Role of Alginate Composition on Copper Ion Uptake in the Presence of Histidine or Beta-Amyloid

The anomalous interaction between metal ions and the peptide beta-amyloid is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Metal-binding biopolymers, including polysaccharides, can elucidate the fundamental aspects of metal ions’ interactions with biological tissue and their interplay in Alzheimer’s disease. This work focuses on the role of the alginate composition on Cu(II) adsorption in the presence of histidine or β-amyloid, the peptide associated with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Alginate samples with different mannuronic/guluronic (M/G) ratios led to similar Cu(II) adsorption capacities, following the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic models. Although the presence of histidine produced up to a 20% reduction in the copper adsorption capacity in guluronic-rich alginate samples (M/G~0.61), they presented stable bidentate chelation of the metallic ion. Chemical analyses (FTIR and XPS) demonstrated the role of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups in copper ion chelation, whereas both crystallinity and morphology analyses indicated the prevalence of histidine interaction with guluronic-rich alginate. Similar results were observed for Cu(II) adsorption in alginate beads in the presence of beta-amyloid and histidine, suggesting that the alginate/histidine system is a simple yet representative model to probe the application of biopolymers to metal ion uptake in the presence of biological competitors.     

Synthèse du mèthyl-1 diformyl-2,3 pyrrole,de la méthyl-1 pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyridazine et de la méthyl-1 oxo-6 (6h)cycloheptatrieno[b] pyrrole

This communication describes the synthesis of l-methyl-2,3-diformylpyrrole. This new compound is used to prepare a new heterocycle, l-methylcyclohepta[b]pyrrol-6-one and thus allows a new synthesis of l-methylpyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine.     

Strategy for structural elucidation of drugs and drug metabolites using (MS)n fragmentation in an electrospray ion trap

Triple-stage quadrupole (TSQ) electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and ion trap ESI-MS/MS can be used to cleave protonated molecules to produce carbocations and neutral molecules in the positive ion mode. Dissociation products which correspond to protonated forms of neutral fragment molecules can also be trapped and detected. These protonated molecules in turn can cleave via carbocation cleavage, ipso cleavage, onium cleavage or McLafferty or related rearrangements. One can elucidate the structures of metabolites from the differences in m/z ratios of the fragments arising from the original drug compound and its metabolite. This strategy for structural elucidation is further facilitated by estimates of the reactivity of drugs with oxygen diradicals involved in cytochrome P-450 cycles.     

Natural-based plasticizers and biopolymer films: A review

In recent years, much attention has been focused on research to replace petroleum-based commodity plastics, in a cost-effective manner, with biodegradable materials offering competitive mechanical properties. Biopolymers have been considered as the most promising materials for this purpose. However, they generally present poor mechanical properties regarding processability and end-use application, since the fragility and brittleness exhibited during thermoformation can limit their potential for application. In order to overcome this problem, plasticizers are added to provide the necessary workability to biopolymers. This class of products became more visible when biodegradable additives and plasticizers also became the focus of material scientists. The use of natural and/or biodegradable plasticizers, with low toxicity and good compatibility with several plastics, resins, rubber and elastomers in substitution of conventional plasticizers, such as phthalates and other synthetic conventional plasticizers attracted the market along with the increasing worldwide trend towards use of biopolymers. Here we discuss the main results and developments in natural plasticizer/synthetic and biopolymer-based films during the last decades.     

Synthèse dc la pyrido[2,3-f] phtalazine et des diformyl-6,7; -4,6; -4,7; -2,4 quinoleines

This article describes the synthesis of a new heterocycle, pyrido[2,3,f]phtalazine and three new diformylquinolincs.     

Synthèse des pyrido[2,3-d] el [3,2-d] -s-triazolo[3,4-f] pyrimidines el de (pyrazolyl-1')-4 pyrido[2,3-d] et [3,2-d] pyrimidines

The synthesis of two new heterocycles is described: pyrido-[2,3-d]-.s-triazolo[ 3,4-f] pyrimidine and pyrido[3,2-d]-.s-triayzolo-[3,4-f] pyrimidine. 4-[I'-Pyrazolyl]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines and 4-[1′-pyrazoly1] pyrido[ 3,2-d] pyrimidine are obtained by the action of 4-hydrazinopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine and 4-hydrazinopyrido-[3,2-d]pyrimidine with several β-diketones.     

The developmental pattern of stimulus and response interference in a color-object Stroop task: an ERP study

Background

Several studies have shown that Stroop interference is stronger in children than in adults. However, in a standard Stroop paradigm, stimulus interference and response interference are confounded. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether interference at the stimulus level and the response level are subject to distinct maturational patterns across childhood. Three groups of children (6–7 year-olds, 8–9 year-olds, and 10–12 year-olds) and a group of adults performed a manual Color-Object Stroop designed to disentangle stimulus interference and response interference. This was accomplished by comparing three trial types. In congruent (C) trials there was no interference. In stimulus incongruent (SI) trials there was only stimulus interference. In response incongruent (RI) trials there was stimulus interference and response interference. Stimulus interference and response interference were measured by a comparison of SI with C, and RI with SI trials, respectively. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured to study the temporal dynamics of these processes of interference.

Results

There was no behavioral evidence for stimulus interference in any of the groups, but in 6–7 year-old children ERPs in the SI condition in comparison with the C condition showed an occipital P1-reduction (80–140 ms) and a widely distributed amplitude enhancement of a negative component followed by an amplitude reduction of a positive component (400–560 ms). For response interference, all groups showed a comparable reaction time (RT) delay, but children made more errors than adults. ERPs in the RI condition in comparison with the SI condition showed an amplitude reduction of a positive component over lateral parietal (-occipital) sites in 10–12 year-olds and adults (300–540 ms), and a widely distributed amplitude enhancement of a positive component in all age groups (680–960 ms). The size of the enhancement correlated positively with the RT response interference effect.

Conclusion

Although processes of stimulus interference control as measured with the color-object Stroop task seem to reach mature levels relatively early in childhood (6–7 years), development of response interference control appears to continue into late adolescence as 10–12 year-olds were still more susceptible to errors of response interference than adults.