Rapid determination of aliphatic amines in water samples by pressure-assisted monolithic octadecylsilica capillary electrochromatography-mass spectrometry

A pressure-assisted capillary chromatography-mass spectrometry method based on the use of a monolithic octadecylsilica (ODS) capillary is proposed for the determination of aliphatic amines. A 25 mM citric acid buffer containing 10% methanol is used as running electrolyte. Separation is achieved by simultaneously applying a capillary electrophoresis (CE) voltage of 13 kV and an overimposed pressure of 8 bar. The use of pressure is required to ensure stable electrospray conditions. Analysis times are reduced by using a capillary column consisting of a 30 cm long monolithic silica capillary column bound with ODS and a fused-silica capillary column also 30 cm long. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of low-molecular-weight aliphatic amines in tap and river water. The analysis of real samples requires cleanup and preconcentration, which can be performed automatically by inserting a minicolumn in the replenishment system of the commercial instrument.     

Cobalt blood levels after total hip replacement (THR): a new follow-up study in Trieste (Italy)

Cobalt and chromium release in patients undergone a metal-on-metal total hip replacement (THR) is a matter recently discussed and whose we do not have enough information about it yet. In literature there is little data and not completely indicative, in the biological fluids and organs the amounts of released metals are different. This is also due to the fact that cobalt and chromium blood levels can change depending on physical and working activity, individual feeding and metabolism. The results obtained confirm the presence of an increase of cobalt inthe blood of patients after total hip replacement, while the chromium levels are almost alike: average values in patients operated are 4.1 +/- 1.5 microg/L for cobalt (0.3 +/- 0.1 microg/L in the control group) and 4.5 +/- 2.9 microg/L for chromium (4.7 +/- 2.4 microg/L in the control group). In spite of the cobalt values stand below the concentration generally considered dangerous, the difference between the two examined groups points out that a risk exists for the health of these patients. These results must be confirmed by further studies, providing better information and more reliable and biocompatible materials.     

Metastasis-suppressor KAI1/CD82 induces homotypic aggregation of human prostate cancer cells through Src-dependent pathway

To investigate the functional role of KAI1/CD82, a metastasis suppressor for human prostate cancer, in the regulation of homotypic cell adhesion, we transfected KAI1 cDNA into DU 145 human prostate cancer cells and established stable transfectant clones with high KAI1/CD82 expression. The KAI1 transfectant cells exhibited significantly increased homotypic cell aggregation in comparison with the control transfectant cells. This aggregation of the KAI1 transfectants was further enhanced upon exposure to anti-CD82 antibody, suggesting that KAI1/CD82 may be involved in the intracellular signaling for the cell adhesion. Among several signal pathway inhibitors tested, PP1, an inhibitor of Src family kinases, significantly suppressed homotypic aggregation of the KAI1 transfectant cells. Ligation of KAI1/CD82 with anti-CD82 antibody increased endogenous Src kinase activity of the KAI1 transfectant cells. When different types of src expression constructs were retransfected into the KAI1-transfected DU 145 cells, kinase-negative mutant src transfectant cells exhibited much lower homotypic aggregation than the mock cells transfected with an empty vector. Moreover, homotypic aggregation of the mutant src transfectant cells was not enhanced by KAI1/CD82 ligation with anti- CD82 antibody. These results suggest that Src mediates the intracellular signaling pathway of KAI1/CD82 for the induction of homotypic adhesion of human prostate cancer cells.     

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip for precolumn reaction and micellar electrokinetic chromatography of biogenic amines

We have demonstrated that precolumn derivatization and capillary electrophoresis separation on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip can be realized as efficient as those on glass microchips. In an optimized condition of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), using 25 mM sodium borate buffer (pH 10.0) with 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 5% v/v methanol, the electroosmotic flow in an oxidized PDMS microchip is stabilized within 3% for days. By employing a fluorometric derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) in an optimally designed reaction chamber, four most important biogenic amines occurring in foods, histamine, tyramine, putrescine, and tryptamine, are quantitatively determined in less than 1 min at the levels applicable to real samples. The migration behaviors of anionic OPA-derivatized biogenic amines under the MEKC conditions are analyzed, and it has been found that under our separation conditions, the electrophoretic mobility of the SDS micelles is significantly greater than those of the anions in the aqueous phase. The channel manifold in a PDMS substrate is fabricated using replica molding against a thick photoresist, SU-8, pattern generated by photolithography. The plate with the microchannel pattern is strongly, irreversibly bonded to another PDMS plate by using a new bonding technique, which employs surface oxidation by corona discharge generated from a cheap, handy source, Tesla coil.     

Functionalized pyridylboronic acids and their Suzuki cross-coupling reactions to yield novel heteroarylpyridines

2-Bromo-5-pyridylboronic acid 2a, 2-chloro-5-pyridylboronic acid 2b, 2-methoxy-5-pyridylboronic acid 2c, and 5-chloro-2-methoxy-4-pyridylboronic acid 4 have been synthesized and shown to undergo palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with heteroaryl bromides to yield novel heteroarylpyridine derivatives. The X-ray crystal structures of 2a and 2b have been obtained.     

Multibiosensor based on enzyme inhibition analysis for determination of different toxic substances

An original concept of an enzyme multibiosensor for determination of toxic substances based on enzyme inhibition analysis has been proposed and its main performances have been analysed. For the development of this multibiosensor, two types of transducers such as potentiometric pH-sensitive field-effect transistors and conductometric thin-films interdigitated electrodes, and three enzymes, namely urease, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase have been used. The experimental data have been treated by multivariate correspondence analysis. A complete procedure for a simultaneous determination of some heavy metal ions and pesticides has been proposed and its advantages have been discussed.     

Isocytosine as a hydrogen-bonding partner and as a ligand in metal complexes

Isocytosine (ICH; 1) exists in solution in an equilibrium of tautomers 1a and 1b with the N1 and N3 positions carrying the acidic proton, respectively. In the solid state, both tautomers coexist in a 1:1 ratio. As we show, the N3H tautomer 1b can selectively be crystallized in the presence of the model nucleobase 1-methylcytosine (1-MeC). The complex 1b x (1-MeC)2 x H2O (2) forms pairs through three hydrogen bonds between the components; hydrogen bonds between identical molecules are also formed, leading to an infinite tape structure. On the other hand, the N1H tautomer 1a co-crystallizes with protonated ICH to give [1a x ICH2]NO3 (3), again with three hydrogen bonds between the partners, yet the acidic proton is disordered over the two entities. With M(II)(dien) (M=Pt, Pd; dien=diethylenetriamine) preferential coordination of tautomer 1a through the N3 position is observed. DFT calculations, which were also extended to Pt(II)(tmeda) linkage isomers (tmeda=N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine), suggest that intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the ICH tautomers and the co-ligands at M, while adding to the preference for N3 coordination, is not the major determining factor. Rather it is the inherently stronger Pt-N3 bond which favors complexation of 1a. With an excess of M(II)(dien), dinuclear species [M2(dien)2(IC-N1,N3)]3+ (M=Pd(II), 4 and Pt(II), 5) also form and were isolated as their ClO4(-) salts and structurally characterized. In strongly acidic medium 5 is converted to [Pt(dien)(ICH-N1)]2+ (6), that is, to the Pt(II) complex of tautomer 1b.     

High-resolution electron microscopy of montmorillonite and montmorillonite/epoxy nanocomposites

With the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy the structure and morphology of montmorillonite (MMT), a material of current interest for use in polymer nanocomposites, was characterized. Using both imaging theory and experiment, the procedures needed to generate lattice images from MMT were established. These procedures involve careful control of the microscope's objective lens defocus to maximize contrast from features of a certain size, as well as limiting the total dose of electrons received by the sample. Direct images of the MMT lattice were obtained from neat Na+ MMT, organically modified MMT, and organically modified MMT/epoxy nanocomposites. The degree of crystallinity and turbostratic disorder were characterized using electron diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Also, the extent of the MMT sheets to bend when processed into an epoxy matrix was directly visualized. A minimum radius of curvature tolerable for a single MMT sheet during bending deformation was estimated to be 15 nm, and from this value a critical failure strain of 0.033 was calculated. HREM can be used to improve the understanding of the structure of polymer nanocomposites at the nanometer-length scale.