Octahedral hexanuclear complexes involving light lanthanide ions

Two new hexanuclear complexes involving two of the lightest lanthanide ions have been synthesized and structurally described. Their chemical formula is [Ln₆(μ₆-O)(μ₃-OH)₈(NO₃)₆(H₂O)₁₄] · 2NO₃ · 2H₂O with Ln = Pr or Nd. The structure has been solved for the Pr³⁺-containing compound. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/n (no. 14) with a = 12.4163(2) Å, b = 10.51210(10) Å, c = 16.0389(2) Å, β = 95.7810(6)° and Z = 4. The chemical and thermal stabilities of both the compounds have been studied. These studies reveal that they can be used as molecular chemical precursors for further materials synthesis. To the best of our knowledge, this praseodymium-containing hexanuclear complex is the first ever reported.     

Fast manipulation of cellular cAMP level by light in vivo

The flagellate Euglena gracilis contains a photoactivated adenylyl cyclase (PAC), consisting of the flavoproteins PACalpha and PACbeta. Here we report functional expression of PACs in Xenopus laevis oocytes, HEK293 cells and in Drosophila melanogaster, where neuronal expression yields light-induced changes in behavior. The activity of PACs is strongly and reversibly enhanced by blue light, providing a powerful tool for light-induced manipulation of cAMP in animal cells.     

The fate of light air ions in the respiratory pathways

From an analysis of the fate of the light air ions it was concluded that the most effective mechanism of deposition is the diffusion depriving the inhaled air of light ions at the level of intrasegmental bronchi and bronchioles. A natural electrostatic filter exists in the isthmus faucium.This filter influences the retention of light air ions during mouth-breathing. The electrostatic filter acts on electrically charged particles such as microbes as shown by an investigation of the density of microflora. An increase of the ion retention rate,although quite high in comparison with the same condition in the absence of an electric field,does not radically change the whole deposition pattern. However, a permanent supply of the opposite charge to the electrodes of the natural electrostatic filter may be of some importance to mouth-breathers.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde das Schicksal der leichten Luftionen mit dem Ergebnis analysiert, dass der wirksamste Mechanismus der Ablagerung die Diffusion ist, durch die sich die inhalierte Luft mit leichten Ionen in der Höhe der Bronchien und Bronchiolen absetzt. Ein natürliches elektrostatisches Filter existiert in Form des isthmus faucium. Dieses Filter beeinflusst das Zurückhalten leichter Luftionen während der Mundatmung. Das elektrostatische Filter wirkt auf die elektrisch geladenen Teilchen wie Mikroben, wie man sie bei einer Untersuchung über die Dichte der Mikroflora beobachtet hat. Eine verstärkte Zurückhaltung der Ionen,obwohl sie im Vergleich zu denselben Bedingungen ohne elektrisches Feld recht hoch ist, ändert den ganzen Ablagerungsmechanismus nicht. Jedoch mag eine dauernde Zufuhr der den Elektoden des natürlichen elektrostatischen Filters entgegengesetzten Ladung von einiger Bedeutung für die Mundatmung sein.

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Resume On a analysé la destinée des ions légers de l'air.Il en découle que le mécanisme le plus efficace de déposition réside dans la diffusion qui prive l'air de ses ions légers au niveau des bronches et des bronchioles.Un filtre électrostatique naturel se trouve dans l'isthmus faucium. Ce filtre influence la rétention des ions légers de l'air durant la respiration par la bouche. Ce filtre électrostatique agit sur les particules chargées électriquement telles que les microbes,comme il découle de recherches effectuées sur la densité de la micro-flore. Un accroissement du taux de retenue des ions, même s il reste élevé en comparaison de ce qui se passe dans des conditions analogues mais en l'absence d'un champ électrique,ne modifie pas radicalement le mécanisme de sédimentation. Pourtant, un apport permanent de charges opposées aux électrodes du filtre électrostatique naturel peut avoir une certaine importance pour les individus respirant par la bouche.

     

Fast and effective: intense pulse light photodynamic inactivation of bacteria

The goal of this study was to investigate the photodynamic toxicity of TMPyP (5, 10, 15, 20-Tetrakis (1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)-porphyrin tetra p-toluenesulfonate) in combination with short pulses (ms) of an intense pulse light source within 10 s against Bacillus atrophaeus, Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Escherichia coli, major pathogens in food industry and in health care, respectively. Bacteria were incubated with a photoactive dye (TMPyP) that is subsequently irradiated with visible light flashes of 100 ms to induce oxidative damage immediately by generation of reactive oxygen species like singlet oxygen. A photodynamic killing efficacy of up to 6 log(10) (>99.9999%) was achieved within a total treatment time of 10 s using a concentration range of 1-100 μmol TMPyP and multiple light flashes of 100 ms (from 20 J cm(-2) up to 80 J cm(-2)). Both incubation of bacteria with TMPyP alone or application of light flashes only did not have any negative effect on bacteria survival. Here we could demonstrate for the first time that the combination of TMPyP as the respective photosensitizer and a light flash of 100 ms of an intense pulsed light source is enough to generate sufficient amounts of reactive oxygen species to kill these pathogens within a few seconds. Increasing antibiotic resistance requires fast and efficient new approaches to kill bacteria, therefore the photodynamic process seems to be a promising tool for disinfection of horizontal surfaces in industry and clinical purposes where savings in time is a critical point to achieve efficient inactivation of microorganisms.     

Effect of ferrous ions on microsomal phospholipid peroxidation and related light emission

Purified NADPH cytochrome c reductase catalyzes the oxidation of NADPH in the presence of Fe³⁺, ADP and EDTA. EDTA in this system appears to elevate the redox potential of ferric ion and of its iron complex thereby facilitating the transfer of one electron from NADPH to tri-valent iron (more rapidly than superoxide is formed) through a flavin moiety in the reductase, but it diminishes the concentration of free iron to be required for phospholipid peroxidation.

The reduction of Fe³⁺ by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system is different from that manifested by the NADPH-NADPH cytochrome c reductase system in the manner in which the former is carried out in the main by O_staggered2^staggered− · generated by the substrate - O₂ - enzyme interaction.

Reduced iron, which is free in the solution, plays an important role for the initiation and propagation of the phospholipid peroxidation, monitored by malondialdehyde assay and light emission.

In the xanthine-induced lipoxygenation system, the ·OH radical, probably produced from hydrogen peroxide by the action of Fe²⁺, is not involved in the initiation of the peroxidative cleavage of phospholipid in microsomal lipoprotein.     

Acceleration of light ions from an expanding ultrathin foil of complex ion composition

The problem of the Coulomb explosion of a thin homogeneous foil with light and heavy ions is solved analytically in the context of laser ion acceleration. Spatiotemporal and spectral distributions of the accelerated light ions are obtained. The ions parameters are calculated as functions of the atomic composition of the target. It is shown that, in the interaction between high-power ultrashort high-contrast laser pulses and thin foils with light impurity ions, it is possible to produce accelerated ion bunches that contain a significant fraction of the total number of particles and have a small energy spread (≲10%).     

Cobalt ions enhance light responsiveness of carp cone horizontal cells in low calcium

Effects of cobalt ions (Co2+) on horizontal cells in low extracellular calcium were examined in isolated, superfused carp retinas. While 0.1mmol/L Co2+ completely suppressed both rod- and cone-driven horizontal cells in normal Ringer's solution, it enhanced light responses of cone horizontal cells in low (0.1mmol/L) calcium. The enhancement of the cone horizontal cell response by Co2+ was not caused by changes in light responsiveness of cone photoreceptors. Moreover, application of 50μmol/L IBMX, an inhibitor of phosphodiester enzyme, reduced the suppressive effect of 0.1 mmol/L Co2+ in normal Ringer's solution. In consequence, the above-described enhancement of the cone horizontal cell light responsiveness may be due to a depolarization of cones caused by low calcium, which increases the activity of voltage-dependent calcium channels at cone terminals.     

Laser acceleration of light ions from a thin homogeneous foil of complex atomic composition

A model of the acceleration of light impurity particles from a plane ultrathin foil of complex ion composition by a high-power ultrashort high-contrast laser pulse is proposed. A study is made of both purely Coulomb ion acceleration, typical of extremely high electron energies, and ion acceleration under the conditions of space charge separation, determined by the finite typical electron temperature. Exact and approximate analytic approaches to describing impurity particle acceleration are developed. The spatial and spectral parameters of accelerated light particles are obtained, and their dynamics is investigated as a function of their relative charge density in a model of test impurity particles and in a model in which their own electrostatic field is taken into account. Optimum conditions for the generation of quasi-monoenergetic ions are discussed, depending on the laser radiation parameters and target composition.     

Fast myosin light chain expression in chicken muscles studied by in situ hybridization.

We have studied the fiber type-specific expression of the fast myosin light chain isoforms LC 1f, LC 2f, and LC 3f in adult chicken muscles using in situ hybridization and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Type II (fast) fibers contain all three fast myosin light chain mRNAs; Types I and III (slow) fibers lack them. The myosin light chain patterns of two-dimensional gels from microdissected single fibers match their mRNA signals in the in situ hybridizations. The results confirm and extend previous studies on the fiber type-specific distribution of myosin light chains in chicken muscles which used specific antibodies. The quantitative ratios between protein and mRNA content were not the same for all three fast myosin light chains, however. In bulk muscle samples, as well as in single fibers, there was proportionally less LC 3f accumulated for a given mRNA concentration than LC 1f or LC 2f. Moreover, the ratio between LC 3f mRNA and protein was different in samples from muscles, indicating that LC 3f is regulated somewhat differently than LC 1f and LC 2f. In contrast to other in situ hybridization studies on the fiber type-specific localization of muscle protein mRNAs, which reported the RNAs to be located preferentially at the periphery of the fibers, we found all three fast myosin light chain mRNAs quite evenly distributed within the fiber's cross-sections, and also in the few rare fibers which showed hybridization signals several-fold higher than their surrounding counterparts. This could indicate principal differences in the intracellular localization among the mRNAs coding for various myofibrillar protein families.     

Oxidation of NADH by melanin: effect of UV light and copper ions.

The oxidation reaction of NADH with synthetic melanin from L-dopa was investigated under various physicochemical conditions both by spectrophotometric measurements and ESR spectroscopy. The different amounts of NADH oxidized and the effects on the formation and decay of melanin free radicals were compared. Some hypotheses on a common physical mechanism involved in electron transfer reaction and in electron excitation through a liquid-solid interface are presented.     

Treatment planning with heavy ions

The use of heavy charged particles in radiotherapy potentially represents an advance towards better local tumour control and a decrease in morbidity related to radiation injury of healthy tissues surrounding the target volume. This assertion only holds, however, if treatment planning systems give a real representation of the three-dimensional dose distribution, including physical and biological aspects, especially for heavier ions. The influence of linear energy transfer on the biological effects, its variations related to depth, particle, target tissue, position in the Bragg peak, etc. make the possible models for treatment planning extremely complex. A brief review of the problems to be addressed and some solutions is presented from the radiation oncologistàs point of view.     

Interactions of ions with membranes

The interactions of ions with biological membranes play a significant role in such diverse phenomena as pinocytosis, cell division and energization of mitochondrial membranes. These interactions are subject to quantitative treatment.     

Complexes of DNA with trivalent metal ions in presence of manganese ions

The interaction of DNA with Fe3+, Al3+, Co(NH3)6(3+) in a solution containing MnCl2 was studied. It was shown that there exists a competition for the binding sites between Mn2+ and Al3+, while the binding of Mn2+ to DNA does not depend on the presence of Fe3+ and Co(NH3)6(3+) in solution. We proposed that Fe3+ and Co(NH3)6(3+) ions prefer to bind to phosphates, and Al3+ ions are capable to bind to the nitrogen bases of DNA.