Activation profiles of opioid ligands in HEK cells expressing δ opioid receptors

Background  

The aim of the present study was to characterize the activation profiles of 15 opioid ligands in transfected human embryonic kidney cells expressing only δ opioid receptors. Activation profiles of most of these ligands at δ opioid receptors had not been previously characterized in vitro. Receptor activation was assessed by measuring the inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP production.     

Essential Oil of Arischrada korolkowii from the Chatkal Mountains of Uzbekistan

The herbal parts of Arischrada korolkowii (Regel et Schmalh.) Pobed. (Lamiaceae) growing in Uzbekistan were hydrodistillated to yield 1.1% of essential oil. The essential oil was analyzed by GC/MS. Eighty eight compounds were characterized representing 98% of the essential oil with 1,8-cineole (29.3%), camphor (9.8%), -caryophyllene (8.5%), bornyl acetate (7.7%), caryophyllene oxide (7.2%), and borneol (5.6%) as the main constituents.     

COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF Haplophyllum myrtifolium

The chemical composition of the essential oil ofHaplophyllum myrtifoliumBoiss., endemic to Turkey, was examined by GC/MS. Ninety-seven compounds were characterized with linalool (12.8%), -caryophyllene (10.3 %), and methyleugenol (5.9 %) as the main constituents.     

Essential Oil and Antimicrobial Evaluation of the Pistacia eurycarpa

The compositions of microdistilled and hydrodistilled essential oils of the mastix ofPistacia eurycarpaYalt. (Anacardiaceae) were compared. The essential oils were analyzed by GC/MS:- andbeta;-pinenes were found as the major constituents. The antimicrobial activity of the hydrodistilled oil was determined due to the ethnomedical uses of the oleo-gum resin on skin diseases.     

Fatty Acid Composition of Seed Oils of Twelve Salvia Species Growing in Turkey

Seed oils of 12 Salvia species collected from different regions in Turkey (S. Albimaculata Hedge & Hub.-Mor., S. Candidisima Vahl., S. Cedronella Boiss., S. Cryptantha Montbret & Aucher ex Bentham, S. Forskahlei L., S. Fruticosa Miller (Sin. S. Triloba L. Fil), S. Halophila Hedge, S. Hypargeia Fisch. & Mey., S. Sclarea L., S. Tomentosa Miller, S. Tchihatcheffii (Fisch. & Mey.) Boiss., S. Virgata Jacq.) were obtained by Soxhlet apparatus using hexane. The oil yields were found to be between 2.0% and 20.9%. Fatty acids in the oils were converted to methyl esters and determined by GC/MS in methyl ester form. The main fatty acid components of S. halophila, S. Hypargeia, and S. Sclarea are unsaturated oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. In others except S. Candidissima, the dominant acids are oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids.     

Investigation of mass attenuation coefficients of water, concrete and bakelite at different energies using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code

The mass attenuation coefficients of water, bakelite and concrete sample defined in the simulation package were obtained using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code at 59.5, 80.9, 140.5, 356.5, 661.6, 1173.2 and 1332.5 keV photon energies. The results for the mass attenuation coefficients obtained by simulation have been compared with experimental and the theoretical ones and good agreement has been observed. The results indicate that this process can be followed to determine the data on the attenuation of gamma-rays with the several energies in other materials. Also, the deposited energy by 661.6 keV photons at several thicknesses of each media was determined as being an important data for radiation shielding studies.     

Improvements of Tolerance to Stress Conditions by Genetic Engineering in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae during Ethanol Production

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, industrial yeast isolate, has been of great interest in recent years for fuel ethanol production. The ethanol yield and productivity depend on many inhibitory factors during the fermentation process such as temperature, ethanol, compounds released as the result of pretreatment procedures, and osmotic stress. An ideal strain should be able to grow under different stress conditions occurred at different fermentation steps. Development of tolerant yeast strains can be achieved by reprogramming pathways supporting the ethanol metabolism by regulating the energy balance and detoxicification processes. Complex gene interactions should be solved for an in-depth comprehension of the yeast stress tolerance mechanism. Genetic engineering as a powerful biotechnological tool is required to design new strategies for increasing the ethanol fermentation performance. Upregulation of stress tolerance genes by recombinant DNA technology can be a useful approach to overcome inhibitory situations. This review presents the application of several genetic engineering strategies to increase ethanol yield under different stress conditions including inhibitor tolerance, ethanol tolerance, thermotolerance, and osmotolerance.     

Thermo‐ and pH‐induced phase transitions and network parameters of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐ co‐2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐propanosulfonic acid) hydrogels

Dual temperature‐ and pH‐sensitive hydrogels composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐propanosulfonic acid (AMPS) were prepared by free‐radical crosslinking copolymerization in aqueous solution at 22 °C. The mole percent of AMPS in the comonomer feed was varied between 0.0 and 7.5, while the crosslinker ratio was fixed at 5.0/100. The effect of AMPS content on thermo‐ and pH‐ induced phase transitions as well as equilibrium swelling/deswelling, interior morphology and network structure was investigated. The volume phase transition temperature (VPT‐T) was determined by both swelling/deswelling measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. In addition, the volume phase transition pH (VPT‐pH) was detected from the derivative of the curves of the swelling ratio (dQ_v/dpH) versus pH. The polymer‐solvent interaction parameter (χ) and the average molecular mass between crosslinks ( ) of hydrogels were calculated from swelling ratios in buffer solutions at various pHs. The enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) changes appearing in the χ parameter of hydrogels were also determined by using the modified Flory–Rehner equation. The negative values for ΔH and ΔS indicated that the hydrogels had a negative temperature‐sensitive property in water, that is, swelling at a lower temperature and shrinking at a higher temperature. It was observed that the experimental swelling data of hydrogels at different temperature agreed with the modified Flory‐Rehner approach based on the affine network model. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1713–1724, 2008     

Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil of Origanum × dolichosiphon P. H. Davis

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from aerial parts ofOriganum × dolichosiphonP. H. Davis (Lamiaceae), a hybrid ofO. AmanumPost ×O. LaevigatumBoiss., was analyzed by GC/MS. Ninety-five compounds were characterized representing 92% of the oil. The major compounds were bicyclogermacrene (19.9%),-caryophyllene (13.0%), and germacrene D (10.8%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was also determined