Increased Photosensitivity in HL60 Cells Expressing Wild-Type p53

Loss of p53 function has been correlated with decreased sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiation therapy in a variety of human tumors. Comparable analysis of p53 status with sensitivity to oxidative stress induced by pho-todynamic therapy has not been reported. In the current study we examined photosensitivity in human promye-locytic leukemia HL60 cells exhibiting either wild-type p53, mutated p53 or deleted p53 expression. Experiments were performed using a purpurin, tin ethyl etiopurpurin (SnET2)-, or a porphyrin, Photofrin (PH)-based photo-sensitizer. Total SnET2 accumulation was comparable in all three cell lines. Uptake of PH was highest in cells expressing wild-type p53 but incubation conditions could be adjusted to achieve equivalent cellular PH levels during experiments that analyzed photosensitivity. Survival measurements demonstrated that HL60 cells expressing wild-type p53 were more sensitive to PH- and SnET2-mediated photosensitization, as well as to UVC irradiation, when compared to HL60 cells exhibiting deleted or mutated p53 phenotypes. A rapid apoptotic response was observed following purpurin- and porphyrin-induced photosensitization in all cell lines. Results of this study indicate that photosensitivity is increased in HL60 cells expressing wild-type p53 and that photosensitizer-medi-ated oxidative stress can induce apoptosis through a p53-independent mechanism in HL60 cells .     

Organomercury compounds XX Reactions of lithium polyfluorobenzenesulphinates with mercuric salts

The lithium polyfluorobenzenesulphinates, Li O₂SR (R = C₆F₅, $\text{p}$-HC₆F₄, $\text{m}$-HC₆F₄, or $\text{o}$-HC₆F₄), and the dilithium tetrafluorobenzenedisulphinates, $\text{p}$- and $\text{o}$-(LiO₂S)₂C₆F₄, have been prepared by reaction of the appropriate polyfluoroaryllithium compounds with sulphur dioxide. All compounds were isolated as hydrates and gave the corresponding $\text{S}$-benzylthiouronium salts on treatment with $\text{S}$-benzylthiouronium chloride. From reactions of the lithium sulphinates with suitable mercuric salts in water, generally at room temperature, the derivatives RHgX (R = C₆F₅, X = Cl, Br, CH₃CO₂, or PhSO₂; R = $\text{p}$-HC₆F₄, X = Cl, Br, or CH₃CO₂; R = $\text{m}$-HC₆F₄, X = Cl or Br; R = $\text{o}$-HC₆F₄, X = Cl), $\text{p}$-(XHg)₂C₆F₄ (X = Cl, Br, or CH₃CO₂), and $\text{o}$-(XHg)₂C₆X₄ (X = Cl or Br) have been prepared. Similarly, the bispolyfluorophenylmercurials R₂Hg (R = C₆F₅, $\text{p}$-HC₆F₄, or $\text{m}$-HC₆F₄) have been prepared from the corresponding lithium sulphinates and either mercuric salts or polyfluorophenylmercuric halides in aqueous $\text{t}$-butanol. A possible mechanism for the sulphur dioxide elimination reactions is discussed.     

Patterning porous matrices and planar substrates with quantum dots

Silica hydrogels and planar substrates were patterned with CdS nanoparticles using a photolithographic method based on the photo dissociation of thiols and cadmium-thiolate complexes. Silica hydrogels were prepared via a standard base-catalyzed route. The solvent was exchanged with an aqueous solution of CdSO₄ and 2-mercaptoethanol, and the samples were then exposed to a focused ultraviolet beam. Planar substrates were patterned by illuminating a precursor solution spin coated on the substrates. CdS nanoparticles formed in the illuminated spots, and had a diameter below about 2 nm. The diameter of the spots illuminated by the UV beam could be varied from a few hundred to a few μm, on both hydrogels and planar substrates. Samples were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and optical absorption, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopies. All these techniques confirmed the chemical identity of the CdS nanoparticles. To investigate the mechanism of nanoparticle formation, we took absorption spectra of the precursor solution as a function of irradiation time. In unirradiated solutions, we noticed a maximum at 250 nm, characteristic of Cd-thiolate complexes. The absorption at 250 nm decreased with increasing irradiation time. A new band appeared at 265 nm for exposures around 5 min, and that band shifted to 290 nm in samples exposed for 10 min. A yellow precipitate formed after about 30 min. XRD showed that the precipitate was cubic CdS, with a mean particle size of 1.4 nm. We attribute formation of CdS to the photodissociation of the thiols and of the Cd-thiolates. UV irradiation of these precursors yields a series of species that can react with Cd²⁺, such as RS^·, S²⁻ and H₂S. Small CdS nanoparticles form in the initial stages of illumination, and present absorption bands in the 265–290 nm region. These CdS aggregates grow, coalesce and precipitate for longer irradiation times.     

Photon channelling in foams

Experiments by Gittings, Bandyopadhyay and Durian (Europhys. Lett. 65, 414 (2004)) demonstrate that light possesses a higher probability to propagate in the liquid phase of a foam due to total reflection. The authors term this observation photon channelling which we investigate in this article theoretically. We first derive a central relation in the work of Gitting et al. without any free parameters. It links the photon's path-length fraction f in the liquid phase to the liquid fraction ɛ. We then construct two-dimensional Voronoi foams, replace the cell edges by channels to represent the liquid films and simulate photon paths according to the laws of ray optics using transmission and reflection coefficients from Fresnel's formulas. In an exact honeycomb foam, the photons show superdiffusive behavior. It becomes diffusive as soon as disorder is introduced into the foams. The dependence of the diffusion constant on channel width and refractive index is explained by a one-dimensional random-walk model. It contains a photon channelling state that is crucial for the understanding of the numerical results. At the end, we shortly comment on the observation that photon channelling only occurs in a finite range of ɛ.     

High resolution patterning of silica aerogels

Three-dimensional metallic structures are fabricated with high spatial resolution in silica aerogels. In our method, silica hydrogels are prepared with a standard base-catalyzed route, and exchanged with an aqueous solution typically containing Ag⁺ ions (1 M) and 2-propanol (0.2 M). The metal ions are reduced photolytically with a table-top ultraviolet lamp, or radiolytically, with a focused X-ray beam. We fabricated dots and lines as small as 30 × 70 μm, protruding for several mm into the bulk of the materials. The hydrogels are eventually supercritically dried to yield aerogels, without any measurable change in the shape and spatial resolution of the lithographed structures. Transmission electron microscopy shows that illuminated regions are composed by Ag clusters with a size of several μm, separated by thin layers of silica.     

High precision delta(17)O isotope measurements of oxygen from silicates and other oxides: method and applications

The use of infrared laser-assisted fluorination to release oxygen from milligram quantities of silicates or other oxide mineral grains is a well-established technique. However, relatively few studies have reported the optimisation of this procedure for oxygen-17 isotope measurements. We describe here details of an analytical system using infrared (10 μm) laser-assisted fluorination, in conjunction with a dual inlet mass spectrometer of high resolving power ( approximately 250) to provide (17)O and (18)O oxygen isotope measurements from 0.5-2 mg of silicates or other oxide mineral grains. Respective precisions (1) of typically 0.08 and 0.04 per thousand are obtained for the complete analytical procedure. Departures from the mass-dependent oxygen isotope fractionation line are quantified by Delta(17)O; our precision (1) of such measurements on individual samples is shown to be +/-0.024 per thousand. In turn, this permits the offset between parallel, mass-dependent fractionation lines to be characterised to substantially greater precision than has been possible hitherto. Application of this system to investigate the (17)O versus (18)O relationship for numerous terrestrial whole-rock and mineral samples, of diverse geological origins and age, indicates that the complete data set may be described by a single, mass-dependent fractionation line of slope 0.5244+/- 0.00038 (standard error). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper and iron interactions with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. A study by fast-atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

Fast atom bombardment, combined with high-energy collision-induced tandem mass spectrometry, has been used to investigate gas-phase metal-ion interactions with captopril, enalaprilat and lisinopril, all angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.Suggestions for the location of metal-binding sites are presented. For captopril, metal binding occurs most likely at both the sulphur and the nitrogen atom. For enalaprilat and lisinopril, binding preferably occurs at the amine nitrogen. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous measurement of floxuridine and fluorouracil in human body fluids.

A method for the simultaneous measurement of floxuridine (5-fluorodeoxyuridine) and fluorouracil in human plasma and peritoneal fluid has been developed. This method utilizes high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis with a Zorbax RX column (25 cm x 4.6 mm I.D.) plus a guard cartridge of the same material. The sensitivity limits for this assay are 0.25 mumol/l in a 20-microliters sample. The detection limit at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 is 2.5 nmol/l. This procedure has been used to quantitatively measure concentration versus time profiles of floxuridine and fluorouracil in plasma and peritoneal fluid of human patients after receiving intraperitoneal administration of floxuridine.     

Temperature dependent coercivity and magnetization of nickel ferrite nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles of nickel ferrite (size: 24±4 nm) have been synthesized by chemical coprecipitation method using stable ferric and nickel salts. Coercivity of nanoparticles has been found to increase with decrease in temperature of the samples. It has been observed that the coercivity follows a simple model of thermal activation of particle’s moment over the anisotropy barrier in the temperature range (10-300 K), in accordance with Kneller’s law for ferromagnetic materials. Saturation magnetization follows the modified Bloch’s law in the temperature range from 300 to 50 K. However, below 50 K, an abrupt increase in magnetization of nanoparticles was observed. This increase in magnetization at lower temperatures was explained with reference to the presence of freezed surface-spins and some paramagnetic impurities at the shell of nanoparticles that are activated at lower temperatures in core-shell nickel ferrite nanoparticles.     

Infra red quantum dot photolithography

CdS quantum dots were fabricated photolithographically on the surface and in the bulk of silica hydrogels, as well as on the surface of planar substrates. Silica hydrogels were prepared with a standard base-catalyzed route, and the solvent was exchanged with a cold aqueous solution of Cd(NO₃)₂, NH₄OH, thiourea, and a capping agent, e.g., 2-mercaptoethanol. The samples were then exposed to a focused infrared beam produced by a continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser. The precursors reacted upon heating, and CdS nanoparticles formed in the illuminated regions. Use of capping agents allowed to control the mean particle size, while focusing of the beam inside hydrogel monoliths generated nanoparticles in their bulk, but not at the surface. Planar substrates were patterned by illuminating a precursor solution spin-coated on the substrates. The average size of the CdS nanoparticles could be varied between about 1.5 and 4.5 nm by varying the type and the concentration of the capping agents.