Separation and Determination of Chemopreventive Phytochemicals of Flavonoids from Brassicaceae Plants

The main aim of this study was to develop a method for the isolation and determination of polyphenols—in particular, flavonoids present in various morphological parts of plants belonging to the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). Therefore, a procedure consisting of maceration, acid hydrolysis and measurement of the total antioxidant capacity of plant extracts (using DPPH assay) was conducted. Qualitative analysis was performed employing thin-layer chromatography (TLC), which was presented to be a suitable methodology for the separation and determination of chemopreventive phytochemicals from plants belonging to the cabbage family. The study involved the analysis of 25 vegetal samples, including radish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, canola, kohlrabi, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, pak choi and cauliflower. In addition, selected flavonoids content in free form and bonded to glycosides was determined by using an RP-UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method.     

All‐Conjugated,Rod‐Rod Block Copolymers‐Generation and Self‐Assembly Properties

Based on their rigid‐rod structure all‐conjugated, rod‐rod block copolymers show a preferred tendency to self‐assemble into low‐curvature vesicular or lamellar nanostructures independent from their specific chemical structure and composition. This unique and attractive behaviour is clearly illustrated in a few examples of such all‐conjugated block copolymers. The resulting nanostructured heteromaterials may find applications in electronic devices or artificial membranes.

     

The formation of a cyclic diacetal of methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside with a 16-membered macrocyclic loop

The X-ray structure of a diacetal with a 16-membered macrocyclic loop, which was obtained as a product of the condensation of methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside and 1,4-bis(2-formylphenoxy)butane is presented together with polymeric compounds resulting from polycondensation; a similar polymer was formed in the reaction of methyl 2,3:4,6-di-O-salicylidene-alpha-D-mannopyranoside with 1,4-dibromobutane.     

Some aspects of the stability of ion current in a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization source

The effect of laser exposure (the number of laser shots) on the stability of production of matrix (gentisic acid, sinapinic acid, nicotinic acid and benzoic acid) and biomolecule (insulin and cytochrome-c) ions is presented. Two methods of sample preparation, dried-droplet and pressure, were examined. In the case of pressure preparation, the dry powder sample was pressed mechanically with a pressure of 30 MPa. The best results were obtained for the pressure method and gentisic acid as matrix.     

Changes in the order of elution of some organic compounds in high-resolution gas chromatography on polar columns depending on the injection method and water content in the sample

During the GC analysis of apple aroma essence using a capillary column with polar stationary phases, i.e., bonded/crosslinked polyethylene glycol (HP-Innowax) and acid-modified polyethylene glycol (FFAP) the phenomenon of changing the elution order of some compounds was observed ("cross-over phenomenon"). The elution order within two pairs of closely eluting compounds: 2-methylbutyl acetate/pentan-3-ol (internal standard) and trans-2-hexen-1-al/2-methylbutan-1-ol differed between samples introduced onto the column with direct injection and with static headspace method. Experiments carried out on standard solutions of investigated compounds in water-acetone mixtures of gradually reduced water ratio (99:1 to 0:100) proved that changes of elution times leading first to co-elution and subsequently to reversion of elution order of compounds within both pairs depended on the amount of water in the injected sample. The same effect was observed while the amount of water was diminished by reducing the sample volume introduced into the column.     

Vertex magic total labelings of 2-regular graphs

A vertex magic total (VMT) labeling of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is a bijection from the set of vertices and edges to the set of integers defined by $\lambda :V\cup E\to \{1,2,\dots ,|V|+|E\left|\right\}$ so that for every $x\in V$, $w\left(x\right)=\lambda \left(x\right)+{\sum }_{xy\in E}\lambda \left(xy\right)=k$, for some integer $k$. A VMT labeling is said to be a super VMT labeling if the vertices are labeled with the smallest possible integers, $1,2,\dots ,\left|V\right|$. In this paper we introduce a new method to expand some known VMT labelings of 2-regular graphs.     

Metabolic Evaluation of Urine from Patients Diagnosed with High Grade (HG) Bladder Cancer by SPME-LC-MS Method

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common malignancy of the urinary system and a leading cause of death worldwide. In this work, untargeted metabolomic profiling of biological fluids is presented as a non-invasive tool for bladder cancer biomarker discovery as a first step towards developing superior methods for detection, treatment, and prevention well as to further our current understanding of this disease. In this study, urine samples from 24 healthy volunteers and 24 BC patients were subjected to metabolomic profiling using high throughput solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in thin-film format and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a Q Exactive Focus Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The chemometric analysis enabled the selection of metabolites contributing to the observed separation of BC patients from the control group. Relevant differences were demonstrated for phenylalanine metabolism compounds, i.e., benzoic acid, hippuric acid, and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid. Furthermore, compounds involved in the metabolism of histidine, beta-alanine, and glycerophospholipids were also identified. Thin-film SPME can be efficiently used as an alternative approach to other traditional urine sample preparation methods, demonstrating the SPME technique as a simple and efficient tool for urinary metabolomics research. Moreover, this study’s results may support a better understanding of bladder cancer development and progression mechanisms.     

On the Eigenvalue Problem for Self–Adjoint Operators with Singular Perturbations

We investigate the eigenvalue problem for self–adjoint operators with singular perturbations. The general results presented here include weakly as well as strongly singular cases. We illustrate these results on two models which correspond to so–called additive strongly singular perturbations.     

Highly Sensitive Determination of Tenofovir in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Patients Urine—Comparative Electroanalytical Studies Using Different Sensing Methods

This paper discusses the electrochemical behavior of antiviral drug Tenofovir (TFV) and its possible applicability towards electroanalytical determination with diverse detection strategies using square-wave voltammetry. Namely, oxidation processes were investigated using glassy carbon electrode with graphene oxide surface modification (GO/GCE), while the reduction processes, related to the studied analyte, were analyzed at a renewable silver amalgam electrode (Hg(Ag)FE). Scanning electron microscopy imaging confirmed the successful deposition of GO at the electrode surface. Catalytic properties of graphene oxide were exposed while being compared with those of bare GCE. The resultant modification of GCE with GO enhanced the electroactive surface area by 50% in comparison to the bare one. At both electrodes, i.e., GO/GCE and Hg(Ag)FE, the TFV response was used to examine and optimize the influence of square-wave excitation parameters, i.e., square wave frequency, step potential and amplitude, and supporting electrolyte composition and its pH. Broad selectivity studies were performed with miscellaneous interfering agents influence, including ascorbic acid, selected saccharides and aminoacids, metal ions, non-opioid analgesic metamizole, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug omeprazole, and several drugs used along with TFV treatment. The linear concentration range for TFV determination at GO/GCE and Hg(Ag)FE was found to be 0.3–30.0 µmol L^–1 and 0.5–7.0 µmol L^–1, respectively. The lowest LOD was calculated for GO/GCE and was equal to 48.6 nmol L^–1. The developed procedure was used to detect TFV in pharmaceutical formulations and patient urine samples and has referenced utilization in HPLC studies.     

Correlation Study of Biological Activity with Quercetin and Phenolics Content in Onion Extracts

In this study it was shown that the fungistatic and antioxidant activities of onion extracts are related to the type of liquid used as the extractant and the technique of its preparation. A change in the antioxidant properties of white and red onion extracts was demonstrated with the change of the temperature of the pressurized hot water extraction process, which can be easily related to the changes accompanying the process of thermal processing of vegetables and fruits during cooking. Owing to the experimental and mathematical approaches concerning both the main and characteristic components of onions, i.e., quercetin and phenols, respectively, with the biological activity of the extracts, it was possible to demonstrate the significant share of these compounds in the antifungal and antioxidant properties of the extracts. Considering that the research was carried out, inter alia, on onion husks, demonstrating a very high potential of biological properties of this waste material from agricultural production, the research results presented in the paper should encourage the popularization of the use of this so far underestimated raw material for the production of various functional materials.