Development,optimization, and biovalidation of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc–insulin complex

Human biosynthetic insulin is a polypeptide hormone that plays an important and essential role in control of the level of carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism in the blood. Human pancreatic insulin was labeled with ^99mTc to form a new radiopharmaceutical with a labeling yield of 99 ± 1% under optimum conditions: 0.1 mL insulin, pH 7, 25 μg stannous chloride, 1 mL (19 mCi) of pertechnetate, room temperature, and 10 min reaction time. The ^99mTc–insulin complex was examined using paper chromatography, ITLC, electrophoresis, and HPLC. In addition, in vitro and in vivo study of ^99mTc–insulin complex was performed at different time intervals.     

LEVELNET to visualize,explore, and compare protein–protein interaction networks

Physical interactions between proteins are central to all biological processes. Yet, the current knowledge of who interacts with whom in the cell and in what manner relies on partial, noisy, and highly heterogeneous data. Thus, there is a need for methods comprehensively describing and organizing such data. LEVELNET is a versatile and interactive tool for visualizing, exploring, and comparing protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks inferred from different types of evidence. LEVELNET helps to break down the complexity of PPI networks by representing them as multi-layered graphs and by facilitating the direct comparison of their subnetworks toward biological interpretation. It focuses primarily on the protein chains whose 3D structures are available in the Protein Data Bank. We showcase some potential applications, such as investigating the structural evidence supporting PPIs associated to specific biological processes, assessing the co-localization of interaction partners, comparing the PPI networks obtained through computational experiments versus homology transfer, and creating PPI benchmarks with desired properties.     

Distribution,abundance and biology of polar cod, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Boreogadus saida</Emphasis>, in Iceland–East Greenland waters

Recent warming has caused a northern extension in the distribution of many southern fish species in Icelandic waters. Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) around Iceland are near the southern limit of their distribution, but are poorly studied in the area. Therefore, material sampled during demersal fish surveys in March 1985–2013 and in pelagic 0-group surveys in Iceland–East Greenland waters in August–September 1974–2003 was used to investigate their distribution, abundance and biology. Demersal polar cod were most often caught on the outer shelf to the north-west and north of Iceland, but during years of widest distribution and highest abundance, they were caught farther to the east on the northern shelf. Pelagic 0-group polar cod were only caught sporadically and mainly confined to the waters off the north-west shelf of Iceland and the East Greenland shelf (southern Denmark Strait). In demersal hauls, the number of stations with polar cod decreased with increasing bottom temperature and polar cod were most widely distributed in the years 1989, 1994 and 1995. Highest numbers of demersal polar cod per haul were caught at temperatures of ?0.5 to 2.5 °C and at 200–450 m depth. The length of demersal polar cod ranged from 5 to 32 cm, while the fish caught in the pelagic trawl ranged from 2.2 to 19 cm. The polar cod in the subarctic waters north of Iceland most likely originate from the waters off East Greenland and further warming and decline in sea ice may eventually lead to the disappearance of polar cod from Icelandic waters.     

Biogeographic relationships of African carnivoran faunas, 7–1.2 Ma

This study analyses the carnivore component of African fossil faunas from three time slices: 7–5 Ma, 4–3 Ma, and 2.5–1.2 Ma, using cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis (PCO) of presence/absence data on genera. The faunas mostly cluster by time slice, with the exception of Laetoli (Tanzania) and Ahl al Oughlam (Morocco), which differ from all other faunas. The separation during the Late Miocene of a Chado–Libyan bioprovince from the remainder of Africa is supported. No such distinctions are present in the other time slices. Taxonomic distance is not generally correlated with geographic distance, though if Langebaanweg is removed from the 7–5 Ma time slice, the correlation at that time is significant. Comparison of these paleontological results with phylogeographic studies of modern species leads to some general comments on the analytic power of the fossil record with regard to interregional migrations.     

Valbro : un nouveau site à vertébrés de l’Oligocène inférieur (MP22) de France (Quercy). I – Contexte géologique ; Mammalia : Rodentia,Hyaenodontida, Carnivora

The locality Valbro (Quercy, France) has yielded a rich fossil vertebrate fauna. Here are presented the geological context, a preliminary faunal list and the systematics of the Rodentia and carnivores, the most abundant taxa of the fauna. The Rodentia are known from 11 taxa: the Theridomyidae Blainvillimys gregarius Schlosser, 1884, Blainvillimys ?gemellus Vianey-Liaud, 1989, Issiodoromys medius (Vianey-Liaud, 1976) and S. cayluxi Schlosser, 1884, the Aplodontidae Plesispermophilus angustidens Filhol, 1882, the Gliridae Butseloglis tenuis (Bahlo, 1975), Butseloglis micio (Misonne, 1957) and Bransatoglis planus (Bahlo, 1975), the Sciuridae Palaeosciurus goti Vianey-Liaud, 1974 and cf. Oligopetes sp., and the Cricetidae Atavocricetodon sp. aff. A. nanus (Pelaez-Campomanes, 1995). Thirteen taxa of carnivores are present at Valbro; among the Hyaenodontida: Hyaenodon leptorhynchus Laizer et Parieu, 1838 and cf. Apterodon sp.; among the Carnivora: a Feliformia gen. et sp. indet., the Nimravidae Nimravus intermedius (Filhol, 1872), Dinailurictis bonali Helbing, 1922 and Nimravidae gen. et sp. indet. (Certainly belonging to one the two already identified species), the Ursida Pachycynodon crassirostris Schlosser, 1888, Pachycynodon sp., Amphicynodon sp. 1 cf. A. typicus (Schlosser, 1888), Amphicynodon ? sp. 2 and Ursida gen. et sp. indet. cf. Pachycynodon boriei (Filhol, 1876), the Mustelida M. olivieri Bonis, 1997, the Carnivora incertae sedis Palaeogale sectoria (Gervais, 1848–1852), the Arctoidea gen. et sp. indet. and Carnivora gen. et sp. indet. (probably representing taxa already identified at lower taxonomic levels). The evolutionary grade of B. gregarius of Valbro compares to that of the species from Mas de Got, La Plante 2 and Cavalé, which supports an MP22 age for Valbro. This datation is further supported by the association of Theridomyinae yielded by the locality (B. gregarius, B. gemellus, I. medius and S. cayluxi), and by the presence of a N. intermedius that well compares the material of the species from Villebramar, La Plante et Mas de Got, of D. bonali, P. sectoria, M. olivieri (species known only from Mas de Got), and by additional evidence from the remaining vertebrates from Valbro, especially the squamates. Despite a limited amount of specimens (341 specimens have been studied), the faunas of rodents and carnivores from Valbro are the most speciose and diverse known for the MP22 level and, for the Carnivora fauna in particular, for the Oligocene of the Old World.     

Expression,Purification, and Characterization of Recombinant Human α<Subscript>1</Subscript>-Antitrypsin Produced Using Silkworm–Baculovirus Expression System

Human α₁-antitrypsin (AAT) is the most abundant serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) in the human plasma. Commercially available AAT for the medications of deficiency of α₁-antitrypsin is mainly purified from human plasma. There is a high demand for a stable and low-cost supply of recombinant AAT (rAAT). In this study, the baculovirus expression vector system using silkworm larvae as host was employed and a large amount of highly active AAT was recovered from the silkworm serum (~?15 mg/10 ml) with high purity. Both the enzymatic activity and stability of purified rAAT were comparable with those of commercial product. Our results provide an alternative method for mass production of the active rAAT in pharmaceutical use.     

Nitrendipine Nanocrystals: Its Preparation,Characterization, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Vitro–In Vivo</Emphasis> Evaluation

The present investigation was undertaken with the objective of developing a solid formulation containing nitrendipine nanocrystals for oral delivery. Nitrendipine nanocrystals were prepared using a tandem precipitation–homogenization process. Then, spray drying, a cost-effective method very popular in industrial situations, was employed to convert the nanocrystals into a solid form. The parameters of the preparation process were investigated and optimized. The optimal process was as follows: firstly, nitrendipine/acetone solution (100 mg/ml) was added to a polyvinyl alcohol solution (1 mg/ml) at 10°C, then the pre-suspension was homogenized for 20 cycles at 1,000 bar. Both differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that nitrendipine was present in crystalline form. The in vitro dissolution rate of the nanocrystals was significantly increased compared with the physical mixture and commercial tablet. The in vivo testing demonstrated that the C _max of the nanocrystals was approximately 15-fold and 10-fold greater than that of physical mixture and commercial tablet, respectively. In addition, the AUC_0→24 of the nanocrystals was approximately 41-fold and 10-fold greater than that of physical mixture and commercial tablet, respectively.     

Protease-catalyzed synthesis of the tripeptide CCK<Subscript>26–28</Subscript>, a fragment of CCK-8

Summary. Two enzymatically synthetic strategies of the tripeptide derivative PhAc-Asp(OMe)-Tyr-Met-OAl are reported. The second strategy gains the advantage of more economical starting materials, less reaction steps and a higher overall isolated yield of this tripeptide fragment over the first strategy. The effect of the acyl-donor ester concentration and structure, the C-α protecting group of the nucleophile, reaction media, enzyme and the carrier on the tripeptide derivative synthesis were studied. This tripeptide selected is a fragment of the cholecystokinin C-terminal octapeptide (CCK-8), a potential therapeutic agent in the control of gastrointestinal function and also a drug candidate for the treatment of epilepsy.     

Nucleic Acids and Signal Transduction International Symposium,July 26–29, 2000; Waltham,MA, United States

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry -     

Electric-field-induced spin switch of endohedral dodecahedrane heterodimers H@C<Subscript>20</Subscript>H<Subscript>n</Subscript>–C<Subscript>20</Subscript>H<Subscript>n</Subscript>@M (M= Cu,Ag and Au,n = 15, 18, and 19): a theoretical study

We designed nine endohedral dodecahedrane heterodimers H@C₂₀H_n-C₂₀H_n@M (M = Cu, Ag, and Au, n = 15, 18, and 19) that may act as single-molecule spin switches, and we predicted theoretically that the ground states of the dimmers shift from low-spin states (S = 0) to the high-spin states (S = 1) under an external electric field applied parallel or perpendicular to the molecular symmetry axes, consisting well with the analyses of Stark effect. Molecular orbitals analyses provide an intuitive insight into the spin crossover behavior. This study expands the application of endohedral chemistry and provides new molecules for designing single-molecule spin switch.     

Le radiopharmaceutique : situation et perspectives depuis la 8e Conférence internationale de l’ACOMEN (Bordeaux, 11–12–13 mai 2005)

Since previous ACOMEN's conference in 2005 on radiopharmaceuticals, many improvements have been encountered: active research has allowed the development of numerous new tracers of interest, with a large part dedicated for PET; clinical applications of radiopharmaceuticals have resulted in patients care improvement, both for management and survival; therapeutic applications are now fully recognized, as internal targeted radiotherapy could be considered as efficient in several cancer diseases; and regulation, despite remaining difficulties, will certainly become more favourable for radiopharmaceuticals. Thus we could make sure that radiopharmaceuticals use will be even more established in the next years.     

World Antibody Drug Conjugate Summit Europe: February 21–23, 2011; Frankfurt,Germany

The World Antibody Drug Conjugate Summit Europe, organized by Biorbis/Hanson Wade was held in Frankfurt, Germany February 21–23, 2011. Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), also called immunoconjugates, are becoming an increasingly important class of therapeutics as demonstrated by the attendance of nearly 100 delegates at this highly focused meeting. Updates on three ADCs that are in late-stage clinical development, trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35) and inotuzumab ozogamicin (CMC-544), were presented by speakers from ImmunoGen, Genentech, Roche, Seattle Genetics and Pfizer. These ADCs have shown encouraging therapeutic effects against solid tumors (T-DM1) and hematological malignancies (SGN-35, CMC-544). The key feature of the new generation of ADCs is the effective combination of the cytotoxicity of natural or synthetic highly potent antineoplastic agents, tumor selective monoclonal antibodies and blood-stable optimized linkers. Early clinical data for ADCs were showcased by Progenics Pharmaceuticals (PSMA ADC), Celldex (CDX-011) and Biotest (BT-062). Takeda, MedImmune and sanofi-aventis outlined their strategies for process development and analytical characterization. In addition, presentations on duocarmycin based-ADCs, α emitting immunoconjugates and antibody-conjugated nanoparticles were given by representatives from Syntarga, Algeta and the University of Stuttgart, respectively.Key words: antibody drug conjugates, immunoconjugates, trastuzumab emtansine, brentuximab vedotin, inotuzumab ozogamicin, oncology, cancer     

Metal–metal bonding and aromaticity in [M<Subscript>2</Subscript>(NHCHNH)<Subscript>3</Subscript>]<Subscript>2</Subscript> (μ-E)<Subscript>2</Subscript> (E = O,S; M = Nb,Mo, Tc,Ru, Rh)

The nature of M–M bonding and aromaticity of [M₂(NHCHNH)₃]₂(μ-E)₂ (E?=?O, S; M?=?Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh) was investigated using atoms in molecules (AIM) theory, electron localization function (ELF), natural bond orbital (NBO) and molecular orbital analysis. These analyses led to the following main conclusions: in [M₂(NHCHNH)₃]₂(μ-E)₂ (E?=?O, S; M?=?Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh), the Nb–Nb, Ru–Ru, and Rh–Rh bonds belong to “metallic” bonds, whereas Mo–Mo and Tc–Tc drifted toward the “dative” side; all these bonds are partially covalent in character. The Nb–Nb, Mo–Mo, and Tc–Tc bonds are stronger than Ru–Ru and Rh–Rh bonds. The M–M bonds in [M₂(NHCHNH)₃]₂(μ-S)₂ are stronger than those in [M₂(NHCHNH)₃]₂(μ-O)₂ for M?=?Nb, Mo, Tc, and Ru. The NICS(1)_ZZ values show that all of the studied molecules, except [Ru₂(NHCHNH)₃]₂(μ-O)₂, are aromaticity molecules. O-bridged compounds have more aromaticity than S-bridged compounds.

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Graphical Abstract Left Molecular graph, and right electron localization function (ELF) isosurface of [M₂(NHCHNH)₃]₂(μ-E)₂(E?=?O, S; M?=?Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh)

     

Advances in Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida</Emphasis>, 2010–2012

Antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida has been standardized and refined and now may play an important role in managing Candida infections. Important new developments include the establishment of species-specific epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs) for the systemically active antifungal agents and both common and uncommon species of Candida. The clinical breakpoints (CBPs) for fluconazole, voriconazole, and the echinocandins have been revised to provide species-specific interpretive criteria for the six most common species that not only are predictive of clinical outcome but also provide a more sensitive means of identifying those strains with acquired or mutational resistance mechanisms. Collaborative work by the CLSI and EUCAST organizations has made major advances in the harmonization of these two international standards. The impact of the recent changes in the CBPs on commercial MIC methods does not appear to be major but additional studies with well defined resistant populations are necessary to confirm the ability of these systems to detect emerging resistance.     

Development,characterization, validation,and mapping of SSRs derived from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma cacao</Emphasis> L.<Emphasis Type="Italic">–Moniliophthora perniciosa</Emphasis> interaction ESTs

In this study, we report results of the detection and analysis of SSR markers derived of cacao–Moniliophthora perniciosa expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in relation to cacao resistance to witches’ broom disease (WBD), and we compare the polymorphism of those ESTs (EST-simple sequence repeat (SSR)) with classical neutral SSR markers. A total of 3,487 ESTs was used in this investigation. SSRs were identified in 430 sequences: 277 from the resistant genotype TSH 1188 and 153 from the susceptible one Catongo, totalizing 505 EST-SSRs with three types of motifs: dinucleotides (72.1%), trinucleotides (27.3%), and tetranucleotides (0.6%). EST-SSRs were classified into 16 main categories; most of the EST-SSRs belonged to “Unknown function” and “No homology” categories (45.82%). A high frequency of SSRs was found in the 5’UTR and in the ORF (about 27%) and a low frequency was observed in the 3’UTR (about 8%). Forty-nine EST-SSR primers were designed and evaluated in 21 cacao accessions, 12 revealed polymorphism, having 47 alleles in total, with an average of 3.92 alleles per locus. On the other hand, the 11 genomic SSR markers revealed a total of 47 alleles, with an average of 5.22 alleles per locus. The association of EST-SSR with the genomic SSR enhanced the analysis of genetic distance among the genotypes. Among the 12 polymorphic EST-SSR markers, two were mapped on the F₂ Sca 6 × ICS 1 population reference for WBD resistance.     

L’homme-lion d’Hohlenstein – Stadel

The fragments of the figurine called “lion-man” were found in 1939 in the cave of Hohlenstein-Stadel, in southwestern Germany. Joachim Hahn was the first to assemble the figure in 1969; the statuette was then restored between 1987 and 1988 in the workshops of the regional museum of Württemberg in Stuttgart. New excavations, conducted by the State Office for Cultural Heritage of Baden-Württemberg (Esslingen, Germany), were held in the same cave between 2009 and 2013. Then, hundreds of small fragments were found; some of them clearly belonged to the lion-man. Following these excavations, a second restoration was undertaken in the workshops of the State office of Cultural Heritage in 2012 and 2013. The Lion-Man, the tallest of the figures from the last Ice Age, got a new appearance. After the refitting of the fragments, a large part of the figurine has been completed.