Recent Advances in MALDI Mass Spectrometry of Polymers

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) allows the identification of repeat units and end groups, the structural analysis of linear and cyclic oligomers, and the estimate of composition and sequence for copolymers. MALDI has also been applied to the measurement of molar mass distributions in polymers and to the study of thermal and oxidative processes in polymers. This paper illustrates the detection of self-association in macromolecules made by coupling MALDI and Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), the investigation of polymer oxidation phenomena, and the characterization of copolymers formed in the processing of reactive polymer blends.     

Synthesis and characterization of starch-stabilized Ag nanostructures for sensors applications

Silver nanostructures were successfully synthesized through a simple and ‘green’ route using starch as a capping agent. High resolution electron microscopy (HREM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis absorption suggested that Ag nanocrystals, having a size lower than 10 nm, were obtained, in addition a self-assembly into ribbon-like structures was been also observed. The silver nanostructures were electrodeposited onto suitable substrates with gold interdigital electrodes realizing amperometric sensors that showed a high sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide.     

The Therapeutic Potential of Carnosine as an Antidote against Drug-Induced Cardiotoxicity and Neurotoxicity: Focus on Nrf2 Pathway

Different drug classes such as antineoplastic drugs (anthracyclines, cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, taxanes, tyrosine kinase inhibitors), antiretroviral drugs, antipsychotic, and immunosuppressant drugs are known to induce cardiotoxic and neurotoxic effects. Recent studies have demonstrated that the impairment of the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway is a primary event in the pathophysiology of drug-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. The Nrf2 pathway regulates the expression of different genes whose products are involved in antioxidant and inflammatory responses and the detoxification of toxic species. Cardiotoxic drugs, such as the anthracycline doxorubicin, or neurotoxic drugs, such as paclitaxel, suppress or impair the Nrf2 pathway, whereas the rescue of this pathway counteracts both the oxidative stress and inflammation that are related to drug-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Therefore Nrf2 represents a novel pharmacological target to develop new antidotes in the field of clinical toxicology. Interestingly, carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine), an endogenous dipeptide that is characterized by strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties is able to rescue/activate the Nrf2 pathway, as demonstrated by different preclinical studies and preliminary clinical evidence. Starting from these new data, in the present review, we examined the evidence on the therapeutic potential of carnosine as an endogenous antidote that is able to rescue the Nrf2 pathway and then counteract drug-induced cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity.     

Dyads of G-Quadruplex Ligands Triggering DNA Damage Response and Tumour Cell Growth Inhibition at Subnanomolar Concentration

Naphthalene diimide (NDI) dyads exhibiting a different substitution pattern and linker length have been synthesised and evaluated as G-quadruplex (G4) ligands, by investigating their cytotoxicity in selected cell lines. The dyads with the long C₇ linker exhibit extremely low IC₅₀ values, below 10 nm , on different cancer cell lines. Contrary, the dyads with the shorter C₄ linker were much less effective, with IC values increasing up to 1 μm . Among the three dyads with the longest linker, small differences in the IC₅₀ values emerge, suggesting that the linker length plays a more important role than the substitution pattern. We have further shown that the dyads are able to induce cellular DNA damage response, which is not limited to the telomeric regions and is likely the origin of their cytotoxicity. Both absorption titration and dynamic light scattering of the most cytotoxic dyads in the presence of hTel22 highlight their ability to induce effective G4 aggregation, acting as non-covalent cross-linking agents.     

Personalized Reusable Face Masks with Smart Nano-Assisted Destruction of Pathogens for COVID-19: A Visionary Road

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency has demonstrated that the utilization of face masks plays a critical role in limiting the outbreak. Healthcare professionals utilize masks all day long without replacing them very frequently, thus representing a source of cross-infection for patients and themselves. Nanotechnology is a powerful tool with the capability to produce nanomaterials with unique physicochemical and antipathogen properties. Here, how to realize non-disposable and highly comfortable respirators with light-triggered self-disinfection ability by bridging bioactive nanofiber properties and stimuli-responsive nanomaterials is outlined. The visionary road highlighted in this Concept is based on the possibility of developing a new generation of masks based on multifunctional membranes where the presence of nanoclusters and plasmonic nanoparticles arranged in a hierarchical structure enables the realization of a chemically driven and on-demand antipathogen activities. Multilayer electrospun membranes have the ability to dissipate humidity present within the mask, enhancing the wearability and usability. The photothermal disinfected membrane is the core of these 3D printed and reusable masks with moisture pump capability. Personalized face masks with smart nano-assisted destruction of pathogens will bring enormous advantages to the entire global community, especially for front-line personnel, and will open up great opportunities for innovative medical applications.     

Optimal gradient operation in comprehensive liquid chromatography × liquid chromatography systems with limited orthogonality

A novel strategy is described for designing optimal second dimension (²D) gradient conditions for a comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography system where the two dimensions are not fully orthogonal. Using the approach developed here, the initial and final organic modifier content values resulting in the highest coverage of separation space can be derived for each ²D gradient run. Theory indicates that these values can be determined by adapting ²D gradient operation to the degree of orthogonality. The new method is tested on a comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography system that uses reversed phase (RP) columns showing different selectivities in the two dimensions. A comparison between analyses carried out using normal and optimized ²D gradients showed that the latter allow a more efficient use of analysis time. This can result either in an improved peak capacity or in decreasing total analysis time, depending on the final goal of the experiment. In the latter scenario, the number of separated peaks is comparable to that obtained using gradients spanning a wide range of organic modifier but, now, in half the time. As test samples complex mixtures of peptides were analyzed.     

Resolution of phthalans obtained by ortho-litiathion of aryloxiranes by enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatography: Performances of various chiral stationary phases

The HPLC separation of the enantiomers of six phthalans (1,3-dihydrobenzo[c]furans) synthesized as racemic mixtures from ortho-lithiated aryloxiranes was accomplished in the normal-phase mode using seven polysaccharide-derived and Pirkle-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) and n-hexane/2-propanol mixtures as mobile phases. Separation and resolution factors up to 1.6 and 4.2, respectively, were obtained. The performances of various CSPs with regard to the same compound were, however, quite different not only between the two types of CSPs but also within the same type (polysaccharide-derived or Pirkle-type). Also diastereomeric pairs of phthalans show different enantioseparation using the same CSP.     

Noise-enhanced classical and quantum capacities in communication networks

The unavoidable presence of noise is thought to be one of the major problems to solve in order to pave the way for implementing quantum information technologies in realistic physical platforms. However, here we show a clear example in which noise, in terms of dephasing, may enhance the capability of transmitting not only classical but also quantum information, encoded in quantum systems, through communication networks. In particular, we find analytically and numerically the quantum and classical capacities for a large family of quantum channels and show that these information transmission rates can be strongly enhanced by introducing dephasing noise in the complex network dynamics.