Triazole-based novel bis Schiff base colorimetric and fluorescent turn-on dual chemosensor for Cu2+ and Pb2+: application to living cell imaging and molecular logic gates

A triazole-based novel bis Schiff base colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor (L) has been designed, synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H-NMR, ESI-MS, FTIR spectra and DFT studies. The receptor L showed selective and sensitive colorimetric sensing ability for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions by changing color from colorless to yellow and light yellow respectively in CH₃OH–tris-buffer (1 : 1, v/v). However, it displayed strong fluorescence enhancement upon the addition of both Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions, attributed to the blocking of PET. The fluorometric detection limits for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ were found to be 12 × 10⁻⁷ M and 9 × 10⁻⁷ M and the colorimetric detection limits were 3.7 × 10⁻⁶ M and 1.2 × 10⁻⁶ M respectively; which are far below the permissible concentration in drinking water determined by WHO. Moreover, it was found that chemosensor L worked as a reversible fluorescence probe towards Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions by the accumulation of S²⁻ and EDTA respectively. Based on the physicochemical and analytical methods like ESI-mass spectrometry, Job plot, FT-IR, ¹H-NMR spectra and DFT studies the detection mechanism may be explained as metal coordination, photoinduced electron transfer (PET) as well as an internal charge transfer (ICT) process. The sensor could work in a pH span of 4.0–12.0. The chemosensor L shows its application potential in the detection of Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in real samples, living cells and building of molecular logic gate.

A novel triazole-based bis Schiff base colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensor (L) has been designed, synthesized and characterized. The chemo-sensor L shows its application potential in the detection of Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in living cells and building molecular logic gate.     

Social adaptability index predicts overall mortality in patients with diabetes

BackgroundA quantifiable assessment of socioeconomic status and its bearing on clinical outcome in patients with diabetes is lacking. The social adaptability index (SAI) has previously been validated in the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease, including those on dialysis and with kidney transplant. We hypothesize that SAI could be used in diabetes practice to identify a disadvantaged population at risk for inferior outcomes.MethodsThe NHANES-3 database of patients who have diabetes was analyzed. The association of the SAI (calculated as the linear combination of indicators of education status, employment, income, marital status, and substance abuse) with patient survival was evaluated using Cox model.ResultsThe study population consisted of 1634 subjects with diabetes mellitus with mean age of 61.9±15.3 years; 40.9% males; 38.5% white, 27.7% African American, and 31.3% Mexican American. The highest SAI was in whites (6.9±2.5), followed by Mexican Americans (6.5±2.3), and then African Americans (6.1±2.6) (ANOVA, P<.001). SAI was higher in subjects living in metropolitan areas (6.8±2.6) compared to the rural population (6.3±2.4) (T test, P<.001). Also, SAI was greater in males (7.1±2.4) than in females (6.1±2.4) (T test, P<.001).SAI had significant association with survival (hazard ratio 0.9, P<.001) in the entire study population and in most of the subgroups (divided by race, sex, and urban/rural location). Furthermore, SAI divided into tertiles (≤5, 6 to 8, >8) demonstrated a significant and “dose-dependent” association with survival.ConclusionSocial adaptability index is associated with mortality in the diabetic population and is useful in identifying individuals who are at risk for inferior outcomes.     

A comparison of ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine in relieving pain following wisdom teeth removal

Although dihydrocodeine (DF118) is widely prescribed by general dental practitioners, there is little evidence that it is successful in controlling post-operative dental pain. Ibuprofen is known to be effective in this situation. A single dose, double-blind study was carried out in 148 patients to compare 400 mg ibuprofen with 30 mg dihydrocodeine and placebo for treating moderate to severe pain following the removal of unilateral, impacted mandibular third molar teeth under local anaesthesia. An additional dose of either ibuprofen or dihydrocodeine was available after 2 hours. The post-operative ibuprofen reduced pain and produced more pain relief than dihydrocodeine or placebo. Furthermore, fewer patients receiving ibuprofen took additional analgesic at 2 hours. Patients who received ibuprofen as supplementary medication also experienced less pain and had greater pain relief than those receiving dihydrocodeine as supplementary medication, even when their post-operative treatment had been placebo. More patients reported the medication as having been effective if they took ibuprofen either post-operatively or as supplementary analgesia. Ibuprofen is an appropriate analgesic for treating post-operative dental pain.     

Accelerated lung amino acid release in hyperdynamic septic surgical patients

Amino acid flux across the lungs was studied in humans to gain further insight into the altered nitrogen metabolism that characterizes catabolic disease states. Lung flux of glutamine, glutamate, and alanine was determined in three groups of surgical patients with indwelling pulmonary artery catheters: (1) preoperative controls (n = 14), (2) postoperative elective general surgical patients (n = 10, and (3) hyperdynamic septic surgical patients (n = 17). In controls the lung was an organ of amino acid balance. These exchange rates did not change in general surgical patients. In the septic group, glutamine release by the lung increased markedly from a control value of 0.80 +/- 0.99 mumol/kg per minute to 6.80 +/- 1.32 mumol/kg per minute. This accelerated release rate was secondary to both an increase in total pulmonary blood flow and an increase in the pulmonary artery-systemic arterial concentration difference. The lung also became an organ of significant alanine release in septic patients. The lung plays an active metabolic role in the processing of amino acids and may be a key regulator in interorgan nitrogen flux after major injury and infection.     

Developmental changes in aldehyde dehydrogenases from mouse tissues

The postnatal development of aldehyde dehydrogenase (AHD) isozymes from C57BL/6J mouse tissues was examined using agarose-IEF zymogram methods. Mitochondrial isozymes (AHD-1 and AHD-5) were present throughout, increasing to high levels in liver, kidney and stomach by weaning (3 weeks). These activities remained high subsequently, except for kidney AHD-5, which decreased significantly after week 4. The appearance of the cytosolic isozymes was tissue specific and time dependent: liver AHD-2 was undetected until day 21, and increased subsequently; stomach AHD-4 was first observed at day 5, increasing to adult levels by day 21; AHD-6 was active in neonatal kidney and stomach extracts, but was undetected after day 8; and AHD-7 was observed in liver and kidney extracts from day 16. These results supported previous proposals for multiple genes encoding aldehyde dehydrogenases in the mouse, based upon the distinct developmental profiles for the liver, kidney and stomach isozymes.     

Evaluation of Cultivated and Wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium</Emphasis> Accessions for Resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">cepae</Emphasis>

Fusarium basal rot (FBR) caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae (FOC) is a highly destructive soil borne disease incurring heavy damage in pre and post harvest onion and garlic crops worldwide. Only a few onion lines exhibit partial resistance against the pathogen and there is a need for identification of more effective resistance sources for use in breeding programmes. Selected sets of wild onion and garlic accession and seven related Allium species were screened for resistance to Fusarium basal rot using three FOC isolates. FOC infection revealed significant variation among the evaluated Allium species (at P = 0.001). A. sativum accession ‘CBT-As153’ showed high level of resistance to each isolate while A. cepa accession ‘CBT-Ac77’ exhibited intermediate resistance. Among related Allium species, A. fistulosum, A. roylei and A. schoenoprasum were highly resistant, A. tuberosum had mixed response while A. griffithianum was susceptible. Further, the root density of Allium species negatively correlated with disease incidence for different FOC isolates. Thus, the present study suggests that besides related Allium species, A. sativum ‘CBT-As153’ can be used as a potential donor of FBR resistance for genetic improvement of onion and garlic in India.     

Simple fold composition and modular architecture of the nuclear pore complex

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) consists of multiple copies of approximately 30 different proteins [nucleoporins (nups)], forming a channel in the nuclear envelope that mediates macromolecular transport between the cytosol and the nucleus. With <5% of the nup residues currently available in experimentally determined structures, little is known about the detailed structure of the NPC. Here, we use a combined computational and biochemical approach to assign folds for approximately 95% of the residues in the yeast and vertebrate nups. These fold assignments suggest an underlying simplicity in the composition and modularity in the architecture of all eukaryotic NPCs. The simplicity in NPC composition is reflected in the presence of only eight fold types, with the three most frequent folds accounting for approximately 85% of the residues. The modularity in NPC architecture is reflected in its hierarchical and symmetrical organization that partitions the predicted nup folds into three groups: the transmembrane group containing transmembrane helices and a cadherin fold, the central scaffold group containing beta-propeller and alpha-solenoid folds, and the peripheral FG group containing predominantly the FG repeats and the coiled-coil fold. Moreover, similarities between structures in coated vesicles and those in the NPC support our prior hypothesis for their common evolutionary origin in a progenitor protocoatomer. The small number of predicted fold types in the NPC and their internal symmetries suggest that the bulk of the NPC structure has evolved through extensive motif and gene duplication from a simple precursor set of only a few proteins.     

Efficacy of generic oral directly acting agents in patients with hepatitis C virus infection

Novel direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) are now the standard of care for the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Branded DAAs are associated with high sustained virological response at 12 weeks post‐completion of therapy (SVR12), but are costly. We aimed to assess the efficacy of generic oral DAAs in a real‐life clinical scenario. Consecutive patients with known HCV infection who were treated with generic‐oral DAA regimens (May 2015 to January 2017) were included. Demographic details, prior therapy and SVR12 were documented. Four hundred and ninety patients (mean age: 38.9 ± 12.7 years) were treated with generic DAAs in the study time period. Their clinical presentations included chronic hepatitis (CHC) in 339 (69.2%) of cases, compensated cirrhosis in 120 (24.48%) cases and decompensated cirrhosis in 31 (6.32%) cases. Genotype 3 was most common (n = 372, 75.9%) followed by genotype 1 (n = 97, 19.8%). Treatment naïve and treatment‐experienced (defined as having previous treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin) were 432 (88.2%) and 58 (11.8%), respectively. Generic DAA treatment regimens included sofosbuvir in combination with ribavirin (n = 175), daclatasvir alone (n = 149), ribavirin and peginterferon (n = 80), ledipasvir alone (n = 43), daclatasvir and ribavirin (n = 37), and ledipasvir and ribavirin (n = 6). Overall SVR12 was 95.9% (470/490) for all treatment regimens. SVR12 for treatment naïve and experienced patients was 97.0% (419/432) and 87.9% (51/58), respectively, P = .005. High SVR12 was observed with various regimens, irrespective of genotype and underlying liver disease status. There were no differences in SVR12 with 12 or 24 weeks therapy. No major adverse event occurred requiring treatment stoppage. Generic oral DAAs are associated with high SVR rates in patients with HCV infection in a real‐life clinical scenario.     

Paraneoplastic multicentric reticulohistiocytosis: a clinicopathologic challenge

Multicentric Reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) is a rare, systemic non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (non-LCH) with prominent joint and skin manifestations. It is mostly self limiting. However, 15-30% of the cases are associated with malignancy and carry a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 42-year-old man who presented with multiple reddish-brown papules that on biopsy showed aggregates of oncocytic histiocytes with several multinucleate giant cells. Immunostains were positive for CD 68, CD 45 and were negative for S-100, CD1a. An impression of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) was made, with the recommendation to screen for malignancy. Electron microscopy of the skin lesions showed features consistent with non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The patient was later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at a follow-up visit several months later. Thus, it appears prudent to screen and follow-up adults with MRH, to identify an underlying malignant condition.