β-estradiol and ethinyl-estradiol contamination in the rivers of the Carpathian Basin

17 β - estradiol (E2) and 17 α - ethinyl estradiol (EE2), wh ich are environmental estrogens have been determined with LC - MS in freshwater. Their sensitive analysis needs derivatisation and therefore is very hard to ac hieve in multiresidue screening . We analysed samples from all the large and some small rivers (River Danube, Drava, Mur, Sava, Tisza and Zala) of the Carpathian Basin and from Lake Balaton. Freshwater was extracted on solid phase and derivatised using dansyl - chloride. Separation was per formed on a Kinetex XB - C18 column. Detection was achieved with a benchtop orbitrap mass spectrometer using targeted MS analysis for quantification. Limits of quantification were 0.05 ng/L (MS1) and 0.1 ng/L (MS/MS ) for E2, and 0.001 ng/L (MS1) and 0.2 ng/L (MS/MS ) for EE2. River samples contained n.d. - 5.2 ng/L E2 and n.d. - 0.68 ng/L EE2. Average levels of E2 and EE2 were 0.6 1 and 0.084 ng/L respectively in rivers, water courses and Lake Balaton together, but not counting city canal water . EE2 was less abunda nt, but it was still present in almost all of the samples. In b each water samples from Lake Balaton we measured 0.076 - 0.233 E2 and n.d. - 0.133 EE2. A relative high amount of EE2 was found in river Zala (0.68 ng/L) and in Hévíz - P áhoki canal (0.52 ng/L), whic h are both in the catchment area of Lake Balaton (Hungary)

LAG3 is not expressed in human and murine neurons and does not modulate α-synucleinopathies.

While the initial pathology of Parkinson's disease and other α-synucleinopathies is often confined to circumscribed brain regions, it can spread and progressively affect adjacent and distant brain locales. This process may be controlled by cellular receptors of α-synuclein fibrils, one of which was proposed to be the LAG3 immune checkpoint molecule. Here, we analysed the expression pattern of LAG3 in human and mouse brains. Using a variety of methods and model systems, we found no evidence for LAG3 expression by neurons. While we confirmed that LAG3 interacts with α-synuclein fibrils, the specificity of this interaction appears limited. Moreover, overexpression of LAG3 in cultured human neural cells did not cause any worsening of α-synuclein pathology ex vivo. The overall survival of A53T α-synuclein transgenic mice was unaffected by LAG3 depletion, and the seeded induction of α-synuclein lesions in hippocampal slice cultures was unaffected by LAG3 knockout. These data suggest that the proposed role of LAG3 in the spreading of α-synucleinopathies is not universally valid

Impact of volatile phenols and their precursors on wine quality and control measures of Brettanomyces/Dekkera yeasts

Volatile phenols are aromatic compounds and one of the key molecules responsible for olfactory defects in wine. The yeast genus Brettanomyces is the only major microorganism that has the ability to covert hydroxycinnamic acids into important levels of these compounds, especially 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol, in red wine. When 4-ethylphenols reach concentrations greater than the sensory threshold, all wine’s organoleptic characteristics might be influenced or damaged. The aim of this literature review is to provide a better understanding of the physicochemical, biochemical, and metabolic factors that are related to the levels of p-coumaric acid and volatile phenols in wine. Then, this work summarizes the different methods used for controlling the presence of Brettanomyces in wine and the production of ethylphenols

A novel azo-azomethine based fluorescent dye and its Co(II) and Cu(II) metal chelates

Cobalt(II) and copper(II) complexes of a novel Schiff base ligand containing two -NN- chromophore groups, derived from the condensation of 2-hydroxy-5-[(E)-phenyldiazenyl]benzaldehyde with p-aminoazobenzene were synthesized and characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods. The X-ray powder diffraction analysis was used to determine the unit cell parameters of the synthesized ligand and its metal complexes. Self-isomerization via intramolecular proton transfer was investigated by UV-Vis and theoretical calculations. The effect of solvent polarity on UV-Vis was examined. The electronic structures of compounds were also predicted with computational chemistry methods. Theoretical vibrational and electronic spectra of the metal complexes were obtained from these structures. Binding energies of the metal complexes were obtained by quantum chemical calculations. Upon irradiation the ligands and their metal complexes gave blue light. The (1a) azo-aldehyde and (2a) azo-azomethine ligands revealed quantum yields of 35 and 41% and their excited-state lifetimes were 3.26 and 3.86 ns, respectively. Decreases in photoluminescence intensity and quantum yield upon complexation with metal ions were noted. The thermal behavior to include activation energy (E), entropy (?S*), enthalpy (?H*) and Gibbs free energy change (?G*), using Coats-Redfern (CR) and Horowitz-Metzger (HM) methods, were examined. © 2014 Elsevier B.V

Synthesis and X-ray powder diffraction, electrochemical, and genotoxic properties of a new azo-Schiff base and its metal complexes

A new, substituted 2-[(E) -f[4-(benzyloxy)phenyl]iminog methyl]-4-[(E)-(4-nitrophenyl)diazenyl]phenol azoazomethine ligand (mbH) was synthesized from 2-hydroxy-5-[(4-nitrophenyl)diazenyl]benzaldehyde and 4-benzyloxyanilinehydrochloride in ethyl alcohol solution. These mononuclear Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) complexes of the ligand were prepared and their structures were proposed by elemental analysis, and infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy; the proton NMR spectrum of the mbH ligand was also recorded. The azo-azomethine ligand, mbH, behaves as a bidentate ligand coordinating through the nitrogen atom of the azomethine (-CH=N-) and the oxygen atom of the phenolic group. Elemental analyses indicated that the metal:ligand ratio was 1:2 in the metal chelates. Powder X-ray diffraction parameters suggested a monoclinic system for the mbH ligand and its Ni(II), Cu(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) complexes, and an orthorhombic system for the Mn(II) complex. Electrochemical properties of the ligand and its metal complexes were investigated in 1 × 10-3 -1 × 10-4 M DMF and CH3CN solvent in the range 200, 250, and 500 mV s-1 scan rates. The ligand showed both reversible and irreversible processes at these scan rates. In addition, genotoxic properties of the ligand and its complexes were examined. © Tubitak