Neuroprotective effect of peroxiredoxin 6 against hypoxia-induced retinal ganglion cell damage

Background  

The ability to respond to changes in the extra-intracellular environment is prerequisite for cell survival. Cellular responses to the environment include elevating defense systems, such as the antioxidant defense system. Hypoxia-evoked reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven oxidative stress is an underlying mechanism of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death that leads to blinding disorders. The protein peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6) plays a pleiotropic role in negatively regulating death signaling in response to stressors, and thereby stabilizes cellular homeostasis.     

Photoluminescence Electron-Transfer Quenching of Rhenium(I) Complexes with Organic Sulfides

Electron-transfer(ET) from organic sulfides to excited state rhenium(I)-based heteroleptic tricarbonyl complexes [Re(bpy)(CO)₃(py)]⁺ (I) and [Re(bpy)(CO)₃(ind))]⁺ (II) in acetonitrile solution is facile and luminescence quenching constants, k_q, are in the range 10⁵–10⁸ M⁻¹s⁻¹. The detection of the sulfide radical cation in this system using time-resolved absorption spectroscopy is a direct evidence for the ET nature of the reaction. The k_q values for the quenching of Re(I)-complexes with organic sulfides are analyzed with a scheme involving rate controlling electron transfer process. The measured rate constants for the electron transfer (ET) reaction are close to the values calculated from Marcus theory.     

Spiked and screened oscillatorsV(r) =Ar 2 +B/r 2 +C/r 4 +D/r 6 +F/(1 +Gr)2 and their elementary bound states

We show that the complicated superpositionsV(r) of several important phenomenological forces may still lead to an elementary form of doublets of bound states under transparent algebraic constraints. Constructively, we show how (and when) the constrained couplings preserve compatibility with the physical regularity of wavefunctions.     

Sine-Gordon equation in curved space-time

We study the static solution of the sine-Gordon wave equation in a background geometry determined by a point mass in 1+1 dimension.     

Formation of Stilbene Azo-Dimer by Direct Irradiation of p-Azidostilbene†

Triplet arylnitrenes may provide direct access to aryl azo-dimers, which have broad commercial applicability. Herein, the photolysis of p-azidostilbene ( 1 ) in argon-saturated methanol yielded stilbene azo-dimer ( 2 ) through the dimerization of triplet p-nitrenostilbene (³ 1N ). The formation of ³ 1N was verified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy (λ_max ~ 375 nm) in cryogenic 2-methyltetrahydrofuran matrices. At ambient temperature, laser flash photolysis of 1 in methanol formed ³ 1N (λ_max ~ 370 nm, 2.85 × 10⁷ s⁻¹). On shorter timescales, a transient absorption (λ_max ~ 390 nm) that decayed with a similar rate constant (3.11 × 10⁷ s⁻¹) was assigned to a triplet excited state (T) of 1 . Density functional theory calculations yielded three configurations for T of 1 , with the unpaired electrons on the azido (T_A) or stilbene moiety (T_Tw, twisted and T_Fl, flat). The transient was assigned to T_Tw based on its calculated spectrum. CASPT2 calculations gave a singlet–triplet energy gap of 16.6 kcal mol⁻¹ for 1 N ; thus, intersystem crossing of ¹ 1N to ³ 1N is unlikely at ambient temperature, supporting the formation of ³ 1N from T of 1 . Thus, sustainable synthetic methods for aryl azo-dimers can be developed using the visible-light irradiation of aryl azides to form triplet arylnitrenes.