Stable isotope ratio method for the characterisation of the poultry house environment

Stable isotope analysis was applied to describe the poultry house environment. The poultry house indoor environment was selected for this study due to the relevant health problems in animals and their caretakers. Air quality parameters including temperature, relative humidity, airflow rate, NH₃, CO₂ and total suspended particles, as well as mean levels of total airborne bacteria and fungi count, were measured. Carbon isotope ratios (¹³C/¹²C) were obtained in size-segregated aerosol particles. The carbon (¹³C/¹²C) and nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) isotope ratios were measured in feed, litter, scrapings from the ventilation system, feathers and eggs. Additionally, the distribution of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values in different tissues of the chicken was examined. The airborne bacteria and fungi extracted from the air filters collected from poultry farms were grown in the laboratory in media with known isotope values and measured for stable isotope ratios. Analysis of isotope fractionation between microorganisms and their media indicated the applicability of stable isotope analysis in bulk samples for the identification of source material. The analysed examples imply that stable isotope analysis can be used to examine the indoor environment along with its biology and ecology, and serve as an informative bioanalytical tool.     

Influence of hydrodynamic conditions of the solution on the sensitivity of stripping analysis of trace metals

Possibilities to increase the sensitivity of stripping analysis by optimising the hydrodynamic conditions of the solution during the deposition and rest period are evaluated. Rotation rates as high as 13 000 rpm can be applied during the deposition step at a mercury film rotating disc electrode for Zn, Cd, Pb, In and Tl determinations when 10–20 mg/l of Hg²⁺ for the renewal of the mercury film is added. Because of the extreme sensitivity on the properties of the mercury film in the case of Ga only 4000–5000 rpm are recommended. The highest stirring efficiencies using a magnetic stirrer are equivalent to 2500–3000 rpm when a rotating disc electrode is used. The effect of the duration of the rest period is not significant for square wave stripping voltammetry, however, analytical signals can be increased 10 and more times when potentiometric stripping analysis is applied.     

Carbapenem and penem antibiotics. VII. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 1 beta-methyl-2-(quaternary heteroaromatic-thiomethyl) carbapenems

The synthesis and antibacterial activity of a series of 1 beta-methylcarbapenems having quaternary heteroaromatic-thiomethyl groups at the C-2 position are described. Both 2-hydroxymethyl and 2-chloromethyl carbapenems (1 and 7) respectively served as the common key intermediates for the preparation of these compounds. Of these, the 4-pyridiniothiomethyl derivatives exhibited the best antibacterial properties and turned out to possess high in vivo efficacy as well.     

Length determination of vessel elements in tree trunks used for water and nutrient transport by Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy

Length analysis of vessel elements in tree trunks used for water and nutrient transport is a lengthy, multistep procedure although it reflects environmental stresses on a tree. The feasibility of using FT-Raman spectroscopy for rapid determination of vessel element length in a tree was examined using wood powders of two Eucalyptus species, including samples of various ages and colors. The first-derivative transformation followed by the multiplicative scatter correction of Raman spectroscopic data and the partial least-squares regression revealed highly significant correlation between conventionally measured and Raman-predicted vessel element length with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.843 and 0.826, respectively, in the calibration (for known samples, n=186) and in the prediction (for unknown samples, n=40). FT-Raman spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis will contribute to solving the interactions between emerging environmental issues and the anatomical structure of wood, which allow efficient management practices in growing forests to fix atmospheric CO₂ effectively.     

Advanced dynamic monitoring of cellular status using label-free and non-invasive cell-based sensing technology for the prediction of anticancer drug efficacy

Quantitative evaluation of anticancer drug efficacy using in vitro cell-based assays is useful for cancer patients, particularly those who show unconventional cancer development. Nevertheless, conventional chemosensitivity testing often requires widely used labeling agents and time-consuming laboratory procedures that provide low reliability. Label-free non-invasive cell-based assays are desired for dynamic monitoring of cellular status. This critical review first describes conventional chemosensitivity testing and then advanced label-free cell-based technology used to screen anticancer drugs through dynamic monitoring of cellular status, focusing on dosage and the use of drug-resistant cancer cells. Results from label-free cell-based approaches are compared with those of conventional chemosensitivity testing. The cellular statuses, addressed in terms of respective mechanisms and disadvantages, are extracellular fluxes of proton (H⁺), O₂, and anticancer drugs, cell morphology changes, cell–environment interaction, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Finally, a cell-based systems outlook is presented. This paper represents a step toward efficient and accurate initial screening of anticancer drugs and development of compounds and their combined use to achieve pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions, and chemotherapy evaluation of particular anticancer drugs for individual patients.     

Searching for new cell-penetrating agents: hybrid cyclobutane-proline γ,γ-peptides

Two generations of hybrid γ,γ-peptides containing cyclobutane amino acids and cis-γ-amino-L-proline joined in alternation have been synthesized and their capacity to cross the eukaryotic cell membrane has been evaluated. The first generation consists of di-, tetra- and hexapeptides, and their properties have been analyzed as well as the influence of peptide length and chirality of the cyclobutane residues. Results have shown that the absolute configuration of the cyclobutane amino acid does not have a relevant influence. The second generation consists of hybrid γ,γ-hexapeptides with a common backbone and distinct side chains introduced with different linkage types through the α-amino group (N(α)) of the proline monomers. These peptides have been shown to be non-toxic towards HeLa cells and to internalize them effectively, the best results being obtained for the peptides with a spacer of five carbons between the N(α) atom and the guanidinium group. The introduction of cyclobutane residues inside the sequence affords a good balance between charge and hydrophobicity, reducing the number of positive charges. This results in lower toxicity and similar cell-uptake properties when compared to previously described peptide agents.     

Enhancement of saccharin removal from aqueous solution by activated carbon adsorption with ultrasonic treatment

This study investigates the use of ultrasonication as a pretreatment process and its effect on the adsorption characteristics of saccharin onto activated carbon (AC). Ultrasonic decomposition of saccharin was performed at a frequency of 500 kHz under argon and O2/N2 (20/80 vol%) atmospheres. Adsorption was carried out using a commercial activated carbon. The behavior of total organic carbon (TOC) during ultrasonication was investigated. Saccharin removal after 180 min of ultrasonication under Ar and O2/N2 atmospheres are 38% and 26%, respectively, while the amount of saccharin removed by activated carbon adsorption without US pretreatment is 40% after 16 h. After 16 h of AC adsorption with 180 min of ultrasonic pretreatment under Ar and O2/N2 atmospheres, both removal ratios increased to 75%. These results indicated that the pretreatment of sonication under O2/N2 leads to the increase in the amount of saccharin adsorbed on AC. On the other hand, the TOC removal by decomposition by ultrasound is not more than 5% in both Ar and O2/N2 atmospheres after 180 min ultrasonication. However, the TOC removal increased to 54% and 69% after 16 h of adsorption of saccharin pretreated by ultrasonication for 180 min under Ar and O2/N2 atmospheres, respectively. About 13% and 16% TOC removal in Ar and in O2/N2, respectively, were achieved due to adsorption of the by-products. It is considered that the improvement in TOC removal is also brought about by the formation of the by-products that were adsorbed onto AC.     

Determination of carotenoid and tocopherol content in maize flour and oil samples using near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Secondary metabolites are important components in terms of nutrition and health. Carotenoids and tocopherols, two groups of the fat-soluble components, are also included in this category. There is an increasing interest in the detection of secondary metabolites with near-infrared spectroscopy. However, the number of scientific studies for the detection of these components, especially for tocopherols in corn flour or oil samples by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy is rather limited. This study was carried out to determine the amount of carotenoids and tocopherols in flour and oil samples of 250 different maize genotypes by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy using the partial least squares regression modeling method. Liquid chromatography mass spectrophotometry was used as a reference method in order to determine the contents of five carotenoids and four tocopherol subcomponents. The estimation models were created by using the spectral data collected from ground samples, and oil samples extracted from the same flour; along with the results of the reference analysis. The reliability of these models was tested by external validation (n?=?50). The prediction models generated by the spectra taken from corn flour yielded more successful results than the models created with the spectra taken from the oil samples. Among the models compared, the one developed with the spectra taken from flour samples for lutein was the most successful. It is seen that the estimation models generated from flour samples can be used for screening purposes, though different approaches are needed to increase the success of models.     

Synthetic studies on β-lactam antibiotics. 13. Transformation of 6-epipenicillins to 2R-{(1S, 5R)-2-oxa-6-oxo-4,7- diazabicyclo[3.2.0]hept-3-en-7-yl}-3-methylbut-3-enoates

Reaction of 2β-unsubstituted or functionalized-methyl 6-epipenicillin sulfoxides $\text{2}$ with tervalent phosphorus compounds gave azetidinone-epi-oxazolines $\text{3}$, important intermediates in synthesis of 7α-methoxy-1-oxacephems. Preparation of the 2β-functionalized-methyl substrates is described also.