Study of a X-ray laser-plasma source for radiobiological experiments: microdosimetry analysis and plasma characterisation

A soft X-ray laser-plasma source, used in radiobiology experiments with yeast cells, was characterised with flat crystal spectrometers and P-I-N diodes, obtaining an absolute measurement of the emission spectrum. A comparison with the results of simulations performed with the code RATION allowed the characterisation of the emitting plasma. A model for the energy deposition in yeast cells was developed to take into account the different cell structures (wall-membrane complex, cytoplasm and nucleus). Dose calculations performed considering the source emission spectrum were compared with direct measurements of transmission through plastic foils and allowed to verify the hypothesis of preferential dose deposition in the outer cellular regions. Received 16 September 1999 and Received in final form 1st February 2000     

Flow-based in vivo NMR spectroscopy of small aquatic organisms

NMR applied to living organisms is arguably the ultimate tool for understanding environmental stress responses and can provide desperately needed information on toxic mechanisms, synergistic effects, sublethal impacts, recovery, and biotransformation of xenobiotics. To perform in vivo NMR spectroscopy, a flow cell system is required to deliver oxygen and food to the organisms while maintaining optimal line shape for NMR spectroscopy. In this tutorial, two such flow cell systems and their constructions are discussed: (a) a single pump high-volume flow cell design is simple to build and ideal for organisms that do not require feeding (i.e., eggs) and (b) a more advanced low-volume double pump flow cell design that permits feeding, maintains optimal water height for water suppression, improves locking and shimming, and uses only a small recirculating volume, thus reducing the amount of xenobiotic required for testing. In addition, key experimental aspects including isotopic enrichment, water suppression, and 2D experiments for both ¹³C enriched and natural abundance organisms are discussed.     

Mussel‐Directed Synthesis of Nitrogen‐Doped Anatase TiO2

Structure‐forming processes leading to biominerals are well worth learning in pursuit of new synthetic techniques. Strategies that attempt to mimic nature in vitro cannot replace an entire complex natural organism, requiring ingenuity beyond chemists′ hands. A “bioprocess‐inspired synthesis” is demonstrated for fabrication of N‐doped TiO₂ materials at ambient temperature by direct implantation of precursor into living mussels. The amorphous precursor transforms into N‐doped anatase TiO₂ with a hierarchical nanostructure. Synthetic TiO₂ exhibits high phase stability and enhanced visible‐light photocatalytic activity as a result of modifications to its band gap during in vivo mineralization. Intracellular proteins were found to be involved in TiO₂ mineralization. Our findings may inspire material production by new synthetic techniques, especially under environmentally benign conditions.     

Determination of PCR products by CE with contactless conductivity detection

The use of CE with contactless conductivity detection for the determination of PCR products is demonstrated for the first time. The separation of specific length PCR products according to their size could be achieved using 5% PVP as a sieving medium in a separation buffer consisting of 20 mM Tris and 20 mM 2‐(cyclohexylamino)ethansulphonic acid (pH 8.5). A fused silica capillary of 60 cm length and 50 μm id and an applied separation voltage of –15 kV were employed and separations could be completed within 20–50 min. PCR amplified DNA fragments of different sizes obtained from different bacterial plasmid templates as well as a fragment from genomic DNA of genetically modified soybeans could be successfully identified.     

High Pressure Luminescence Study of KTbP 2 Se 6

Many deep-sea organisms need hydrostatic pressure for their survival. Thus, when retrieved from their natural environment for biological studies that cannot be conducted at the bottom of ocean, they must be returned to high pressure using appropriate pressure vessels. Our studies of organisms living at deep-sea hydrothermal vents lead us to develop such pressure vessels. Here, we present a system of small pressure reactors that were specifically conceived for the study of embryonic development, but may be also used for the study of small organisms, larvae, cells or bacteria. The system consists of two reactors fed by a common pressure line which can be manipulated separately using a set of valves. It is possible to carry out different operations (renewal of water, sampling) without depressurizing the reactors, a feature which proves crucial when carrying out long-term development experiments (over several days). The system has special chambers equipped with sapphire windows that allow the observation of embryos under pressure using a standard optical microscope. Using this system, we studied for the first time the embryonic development of Alvinella pompejana, one of the most intriguing species colonizing the hydrothermal vents.     

Antimicrobial Activities of a Series of Diphenyl (4′-(Aryldiazenyl)Biphenyl-4-Ylamino)(Pyridin-3-YL)Methylphosphonates

Abstract

A series of diphenyl (4′-(aryldiazenyl)biphenyl-4-ylamino)(pyridin-3-yl)methyl- phosphonates 2–7 was synthesized in high yields and their antimicrobial activities were investigated. Some compounds showed high antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli as a gram-negative bacterium, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus as gram-positive bacteria, and Candida albicans and Schccaromycies cerevisiae as fungi and at low concentrations (10–1000 μg/mL). Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

(Automated) Synthesis of Well-defined Staphylococcus Aureus Wall Teichoic Acid Fragments

Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are important components of the cell wall of the opportunistic Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. WTAs are composed of repeating ribitol phosphate (RboP) residues that are decorated with d -alanine and N-acetyl-d -glucosamine (GlcNAc) modifications, in a seemingly random manner. These WTA-modifications play an important role in shaping the interactions of WTA with the host immune system. Due to the structural heterogeneity of WTAs, it is impossible to isolate pure and well-defined WTA molecules from bacterial sources. Therefore, here synthetic chemistry to assemble a broad library of WTA-fragments, incorporating all possible glycosylation modifications (α-GlcNAc at the RboP C4; β-GlcNAc at the RboP C4; β-GlcNAc at the RboP C3) described for S. aureus WTAs, is reported. DNA-type chemistry, employing ribitol phosphoramidite building blocks, protected with a dimethoxy trityl group, was used to efficiently generate a library of WTA-hexamers. Automated solid phase syntheses were used to assemble a WTA-dodecamer and glycosylated WTA-hexamer. The synthetic fragments have been fully characterized and diagnostic signals were identified to discriminate the different glycosylation patterns. The different glycosylated WTA-fragments were used to probe binding of monoclonal antibodies using WTA-functionalized magnetic beads, revealing the binding specificity of these WTA-specific antibodies and the importance of the specific location of the GlcNAc modifications on the WTA-chains.     

An Overview of Analytical Methods to Determine Pharmaceutical Active Compounds in Aquatic Organisms

There is increasing scientific evidence that some pharmaceuticals are present in the marine ecosystems at concentrations that may cause adverse effects on the organisms that inhabit them. At present, there is still very little scientific literature on the (bio)accumulation of these compounds in different species, let alone on the relationship between the presence of these compounds and the adverse effects they produce. However, attempts have been made to optimize and validate analytical methods for the determination of residues of pharmaceuticals in marine biota by studying the stages of sample treatment, sample clean-up and subsequent analysis. The proposed bibliographic review includes a summary of the most commonly techniques, and its analytical features, proposed to determine pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic organisms at different levels of the trophic chain in the last 10 years.     

超声提取/气相色谱-质谱法测定海洋生物中的多环芳烃

建立了海洋生物体中16种优先控制多环芳烃的超声提取/气相色谱-质谱测定方法,对海洋鱼类、虾类、贝类和蟹类等生物样品的提取、净化和色谱质谱条件进行了优化。以正己烷-二氯甲烷(2∶1)作为溶剂进行超声提取,提取液经60%硫酸溶液和中性氧化铝-弗罗里硅土混合层析柱净化,采用气相色谱-质谱法定性和定量分析。在优化条件下,16种多环芳烃的线性范围为0.005～0.500 mg/L,相关系数(r)不低于0.998 4,检出限为0.03～0.28μg/kg。加标水平为2、20、100μg/kg时,平均加标回收率分别为55%～118%、80%～114%和79%～113%,相对标准偏差(RSDs,n=6)均小于10%。该方法快速、准确、灵敏度高、重复性好,能满足海洋生物体中持久性有机污染物分析的要求。