An Estimate of the Vibrational Frequencies of Spherical Virus Particles

The possible normal modes of vibration of a nearly spherical virus particle are discussed. Two simple models for the particle are treated, a liquid drop model and an elastic sphere model. Some estimates for the lowest vibrational frequency are given for each model. It is concluded that this frequency is likely to be of the order of a few GHz for particles with a radius of the order of 50 nm.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Protective effect of carboxymethyl-glucan (CM-G) against DNA damage in patients with advanced prostate cancer

Carboxymethyl-glucan (CM-G) is a soluble derivative from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1 → 3)(1 → 6)-β-D-glucan. The protective efficiency of CM-G against DNA damage in cells from patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa), and undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT), was evaluated. DNA damage scores were obtained by the comet assay, both before and after treatment with CM-G. The reduction in DNA damage, ranging from 18% to 87%, with an average of 59%, was not related to the increased number of leukocytes in peripheral blood. The results demonstrate for the first time the protective effect of CM-G against DNA damage in patients with advanced PCa. Among smokers, three presented the highest reduction in DNA damage after treatment with CM-G. There was no observable relationship between DNA damage scores before and after treatment, and age, alcoholism and radiotherapy

Influence of Protein Vibrations on Electron Transfer

Using a double well model complemented with the third excited state it is shown that a new excited-state-induced protein vibration-mediated channel, with an electron transfer rate comparable to a standard tunneling rate may exist. This channel can become dominant at low temperatures