Preparation and analysis of oligonucleotides containing the c4'-oxidized abasic site and related mechanistic probes

The C4'-oxidized abasic site (C4-AP) is produced by a variety of DNA damaging agents. This alkali labile lesion can exist in up to four diastereomeric cyclic forms, in addition to the acyclic keto-aldehyde. Synthetic oligonucleotides containing the lesion were prepared from a stable photochemical precursor. Chemical integrity of the lesion containing oligonucleotides was probed using phosphodiesterase lability. Analysis of the 3',5'-phosphate diester of the monomeric lesion released from single diastereomers of photolabile precursors by 1H NMR indicates that isomerization of the hemiacetal and/or hemiketal is rapid. The syntheses and characterization of oligonucleotides containing configurationally stable analogues of C4-AP, which serve as mechanistic probes for deciphering the structural basis of the biochemical and biological effects of the C4'-oxidized abasic lesion, are also described.     

Roads less traveled: Nitrogen reduction reaction catalyst design strategies for improved selectivity

Direct electrochemical nitrogen reduction for ammonia production is necessary to reduce the use of fossil fuels from conventional Haber–Bosch methods. Applications of nitrogen reduction electrocatalysts remain inhibited by slow reaction kinetics and low faradaic efficiencies because of competitive H₂ production pathways. Current strategies to address this challenge in selectivity have focused on catalyst design, reactor configuration, and electrolyte conditions. This brief review discusses the thermodynamic and kinetic challenges in the field as well as current underused approaches for selective catalyst development including bimetallic catalysts, transition metal nitrides, and carbon supports.     

C−H and C−F Bond Activation Reactions of Fluorinated Propenes at Rhodium: Distinctive Reactivity of the Refrigerant HFO‐1234yf

The reaction of [Rh(H)(PEt₃)₃] ( 1 ) with the refrigerant HFO‐1234yf (2,3,3,3‐tetrafluoropropene) affords an efficient route to obtain [Rh(F)(PEt₃)₃] ( 3 ) by C?F bond activation. Catalytic hydrodefluorinations were achieved in the presence of the silane HSiPh₃. In the presence of a fluorosilane, 3 provides a C?H bond activation followed by a 1,2‐fluorine shift to produce [Rh{(E)‐C(CF₃)=CHF}(PEt₃)₃] ( 4 ). Similar rearrangements of HFO‐1234yf were observed at [Rh(E)(PEt₃)₃] [E=Bpin ( 6 ), C₇D₇ ( 8 ), Me ( 9 )]. The ability to favor C?H bond activation using 3 and fluorosilane is also demonstrated with 3,3,3‐trifluoropropene. Studies are supported by DFT calculations.     

Importance of halogen···halogen contacts for the structural and magnetic properties of CuX2(pyrazine-N,N′-dioxide)(H2O)2 (X = Cl and Br)

The structural and magnetic properties of the newly crystallized CuX(2)(pyzO)(H(2)O)(2) (X = Cl, Br; pyzO = pyrazine-N,N'-dioxide) coordination polymers are reported. These isostructural compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/c with, at 150 K, a = 17.0515(7) ?, b = 5.5560(2) ?, c = 10.4254(5) ?, β = 115.400(2)°, and V = 892.21(7) ?(3) for X = Cl and a = 17.3457(8) ?, b = 5.6766(3) ?, c = 10.6979(5) ?, β = 115.593(2)°, and V = 950.01(8) ?(3) for X = Br. Their crystal structure is characterized by one-dimensional chains of Cu(2+) ions linked through bidentate pyzO ligands. These chains are joined together through OH···O hydrogen bonds between the water ligands and pyzO oxygen atoms and Cu-X···X-Cu contacts. Bulk magnetic susceptibility measurements at ambient pressure show a broad maximum at 7 (Cl) and 28 K (Br) that is indicative of short-range magnetic correlations. The dominant spin exchange is the Cu-X···X-Cu supersuperexchange because the magnetic orbital of the Cu(2+) ion is contained in the CuX(2)(H(2)O)(2) plane and the X···X contact distances are short. The magnetic data were fitted to a Heisenberg 1D uniform antiferromagnetic chain model with J(1D)/k(B) = -11.1(1) (Cl) and -45.9(1) K (Br). Magnetization saturates at fields of 16.1(3) (Cl) and 66.7(5) T (Br), from which J(1D) is determined to be -11.5(2) (Cl) and -46.4(5) K (Br). For the Br analog the pressure dependence of the magnetic susceptibility indicates a gradual increase in the magnitude of J(1D)/k(B) up to -51.2 K at 0.84 GPa, suggesting a shortening of the Br···Br contact distance under pressure. At higher pressure X-ray powder diffraction data indicates a structural phase transition at ～3.5 GPa. Muon-spin relaxation measurements indicate that CuCl(2)(pyzO)(H(2)O)(2) is magnetically ordered with T(N) = 1.06(1) K, while the signature for long-range magnetic order in CuBr(2)(pyzO)(H(2)O)(2) was much less definitive down to 0.26 K. The results for the CuX(2)(pyzO)(H(2)O)(2) complexes are compared to the related CuX(2)(pyrazine) materials.     

Eine analytische Lösung mit Randkollokation der Kirchhoffschen Plattendifferentialgleichung für die unendlich ausgedehnte Vollplatte mit gelenkiger Lochrandlagerung

Übersicht Es wird ein analytisches Lösungsverfahren zur Integration der Kirchhoffschen Plattendifferentialgleichung für die unendlich ausgedehnte Vollplatte unter konstanter Flächenlast angegeben. Sie ist in einem regelmäßigen quadratischen oder rechteckigen Raster längs kreisrunder Stützenaussparungen gelagert (Lochrandlagerung). Die Randbedingungen der gelenkigen Lagerung am Lochrand (Stützbereich) werden exakt befriedigt, während die Symmetriebedingungen in den Feldmitten punktweise erfüllt werden. Numerische Untersuchungen zeigen die hohe Genauigkeit der Lösung.

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Analytical solution, with boundary collocation, of Kirchhoff's differential equation for the infinitely extended solid plate with articulated hole edge support

Summary An analytical solution for the integration of Kirchhoff's differential equation for the infinitely extended solid plate subject to constant surface loading is described. The plate is simply supported on the edges of circular holes arranged on a regular square or rectangular grid (hole edge support). The boundary conditions of articulated support on the hole edge (support area) are exactly satisfied, while the symmetry conditions in the centre of the panels are met at points. Numerical analyses indicate a high degree of accuracy of the solution.

     

Application of Pharmacokinetic Prediction Platforms in the Design of Optimized Anti-Cancer Drugs

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States, accounting for 602,350 deaths in 2020. Cancer-related death rates have declined by 27% over the past two decades, partially due to the identification of novel anti-cancer drugs. Despite improvements in cancer treatment, newly approved oncology drugs are associated with increased toxicity risk. These toxicities may be mitigated by pharmacokinetic optimization and reductions in off-target interactions. As such, there is a need for early-stage implementation of pharmacokinetic (PK) prediction tools. Several PK prediction platforms exist, including pkCSM, SuperCypsPred, Pred-hERG, Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA), and SwissADME. These tools can be used in screening hits, allowing for the selection of compounds were reduced toxicity and/or risk of attrition. In this short commentary, we used PK prediction tools in the optimization of mitogen activated extracellular signal-related kinase kinase 1 (MEK1) inhibitors. In doing so, we identified MEK1 inhibitors with retained activity and optimized predictive PK properties, devoid of hERG inhibition. These data support the use of publicly available PK prediction platforms in early-stage drug discovery to design safer drugs.     

Mobility matrix evolution for an SIS epidemic patch model

Intercommunity disease spread can be modeled using a collection of discrete community “patches” with continuous population flow between them. In a susceptible–infected–susceptible (SIS) model residents of a community may either be classified as susceptible or infected. Infected individuals may heal and become susceptible again but are not permitted to die or become immune. The spread of disease can be controlled by modifying the rate and direction of resident movement across patch boundaries. In this work we use genetic algorithms to evolve optimal connections between patch boundaries such that the total number of infected individuals is minimized.     

Chemical force microscopy investigation of phosphate adsorption on the surfaces of iron(III) oxyhydroxide particles

Phosphate-modified AFM tips were prepared by the deposition of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of bis(11-thioundecyl) phosphate on Au-coated silicon nitride cantilevers. The properties of the PO(2)H-terminated SAMs were investigated by studying the pH-dependent force interactions of the tips with phosphate- and carboxylic acid-terminated SAM control surfaces. The PO(2)H functional groups had a pK(a) of approximately 5.0. A chemical force microscopy (CFM) study was conducted on the interactions between the probes and the surfaces of hydrous ferric oxide particles prepared in our laboratory by hydrolytic precipitation from FeCl(3). The forces between PO(2)H probes and the hydrous ferric oxide surfaces were seen to exhibit a strong pH dependence, with maximum attractive forces occurring for pH values between 5 and 8. The effects of postprecipitation of the hydrous ferric oxide colloids with orthophosphate, H(2)PO(4)(-), dimethylphosphate, (CH(3)O)(2)PO(2)H (DMP), and tannic acid (TA) on the adhesive interactions between the PO(2)H tips and the solids were also investigated. Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) was used to verify the presence of surface-adsorbed species and zeta potentiometric measurements to determine surface charge on the colloids. We show that the method of chemical force titration using phosphate-terminated tips can differentiate between these various colloids and that it shows promise as a general method for studying this environmentally important class of compounds.     

Designing oversight for nanomedicine research in human subjects: systematic analysis of exceptional oversight for emerging technologies

The basic procedures and rules for oversight of U.S. human subjects research have been in place since 1981. Certain types of human subjects research, however, have provoked creation of additional mechanisms and rules beyond the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Common Rule and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) equivalent. Now another emerging domain of human subjects research—nanomedicine—is prompting calls for extra oversight. However, in 30 years of overseeing research on human beings, we have yet to specify what makes a domain of scientific research warrant extra oversight. This failure to systematically evaluate the need for extra measures, the type of extra measures appropriate for different challenges, and the usefulness of those measures hampers efforts to respond appropriately to emerging science such as nanomedicine. This article evaluates the history of extra oversight, extracting lessons for oversight of nanomedicine research in human beings. We argue that a confluence of factors supports the need for extra oversight, including heightened uncertainty regarding risks, fast-evolving science yielding complex and increasingly active materials, likelihood of research on vulnerable participants including cancer patients, and potential risks to others beyond the research participant. We suggest the essential elements of the extra oversight needed.