Determination of memantine in rat plasma by HPLC-fluorescence method and its application to study of the pharmacokinetic interaction between memantine and methazolamide

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection was developed to determine memantine (MT) in rat plasma. The method consists of pre-column labeling of MT with 4-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzoyl chloride (DIB-Cl) and a clean-up step with solid-phase extraction. A good separation of DIB-MT was achieved within 12 min on an octadecylsilica (ODS) column (150 × 4.6 mm i.d.; 5 μm) with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (70:30, v/v). The calibration curve prepared with fluoxetine as an internal standard showed good linearity in the range of 10-400 ng/mL (r = .999). The limits of detection and quantitation at signal-to-noise ratios of 3 and 10 were 2.0 and 6.6 ng/mL, respectively. The method was shown to be reliable with precisions of <5% for intra-day and <9% for inter-day as relative standard deviation. The fluorescence property and reaction yield of authentic DIB-MT were also examined. The proposed method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic interaction between MT and methazolamide.     

Simultaneous determination of N-benzylpiperazine and 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine in rat plasma by HPLC-fluorescence detection and its application to monitoring of these drugs

An HPLC‐fluorescence detection method for simultaneous determination of N‐benzylpiperazine (BZP) and 1‐(3‐trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine (TFMPP) labeled with 4‐(4,5‐diphenyl‐1 H‐imidazol‐2‐yl)benzoyl chloride (DIB‐Cl) was described. DIB‐BZP and ‐TFMPP were well separated within 13 min without interference of peaks from plasma components. The lower detection limits of BZP and TFMPP at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.9 and 4.6 ng/mL, respectively. Precisions of the proposed method for intra‐ and inter‐day assays were less than 4.8 and 9.1% as %RSD (n = 5). Furthermore, the method could be successfully applied to monitor both compounds in plasma after their sole or co‐administration to rats (each dose, 2 mg/kg). Clearance of TFMPP was significantly different under the conditions (P = 0.047). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetic resonance elastography using an air ball-actuator

The purpose of this study was to develop a new technique for a powerful compact MR elastography (MRE) actuator based on a pneumatic ball-vibrator. This is a compact actuator that generates powerful centrifugal force vibrations via high speed revolutions of an internal ball using compressed air. This equipment is easy to handle due to its simple principles and structure. Vibration frequency and centrifugal force are freely adjustable via air pressure changes (air flow volume), and replacement of the internal ball. In order to achieve MRI compatibility, all parts were constructed from non-ferromagnetic materials. Vibration amplitudes (displacements) were measured optically by a laser displacement sensor. From a bench test of displacement, even though the vibration frequency increased, the amount of displacement did not decrease. An essential step in MRE is the generation of mechanical waves within tissue via an actuator, and MRE sequences are synchronized to several phase offsets of vibration. In this system, the phase offset was detected by a four-channel optical-fiber sensor, and it was used as an MRI trigger signal. In an agarose gel phantom experiment, this actuator was used to make an MR elastogram. This study shows that the use of a ball actuator for MRE is feasible.     

Induction of thermotropic bicontinuous cubic phases in liquid-crystalline ammonium and phosphonium salts

Two series of wedge-shaped onium salts, one ammonium and the other phosphonium, having 3,4,5-tris(alkyloxy)benzyl moieties, exhibit thermotropic bicontinuous "gyroid" cubic (Cub(bi)) and hexagonal columnar liquid-crystalline (LC) phases by nanosegregation between ionophilic and ionophobic parts. The alkyl chain lengths on the cationic moieties, anion species, and alkyl chain lengths on the benzyl moieties have crucial effects on their thermotropic phase behavior. For example, triethyl-[3,4,5-tris(dodecyloxy)benzyl]ammonium hexafluorophosphate forms the thermotropic Ia3d Cub(bi) LC phase, whereas an analogous compound with trifluoromethanesulfonate anion shows no LC properties. Synchrotron small-angle diffraction intensities from the Ia3d Cub(bi) LC materials provide electron density maps in the bulk state. The resulting maps show convincingly that the Ia3d Cub(bi) structure is composed of three-dimensionally interconnected ion nanochannel networks surrounded by aliphatic domains. A novel differential mapping technique has been applied successfully. The map of triethyl-[3,4,5-tris(decyloxy)benzyl]ammonium tetrafluoroborate has been subtracted from that of the analogous ammonium salt with hexafluorophosphate anion in the Ia3d Cub(bi) phases. The differential map shows that the counteranions are located in the core of the three-dimensionally interconnected nanochannel networks. Changing from trimethyl- via triethyl- to tripropylammonium cation changes the phase from columnar to Cub(bi) to no mesophase, respectively. This sensitivity to the widened shape for the narrow end of the molecule is explained successfully by the previously proposed semiquantitative geometric model based on the radial distribution of volume in wedge-shaped molecules. The LC onium salts dissolve lithium tetrafluoroborate without losing the Ia3d Cub(bi) LC phase. The Cub(bi) LC materials exhibit efficient ion-transporting behavior as a result of their 3D interconnected ion nanochannel networks. The Ia3d Cub(bi) LC material formed by triethyl-[3,4,5-tris(decyloxy)benzyl]phosphonium tetrafluoroborate shows ionic conductivities higher than the analogous Ia3d Cub(bi) material based on ammonium salts. The present study indicates great potential of Cub(bi) LC nanostructures consisting of ionic molecules for development of transportation nanochannel materials.     

Electronic properties of Semi-Insulating Polycrystalline-Silicon (SIPOS) doped with oxygen atoms

The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of SIPOS shows that there are two kinds of conduction mechanisms, conduction in extended states and hopping conduction through localized states dominant above and below room temperature, respectively. The change in the conductance of a SIPOS film due to a transverse electric field can well be understood by the CFO model of amorphous semiconductors and indicates that the Fermi level in the thermal equilibrium is near the midgap, and the results show the density of localized states at the Fermi level to be about 10²⁰ cm^?3 eV^?1.     

Preparation and Surface Modification of Novel Vesicular Nano-Particle “Cerasome” with Liposomal Bilayer and Silicate Surface

A novel class of nano-hybrid materials, Cerasome, bearing a liposomal bilayer structure and a ceramic surface, has been developed by a sol-gel reaction of a double-chain proamphiphile having an trialkoxysilane in the head moiety and followed self-assembling. In the present work, we developed new methods for preparation of the Cerasomes forming under various pH conditions and their surface modification by employing appropriate alkoxysilane compounds. When the proamphiphilic alkoxysilane was hydrolyzed in an acidic ethanol and then injected into an aqueous media at various pH, the morphologically stable Cerasomes were obtained in a wide pH range. On the other hand, an acid treatment of the proamphiphile in ethanol in the presence of tetraethoxysilane gave the Cerasome with highly developed siloxane networks on its vesicular surface. Surface modification of the Cerasome with amino groups was readily achieved in the similar manner by replacing tetraethoxysilane to 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The Cerasomes thus prepared were characterized by means of dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements.     

Hydrogen production by photosynthetic microorganisms

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Hydrogen is a clean energy alternative to the fossil fuels, the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. We developed a stable system for the conversion of...     

Stacking of molecules possessing a fullerene apex and a cup-shaped cavity connected by a silicon connection

Hexagonal or tetragonal packing of columnar stacks in crystals and liquid crystals has been observed for a series of molecules possessing a fullerene apex and an aromatic cone that are connected with a Si-C connection. The columnar stacking of the new shuttlecock molecules is constitutionally stable but conformationally flexible due to the large cavity created on the top of the fullerene molecule.