Chemical characterization (GC/MS and NMR Fingerprinting) and bioactivities of South-African Pelargonium capitatum (L.) L' Her. (Geraniaceae) essential oil

Chemical fingerprinting of commercial Pelargonium capitatum (Geraniaceae) essential oil samples of south African origin was performed by GC, GC/MS, and (13) C- and (1) H-NMR. Thirty-seven compounds were identified, among which citronellol (32.71%) and geraniol (19.58%) were the most abundant. NMR Spectra of characteristic chemicals were provided. Broad-spectrum bioactivity properties of the oil were evaluated and compared with those of commercial Thymus vulgaris essential oil with the aim to obtain a functional profile in terms of efficacy and safety. P. capitatum essential oil provides a good performance as antimicrobial, with particular efficacy against Candida albicans strains. Antifungal activity performed against dermatophyte and phytopathogen strains revealed the latter as more sensitive, while antibacterial activity was not remarkable against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. P. capitatum oil provided a lower antioxidant activity (IC(50) ) than that expressed by thyme essential oil, both in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene bleaching tests. Results in photochemiluminescence (PCL) assay were negligible. To test the safety aspects of P. capitatum essential oil, mutagenic and toxicity properties were assayed by Ames test, with and without metabolic activation. Possible efficacy of P. capitatum essential oil as mutagenic protective agent against NaN(3) , 2-nitrofluorene, and 2-aminoanthracene was also assayed, providing interesting and significant antigenotoxic properties.     

Luminescent CeCl3 nanoparticles by Tris(1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionato)cerium diglyme photolysis in chlorinated solvents

Irradiation of [Ce(hfac)₃(diglyme)] (hfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionato and diglyme (DG) = 2,5,8,11,14-pentaoxapentadecane) in chlorinated solvents (CH₂Cl₂, CCl₄) with UV light led to luminescent colloidal CeCl₃ that was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. When a substrate, quartz or silicon was present in the reaction cell, photoluminescent films were obtained, containing either pure CeCl₃ or mixtures of CeCl₃, CeF₃ and CeOx in function of the experimental parameters of irradiation. Nanostructured and luminescent pure CeCl₃ films were obtained by irradiation of the cerium complex in CCl₄ at high intensity light for a few minutes. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), TEM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The kinetics of the [Ce(hfac)₃(diglyme)] solution photodegradation, followed by UV spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry, pointed to CeCl₃ formation by a solvent-initiated reaction, whereas the other inorganic compounds were the products of side reactions.     

Homoisoflavanones from Muscari comosum bulbs

From the bulbs of Muscari comosum 3,9-dihydropunctatin and three novel homoisoflavanones were isolated.     

Endogenous polyamines in apple and their relationship to fruit set and fruit growth

The distribution of free and bound polyamines was investigated from blooming until harvest on flower, fruitlets and fruits of Malus domestica Borkh cv. Golden Delicious, Relationships between polyamines and fruit set and growth were also investigated. The level of free polyamines was high only during the first weeks after full bloom and then decreased gradually. The amount of bound trichloroacetic acid-insoluble polyamines was much higher than free polyamines. Bound spermine in particular showed a high value for almost 40 days after full bloom, while spermidine and putrescine were no longer detectable even a few days after full bloom.
In relation to fruit set, it was possible to observe that abscission peaks took place when free polyamine levels were low or decreasing. Insofar as fruit growth is concerned, the most substantial variations in polyamine levels occurred very early in the season when fruit dry weight and protein amount were also changing rapidly and fruit diameter was almost impossible to measure.     

Structural and organisational conditions for being a machine

Although the analogy between macroscopic machines and biological molecular devices plays an important role in the conceptual framework of both neo-mechanistic accounts and nanotechnology, it has recently been claimed that certain complex molecular devices (consisting of biological or synthetic macromolecular aggregates) cannot be considered machines since they are subject to physicochemical forces that are different from those of macroscopic machines. However, the structural and physicochemical conditions that allow both macroscopic machines and microscopic devices to work and perform new functions, through a combination of elemental functional parts, have not yet been examined. In order to fill this void, this paper has a threefold aim: first, to clarify the structural and organisational conditions of macroscopic machines and microscopic devices; second, to determine whether the machine-like analogy fits nanoscale devices; and third, to assess whether the machine-like analogy is appropriate for describing the behaviour of some biological macromolecules. Finally, the paper gives an account of ‘machine’ which, while acknowledging the physicochemical and organisational differences between man-made machines and biological microscopic devices, nevertheless identifies a common conceptual core that allows us to consider the latter ‘machines’.     

Use of a particular cellulose acetate supporting agent in the electrophoretic evaluation of human hemoglobin

576 subjects of whom 450 with hereditary anaemia and 116 normal are studied to establish the haemoglobin pattern. The assay is carried out using the standard cellulose acetate and an particular cellulose acetate medium cellogel RS "Wedge". The results show that cellogel RS in comporation with standard medium permits either an better resolution of the hemoglobin bands or a better detection of the pathologic bands.     

Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Biological Features: Validated Model-Based Estimates

Infection with high-risk (hr) human papillomavirus (HPV) is considered the necessary cause of cervical cancer. Vaccination against HPV16 and 18 types, which are responsible of about 75% of cervical cancer worldwide, is expected to have a major global impact on cervical cancer occurrence. Valid estimates of the parameters that regulate the natural history of hrHPV infections are crucial to draw reliable projections of the impact of vaccination. We devised a mathematical model to estimate the probability of infection transmission, the rate of clearance, and the patterns of immune response following the clearance of infection of 13 hrHPV types. To test the validity of our estimates, we fitted the same transmission model to two large independent datasets from Italy and Sweden and assessed finding consistency. The two populations, both unvaccinated, differed substantially by sexual behaviour, age distribution, and study setting (screening for cervical cancer or Chlamydia trachomatis infection). Estimated transmission probability of hrHPV types (80% for HPV16, 73%-82% for HPV18, and above 50% for most other types); clearance rates decreasing as a function of time since infection; and partial protection against re-infection with the same hrHPV type (approximately 20% for HPV16 and 50% for the other types) were similar in the two countries. The model could accurately predict the HPV16 prevalence observed in Italy among women who were not infected three years before. In conclusion, our models inform on biological parameters that cannot at the moment be measured directly from any empirical data but are essential to forecast the impact of HPV vaccination programmes.