A multiplex single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping method using ligase‐based mismatch discrimination and CE‐SSCP

Accuracy, simplicity, and cost‐effectiveness are the most important criteria for a genotyping method for SNPs compatible with clinical use. One method developed for SNP genotyping, ligase‐based discrimination, is considered the simplest for clinical diagnosis. However, multiplex assays using this method are limited by the detection method. Although CE has been introduced as an alternative to error prone microarray‐based detection, the design process and multiplex assay procedure are complicated because of the DNA size‐dependent separation principle. In this study, we developed a simple and accurate multiplex genotyping method using reaction condition‐optimized ligation and high‐resolution CE‐based SSCP. With this high‐resolution CE‐SSCP system, we are able to use similar‐sized probes, thereby eliminating the complex probe design step and simplifying the optimization process. We found that this method could accurately discriminate single‐base mismatches in SNPs of the tp53 gene, used as targets for multiplex detection.     

Rapid and sensitive detection of lower respiratory tract infections by stuffer‐free multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification

Lower respiratory tract infection is one of the most common infectious diseases. However, conventional methods for detecting infectious pathogens are time‐consuming, and generally have a limited impact on early therapeutic decisions. We previously reported a rapid and sensitive method for detecting such pathogens using stuffer‐free multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification coupled with high‐resolution CE‐SSCP. In this study, we report an application of this method to the detection of respiratory pathogens. As originally configured, this method was capable of simultaneously detecting seven bacterial species responsible for lower respiratory tract infections, but its detection limit and assay time were insufficient to provide useful information for early therapeutic decisions. To improve sensitivity and shorten assay time, we added a target‐specific preamplification step, improving the detection limit from 50 pg of genomic DNA to 500 fg. We further decreased time requirements by optimizing the hybridization step, enabling the entire assay to be completed within 7 h while maintaining the same detection limit. Taken together, these improvements enable the rapid detection of infectious doses of pathogens (i.e. a few dozen cells), establishing the strong potential of the refined method, particularly for aiding early treatment decisions.     

Metal-free cross-dehydrogenative coupling of benzimidazoles with aldehydes to N-acylbenzimidazoles

A novel and direct cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) between benzimidazoles with aldehydes promoted by di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) was developed. The reactions generated the corresponding N-acylbenzimidazoles in good yields under metal-free conditions. This method has broad substrate scope and high efficiency.     

Catalyzation of 1,4-additions of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated substrates using nickel(I) complexes

Nickel(I) complexes were generated in situ from Ni (PPh₃)₂Cl₂ using activated iron and the complexes combined with N,N′-bis(4-fluorobenzylidene) ethane-1,2-diamine (BFBED) were then used as a catalyst for the 1,4-addition reaction of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated substrates. The reaction proceeded to completion and did not require the addition of a base but the addition of potassium iodide is crucial to this cross-coupling reaction. Moreover, experimental observations suggested a possible Ni(I)–Ni(III) catalytic cycle mechanism.     

Fabrication and physical properties of lanthanide oxide glass wasteform for the immobilization of lanthanide oxide wastes generated from pyrochemical process

The pyrochemical process, which uses a dry method to recycle used nuclear fuel generates waste LiCl–KCl salt containing radioactive lanthanide elements. To reuse LiCl–KCl salt, the lanthanide elements are separated through a precipitation method promoted by oxygen sparging and the separated fission product of lanthanide oxide should be fabricated into durable wasteforms sustainable for several 1,000 years to store in a final geological repository. Herein, we report the fabrication of a borosilicate glass based wasteform with a glass matrix of SiO₂–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃ having a high waste loading of 50 wt% lanthanide oxide. Th physical properties of four kinds of wasteforms having a different lanthanide oxide waste composition were evaluated. To investigate the long-term physical stability of each sample having 50 wt% lanthanide oxide waste loading, time–temperature–transformation (TTT) test was conducted at 500 and 700 °C for 60 and 180 h, and the physical properties were evaluated after each TTT test.     

铁酸镍用于热化学循环反应CO2分解制CO的研究

采用共沉淀法制备了NiFe₂O₄和NiFe₂O₄/ZrO₂催化剂,用TGA考察了其热化学法,CO₂高温分解反应性能。通过对反应前后催化剂的表征发现,反应高温使两种催化剂都发生了明显的烧结,导致在热还原反应中形成的还原态氧化物不能完全被CO₂氧化从而降低了催化剂的反应性能;ZrO₂的加入对于提高催化剂的热稳定性以及循环反应稳定性具有重要的作用。在高温反应炉中考察了NiFe₂O₄/ZrO₂的CO₂分解实验,结果表明,提高热还原温度可以提高CO产量,然而,随着循环次数的增加CO的产量降低得更明显。     

Simultaneous determination of nine lignans from Schisandra chinensis extract using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry in rat plasma,urine, and gastrointestinal tract samples: Application to the pharmacokinetic study of Schisandra chinensis

The fruit of Schisandra chinensis is a well‐known herbal medicine and dietary supplement due to a variety of biological activities including antihepatotoxic and antihyperlipidemic activities. However, the simultaneous validation methodology and pharmacokinetic investigation of nine lignans of S. chinensis extract in biological samples have not been proved yet. Thus, the present study was undertaken to develop the proper sample preparation method and simultaneous analytical method of schisandrol A, gomisin J, schisandrol B, tigloylgomisin H, angeloylgomisin H, schisandrin A, schisandrin B, gomisin N, and schisandrin C in the hexane‐soluble extract of S. chinensis to apply for the pharmacokinetic study in rats. All intra‐ and interprecisions of nine lignans were below 13.7% and accuracies were 85.1–115% and it is enough to evaluate the pharmacokinetic parameters after both intravenous and oral administration of hexane‐soluble extract of S. chinensis to rats.     

Development of a solid‐phase microextraction fiber by the chemical binding of graphene oxide on a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire with an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent

Graphene oxide was bonded onto a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire using an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent by a layer‐by‐layer strategy. The novel solid‐phase microextraction fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and Raman microscopy. A multilayer graphene oxide layer was closely coated onto the supporting substrate. The thickness of the coating was about 4 μm. Coupled with gas chromatography, the fiber was evaluated using five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, 1,2‐benzophenanthrene, and benzo(a)pyrene) as model analytes in direct‐immersion mode. The main conditions (extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, and desorption time) were optimized by a factor‐by‐factor optimization. The as‐established method exhibited a wide linearity range (0.5–200 μg/L) and low limits of determination (0.05–0.10 μg/L). It was applied to analyze environmental water samples of rain and river water. Three kinds of the model analytes were quantified and the recoveries of samples spiked at 10 μg/L were in the range of 92.3–120 and 93.8–115%, respectively. The obtained results indicated the fiber was efficient for solid‐phase microextraction analysis.     

Molecularly imprinted spin column extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the selective and simple determination of trace nitrophenols in water samples

In this study, we developed a simple and selective spin column extraction technology utilizing hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymers as the sorbents for extracting nitrophenol pollutants in water samples (the East Lake, the Yangtze River, and wastewater). The whole procedure was achieved by centrifugation of the spin column, and multiple samples were simultaneously processed with a low volume of solvent and without evaporation. Under the optimized condition, recoveries of nitrophenol compounds on the spin column packed with hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymers ranged from 87.3 to 92.9% and an excellent purification effect was obtained. Compared with activated carbon, multi‐walled carbon nanotubes, LC‐C₁₈ sorbents, hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymers exhibited a highly selective recognition ability for nitrophenol compounds and satisfactory sample extraction efficiency. Subsequently, the spin column extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography was established, which was found to be linear in the range of 2–1000 ng/mL for 2,4‐dinitropehnol and 2‐nitrophenol, and 6–1000 ng/mL for 4‐nitrophenol with correlation coefficients greater than 0.998. The detection limits ranged from 0.3–0.5 ng/mL. It is shown that the proposed method can be used for the determination of trace nitrophenol pollutants in complex samples, which is not only beneficial for water quality analysis but also for environmental risk assessment.     

Evaluation of a series of prolylamidepyridines as the chiral derivatization reagents for enantioseparation of carboxylic acids by LC–ESI–MS/MS and the application to human saliva

Mass spectrometry has become a popular analytical tool because of its high sensitivity and specificity. The use of a chiral derivatization reagent for the mass spectrometry (MS) detection seems to be efficient for the enantiomeric separation of racemates. However, the number of chiral reagents for the liquid chromatography (LC)–MS/MS analysis is very limited. According to these observations, we are currently in the process of developing novel labeling reagents for chiral molecules in MS/MS analysis. The derivatization reagent that is effective for enhancing not only the electrospray ionization–MS/MS sensitivity but also the reversed-phase LC resolution of carboxylic acid enantiomers should have a highly proton-affinitive moiety and an asymmetric structure near the reactive functional group. Furthermore, the resulting derivative has to provide a characteristic product ion suitable for the selected reaction monitoring. Based upon these considerations, a series of prolylamidepyridines ((S)-N-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid N-(pyridine-2-yl)amide (PCP2), (S)-N-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid N-(pyridine-3-yl)amide, and (S)-N-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid N-(pyridine-4-yl)amide) was synthesized as ideal labeling reagents for the enantioseparation of chiral carboxylic acids and evaluated in terms of separation efficiency and detection sensitivity by ultra-performance LC (UPLC)–MS/MS. Among the synthesized reagents, PCP2 was the most efficient chiral derivatization reagent for the enantioseparation of carboxylic acid. The Rs values and the detection limits of the derivatives of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which were selected as the representative carboxylic acids, were in the range of 2.52–6.07 and 49–260 amol, respectively. The sensitive detection of biological carboxylic acids (detection limits, 32–520 amol) was also carried out by the proposed method using PCP2 and UPLC–MS/MS. The PCP2 was applied to the determination of carboxylic acids in human saliva. Several biological carboxylic acids, such as lactic acid (LA), 3-hydroxybutylic acid, maric acid, succinic acid, α-ketoglutalic acid, and citric acid, were clearly identified in the saliva of healthy persons and diabetic patients. Furthermore, the ratio of d-LA in diabetic patients was higher than that in normal subjects. Judging from these results, PCP2 seems to be a useful chiral derivatization reagent for the determination not only of chiral, but also achiral, carboxylic acids in real samples.