Embedding of individual ferritin molecules in large, self-supporting silica nanofilms

We report herein the fabrication of ferritin-embedded self-supporting silica nanofilms via a simple spin-coating process. Ferritin was employed as a template molecule, and solutions of ferritin and silica were spread on a polymer-coated silicon substrate, in this order. After dissolving the polymer underlayer by simply immersing ethanol, a centimeter-sized self-supporting nanofilm of ferritin/silica composite with a thickness of 15 nm was successfully transferred onto an alumina membrane without the film breaking. Ozone and hydrochloric acid solution treatment removed the template ferritin molecules from the composite film to produce corresponding transmembrane nanoholes. The reported method is very simple, and the fabrication of a protein-embedded self-supporting nanofilm enables the design of biomembrane-mimetic devices.     

Relationship between Perceived Leg Length Discrepancy at One Month and Preoperative Hip Abductor Muscle Elasticity in Patients after Total Hip Arthroplasty

Objective: Preoperative factors related to perceived leg length discrepancy (PLLD) after total hip arthroplasty (THA) are not well studied. This study aimed to examine the preoperative factors, including hip abductor modulus, related to PLLD one month after THA. Methods: The study included 73 patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip and a posterior approach to surgery. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed using the presence or absence of PLLD as the dependent variable and preoperative hip abductor''s modulus of elasticity, pain, hip abduction range of motion, hip abductor muscle strength and pelvic obliquity as the independent variable. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic curves were used for the extracted variables for calculating the cutoffs, sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) to determine the presence or absence of PLLD. The significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: The hip abductor modulus (odds ratio=1.13; 95% confidence interval=1.06-1.21; p<0.001) was selected as a preoperative factor. The cutoff value to determine the presence or absence of a PLLD was 16.32 kPa. The sensitivity and specificity were 81.8% and 72.5%, respectively, and the AUC was 0.8137. Conclusion: The hip abductor muscle elastic modulus affected PLLD one month after THA. If the preoperative hip abductor elastic modulus is higher than the cutoff value, it may affect the appearance of PLLD at one month postoperatively.     

In Situ Synthesis of Robust Conductive Cellulose/Polypyrrole Composite Aerogels and Their Potential Application in Nerve Regeneration

Nanostructured conductive polymers can offer analogous environments for extracellular matrix and induce cellular responses by electric stimulation, however, such materials often lack mechanical strength and tend to collapse under small stresses. We prepared electrically conductive nanoporous materials by coating nanoporous cellulose gels (NCG) with polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles, which were synthesized in situ from pyrrole monomers supplied as vapor. The resulting NCG/PPy composite hydrogels were converted to aerogels by drying with supercritical CO₂, giving a density of 0.41–0.53 g cm^?3, nitrogen adsorption surface areas of 264–303 m² g^?1, and high mechanical strength. The NCG/PPy composite hydrogels exhibited an electrical conductivity of up to 0.08 S cm^?1. In vitro studies showed that the incorporation of PPy into an NCG enhances the adhesion and proliferation of PC12 cells. Electrical stimulation demonstrated that PC12 cells attached and extended longer neurites when cultured on NCG/PPy composite gels with DBSA dopant. These materials are promising candidates for applications in nerve regeneration, carbon capture, catalyst supports, and many others.     

Reactive interaction of aromatic amines with dialdehyde cellulose gel

A new chromatographic method was developed for separation of amines based on their interaction with aldehyde groups in stationary phase. Expecting specific interaction with aldehyde groups through imine formation (Schiff base), we introduced dialdehyde groups to a commercial cellulose packing by periodate oxidation and examined eluting behavior of various aromatic amines. Primary amines with acid dissociation constants (pKa) greater than 6 showed no delay at pHs of 4.0–5.5, indicating the lack of interaction because of complete protonation. Primary amines with pKa less than 6 showed remarkable delays according to the amount of aldehyde groups on cellulose. The delay was dependent on the pH of eluent. The amines with pKa of 4–5.3 eluted faster at lower pH, apparently because of the change in proportion of free and protonated species. Amines with pKa less than 3.4 also showed delays but they eluted slower at lower pH. The latter behavior can be ascribed to the change in the ratio of free/protonated species of imines formed. Certain degree of steric effect was also noted, that is, compounds with a primary amino group adjacent to bulky substituents (ortho compounds) showed weaker interaction with aldehyde groups than meta- and para-isomers.     

Infrared Spectra and Photoinduced Absorption of C60 Doped Polyhexylthiophene

Abstract

We report the IR spectra and the photoinduced absorption of polyhexylthiophene(PHT) doped with C₆₀. The presence of C₆₀ ^?n anions is observed in the IR spectra by a mode at 1383 cm^?1 and a broad electronic transition at 1.2 eV, while most of the C₆₀ molecules stay neutral. This is indicative that for a small fraction of C₆₀ molecules, charge transfer occurs in the ground state.

The photoinduced absorption spectra display a sharp transition at 1.15 eV peculiar to C₆₀ monoanion, the spectral features change with fullerene concentration. The intensity of the polymer photoinduced bands increases 5-10 times due to photoinduced charge transfer to C₆₀.     

Controlled polymerization and self-assembly of halogen-bridged diruthenium complexes in organic media and their dielectrophoretic alignment

Lipophilic paddlewheel biruthenium complexes [Ru(2)(μ-O(2)CR)(3)X](n) (O(2)CR = 3,4,5-tridodecyloxybenzoate, X = Cl, I) self-assemble in organic media to form halogen-bridged coordination polymers. The polymerization is accompanied by spectral changes in π(RuO,Ru(2)) → π*(Ru(2)) and π(axial ligand) → π*(Ru(2)) absorption bands. These polymeric complexes form lyotropic liquid crystals in n-decane at concentrations above ~100 unit mM. The bridging halogen axial ligands (X = Cl or I) exert significant influences on their electronic structures and self-assembling characteristics: the chloride-bridged polymers give hexagonally aligned ordered columnar structure (columnar hexagonal phase, Col(h)), whereas the iodide-bridged polymers form less ordered columnar nematic (Col(n)) phase, as revealed by small-angle X-ray diffraction measurements. Chloro-bridged coordination polymers dispersed in n-decane are thermally intact even at the elevated temperature of 70 °C. In contrast, iodo-bridged polymers show reversible dissociation and reassembly phenomena depending on temperature. These halogen-bridged coordination polymers show unidirectional alignment upon applying alternating current (ac) electric field as investigated by crossed polarizing optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The unidirectionally oriented columns of chloro-bridged polymers are accumulated upon repetitive application of the ac voltage, whereas iodo-bridged coordination polymers show faster and reversible alignment changes in response to turning on-and-off the electric field. The controlled self-assembly of electronically conjugated linear complexes provide a potential platform to design electric field-responsive nanomaterials.     

Flow-injection catalytic spectrophotometic determination of molybdenum(VI) in plants using bromate oxidative coupling of p-hydrazinobensenesulfonic acid with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine

A novel flow-injection spectrophotometry has been developed for the determination of molybdenum(VI) at nanograms per milliliter levels. The method is based on the catalytic effect of molybdenum(VI) on the bromate oxidative coupling of p-hydrazinobenzenesulfonic acid with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine to form an azo dye (λ_max = 530 nm). Chromotropic acid (4,5-dihydroxy-2,7-naphthalenedisulfonic acid) acted as an effective activator for the molybdenum(VI)-catalyzed reaction and increased the sensitivity of the method. The reaction was monitored by measuring the change in absorbance of the dye produced. The proposed method allowed the determination of molybdenum(VI) in the range 1.0-20 ng mL⁻¹ with sample throughput of 15 h⁻¹. The limit of detection was 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation for 10 ng mL⁻¹ molybdenum(VI) (n = 10) was 2.5%. The interfering ions were eliminated by using the combination of a masking agent and on-line minicolumn packed with cation exchanger. The present method was successfully applied to the determination of molybdenum(VI) in plant foodstuffs.     

Enzymatic degradation of oxidized cellulose hydrogels

The cellulose-based hydrogel with abundant aldehyde groups was prepared by periodate oxidation of cellulose hydrogel prepared by dissolution-regeneration of cellulose by aqueous LiOH/urea solvent. Aldehyde groups could be introduced retaining the nanoporosity of the cellulose gel. The enzymatic degradation of three grades of oxidized cellulose hydrogel, with aldehyde contents of 3.3, 8.1 and 18.6 per 100 glucose unit, was carried out using solutions containing cellulase and β-glucosidase at 37 °C up to 48 h. The degradation of oxidized gels was remarkably slower than that of original cellulose gel, depending strongly on the degree of oxidation. The portion except for the amount of glucose released was greater than the degree of oxidation, but became closer to the latter with increase in the degree of oxidation. This behavior can be interpreted in terms of the enzymatic recognition of the chemically modified cellulose chains.