Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Potential, Antimicrobial Activity, and Cytotoxicity of Dry Extract from Rosa damascena Mill

Dry rose extract (DRE) obtained industrially by aqueous ethanol extraction from R. damascena flowers and its phenolic-enriched fraction, obtained by re-extraction with ethyl acetate (EAE) were the subject of this study. 1H NMR of DRE allowed the identification and quantitation of fructose and glucose, while the combined use of HPLC-DAD-ESIMS and HPLC-HRMS showed the presence of 14 kaempferol glycosides, 12 quercetin glycosides, 4 phenolic acids and their esters, 4 galloyl glycosides, 7 ellagitannins, and quinic acid. In addition, the structures of 13 of the flavonoid glycosides were further confirmed by NMR. EAE was found to be richer in TPC and TFC and showed better antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP) compared to DRE. Both extracts displayed significant activity against Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus, and S. epidermidis, but showed no activity against Candida albicans. Toxicity tests on normal human skin fibroblasts revealed low toxicity for both extracts with stronger effects observed at 24 hours of treatment that were compensated for over the following two days. Human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells exhibited an opposite response after treatment with a concentration above 350 µg/mL for EAE and 500 µg/mL for DRE, showing increased toxicity after the third day of treatment. Lower concentrations were non-toxic and did not significantly affect the cell cycle parameters of either of the cell lines.

Three-Component Betti Condensation for Synthesis of Aminomethylnaphthols Incorporating Deoxy-isoequilenine Scaffold-Absolute Configuration and Application

Chiral aminomethylnaphthols have been prepared highly diastereoselective by means of three-component “Betti condensation”, using steroidal 2-naphthol analogue, synthesized from estrone. The use of 2-methoxybenzaldehyde or 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde as aldehyde component and (S)-(–)-1-phenylethan-1-amine or (S)-(–)-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)ethan-1-amine, as chiral non-racemic amine component providing the diastereoselectivity, allowed the synthesis of structurally diverse aminomethylnaphthols. The latter easily form 1,3-dihydronaphthoxazines through reaction with formaldehyde. The absolute configurations of the new aminomethylnaphthols synthesized have been determined through advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The chiral steroidal aminomethylnaphthols obtained as pure diastereoisomers have been evaluated as pre-catalysts in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes with enantioselectivities of up to 97% ee.

Interlaboratory study of a supercritical fluid chromatography method for the determination of pharmaceutical impurities: Evaluation of multi-systems reproducibility

Modern supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is now a well-established technique, especially in the field of pharmaceutical analysis. We recently demonstrated the transferability and the reproducibility of a SFC-UV method for pharmaceutical impurities by means of an inter-laboratory study. However, as this study involved only one brand of SFC instrumentation (Waters®), the present study extends the purpose to multi-instrumentation evaluation. Specifically, three instrument types, namely Agilent®, Shimadzu®, and Waters®, were included through 21 laboratories (n = 7 for each instrument). First, method transfer was performed to assess the separation quality and to set up the specific instrument parameters of Agilent® and Shimadzu® instruments. Second, the inter-laboratory study was performed following a protocol defined by the sending lab. Analytical results were examined regarding consistencies within- and between-laboratories criteria. Afterwards, the method reproducibility was estimated taking into account variances in replicates, between-days and between-laboratories. Reproducibility variance was larger than that observed during the first study involving only one single type of instrumentation. Indeed, we clearly observed an 'instrument type' effect. Moreover, the reproducibility variance was larger when considering all instruments than each type separately which can be attributed to the variability induced by the instrument configuration. Nevertheless, repeatability and reproducibility variances were found to be similar than those described for LC methods; i.e. reproducibility as %RSD was around 15 %. These results highlighted the robustness and the power of modern analytical SFC technologies to deliver accurate results for pharmaceutical quality control analysis.

Synthesis, Resolution, Configurational Stability, and Properties of Cationic Functionalized [5]Helicenes

A straightforward approach to the synthesis of two different series of cationic [5]helicenes has been achieved including, in dioxa series, the possibility to introduce aromatic functional groups at the periphery of the helical structure. While photophysical study highlights that the introduction of aryl substituents at position 23 of the helical moieties has a negligible impact on the optical properties, styryl substituents allow a welcoming extension of the conjugation pathways. Finally, a red shift of the optical properties was evidenced upon introduction of nitrogen atoms in the helicene scaffold, leading to particularly good fluorescence efficiencies in the red domain for a helicenic dye. Detailed information on racemization kinetics was collected for the most stable species upon direct high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) resolution or, when configurational lability was too high, through VT-HPLC analysis on the chiral stationary phase (ΔG^‡ values ranging from 85.0 to 137.1 kJ·mol^-1 and above).

Estrone derived 2-naphthol analogue in the diastereoselective one-pot Betti-condensation

The utility of deoxy-isoequilenine synthesized from estrone as valuable 2-naphthol analogue is demonstrated in the three components Betti-condensation. A simple, efficient and green procedure for the synthesis of aminobenzylnaphthol analogues (so-called Betti bases) has been realized highly diastereoselectively by using (S)-phenylethylamine and 1- or 2-naphthaldehyde. The absolute configuration of the new chiral compounds obtained has been determined by means of NMR experiments and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The chiral steroidal aminobenzylnaphthols have been evaluated as pre-catalysts for the addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes with enantioselectivities of up to 98% ee.

Capturing Waste Heat Energy with Charge-Transfer Organic Thermoelectrics

Electrically conducting organic salts, known for over 60 years, have recently demonstrated new abilities to convert waste heat directly into electrical power via the thermoelectric effect. Multiple opportunities are emerging for new structure–property relationships and for new materials to be obtained through synthetic organic chemistry. This review highlights key aspects of this field, which is complementary to current efforts based on polymeric, nanostructured or inorganic thermoelectric materials and indicates opportunities whereby mainstream organic chemists can contribute.

1 What Are Thermoelectrics? And Why Use Them?

2 Current Organic and Hybrid Thermoelectrics

3 Unique Materials from Tetrathiotetracenes

4 Synthesis of Tetrathiotetracenes

5 Materials and Device Applications

6 Future Perspectives

Low-Cost and Sustainable Organic Thermoelectrics Based on Low-Dimensional Molecular Metals

Thermoelectric generator composed of crystalline radical ion salts: The unipolar charge transport along the molecular stacks facilitates complementary p- and n-type organic thermoelectric materials of high electrical conductivity and of 1D electronic structure. The specific power output of 5 mW cm^-2 and the zT > 0.15 below 40 K demonstrate a new field of low-temperature thermoelectric applications unlocked by organic metals.

Synthesis of ferrocenylmethylidene and arylidene substituted camphane based compounds as potential anticancer agents

A series of new compounds with a camphane moiety was synthesized, and some of the ferrocene-containing compounds showed promising anticancer activity and selectivity.

Anti-enteroviral triple combination of viral replication inhibitors: activity against coxsackievirus B1 neuroinfection in mice

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy is an important tool for controlling enterovirus infections, but clinically effective anti-enterovirus drugs do not currently exist, mainly due to the development of drug resistance. We investigated the combination effects of enterovirus replication inhibitors in order to limit this process. In previous studies, we showed the efficacy of consecutive alternating administration of the triple combinations disoxaril/guanidine/oxoglaucine and pleconaril/guanidine/oxoglaucine against coxsackievirus B1 infection in newborn mice. Drug sensitivity tests of the viral brain isolates showed that these drug combinations prevented the development of drug resistance.

METHODS

In the current study, we replaced guanidine-HCl with enteroviral RNA synthesis inhibitor MDL-860 to test the effect of a new triple combination-pleconaril/MDL-860/oxoglaucine-applied via consecutive alternating administration in newborn mice infected subcutaneously with 20 MLD₅₀ of coxsackievirus B1.

RESULTS

The pleconaril/MDL-860/oxoglaucine combination via consecutive alternating administration showed high activity at the 75 mg/kg MDL-860 dose: a protective effect of 50% and a pronounced suppression of brain virus titers. Moreover, along with prevention of drug resistance, a phenomenon of increased drug sensitivity was established. MDL-860 sensitivity in pleconaril/MDL-860/oxoglaucine increased 8.2 times vs. placebo (29 times vs. monotherapy) on day 7 and oxoglaucine sensitivity-4.9 times vs. placebo (by 6.8 times vs. monotherapy) on day 13. As concerns pleconaril, a demonstrable prevention of drug resistance was registered without increase of drug sensitivity. Daily, simultaneous administration of pleconaril/MDL-860/oxoglaucine showed no protective effects and led to a rapid development of drug resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

These results add new support for using consecutive alternating administration treatment courses to achieve clinically effective chemotherapy of enterovirus infections.

Antimycobacterial activity generated by the amide coupling of (-)-fenchone derived aminoalcohol with cinnamic acids and analogues

Aminoethyl substituted 2-endo-fenchol prepared from (-)-fenchone was used as scaffold for the synthesis of series of 31 amide structures by N-acylation applying cinnamic acids and analogues. The evaluation of their in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv showed for some of them promising activity-up to 0.2 μg/ml, combined with relatively low cytotoxicity of the selected active compounds.

Night-time sedating H1 -antihistamine increases daytime somnolence but not treatment efficacy in chronic spontaneous urticaria: a randomized controlled trial

Background

Many physicians believe that the most effective way to treat chronic urticaria is to take a nonsedating second-generation H₁-antihistamine in the morning and a sedating first-generation H₁-antihistamine, usually hydroxyzine, at night to enhance sleep. But is this belief well founded?

Objectives

To test this belief by comparing the effectiveness and prevalence of unwanted sedative effects when treating patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) with levocetirizine 15 mg daily plus hydroxyzine 50 mg at night (levocetirizine plus hydroxyzine) vs. levocetirizine 20 mg daily (levocetirizine monotherapy).

Methods

In this randomized, double-blind, cross-over study, 24 patients with difficult-to-treat CSU took levocetirizine plus hydroxyzine or levocetirizine monotherapy for periods of 5 days each. At the end of each treatment period, assessments were made of quality of life (Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire, CU-Q₂oL), severity of urticaria symptoms (Urticaria Activity Score, UAS), sleep disturbance during the night and daytime somnolence.

Results

Both treatments significantly decreased UAS, night-time sleep disturbances and CU-Q₂oL scores (P < 0·001) without significant differences between the two. Compared with baseline, daytime somnolence was significantly reduced by levocetirizine monotherapy (P = 0·006) but not by levocetirizine plus hydroxyzine (P = 0·218). Direct comparison of the two treatment modalities in terms of daytime somnolence favoured levocetirizine monotherapy (P = 0·026).

Conclusions

The widespread belief that sleep is aided by the addition of a sedating first-generation H₁-antihistamine, usually hydroxyzine, at night is not supported. These results are in line with the urticaria guidelines, which state that first-line treatment for urticaria should be new-generation, nonsedating H₁-antihistamines only.

Nanopores in solid-state membranes engineered for single molecule detection

A nanopore is an analytical tool with single molecule sensitivity. For detection, a nanopore relies on the electrical signal that develops when a molecule translocates through it. However, the detection sensitivity can be adversely affected by noise and the frequency response. Here, we report measurements of the frequency and noise performance of nanopores </=8 nm in diameter in membranes compatible with semiconductor processing. We find that both the high frequency and noise performance are compromised by parasitic capacitances. From the frequency response we extract the parameters of lumped element models motivated by the physical structure that elucidates the parasitics, and then we explore four strategies for improving the electrical performance. We reduce the parasitic membrane capacitances using: (1) thick Si(3)N(4) membranes; (2) miniaturized composite membranes consisting of Si(3)N(4) and polyimide; (3) miniaturized membranes formed from metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors; and (4) capacitance compensation through external circuitry, which has been used successfully for patch clamping. While capacitance compensation provides a vast improvement in the high frequency performance, mitigation of the parasitic capacitance through miniaturization offers the most promising route to high fidelity electrical discrimination of single molecules.

Analyzing the forces binding a restriction endonuclease to DNA using a synthetic nanopore

Restriction endonucleases are used prevalently in recombinant DNA technology because they bind so stably to a specific target sequence and, in the presence of cofactors, cleave double-helical DNA specifically at a target sequence at a high rate. Using synthetic nanopores along with molecular dynamics (MD), we have analyzed with atomic resolution how a prototypical restriction endonuclease, EcoRI, binds to the DNA target sequence--GAATTC--in the absence of a Mg(2+) ion cofactor. We have previously shown that there is a voltage threshold for permeation of DNA bound to restriction enzymes through a nanopore that is associated with a nanonewton force required to rupture the complex. By introducing mutations in the DNA, we now show that this threshold depends on the recognition sequence and scales linearly with the dissociation energy, independent of the pore geometry. To predict the effect of mutation in a base pair on the free energy of dissociation, MD is used to qualitatively rank the stability of bonds in the EcoRI-DNA complex. We find that the second base in the target sequence exhibits the strongest binding to the protein, followed by the third and first bases, with even the flanking sequence affecting the binding, corroborating our experiments.

Nanoelectromechanics of methylated DNA in a synthetic nanopore

Methylation of cytosine is a covalent modification of DNA that can be used to silence genes, orchestrating a myriad of biological processes including cancer. We have discovered that a synthetic nanopore in a membrane comparable in thickness to a protein binding site can be used to detect methylation. We observe a voltage threshold for permeation of methylated DNA through a <2 nm diameter pore, which we attribute to the stretching transition; this can differ by >1 V/20 nm depending on the methylation level, but not the DNA sequence.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of bilastine 20 mg vs desloratadine 5 mg in seasonal allergic rhinitis patients

BACKGROUND

Bilastine is a novel, nonsedating H(1)-antihistamine developed for symptomatic treatment of Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of bilastine 20 mg vs placebo and desloratadine 5 mg in subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR).

METHODS

This randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group multicentre study evaluated the effect of 2 weeks' treatment with bilastine 20 mg, desloratadine 5 mg or matched placebo once daily, in 12-70 years old symptomatic SAR patients. All subjects assessed the severity of nasal (obstruction, rhinorrhoea, itching, and sneezing) and nonnasal (ocular itching, tearing, ocular redness, itching of ears and/or palate) symptoms on a predetermined scale to provide a total symptom score (TSS), composed of nasal and nonnasal symptom scores (NSS and NNSS, respectively). The primary efficacy measure was the area under the curve (AUC) for the TSS over the entire treatment period.

RESULTS

Bilastine 20 mg significantly reduced the AUC of TSS to a greater degree from baseline compared to placebo (98.4 with bilastine vs 118.4 with placebo; P < 0.001), but not compared to desloratadine 5 mg (100.5). Bilastine 20 mg was not different from desloratadine 5 mg but significantly more effective than placebo in improving the NSS, NNSS, and rhinitis-associated discomfort scores (P < 0.05), and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire total (P < 0.005) and four out of seven individual domain (P < 0.05) scores. The incidence of treatment emergent adverse events was similar for bilastine (20.6%), desloratadine (19.8%), and placebo (18.8%).

CONCLUSION

Bilastine 20 mg once daily was efficacious, safe and not different from desloratadine 5 mg once daily in the treatment of SAR symptoms.

Small-Signal Performance and Modeling of sub-50nm nMOSFETs with f above 460-GHz

We have fabricated and tested the performance of sub-50nm gate nMOSFETs to assess their suitability for mixed signal applications in the super high frequency (SHF) band, i.e. 3-30GHz. For a 30nm×40 μm×2 device, we found f(T) =465GHz at V(ds)=2V, V(g)=0.67V, which is the highest cut-off frequency reported for a MOSFET produced on bulk silicon substrate so far. However, our measurements of f(max) and noise figure indicate that parasitics impose limitations on SHF operation. We also present a high-frequency ac model appropriate to sub-50nm gate length nanotransistors, which incorporates the effects of the parasitics. The model accurately accounts for measurements of the S and Y parameters in the frequency range from 1 to 50GHz.

Stretching and unzipping nucleic acid hairpins using a synthetic nanopore

We have explored the electromechanical properties of DNA by using an electric field to force single hairpin molecules to translocate through a synthetic pore in a silicon nitride membrane. We observe a threshold voltage for translocation of the hairpin through the pore that depends sensitively on the diameter and the secondary structure of the DNA. The threshold for a diameter 1.5 < d < 2.3 nm is V > 1.5 V, which corresponds to the force required to stretch the stem of the hairpin, according to molecular dynamics simulations. On the other hand, for 1.0 < d < 1.5 nm, the threshold voltage collapses to V < 0.5 V because the stem unzips with a lower force than required for stretching. The data indicate that a synthetic nanopore can be used like a molecular gate to discriminate between the secondary structures in DNA.

Detecting SNPs using a synthetic nanopore

We have discovered a voltage threshold for permeation through a synthetic nanopore of dsDNA bound to a restriction enzyme that depends on the sequence. Molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the threshold is associated with a nanonewton force required to rupture the DNA-protein complex. A single mutation in the recognition site for the restriction enzyme, i.e., a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), can easily be detected as a change in the threshold voltage. Consequently, by measuring the threshold voltage in a synthetic nanopore, it may be possible to discriminate between two variants of the same gene (alleles) that differ in one base.

A comparison of levocetirizine and desloratadine in the histamine-induced wheal and flare response in human skin in vivo

BACKGROUND

The histamine-induced wheal and flare response was used to compare quantitatively the antihistaminic potency of levocetirizine and desloratadine.

METHODS

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 24 healthy male non-atopic volunteers received weekly single doses of 1.25, 2.5 or 5 mg levocetirizine, 2.5, 5 or 10 mg desloratadine, or placebo. Four hours after dosing, histamine (100 mg/ml) skin prick tests were performed on the volar surface of both forearms. The diameters of the wheals and flares were measured 10 minutes later. Sedation was evaluated using a visual analogue scale and a motricity test. The effects of individual drug doses were compared using Student's t-test for paired data and the overall effects of the two drugs by ANOVA.

RESULTS

All doses of levocetirizine significantly (P < 0.0001) inhibited both wheals and flares in a dose-related manner. Only the 10 mg dose of desloratadine achieved significant inhibition of response. ANOVA showed levocetirizine to be significantly (P < 0.0001) more active than desloratadine. Neither drug caused significant sedation or loss of motricity.

CONCLUSION

Levocetirizine is significantly more effective than desloratadine in inhibiting wheal and flare responses to histamine in human skin in vivo, with 1.25 mg levocetirizine being more effective than 10 mg desloratadine.

[Intraoperative diagnosis of lymphatic metastases in colon cancer]

Colon carcinoma is leading cause of death in oncology. The precise staging in colon carcinoma by finding micrometastases is extremely difficult task using routine methods. By discovering and assessing the sentinel nodes we could determine more precisely the lymph status of the patient. The basic methods for intraoperative marking of sentinel nodes are based on using of dyes and radionuclides.

The oral ecosystem: implications for education

We propose a model that is applicable to oral health education. The model describes the oral cavity in a complexity-based ecological context. This concept includes the premise that factors from different organisational levels (biological, individual, community, society) interact in a complex way with the potential to 'stress' the ecosystem and thereby provoke changes. This mode of action complies with the understanding of the oral cavity as a complex adaptive system. An ecological model is actively used in the undergraduate problem-based curriculum at the Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Sweden and has recently been applied as a conceptual basis for the new dental curriculum being established at the University of Tromsø in Northern Norway. The purpose is to encourage and promote an ecological, health-oriented view and to stimulate reflections on premises for oral health and diseases in an integrated context.

[Intraoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastases in rectal cancer]

The exact assessment of nodal status in patients with rectal cancer is very important for the implement of adequate and motivated postopertaive therapeutic behavior. The relevance of the number of lymph nodes explored, the modern pathohistological techniques for detection of micrometastases and their importance for the prognosis, survival, and recurrence of the disease in patients with rectal cancer are discussed. The main techniques applied by different authors for lymph mapping and sentinel node detection in rectal cancer are described.

Beyond the Gene Chip

We describe a prospective strategy for reading the encyclopedic information encoded in the genome: using a nanopore in a membrane formed from an MOS-capacitor to sense the charge in DNA. In principle, as DNA permeates the capacitor-membrane through the pore, the electrostatic charge distribution characteristic of the molecule should polarize the capacitor and induce a voltage on the electrodes that can be measured. Silicon nanofabrication and molecular dynamic simulations with atomic detail are technological linchpins in the development of this detector. The sub-nanometer precision available through silicon nanotechnology facilitates the fabrication of the detector, and molecular dynamics provides us with a means to design it and analyze the experimental outcomes.

Ecology of oral health: a complexity perspective

Health and disease are determined by many interwoven factors. Complexity theory may facilitate an understanding of oral health and disease by studying their complex interplay, and not focusing only on the importance of each individual factor involved. This introduces a theoretical basis for a dynamic, holistic approach to oral health with possible far-reaching consequences for dental education and diagnosis, prevention and treatment of oral diseases.