Soft landed protein voltammetry

The present work illustrates a new method: soft landed protein voltammetry (SLPV); this experimental procedure is based on the coupling of ion soft landing with a voltammetric technique and allows the electrode surface to be functionalized with biologically active molecules, thus opening up numerous new perspectives ranging from molecular electronics to protein chips.     

Validation of a dissociation enhanced lanthanide fluorescence immunoassay for the screening of 17beta-estradiol in bovine serum according to European Union decision 2002/657/EC

A validation study was carried out in order to evaluate the performances of a dissociation enhanced lanthanide fluorescence immunoassay (DELFIA) for rapid screening of 17 beta-estradiol in bovine serum. This validation was performed according to European Union (EU) Decision 2002/657/EC, which establishes criteria and procedures for determination of detection capability (CCbeta), selectivity/specificity, and applicability/ruggedness/stability for qualitative screening tests. To determine these performance characteristics, 20 blank serum samples of cattle were collected and spiked with 17 beta-estradiol at 40 pg/mL, corresponding to the maximum residue limit permitted by Italian legislation. According to the EU Decision CCbeta criterion, spiked samples must have <5% probability to be classified as a false negative. 17 beta-Estradiol was detected in each spiked sample, and the CCbeta results were <40 pg/mL. There was also no observed interference effect due to chemically related substances or from the matrix. Moreover, slight variations of some critical factors in the DELFIA procedure, deliberately introduced for ruggedness evaluation, did not result in any negative effect on the 17beta-estradiol detection. The proposed method is suitable for qualitative screening analysis of 17 beta-estradiol according to EU performance requirements.     

Rovibrational energy transfer in ortho-H2+para-H2 collisions

We present the results of a full-dimensional quantum mechanical study of the rovibrational energy transfer in the collision between ortho-H2 and para-H2 in the energy range of 0.1-1.0 eV. The multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree algorithm has been used to propagate the wave packets on the global potential energy surface by Boothroyd et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 116, 666 (2002)] and on a modification of this surface where the short range anisotropy is reduced. State-to-state attributes such as probabilities or integral cross sections are obtained using the formalism of Tannor and Weeks [J. Chem. Phys. 98, 3884 (1993)] by Fourier transforming the correlation functions. The effect of initial rotation of the diatoms on the inelastic and de-excitation processes is investigated.     

High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of polyacetylenes and polyenes in Echinacea pallida by using a monolithic reversed-phase silica column

In this study, a RP-HPLC method for the analysis of polyacetylenes and polyenes in Echinacea pallida roots and phytopharmaceuticals was developed. The reference compounds used for quantification were isolated from the plant material and their structures were determined on the basis of the analysis of UV, IR, NMR and MS data. The complete structure elucidation of three compounds, namely 8-hydroxy-tetradec-(9E)-ene-11,13-diyn-2-one (1), tetradec-(8Z)-ene-11,13-diyn-2-one (6) and pentadec-(8Z)-en-2-one (9) is described. In the analysis of the n-hexane extracts of E. pallida roots, the comparison between conventional and monolithic columns showed that the elution order in both cases is identical and the selectivity is equivalent. However, the retention times achieved by the monolithic column are shorter, resulting in a faster separation (20 min). Therefore, the analyses were carried out on a Chromolith Performance RP-18e (100 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.), with a gradient mobile phase composed by H(2)O and ACN at the flow rate of 2 mL/min. The column was thermostatted at 20 degrees C. The photodiode array detector monitored the eluent at 210 nm. The validation procedure confirmed that this technique affords reliable analysis of these components and is appropriate for the quality control of complex matrices, such as E. pallida roots and phytopharmaceuticals.     

Extraction of Lantana camara essential oil by supercritical carbon dioxide: influence of the grinding and biological activity

The aim of this study was to produce Lantana camara essential oil by SFE and to study the effect of matrix grinding on the yield and/or composition of the extract. Experiments were carried out on grinding matrices (G) and on not grinding matrices (NG). The extracts were analyzed by GC-MS. A comparison with the oil obtained by hydrodistillation is also given. Finally, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the various extracts has been assayed.     

Ligand migration in nonsymbiotic hemoglobin AHb1 from Arabidopsis thaliana

AHb1 is a hexacoordinated type 1 nonsymbiotic hemoglobin recently discovered in Arabidopsis thaliana. To gain insight into the ligand migration inside the protein, we studied the CO rebinding kinetics of AHb1 encapsulated in silica gels, in the presence of glycerol. The CO rebinding kinetics after nanosecond laser flash photolysis exhibits complex ligand migration patterns, consistent with the existence of discrete docking sites in which ligands can temporarily be stored before rebinding to the heme at different times. This finding may be of relevance to the physiological NO dioxygenase activity of this protein, which requires sequential binding of two substrates, NO and O2, to the heme.     

Physical properties of proton conducting membranes based on a protic ionic liquid

We have investigated the physical properties of proton conducting polymer membranes based on a protic ionic liquid (IL). Properties such as ionic conductivity, melting point of the polymer phase, and glass transition temperature of the liquid phase are studied as a function of IL/polymer ratio and temperature. We observe an increased thermomechanical stability of the membrane with increasing polymer content. However, there is a concomitant decrease in the conductivity with increasing polymer content. This decrease is larger than what can be expected from the dilution of the conducting IL by the insulating polymer matrix. The origin of this decrease can be caused both by the morphology of the membrane and by interactions between the polymer matrix and the ionic liquid. We find a change in the glass transition temperature and in the temperature dependence of the conductivity with increasing polymer content. Both effects can be related to the physical confinement of the IL in the polymer membrane.     

New marker of tumor cell death revealed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection can be used to discriminate the necrotic from the apoptotic cell death in a tumoral T cell line irradiated by a UV source able to induce both apoptosis and necrosis. Using Jurkat cells as the model system, significant spectral differences in the irradiated cells vs. time were observed in the lipid–proteins ratio absorbance band at 1,397 cm⁻¹ and in lactic acid IR band at 1,122 cm⁻¹; these spectral features are inversely correlated with the percentage of apoptotic cells assessed by flow cytometry. From the analysis of second derivatives in the IR spectral region between 1,800 and 900 cm⁻¹, we have detected two significant spectral changes: the first centered at 1,621 cm⁻¹ by analyzing the components of the amide I band and the second centered at 1,069 cm⁻¹ due to C–O stretching vibration of the DNA backbone sensitive to the dehydrated state of DNA; these identified differences in the intracellular biomolecules have been allowed to monitor the necrotic process. The variations in the spectral data set have been identified by the Kruskal–Wallis test and confirmed by the hierarchical cluster analysis.