Absorption properties of körbl-catalyst and manganese dioxide

Summary Körbl-catalyst and manganese dioxide absorb chlorine and bromine quantitatively at room temperature. This property is applied to simultaneous microanalytical determination of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine or bromine in compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine or bromine, but not nitrogen or sulphur.

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Zusammenfassung Der Körbl-Katalysator und Mangandioxid absorbieren Chlor und Brom bei Raumtemperatur quantitativ. Sie wurden daher zur gleichzeitigen Bestimmung von C, H sowie Cl oder Br in Verbindungen verwendet, die C, H, O, Cl (oder Br), nicht aber N oder S enthalten.

     

Some remarks concerning matrices of the form A–A′, A−1A′

Matrices and operators of the formA ^–1 A ^* have received a certain amount of attention in recent years. Here some of the literature is surveyed and the caseA ^–1 A is studied for complex matrices withA denoting the transpose ofA. A generalization ofA ^–1 A is introduced.

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Zusammenfassung Matrizen und Operatoren, die in der FormA ^–1 A ^* ausgedrückt werden können, sind in den letzten Jahren häufig studiert worden. Hier wird ein Ueberblick über Teil der relevanten Literatur gegeben und auch der FallA ^–1 A für komplexe Matrizen studiert, wobeiA die Transponierte vonA ist. Es wird auch eine Verallgemeinerung vonA ^–1 A eingeführt.

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Dedicated to Eduard Stiefel by a long time admirer     

Effect of Poly(methacrylic acid) on the Cytokine Level in an In Vivo Tumor Model

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality globally. Despite remarkable improvements in cancer-treatment approaches, disease recurrence and progression remain major obstacles to therapy. While chemotherapy is still a first-line treatment for a variety of cancers, the focus has shifted to the development and application of new approaches to therapy. Nevertheless, the relationship between immune response, neoplastic diseases and treatment efficiency is not fully understood. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the immunopharmacological effects of methacrylic acid homopolymer in an in vivo tumor model. Materials and methods: Monomeric methacrylic acid was used to synthesize polymers. Methacrylic acid was polymerized in dioxane in the presence of 4-Cyano-4-[(dodecylsulfanylthiocarbonyl)sulfanyl]pentanoic acid. To study the molecular weight characteristics of PMAA by GPC, carboxyl groups were preliminarily methylated with diazomethane. An experimental cancer model was obtained by grafting RMK1 breast cancer cells. The serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA. Results: The effect of PMAA on the serum concentrations of several cytokines was studied upon its single administration to laboratory animals in early neoplastic process. The IL-6, IL-17 and TGF-β1 concentrations were found to change significantly and reach the level observed in intact rats. The IL-10 concentration tended to normalize. Conclusion: The positive results obtained are the basis for further studies on the effect of methacrylic-acid polymers with different molecular-weight characteristics on the neoplastic process.     

Conjugates of Iron-Transporting N-Hydroxylactams with Ciprofloxacin

Screening of a library of novel N-hydroxylactams amenable by the Castagnoli-Cushman reaction identified four lead compounds that facilitated ⁵⁵Fe transport into P. aeruginosa cells (one of these synthetic siderophores was found to be as efficient at promoting iron uptake as the natural siderophores pyoverdine, pyochelin or enterobactin). Conjugates of the four lead siderophores with ciprofloxacin were tested for antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa POA1 (wild type) and the ∆pvdF∆pchA mutant strain. The antibacterial activity was found to be pronounced against the ∆pvdF∆pchA mutant strain grown in CAA medium but not for the POA1 strain. This may be indicative of these compounds being ‘Trojan horse’ antibiotics. Further scrutiny of the mechanism of the antibacterial action of the newly developed conjugates is warranted.     

Synthesis of Cobalt Bis(Dicarbollide)—Curcumin Conjugates for Potential Use in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

A series of novel cobalt bis(dicarbollide)—curcumin conjugates were synthesized. Two conjugates were obtained through the nucleophilic ring-opening reaction of the 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydropyran derivatives of cobalt bis(dicarbollide) with the OH group of curcumin, and using two equiv. of the oxonium derivatives, two other conjugates containing two cobalt bis(dicarbollide) units per molecule were obtained. In contrast to curcumin, the conjugates obtained were found to be non-cytotoxic against both tumor and normal cell lines. The analysis of the intracellular accumulation of the conjugates by flow cytometry showed that all cobalt bis(dicarbollide)—curcumin conjugates entered HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells in a time-dependent manner. New non-cytotoxic conjugates contain a large amount of boron atoms in the biomolecule and can potentially be used for further biological research into boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).     

Reduced Endocannabinoid Tone in Saliva of Chronic Orofacial Pain Patients

Background: the endocannabinoid system (ECS) participates in many physiological and pathological processes including pain generation, modulation, and sensation. Its involvement in chronic orofacial pain (OFP) in general, and the reflection of its involvement in OFP in salivary endocannabinoid (eCBs) levels in particular, has not been examined. Objectives: to evaluate the association between salivary (eCBs) levels and chronic OFP. Methods: salivary levels of 2 eCBs, anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), 2 endocannabinoid-like compoundsN-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA), N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA), and their endogenous precursor and breakdown product, arachidonic acid (AA), were analyzed using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in 83 chronic OFP patients and 43 pain-free controls. The chronic OFP patients were divided according to diagnosis into musculoskeletal, neurovascular/migraine, and neuropathic pain types. Results: chronic OFP patients had lower levels of OEA (p = 0.02) and 2-AG (p = 0.01). Analyzing specific pain types revealed lower levels of AEA and OEA in the neurovascular group (p = 0.04, 0.02, respectively), and 2-AG in the neuropathic group compared to controls (p = 0.05). No significant differences were found between the musculoskeletal pain group and controls. Higher pain intensity was accompanied by lower levels of AA (p = 0.028), in neuropathic group. Conclusions: lower levels of eCBs were found in the saliva of chronic OFP patients compared to controls, specifically those with neurovascular/migraine, and neuropathic pain. The detection of changes in salivary endocannabinoids levels related to OFP adds a new dimension to our understanding of OFP mechanisms, and may have diagnostic as well as therapeutic implications for pain.     

葡萄糖浓度对THz频段血液光学特性的影响

无创性血糖检测仍是糖尿病患者护理安全舒适的现实科学任务。本文研究了血糖光学特性与血糖浓度之间的相关性。用时域THz光谱研究了全血在0.3~0.5 THz频率范围内的透射谱。在注射胰岛素后的短时间内,由同一糖尿病患者产生了生物样品。得到了血液光学特性的频散特性。基于频散,给出了血糖浓度与折射率和介电常数的关系式。这项工作是复杂研究的一部分,重点是无创葡萄糖测量技术的发展。记录血糖水平与血液光学参数之间的依赖关系,使得将来可以使用反射光谱技术进行无创血糖水平检测。