Early detection of insulin fibrillation: a fluorescence lifetime assay to probe the pre-fibrillar regime

Using human insulin, we report for the first time, the evaluation of fluorescence lifetime of an extrinsically added fluorogenic dye, Thioflavin T (ThT), as a more sensitive and convenient method for the assessment of fibrillation in the pre-fibrillar regime.     

Carbazole-thiosemicarbazone-Hg(II) ensemble-based colorimetric and fluorescence turn-on toward iodide in aqueous media and its application in live cell imaging

A carbazole-thiosemicarbazone-Hg(2+) ensemble-based fluorogenic probe for detection of iodide in aqueous media is reported. The first fluorescent sensor for iodide anions was constructed based on the displacement approach. An 'ensemble' is able to selectively sense iodide over other anions followed by the release of 9-(butane-1-yl)-9H-carbazole-3,6-dihydrazinecarbothioamide to give a remarkable change of fluorescence turn-on signal at pH 7.4 under aqueous media. The practical use of an 'ensemble' was demonstrated by its application to the detection of iodide in the living cells.     

String Cloud with Quark Matter in Self-creation Cosmology

We have constructed Bianchi type-III cosmological model with strange quark matter attached to the string cloud in Barber’s (Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 14:117, 1982) second self-creation theory of gravitation which is inflationary. Further it is obtained that the theory leads to Einstein theory at initial epoch and at infinite future.     

Wave interaction with multiple articulated floating elastic plates

Flexural gravity wave scattering by multiple articulated floating elastic plates is investigated in the three cases for water of finite depth, infinite depth and shallow water approximation under the assumptions of two-dimensional linearized theory of water waves. The elastic plates are joined through connectors, which act as articulated joints. In the case when two semi-infinite plates are connected through a single articulation, using the symmetric characteristic of the plate geometry and the expansion formulae for wave-structure interaction problem, the velocity potentials are obtained in closed forms in the case of finite and infinite water depths. On the other hand, in the case of shallow water approximation, the continuity of energy and mass flux are used to obtain a system of equations for the determination of the full velocity potentials for wave scattering by multiple articulations. Further, using the results for single articulation and assuming that the articulated joints are wide apart, the wide-spacing approximation method is used to obtain the reflection coefficient for wave scattering due to multiple articulated floating elastic plates. The effects of the stiffness of the connectors, length of the elastic plates and water depth on the propagation of flexural gravity waves are investigated by analysing the reflection coefficient.     

First-Principles Theory of Muon and Muonium Trapping in the Protein Chain of Cytochrome c and Associated Hyperfine Interactions

The microscopic details of the electron transfer in cytochrome c (cyt c) are being investigated by the Muon Spin Relaxation (μSR) technique. We are using the Hartree–Fock Cluster Procedure to determine the most likely trapping sites for μ⁺ and muonium (Mu) in the protein chain, and have performed extensive calculations in single amino acid molecules of the protein chain of cyt c. The double-bonded oxygen atom of the carboxyl group was identified as the trapping site for both μ⁺ and Mu. Utilizing the wave functions we obtained from the Hartree–Fock calculations, we have determined the hyperfine field that the μ⁺ in Mu experiences while the latter is trapped at the oxygen. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Determination of Easy Axis in a Chemical Ferromagnet, 4-(p-Chlorobenzylideneamino)–TEMPO (TEMPO=2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-Oxyl)

The trapping sites for muon and muonium in ferromagnetic p-Cl–Ph–CH=N–TEMPO [(4-(p-chlorobenzylideneamino)–TEMPO (TEMPO = 2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-1-yloxyl)] and the hyperfine interaction tensors for these sites are obtained using first-principles Unrestricted Hartree–Fock theory. The calculated hyperfine interactions are used to compare the calculated zero field muon spin rotation (μSR) frequencies for different choices for the easy axis and the observed frequency. It has been concluded that the two trapping centers that can best explain the observed μSR frequency are a trapped singlet muonium near the radical oxygen and a trapped muon site near the chlorine. The direction of the easy axis also is determined to be the b-axis of the monoclinic lattice. This direction for the easy axis is confirmed by determining the direction of the distributed magnetization in the molecular solid which leads to a minimum dipole–dipole interaction energy. The consequences of this agreement for the easy axis direction by two independent procedures are discussed. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Essential Oils as Novel Anthelmintic Drug Candidates

Helminths, with an estimated 1.5 billion annual global infections, are one of the major health challenges worldwide. The current strategy of the World Health Organization to prevent helminth infection includes increasing hygienic awareness, providing better sanitation and preventative anthelmintic drug therapy in vulnerable populations. Nowadays, anthelmintic drugs are used heavily in livestock, both in case of infection and as a preventative measure. However, this has led to the development of resistance against several of the most common drugs, such as levamisole, ivermectin and thiabendazole. As many as 70% of the livestock in developed countries now has helminths that are drug resistant, and multiple resistance is common. Because of this, novel anthelmintics are urgently needed to help combat large-scale production losses. Prior to this review, no comprehensive review of the anthelmintic effects of essential oils and their components existed. Multiple review articles have been published on the uses of a single plant and its extracts that only briefly touch upon their anthelmintic activity. This review aims to provide a detailed overview of essential oils and their components as anthelmintic treatment against a wider variety of helminths.     

Neocinnamomum caudatum Essential Oil Ameliorates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in RAW 264.7 Cells by Inhibiting NF-κB Activation and ROS Production

Neocinnamomum caudatum (Lauraceae) plant is used in the traditional system of medicine and is considered a potential source of edible fruits, spices, flavoring agents and biodiesel. The leaves, bark and roots of the species are used by local communities for the treatment of inflammatory responses, such as allergies, sinusitis and urinary tract infections. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the molecular mechanism through which this plant exerts its anti-inflammatory effect. The aim of the current research was to characterize the chemical constituents of bark (NCB) and leaf (NCL) essential oil of N. caudatum and to elucidate its anti-inflammatory action in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation were further subjected to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The major constituents in bark essential oil identified as β-pinene (13.11%), α-cadinol (11.18%) and α-pinene (10.99%), whereas leaf essential oil was found to be rich in β-pinene (45.21%), myrcene (9.97%) and α-pinene (9.27%). Treatment with NCB and NCL at a concentration of 25 µg/mL exerted significant anti-inflammatory activity by significantly reducing LPS-triggered nitric oxide (NO) production to 45.86% and 61.64%, respectively, compared to the LPS-treated group. In the LPS-treated group, the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, decreased after treatment with essential oil, alleviating the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. The essential oil also inhibited the production of intracellular ROS and attenuated the depletion of mitochondrial membrane potential in a concentration-dependent manner. Pretreatment with NCB also reduced nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB)/p65 translocation and elevated the levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes in LPS-induced macrophages. The present findings, for the first time, demonstrate the anti-inflammatory potential of both bark and leaf essential oils of N. caudatum. The bark essential oil exhibited a significantly more important anti-inflammatory effect than the leaf essential oil and could be used as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.