Magnetic fluid poly(ethylene glycol) with moderate anticancer activity

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-containing magnetic fluids - magnetite (Fe₃O₄) stabilized by sodium oleate - were prepared. Magnetic measurements confirmed superparamagnetic behaviour at room temperature. The structure of that kind of magnetic fluid was characterized using different techniques, including electron microscopy, photon cross correlation spectroscopy and small-angle neutron scattering, while the adsorption of PEG on magnetic particles was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. From the in vitro toxicity tests it was found that a magnetic fluid containing PEG (MFPEG) partially inhibited the growth of cancerous B16 cells at the highest tested dose (2.1 mg/ml of Fe₃O₄ in MFPEG).     

Dihydroxamate based siderophore model, piperazine-1,4-bis-(N-methyl-acetohydroxamic acid (PIPDMAHA), as a chelating agent of molybdenum(VI)

Equilibrium studies based on pH-potentiometric and spectrophotometric measurements as well as some theoretical simulations are reported for the complexes of Mo(VI) with a dihydroxamate type siderophore analogue, the piperazine-1,4-bis-(N-methyl-acetohydroxamic acid) (PIPDMAHA). It has been found that the complexation process starts below pH 2 and that PIPDMAHA forms more stable O,O-hydroxamate bis-chelated complexes with Mo(VI) than any of the formerly studied dihydroxamic acids. The experimental data were fitted with two complexation models based either on dinuclear or on mononuclear species. However, ESI-MS showed that the dimmer is much more abundant than the monomer. This feature was further suggested by theoretical simulation studies, which indicated the dimeric species is more stable than the monomeric one.     

Use of the correct blank test in the determination of COD and AOX in bleached kraft mill D stage effluents

A study of four types of blank, two of which (the placebo blank and the method blank) are amenable to direct measurements and the other two [the total Youden blank (TYB) and system blank] to extrapolation, revealed the need to use a correct blank test, the TYB, in order to eliminate the constant error component. The conclusions drawn here are demonstrated for the microcoulometric determination of adsorbable organic halogen (AOX), according to Scandinavian standard SCAN-W 9:89, and in the spectrophotometric determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) following a closed reflux spectrophotometric method. These environmental analytical parameters (AOX and COD) were determined in two different bleached kraft mill effluents: one from stage D (100% ClO2) of the bleaching sequence AOD of the elemental chlorine-free type and the other for the chlorination step, the first in the conventional sequence (D20C80)(E0)D1D2, applied to kraft pulp from Populus spp.     

Higher order symmetric spaces and the roots of the identity in a Lie group

Let denote the set of all -roots of the identity in a Lie group . We show that is always an embedded submanifold of , having the conjugacy classes of its elements as open submanifolds. These conjugacy classes are examples of -symmetric spaces and we show, more generally, that every -symmetric space of a Lie group is a covering manifold of an embedded submanifold of . We compute also the Hessian of the inclusions of and into , relative to the natural connection on the domain and to the symmetric connection on .

     

The solid-liquid phase diagrams of binary mixtures of even saturated fatty alcohols

This study is part of a work developed in the author's research group on the solid-liquid equilibrium of fatty substances. The phase diagrams of the following fatty alcohol systems were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC): 1-octanol + 1-dodecanol, 1-octanol + 1-tetradecanol, 1-decanol + 1-tetradecanol, 1-decanol + 1-hexadecanol and 1-dodecanol + 1-octadecanol. The liquidus lines of three of these systems were previously reported in the literature but the other two systems were never published. Moreover other transitions, in addition to the eutectic temperature, were also detected in all the systems. A region of solid solution at the extreme left of the phase diagrams was observed for all the binary mixtures. Polarized light microscopy was used to complement the characterization of the systems for a full grasp of the phase diagrams. The solid-liquid equilibrium was modeled using the Margules 2-suffix, Margules 3-suffix, NRTL and UNIFAC Dortmund equations.     

Applications of Fruit Polyphenols and Their Functionalized Nanoparticles Against Foodborne Bacteria: A Mini Review

The ingestion of contaminated water and food is known to cause food illness. Moreover, on assessing the patients suffering from foodborne disease has revealed the role of microbes in such diseases. Concerning which different methods have been developed for protecting food from microbes, the treatment of food with chemicals has been reported to exhibit an unwanted organoleptic effect while also affecting the nutritional value of food. Owing to these challenges, the demand for natural food preservatives has substantially increased. Therefore, the interest of researchers and food industries has shifted towards fruit polyphenols as potent inhibitors of foodborne bacteria. Recently, numerous fruit polyphenols have been acclaimed for their ability to avert toxin production and biofilm formation. Furthermore, various studies have recommended using fruit polyphenols solely or in combination with chemical disinfectants and food preservatives. Currently, different nanoparticles have been synthesized using fruit polyphenols to curb the growth of pathogenic microbes. Hence, this review intends to summarize the current knowledge about fruit polyphenols as antibacterial agents against foodborne pathogens. Additionally, the application of different fruit extracts in synthesizing functionalized nanoparticles has also been discussed.     

Electrochemical reduction of oxygen catalyzed by a wide range of bacteria including Gram-positive

Most bacteria known to be electrochemically active have been harvested in the anodic compartments of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and are able to use electrodes as electron acceptors. The reverse phenomenon, i.e. using solid electrodes as electron donors, is not so widely studied. To our knowledge, most of the electrochemically active bacteria are Gram-negative. The present study implements a transitory electrochemical technique (cyclic voltammetry) to study the microbial catalysis of the electrochemical reduction of oxygen. It is demonstrated that a wide range of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria are able to catalyze oxygen reduction. Among these electroactive bacteria, several were Gram-positive. The transfer of electrons was direct since no activity was obtained with the filtrate. These findings, showing a widespread property among bacteria including Gram-positive ones, open new and interesting routes in the field of electroactive bacteria research.     

Tetracyclic Thioxanthene Derivatives: Studies on Fluorescence and Antitumor Activity

Thioxanthones are bioisosteres of the naturally occurring xanthones. They have been described for multiple activities, including antitumor. As such, the synthesis of a library of thioxanthones was pursued, but unexpectedly, four tetracyclic thioxanthenes with a quinazoline–chromene scaffold were obtained. These compounds were studied for their human tumor cell growth inhibition activity, in the cell lines A375-C5, MCF-7 and NCI-H460. Photophysical studies were also performed. Two of the compounds displayed GI₅₀ values below 10 µM for the three tested cell lines, and structure–activity relationship studies were established. Three compounds presented similar wavelengths of absorption and emission, characteristic of dyes with a push-pull character. The structures of two compounds were elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Two tetracyclic thioxanthenes emerged as hit compounds. One of the two compounds accumulated intracellularly as a bright fluorescent dye in the green channel, as analyzed by both fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, making it a promising theranostic cancer drug candidate.