The use of vibrational spectroscopy to study the pathogenesis multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions

Spectroscopy techniques are valuable tools in biomedical research and have been used extensively in the study of disease. However, neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) have received little attention and the available spectroscopy studies are limited, both in overall numbers of patients studied and the disease samples considered. MS is a complex immune-mediated disease, with variable clinical courses and limited therapeutic options. This review aims to summarize current literature in the area, demonstrating how spectroscopy techniques can provide valuable information to inform and advance research into the most common neurological condition affecting young adults.     

Intramolecular TaqMan probes for genetic analysis

Novel intramolecular TaqMan probes have been evaluated on the W1282X locus of the human ABCC7 gene and shown to be more efficient than traditional TaqMan probes.     

Synthesis of (±)-1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-4-hydroxycyclohexenyl)-1,3-butanedione (1), a marine natural product

A short synthesis of racemic natural product (1) from the known compound (7) is described. A model study, using cyclochexanone as starting material, is also reported.     

SIMQUADNMR: a program for simulation and interpretation of multiple quantum-filtered NMR spectra of quadrupolar nuclei

In this paper, we present a computer program which simulates NMR multiple quantum-filtered spectra of quadrupolar nuclei as a function of physical parameters, of the type of experiment and experimental conditions. The program works by solving relaxation theory equations for the given system, and it can be useful in order to plan the ideal conditions to set up specific experiments or to give a physical interpretation of experimental results. The program allows to independently follow the dependence of individual coherences and relaxation rates as a function of up to 50 parameters regarding the physical properties of the system under investigation, sample conditions and instrumental setup making it an helpful tool also for teaching purposes.     

Side chain homologation of alanyl peptide nucleic acids: pairing selectivity and stacking

Alanyl peptide nucleic acids (alanyl-PNAs) are oligomers based on a regular peptide backbone with alternating configuration of the amino acids. All side chains are modified by covalently linked nucleobases. Alanyl-PNAs form very rigid, well defined, and linear double strands based on hydrogen bonding of complementary strands, stacking, and solvation. Side chain homology was examined by comparing a methylene linker (alanyl-PNA) with an ethylene linker (homoalanyl-PNA), a trimethylene linker (norvalyl-PNA), and PNA sequences with mixed linker length between nucleobase and backbone. Side chain homology in combination with a linear double strand topology turned out to be valuable in order to selectively manipulate pairing selectivity (pairing mode) and base pair stacking.     

Synthesis and evaluation of a new non-fluorescent quencher in fluorogenic oligonucleotide probes for real-time PCR

A non-fluorescent quencher, based on the diaminoanthraquinone Disperse Blue 3, has been incorporated into oligonucleotides at the 5'-end, the 3'-end and internally as a thymidine derivative. Fluorimetry and fluorogenic real-time PCR experiments demonstrate that the quencher is effective with a wide range of fluorescent dyes. The anthraquinone moiety increases the melting temperature of DNA duplexes, thus allowing shorter, more discriminatory probes to be used. The quencher has been used in Scorpion primers and TaqMan probes for human DNA sequence recognition and mutation detection.