Detection of androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione (6-OXO) and its metabolites in urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in relation to doping analysis

The metabolism and excretion of androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione after administration of the 'nutritional' supplement 6-OXO was investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in full-scan mode. The parent drug androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione and androst-4-ene-6alpha,17beta-diol-3-one and androst-4-ene-6alpha-ol-3,17-dione were detected in the post-administration urine samples. Because androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione is an anabolic steroid and an aromatase inhibitor, this substance is regarded as a doping agent. Hence, a selective and sensitive GC-MS method in selected ion monitoring mode for the detection of the TMS-enol-TMS-ether derivatives of these substances was developed and validated for doping control purposes. The limit of detection (LOD) of the investigated compounds ranged from 5 to 10 ng/mL. Using this method, the detection time for androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione and androst-4-ene-6alpha,17beta-diol-3-one was 24 h, while androst-4-ene-6alpha-ol-3,17-dione could be detected up to 37 h after administration of the dose recommended by the manufacturer.     

Synthesis and conjugation of oligosaccharide analogues of fragments of the immunoreactive glycan part of the circulating anodic antigen of the parasite Schistosoma mansoni

The gut-associated circulating anodic antigen (CAA) is one of the major excretory antigens produced by the parasite Schistosoma mansoni. The immunoreactive part of CAA is a threonine-linked polysaccharide composed of long stretches of the unique repeating disaccharide-->6)-[beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)]-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->. Previously, using surface plasmon resonance and ELISA techniques, it has been shown that some anti-CAA IgM monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) also recognize members of a series of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coupled synthetic di- to penta-saccharide fragments of the CAA glycan. To generate information on the molecular level about the glycan specificity of the relevant IgM MAbs, two series of oligosaccharides related to the CAA disaccharide epitope were synthesized, and coupled to BSA. The first three analogues, beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)-[small beta]-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->O), beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->6)-[beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)]-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->O), and beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->6)-[beta-D-GlcpA-(1-->3)]-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->O), wherein the native beta-D-GalpNAc moiety was replaced by beta-D-GlcpNAc, were synthesized to investigate the specificity of the selected MAbs to the carbohydrate backbone of CAA. The second series of analogues, beta-D-Glcp6S-(1-->3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->O), beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->6)-[beta-D-Glcp6S-(1-->3)]-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->O), and beta-D-Glcp6S-(1-->3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->6)-[beta-D-Glcp6S-(1-->3)]-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->O), wherein the native beta-D-GlcpA moiety was replaced by beta-D-Glcp6S, was synthesized to evaluate the importance of the type/nature of the charge of CAA for the MAb recognition.     

Cyclam (1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) with one methylphosphonate pendant arm: a new ligand for selective copper(ii) binding

The new ligand, [(1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecan-1-yl)methyl]phosphonic acid (H(2)te1P, H(2)L), was synthesized and its complexing properties towards selected metal ions were studied potentiometrically. The ligand forms a very stable complex with copper(ii)(logbeta(CuL)= 27.34), with a high selectivity over binding of other metal ions (i.e. logbeta(ZnL)= 21.03). The crystal structures of the free ligand (in its protonated form with bromide as counter-ion) and two copper(ii) complexes (obtained by crystallization at various pH) were determined. The free ligand adopts the common conformation for such macrocycles with the protonated nitrogen atoms in the corners of a virtual rectangle. In the trans-Br,O-[Cu(Br)(Hte1P)].H(2)O species, the central metal ion is surrounded by four in plane nitrogen atoms, one oxygen atom of the pendant moiety in the apical position and a bromide anion positioned trans to the oxygen atom, forming a distorted octahedral coordination sphere. In the compound [Cu(H(2)te1P)][Cu(Hte1P)]Br(3).6H(2)O, obtained from a highly acidic solution, the bromide anions are placed further away from the copper(ii) ion and the coordination environment (N(4)O) is thus square-pyramidal. In both structures, the protons are associated with non-coordinated phosphonate oxygen atoms.     

Note on the existence of translation nets

We exhibit a class of (2 ^k + 1, 2^2k )-translation nets with nonabelian translation group, for any natural k. At the same time, it is the first infinite class of translation nets known to admit nonisomorphic translation groups for each of its elements.      

Temperature and pH‐stability of commercial stationary phases

In this paper, the temperature and pH stability of silica‐based RP stationary phases were investigated. Furthermore, nonsiliceous phases like a polymeric column based on polystyrene divinylbenzene and a polybutadiene coated zirconium dioxide column were also included. The columns were heated up to 150°C at dynamic conditions, which means that the eluent consisting of water and methanol (90:10, v/v) was continuously purged through the packed bed. After every 5 h, the columns were cooled down to room temperature and the efficiency was measured by injecting a test sample based on the Neue test. It could be shown that some stationary phases exhibited a very good temperature stability at the test conditions specified above.     

Structures of micelles formed by synthetic alkyl glycosides with unsaturated alkyl chains

Three new alkyl glycosides with similar molecular structures (oleyl and oleoyl alkyl chains and various head groups: disaccharide, trisaccharide and disaccharide with an additional amidoethoxy spacer) were synthesized and their supramolecular structure in aqueous solution was investigated. Small angle neutron scattering, surface tension measurement and the contact preparation method were applied to get molecular structure-property relationships. Although the chemical structures differ only in small details, their CMC values, lyotropic phase behaviour, surface area per surfactant molecule in the micelle and at the liquid-air interface, and the size and shape of the micelles are very different. We have found three different types of aggregates: spherical, cylindrical and polymer-like micelles in dilute solutions.     

Solvent-controlled organization of self-assembled polymeric monolayers on gold: an easy approach for the construction of protein resistant surfaces

Protein resistant surfaces based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coatings are extensively applied in the fields of biosensors, tissue engineering, fundamental cell-surface interaction research, and drug delivery systems. The structural organization of the PEG film on the surface has a significant effect on the performance of the film to resist protein adsorption. In this paper, we report an approach using solvent to control the organization of the polymeric monolayer on gold. A water soluble copolymer with grafted PEG side chains and alkyl disulfide side chains was synthesized. A polymeric monolayer was fabricated on a gold surface from different solutions (water- and toluene-based) of the copolymer. The organization of the polymeric monolayers was characterized by means of ellipsometry, cyclic voltammetry, contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It was proven that the structural organization of the polymeric monolayer on a gold surface could be controlled by the solvent. A polymeric monolayer with PEG enriched at the outer level is obtained when water is used as the solvent. Various types of proteins, including fibrinogen, albumin, and normal human serum, were used to test the protein resistance of the gold surfaces modified by the polymeric monolayers. The polymeric monolayer formed from a water solution of the copolymer showed excellent protein resistance. In addition, by using water as the solvent, patterning of the polymeric monolayer could easily be achieved through a combination of lift-off and self-assembly. We believe that the approach reported here provides an easy, fast, and efficient way to fabricate a robust protein resistant surface.     

Mesophase behaviour and thermal stability of octa-alkoxy substituted phthalocyaninatocobalt (II) complexes

Cobalt (II) phthalocyanines substituted with eight alkoxy chains in the peripheral (2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24) positions were prepared. The alkoxy chain length was varied between n-butyloxy (C₄H₉O) and n-octadecyloxy (C₁₈H₃₇O). Studies by polarizing optical microscopy and high temperature X-ray diffraction revealed that all the complexes are liquid crystalline and that they exhibit a hexagonal columnar mesophase (Col_h). Transition enthalpies were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The clearing point could only be observed for compounds with a chain length longer than C₁₃H₂₇O. Both the melting and clearing points decrease with increasing chain length. The transition temperatures of these discotic metallomesogens are higher than those of the corresponding metal-free phthalocyanines, but are comparable with those of the corresponding copper (II) compounds. The thermal decomposition of the compounds was studied by thermogravimetry.