Crystallization of Arthrobacter sp. strain 1C N-(1-D-carboxyethyl)-L-norvaline dehydrogenase and its complex with NAD+

The novel NAD+-linked opine dehydrogenase from a soil isolate Arthrobacter sp. strain 1C belongs to an enzyme superfamily whose members exhibit quite diverse substrate specificites. Crystals of this opine dehydrogenase, obtained in the presence or absence of co-factor and substrates, have been shown to diffract to beyond 1.8 ? resolution. X-ray precession photographs have established that the crystals belong to space group P21212, with cell parameters a = 104.9, b = 80.0, c = 45.5 ? and a single subunit in the asymmetric unit. The elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of this enzyme will provide a structural framework for this novel class of dehydrogenases to enable a comparison to be made with other enzyme families and also as the basis for mutagenesis experiments directed towards the production of natural and synthetic opine-type compounds containing two chiral centres.     

Rapid leaching of Cr(VI) in soil with Na3PO4 in the determination of hexavalent chromium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

A method has been developed that leaches Cr(VI) selectively from soil samples. Hexavalent chromium was leached completely from soil with 0.01molL(-1) Na(3)PO(4). This was achieved by boiling the soil-reagent solution mixture for a period of 5min. The leached Cr(VI) was then quantified by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) after filtration of the sample solutions through Hydrophilic Millipore PVDF 0.45microm filter. Statistical evaluations indicated that the new developed method is reliable since neither its comparison with the established method nor the comparison of the sum of the concentrations of chromium species to that of the total concentration of chromium show any difference at 95% level of confidence. The spiking of soil samples with Cr(III) standards before pretreatment show that Cr(III) was not oxidized to Cr(VI) during leaching as the Cr(VI) content never increased. The detection limit established was 0.07microg g(-1), which is an improvement to that of the US EPA method 3060A by a factor of more than 500. The maximum concentrations of Cr(VI) found in soil samples collected around the new chromium mine was 8.0microg g(-1) and falls within acceptable level of 15microg g(-1) in accordance with the Italian Guidelines.     

Preclinical Assessment Addressing Intravenous Administration of a [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-617 Microemulsion: Acute In Vivo Toxicity,Tolerability, PET Imaging,and Biodistribution

It has been herein presented that a microemulsion, known to be an effective and safe drug delivery system following intravenous administration, can be loaded with traces of [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-PSMA-617 without losing its properties or causing toxicity. Following tolerated IV injections the capability of the microemulsion in altering [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-PSMA-617 distribution was presented at 120 min post injection based on its ex vivo biodistribution results.     

Intercalation of Toluidines into α-Zirconium Hydrogenphosphate

Intercalates of o-, m-, and p-toluidine into α-Zr(HPO₄)₂ · H₂O were prepared and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy. As follows from IR, toludine molecules are protonated in the interlayer space. Toluidine molecules are arranged in a bimolecular way in the intercalates containing more than 1.5 toluidine molecules per Zr atom. On the other hand, a monolayer of the toluidine molecules is supposed in the intercalates with less than one toluidine molecule per Zr atom.     

The free energy of a reaction coordinate at multiple constraints: a concise formulation

The free energy as a function of the reaction coordinate (rc) is the key quantity for the computation of equilibrium and kinetic quantities. When it is considered as the potential of mean force, the problem is the calculation of the mean force for given values of the rc. We reinvestigate the PMCF (potential of mean constraint force) method which applies a constraint to the rc to compute the mean force as the mean negative constraint force and a metric tensor correction. The latter allows for the constraint imposed to the rc and possible artefacts due to multiple constraints of other variables which for practical reasons are often used in numerical simulations. Two main results are obtained that are of theoretical and practical interest. First, the correction term is given a very concise and simple shape which facilitates its interpretation and evaluation. Secondly, a theorem describes various rcs and possible combinations with constraints that can be used without introducing any correction to the constraint force. The results facilitate the computation of free energy by molecular dynamics simulations.     

Solid phase extraction of trace amount of mercury from natural waters on silver and gold nanoparticles

Silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles impregnated in nylon membrane filters have been proposed as a new solid phase for preconcentration of mercury from natural waters. Water samples were treated with KMnO₄ to convert all mercury species to inorganic Hg²⁺ and this was followed by the reduction of Hg²⁺ with NaBH₄ to elemental Hg⁰. The determination of Hg was carried out by thermal evaporation of mercury from membrane filters using Zeeman mercury analyzer RA–915+ (Lumex, Russia). This process does not involve any additional sample treatment and sharply reduces risk of samples contamination. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.04 ng (absolute mass). Relative LOD was 0.4 ng L⁻¹ for 100 mL of water. The method was validated through the analysis of CRM NRCC Tort–2 (Lobster hepatopancreas) and the found value (0.30 ± 0.07 μg g⁻¹) was in good agreement with the certified value (0.27 ± 0.06 μg g⁻¹). High efficiency of Hg accumulation from aqueous phase to membrane filters can be attributed to a large surface area of nanoparticles.     

The leaching of V(V) with PO4 in the speciation analysis of soil

The leaching of V(V) from soil by two phosphate reagents, viz. (NH₄)₂HPO₄ and Na₃PO₄ has been studied. (NH₄)₂HPO₄ (1 M) and Na₃PO₄ (0.01 M) were efficient enough to extract all V(V) species from samples. The results were compared with that extracted by Na₂CO₃. Statistical evaluations show that the proposed method is similar to the established method utilizing Na₂CO₃.The method was applied in the analysis of soil samples from contaminated area of the vanadium mine where many grazing cattle died.Validation of the method was also done by comparing the sum of V(IV) and V(V) and the total vanadium obtained from the samples by an independent method. It was found that the sum of V(V) and V(IV) is in good agreement with the total content of vanadium in all samples after HF-H₂SO₄-HClO₄ digestion. From the results of the investigation, it follows that the use of phosphate fertilizers in V(V)-rich soil may enhance the mobility and availability of V(V) to plants. The plants, in turn, are consumed by animals that may die depending on the level of poisoning.     

Speciation analysis of plants in the determination of V(V) by ETAAS

Vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) were easily separated from each other in the same plant sample and be determined independently by ETAAS (electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry). This was achieved by treating the sample with 1 M (NH₄)₂HPO₄ which transfer only insoluble V(V) species into solution leaving V(IV) species in the solid part of the sample solution. V(IV) was then transferred into solution by ashing the precipitates and dissolving them in dilute acid. Statistical evaluations indicate that the sum of the concentrations of V(IV) and V(V) species is the same as the total concentration of vanadium determined by an independent method from the same plant sample at 95% level of confidence.

The maximum concentrations for V(V) and total vanadium in plants around the vanadium mine were found to be 24.3 and 350 μg g⁻¹, respectively.