Resistant starches and health

It was initially hypothesized that resistant starches, i.e., starch that enters the colon, would have protective effects on chronic colonic diseases, including reduction of colon cancer risk and in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Recent studies have confirmed the ability of resistant starch to increase fecal bulk, increase the molar ratio of butyrate in relation to other short-chain fatty acids, and dilute fecal bile acids. However the ability of resistant starch to reduce luminal concentrations of compounds that are damaging to the colonic mucosa, including fecal ammonia, phenols, and N-nitroso compounds, still requires clear demonstration. As such, the effectiveness of resistant starch in preventing or treating colonic diseases remains to be assessed. Nevertheless, there is a fraction of what has been termed resistant (RS1) starch, which enters the colon and acts as slowly digested or lente carbohydrate in the small intestine. Foods in this class are low glycemic index and have been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease. They have been associated with systemic physiological effects such as reduced postprandial insulin levels and higher HDL cholesterol levels. Consumption of low glycemic index foods has been shown to be related to reductions in risk of coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes has in turn been related to a higher risk of colon cancer. If carbohydrates have a protective role in colon cancer prevention this may lie partly in the systemic effects of low glycemic index foods. The colonic advantages of different carbohydrates, varying in their glycemic index and resistant starch content, therefore, remain to be determined. However, as recent positive research findings continue to mount, there is reason for optimism over the possible health advantages of those resistant starches, which are slowly digested in the small intestine.     

Oxygen isotope corrections for online delta(34)S analysis

Elemental analyzers have been successfully coupled to stable-isotope-ratio mass spectrometers for online measurements of the delta(34)S isotopic composition of plants, animals and soils. We found that the online technology for automated delta(34)S isotopic determinations did not yield reproducible oxygen isotopic compositions in the SO(2) produced, and as a result calculated delta(34)S values were often 1-3 per thousand too high versus their correct values, particularly for plant and animal samples with high C/S ratio. Here we provide empirical and analytical methods for correcting the S isotope values for oxygen isotope variations, and further detail a new SO(2)-SiO(2) buffering method that minimizes detrimental oxygen isotope variations in SO(2).     

New syntheses and chemistry of hexafluorotropone

Two new routes to hexafluorotropone have been developed, one from hexachlorotropone and a superior synthesis from hexafluorobenzene. Hexafluorotropone was found to be a very weak base, with a conjugate acid pK(a) of -6.2 +/- 0.5. The tropone adds in [6 + 4] fashion to cyclopentadiene and photocyclizes to hexafluorobicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-3,6-dien-2-one. Lithium hydroxide in benzene transforms the tropone into pentafluorotropolone, which functions as a bidentate ligand.     

Control of off-flavor compounds in aluminum can production

Aluminum cans have intermittently been associated with the development of off-flavors in beverages. Certain organic compounds, e.g., aldehydes and ketones, are known to contribute to flavor defects; trans-2-nonenal can be detected at 0.1 μg l^?1 levels by trained tasters. In a recent study, the production process used to form two-piece aluminum cans was examined. Samples of aluminum coil stock, partly formed cans and finished cans were obtained from typical production lins and examined by a flavor panel and by chromatographic and spectroscopic methods in an effort to develop routine techniques for monitoring can production. Capillary-column gas chromatography and, after derivatization with dinitrophenylhydrazone, high-performance liquid chromatography are useful for quantifying off-flavor compounds and precursors in lubricants and other materials used in rolling mills and can-making operations, but are not adaptable to on-line monitoring. Correlations between gas-chromatographic data and flavor panel assessments were good.     

A general mass spectrometry-based assay for the quantitation of protein-ligand binding interactions in solution

A new method that utilizes matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry and exploits the hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange properties of proteins was developed for measuring the thermodynamic properties of protein-ligand complexes in solution. Dissociation constants (Kd values) determined by the method for five model protein-ligand complexes that included those with small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, and other proteins were generally in good agreement with Kd values measured by conventional methods. Important experimental advantages of the described method over existing methods include: the ability to make measurements in a high-throughput and automated fashion, the ability to make measurements using only picomole quantitities of protein, and the ability to analyze either purified or unpurified protein-ligand complexes.     

Intramolecular behaviors of anthryldicarbenic systems: dibenzo[b,f]pentalene and 1H,5H-dicyclobuta[de,kl]anthracene

9,10-Bis[methoxy(trimethylsilyl)methyl]anthracenes (24), synthesized from 9,10-dilithioanthracene (26) and bromomethoxytrimethylsilylmethane (27, 2 equiv), decompose (550-650 degrees C/10(-3) mmHg) carbenically to dibenzo[b,f]pentalene (28, > 48%). 9,10-Anthryldicarbenes 39 or their equivalents convert to pentalene 28 rather than di-peri-cyclobutanthracenes 30 and 31, benzobiphenylene 32, or extended rearrangement products 33-38. Formation of 28 from 24 raises questions with respect to the behavior of 1,3,4,6-cycloheptatetraenyl-1-carbenes 49, 2,4,5,7-cyclooctatetraenylidene 51, 2,5,7-cyclooctatriene-1,4-diylidene 52, 1,2,4,5,7-cyclooctapentaene 53, and bicyclo[4.1.0]heptatrienyl-1-carbenes 54 and to carbon-skeleton and hydrogen rearrangements of anthryldicarbenes 39 and/or their equivalents at various temperatures. 1,5-Bis[methoxy(trimethylsilyl)methyl]anthracenes (25), prepared from 1,5-diiodoanthracene (63) and methoxytrimethylsilylmethylzinc bromide (57, 2 equiv) as catalyzed by PdCl(2)(PPh(3))(2), yield the di-peri-carbenic reaction product 1H,5H-dicyclobuta[de,kl]anthracene (30, > 40%) on pyrolysis at 550-650 degrees C/10(-3) mmHg. Proof of structure and various aspects of the mechanisms of formation of 30 are discussed.     

Distributed data parallel coupled-cluster algorithm: Application to the 2-hydroxypyridine/2-pyridone tautomerism

The recently developed parallel coupled-cluster algorithm of Rendell, Lee, and Lindh [Chem. Phys. Lett., 194 , 84 (1992)] is extended to allow four-indexed quantities containing one or two indices in the virtual orbital space to be stored across the global memory of distributed-memory parallel processors. Quantities such as the double-excitation amplitudes can now be distributed over multiple nodes, with blocks of data retrieved from remote nodes by the use of interrupt handlers. As an application of the new code, we have investigated the potential energy surface of the 2-hydroxypyridine/2-pyridone tautomers. Using large basis sets, the structure of each tautomer and the transition state connecting the two minima has been determined at the SCF level. The relative energy difference and the activation energy were then redetermined using the MP2, CCSD, and CCSD(T) methods. All calculations have been performed on Intel distributed-memory supercomputers. The largest coupled-cluster calculations contained over 2 million double-excitation amplitudes. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dimethylzinc-mediated additions of alkenylzirconocenes to aldimines. New methodologies for allylic amine and C-cyclopropylalkylamine syntheses

Hydrozirconation of alkynes with zirconocene hydrochloride followed by in situ transmetalation to dimethylzinc provides access to reactive alkenyl organometallic reagents from readily available precursors. Upon addition of imines, 1,2-attack leads to synthetically useful allylic amine building blocks. In the presence of CH(2)I(2) or CH(2)Cl(2), the N-metalated allylic amide intermediate is cyclopropanated and C-cyclopropylalkylamines are formed in high yield and excellent diastereoselectivities favoring the anti products. The use of enynes as starting materials for this domino reaction provides conjugated biscyclopropanes and thus allows the stereoselective formation of five new carbon-carbon bonds. A transition state that explains the need for both zirconocene complex and alkyl zinc in the cyclopropanation reaction is proposed.