Synergic effect studies of the bi-enzymatic system laccase-peroxidase in a voltammetric biosensor for catecholamines

Several bi-enzymatic carbon paste biosensors modified with enzymes laccase from Pleurotus ostreatus fungi and peroxidase from zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) were constructed for evaluating the synergic effect of the two enzymes on the voltammetric biosensor response for various catecholamines. Initially was investigated the effect of pH from 5.0 to 7.5, temperature from 25 to 50 °C, initial stirring time from 30 to 150 s, scan rate from 10 to 60 mV s⁻¹ and potential pulse amplitude from 10 to 60 mV on the biosensor response for several catecholamines such as dopamine, adrenaline, isoprenaline and l-dopa. It was observed a biosensor signal increase employing both enzymes, indicating thus there is a synergic effect between laccase and peroxidase, verified also in spectrophotometric studies, in the determination of these catecholamines.     

The effect of solvent on a Lewis acid catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction,using computed and experimental kinetic isotope effects

A new transition structure for the Diels-Alder reaction between isoprene and acrolein catalyzed by Et(2)AlCl is found to reconcile reported discrepancies between computed and observed secondary kinetic isotope effects (KIEs). Including the effect of solvent realigns the computed results with experiment demonstrating the importance of nonbond interactions at transition structures. Comparison of experimental and newly predicted KIE data reaffirms the ability of theory and experiment to probe the mechanism and transition structure geometry of organic reactions.     

Development of Vegetable Oil Emulsions with Lamellar Liquid-Crystalline Structures

Emulsions containing vegetable oils and anisotropic phases have especially attractive properties in pharmaceutical technology. They are use as vehicle for different kind of drugs, especially those of topical application. Apart from that, many vegetable oil have pharmacological activity, increasing the necessity for the development of new delivery systems for them. We developed emulsions with vegetable oils at a fixed surfactant ratio and observed the formation of liquid crystalline phases. Nine vegetable oils: Andiroba, Apricot, Avocado, Brazil Nut, Buriti, Cupuassu, Marigold, Passion Fruit and Pequi and mineral oil were tested. Surfactant system was consisted by Steareth-2 and Ceteareth-5. Emulsions were prepared by the emulsion phase inversion (EPI) method, presenting high stability independent on the HLB value. Results indicate that this method could be employed to attain stable emulsions, even if the required HLB value is not known.     

Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of dipyrone in pharmaceutical formulations using a solid-phase reactor with copper(II) phosphate

In this work, a flow-injection spectrophotometric method for dipyrone determination in pharmaceutical formulations was developed. Dipyrone sample solutions were injected into a carrier stream of deionized water and the reaction was carried out in a solid-phase reactor (12 cm, 2.0 mm i.d.) packed with Cu₃(PO₄)_2(s) entrapped in a matrix of polyester resin. The Cu(II) ions were released from the solid phase reactor by the formation of Cu(II)-(dipyrone)_n complex. When the complex is released, it reacts with 0.02% m/v alizarin red S in deionized water to produce a Cu(VABO₃)₃ complex whose absorbance was monitored at 540 nm. The calibration graph was linear over the range 5.0×10^?5–4.0×10^?4 mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 2.0×10^?5 mol L^?1 and relative standard deviation for 10 successive determinations of 1.5% (2.0×10^?4 mol L^?1 dipyrone solution). The calculated sample throughput was 60 h^?1. The column was stable for at least 8 h of continuous use (500 injections) at 25°C. Pharmaceutical formulations were analyzed and the results from an official procedure measurement were compared with those from the proposed FIA method in order to validate the latter method.      

Chemistry and biology of DNA repair

Numerous agents of endogenous and exogenous origin damage DNA in our genome. There are several DNA-repair pathways that recognize lesions in DNA and remove them through a number of diverse reaction sequences. Defects in DNA-repair proteins are associated with several human hereditary syndromes, which show a marked predisposition to cancer. Although DNA repair is essential for a healthy cell, DNA-repair enzymes counteract the efficiency of a number of important antitumor agents that exert their cytotoxic effects by damaging DNA. DNA-repair enzymes are therefore also targets for drug design. DNA-repair processes differ greatly in their nature and complexity. Whereas some pathways only require a single enzyme to restore the original DNA sequence, others operate through the coordinated action of 30 or more proteins. Our understanding of the genetic, biochemical, and structural basis of DNA repair and related processes has increased dramatically over the past decade. This review summarizes the latest developments in this field.     

Determination of Atrazine in Natural Water Samples by Differential Pulse Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry Using a Bismuth Film Electrode

A new method using differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry for the determination of atrazine (ATZ) in natural water samples using a bismuth film electrode (BiFE) is proposed. The calibration curve was linear in the atrazine concentration range from 6.7×10^?7 to 2.0×10^?5 mol L^?1, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.4×10^?7 mol L^?1. The proposed electrode was applied for atrazine determination with satisfactory results compared with a high‐performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC).     

A new massively parallel version of CRYSTAL for large systems on high performance computing architectures

Fully ab initio treatment of complex solid systems needs computational software which is able to efficiently take advantage of the growing power of high performance computing (HPC) architectures. Recent improvements in CRYSTAL, a periodic ab initio code that uses a Gaussian basis set, allows treatment of very large unit cells for crystalline systems on HPC architectures with high parallel efficiency in terms of running time and memory requirements. The latter is a crucial point, due to the trend toward architectures relying on a very high number of cores with associated relatively low memory availability. An exhaustive performance analysis shows that density functional calculations, based on a hybrid functional, of low‐symmetry systems containing up to 100,000 atomic orbitals and 8000 atoms are feasible on the most advanced HPC architectures available to European researchers today, using thousands of processors. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The atmospheric oxidation of ethyl formate and ethyl acetate over a range of temperatures and oxygen partial pressures

The Cl‐atom‐initiated oxidation of two esters, ethyl formate [HC(O)OCH₂CH₃] and ethyl acetate [CH₃C(O)OCH₂CH₃], has been studied at pressures close to 1 atm as a function of temperature (249–325 K) and O₂ partial pressure (50–700 Torr), using an environmental chamber technique. In both cases, Cl‐atom attack at the CH₂ group is most important, leading in part to the formation of radicals of the type RC(O)OCH(O^?)CH₃ [R = H, CH₃]. The atmospheric fate of these radicals involves competition between reaction with O₂ to produce an anhydride compound, RC(O)OC(O)CH₃, and the so‐called α‐ester rearrangement that produces an organic acid, RC(O)OH, and an acetyl radical, CH₃C(O). For both species studied, the α‐ester rearrangement is found to dominate in air at 1 atm and 298 K. Barriers to the rearrangement of 7.7 ± 1.5 and 8.4 ± 1.5 kcal/mole are estimated for CH₃C(O)OCH(O^?)CH₃ and HC(O)OCH(O^?)CH₃, respectively, leading to increased occurrence of the O₂ reaction at reduced temperature. The data are combined with those obtained from similar studies of other simple esters to provide a correlation between the rate of occurrence of the α‐ester rearrangement and the structure of the reacting radical. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 42: 397–413, 2010