Spectrophotometric determination of some antihistaminic drugs using 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ)

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method is suggested for analysis of 3 antihistaminic drugs, acrivastine (I), mequitazine (II), and dimethindene maleate (III). The method is based on reaction of the drugs with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) in acetonitrile to form highly stable colored products that are measured at 750, 766, and 844 nm for I and II, and 480 and 618 nm for III. Beer's law is obeyed in the ranges of 5-60 microg/mL for 1, 5-50 microg/mL for II, and 10-70 microg/mL for III. The optimum assay conditions and their applicability to the determination of the cited drugs in pharmaceutical formulations are described. The method is statistically analyzed as compared with the European Pharmacopoeia (2001) method for the analysis of dimethindene maleate and reference methods for acrivastine and mequitazine drugs revealing good accuracy and precision.     

On visualization of sub-micron particles with dark-field light microscopy

Dark-field light microscopy is widely employed to visualize colloidal particles much smaller than the light wavelength used. In the captured images, the colloidal particles appear, against a dark background, as bright "specks" much larger than the geometrical size of the particles. To verify whether the "specks" are for individual particles or clusters of particles, experiments are performed which used low bulk concentrations of five suspensions of monodispersed particles (approximately 0.3 microm in diameter) and a dark-field video microscopic system with an optical resolution of approximately 0.5 microm to count the particles after they all have deposited onto the inner surfaces of a parallel-plate glass channel. The average size and the size distribution of the particles are also determined at the end of each experiment. The results confirmed that the visualized "specks" are for individual particles. The measured and prepared particle bulk concentrations in the five experiments closely matched, to within +/-5%, and the measured average size of the particles and their size distribution at the end of the five experiments were in agreement with the known values.     

Synthesis, Reactions, and Anti-arrhythmic activity of Substituted Heterocyclic Systems Using 5-Chloroanisic Acid as Starting Material

Summary. A series of substituted heterocyclic systems were prepared from N1-[4-(4-fluorocinnamoyl)phenyl]-5-chloro-2-methoxybenzamide, which was prepared from the corresponding 5-chloroanisic acid (2-methoxy-4-chlorobenzoic acid) as starting material. Treating of the cinnamoyl derivative with hydrazine hydrate in dioxane afforded a pyrazoline, which was reacted with morpholine and paraformaldehyde to give the N-substituted pyrazoline. Acylation of pyrazoline with acetyl chloride in dioxane afforded the N-acetyl analogue. Also, the cinamoyl derivative was reacted with methylhydrazine, phenylhydrazine, or ethyl cyanoacetate to yield the corresponding N-methyl-, N-phenylpyrazoline, pyrane, and pyridone derivatives. Condensation of the cinnamoyl derivative with cyanothioacetamide gave the pyridinethione derivative, which was treated with ethyl chloroacetate affording the ethyl carboxylate derivative. Also, it was reacted with malononitrile or ethyl acetoacetae to give the cyano amino analougues and ethyl carboxylate, which was reacted with methylhydrazine to give the (indazolyl)phenyl derivative. On the other hand, reaction of cinnamoyl derivative with acetyl acetone afforded the cyclohexenyl derivative, which was reacted with hydrazine hydrate to give the [methylindazolyl]phenyl derivative. Condensation of the cinnamoyl derivative with guanidine hydrochloride or thiourea afforded the aminopyrimidine derivative and thioxopyrimidine. The latter was condensed with chloroacetic acid to yield a thiazolopyrimidine, which was condensed with 2-thiophenealdehyde to yield the arylmethylene derivative, however, it was also prepared directly from thiopyrimidine by the action of chloroacetic acid, 2-thiophenealdehyde, and anhydrous sodium acetate. The pharmacological screening showed that many of these compounds have good anti-arrhythmic activity and low toxicity.     

Synthesis and antiinflammatory activity of some pyrimidines and thienopyrimidines using 1-(2-Benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)vinyl)-4-mercapto-6-methylpyrimidine-5-yl)ethan-2-one as a starting material

In continuation to our search for new heterocyclic systems based antiinflammatories, the suggestion and synthesis of some pyrimidines, thienopyrimidines, and their derivatives, were herein realized. The pharmacological screening showed that many of these compounds have good antiinflammatory activity. The structure assignments of the new compounds are based on chemical and spectroscopic evidence. The detailed synthesis, spectroscopic data, and pharmacological properties are reported. Correspondence: Abd El-Galil Elsayed Amr, National Research Center, Organic Chemistry Department, Cairo, Dokki, Egypt.     

The vibro-acoustic response and analysis of a full-scale aircraft fuselage section for interior noise reduction

The surface and interior response of a Cessna Citation fuselage section under three different forcing functions (10-1000 Hz) is evaluated through spatially dense scanning measurements. Spatial Fourier analysis reveals that a point force applied to the stiffener grid provides a rich wavenumber response over a broad frequency range. The surface motion data show global structural modes (approximately < 150 Hz), superposition of global and local intrapanel responses (approximately 150-450 Hz), and intrapanel motion alone (approximately > 450 Hz). Some evidence of Bloch wave motion is observed, revealing classical stop/pass bands associated with stiffener periodicity. The interior response (approximately < 150 Hz) is dominated by global structural modes that force the interior cavity. Local intrapanel responses (approximately > 150 Hz) of the fuselage provide a broadband volume velocity source that strongly excites a high density of interior modes. Mode coupling between the structural response and the interior modes appears to be negligible due to a lack of frequency proximity and mismatches in the spatial distribution. A high degree-of-freedom finite element model of the fuselage section was developed as a predictive tool. The calculated response is in good agreement with the experimental result, yielding a general model development methodology for accurate prediction of structures with moderate to high complexity.     

Biofouling prevention with pulsed electric fields

Temporary immobilization of aquatic nuisance species through application of short electric pulses has been explored as a method to prevent biofouling in cooling water systems where untreated lake, river, or sea water is used. In laboratory experiments, electrical pulses with amplitudes on the order of kilovolts/centimeter and submicrosecond duration were found to be most effective in stunning hydrazoans, a common aquatic nuisance species. Varying pulse amplitude and repetition rate allows us to control the stunning time in a temporal range from minutes to hours. The temporary immobilization is assumed to be caused by reversible membrane breakdown. This assumption is supported by results of measurements of the energy required for stunning. Based on the data obtained in laboratory experiments, field experiments in a tidal mater environment have been performed. The flow velocity was such that the residence time of the aquatic nuisance species in the system was approximately half a minute. The results showed that the pulsed electric field method provides full protection against biofouling when pulses of 0.77 μs width and 6 kV/cm amplitude are applied to the water at the inlet of such a cooling water system. Even at amplitudes of 1 kV/cm, the protection is still in the 90% range, at an energy expenditure of 1 kWh for the treatment of 60 000 gallons of water     

A PVC Membrane Sensor for Potentiometric Determination of Atorvastatin in Biological Samples and Pharmaceutical Preparations

The present article reports for the first time the use of Aliquat 336S‐atorvastatin as an electroactive material in a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix membrane sensor plasticized with ortho‐nitrophenyl‐octylether (o‐NPOE) or dioctylphthalate (DOP) for determination of atorvastatin in biological samples (human plasma) and in pharmaceutical preparations. The sensor shows fast, stable and reproducible response over the concentration range of 1.0×10^?7–1.0×10^?2 mol L^?1 atorvastatin with anionic slopes of 60.94±0.2 and 58.22±0.2 and pH range of 5.0–9.0 for o‐NPOE and DOP plasticized based membrane sensors, respectively. The response time of the sensor is stable and fast (10 s). Results were achieved with average recoveries of 99.5 % and 99.3 % and mean standard deviations of ±1.1 % and ±1.4 % for o‐NPOE and DOP plasticized based membrane sensors, respectively. The sensor exhibits high selectivity towards atorvastatin in the presence of many anions, drug excipients and diluents. Validation of the method according to the quality assurance standards shows suitability of the proposed sensors for use in the quality control assessment of the drug.     

A theoretical study on the reaction pathways of peroxynitrite formation and decay at nonheme iron centers

A computational study based on density functional theory was undertaken to identify possible reaction pathways for the formation and decomposition of peroxynitrite at models of the active sites of the nonheme superoxide scavenging enzymes superoxide reductase (SOR) and iron superoxide dismutase (FeSOD). Two peroxynitrite isomers and their possible protonated states were investigated, namely Fe? OONO^?, Fe? N(O)OO^?, Fe? OONOH, and Fe? N(O)OOH. Peroxynitrite formation at the active sites was assumed by either the interaction of a peroxynitrite cis/trans anion with the pentacoordinated iron active site or the interaction between a nitric oxide bound adduct and superoxide; both scenarios were found to be facile for all models investigated. The ferrous adducts of the Fe? OONO^?isomer were found to undergo instant heterolytic cleavage of the O? ONO bond to yield nitrite, whereas for the ferric adducts, the homolytic cleavage of the O? ONO bond to yield nitrogen dioxide was found to be energetically facile. For the Fe? N(O)OO^? isomer, the active site models of FeSOD and SOR were only able to accommodate the cis isomer of peroxynitrite. Ferric adducts of the cis Fe? OONO^? isomer were found to be energetically more stable than their trans counterparts and were also more stable than the cis adducts of the Fe? N(O)OO^? isomer; conversely, the protonated forms of all adducts of the Fe? OONOH isomer were found to be lower in energy than their equivalent Fe? N(O)OOH adducts. Multiple reaction pathways for the decomposition of the formed peroxynitrite adducts (whether the anions or the protonated forms) were proposed and explored. The energy requirements for the decomposition processes ranged from exothermic to highly demanding depending on the peroxynitrite isomer, the type of model (whether an SOR or FeSOD active site), and the oxidation state of iron. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Design of Copper Microfabricated Potentiometric Sensor for in-line Monitoring of Neostigmine Degradation Kinetics

The quality of pharmaceutical products is critical for human health. Drug development requires tools to assess the presence of degradation products and contaminants during the manufacturing and storage processes. Accelerated stress degradation and kinetic studies play a vital role in predicting final product stability. This work describes the design of potentiometric sensor based on copper microfabricated electrodes for in-line tracking the degradation kinetics of neostigmine. The proposed electrochemical technique provides a continuous profile for the hydrolysis of NEO under different temperatures and pH. The hydrolysis activation energy was found to be 18.88 kcal mol⁻¹ which was aligned with the reported hydrolysable ester values. Consequently, the kinetic data analysis is crucial to predict the optimum analysis and storage conditions.     

Synthesis of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Based Drug Carrier Hydrogel Using Ionizing Radiation for Possible Use as Site Specific Delivery System

A unique natural polymer based colon specific drug carrier was prepared from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and acrylic acid (AAc) in aqueous solution employing γ‐radiation induced copolymerization and crosslinking. The effect of preparation conditions such as the natural polymer content and irradiation dose on gelation process was investigated. The swelling behavior of the prepared hydrogels was characterized by investigating the time and pH dependent swelling of the (CMC/AAc) hydrogels of different CMC content. The effects of the hydrogel composition and pH of the swelling medium on the swelling indices were estimated. The results show that the increment in the CMC content in the feed solution enhances the gelation process. The results also show the dependence of the swelling indices on both hydrogel composition and pH value of the swelling medium. To evaluate the ability of the prepared hydrogel to be used as a colon‐specific drug carrier, the release profile of theophylline was studied as a function of time at pH 1 and pH 7.