Highly selective artificial gel antibodies for detection and quantification of biomarkers in clinical samples. I. Spectrophotometric approach to design the calibration curve for the quantification

High selectivity of a biomarker is a basic requirement when it is used for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of a disease. The artificial gel antibodies, which we synthesise by a molecular imprinting method, have this property not only for proteins, but also for bioparticles, such as viruses and bacteria. However, diagnosis of a disease requires not only that the biomarker can be “fished out” from a body fluid with high selectivity, but also that its concentration in the sample can rapidly be determined and preferably by a simple technique. This paper deals primarily with the development of a spectrophotometric method, which is so simple and fast that it can be used with advantage in a Doctor's Office. The development of this method was not straight‐forward. However, by modifications of the performance of these measurements we can now design standard curves in the form of a straight line, when we plot the true (not the recorded “apparent” absorption) against known protein concentrations. In an additional publication (see the following paper in this issue of JSS) we show an application of such a plot: determination of the concentration of albumin in serum and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with neurological disorders to investigate whether albumin is a biomarker for these diseases.     

Full polysaccharide chitosan‐CMC membrane and silver nanocomposite: synthesis,characterization, and antibacterial behaviors

Chitosan‐carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) full polysaccharide membrane was prepared by cross‐linking of chitosan with CMC dialdehyde and subsequent reductive amination. CMC dialdehyde molecule was prepared by periodate oxidation of CMC and then applied as a cross‐linking agent to form a new membrane network. The properties of oxidized CMC were investigated by various methods such as Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and viscosity test. Then, novel chitosan‐CMC silver nanocomposite was prepared using chitosan‐CMC as a carrier. The structure of the chitosan‐CMC membrane and the silver nanocomposite were confirmed by FT‐IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM images indicate that the chitosan‐CMC nanocomposite comprises silver nanoparticles with diameters in the range of about 5–20 nm. The antibacterial studies of the nanocomposite were also evaluated. The chitosan‐CMC silver nanocomposite demonstrates good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi-component synthesis of spiro[diindeno[1,2-b:2′,1′-e]pyridine-11,3′-indoline]-triones using zinc terephthalate metal-organic frameworks

The present article describes an efficient one-pot method for the preparation of spiro[diindeno[1,2-b:2′,1′-e]pyridine-11,3′-indoline]-trione derivatives from a three-component condensation reaction of 1,3-indandione, aromatic amines and isatins in the presence of a zinc terephthalate metal-organic framework Zn (BDC) MOF as the catalyst under solvent-free conditions. High yields, short reaction times, simple workup and environmentally benign procedure are advantages of this protocol. The Zn (BDC) MOF catalyst can be recovered and reused several times without loss of activity. The catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra red, X-ray powder diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis.     

Thermodynamic Studies of Insulin Loading into a Glucose Responsive Hydrogel Based on Chitosan‐polyacrylamide‐polyethylene Glycol

The insulin therapy constitutes the preferred treatment for Diabetes Mellitus (DM). The traditional insulin therapy, which consists of daily subcutaneous insulin injections to control blood glucose level, is not able to regulate the blood glucose level precisely. In this research, to facilitate the diabetic patient life, an intelligent drug delivery system based on a biodegrable biopolymer to control the insulin release, was designed. In this system, chitosan‐polyethylene glycol hydrogel and glucose oxidize play the role of drug carrier and glucose biosensor, respectively. To increase the hydrogel drug loading capacity, hydrogels with different PEG content were synthesized and insulin was loaded by swelling‐diffusion method into them. The loaded hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Finally, the thermodynamic study for insulin loading process was performed to investigate the stability of the drug in the system.     

Precautions to improve the accuracy of quantitative determinations of biomarkers in clinical diagnostics

Although protein biomarkers have a great potential as biomarkers for diagnosis of diseases, they are seldom used in hospitals. There are many reasons for this, for instance, the difficulties to (i) find a biomarker for which the concentration in body fluids clearly differs between patients and healthy subjects, (ii) attain purification of the biomarker close to 100%, which is required for production of conventional protein antibodies as well as artificial gel antibodies for selective capture of a biomarker, (iii) design a standard curve for rapid and accurate determination of the concentration of the biomarker in the body fluid because of adsorption of the biomarker onto vials, pipettes, etc., (iv) determine accurately the sample volume delivered by a pipette, (v) avoid polymerization of the biomarker upon storage and to decide whether it is in the form not only of monomers, but also of dimers, trimers, etc., in the native state, (vi) determine the degree of possible glycosylation and amidation of the biomarker and (vii) decide whether glycosylation and amidation positively or negatively affects the possibility to use the protein as a biomarker. In this article, we discuss in quantitative terms the difficulties (iii–vii) and how to overcome them, which also may help to overcome the difficulty (ii), which in turn minimizes difficulty (i).     

A zero-one model for project portfolio selection and scheduling

A zero-one integer linear programming model is proposed for selecting and scheduling an optimal project portfolio, based on the organisation's objectives and constraints such as resource limitations and interdependence among projects. The model handles some of the issues that frequently arise in real world applications but are not addressed by previously suggested models, such as situations in which the amount of available and consumed resources varies in different periods. It also allows for interactive adjustment following the optimisation process, to provide decision makers a method for controlling portfolio selection, based on criteria that may be difficult to elicit directly. It is critical for such a system to provide fast evaluation of alternatives the decision makers may want to examine, and this requirement is addressed. The proposed model not only suggests projects that should be incorporated in the optimal portfolio, but it also determines the starting period for each project. Scheduling considerations can have a major impact on the combination of projects that can be incorporated in the portfolio, and may allow the addition of certain projects to the portfolio that could not have been selected otherwise. An example problem is described and solved with the proposed model, and some areas for future research are discussed.     

Highly efficient and green approach for the synthesis of spirooxindole derivatives in the presence of novel Brønsted acidic ionic liquids incorporated in UiO‐66 nanocages

An efficient and green approach is reported for the rapid synthesis of spirocyclic 2‐oxindole using triethylenediamine or imidazole Brønsted acidic ionic liquids supported in Zr metal–organic framework (TEDA/IMIZ‐BAIL@UiO‐66) as a novel, superior and retrievable heterogeneous catalyst under ultrasonic irradiation. Heterocyclic compounds including pyrido[2,3‐d:6,5‐d′]dipyrimidines and indeno[2′,1′:5,6]pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidines were obtained by the one‐pot condensation reaction of 6‐amino‐1,3‐dimethyluracil, isatins and cyclic 1,3‐diketone (barbituric acid or 1,3‐indanedione). The reusability of the catalyst, low catalyst loading, short reaction times, excellent yields, simple work‐up, and use of sonochemical procedure as a mild process and an alternative energy source are some of the advantages of this method. Furthermore, the novel heterogeneous nanocomposite was fully characterized using various techniques.     

Preparation of core/shell/shell CoFe2O4/OCMC/Cu (BDC) nanostructure as a magnetically heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of substituted xanthenes,quinazolines and acridines under ultrasonic irradiation

Highly efficient synthesized magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles supported on OCMC@Cu (BDC) was utilized in the preparation of biologically active heterocyclic compounds through one-pot three-component reactions between of aldehydes, dimedone, aryl amines/2-naphthol/urea under ultrasonic irradiation. This method has various advantages including excellent yields, little catalyst loading, simple procedure, facile catalyst separation, short reaction times, eco-friendly approach and simple purification. The catalyst was characterized by various spectroscopy methods such as fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm (BET). Furthermore, the heterocyclic compounds were characterized by spectral techniques. The nanocomposite was simply separated byusing an external magnet, and it can be recycled several times without significant loss of activity.     

Fe3O4 nanoparticles: As an efficient,green and magnetically reusable catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-decahydroacridine derivatives under solvent-free conditions

An efficient and environmentally friendly method for the one-pot synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-decahydroacridines has been developed in the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The multicomponent reactions of aldehydes, dimedone and amines were carried out under solvent-free conditions to obtain some 1,8-dioxo-9-aryl-10-aryl-decahydroacridine derivatives. The present approach provides several advantages including high yields, short reaction times, little catalyst loading and facile catalyst separation.