Fatty acid desaturation index in human plasma: comparison of different analytical methodologies for the evaluation of diet effects

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) plays a role in the development of obesity and related conditions, such as insulin resistance, and potentially also in neurological and heart diseases. The activity of SCD1 can be monitored using the desaturation index (DI), the ratio of product (16:1n-7 and 18:1n-9) to precursor (16:0 and 18:0) fatty acids. Here, different analytical strategies were applied to identify the method which best supports SCD1 biology. A novel effective approach was the use of the SCD1-independent fatty acid (16:1n-10) as a negative control. The first approach was based on a simple extraction followed by neutral loss triglyceride fatty acid analysis. The second approach was based on the saponification of triglycerides followed by fatty acid analysis (specific for the position of the double bond within monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)). In addition to the analytical LC-MS assays, different matrices (plasma total triglyceride fraction and the very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction) were investigated to identify the best for studying changes in SCD1 activity. Samples from volunteers on a high-carbohydrate diet were analyzed. Both ultra HPLC (UHPLC)-MS-based assays showed acceptable accuracies (75–125 % of nominal) and precisions (<20 %) for the analysis of DI-specific fatty acids in VLDL and plasma. The most specific assay for the analysis of the liver SCD activity was then validated for specificity and selectivity, intra- and interday accuracy and precision, matrix effects, dilution effects, and analyte stability. After 3 days of high-carbohydrate diet, only the specific fatty acids in human plasma VLDL showed a significant increase in DI and associated SCD1 activity.     

One-Pot New Synthetic Method for 3-Amino-2-quinoxalinecarbonitrile

A new method for the preparation of 3-amino-2-quinoxalinecarbonitrile ( 1 ) was studied. A successful condensation reaction between bromomalononitrile and o-phenylenediamine in the presence of Lewis acid catalyst (AlCl₃) was achieved to produce compound 1 .     

Synthesis of Nanoporous Ni‐Co Mixed Oxides by Thermal Decomposition of Metal‐Cyanide Coordination Polymers

A straightforward strategy to prepare nanoporous metal oxides with well‐defined shapes is highly desirable. Through thermal treatment and a proper selection of metal‐cyanide coordination polymers, nanoporous nickel‐cobalt mixed oxides with different shapes (i.e., flakes and cubes) can be easily prepared. Our nanoporous materials demonstrate high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction.     

Anti-glycating and anti-oxidant compounds from traditionally used anti-diabetic plant Geigeria alata(DC) Oliv. & Hiern.

Abstract

A new sesquiterpene lactone geigerianoloide (1) and four known flavonoids axillarin (2), quercetin (3), 3-methoxy-5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-flavone (4) and hispidulin (5) were isolated from Geigeria alata (DC) Oliv. & Hiern. (Asteraceae). Structures were deduced using ¹H- and ¹³C- NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, while the structure of compound 1 was also deduced using X-ray crystallography technique.

Geigeria alata is traditionally used for diabetes, therefore compounds were tested for anti-glycation activity, in which compounds 2 and 3 showed potent activities (IC₅₀ values of 246.97?±?0.83 and 262.37?±?0.22 µM, respectively) compared to IC₅₀ value 294.50?±?1.5 µM of rutin. Moreover, compound 4 exhibited a comparable activity to rutin (IC₅₀?=?293.28?±?1.34 µM). Compound 5 showed a weak activity.

Compounds 2, 3, and 4 exhibited potent DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀?=?0.1?±?0.00, 0.13?±?0.00 and 0.15?±?0.01 µM, respectively). Compounds 2, 3, and 4 demonstrated significant superoxide anion scavenging activity with IC₅₀ values of 0.14?±?0.001, 0.17?±?0.00, and 0.11?±?0.006 µM, respectively.     

Kinetic aspects of the ion-exchange reactions of Cs<Superscript>+</Superscript>, Na<Superscript>+</Superscript>, Sr<Superscript>2+</Superscript>and Eu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions on the H<Superscript>+</Superscript> form of chromium hexacyanoferrate(II)

Summary This paper reports the radiochemical study of the ion-exchange of Cs⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions with H⁺ by chromium hexacyanoferrate(II) which was prepared in a granular form using a gel method. The slow steps which determine the rate of exchange of these ions are directly proportional to the particle diameter and this is confirmed from the linearity test of Bt vs. t plots at different particle diameters. Boyed’s equation and Reichenberg’s tables were used for evaluating all the kinetic parameters. The results reveal that the effective particle radii are unchanged for both chromium hexacyanoferrate(II) dried at 60 and 120 °C. The obtained data were analyzed using McKay plots and Arrhenius equation and the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters, e.g., effective diffusion coefficient, activation energies and entropies of activation have been evaluated. The mobility of these ions inside the particles of chromium hexacyanoferrate(II) decrease in the order of Eu³⁺>Sr²⁺>Na⁺⊃Cs⁺.     

Vibrational spectroscopy,electrical characterization,nonlinear optical properties and DFT calculation of (NEt4)(H2AsO4)(H3AsO4)2

An organic-inorganic compound of tetraethylammonium dihydrogenarsenate bis(arsenic acid) salts of formula (NEt₄)(H₂AsO₄)(H₃AsO₄)₂, a potential new nonlinear optical material, was prepared by a slow evaporation technique and characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy accomplished with DFT calculation and electrical-dielectrical measurements. The structure has been solved using direct method and refined by least-squares analysis. In this case, the structure consists of infinite parallel two-dimensional planes built of mutually H₂AsO₄^?, H₃AsO₄ tetrahedra connected by strong O–H?O hydrogen bonding giving birth to trimers. The geometry, first hyperpolarizability and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers were calculated by means of density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. Good consistency was found between the calculated and the experimental structure, IR, and Raman results. The first hyperpolarizability β_tot of the title compound is about 1.75 times more than that of the reference crystal KDP. The complex impedance has been investigated in relation to the temperature and frequency ranges 297 and 373 K and 1 to 100 KHz, respectively. The conductivity temperature variation shows a typical Arrhenius-type behavior with a linear dependence on logarithm of conductivity. Transport properties in this material appear to be due to proton hopping mechanism.     

Localization of extended current source with finite frequencies

A phase conjugation algorithm for localizing the spatial support of an extended radiating current source from boundary measurements of the electric field over a finite set of frequencies is presented. An imaging function using a full frequency bandwidth is established and analyzed. It is subsequently adopted to the case of finite frequency measurements. Finally, the algorithm is blended with l₁$l_1$-regularization in order to deal with the artifacts associated with finite frequency data.     

Thermal,electrical and electrochemical properties of ionic liquid-doped poly(ethylene oxide)–LiTDI polymer electrolytes for Li-ion batteries

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the present study, we report the synthesis and characterisation of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on polymer poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), salt...     

Spectral Element Discretization of the Circular Driven Cavity. Part IV: The Navier-Stokes Equations

This paper deals with the spectral element discretization of the Navier-Stokes equations in a disk with discontinuous boundary data, which is known as the driven cavity problem. The numerical treatment does not involve any regularization of these data. Relying on a variational formulation in the primitive variables of velocity and pressure, we describe a discretization of these equations and derive error estimates in appropriate weighted Sobolev spaces. We propose an algorithm to solve the nonlinear discrete system and present numerical experiments to verify its efficiency.