Brønsted acid-catalyzed simple and efficient synthesis of 1,2,4-triazoles and 1,2,4-oxadiazoles using 2,2,2-trichloroethyl imidates in PEG

A facile and highly efficient synthesis of 3,4,5-trisubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles and 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-oxadiazoles from 2,2,2-trichloroethyl imidates using PEG as a solvent and employing PTSA as the catalyst under mild conditions is described.     

AC conductivity studies and relaxation behaviour in (LiX) y [(Li2O)0.6(P2O5)0.4](1 − y) glasses

The electrical conductivity of (LiX) _y [(Li₂O)_0.6(P₂O₅)_0.4]_(1???y) (X?=?Cl, Br, y?=?0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2) glasses has been determined over a wide range of temperature and frequency by means of impedance spectroscopy. The real part of the frequency-dependent conductivity exhibits a simple power law feature, and the dimensionless frequency exponent n has been determined. The conductivity spectra show scaling behaviour when the conductivity spectra are scaled by ω/(σ _dc T) and ω/ω _p . The conductivity relaxation time and activation energy have been estimated from the modulus spectra. Increases of ionic conductivity values with addition of LiX content are in line with the decrease of activation energy and relaxation time.     

Role of Intracellular Iron in Switching Apoptosis to Ferroptosis to Target Therapy-Resistant Cancer Stem Cells

Iron is a crucial element required for the proper functioning of the body. For instance, hemoglobin is the vital component in the blood that delivers oxygen to various parts of the body. The heme protein present in hemoglobin comprises iron in the form of a ferrous state which regulates oxygen delivery. Excess iron in the body is stored as ferritin and would be utilized under iron-deficient conditions. Surprisingly, cancer cells as well as cancer stem cells have elevated ferritin levels suggesting that iron plays a vital role in protecting these cells. However, apart from the cytoprotective role iron also has the potential to induce cell death via ferroptosis which is a non-apoptotic cell death dependent on iron reserves. Apoptosis a caspase-dependent cell death mechanism is effective on cancer cells however little is known about its impact on cancer stem cell death. This paper focuses on the molecular characteristics of apoptosis and ferroptosis and the importance of switching to ferroptosis to target cancer stem cells death thereby preventing cancer relapse. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to demonstrate the importance of intracellular iron in regulating the switching of tumor cells and therapy resistant CSCs from apoptosis to ferroptosis.     

Development and validation of a sensitive ELISA for quantitation of Grastim (rhG-CSF) in rat plasma: Application to a pharmacokinetic study

Grastim is bacterially produced recombinant counterpart of human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). It has biological activity similar to that of endogenous G-CSF. In the present work a sensitive, accurate, precise and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitation of G-CSF in rat plasma was developed and validated. The ELISA method employed a technique in which anti-human-G-CSF was adsorbed onto 96-well maxisorp plates and used to capture the G-CSF in rat plasma samples. The captured G-CSF was then detected using streptavidin-HRP amplification system. Absolute recovery was >90% from rat plasma. The validation includes assessments of method accuracy and precision, range of reliable response, lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ), storage stability (30 days) in rat plasma and assay specificity. The standard curve for G-CSF was linear (R2 > 0.996) in the concentration range 4.88-625 pg/mL. The LLOQ was established at 4.88 pg/mL. The inter- and intra-day precisions in the measurement of quality control (QC) samples, 15, 250 and 500 pg/mL, were in the range 3.00-8.66% relative standard deviation (RSD) and 1.03-4.69% RSD, respectively. Accuracy in the measurement of QC samples was in the range 87.28-110.79% of the nominal values. The assay shows dilutional linearity and specificity. Stability of G-CSF was established for 30 days at -80 degrees C and through three freeze-thaw cycles. The validated assay was successfully employed for the assessment of pharmacokinetic disposition of G-CSF in rats.     

Efficient and Convenient Protocol for the Synthesis of 3,5-Disubstituted 1,2,4-Oxadiazoles Using HClO4-SiO2 as a Heterogeneous Recyclable Catalyst

Silica-supported perchloric acid (HClO₄-SiO₂) was found to be a new, highly efficient, inexpensive, and reusable catalyst for a rapid and efficient synthesis of various 1,2,4-oxadiazoles with good to excellent yields under solvent-free conditions. The present methodology has been effectively utilized for the synthesis of oxolamine, an anti-inflammatory drug.     

Preparation and characterization of NASICON type Li+ ionic conductors

The new scandium/aluminium co-doped NASICON phases Li_1?+?x Al _y Sc _x???y Ti_2???x (PO₄)₃ (x?=?0.3, y?=?0,0.1,0.2,0.3) were prepared by mechanical milling followed by annealing of the mixtures at 950 °C. X-ray diffraction of all samples showed the formation of NASICON structure with space group R-3c along with a minor impurity. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray data was performed to identify the structural variation. Doping with Sc³⁺ caused elongation of a- and c- axes for all the compounds when compared with undoped LiTi₂(PO₄)₃. The compound Li_1.3Sc_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ showed a maximum of a?=?8.5504(7), c?=?20.986(3) Å at room temperature and exhibited highest coefficient of thermal expansion. The highest ionic conductivity (σ), 7.28×10^?4 S cm^?1 was observed for Li_1.3Sc_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃, two orders of magnitude higher than for the undoped phase.     

A comparative study of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis for element concentrations in aluminum alloy using artificial neural networks and calibration methods

A comparative study of analysis methods (traditional calibration method and artificial neural networks (ANN) prediction method) for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) data of different Al alloy samples was performed. In the calibration method, the intensity of the analyte lines obtained from different samples are plotted against their concentration to form calibration curves for different elements from which the concentrations of unknown elements were deduced by comparing its LIBS signal with the calibration curves. Using ANN, an artificial neural network model is trained with a set of input data of known composition samples. The trained neural network is then used to predict the elemental concentration from the test spectra. The present results reveal that artificial neural networks are capable of predicting values better than traditional method in most cases.     

Mechanical performance of Buckminster fullerene-reinforced composite with interface defects using finite element method through homogenization techniques

Several times, preferred properties are not accomplished when the fiber-reinforced composites are tested after they are prepared and the similar observations are also observed in the case of nanoparticle-reinforced composites. While the composites are manufactured under controlled conditions with stringent quality measures, it is complex to circumvent fiber-matrix interfacial debonding. The amount of debonding decides the final mechanical properties of composite material. In this study, an effort is made to quantify the debonding effect of nanoparticles on mechanical properties of nanoparticle-filled composites using finite element models with homogenization approach. Buckminster fullerene and conventional fiber T300 are selected as reinforcement medium. The predictions revealed that the longitudinal Young’s modulus is not affected by debonding.     

Review of DBS methods as a quantitative tool for anticancer drugs

An overview of published dried blood spot (DBS) methods for the quantitation of various classes of anticancer drugs from clinical and preclinical studies is presented. The increased reporting of DBS methods in the literature for quantitation of various classes of drugs is a testimony to their utility in bioanalytical applications. While DBS offers several advantages as compared with conventional wet sampling techniques, there remain a number of nuances that may impede the assay adaptability of DBS method in routine quantitative bioanalysis. This review covers several case studies of DBS application in the quantitation of anticancer drugs. Some perspectives are provided on the optimization of the DBS method with respect to the selection of DBS card, spot volume, hematocrit effect and other regular validation parameters, which are essential in quantitative bioanalysis. Some thoughts are provided on the existing gaps in the DBS method and possible remedial measure(s) to address such gaps. Although DBS methods have great potential, there is the need for a global consensus including regulatory support on the type of validation experiments to be performed to support quantitative data.     

Mobile ion transport pathways in (LiBr) x [(Li2O)0.6(P2O5)0.4](1−x) glasses

(LiBr) _x [(Li₂O)_0.6(P₂O₅)_0.4]_{(1 − x)} glasses with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 are prepared by melt quenching. Glass transition temperature (T _g), ionic conductivity (σ), and its activation energy (E _a) are determined experimentally and correlated to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with an optimized potential, fitted to match bond lengths, coordination numbers, and ionic conductivity. Based on equilibrated MD configurations, ion transport pathways are modelled in detail by the bond valence approach to clarify the influence of the halide dopant concentration on the glass structure and its consequence for Li ion mobility. Results of experimental and computational studies are compared with our previous report on the (LiCl) _x [(Li₂O)_0.6(P₂O₅)_0.4]_{(1 − x)} system. Both T _g and σ values are higher for LiBr-doped glasses than for LiCl-doped glasses, but the effect of halide doping is unusually small.