Bile UPLC-MS fingerprinting and bile acid fluxes during human liver transplantation

Bile flow restoration is a crucial step in the recovery process post transplantation of the liver. Here, metabolic trajectories based on changes in bile secretion - a known marker of functionality - have been utilised as an approach for discovering bile fluxes during transplantation. A total of ten liver transplants were monitored and from these 68 bile samples from both donors and recipients were collected and analysed using ultra-performance LC-MS in combination with multivariate statistical analysis. Based on the principal component scores constructed from the total bile fingerprint, differentiation of the bile acid concentrations before and after transplantation was detected. A trend was also observed, by constructing metabolic trajectories, whereby the post-transplant profiles approached the position of pre-transplant profiles within 30-60?min of the restoration of bile secretion function. The ten major conjugated bile acid salts were measured and a significant increase in concentrations of taurocholic acid and taurochenodeoxycholic acid were seen after transplantation. In addition, the ratios of secondary bile acids detected in gall bladder and hepatic bile were measured before and after transplantation. This study suggests that bile acid ratios in the donor liver at the pre-transplant and post-transplant stage may be important and that profiling of secreted bile after transplantation may aid clinical assessment and progress post-transplantation.     

Considerations for quantification of lipids in nerve tissue using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometric imaging is a technique that provides the ability to identify and characterize endogenous and exogenous compounds spatially within tissue with relatively little sample preparation. While it is a proven methodology for qualitative analysis, little has been reported for its utility in quantitative measurements. In the current work, inherent challenges in MALDI quantification are addressed. Signal response is monitored over successive analyses of a single tissue section to minimize error due to variability in the laser, matrix application, and sample inhomogeneity. Methods for the application of an internal standard to tissue sections are evaluated and used to quantify endogenous lipids in nerve tissue. A precision of 5% or less standard error was achieved, illustrating that MALDI imaging offers a reliable means of in situ quantification for microgram-sized samples and requires minimal sample preparation.     

A new application of scanning electrochemical microscopy for the label-free interrogation of antibody-antigen interactions

Within this work we present a ‘proof of principle’ study for the use of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to detect and image biomolecular interactions in a label-free assay as a potential alternative to current fluorescence techniques. Screen-printed carbon electrodes were used as the substrate for the deposition of a dotted array, where the dots consist of biotinylated polyethyleneimine. These were then further derivatised, first with neutravidin and then with a biotinylated antibody to the protein neuron specific enolase (NSE). SECM using a ferrocene carboxylic acid mediator showed clear differences between the array and the surrounding unmodified carbon. Imaging of the arrays before and following exposure to various concentrations of the antigen showed clear evidence for specific binding of the NSE antigen to the antibody derivatised dots. Non-specific binding was quantified. Control experiments with other proteins showed only non-specific binding across the whole of the substrate, thereby confirming that specific binding does occur between the antibody and antigen at the surface of the dots. Binding of the antigen was accompanied by a measured increase in current response, which may be explained in terms of protein electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic interactions to the mediator, thereby increasing the localised mediator flux. A calibration curve was obtained between 500 fg mL⁻¹ to 200 pg mL⁻¹ NSE which demonstrated a logarithmic relationship between the current change upon binding and antigen concentration without the need for any labelling of the substrate.     

Use of a Single Capillary Electrophoresis Method as a Routine Identity Test for Batch Release of a Range of Pharmaceutical Products

Two independent and orthogonal analytical methods are required when performing identity testing of pharmaceutical products during routine release testing. A microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography method has been developed and validated for routine use as an identity test to release various pharmaceutical products including tablets, capsules and creams. Implementation of the method involved optimisation of parameters to achieve reliable routine operation. Rinsing procedures, in particular, were found to be essential to obtain consistent profiles and migration times. The method has replaced, and offers the potential to replace, a number of methods including HPLC and IR due to the considerable cost and time savings obtained through its use. This method has been successfully approved by the US FDA as a part of 2 New Drug Applications, is registered in Japan, and is in routine QA use within a factory environment.     

Bond Index Funds — A Duration Approach

Index funds can be used by investment managers as a method of ensuring that their portfolio performs as well as the general market. Methods have been proposed for creating index funds for the stock market, and in this paper a method for creating an index fund for a sector of the bond market is suggested. The underlying indexing mechanism uses the duration moments of the portfolio to capture the various aspects of the sector and its response to changes in the yield curve. The initial results suggest that a relatively small basic set of bonds can be used to model the movements of a particular market segment.     

Heteroaryl substituted ansa‐titanocene anti‐cancer drugs derived from fulvenes and titanium dichloride

Starting from 2‐furylfulvene (1a) , 2‐thiophenylfulvene (1b) , and 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolylfulvene (1c), [1,2‐di(cyclopentadienyl)‐1,2‐di‐(2‐furyl)ethanediyl] titanium dichloride (2a) , [1,2‐di(cyclopentadienyl)‐1,2‐di‐(2‐thiophenyl)ethanediyl] titanium dichloride (2b) , and [1,2‐di(cyclopentadienyl)‐1,2‐bis‐(1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolyl)ethanediyl] titanium dichloride (2c) were synthesized. When titanocenes (2a–c) were tested against pig kidney carcinoma cells (LLC‐PK), inhibitory concentrations (50%) of 4.5 × 10^?4 M , 2.9 × 10^?4 M and 2.0 × 10^?4 M respectively were observed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unbalanced bipartite factorizations of complete bipartite graphs

We construct a new infinite family of factorizations of complete bipartite graphs by factors all of whose components are copies of a (fixed) complete bipartite graph K_p,q. There are simple necessary conditions for such factorizations to exist. The family constructed here demonstrates sufficiency in many new cases. In particular, the conditions are always sufficient when q=p+1.