Voice Characteristics in Adults With Neurofibromatosis Type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disorder caused by mutations in the NF1 gene, which is located at the long arm of chromosome 17. Major characteristics include multiple café-au-lait spots and neurofibromas. Voice abnormalities have been reported to occur in this patient group. However, most studies relied on subjective measurements only. The present study reports the results of an objective voice assessment based on a multiparameter approach in 22 adults with NF1. Aerodynamic measurements, voice range profiles, acoustic voice quality and intonation measurements, and dysphonia severity indices were obtained and compared with data from a control group, consisting of 22 healthy adults. It was found that NF1 patients show a poorer overall voice quality compared with controls. Particularly, a reduction of vital capacity and limitations in laryngeal possibilities with respect to frequency and intensity were observed in the NF1 group.     

A heterobimetallic ruthenium-gadolinium complex as a potential agent for bimodal imaging

Trinuclear heterobimetallic Ln(III)-Ru(II) complexes (Ln = Eu, Gd) based on a 1,10-phenanthroline ligand bearing a diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) core have been synthesized and fully characterized by a range of experimental techniques. The (17)O NMR and proton nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) measurements of Gd(III)-Ru(II) show that, in comparison to the parent Gd-DTPA, this complex exhibits improved relaxivity, which is the result of an increase of the rotational correlation time. Relaxometry and ultrafiltration experiments indicate that the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand has a high affinity for noncovalent binding to human serum albumin, which results in a high relaxivity r(1) of 14.3 s(-1) mM(-1) at 20 MHz and 37 °C. Furthermore, the Ln(III)-Ru(II) complexes (Ln = Eu, Gd) show an intense light absorption in the visible spectral region due to metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions. Upon excitation into the MLCT band at 440 nm, the complexes exhibit a bright-red luminescence centered at 610 nm, with a quantum yield of 4.7%. The luminescence lifetime equals 540 ns and is therefore long enough to exceed the fluorescent background. Monometallic lanthanide complexes have also been synthesized, and the Eu(III) analogue shows a characteristic red luminescence with a quantum yield of 0.8%. Taking into account the relaxometric and luminescent properties, the developed Gd(III)-Ru(II) complex can be considered as a potential in vitro bimodal imaging agent.     

Photooxidation of n-octanal in air: experimental and theoretical study

Dilute mixtures of n-octanal in synthetic air (up to 100 ppm) were photolyzed with fluorescent UV lamps (275-380 nm) at 298 K. The main photooxidation products were 1-hexene, CO, vinyl alcohol, and acetaldehyde. The photolysis rates and the absolute quantum yields were found to be slightly dependent on the total pressure. At 100 Torr, Φ(100) = 0.41 ± 0.06, whereas at 700 Torr the total quantum yield was Φ(700) = 0.32 ± 0.02. Two decomposition channels were identified: the radical channel C(7)H(15)CHO → C(7)H(15) + HCO and the molecular channel C(7)H(15)CHO → C(6)H(12) + CH(2)═CHOH, having absolute quantum yields of 0.022 and 0.108 at 700 Torr. The product CH(2)═CHOH tautomerizes to acetaldehyde. Carbon balance data lower than unities suggest the existence of unidentified decomposition channel(s) which substantially contributes to the photolysis. On the basis of experimental and theoretical evidence, n-octanal photolysis predominantly proceeds to form Norrish type II products as the major ones.     

Photochemistry and photophysics of n-butanal, 3-methylbutanal, and 3,3-dimethylbutanal: experimental and theoretical study

Dilute mixtures of n-butanal, 3-methylbutanal, and 3,3-dimethylbutanal in synthetic air, different N(2)/O(2) mixtures, and pure nitrogen (up to 100 ppm) were photolyzed with fluorescent UV lamps (275-380 nm) at 298 K. The main photooxidation products were ethene (n-butanal), propene (3-methylbutanal) or i-butene (3,3-dimethylbutanal), CO, vinylalcohol, and ethanal. The photolysis rates and the absolute quantum yields were found to be dependent on the total pressure of synthetic air but not of nitrogen. At 100 Torr, the total quantum yield Φ(100) = 0.45 ± 0.01 and 0.49 ± 0.07, whereas at 700 Torr, Φ(700) = 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.36 ± 0.03 for 3-methylbutanal and 3,3-dimethybutanal, respectively. Quantum yield values for n-butanal were reported earlier by Tadi? et al. (J. Photochem. Photobiol. A2001143, 169-179) to be Φ(100) = 0.48 ± 0.02 and Φ(700) = 0.32 ± 0.01. Two decomposition channels were identified: the radical channel RCHO → R + HCO (Norrish type I) and the molecular channel CH(3)CH(CH(3))CH(2)CHO → CH(2)CHCH(3) + CH(2)═CHOH or CH(3)C(CH(3))(2)CH(2)CHO → CHC(CH(3))CH(3) + CH(2)═CHOH, (Norrish type II) having the absolute quantum yields of 0.123 and 0.119 for 3-methybutanal and 0.071 and 0.199 for 3,3-dimethylbutanal at 700 Torr of synthetic air. The product ethenol CH(2)═CHOH tautomerizes to ethanal. We have performed ab initio and density functional quantum (DFT) chemical computations of both type I and type II processes starting from the singlet and triplet excited states. We conclude that the Norrish type I dissociation produces radicals from both singlet and triplet excited states, while Norrish type II dissociation is a two-step process starting from the triplet excited state, but is a concerted process from the singlet state.     

A new metallostar complex based on an aluminum(iii) 8-hydroxyquinoline core as a potential bimodal contrast agent

A ditopic DTPA monoamide derivative containing an 8-hydroxyquinoline moiety was synthesized and the corresponding gadolinium(iii) complex ([Gd(H5)(H(2)O)](-)) was prepared. After adding aluminum(iii), the 8-hydroxyquinoline part self-assembled into a heteropolymetallic triscomplex [(Gd5)(3)Al(H(2)O)(3)](3-). The magnetic and optical properties of this metallostar compound were investigated in order to classify it as a potential in vitro bimodal contrast agent. The proton nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion measurements indicated that the relaxivity r(1) of [Gd(H5)(H(2)O)](-) and [(Gd5)(3)Al(H(2)O)(3)](3-) at 20 MHz and 310 K equaled 6.17 s(-1) mM(-1) and 10.9 s(-1) mM(-1) per Gd(iii) ion respectively. This corresponds to a relaxivity value of 32.7 s(-1) mM(-1) for the supramolecular complex containing three Gd(iii) ions. The high relaxivity value is prominently caused by an increase of the rotational tumbling time τ(R) by a factor of 2.7 and 5.5 respectively, in comparison with the commercially used MRI contrast agent Gd(iii)-DTPA (Magnevist?). Furthermore, upon UV irradiation, [(Gd5)(3)Al(H(2)O)(3)](3-) exposes green broad-band emission with a maximum at 543 nm. Regarding the high relaxivity and the photophysical properties of the [(Gd5)(3)Al(H(2)O)(3)](3-) metallostar compound, it can be considered as a lead compound for in vitro bimodal applications.     

Ion‐Mobility Spectrometry Can Assign Exact Fucosyl Positions in Glycans and Prevent Misinterpretation of Mass‐Spectrometry Data After Gas‐Phase Rearrangement

The fucosylation of glycans leads to diverse structures and is associated with many biological and disease processes. The exact determination of fucoside positions by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is complicated because rearrangements in the gas phase lead to erroneous structural assignments. Here, we demonstrate that the combined use of ion‐mobility MS and well‐defined synthetic glycan standards can prevent misinterpretation of MS/MS spectra and incorrect structural assignments of fucosylated glycans. We show that fucosyl residues do not migrate to hydroxyl groups but to acetamido moieties of N‐acetylneuraminic acid as well as N‐acetylglucosamine residues and nucleophilic sites of an anomeric tag, yielding specific isomeric fragment ions. This mechanistic insight enables the characterization of unique IMS arrival‐time distributions of the isomers which can be used to accurately determine fucosyl positions in glycans.     

Rigid Nanoporous Urea-Based Covalent Triazine Frameworks for C2/C1 and CO2/CH4 Gas Separation

C2/C1 hydrocarbon separation is an important industrial process that relies on energy-intensive cryogenic distillation methods. The use of porous adsorbents to selectively separate these gases is a viable alternative. Highly stable covalent triazine frameworks (urea-CTFs) have been synthesized using 1,3-bis(4-cyanophenyl)urea. Urea-CTFs exhibited gas uptakes of C₂H₂ (3.86 mmol/g) and C₂H₄ (2.92 mmol/g) at 273 K and 1 bar and is selective over CH₄. Breakthrough simulations show the potential of urea-CTFs for C2/C1 separation.