Preparative purification of gentamicin components using high-speed counter-current chromatography coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry

We developed a useful and preparative method based on high-speed counter-current chromatography with mass spectrometry (HSCCC/MS) to purify gentamicin C1a, C2/2a and C1 from standard powder. The analytes were purified on the HSCCC model CCC-1000 (multi-layer coil planet centrifuge) with a volatile two-phase solvent system composed of n-butanol/10% aqueous ammonia solution (50:50, v/v) and detected on an LCMS-2020EV quadrupole mass spectrometer fitted with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source system in positive ionization following scan mode (m/z 100-500). The HSCCC/ESI-MS peaks indicated that gentamicin C1a (m/z 450: [M+H](+)), C2/2a (m/z 464: [M+H](+)) and C1 (m/z 478: [M+H](+)) have the peak resolution values of 1.3 and 1.7 from 30 mg of loaded gentamicin powder. The HSCCC yielded 3.9 mg of gentamicin C1a, 12.6 mg of gentamicin C2/2a and 12.0 mg of gentamicin C1. These purified substances were analyzed by LC/MS with scan positive-mode. Based on the LC/MS chromatograms and spectra of the fractions, analytes were estimated to be over 95% pure. These gentamicin isomers of C1a, C2/2a and C1 were evaluated for their antibacterial activities. The overall results indicate that this approach of HSCCC/MS is a powerful technique for the purification of gentamicin components.     

Ultrafast excited state dynamics of fucoxanthin: excitation energy dependent intramolecular charge transfer dynamics

Carotenoids containing a carbonyl group in conjugation with their polyene backbone are naturally-occurring pigments in marine organisms and are essential to the photosynthetic light-harvesting function in aquatic algae. These carotenoids exhibit spectral characteristics attributed to an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state that arise in polar solvents due to the presence of the carbonyl group. Here, we report the spectroscopic properties of the carbonyl carotenoid fucoxanthin in polar (methanol) and nonpolar (cyclohexane) solvents studied by steady-state absorption and femtosecond pump-probe measurements. Transient absorption associated with the optically forbidden S(1) (2(1)A) state and/or the ICT state were observed following one-photon excitation to the optically allowed S(2) (1(1)B) state in methanol. The transient absorption measurements carried out in methanol showed that the ratio of the ICT-to-S(1) state formation increased with decreasing excitation energy. We also showed that the ICT character was clearly visible in the steady-state absorption in methanol based on a Franck-Condon analysis. The results suggest that two spectroscopic forms of fucoxanthin, blue and red, exist in the polar environment.     

Interspecies comparison of chemical composition and anxiolytic-like effects of lavender oils upon inhalation

Essential oils have traditionally been used for decades to alleviate the symptoms of various mental problems. In terms of anxiolytic-like properties, lavender oil is probably the most commonly used and best-studied essential oil. Although there is compositional variance among the oils extracted from different origins, there have been few studies performed to date to investigate how these differences affect the expression of anxiolytic-like activity. This paper discusses the interspecies differences and contributions of the main constituents in the expression of anxiolytic-like effects upon inhalation, as assessed in mice by the elevated-plus maze test, by comparing the essential oils from six different species of Lavandula. The results showed qualitative and quantitative variations in the tested oils, which results in significant differences in their anxiolytic-like activities. Our findings also suggest that linalyl acetate (LA) works synergistically with linalool (LO) and that the presence of both LA and LO is essential for the whole oil to work as an inhaled anti-anxiety agent.     

Polarimetry for spatiotemporal photoelastic analysis

This paper describes a new photoelastic technique for the spatiotemporal stress analysis. In a polarimeter developed, an elliptically polarized signal beam of light, modulated in state of polarization by two-dimensional principal-stress distributions interferes with a reference beam of light consisting of orthogonal linearly polarized two components. A time-sequential series of two-dimensional interference patterns are received one after another by a MOS video camera, followed by a computer. Of the elliptically polarized signal beam, the orthogonal field components along the directions of the principal stresses in a two-dimensional photoelastic sample can be computed from a recorded interference pattern, which offer the data needer for mapping the spatiotemporal principal-stress distribution over the sample. Not only each of the two orthogonal principal stresses but also the principal-stress difference are mapped in a time-sequential diagram. No use of any movable polarization element such as a rotating analyzer allows us to follow a rapid change in stress distribution within the maximum frame rate 2066 s⁻¹ of the MOS video camera.     

An ergodic theorem for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings in the intermediate sense

This paper is concerned with an ergodic theorem for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings in the intermediate sense in Banach spaces.

     

The relation of various metabolic bone markers in renal hemodialysis patients classified by serum estradiol levels

The bone metabolic markers showed the significant differences in age and sex of the hemodialysis patients with renal insufficiency. It is likely that the evaluations of bone change and biochemical metabolic markers should be based on serum estradiol level, sex and age of the renal hemodialysis patients.     

Nad(p)+-nad(p)h models. 50. Stereo-controlled reduction of methyl 2-oxo-3-methylpentanoate

Racemic and optically active title compound was reduced with chiral and achiral NAD(P)H models. The composition of diastereomers in the product was determined and the steric relationship is discussed.