Development of an LC‐MS/MS method for determining the pharmacokinetics of clonidine following oral administration of Zhenju antihypertensive compound

Zhenju antihypertensive compound (ZJAHC) is a combined Chinese–Western medicine formula including clonidine (CLO), hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), rutin, Chrysanthemum indicum extract and pearl powder. Compared with CLO preparations, ZJAHC shows improved activities and decreased adverse effects. It is believed that the side effects of CLO are caused by its high peak plasma concentration. Hence, study of the influence of ZJAHC on the pharmacokinetic behaviors of clonidine seems essential. In present study, the plasma concentrations of CLO were determined with a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method. The MS/MS transitions monitored for clonidine and internal standard were 230.2 → 213.1 and 152.2 → 110.2, respectively. The analyte was quantified in a single run within 3 min. The pharmacokinetic study showed that the area under the plasma concentration–time curve of CLO in ZJAHC (60 µg/kg CLO) was similar to that of CLO‐HCT‐high (120 µg/kg CLO) but the peak concentration was much lower than that in CLO‐HCT‐high. ZJAHC could enhance the bioavailability without greatly increasing peak concentration of clonidine. This comprehensive effect of enhancing the bioavailability and avoiding the high peak plasma concentration for CLO might mainly result from the co‐contribution of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), while the effect of TCM was stronger than that of Western medicine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A projection method for solving incompressible viscous flows on domains with moving boundaries

In this paper, a projection method is presented for solving the flow problems in domains with moving boundaries. In order to track the movement of the domain boundaries, arbitrary‐Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) co‐ordinates are used. The unsteady incompressible Navier–Stokes equations on the ALE co‐ordinates are solved by using a projection method developed in this paper. This projection method is based on the Bell's Godunov‐projection method. However, substantial changes are made so that this algorithm is capable of solving the ALE form of incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. Multi‐block structured grids are used to discretize the flow domains. The grid velocity is not explicitly computed; instead the volume change is used to account for the effect of grid movement. A new method is also proposed to compute the freestream capturing metrics so that the geometric conservation law (GCL) can be satisfied exactly in this algorithm. This projection method is also parallelized so that the state of the art high performance computers can be used to match the computation cost associated with the moving grid calculations. Several test cases are solved to verify the performance of this moving‐grid projection method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of rigid poly(vinyl chloride)/MMT nanocomposites. II. XRD,morphological and mechanical characteristics

A Haake torque rheometer equipped with an internal mixer is used to study the influence of the amount of sodium montmorillonite (Na⁺‐MMT) and organically modified MMT (O‐MMT) on X‐ray diffraction (XRD), morphology, and mechanical characteristics of rigid poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/Na⁺‐MMT and PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites, respectively. Results of XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that MMT is partially encapsulated and intercalated in the rigid PVC/Na⁺‐MMT nanocomposites. However, results of XRD and TEM show MMT is partially intercalated and exfoliated in the rigid PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites. Tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation at break of the rigid PVC/MMT nanocomposites were improved simultaneously with adding 1–3 wt % Na⁺‐MMT or O‐MMT with respect to that of pristine PVC. However, the addition of Na⁺‐MMT or O‐MMT should be kept as not more than 3 wt % to optimize the mechanical properties and the processing stability of the rigid PVC/MMT nanocomposites. SEM micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the rigid PVC/Na⁺‐MMT and PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites both before and after tensile tests were also illustrated and compared. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2145–2154, 2006     

Optical studies of pulsed-laser fragmentation of biliary calculi

The fragmentation of gallstones and kidney stones using pulsed visible laser radiation has recently been demonstrated; however, the fragmentation mechanism is not well understood. The temporal and spectral characteristics of the bright flash of light accompanying fragmentation of gallstones were studied using 0.8 and 360-s-long, 690-nm-wavelength, dye-laser pulses. Time-resolved visible emission spectra show a broad continuum upon which line spectra are superimposed. The continuum emission is due to free-free and free-bound electron transitions indicative of a plasma and the line spectra are due to neutral and ionized calcium. Initiation of this plasma is fluence rather than intensity dependent. A model is proposed in which laser energy is coupled to the plasma, which then impulsively expands, generating intense acoustic transients which fracture the stone.     

Hydrogen-bonded assembly and binding affinity of the multi-point acceptor and isophthalic acid

Supermolecular complexes formed by oligophenyleneethynylene derivatives and isophthalic acid were studied using AM1 method to obtain binding energy. Electronic spectra and IR spectra of the complexes were calculated by INDO/CIS and AM1 methods based on AM1 geometries. Results indicated that the dimer could be formed by the monomers via hydrogen bonding because of the negative binding energy. Binding energy of the complexes was affected by electronegativity and steric effects of the substituents. The first UV absorptions and IR frequencies of N-H bonds of the complexes were both red-shifted compared with those of the monomers. The complexes could bind small molecules via hydrogen bonds, resulting in the change in UV absorptions and an increase in IR frequencies of N-H bonds.     

Synthesis and antiplatelet activities of N-arylmethyl-3,4-dimethylpyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol-6-one derivatives.

A series of new 1- and 2-arylmethyl-3,4-dimethylpyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol-6-one derivatives were synthesized and examined for their antiplatelet activities. Some of these compounds showed significant inhibitory activities. Among them, 1-phenylmethyl-3,4-dimethylpyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol-6(1H)-one (4a), 2-(2'-methoxyphenyl)methyl-3,4-dimethylpyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol-6(2H)- one (3e) and 2-(3'-methoxyphenyl)methyl-3,4-dimethylpyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol-6-(2H) - one (3f) were the most effective. These inhibitors acted in a concentration-dependent manner. The antiplatelet effect of compound 3f is due to the inhibition of thromboxane A2 formation and the blockade of thromboxane A2/prostaglandin endoperoxide receptor in washed rabbit platelets.     

CARRIER PHOTOGENERATION IN POLY（N-VINYL-CARBAZOLE）-BASED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE THIN-FILM DEVICES

In this paper, photoexcitation processes in the bilayer devices based on inorganic materials and poly（N-vinylcarbazole） （PVK） were investigated. In order to clarify the roles of inorganic materials in photoconductive properties of bilayer devices, TiO2 and ZnS were chosen to combine with PVK. A model for generation of photocurrent （Iph） in single layer device of PVK was obtained. It is deduced that the recombination rate constant （Pcomb） and the ionization rate constant （y） ofexcitons should be considered as the most important factors for Iph. For inorganic materials （TiO2 or ZnS）/PVK bilayer devices, in reverse bias of-4 V, the photocurrent of 115 mA/cm^2 in the TiO2/PVK device was observed, but the photocurrent in the ZnS/PVK device was only 10 mA/cma under the illumination light of 340 nm and the light intensity of 14.2 mW/cm^2. The weaker photocurrent is attributed to the absorption of ZnS within UV region and the energy offset at the interface between PVK and ZnS, which impedes the transport of charge carriers.     

Syntheses and structures of magnesium pyridine thiolates--model compounds for magnesium binding in photosystem I

Novel magnesium pyridine-2-thiolates were prepared by using alkane elimination chemistry. The resulting complexes display a metal coordination environment composed of sulfur/nitrogen bonding from the intramolecularly stabilized mercaptopyridine ligand, in addition to coordination by the oxygen centers from two THF donors. The compounds are well-suited model compounds for the magnesium centers in Photosystem I, in which magnesium, situated in the central chlorophyll ligand, is bound to sulfur from a nearby methionine residue. All compounds were characterized by (1)H, (13)C NMR, and IR spectroscopy, in addition to Xray crystallography.     

Comparison between the pervaporation and vapor permeation performances of polycarbonate membranes

The pervaporation and vapor permeation performance of symmetrical and asymmetrical polycarbonate membranes, prepared via a dry-phase inversion and wet-phase inversion methods, respectively, were studied by measuring the permeation rate and separation factor. It was found that the polymer concentration effect on the pervaporation performance for the symmetrical polycarbonate membrane was lower than that for the asymmetrical polycarbonate membrane. Compared with pervaporation, vapor permeation has a significantly increased separation factor with a decreased permeation rate for the symmetrical polycarbonate membrane. Water molecules preferentially dissolve into the symmetrical polycarbonate membrane and diffuse easily through the membrane.