Chemical constituents of the essential oils of Sideritis scardica Griseb. and Sideritis raeseri Boiss and Heldr. from Bulgaria and Macedonia

The essential oils of two species of Sideritis growing spontaneously in Bulgaria and Macedonia are reported, Sideritis scardica and Sideritis raeseri. The oils of S. scardica from different locations differed significantly: in the Macedonian sample alpha-cadinol (20%) predominated, while in the oil of Bulgarian samples the main components were diterpenic compounds and octadecenol (over 20%). This is the first report of ditrpenoids in essential oil of S. scardica. The oil of S. raeseri demonstrated a distinct chemical profile with its high concentration of sesquiterpenes, main components being germacrone (25%) and elemol acetate (15.9%). The observed qualitative variability of the oil composition of S. scardica of different geographic origin could be a result of different ecologic conditions but might also reflect the well-known tendency of some Sideritis species to hybridize.     

Pros and Cons of the Cannabinoid System in Cancer: Focus on Hematological Malignancies

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a composite cell-signaling system that allows endogenous cannabinoid ligands to control cell functions through the interaction with cannabinoid receptors. Modifications of the ECS might contribute to the pathogenesis of different diseases, including cancers. However, the use of these compounds as antitumor agents remains debatable. Pre-clinical experimental studies have shown that cannabinoids (CBs) might be effective for the treatment of hematological malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Specifically, CBs may activate programmed cell death mechanisms, thus blocking cancer cell growth, and may modulate both autophagy and angiogenesis. Therefore, CBs may have significant anti-tumor effects in hematologic diseases and may synergistically act with chemotherapeutic agents, possibly also reducing chemoresistance. Moreover, targeting ECS might be considered as a novel approach for the management of graft versus host disease, thus reducing some symptoms such as anorexia, cachexia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and neuropathic pain. The aim of the present review is to collect the state of the art of CBs effects on hematological tumors, thus focusing on the essential topics that might be useful before moving into the clinical practice.     

High‐resolution thermal imaging with a combination of nano‐focus X‐ray diffraction and ultra‐fast chip calorimetry

A microelectromechanical‐systems‐based calorimeter designed for use on a synchrotron nano‐focused X‐ray beamline is described. This instrument allows quantitative DC and AC calorimetric measurements over a broad range of heating/cooling rates (≤100000 K s^?1) and temperature modulation frequencies (≤1 kHz). The calorimeter was used for high‐resolution thermal imaging of nanogram‐sized samples subjected to X‐ray‐induced heating. For a 46 ng indium particle, the measured temperature rise reaches ～0.2 K, and is directly correlated to the X‐ray absorption. Thermal imaging can be useful for studies of heterogeneous materials exhibiting physical and/or chemical transformations. Moreover, the technique can be extended to three‐dimensional thermal nanotomography.     

Nano-titanium oxide doped with gold,silver, and palladium — synthesis and structural characterization

Nano-titania doped with noble metals (Au/TiO₂, Ag/TiO₂, Pd/TiO₂) has been synthesized by mild hydrolysis of the mixture of metal salts or complexes and titanium isopropoxide ((iPr-O)₄Ti). After thermal decomposition of the obtained precursors, nanomaterials were formed. Morphological characterization of the nanomaterials was provided by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereological analysis, determining the BET specific surface area, and BJH nanoporosity (pore volume, pore size). It has been found that the structure of nanomaterials (size of nanoparticles and agglomerates) depended strongly on the method of the (iPr-O)₄Ti hydrolysis. A minor dependence on the kind of solvents and precursors of noble metals was observed. The presence of doping metal nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Nanomaterial phases were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). According to the XRD patterns, Ag/TiO₂ and Pd/TiO₂ products with doping metals in their oxidized form contain Ag-Ti and Pd-Ti phases. Peaks of the metal oxides Ag₂O and PdO are absent in the XRD patterns. The average size of TiO₂ nanoparticles is situated in the region of 20–60 nm, whereas metals are present as about 10–15 nm sized particles and fine nanoparticles.     

Influence of the Regression Technique on the Extrapolated Retention Values of Single-Point Adsorption Compounds on Silica Gel

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - The retention (RM) values of nine one-point adsorption model compounds: diphenylamine, indol, 2-naphtol, 1-naphtol, 1-naphtylamine,...     

Di- and tri-organotin(IV) complexes of the new bis(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acetate ligand and the decarboxylated analogues

The new sodium bis(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acetate, Na[(S-tim)₂CHCO₂], has been prepared in ethanol solution using 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole, dibromoacetic acid and NaOH. New di- and tri-organotin(IV) derivatives have been synthesized from reaction between SnR_nCl_4−n (R = Ph, Cy and ⁿBu, n = 2-3) acceptors and Na[(S-tim)₂CHCO₂]. Complexes of the type {[κ¹O-(S-tim)₂CHCO₂]SnR₃} and related decarboxylated species {[κ²N,N-(S-tim)₂CH₂]SnR₂Cl₂} have been obtained and characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, ESIMS and multinuclear (¹H, ¹³C and ¹¹⁹Sn) NMR spectral data. The adduct {κ¹O-[(S-tim)₂CHCO₂]Sn(H₂O)(C₄H₉)₃} was characterized by single crystal X-ray studies. The dichloromethane reaction solution of {κ¹O-[(S-tim)₂CHCO₂]Sn(C₆H₅)₃} was re-crystallized and the decarboxylated species {[(S-tim)₂CH₂]SnCl(H₂O)(C₆H₅)₃} was obtained as a crystalline solid and characterized by X-ray crystallography.     

Voltammetric Analysis of Cadmium and Lead (Undesirable Elements) in Brine,Supported by Solid Phase Extraction – the Right Solution of the Analytical Challenge

The stripping voltammetry at HMDE is proposed for Cd and Pb (undesirable ingredients) determination in the natural brine (C_Cl >43 g L⁻¹). Samples with so high salinity have to be significantly diluted. For ICP MS, a 10^5–6 times dilution is required, which disqualifies this method. The proposed procedure allows to determine Cd (0.001 μg L⁻¹) and Pb (0.005 μg L⁻¹) after only 100 times dilution. The thermal chloride stripping or isolation by Chelex 100 increase the quality of obtained data. The recovery study was performed. The LOQs are below recommendations related to the use of brines in balneology.     

Multiple X‐ray approaches to discriminate the origin of liquefied sand erupted during the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake

Geochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological analyses were carried out on sands erupted from sand volcanoes and soil cracks during the 2012 Emilia earthquakes with the aim of determining their origin and depth of provenance in a complex stratigraphic plain generated by different fluvial contributions. Geochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological analyses were performed by wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray powder diffraction and Sedigraph and Settling tube, respectively. Distinct textural features, as well as Ni/MgO and Cr/Al₂O₃ ratios, allow discriminating two populations: an A‐area located close to San Carlo village and a B‐area nearby Scortichino village. Sediments from A‐area show chemical and mineralogical characteristics well comparable with those of the sediments derived from the Apennine rivers, whereas sands from B‐area have strong similarities with the sediments from the Po river. In the earthquake crater area most of the liquefaction phenomena were related to superficial sandy deposits (fluvial ridges, paleochannels and crevasse splays) generated by Apennine rivers. The Po river sediments in the B‐area derive from a layer at a depth at which liquefaction phenomena were excluded, because of the greater lithostatic load. These sediments thus shed a new light on the mechanisms that may induce liquefaction during an earthquake or even without a seismic triggering. It is suggested that a gas phase (mainly methane), which is commonly found below the Po plain, could have been dissolved in the water, near to the saturation threshold or already exsolved, increasing the interstitial overpressure and facilitating the liquefaction and the eruption of the sandy sediments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, doxorubicin, epirubicin and daunorubicin in human urine using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: bioanalytical method validation

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC) system interfaced with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was developed and validated for the determination of cyclophosphamide (CP), ifosfamide (IF), daunorubicin (DNR), doxorubicin (DXR), and epirubicin (EPI) in human urine. The analysis of samples containing multiple analytes with a dissimilar range of polarities was carried out using a conventional reversed-phase chromatographic BDS Hypersil C8 column. The analytical run was 15 min. The triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used for drug quantification. The method was validated over a concentration range of 0.2 to 4.0 microg.L(-1) for CP, IF, DXR, EPI and 0.15-2.0 microg.L(-1) for DNR in human urine. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.2 microg.L(-1) for CP, IF, EPI and was set at 0.3 and 0.15 microg.L(-1) for DXR and DNR, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD%) were <11.2% for inter- and intra-day precisions. The overall accuracy was also within 114.7% for all analytes at the concentrations of the quality control samples. The potential of ionization suppression resulting from the endogenous biological material on the rp-HPLC/MS/MS method was evaluated and measured. The feasibility of the proposed HPLC/ESI-MS/MS procedure was demonstrated by analyzing urine samples from pharmacy technicians and nurses working in hospitals or personnel employed in drug-manufacturing plants.     

Polymer‐based Scaffold Designs For In Situ Vascular Tissue Engineering: Controlling Recruitment and Differentiation Behavior of Endothelial Colony Forming Cells

In situ vascular tissue engineering has been proposed as a promising approach to fulfill the need for small‐diameter blood vessel substitutes. The approach comprises the use of a cell‐free instructive scaffold to guide and control cell recruitment, differentiation, and tissue formation at the locus of implantation. Here we review the design parameters for such scaffolds, with special emphasis on differentiation of recruited ECFCs into the different lineages that constitute the vessel wall. Next to defining the target properties of the vessel, we concentrate on the target cell source, the ECFCs, and on the environmental control of the fate of these cells within the scaffold. The prospects of the approach are discussed in the light of current technical and biological hurdles.