Evidence for IFN-β heterogeneity in a substrain of namalwa cells

A substrain of Namalwa cells, denoted substrain B, was grown in fermentors up to the 100-L scale, and was induced with Sendai virus to produce interferon (IFN). The titer of the crude IFN varied extensively between different batches; part of the variation was caused by a differential expression of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta. More than 80% of the IFN activity was IFN-beta by several criteria. A two-step purification procedure was developed and the resulting preparation had a specific activity of approximately 10(6) U/mg protein. The IFN-beta type was found to be heterogeneous, and could be separated into several components, which probably represented post-translational modifications of one molecule.     

In situ X-ray powder diffraction, synthesis, and magnetic properties of InVO3

We report the first synthesis and high-temperature in situ X-ray diffraction study of InVO₃. Polycrystalline InVO₃ has been prepared via reduction of InVO₄ using a carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide buffer gas. InVO₃ crystallizes in the bixbyite structure in space group Ia−3 (206) with a=9.80636(31) Å with In³⁺/V³⁺ disorder on the (8b) and (24d) cation sites. In situ powder X-ray diffraction experiments and thermal gravimetric analysis in a CO/CO₂ buffer gas revealed the existence of the metastable phase InVO₃. Bulk samples with 98.5(2)% purity were prepared using low-temperature reduction methods. The preparative methods limited the crystallinity of this new phase to approximately 225(50) Å. Magnetic susceptibility and neutron diffraction experiments suggest a spin-glass ground state for InVO₃.     

Visualization of atomic processes on ruthenium dioxide using scanning tunneling microscopy.

The visualization of surface reactions on the atomic scale provides direct insight into the microscopic reaction steps taking place in a catalytic reaction at a (model) catalyst's surface. Employing the technique of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we investigated the CO oxidation reaction over the RuO2(110) and RuO2(100) surfaces. For both surfaces the protruding bridging O atoms are imaged in STM as bright features. The reaction mechanism is identical on both orientations of RuO2. CO molecules adsorb on the undercoordinated surface Ru atoms from where they recombine with undercoordinated O atoms to form CO2 at the oxide surface. In contrast to the RuO2(110) surface, the RuO2(100) surface stabilizes also a catalytically inactive c(2 x 2) surface phase onto which CO is not able to adsorb above 100 K. We argue that this inactive RuO2(100)-c(2 x 2) phase may play an important role in the deactivation of RuO2 catalysts in the electrochemical Cl2 evolution and other heterogeneous reactions.     

Development of a high-performance liquid chromatography carbon column based method for the fractionation of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls

A method to separate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. The HPLC column was packed with Amoco PX-21 activated carbon dispersed on octadecylsilane (ODS). The separation was carried out by gradient elution with n-hexane-dichloromethane and toluene in the forward direction followed by reversed elution with toluene. The results show that this HPLC method is useful for the separation of PCBs according to the number of substituted ortho chlorine atoms attached to the biphenyl structure. Average recoveries for a number of individual di-ortho PCBs, mono-ortho PCBs, and non-ortho PCBs in three selected elution windows were 97, 92, and 96%, respectively. Clophen A50, a herring sample, and a cod liver oil sample were fractionated on the column and the analytical results are compared with data from the literature. The method presented here is useful for quantitative separations of mono-ortho PCBs as well as non-ortho PCBs which have been assigned toxic equivalency factors by the World Health Organisation.     

CYTOTOXICITY AND GENOTOXICITY OF UVA IRRADIATION IN CHINESE HAMSTER OVARY CELLS MEASURED BY SPECIFIC LOCUS MUTATIONS, SISTER CHROMATID EXCHANGES AND CHROMOSOME ABERRATIONS

Abstract— The increasing use of artificial UVA (320-400 nm) suntanning devices has brought attention to possible hazardous effects of UVA. In contrast with earlier studies, several groups recently have described that UVA possibly is mutagenic. In this paper we evaluate the genotoxic properties of broad band UVA using CHO cells and three different assays: specific locus (HGPRT) mutations, chromosome aberrations, and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs). The UVA-source was an UVASUN 2000 S (Mutzhas), emitting UVA above 340 nm. The survival curve of the cells exhibited a shoulder up to 200 kJ/m², that was followed by exponential killing at higher fluences. Mutations were induced linearly in the fluence range from 0-200 kJ/m² ( P < 0.001) to a level seven fold higher than the spontaneous, followed by a decrease at fluences above 300 kJ/m². Over the total range of tested fluences (0-300 kJ/m²) a linear dose-response relationship was observed for UVA-induced SCEs ( P < 0.001). A significantly higher percentage of the cells showed chromosomes with aberrations at the higher levels of exposure (200, 300 and 400 kJ/m²), but no dose response was demonstrated. Our results confirm recent findings showing that UVA is mutagenic in mammalian cells and suggest that UVA exposure may contribute to the total burden of genetic damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet light.     

Rapid ketone transfer hydrogenation by employing simple, in situ prepared iridium(I) precatalysts supported by "non-N--H" P,N ligands

The catalytic utility in ketone transfer hydrogenation (TH) of the preformed complexes [Ir(cod)(kappa(2)-2-NMe(2)-3-PiPr(2)-indene)](+)X(-) ([2 a](+)X(-); X: PF(6), BF(4), and OTf; cod: eta(4)-1,5-cyclooctadiene; OTf: trifluoromethanesulfonate), [Ir(cod)(kappa(2)-1-PiPr(2)-2-NMe(2)-indene)](+)OTf(-) ([2 b](+)OTf(-)), [Ir(cod)(kappa(2)-2-NMe(2)-3-PiPr(2)-indenide)] (3), and [Ir(cod)(kappa(2)-o-tBu(2)P-C(6)H(4)-NMe(2))](+)PF(6) (-) ([4](+)PF(6) (-)), as well as of related mixtures prepared from [{IrCl(cod)}(2)] and various P,N-substituted indene or phenylene ligands, was examined. Whereas [2 a](+)X(-), [2 b](+)OTf(-), 3, and related in situ prepared Ir catalysts derived from P,N-indenes proved to be generally effective in mediating the reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol in basic iPrOH at reflux (0.1 mol % Ir; 81-99 % conversion) in a preliminary catalytic survey, the structurally related Ir catalysts prepared from (o-R(2)P-C(6)H(4))NMe(2) (R: Ph, iPr, or tBu) were observed to outperform the corresponding P,N-indene ligands under similar conditions. In the course of such studies, it was observed that alteration of the substituents at the donor fragments of the supporting P,N ligand had a pronounced influence on the catalytic performance of the derived catalysts, with ligands featuring bulky dialkylphosphino donors proving to be the most effective. Notably, the crystallographically characterized complex [4](+)PF(6) (-), either preformed or prepared in situ from a mixture of [{IrCl(cod)}(2)], NaPF(6), and (o-tBu(2)P-C(6)H(4))NMe(2), proved to be highly effective in mediating the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (TH) of ketones in basic iPrOH, with near quantitative conversions for a range of alkyl and/or aryl ketones and with very high turnover-frequency values (up to 230 000 h(-1) at >50 % conversion); this thereby enabled the use of Ir loadings ranging from 0.1 to 0.004 mol %. Catalyst mixtures prepared from [{IrCl(cod)}(2)], NaPF(6), and the chiral (alphaS,alphaS)-1,1'-bis[alpha-(dimethylamino)benzyl]-(R,R)-2,2'-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)ferrocene (Cy-Mandyphos) ligand proved capable of mediating the asymmetric TH of aryl alkyl ketones, including that of the hindered substrate 2,2-dimethylpropiophenone with an efficiency (0.5 mol % Ir; 95 % conversion, 95 % ee) not documented previously in TH chemistry.     

Effects of unsaturation on film structure and friction of fatty acids in a model base oil

The normal and friction forces between layers of three fatty acids (stearic, oleic, and linoleic acid) and a rosin acid (dehydroabietic acid) have been measured in n-hexadecane with a surface forces apparatus. Stearic, oleic, and dehydroabietic acid form loose-packed monolayers on mica surfaces when adsorbed from dry n-hexadecane. Linoleic acid forms an additional dimer layer between monolayer-covered surfaces, where it is stabilized by interactions between the double-bond-rich regions of the molecules. The monolayers formed by linoleic and dehydroabietic acid are thinner than the ones formed by stearic and oleic acid, but are not as easily removed from between the mica surfaces when the load or pressure is increased. The friction force increased linearly with load in all systems, and the friction coefficient increased with increasing unsaturation. Linoleic acid showed two regimes of linear friction with increasing load, corresponding to two different film thicknesses. Its friction was sensitive to sliding speed and adsorption time, and the thinner film observed at higher load had a lower friction coefficient. Such features were not observed for stearic and oleic acid, where the monolayers were removed and the friction coefficient changed to that of pure n-hexadecane at a pressure of 3.5 MPa.     

Development of a solid-phase extraction/gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for quantification of succinic acid in nucleoside derivatives for oligonucleotide synthesis

A solid-phase extraction (SPE)/gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method was developed for analysing residual succinic acid in nucleoside derivatives to be used in oligonucleotide synthesis. Use of a SPE protocol, enabled most of the derivatives to be trapped, thereby creating eluates enriched in succinic acid. GC-MS was used to quantify the amount of residual succinic acid in four different nucleoside preparations, with succinate concentrations varying from 0.18 to 0.24% (w/w). The within-day repeatability of the method was found to be 1.25% RSD. A linear relationship was observed between the amount of succinic acid in the sample and the GC-MS peak area, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997 in the concentration interval 0.05-2.5% (w/w). Recoveries were measured by the addition of internal standards to working solutions and varied between 99.8 and 102.6%.