MR monitoring of focused ultrasound surgery in a breast tissue model in vivo

The objective of this study was to investigate MRI methods for monitoring focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) of breast tumors. To this end, the mammary glands of sheep were used as tissue model. The tissue was treated in vivo with numerous single sonications which covered extended target volumes by employing a scanning technique. The ultrasound focus position was controlled by online temperature mapping based on the temperature dependence of the relaxation time T(1). This approach proved to be reliable and offers thus an alternative to proton resonance frequency methods, whose application is hampered in fatty tissues. FUS-induced tissue changes were visible on T(2)- as well as on pre- and post-contrast T(1)-weighted images. According to our initial experience, noninvasive MRI-guided FUS of breast tumors is feasible.     

Solving Nonlinear p-Adic Pseudo-differential Equations: Combining the Wavelet Basis with the Schauder Fixed Point Theorem

We consider the pointwise convergence problem for the solution of Schrödinger-type equations along directions determined by a given compact subset of the real line. This problem contains Carleson’s problem as the simplest case and was studied in general by Cho et al. We extend their result from the case of the classical Schrödinger equation to a class of equations which includes the fractional Schrödinger equations. To achieve this, we significantly simplify their proof by completely avoiding a time localization argument.     

Anomalous rotational eddy current loss in electrical steel sheets

The rotational eddy current loss of different qualities of electrical steel sheets has been determined with a dynamical torque magnetometer. The measured values of the losses are higher than the losses calculated with a classical formula. The difference grows with increasing ratio of grain size to sheet thickness. In alternating fields this phenomenon has been explained theoretically by the Pry and Bean model.     

Reevaluation of the kinetics of polynuclear mimics for manganese catalases

Considerable effort has been expended in order to understand the mechanism of manganese catalases and to develop functional mimics for these enzymes. For many years, the most efficient reactivity mimic was [MnIVsalpn(mu-O)]2 [H2salpn = 1,3-bis(salicylideneiminato)propane], a compound that cycles between the MnIV2 and MnIII2 oxidation levels instead of the MnII2 and MnIII2 oxidation states used by the enzyme, with kcat = 250 s(-1) and kcat/KM = 1000 M(-1) s(-1). Recently, a truly exceptional high value of kcat was reported for the complex [Mn(bpia)(mu-OAc)]22+ [bpia = bis(picolyl)(N-methylimidazol-2-yl)amine]. On the basis of a calculated kcat value of 1100 s(-1) and an efficiency kcat/KM of 34 000 M(-1) s(-1), this complex has been suggested to represent a significant breakthrough in catalytic efficiencies of manganese catalase mimics. However, a plot of ri/[cat]T vs [H2O2]0, where the saturation value approaches 1.5 s(-1), is inconsistent with the 1100 s(-1) value tabulated for kcat. Similar discrepancies are observed for two other families of manganese complexes containing either a Mn2(mu-OPh)22+ core and different substituted tripodal ligands or complexes of methyl and ethyl salicylimidate, with an Mn2(mu-OPh)24+ core. Reevaluation of the kinetic parameters for these three systems reveals that the originally reported values were overestimated by a factor of approximately 1000 for both kcat and kcat/KM. We discuss the origin of the discrepancy between the previously published kinetic parameters and the newly derived values. Furthermore, we provide a short analysis of the existing manganese catalase mimics in an effort to provide sound directions for future investigations in this field.     

Obesity and Energy Substrate Transporters in Ovarian Cancer—Review

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women. It is characterized by a high mortality rate because of its aggressiveness and advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. It is a nonhomogenous group of neoplasms and, of which the molecular basics are still being investigated. Nowadays, the golden standard in the treatment is debulking cytoreductive surgery combined with platinum-based chemotherapy. We have presented the interactions and the resulting perspectives between fatty acid transporters, glucose transporters and ovarian cancer cells. Studies have shown the association between a lipid-rich environment and cancer progression, which suggests the use of correspondent transporter inhibitors as promising chemotherapeutic agents. This review summarizes preclinical and clinical studies highlighting the role of fatty acid transport proteins and glucose transporters in development, growth, metastasizing and its potential use in targeted therapies of ovarian cancer.     

Characterization of Mint Essential Oils by High-performance Liquid Chromatography and Chemometrics

The raw material from Mentha piperita L, M. arvensis L, M. longifolia L, M. spicata, and M. suaveolens from various locations were extracted using steam distillation to obtain the mint essential oils. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to obtain fingerprints of the mint samples. SpecAlign, Savitzky–Golay, recursive alignment by fast Fourier transform, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and principal component analysis were used to characterize the chromatograms. The results were used to confirm the similarities of M. longifolia collected in Ostrowsko, Poland in 2013 and 2014. The considerable similarity of these M. longifolia samples demonstrates that the reported chemometric approach is suitable for the classification of plant materials.     

Physicochemical study of spiropyran-terthiophene derivatives: photochemistry and thermodynamics

The photochemistry and thermodynamics of two terthiophene (TTh) derivatives bearing benzospiropyran (BSP) moieties, 1-(3,3″-dimethylindoline-6'-nitrobenzospiropyranyl)-2-ethyl 4,4″-didecyloxy-2,2':5',2″-terthiophene-3'-acetate (BSP-2) and 1-(3,3″-dimethylindoline-6'-nitrobenzospiropyranyl)-2-ethyl 4,4″-didecyloxy-2,2':5',2″-terthiophene-3'-carboxylate (BSP-3), differing only by a single methylene spacer unit, have been studied. The kinetics of photogeneration of the equivalent merocyanine (MC) isomers (MC-2 and MC-3, respectively), the isomerisation properties of MC-2 and MC-3, and the thermodynamic parameters have been studied in acetonitrile, and compared to the parent, non-TTh-functionalised, benzospiropyran derivative, BSP-1. Despite the close structural similarity of BSP-2 and BSP-3, their physicochemical properties were found to differ significantly; examples include activation energies (E(a(MC-2)) = 75.05 kJ mol(-1), E(a(MC-3)) = 100.39 kJ mol(-1)) and entropies of activation (ΔS = 43.38 J K(-1) mol(-1), ΔS = 37.78 J K(-1) mol(-1)) for the thermal relaxation from MC to BSP, with the MC-3 value much closer to the unmodified MC-1 value (46.48 J K(-1) mol(-1)) for this latter quantity. The thermal relaxation kinetics and solvatochromic behaviour of the derivatives in a range of solvents of differing polarity (ethanol, dichloromethane, acetone, toluene and diethyl ether) are also presented. Differences in the estimated values of these thermodynamic and kinetic parameters are discussed with reference to the molecular structure of the derivatives.     

Sheep Wool Humidity under Electron Irradiation Affects Wool Sorptivity towards Co(II) Ions

The effect of humidity on sheep wool during irradiation by an accelerated electron beam was examined. Each of the samples with 10%, 53%, and 97% relative humidity (RH) absorbed a dose of 0, 109, and 257 kGy, respectively. After being freely kept in common laboratory conditions, the samples were subjected to batch Co(II) sorption experiments monitored with VIS spectrometry for different lapses from electron beam exposure. Along with the sorption, FTIR spectral analysis of the wool samples was conducted for cysteic acid and cystine monoxide, and later, the examination was completed, with pH measuring 0.05 molar KCl extract from the wool samples. Besides a relationship to the absorbed dose and lapse, the sorptivity results showed considerable dependence on wool humidity under exposure. When humidity was deficient (10% RH), the sorptivity was lower due to limited transformation of cystine monoxide to cysteic acid. The wool pre-conditioned at 53% RH, which is the humidity close to common environmental conditions, demonstrated the best Co(II) sorptivity in any case. This finding enables the elimination of pre-exposure wool conditioning in practice. Under excessive humidity of 97% RH and enough high dose of 257 kGy, radiolysis of water occurred, deteriorating the sorptivity. Each wool humidity, dose, and lapse showed a particular scenario. The time and humidity variations in the sorptivity for the non-irradiated sample were a little surprising; despite the absence of electron irradiation, relevant results indicated a strong sensitivity to pre-condition humidity and lapse from the start of the monitoring.     

From experimental design to uncertainty estimation for the European Pharmacopoeia HPLC analysis of human insulin

In this paper the process from experimental design (e.g. ruggedness test) to uncertainty estimation is described. The uncertainty estimate was calculated for the peak area of insulin plus A21 desamido insulin resulting from an HPLC analysis of a sample of an injectable human insulin preparation, Actrapid HM 100 IU ml(-1) (Novo Nordisk A/S). The analytical method used was the European Pharmacopoeia assay. (4) An expanded uncertainty (1) of 1.8% (of the area from the HPLC analysis) at an approximately 95% confidence level was found and confirmed by a validation study. This uncertainty refers to the peak area of the analyte from a single injection of the sample. The input parameters to the uncertainty estimate were found from a factorial experimental design (e.g. ruggedness test) consisting of 9 factors applied to the HPLC analysis. The input parameters were chosen to cover the probable contributors to the variability of the measured area of the HPLC analysis, including the sample preparation, but excluding uncertainty deriving from the reference material(s).