Quantitative analysis of closantel and rafoxanide in bovine and ovine muscles by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

An HPLC method with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) was described for the quantitative determination of closantel and rafoxanide in bovine and ovine muscles. A structural analog closely related to rafoxanide, viz., N-[4-(4-chlorophenoxy)phenyl]-2-hydroxy-3,5-diiodobenzamide, was synthesized as an internal standard. Bovine and ovine muscles were extracted with acetonitrile-acetone (60 + 40, v/v) followed by cleanup on mixed mode anionic exchange SPE cartridges. After evaporation and reconstitution with the mobile phase, the sample was analyzed by HPLC-FLD using internal standard calibration. The method was validated by using fortified bovine and ovine muscles at 15, 30, and 60 microg/kg. The accuracy and RSD were 70-110% and < or =10%, respectively.     

A chiral menthyl cyclopentadienyl molybdenum tricarbonyl chloro complex: Synthesis, heterogenization on MCM-41/MCM-48 and application in olefin epoxidation catalysis

The complex [(−)-menthylCp]Mo(CO)₃Cl (1) was synthesized by the reaction of Mo(CO)₃(EtCN)₃ with [(−)-menthylCpH] to produce the hydride [(−)-menthylCp]Mo(CO)₃H. The latter compound was then reacted with CCl₄ to form [(−)-menthylCp]Mo(CO)₃Cl (1). Compound 1 was tested as catalyst for the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene, styrene and trans-β-methylstyrene in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) at 55 °C using chloroform as solvent. Results under homogeneous conditions prompted the authors to immobilize complex 1 on mesoporous MCM-41 and MCM-48 surfaces leading to the grafted materials AM-41CpMoChi and AM-48CpMoChi. The presence of the organometallic complexes in the materials was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, TEM, EA, FT-IR, ¹H MAS NMR and TG-MS. AM-41CpMoChi and AM-48CpMoChi were also tested as epoxidation catalysts. The catalytic examinations also included leaching experiments, and the reusing of the grafted materials for several runs.     

A Supramolecular Stabilizer of the 14-3-3ζ/ERα Protein-Protein Interaction with a Synergistic Mode of Action

We report on a stabilizer of the interaction between 14-3-3ζ and the Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα). ERα is a driver in the majority of breast cancers and 14-3-3 proteins are negative regulators of this nuclear receptor, making the stabilization of this protein-protein interaction (PPI) an interesting strategy. The stabilizer ( 1 ) consists of three symmetric peptidic arms containing an arginine mimetic, previously described as the GCP motif. 1 stabilizes the 14-3-3ζ/ERα interaction synergistically with the natural product Fusicoccin-A and was thus hypothesized to bind to a different site. This is supported by computational analysis of 1 binding to the binary complex of 14-3-3 and an ERα-derived phosphopeptide. Furthermore, 1 shows selectivity towards 14-3-3ζ/ERα interaction over other 14-3-3 client-derived phosphomotifs. These data provide a solid support of a new binding mode for a supramolecular 14-3-3ζ/ERα PPI stabilizer.     

Lactic acid production from cheese whey by immobilized bacteria

The performance of immobilized Bifidobacterium longum in sodium alginate beads and on a spiral-sheet bioreactor for the production of lactic acid from cheese whey was evaluated. Lactose utilization and lactic acid yield of B. longum were compared with those of Lactobacillus helveticus. B. longum immobilized in sodium alginate beads showed better performance in lactose utilization and lactic acid yield than L. helveticus. In the spiral-sheet bioreactor, a lactose conversion ratio of 79% and lactic acid yield of 0.84 g of lactic acid/g of lactose utilized were obtained during the first run with the immobilized L. helveticus. A lactose conversion ratio of 69% and lactic acid yield of 0.51 g of lactic acid/g of lactose utilized were obtained during the first run with immobilized B. longum in the spiral-sheet bioreactor. In producing lactic acid L. helveticus performed better when using the Spiral Sheet Bioreactor and B. longum showed better performance with gel bead immobilization. Because B. longum is a very promising new bacterium for lactic acid production from cheese whey, its optimum fermentation conditions such as pH and metabolic pathway need to be studied further. The ultrafiltration tests have shown that 94% of the cell and cheese whey proteins were retained by membranes with a mol wt cutoff of 5 and 20 KDa.     

The effect of atomic and extra-atomic relaxation on atomic binding energies

An equivalent-cores-relaxation model is given for calculating atomic binding energies from orbital energies using only ground-state atomic properties. The agreement with experiment is excellent for the noble gases. On the basis of present knowledge of atomic relaxation, the phenomenon of “extra-atomic relaxation”, in which electronic charge is attracted toward a hole-state atom, is shown to have an important effect in lowering atomic core-level binding energies in condensed phases. This will affect the interpretation of most core-level binding energies measured to date.     

Crystal structures of 2,4-dimethylthioxanthene 10,10-dioxide, 2,4,9-trimethylthioxanthene 10,10-dioxide,and 2,4-dimethyl-9-isopropylthioxanthene 10,10-dioxide

The structures of 2,4-dimethylthioxanthene 10,10-dioxide, 1 , 2,4,9-trimethylthioxanthene 10,10-dioxide, 2 , and 2,4-dimethyl-9-isopropylthioxanthene 10,10-dioxide, 3 , have been determined by x-ray diffraction. The central ring of the thioxanthene ring system is in a boat conformation. The 9-methyl substituent in 2 and the 9-isopropyl substituent in 3 are both in the boat-axial conformation with respect to the central ring. The folding angles between the planes of the two benzo rings are 136.6°, 142.9°, and 134.3° for 1, 2 , and 3 , respectively.     

Characterization of cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX) thermal degradation by isotope analyses with analytical pyrolysis-atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Analytical pyrolysis-atmospberic pressure ionization (Py-API) tandem mass Spectrometry was used in the structure elucidation of the oxidalive and non-oxidative thermal decomposition products of cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX). The [¹⁵NO₂]-, [¹⁵N₈]- and [²H₈]-HMX isotope preparations provided fundamental information in the determination of the identities of the various pyrolyzate species. All RDX pyrolysis product ions that were identified by Py-API tandem mass Spectrometry, i.e. m/z 44, 60, 74, 75, 85 and 98, were present in the pyrolyzate of HMX. In both RDX and HMX investigations, these ions provided identical mass spectral daughter ion analyses. HMX, however, provided additional ions at m/z 30, 58, 69, 71, 83 and 141. Of all thirteen ions identified in the Py-APJ mass spectrum of HMX, only that at m/z 75 contained a nitrogen atom that originated from the NO₂ group. Standards analysis confirmed the identities of the ions at m/z 69, 71 and 141 as methyleneaminoacetonitrile, methylaminoacetonitrile and the caged compound hoxamethylenetetraamine, respectively. Isotopic analyses provided a high degree of confidence on the structural assignments of the ions at m/z 30 and 58 as methyleneimine and methyleneformamide; the ion at m/z 83, however, appeared to be a heterocyclic compound with daughter ion mass spectral elements similar to but not identical with that of 1-methylimidazole and 3-methylpyrazole.     

Analysis of amines in petroleum

An analytical method for differentiation of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines using exhaustive trifluoroacetylation prior to GC/MS has been developed. Using the conditions described in the report, most primary amines add two and secondary amines add one trifluoroacetyl group. In general, tertiary amines do not react. GC retention indices and relative GC/MS total ion current response factors for 102 trifluoroacetyl derivatives are reported. Examples of the application of the method to petroleum and coal liquid products are provided. Because of the limited thermal stability of the derivatives of primary amines, the method is applicable only to distillates boiling below 370 °C (700 °F).     

Melanosomal damage in normal human melanocytes induced by UVB and metal uptake--a basis for the pro-oxidant state of melanoma

Melanins are ubiquitous catecholic pigments, formed in organelles called melanosomes within melanocytes, the function of which is to protect skin against harmful effects of UV radiation. Melanosomes within melanoma cells are characteristically abnormal, with fragmented melanin and disrupted membranes. We hypothesize that the disruption of melanosomal melanin might be an early event in the etiology and progression of melanoma, leading to increased oxidative stress and mutation. In this report, we examine the effect of a combination of UV treatment and metal ion exposure on melanosomes within melanocytes, as well as their ability to act as pro-oxidants in ex situ experiments, and assay the effects of this treatment on viability and cell cycle progression. UVB exposure causes morphologic changes of the cells and bleaching of melanosomes in normal melanocytes, both significantly enhanced in Cu(II) and Cd(II)-treated cells, as observed by microscopy. The promoted bleaching by Cu(II) is due to its ability to redox cycle under oxidative conditions, generating reactive oxygen species; verified by the observed enhancement of hydroxyl radical generation when isolated melanosomes were treated with both Cu(II) ions and UVB, as assayed by DNA clipping. Single-dose UVB/Cu treatment does not greatly affect cell viability or cell cycle progression in heavily pigmented cells, but did so in an amelanotic early stage melanoma cell line.     

Onset of resistive internal interfaces in SrTi0.95Nb0.05O3+δ materials on changing from reducing to oxidising conditions and on cooling

Impedance spectroscopy has been used to investigate the long-term drift of the electrical behaviour of SrTi_0.95Nb_0.05O_3+δ materials. The behavior of dense samples revealed the onset of resistive internal interfaces on cooling below about 950 °C in oxidizing conditions (typically air or N₂). Dense materials repond very slowly to step changes from reducing conditions to air; this was monitored by impedance spectroscopy to separate the contributions of the bulk and of internal interfaces. After an initial stage the resistance of internal interfaces increases slowly and almost linearly with time for up to three weeks. The changes in bulk resistance are smaller, and tend to level out after a smaller time interval, possibly because the reoxidation of the sample is very sluggish. Porous samples show relatively fast reoxidation, and thus a fast increase in bulk resistance. Paper presented at the 6th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Cetraro, Calabria, Italy, Sept. 12–19, 1999.