High performance liquid chromatography assay for alanine amino transferase

Summary An improved method of alanine-amino transferase determination is proposed. The reaction is carried out with alanine and 2-oxoglutarate as substrates and analysis is by HPLC on a reversed-phase chromatographic system using a C₁₈ column and tetrabutylammonium phosphate in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0)-acetonitrile as mobile phase. The enzyme activity was determined by directly following the formation of pyruvic acid without employing any secondary reaction, which is necessary in the spectrophotometric method. The detection limit of pyruvic acid is 10 pmole l^–1 and the standard deviation for the enzymatic activity of standard solutions is 5.4%. Furthermore under the chromatographic conditions selected it is possible to detect the presence of some intermediate species.Work supported by National Research Council of Italy. Presented in part at the First International Symposium on Applications of HPLC in Enzyme Chemistry, Verona, September 1990.     

Operation of the quasi-optical gyrotron at harmonics of the gyrofrequency

This paper investigates the performance of a quasioptical gyrotron, when the electron beam interacts with the radiation fields at harmonics of the gyrofrequency. The nonlinear equations of motion are obtained in the slow-timescale. The expression for the linear gain is derived and the conditions for excitation are given (frequency threshold, optimal operating point, bean current and resonator quality thresholds). In the nonlinear regime, it is shown that maximum efficiencies comparable to those at the fundemental (50%) are possible, albeit at a prohitively high radiation field amplitude, while realistically feasible field amplitudes can give somewhat smaller, but nevertheless still high efficiencies (15%). Finally, the results are suplemented by empirical scaling laws, useful for experimental designs.     

ToF‐SIMS observation of PTFE surfaces modified by α‐particle irradiation

The surface structure of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) upon α‐particle irradiation has been investigated at doses in the range of 1 × 10⁷ to 1 × 10¹¹ Rad and compared with the surface structure of the unirradiated polymer. Both neat and 25% fiberglass content PTFE were studied. The samples, maintained at nominal room temperature, were irradiated in vacuum by 5.5 MeV ⁴He²⁺ ions generated in a tandem accelerator beam line. Static time‐of‐flight SIMS (ToF‐SIMS) was employed to probe chemical changes at the surface as a function of the irradiation level. In general, the data are indicative of increased cross‐linking at α‐doses less than 1 × 10⁹ Rad, followed by increased fragmentation and unsaturation at α‐doses greater than 1 × 10⁹ Rad. Throughout the irradiation regime, scission is a constant factor promoting cross‐linking, branching, and unsaturation. However, at α‐doses greater than 1 × 10¹⁰ Rad, extreme structural degradation of the polymer becomes evident and is accompanied by conversion to oxygen‐functionalized and aliphatic compounds. Thus, for PTFE in an α‐particle field, an upper exposure limit of ～10¹⁰ Rad is essential for nominal retention of molecular structure. Finally, a quantitative relationship between α‐dose and characteristic fragment ion intensity is developed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New Chemotypes for the Inhibition of (p)ppGpp Synthesis in the Quest for New Antimicrobial Compounds

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to our society from both the medical and economic point of view, while the antibiotic discovery pipeline has been dwindling over the last decades. Targeting non-essential bacterial pathways, such as those leading to antibiotic persistence, a bacterial bet-hedging strategy, will lead to new molecular entities displaying low selective pressure, thereby reducing the insurgence of AMR. Here, we describe a way to target (p)ppGpp (guanosine tetra- or penta-phosphate) signaling, a non-essential pathway involved in the formation of persisters, with a structure-based approach. A superfamily of enzymes called RSH (RelA/SpoT Homolog) regulates the intracellular levels of this alarmone. We virtually screened several fragment libraries against the (p)ppGpp synthetase domain of our RSH chosen model Rel_Seq, selected three main chemotypes, and measured their interaction with Rel_Seq by thermal shift assay and STD-NMR. Most of the tested fragments are selective for the synthetase domain, allowing us to select the aminobenzoic acid scaffold as a hit for lead development.     

Simultaneous Estimation of Escitalopram and Clonazepam in Tablet Dosage Forms Using HPLC-DAD Method and Optimization of Chromatographic Conditions by Box-Behnken Design

The study aimed to develop a new reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method with diode array detection (DAD) detection for simultaneous estimation of escitalopram (EST) and clonazepam (CZP) in tablet dosage forms with a quality by design (QbD) approach. The chromatographic conditions were optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD) and developed method was validated for the linearity, system suitability, accuracy, precision, robustness, sensitivity, and solution stability according to International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. EST and CZP standard drugs peaks were separated at retention times of 2.668 and 5.046 min by C-18 column with dimension of 4.6 × 100 mm length and particle size packing 2.5 µm. The mobile phase was methanol: 0.1% orthophosphoric acid (OPA) (25:75, v/v), with a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min at temperature of 26 °C. The sample volume injected was 20 µL and peaks were detected at 239 nm. Using the standard calibration curve, the % assay of marketed tablet was founded 98.89 and 98.76 for EST and CZP, respectively. The proposed RP-HPLC method was able to detect EST and CZP in the presence of their degradation products, indicating the stability-indicating property of the developed RP-HPLC method. The validation parameter’s results in terms of linearity, system suitability, accuracy, precision, robustness, sensitivity, and solution stability were in an acceptable range as per the ICH guidelines. The newly developed RP-HPLC method with QbD application is simple, accurate, time-saving, and economic.     

Cancer-Associated Mutations of the Adenosine A2A Receptor Have Diverse Influences on Ligand Binding and Receptor Functions

The adenosine A_2A receptor (A_2AAR) is a class A G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). It is an immune checkpoint in the tumor micro-environment and has become an emerging target for cancer treatment. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of cancer-patient-derived A_2AAR mutations on ligand binding and receptor functions. The wild-type A_2AAR and 15 mutants identified by Genomic Data Commons (GDC) in human cancers were expressed in HEK293T cells. Firstly, we found that the binding affinity for agonist NECA was decreased in six mutants but increased for the V275A mutant. Mutations A165V and A265V decreased the binding affinity for antagonist ZM241385. Secondly, we found that the potency of NECA (EC₅₀) in an impedance-based cell-morphology assay was mostly correlated with the binding affinity for the different mutants. Moreover, S132L and H278N were found to shift the A_2AAR towards the inactive state. Importantly, we found that ZM241385 could not inhibit the activation of V275A and P285L stimulated by NECA. Taken together, the cancer-associated mutations of A_2AAR modulated ligand binding and receptor functions. This study provides fundamental insights into the structure–activity relationship of the A_2AAR and provides insights for A_2AAR-related personalized treatment in cancer.     

缩合法合成磁性荧光高分子CdTe@Fe_3O_4/P(NIPAM-co-AA)复合微球及其表征

具有超顺磁性和荧光特性的CdTe@Fe_3O_4/P(NIPAM-co-AA)多功能复合微球是以P(NIPAMco-AA)为模板制备而成.首先,采用溶胀法使模板微球带有磁性;其次,辅助TEOS和APTES两种化学试剂实现对Fe_3O_4/P(NIPAM-co-AA)微球表面的氨基功能化;最后,携带氨基的磁性微球与巯基乙酸修饰的CdTe量子点通过酰胺缩合反应,将量子点键合到磁性微球表面上,最终获得单分散的磁性荧光高分子复合微球.分别采用扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、倒置荧光显微成像系统、荧光分光光度计以及振动样品磁强计等方法对所获复合材料的结构与性能进行了表征.结果表明:复合微球单分散性良好,平均粒径约为30μm,饱和磁化强度可达5.4emu/g,具有良好的超顺磁性和较高的荧光发光效率.该材料将磁性、荧光结合到微米级高分子共聚物上,不仅解决了纳米粒子分离和处理的困难,而且奠定了多功能材料在生物标记、荧光成像等诸多领域潜在的应用基础.     

气粒混合物非灰辐射特性合并宽窄谱带K分布模型

气粒混合物辐射问题具有全场性、非灰性、耦合性等特点,准确预估高温燃气/粒子非灰辐射特性是非常重要的。本文将合并宽窄谱带K分布模础(CWNBCK)与离散坐标法(DOM)结合,开展了非灰气粒混合物辐射换热问题的模拟工作,分别验证了一维和三维情况下应用该模型的准确性,给出不同工况下的热流源项、壁面热流或辐射热流等。结果表明:该模型能够给出与SNB模型精度基本相同的结果,考虑其计算效率的提高,可以在工程实际中应用该模型计算非灰气粒混合物辐射换热。     

Characterization and Bioavailability of Vitamin C Nanoliposomes Prepared by Film Evaporation-Dynamic High Pressure Microfluidization

Vitamin C nanoliposomes were prepared by combining a conventional method (film evaporation) with dynamic high pressure microfluidization. Their physicochemical characterizations (antioxidant activity, particle size, entrapment efficiency, morphology, in vitro drug release, and storage stability) and skin permeation behavior were investigated. The results showed that vitamin C nanoliposomes, having equivalent DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging capacity of pure vitamin C solution without loss of their biological activity, exhibited better storage stability at 37°C for 24 hours and at 4°C for 60 days, a more excellent sustained drug release as well as higher skin penetration rate than vitamin C liposomes.     

Study on the flow resistance of the dispersion system of deformable preformed particle gel in porous media using LBM-DEM-IMB method

After being injected into the porous media, the dispersion system of preformed particle gel (PPG) tends to enter high permeability regions and block water channeling passages, which forces the subsequent water to turn to the low permeability regions and thus increases sweep efficiency and enhances oil recovery. However, it is still unclear about the influence factors and the mechanisms how PPG increases water flow resistance, which limits the application of PPG in more oilfields. Therefore, the paper combines the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), the discrete element method (DEM) and the improved immersed moving boundary (IMB) method to simulate the migration of deformable PPG in porous media. On the basis, the paper quantitatively analyzes the variation law of displacement pressure across the porous media and discusses the influence factors such as the PPG diameter, elasticity modulus and the number concentration. Results indicate that, because of the friction and retention of PPG in pore-throat, the displacement pressure across the porous media during PPG flooding is much higher than that during water flooding. In other words, the existence of PPG increases the flow resistance of injected water. Besides, the displacement pressure is always fluctuant resulting from the continuous process of PPG migration, retention, deformation and remigration. Influence factor analysis shows that the incremental value and fluctuation degree of flow resistance increase with the PPG diameter, elasticity modulus and the number concentration. The study not only provides useful reference for future PPG flooding, but also benefits the development of deformable particle flow theory.