Notes

Enhancing the availability of high quality individual muscle with regard to analysis.
This implies that nanotopography mediated modulation of cell migration is directly governed by the recruitment of receptor and adapter proteins responsible for cell-surface interaction. The results of this study indicate that biomaterial devices and constructs having rationally designed surface nanotopography and chemistry could be utilized to regulate wound healing and tissue regeneration.An effective, noninvasive glucose monitoring technology could be a pivotal factor for addressing the major unmet needs for managing diabetes mellitus (DM). Here, we describe a skin-worn, disposable, wireless electrochemical biosensor for extended noninvasive monitoring of glucose in the interstitial fluid (ISF). The wearable platform integrates three components a screen-printed iontophoretic electrode system for ISF extraction by reverse iontophoresis (RI), a printed three-electrode amperometric glucose biosensor, and an electronic interface for control and wireless communication. Prolonged on-body glucose monitoring of up to 8 h, including clinical trials conducted in individuals with and without DM, demonstrated good correlation between glucose blood and ISF concentrations and the ability to monitor dynamically changing glucose levels upon food consumption, with no evidence of skin irritation or discomfort. Such successful extended operation addresses the challenges reported for the GlucoWatch platform by using a lower RI current density at shorter extraction times, along with a lower measurement frequency. Such a noninvasive skin-worn platform could address long-standing challenges with existing glucose monitoring platforms.PIII-containing H-phosphonate (HPO32-) and its monoethyl ester (fosetyl), essential pesticides for control of oomycete and fungal pathogens, are among the few pesticides transported by both xylem and phloem, making application as folia spray, soil spray, and trunk injection equally effective. To understand bioavailability and efficacy within soils, knowledge of adsorption to soil minerals is important. FeOOH(goethite) is often selected as an archetypal mineral surface. In the present work, H-phosphonate (with pKa values of 1.5 and 6.78) adsorption onto FeOOH is nearly complete below pH 6 and decreases to negligible amounts by pH 11, following an S-shaped curve. Fosetyl (pKa 0.9), in contrast, does not adsorb to any significant extent, regardless of pH. To place these observations in context, adsorption of six other phosphorus oxyanions was investigated, and fitted using a CD-MUSIC model. Phosphate defines a similar S-shaped curve but adsorbs more strongly than H-phosphonate. Despite moderate differences in basicity, pH dependence and extents of adsorption for the four additional diprotic oxyanions methylphosphonate (pKas 2.40, 8.00), benzylphosphonate (2.24, 7.93), phenylphosphonate (1.9, 7.47), and phenyl phosphate (1.1, 6.28) are quite similar to those of H-phosphonate. As with fosetyl, the other low pKa monoprotic oxyanion in our study, phenylphosphinate (pKa 1.75), does not adsorb. Basicity, that is, pKa, is revealed to be the principal determinant of extents of adsorption.Actinide-based metal-organic complexes and coordination architectures encompass intriguing properties and functionalities but are still largely unexplored on surfaces. We introduce the in situ synthesis of actinide tetrapyrrole complexes under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions, on both a metallic support and a 2D material. Specifically, exposure of a tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) multilayer to an elemental beam of thorium followed by a temperature-programmed reaction and desorption of surplus molecules yields bis(porphyrinato)thorium (Th(TPP)2) assemblies on Ag(111) and hexagonal boron nitride/Cu(111). A multimethod characterization including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, temperature-programmed desorption, and complementary density functional theory modeling provides insights into conformational and electronic properties. Supramolecular assemblies of Th(TPP)2 as well as individual double-deckers are addressed with submolecular precision, e.g., demonstrating the reversible rotation of the top porphyrin in Th(TPP)2 by molecular manipulation. Our findings thus demonstrate prospects for actinide-based functional nanoarchitectures.Over 20 years after the approval of the first-in-class protein kinase inhibitor imatinib, the biological function of a significant fraction of the human kinome remains poorly understood while most research continues to be focused on few well-validated targets. Given the strong genetic evidence for involvement of many kinases in health and disease, the understudied fraction of the kinome holds a large and unexplored potential for future therapies. Specific chemical probes are indispensable tools to interrogate biology enabling proper preclinical validation of novel kinase targets. In this Perspective, we highlight recent case studies illustrating the development of high-quality chemical probes for less-studied kinases and their application in target validation. We spotlight emerging techniques and approaches employed in the generation of chemical probes for protein kinases and beyond and discuss the associated challenges and opportunities.Ruthenium(II) complexes (Ru1-Ru5), with the general formula [Ru(N-S)(dppe)2]PF6, bearing two 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe) ligands and a series of mercapto ligands (N-S), have been developed. The combination of these ligands in the complexes endowed hydrophobic species with high cytotoxic activity against five cancer cell lines. For the A549 (lung) and MDA-MB-231 (breast) cancer cell lines, the IC50 values of the complexes were 288- to 14-fold lower when compared to cisplatin. Furthermore, the complexes were selective for the A549 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines compared to the MRC-5 nontumor cell line. The multitarget character of the complexes was investigated by using calf thymus DNA (CT DNA), human serum albumin, and human topoisomerase IB (hTopIB). The complexes potently inhibited hTopIB. In particular, complex [Ru(dmp)(dppe)2]PF6 (Ru3), bearing the 4,6-diamino-2-mercaptopyrimidine (dmp) ligand, effectively inhibited hTopIB by acting on both the cleavage and religation steps of the catalytic cycle of this enzyme. Molecular docking showed that the Ru1-Ru5 complexes have binding affinity by active sites on the hTopI and hTopI-DNA, mainly via π-alkyl and alkyl hydrophobic interactions, as well as through hydrogen bonds. Complex Ru3 displayed significant antitumor activity against murine melanoma in mouse xenograph models, but this complex did not damage DNA, as revealed by Ames and micronucleus tests.The enantiopure Schiff bases (R or S)-N-1-(X-C6H4)ethyl-2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldimine X = H [(R or S)-HL1], p-CH3O [(R or S)-HL2], and p-Br [(R- or S)-HL3] react with cobalt(II) acetate to give bis[(R or S)-N-1-(X-C6H4)ethyl-2-oxo-1-naphthaldiminato-κ2N,O]-Λ/Δ-cobalt(II) X = H [Λ/Δ-Co-(R or S)-L1], p-CH3O [Λ/Δ-Co-(R or S)-L2], and p-Br [Λ/Δ-Co-(R or S)-L3] (1-3), respectively. Induced Λ and Δ chirality originates at the metal center of the C2-symmetric molecule in pseudotetrahedral geometry. Differential scanning calorimetry analyses explored the thermal stability of the complexes, which undergo reversible phase transformation from crystalline solid to isotropic liquid phase for 1 and 3 but irreversible phase transformation for 2. Like other cobalt(II) complexes, compounds 1-3 exhibit a continuous ensemble of absorption and circular dichroism bands, which span from the UV to IR region and can be collected into a superspectrum. Infrared vibrational circular dichroism (IR-VCD) spectra witness the coupling between Co2+-centered low-lying electronic states and ligand-centered vibrations. The coupling produces enhanced and almost monosignate VCD spectra, with both effects being mode-dependent in terms of the A or B symmetry (in the C2 point group) and distance from the Co2+ core.Theoretical description of potential energy curves (PECs) of molecular ions is essential for interpretation and prediction of coupled electron-nuclear dynamics following ionization of parent molecule. However, an accurate representation of these PECs for core or inner valence ionized state is nontrivial, especially at stretched geometries for double- or triple-bonded systems. In this work, we report PECs of singly and doubly ionized states of molecular nitrogen using state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods. The valence, inner valence, and core ionized states have been computed. A double-loop optimization scheme that separates the treatment of the core and the valence orbitals during the orbital optimization step of the multiconfiguration self-consistent field method has been implemented. This technique allows the energy to be converged to any desired ionized state with any number of core or inner-shell holes. The present work also compares the PECs obtained using both delocalized and localized sets of orbitals for the core hole states. The PECs of a number of singly and doubly ionized valence states have also been computed and compared with previous studies. The computed PECs reported here are expected to be of importance for future studies to understand the interplay between photoionization and Auger spectra during the breakup of molecular nitrogen when interacting with intense free electron lasers.Mammalian metallothioneins (MTs) are a group of cysteine-rich proteins that bind metal ions in two α- and β-domains and represent a major cellular Zn(II)/Cu(I) buffering system in the cell. At cellular free Zn(II) concentrations (10-11-10-9 M), MTs do not exist in fully loaded forms with seven Zn(II)-bound ions (Zn7MTs). Instead, MTs exist as partially metal-depleted species (Zn4-6MT) because their Zn(II) binding affinities are on the nano- to picomolar range comparable to the concentrations of cellular Zn(II). The mode of action of MTs remains poorly understood, and thus, the aim of this study is to characterize the mechanism of Zn(II) (un)binding to MTs, the thermodynamic properties of the Zn1-6MT2 species, and their mechanostability properties. To this end, native mass spectrometry (MS) and label-free quantitative bottom-up and top-down MS in combination with steered molecular dynamics simulations, well-tempered metadynamics (WT-MetaD), and parallel-bias WT-MetaD (amounting to 3.5 μs) were integrated to unravel the chemical coordination of Zn(II) in all Zn1-6MT2 species and to explain the differences in binding affinities of Zn(II) ions to MTs. Differences are found to be the result of the degree of water participation in MT (un)folding and the hyper-reactive character of Cys21 and Cys29 residues. The thermodynamics properties of Zn(II) (un)binding to MT2 are found to differ from those of Cd(II), justifying their distinctive roles. The potential of this integrated strategy in the investigation of numerous unexplored metalloproteins is attested by the results highlighted in the present study.An efficient self-supported Cu(II)Bi(III) bimetallic catalyst with a layered structure was designed and developed. By careful characterization of the as-prepared material, the host structure was identified to exhibit a Sillen-type bismutite framework, with copper(II) ions being loaded as guests. The heterogeneous catalyst enabled C-N and C-S arylations under mild reaction conditions and with high chemoselectivities, thus furnishing valuable phenothiazines via heterocyclization with wide substrate tolerance. As corroborated by detailed catalytic studies, the cooperative, bifunctional catalyst, bearing Lewis acid sites along with copper(II) catalytic sites, facilitated an intriguing concerted C-N/C-S heterocyclization mechanism. The heterogeneous nature of the catalytic reactions was verified experimentally. Importantly, the catalyst was successfully recycled and reused multiple times, persevering its original structural order as well as its initial activity.
My Website: