Synthesis of N6-phosphorylated sydnone imines and their functionalization via 4-Li derivatives. Novel bicyclic sydnone imines

The highly efficient gram-scale method for preparation of up to date hardly available N₆-phosphorylated sydnone imines based on the reaction of sydnone imine hydrochlorides with substituted phosphinate or phosphonate acids chlorides in the presence of a base was elaborated. A possibility of straight deprotonation of sydnone imines with n-BuLi followed by the reaction 4-Li-derivatives thus obtained with electrophiles was demonstrated. Novel representatives of bicyclic sydnone imines fused via 4,5-edge of the oxadiazolium ring were obtained. Also sydnone imines containing both phosphorus and sulfur functionalities were obtained with high yields.     

Orbitrap mass spectrometry for monitoring the ganglioside pattern in human cerebellum development and aging

We have developed here a superior approach based on high‐resolution (HR) mass spectrometry (MS) for monitoring the changes occurring with development and aging in the composition and structure of cerebellar gangliosidome. The experiments were focused on the comparative screening and structural analysis of gangliosides expressed in fetal and aged cerebellum by Orbitrap MS with nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) in the negative ion mode. The employed ultrahigh‐resolution MS platform allowed the discrimination, without the need of previous separation, of 159 ions corresponding to 120 distinct species in the native ganglioside mixtures from fetal and aged cerebellar biopsies, many more than detected before, when MS platforms of lower resolution were employed. A number of gangliosides, in particular polysialylated belonging to GT, GQ, GP, and GS classes, modified by O‐fucosylation, O‐acetylation, or CH₃COO^? were discovered here, for the first time in human cerebellum. These components, found differently expressed in fetal and aged tissues, indicated that the ganglioside profile in cerebellum is development stage‐ and age‐specific. Following the fragmentation analysis by high‐energy collision‐induced dissociation (HCD) tandem MS (MS/MS), we have also observed that the intimate structure of certain compounds has not changed during the development and aging of the brain, an aspect which could open new directions in the investigation of ganglioside biomarkers in cerebellar tissue.     

Ultrasound-Assisted Hydrodistillation of Essential Oil from Celery Seeds (Apium graveolens L.) and Its Biological and Aroma Profiles

The aim of the research was to increase the efficiency of the hydrodistillation process and determine the volatile composition, biological activity, and aroma profile of essential oil from celery seeds (Apium graveolens L.). The essential oil was extracted from the plant material by ultrasonic hydrodistillation with higher efficiency when compared with classical hydrodistillation. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the impedimetric method for the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and yeast Candida vini as well as moulds Aspergillus niger and Penicillium expansum with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) (μL/mL) values: 30, 10, 20, 3, 30, 40, and 40, respectively. The oil possessed very weak 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 81.6 g/L. Initial studies of the aroma profile indicated that the perception of the fragrance of the oil could be related to the sex of the panellists. According to women, the fragrance of celery seeds oil was intense herb-like. From the men’s point of view, it had a fresh, mossy, and mushroom scent.     

Thuja occidentalis L. (Cupressaceae): Ethnobotany,Phytochemistry and Biological Activity

Thuja occidentalis L. (Cupressaceae) has its origins in Eastern North America and is cultivated in Europe and Brazil as an ornamental tree, being known as the “tree of life” or “white cedar”. In traditional medicine, it is commonly used to treat liver diseases, bullous bronchitis, psoriasis, enuresis, amenorrhea, cystitis, uterine carcinomas, diarrhea, and rheumatism. The chemical constituents of T. occidentalis have been of research interest for decades, due to their contents of essential oil, coumarins, flavonoids, tannins, and proanthocyanidines. Pharmacology includes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, protective activity of the gastrointestinal tract, radioprotection, antipyretic, and lipid metabolism regulatory activity. Therefore, the present review represents the synthesis of all the relevant information for T. occidentalis, its ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and a thorough analysis of their pharmacological activities, in order to promote all the biological activities shown so far, rather than the antitumor activity that has promoted it as a medicinal species.     

Stimuli Responsive Scaffolds Based on Carboxymethyl Starch and Poly(2‐Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate) for Anti‐Inflammatory Drug Delivery

The purpose of the study is to obtain multicomponent polyelectrolyte hydrogels with optimal synergistic properties by combining a modified starch with a synthetic one. Thus, new low‐cost and biocompatible semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) hydrogels of carboxymethyl starch and poly(2‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) are prepared and investigated. The synthesized hydrogels are studied with respect to the specific characteristics of the gels: swelling kinetics, thermal analysis, viscoelastic characteristics, and their ability to be used as a matrix in drug delivery systems. Therefore, the semi‐IPN gels are loaded with ibuprofen, followed by additional tests to assess the in vitro drug release. The cytocompatibility of the hydrogels with respect to their composition is evaluated in vitro on fibroblast cell culture. The investigations confirm the obtainment of new semi‐IPN hydrogels with pH and temperature responsiveness, good mechanical strength, and potential for use as drug delivery systems or transdermal patches.     

Comparison of HPLC and CE methods for the determination of cetirizine dihydrochloride in human plasma samples

Two methods, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), for analysis of cetirizine dihydrochloride in small sample volumes of human plasma were compared. The CE and HPLC assays were developed and validated by analyzing a series of plasma samples containing cetirizine dihydrochloride in different concentrations using these two methods. The extraction procedure is simple and no complicated purification steps or derivatization are required. The analysis time in the HPLC method was shorter than that in the CE method, but solvent consumption was considerably lower in the CE method. The calibration curve was linear to at least 10-1000 ng/mL both for CE and HPLC with r(2) = 0.9993 and r(2) = 0.9994, respectively. The detection limits for cetirizine dihydrochloride were 3 and 5 ng/mL with CE and HPLC (a UV detector was applied in the both cases), respectively. Both methods were selective, robust and specific, allowing reliable quantification of cetirizine dihydrochloride, and could be useful for clinical and biomedical investigations.     

Magnetism and crystal structures of CuMn and CuNi ordered bimetallic chains

The syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties of the new bimetallic compounds {CuL_α[Ni(NCS)₄(H₂O)₂]} (1) and {CuL_α[Mn(NCS)₄(H₂O)₂]} (2), where L = N-dl-5,12-dimethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,11-diene, are reported. Both structures consist of well-separated and magnetically equivalent layers which are composed of thiocyanate-bridged Cu(II)–Mn(II) or Cu(II)–Ni(II) binuclear units and create infinite polymeric zig-zag-like chains in the crystal lattices. The [Ni(NCS)₄(H₂O)₂] and [Mn(NCS)₄(H₂O)₂] molecular fragments have a distorted octahedral symmetry. The geometry of the Cu(II) unit is octahedral with the apical positions occupied by bridging thiocyanate ligands and the basal ones by four nitrogen atoms from the macrocyclic ring. The shortest intramolecular M–M distances are: 6.342 Å (Cu–Ni) and 6.421 Å (Cu–Mn). Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements for the examined compounds have been carried out over the range 1.8–300 K. The data suggest antiferromagnetic interactions through the thiocyanate bridge. Finally, the magnitudes of the Cu(II)–M(II) interactions (M = Ni and Mn) have been compared and qualitatively rationalised.     

Sequence limits in calculus: using design research and building on intuition to support instruction

This article is based on research completed within an ongoing project to develop a calculus course which serves as the foundation for the mathematical education of undergraduate students who are training to become elementary teachers. Several research-based activities have been developed, tested, and refined. In this paper we discuss how the design research approach was used to create and implement an instructional task that introduces the concept of limit of a sequence using popular characters from a children’s television show. We present the intuition that students brought to the instructional sequence, the development of the tasks based on the instructional design theory of Realistic Mathematics Education, and the evolution of the intuition that students displayed after instruction. Results include the instructional task developed and student work which reveals that students use context, informal notions of limit, and the notion of “arbitrarily close” to write about their limit understandings.     

Stability of the Thin-Shell Schwarzschild-Ellis Wormhole

We investigate the stability regions of the thin-shells obtained by gluing the exterior Schwarzschild vacuum with two distinct classes of Ellis wormholes, one with zero and the other with nonzero total mass. Using the new concepts of thin-shell “mass” and of “external force” discovered recently by Garcia, Lobo and Visser, we shall apply their method to the explicit cases where some of the energy conditions in the bulk (on two sides) are violated. The stability regions are analyzed and the energetics is briefly discussed. Remarkably, we find that the stability zones are quite similar although the classes of Ellis wormholes are different. By the present examples, we confirm that the stability zones indicated by the force constraint (involving Φ and its derivatives) are more complete but restrictive than those from the mass constraint (not involving Φ).