Structural and mass spectral studies on some multiply bonded diosmium tetracarboxylate compounds

The compounds Os₂(O₂CCH₃)₄Cl₂,1 and Os(O₂CC₂H₅)₄Cl₂, 2, have been structurally characterized. Both compounds crystallize in space group P2₁/n. For 1 the unit cell parameters are a = 6.546(1) Å, b = 8.950(1) Å, c = 12.533(1) Å, β = 90.17(1)° and Z = 2; for 2 they are a = 6.792(2) Å, b = 10.519(3) Å, c = 13.372(4) Å, β = 89.27(3)° and Z = 2. Both molecules have approximate D_4th symmetry with important dimensions as follows: for 1, Os≡Os 2.314(1) Å, OsCl 2.448(2) Å; for 2, Os≡Os 2.316(2) Å, OsCl 2.430(5) Å. The mass spectra of these compounds as well as that of Os₂(O₂CC₃H₇)₄Cl₂,3, are reported and discussed.     

Long-term platinum retention after treatment with cisplatin and oxaliplatin

Background  

The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term platinum retention in patients treated with cisplatin and oxaliplatin.     

Determination of n-3 HUFA content in Atlantic salmon flesh based on the lipid content, morphometric measurements and blood fatty acid composition: A modeling approach

Fish are the most important source of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) in the human diet and, with declining wild stocks, an increasing proportion is being provided by aquaculture. Paradoxically, aquaculture fish diets have traditionally incorporated fish oil and meal derived from wild fisheries. Continued aquaculture development requires fish oil to be replaced with vegetable oils, the only sustainable alternative. However, vegetable oils lack n-3 HUFA and so flesh from fish reared on these diets can also have reduced n-3 HUFA and thus reduced nutritional quality. This accepted, the flesh n-3 HUFA content should be an economically important trait, however to be included in the breeding goal the trait must be measurable. In the present study, we investigated whether the flesh n-3 HUFA content of salmon can be estimated in a non-fatal way. We showed that a general regression model based on flesh lipid content, morphometric and blood fatty acid measurements could estimate and predict flesh n-3 HUFA content. This would allow a choice from a range of selection methods, including mass selection or within-family selection, if this important flesh quality trait is to be included in future salmon breeding programmes.     

The Cenomanian–Turonian boundary event, OAE2 and palaeoenvironmental change in epicontinental seas: New insights from the dinocyst and geochemical records

Organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) and geochemical records across the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary (CTB) are presented for the NW European reference section at Eastbourne, England. Dinocyst and nannofossil fertility indexes indicate that an upwelling-driven productivity pulse accompanied a eustatic sea-level fall that preceded, by at least 40 kyr, the global rise in δ¹³C values that marks the onset of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) and the deposition of black shales in the deep ocean. A marine productivity collapse in the latest Cenomanian is evidenced by the falling absolute and relative abundance of peridinioid dinocysts, believed to be the product of heterotrophic dinoflagellates. This biotic change accompanied transgression and sharply rising sea-surface temperatures, following an Atlantic-wide episode of short-lived cooling. Geochemical tracers provide evidence of Caribbean–Colombian plateau volcanism. The increase in water depth caused by the latest Cenomanian transgression resulted in less eutrophic waters in epicontinental seas, where CTB biotic turnover was driven largely by water-mass changes rather than oxygen depletion. The species richness/absolute abundance ratio of dinocysts is proposed as a water-mass stability proxy.     

Changes in mitochondrial membrane composition and oxidative status during rapid growth,maturation and aging in zebrafish, Danio rerio

Considering membranes and membrane components as possible pacemakers of the main processes taking place inside mitochondria, changes in phospholipids or fatty acids could play a central role linking different mechanisms involved in cumulative damage to cell molecules and dysfunction during periods of high stress, such as rapid growth and aging. Changes affecting either lipid class or fatty acid compositions could affect phospholipid and membrane properties and alter mitochondrial function and cell viability. In the present study, mitochondrial oxidative status and mitochondrial membrane phospholipid compositions were analyzed throughout the life-cycle of zebrafish. TBARS content significantly increased in 18-month-old fish while aconitase activity decreased in 24-month-old fish, which have been related with oxidative damage to molecules. Mitochondria-specific superoxide dismutase decreased in 24-month-old animals although this change was not statistically significant. Age affected both mitochondrial phospholipid content and the peroxidation index of most phospholipid classes suggesting that oxidative damage to mitochondrial lipids was occurring.