Fluorescent Probe ABM for Screening Gastrointestinal Patient’s Immune State

The fluorescent probe-aminoderivative of benzanthrone, ABM (developed at Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia) was used to characterize the membranes of lymphocytes of cancer patients: 46 patients with gastrointestinal diseases, 13 patients having different primary localizations with massive metastases and intoxication. Patients were divided into three groups: (1) with decreased fluorescence intensity, (2) normal fluorescence intensity, (3) increased fluorescence intensity. The lymphocytes distribution among subsets differed between groups, in correspondence to the level of florescence intensity. Surgical treatment affected the main immunological parameters and elevated the functional activity of lymphocytes. In the advanced tumors group, fluorescence intensity correlates with the survival rate. Results suggest that determination of lymphocytes functional activity by ABM can aid evaluation of the immune status in cancer patients.     

Fluorescent Probe ABM and Estimation of Immune State in Patients with Different Pathologies (Review Article)

The fluorescent probe ABM (3-aminobenzanthrone derivative) one of the fluorescent probes synthesized in Riga Technical University proved to be an excellent, independent model for studying cell membranes. In our work we have investigated the possibility of using the fluorescent probe ABM for detection of immune state in patients with different pathologies. There is a strong correlation among all studied ABM spectral parameters, immunological characteristics, clinical and laboratory investigations of the all observed patients groups. The obtained results suggest that ABM spectral parameters in cell suspension reflect the alterations of the cellular mechanisms of immunity. Therefore fluorescent method could be used as preliminary screening test in immune diagnostics instead of more expensive, time consuming methods (subset detection, radioisotope method etc.) used as routine in clinics. Spectral parameters of ABM reflect a wide range of interrelated (interdependent) characteristics of cells (physico-chemical state and microviscosity of membrane, proliferating and lipid metabolic activity of cells, distribution of cells among subsets). The observed change of the studied parameters reflects alterations of the cellular mechanisms of immunity which is a main focus for its application as preliminary screening test in immune diagnostics. The fluorescence based method is sensitive, less expensive and time consuming, technically simple and convenient.     

Fluorescent Characteristics of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Blood Lymphocytes

A fluorescent probe, ABM, aminoderivative of benzanthrone, synthesized in the Department of Organic Chemistry of the Riga Technical University (Latvia), has been successfully used to characterize changes in the structural and functional properties of cell membranes during different pathologies. In the present study the physicochemical properties and the functional activity of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (lymphocytes—Ly) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were studied using the ABM probe. Intensity of the ABM fluorescence in the celi suspension, functional activity of the ly anisotropy of the membranes differ patients with different titres of rheumatoid factor in blood. Patients with seropositive RA had decreased proliferative activity and lower number of iy in blood plasma indicating greater alterations of the immunoregulating processes in these patients as compared to patients with seronegative RA. In the latter the Ly deficiency is compensated to some extent by increased proliferation activity of these cells. The ABM fluorescence intensity correlated not only with membrane anisotropy (r = 0.97, but also with the proliferation activity of the Ly (r = 0.98). The above parameters correlated with the clinical manifestations of the disease. The results indicate that the fluorescent probe ABM is useful for screening the physicochemical status of Ly membranes and the proliferation activity of these cells in RA patients.     

Free-volume estimates in heterogeneous polymer systems. I. Diffusion in crystalline ethylene–propylene copolymers

Apparent thermodynamic diffusion coefficients were obtained from carbon tetrachloride, benzene, and n-hexane sorption-desorption kinetics in crystalline and amorphous ethylene-propylene copolymers (with propylene content from 1 to 70 wt. %, and crystallinity from 0% to 77%), in high-density and low-density polyethylene, and in polypropylene. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient vs. concentration curves on crystallinity and propylene content in the copolymers is reported. The diffusion coefficient at zero penetrant concentration increases with decrease in crystallinity. The apparent diffusion activation energies in the temperature interval investigated (25 to 75°C) are independent of temperature and are constant for crystalline copolymers. A modified Fujita-like free-volume theory for diffusion in crystalline polymer systems is introduced, and the theoretical estimates of diffusion coefficients show satisfactory agreement with experiment.     

A Reduction Theorem for the Kripke–Joyal Semantics: Forcing Over an Arbitrary Category can Always be Replaced by Forcing Over a Complete Heyting Algebra

It is assumed that a Kripke–Joyal semantics ${\mathcal{A} = \left\langle \mathbb{C},{\rm Cov}, {\it F},\Vdash \right\rangle}$ A = C , Cov , F , ? has been defined for a first-order language ${\mathcal{L}}$ L . To transform ${\mathbb{C}}$ C into a Heyting algebra ${\overline{\mathbb{C}}}$ C ¯ on which the forcing relation is preserved, a standard construction is used to obtain a complete Heyting algebra made up of cribles of ${\mathbb{C}}$ C . A pretopology ${\overline{{\rm Cov}}}$ Cov ¯ is defined on ${\overline{\mathbb{C}}}$ C ¯ using the pretopology on ${\mathbb{C}}$ C . A sheaf ${\overline{{\it F}}}$ F ¯ is made up of sections of F that obey functoriality. A forcing relation ${\overline{\Vdash}}$ ? ¯ is defined and it is shown that ${\overline{\mathcal{A}} = \left\langle \overline{\mathbb{C}},\overline{\rm{Cov}},\overline{{\it F}}, \overline{\Vdash} \right\rangle }$ A ¯ = C ¯ , Cov ¯ , F ¯ , ? ¯ is a Kripke–Joyal semantics that faithfully preserves the notion of forcing of ${\mathcal{A}}$ A . That is to say, an object a of ${\mathbb{C}Ob}$ C O b forces a sentence with respect to ${\mathcal{A}}$ A if and only if the maximal a-crible forces it with respect to ${\overline{\mathcal{A}}}$ A ¯ . This reduces a Kripke–Joyal semantics defined over an arbitrary site to a Kripke–Joyal semantics defined over a site which is based on a complete Heyting algebra.     

A Robust,Recyclable Resin for Decagram Scale Resolution of (±)‐Mefloquine and Other Chiral N‐Heterocycles

Decagram quantities of enantiopure (+)‐mefloquine have been produced via kinetic resolution of racemic mefloquine using a ROMP‐gel supported chiral acyl hydroxamic acid resolving agent. The requisite monomer was prepared in a few synthetic steps without chromatography and polymerization was safely performed on a >30 gram scale under ambient conditions. The reagent was readily regenerated and reused multiple times for the resolution of 150 grams of (±)‐mefloquine and other chiral N‐heterocylces.