Spectral properties and biological activity of La(III) and Nd(III) Monensinates

The present research is focused on evaluation of complexation ability of Monensic acid (MonH) towards La3+ and Nd3+ ions.

Changes in the SRCD spectrum of Monensinate anion were monitored upon addition of lanthanide(III) ions. The antibiotic undergoes formation of one neutral ([Ln(Mon)3(H2O)3]) and two positively charged complex species of composition [Ln(Mon)2(H2O)2]+ and [Ln(Mon) (H2O)]2+, respectively (Ln = La3+, Nd3+). Neutral complexes were isolated as fine powders and were characterized by IR, FAB-MS and ESI-MS. It is assumed that Monensin acts in bidentate coordination mode via monodentate carboxylate moiety and hydroxyl group, both located at the opposite ends of antibiotic molecule.

Activity of Monensic acid and [Ln(Mon)3(H2O)3] to decrease visible bacteria growth of B. subtilis, S. Lutea and B. mycoides was evaluated by agar hole diffusion method. Results showed that complexation of lanthanide(III) ions to Monensin enhances the activity of non-coordinated ligand.

Antitumor efficacy of compounds was assayed on human triple negative breast cancer and transplantable sarcoma in rat. The cytotoxicity was accessed by MTT test, NR uptake, CV assay and double AO/PI staining. Experimental data revealed that Monensic acid and [Ln(Mon)3(H2O)3] possess concentration- and time-dependent activity, and express promising cytotoxic properties against human and rat permanent cancer cell lines.

Subcortical volumetric abnormalities in bipolar disorder

Considerable uncertainty exists about the defining brain changes associated with bipolar disorder (BD). Understanding and quantifying the sources of uncertainty can help generate novel clinical hypotheses about etiology and assist in the development of biomarkers for indexing disease progression and prognosis. Here we were interested in quantifying case-control differences in intracranial volume (ICV) and each of eight subcortical brain measures: nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, lateral ventricles. In a large study of 1710 BD patients and 2594 healthy controls, we found consistent volumetric reductions in BD patients for mean hippocampus (Cohen's d=-0.232; P=3.50 × 10-7) and thalamus (d=-0.148; P=4.27 × 10-3) and enlarged lateral ventricles (d=-0.260; P=3.93 × 10-5) in patients. No significant effect of age at illness onset was detected. Stratifying patients based on clinical subtype (BD type I or type II) revealed that BDI patients had significantly larger lateral ventricles and smaller hippocampus and amygdala than controls. However, when comparing BDI and BDII patients directly, we did not detect any significant differences in brain volume. This likely represents similar etiology between BD subtype classifications. Exploratory analyses revealed significantly larger thalamic volumes in patients taking lithium compared with patients not taking lithium. We detected no significant differences between BDII patients and controls in the largest such comparison to date. Findings in this study should be interpreted with caution and with careful consideration of the limitations inherent to meta-analyzed neuroimaging comparisons.

Subcortical brain volume abnormalities in 2028 individuals with schizophrenia and 2540 healthy controls via the ENIGMA consortium

The profile of brain structural abnormalities in schizophrenia is still not fully understood, despite decades of research using brain scans. To validate a prospective meta-analysis approach to analyzing multicenter neuroimaging data, we analyzed brain MRI scans from 2028 schizophrenia patients and 2540 healthy controls, assessed with standardized methods at 15 centers worldwide. We identified subcortical brain volumes that differentiated patients from controls, and ranked them according to their effect sizes. Compared with healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia had smaller hippocampus (Cohen's d=-0.46), amygdala (d=-0.31), thalamus (d=-0.31), accumbens (d=-0.25) and intracranial volumes (d=-0.12), as well as larger pallidum (d=0.21) and lateral ventricle volumes (d=0.37). Putamen and pallidum volume augmentations were positively associated with duration of illness and hippocampal deficits scaled with the proportion of unmedicated patients. Worldwide cooperative analyses of brain imaging data support a profile of subcortical abnormalities in schizophrenia, which is consistent with that based on traditional meta-analytic approaches. This first ENIGMA Schizophrenia Working Group study validates that collaborative data analyses can readily be used across brain phenotypes and disorders and encourages analysis and data sharing efforts to further our understanding of severe mental illness.

Forecasting PM10 in metropolitan areas: Efficacy of neural networks

Deterministic photochemical air quality models are commonly used for regulatory management and planning of urban airsheds. These models are complex, computer intensive, and hence are prohibitively expensive for routine air quality predictions. Stochastic methods are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative, which relegate decision making to artificial intelligence based on Neural Networks that are made of artificial neurons or 'nodes' capable of 'learning through training' via historic data. A Neural Network was used to predict particulate matter concentration at a regulatory monitoring site in Phoenix, Arizona; its development, efficacy as a predictive tool and performance vis-à-vis a commonly used regulatory photochemical model are described in this paper. It is concluded that Neural Networks are much easier, quicker and economical to implement without compromising the accuracy of predictions. Neural Networks can be used to develop rapid air quality warning systems based on a network of automated monitoring stations.

Evidence for non-enzymatic glycosylation in Escherichia coli

Non-enzymatic glycosylation (glycation) is a chain of chemical reactions affecting free amino groups in proteins of long-living eukaryotes. It proceeds in several steps leading to the consecutive formation of Schiff bases, Amadori products and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). To our knowledge, this process has not been observed in prokaryotes so far. However, the present study provides clear-cut evidence that glycation takes place in bacteria despite their short life span. We have detected AGEs in recombinant human interferon gamma (rhIFN-gamma) produced in Escherichia coli as well as in total protein of the same bacterium using three different approaches: (i) Western blotting using two monoclonal antibodies raised against AGEs; (ii) fluorescent spectroscopy; and (iii) investigation of the effect of known AGE inhibitors (such as acetyl salicylic acid and thiamine) on the glycation reaction. Our study shows that non-enzymatic glycosylation is initiated during the normal growth of E. coli and results in AGE formation even after isolation of proteins. This process seems to be tightly associated with some post-translational modifications observed in the cysteineless rhIFN-gamma, such as covalent dimerization and truncation.

Dynamic follow-up of the intact parathormone levels in hemodialysis patients treated with Rocaltrol and calcium

The object of the present study was to follow prospectively the serum levels of intact parathormone (PTH) of hemodialysis patients and the subsequent changes following the oral administration of 1.25(OH)D3 and calcium.

METHODS

We studied 30 chronic renal failure hemodialysis patients--16 men and 14 women, aged 20-70 years. Twenty-one of them were on hemodialysis with duration of up to 5 years (Group 1) and nine--up to 10 years (Group 2). All patients received oral supplementation therapy with 1.0 elemental calcium and Rocaltrol (Roche) 0.25 microgram/day. We measured the serum calcium, ionized calcium, serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and the intact serum PTH levels in intervals of 12 months.

RESULTS

Patients with duration of dialysis of up to 5 years had a significantly lower baseline PTH level of 392.5 +/- 94.7 pg/ml versus 896.4 +/- 160.7 pg/ml for those from the second group (P < 0.01). The intact PTH levels showed a tendency towards decrease--at the end of the study they were as follows: 372.02 +/- 76.9 for group 1 versus a significant increase for those from group 2--serum PTH levels of 1793.65 +/- 290.3 (P < 0.02). The differences in alkaline phosphatase and serum phosphorus levels at the end of the study period failed to reach statistical significance. Serum calcium levels were increased in both groups following the initiation of treatment but the difference was statistically significant only for group 2. A significant positive correlation was observed between the duration of hemodialysis treatment and the intact serum PTH levels.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Long-term low-dose conventional calcitriol therapy in combination with calcium supplementation could slow the progression of secondary hyperparathyroidism in some hemodialysis patients. 2. Low-dose therapy with active vitamin D-metabolites is effective only in hemodialysis patients with baseline serum PTH levels below 500 pg/ml and without pronounced hyperphosphatemia.

Analytic performance of digoxin laboratory monitoring

Since therapeutic drug monitoring is rapidly becoming a widely-used tool in clinical medicine we prospectively assessed 547 control samples over a period of 18 months using fluorescence polarization immunoassay, calibrators and control samples to determine the analytical performance of Abbott TDx in measuring serum digoxin levels. Recovery of the controls (within-run and between-run coefficient of variation) evaluated at the low, target therapeutic and intoxication ranges was 14%, 8% and 7% and precision was -3.57, -7.02, -3.38, respectively. Our clinical utility analysis showed that the prescribed dose provided serum digoxin levels within, above and below the targeted therapeutic range for 50.2%, 38.4% and 11.4% of the patients, respectively. The discrepancy between the calibrators and the controls, the tendency towards lower prescription dosage and patient noncompliance with the prescribed dose all account for these findings. The direct costs for digoxin serum concentration monitoring amount to 10 US $. A closer collaboration between the laboratory and the prescribing physician will undoubtedly form the basis of a more effective cost-efficacy strategy of digoxin serum monitoring as an indispensable tool and cornerstone of clinical decision-making.