A Convenient Synthesis of New Annelated Pyrimidines and Their Biological Importance

Several bicyclic/tricyclic‐fused pyrimidines were synthesized from the reactions of amino esters and bifunctional nucleophiles such as 2‐methylthio‐thiazoline and 2‐methylthio‐imidazoline. The synthesized compounds were tested for their in vitro antimicrobial activities that revealed mild to moderate growth inhibitory potentials.     

Recent advances in the use of graphene-family nanoadsorbents for removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater

Adsorption technology is widely considered as the most promising and robust method of purifying water at low cost and with high-efficiency. Carbon-based materials have been extensively explored for adsorption applications because of their good chemical stability, structural diversity, low density, and suitability for large scale production. Graphene – a single atomic layer of graphite – is the newest member in the family of carbon allotropes and has emerged as the “celeb” material of the 21st century. Since its discovery in 2004 by Novoselov, Geim and co-workers, graphene has attracted increased attention in a wide range of applications due to its unprecedented electrical, mechanical, thermal, optical and transport properties. Graphene's infinitely high surface-to-volume ratio has resulted in a large number of investigations to study its application as a potential adsorbent for water purification. More recently, other graphene related materials such as graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and few-layered graphene oxide sheets, as well as nanocomposites of graphene materials have also emerged as a promising group of adsorbent for the removal of various environmental pollutants from waste effluents. In this review article, we present a synthesis of the current knowledge available on this broad and versatile family of graphene nanomaterials for removal of dyes, potentially toxic elements, phenolic compounds and other organic chemicals from aquatic systems. The challenges involved in the development of these novel nanoadsorbents for decontamination of wastewaters have also been examined to help identify future directions for this emerging field to continue to grow.     

Quantification of 5-methylcytosine, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine from the blood of cancer patients by an enzyme-based immunoassay

Background

Genome-wide aberrations of the classic epigenetic modification 5-methylcytosine (5mC), considered the hallmark of gene silencing, has been implicated to play a pivotal role in mediating carcinogenic transformation of healthy cells. Recently, three epigenetic marks derived from enzymatic oxidization of 5mC namely 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC), have been discovered in the mammalian genome. Growing evidence suggests that these novel bases possess unique regulatory functions and may play critical roles in carcinogenesis.

Methods

To provide a quantitative basis for these rare epigenetic marks, we have designed a biotin–avidin mediated enzyme-based immunoassay (EIA) and evaluated its performance in genomic DNA isolated from blood of patients diagnosed with metastatic forms of lung, pancreatic and bladder cancer, as well as healthy controls. The proposed EIA incorporates spatially optimized biotinylated antibody and a high degree of horseradish-peroxidase (HRP) labeled streptavidin, facilitating signal amplification and sensitive detection.

Results

We report that the percentages of 5mC, 5hmC and 5caC present in the genomic DNA of blood in healthy controls as 1.025 ± 0.081, 0.023 ± 0.006 and 0.001 ± 0.0002, respectively. We observed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the mean global percentage of 5hmC in blood of patients with malignant lung cancer (0.013 ± 0.003%) in comparison to healthy controls.

Conclusion

The precise biological roles of these epigenetic modifications in cancers are still unknown but in the past two years it has become evident that the global 5hmC content is drastically reduced in a variety of cancers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of decreased 5hmC content in the blood of metastatic lung cancer patients and the clinical utility of this observation needs to be further validated in larger sample datasets.     

Ni + B2H6: Spectroscopic observations on NiB and NiH

An electronic spectrum of the nickel monoboride radical has been observed for the first time, in a reaction between a nickel plasma and diborane. Numerous bands of ⁵⁸Ni¹⁰B and ⁵⁸Ni¹¹B have been recorded between 442 and 503 nm in laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Dispersed fluorescence experiments have also been performed. The LIF spectrum is dominated by a strong progression of bands of a [19.7]²Σ⁺–X²Σ⁺ transition. Analyses have been carried out to yield the following ⁵⁸Ni¹¹B ground state parameters: r₀ = 0.1698 nm, ω_e = 778 cm⁻¹, ω_ex_e = 4.9 cm⁻¹. Strong signals from NiH have also been observed.     

α-Amido sulfones: novel substrates for the practical and efficient aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction under neat conditions

α-Amido sulfones undergo aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction efficiently with alkyl acrylates under neat conditions in the presence of DABCO at room temperature. These sulfones generate aryl imines in the presence of DABCO and form the corresponding adducts in high yields (85-94%) within 9-12 h.     

Studies on solution and solution-cast film of polyaniline colloids prepared in the absence and presence of ultrasonic irradiation

Spectroscopic and voltammetric features for the solution and solution-cast film of polyaniline (PANI) colloids prepared in the absence and presence of ultrasonic irradiation were examined. Significant differences in the color and absorption spectra between the solution of colloids prepared in the absence and presence of irradiation were observed. Effects of ambient atmosphere on the solution of colloids were also studied. A gradual decay in the absorption at approximately 365 nm was occurred upon ageing the solution in air for the colloid prepared under ultrasonic irradiation. PANI film, cast from its colloidal solution, exhibited excellent electroactivity. The films thus cast were applied to electrode modification to control electrochemical reaction. Clear voltammetric response was observed on the electrode modified with the colloid prepared in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation.     

Saracoside: a new lignan glycoside from Saraca indica, a potential inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase IB

Chemical investigation of the stem bark of Saraca indica has resulted in the isolation of a new lignan glycoside, saracoside, along with four known lignan glycosides lyoniside, icariside E3, (+)5'-methoxyisolarciresinol-9'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and nudiposide, and a phenolic glucopyranoside, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, which has been isolated for the first time from this species. The isolated lignan glycosides exhibit potent DNA topoisomerase IB inhibitory activity.     

Determination of elemental concentrations in environmental plant samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis

The intake of leafy vegetables in daily diet is very important to meet our nutritional needs. Vegetables provide the essential elements which are necessary and recommended for human growth. However, due to rapid industrialization and urbanization our environment becomes polluted and this affects the normal growth of agricultural products and composition of environmental species. The elemental concentrations present in the environmental samples are good indicators to assess the toxicological levels due to pollution affects. In the present work we have analysed several vegetable plant samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis to determine the elemental concentrations at major, minor and trace levels. The leafy vegetables like spinach, red leafy veagetable, pui, gourd leaf, lettuce and katoua were chosen as these are extensively consumed by local peple in eastern part of India. We have determined 15 elements in the above mentioned vegetable samples and some of these are essential elements and some are toxic elements. It was found that Na and K were present as major elements, Fe and Zn as minor elements and As, Ce, Cr, Co, La, Mo, Rb, Sc, Sm, Sr as trace elements. The concentration level of Cr was found to be higher than that of recommended value certified by WHO and National environment quality control for human consumption. The validation of our analytical results have been performed by the Z-score tests through the determination of concentrations of the elements of interest in certified reference materials.     

Titanium(IV) Complexes of Unsymmetrical Schiff Bases Derived from Ethylenediamine and o‐Hydroxyaldehyde/Ketone and Their Anti‐microbial Evaluation

The titanium(IV) complexes of the unsymmetrical Schiff base ligands (L) of ethylenediamine and salicylaldehyde, o‐hydroxyacetophenone, o‐hydroxynapthaldehyde have been prepared and characterized when unsymmetrical ligands are synthesized through in situ partial displacement of the symmetrical bis‐Schiff bases. Compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, electronic, (Infra‐red) IR, 1H NMR spectral data, magnetic susceptibility measurement and molar conductance and eight coordinated geometry of the complexes was proposed. The complexes have been found to posses 1:2:1 (M:L:B) stoichiometry (B is the secondary ligand). The bio‐efficacy of the prepared complexes has been examined against the growth of bacteria and fungi in vitro to evaluate their anti‐microbial potential.     

Synthesis and characterization of manganese sulphide thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Manganese sulphide (MnS) thin films have been deposited onto glass substrate by a low cost spray‐pyrolysis technique at 220 °C. The as‐deposited MnS thin films have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction, UV visible spectroscopy and photo electrochemical (PEC) measurement. The SEM and AFM images showed that the MnS thin films were well covered onto the substrate surface. The as‐deposited raw thin film was found to be amorphous in nature and perfectly crystalline phase after annealing the sample. Optical band gap of the MnS thin films was found to vary from 3.1 to 3.21 eV and the band gap decreases with the increase in film thickness. Optical constants such as refractive index, extinction coefficient have been evaluated using reflectance and absorbance data. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)