for the determination of the surface coverage and one order parameter of the film. To illustrate this approach, we have used cytochrome c (cyt c) protein films adsorbed to glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces. Experimental results show that cyt c films on these surfaces, which were formed under identical conditions, have significant differences in their surface coverages (11.2 +/- 0.4 pmol/cm(2) on glass and 21.7 +/- 0.9 pmol/cm(2) on ITO); however, their order parameters are similar (0.30 +/- 0.02 on glass and 0.36 +/- 0.04 on ITO).     

Experiments in solid sampling gas chromatography

The influence of probe material on the total evaporation time of compounds injected into the gas chromatograph by solid sampling has been investigated. A quartz needle was found to give the shortest evaporation time. The type of analysis will, however, to some extent determine the probe material to be chosen. A comparison of solid sampling with liquid sampling showed that the former has a higher degree of reproducibility.     

Solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of flumequine and oxolinic acid in salmon plasma

Two methods for determination of oxolinic acid and flumequine in salmon plasma are described. The first method applies sample pretreatment on C2 disposable solid-phase extraction columns. The second method is based on direct plasma injection and on-line sample clean-up on a polystyrene-divinylbenzene precolumn. After column-switching, the analytes are separated on a polystyrene-divinylbenzene analytical column and detected with a fluorescence detector. Validation of the methods showed good sensitivity, precision and reproducibility. Both methods are well suited for determination of plasma levels of the drugs in pharmacokinetic studies in Atlantic salmon.     

Fully automated high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of whole blood and plasma samples using on-line dialysis as sample preparation. Determination of oxytetracycline in bovine and salmon whole blood and plasma.

A fully automated technique for high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of whole blood and plasma is described. Samples are automatically injected into a dialyser where proteins and blood cells are removed. The dialysates are concentrated on a small column prior to analysis. This technique is used for the determination of oxytetracycline in whole blood and plasma. After dialysis oxytetracycline and the internal standard, tetracycline, are retained on a polystyrene enrichment column and subsequently separated on a polystyrene analytical column by ion-pair chromatography. Using ultraviolet detection 50 ng/ml can be detected. Validation showed good within-day and between-day accuracy and precision. Different oxytetracycline concentrations were found in plasma and whole blood. This difference varied between the species.     

A comprehensive two-dimensional gel protein database of noncultured unfractionated normal human epidermal keratinocytes: towards an integrated approach to the study of cell proliferation, differentiation and skin diseases.

A two-dimensional (2-D) gel database of cellular proteins from noncultured, unfractionated normal human epidermal keratinocytes has been established. A total of 2651 [35S]methionine-labeled cellular proteins (1868 isoelectric focusing, 783 nonequilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis) were resolved and recorded using computer-aided 2-D gel electrophoresis. The protein numbers in this database differ from those reported in an earlier version due to changes in the scanning hardware (Celis et al., Electrophoresis 1990, 11, 242-254). Annotation categories reported include: "protein name" (listing 207 known proteins in alphabetical order), "basal cell markers", "differentiation markers", "proteins highly up-regulated in psoriatic skin", "microsequenced proteins" and "human autoantigens". For reference, we have also included 2-D gel (isoelectric focusing) patterns of cultured normal and psoriatic keratinocytes, melanocytes, fibroblasts, dermal microvascular endothelial cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and sweat duct cells. The keratinocyte 2-D gel protein database will be updated yearly in the November issue of Electrophoresis.     

Automated analysis of oxolinic acid and flumequine in salmon whole blood and plasma using dialysis combined with trace enrichment as on-line sample preparation for high-performance liquid chromatography

The use of dialysis as sample clean-up for high-performance liquid chromatography makes fully automated determination of drugs in whole blood and plasma possible. High recoveries of the analytes oxolinic acid and flumequine and the internal standard nalidixic acid are obtained after a short time of dialysis (7.3 min). The dilute dialysates are enriched on a small column packed with polystyrene. When dialysis is discontinued, the analytes are eluted by mobile phase to the analytical column. With UV detection the limit of detection was 50 ng/ml for both oxolinic acid and flumequine. Validation showed good precision and accuracy and good correlation between determinations in plasma and whole blood.     

Orthogonal method development using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of pharmaceuticals and impurities

A hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) method has been developed and validated as a secondary or orthogonal method complementary to a reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) method for quantitation of a polar active pharmaceutical ingredient and its three degradation products. The HILIC method uses a diol column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/water and ammonium chloride. The compounds of interest show significant differences in retention behaviors with the two very different chromatographic systems, which are desired in developing orthogonal methods. The HILIC method is validated and has met all validation acceptance criteria for the support of drug development activities.     

The relative orientation of the lipid and carbohydrate moieties of lipochitooligosaccharides related to nodulation factors depends on lipid chain saturation

Lipochitooligosaccharides (LCOs) signal the symbiosis of rhizobia with legumes and the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. LCOs 1 and 2 share identical tetrasaccharide scaffolds but different lipid moieties (1, LCO-IV(C16:1[9Z], SNa) and , LCO-IV(C16:2[2E,9Z], SNa)). The conformational behaviors of both LCOs were studied by molecular modeling and NMR. Modeling predicts that a small lipid modification would result in a different relative orientation of the lipid and tetrasaccharide moieties. Diffusion ordered spectroscopy reports that both LCOs form small aggregates above 1 mM. Nuclear Overhauser spectroscopy (NOESY) data, collected under monomeric conditions, reveals lipid-carbohydrate contacts only for 1, in agreement with the modeling data. The distinct molecular structures of 1 and 2 have the potential to contribute to their selective binding by legume proteins.     

Far-infrared and Raman spectra ofpseudo-tetrahedral complexes of ethylenedimorpholene

Summary The far-i.r. and Raman spectra of a closely related group ofpseudo-tetrahedral complexes of general formula [MX₂EDM] are reported (M = Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II, Zn^II; X = Cl or Br). EDM, ethylenedimorpholene, acts in these compounds as a bidentate nitrogen donor. The main skeletal vibrations are assigned under the approximate symmetry of theC _2v (MX₂Y₂) point group.