Spectroscopic investigation of local mechanical impedance of living cells

The mechanical properties of PC12 living cells have been studied at the nanoscale with a Force Feedback Microscope using two experimental approaches. Firstly, the local mechanical impedance of the cell membrane has been mapped simultaneously to the cell morphology at constant force. As the force of the interaction is gradually increased, we observed the appearance of the sub-membrane cytoskeleton. We shall compare the results obtained with this method with the measurement of other existing techniques. Secondly, a spectroscopic investigation has been performed varying the indentation of the tip in the cell membrane and consequently the force applied on it. In contrast with conventional dynamic atomic force microscopy techniques, here the small oscillation amplitude of the tip is not necessarily imposed at the cantilever first eigenmode. This allows the user to arbitrarily choose the excitation frequency in developing spectroscopic AFM techniques. The mechanical response of the PC12 cell membrane is found to be frequency dependent in the 1 kHz - 10 kHz range. The damping coefficient is reproducibly observed to decrease when the excitation frequency is increased.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Vegetable-based diets for chronic kidney disease? It Is time to reconsider

Traditional dietary recommendations to renal patients limited the intake of fruits and vegetables because of their high potassium content. However, this paradigm is rapidly changing due to the multiple benefits derived from a fundamentally vegetarian diet such as, improvement in gut dysbiosis, reducing the number of pathobionts and protein-fermenting species leading to a decreased production of the most harmful uremic toxins, while the high fiber content of these diets enhances intestinal motility and short-chain fatty acid production. Metabolic acidosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is aggravated by the high consumption of meat and refined cereals, increasing the dietary acid load, while the intake of fruit and vegetables is able to neutralize the acidosis and its deleterious consequences. Phosphorus absorption and bioavailability is also lower in a vegetarian diet, reducing hyperphosphatemia, a known cause of cardiovascular mortality in CKD. The richness of multiple plants in magnesium and vitamin K avoids their deficiency, which is common in these patients. These beneficial e ects, together with the reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress observed with these diets, may explain the reduction in renal patients’ complications and mortality, and may slow CKD progression. Finally, although hyperkalemia is the main concern of these diets, the use of adequate cooking techniques can minimize the amount absorbedThe Renal, Vascular and Diabetes Laboratory is funded by Ministerio de Economia, Industria y competitividad: FIS ISCIII FEDER funds PI16/01298 and Sociedad Madrileña de Nefrologia

Cost-effectiveness and resource use of implementing MRI-guided NACT in ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancers in The Netherlands

Background: Response-guided neoadjuvant chemotherapy (RG-NACT) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is effective in treating oestrogen receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (ER-positive/HER2-negative) breast cancer. We estimated the expected cost-effectiveness and resources required for its implementation compared to conventional-NACT. Methods: A Markov model compared costs, quality-adjusted-life-years (QALYs) and costs/QALY of RG-NACT vs. conventional-NACT, from a hospital perspective over a 5-year time horizon. Health services required for and health outcomes of implementation were estimated via resource modelling analysis, considering a current (4 %) and a full (100 %) implementation scenario. Results: RG-NACT was expected to be more effective and less costly than conventional NACT in both implementation scenarios, with 94 % (current) and 95 % (full) certainty, at a willingness to pay threshold of €20.000/QALY. Fully implementing RG-NACT in the Dutch target population of 6306 patients requires additional 5335 MRI examinations and an (absolute) increase in the number of MRI technologists, by 3.6 fte (full-time equivalent), and of breast radiologists, by 0.4 fte. On the other hand, it prevents 9 additional relapses, 143 cancer deaths, 23 congestive heart failure events and 2 myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukaemia events. Conclusion: Considering cost-effectiveness, RG-NACT is expected to dominate conventional-NACT. While personnel capacity is likely to be sufficient for a full implementation scenario, MRI utilization needs to be intensified

Threshold Corrections and Gauge Symmetry in Twisted Superstring Models

Threshold corrections to the running of gauge couplings are calculated for superstring models with free complex world sheet fermions. For two N=1 $SU(2)\times U(1)^5$ models, the threshold corrections lead to a small increase in the unification scale. Examples are given to illustrate how a given particle spectrum can be described by models with different boundary conditions on the internal fermions. We also discuss how complex twisted fermions can enhance the symmetry group of an N=4 $SU(3)\times U(1)\times U(1)$ model to the gauge group $SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$. It is then shown how a mixing angle analogous to the Weinberg angle depends on the boundary conditions of the internal fermions.Comment: easier to Tex version, figures to be sent separatel

Heteronuclear {TbxEu1-x} furoate 1D polymers presenting luminescent properties and SMM behavior

We report the synthesis, crystal structure and photo-magnetic properties of novel Tb/Eu polymeric complexes of general formula {TbxEu1-x(a-fur)3(H2O)3}n, supported by 2-furancarboxilic acid: the homonuclear Tb(iii) complex {Tb} (1), four heterodinuclear complexes, {Tb0.8Eu0.2} (2), {Tb0.7Eu0.3} (3), {Tb0.3Eu0.7} (4), and {Tb0.1Eu0.9} (5), and the homonuclear Eu(iii)-only complex {Eu} (6). X-ray diffraction experiments show that the a-furoate ligands, acting in bridging mode, consolidate the 1D polymeric chains along the c-axis. Luminescence studies show the sensitization capability of the furoic acid ligand. Color tuning from green to red can be successfully achieved through the heterodinuclear strategy. We have measured Eu emission by direct excitation at the resonant 7F0 ¿ 5L6 (395 nm), and indirectly, by excitation of the non-resonant wavelength (280 nm) which provokes ligand ¿ Tb ¿ Eu energy transfer. Besides, ac susceptibility measurements under varying frequencies and temperatures reveal that mixed {TbxEu1-x} complexes exhibit field-induced slow relaxation dynamics, with extremely slow relaxation times, owing to direct processes affected by the bottleneck effect. Thus, the {TbxEu1-x} complexes represent interesting low-dimensional multifunctional materials combining both luminescent and SMM magnetic properties

Heteronuclear {TbxEu1-x} furoate 1D polymers presenting luminiscent properties and SMM behavior

We report the synthesis, crystal structure and photo-magnetic properties of novel Tb/Eu polymeric complexes of general formula {TbxEu1−x(α-fur)3(H2O)3}n, supported by 2-furancarboxilic acid: the homonuclear Tb(III) complex {Tb} (1), four heterodinuclear complexes, {Tb0.8Eu0.2} (2), {Tb0.7Eu0.3} (3), {Tb0.3Eu0.7} (4), and {Tb0.1Eu0.9} (5), and the homonuclear Eu(III)-only complex {Eu} (6). X-ray diffraction experiments show that the α-furoate ligands, acting in bridging mode, consolidate the 1D polymeric chains along the c-axis. Luminescence studies show the sensitization capability of the furoic acid ligand. Color tuning from green to red can be successfully achieved through the heterodinuclear strategy. We have measured Eu emission by direct excitation at the resonant 7F0 → 5L6 (395 nm), and indirectly, by excitation of the non-resonant wavelength (280 nm) which provokes ligand → Tb → Eu energy transfer. Besides, ac susceptibility measurements under varying frequencies and temperatures reveal that mixed {TbxEu1−x} complexes exhibit field-induced slow relaxation dynamics, with extremely slow relaxation times, owing to direct processes affected by the bottleneck effect. Thus, the {TbxEu1−x} complexes represent interesting low-dimensional multifunctional materials combining both luminescent and SMM magnetic properties

Heteronuclear {TbxEu1−x} furoate 1D polymers presenting luminescent properties and SMM behavior

We report the synthesis, crystal structure and photo-magnetic properties of novel Tb/Eu polymeric complexes of general formula {TbxEu1−x(α-fur)3(H2O)3}n, supported by 2-furancarboxilic acid: the homonuclear Tb(III) complex {Tb} (1), four heterodinuclear complexes, {Tb0.8Eu0.2} (2), {Tb0.7Eu0.3} (3), {Tb0.3Eu0.7} (4), and {Tb0.1Eu0.9} (5), and the homonuclear Eu(III)-only complex {Eu} (6). X-ray diffraction experiments show that the α-furoate ligands, acting in bridging mode, consolidate the 1D polymeric chains along the c-axis. Luminescence studies show the sensitization capability of the furoic acid ligand. Color tuning from green to red can be successfully achieved through the heterodinuclear strategy. We have measured Eu emission by direct excitation at the resonant 7F0 → 5L6 (395 nm), and indirectly, by excitation of the non-resonant wavelength (280 nm) which provokes ligand → Tb → Eu energy transfer. Besides, ac susceptibility measurements under varying frequencies and temperatures reveal that mixed {TbxEu1−x} complexes exhibit field-induced slow relaxation dynamics, with extremely slow relaxation times, owing to direct processes affected by the bottleneck effect. Thus, the {TbxEu1−x} complexes represent interesting low-dimensional multifunctional materials combining both luminescent and SMM magnetic properties

Antiferromagnetic single-chain magnet slow relaxation in the {Tb(α-fur)3}n polymer with non-Kramers ions

We report the synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of a new molecular complex based on a Tb(iii) ion supported by 2-furancarboxylic molecules: {Tb(α-fur)(HO)} (α-fur = CHOCOO). Two slightly different Tb sites (A and B) exist depending on the position of one of the dangling ligands. Ab initio calculations predict that, for both sites, the magnetic ground state is highly anisotropic (g∗ = 17.8) and consists of a quasi-doublet with a small gap, well isolated from the next excited state. The α-fur ligand forms 1D polymeric chains of Tb ions of the same type (either A or B) running along the c-axis. The crystal structure is formed by the supramolecular stacking along the a-axis of 2D layers containing parallel chains of the same type. Static magnetization and heat capacity measurements show that, magnetically, the system can be modeled as an ensemble of Ising chains of non-Kramers Tb ions with effective spin S∗ = 1/2, antiferromagnetically (AF) coupled by a weak intrachain interaction (J∗/k = -0.135 K). At very low temperatures, the static susceptibility reflects the presence of a 2-4% concentration of defects in the chains. Ac susceptibility measurements at H = 0 performed down to mK temperatures have enabled us to observe the slow relaxation of magnetization through two different pathways. They are assigned to Single-Chain-Magnet (SCM) behavior in two different types of AF chains (A and B), triggered by the existence of defects breaking the chains into segments with short-range order. At temperatures below 0.1 K this mechanism is replaced by individual relaxation of the ions through direct processes. Under the application of a magnetic field the system slowly relaxes by two distinct direct processes, strongly affected by a phonon bottleneck effect.This work has been financed by MECOM Projects MAT11/23791 and MAT11/27233-C02-02, MAT2015-68204-R, MAT2014-53921-R, DGA IMANA E34 and MOLCHIP E98 Projects. Consolider Nanoselect (CSD2007-00041) and by a grant of the Ministry of National Education, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2012-4-0261. D. P. thanks the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation for financial support.Peer Reviewe

Formation of Pyrazol-1,3,4-Thiadiazoles through 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of 3-Thioxo-[1,2,4]-Triazepin-5-one with Nitrilimines: An Experimental and Computational study

In this work the results of experimental and computational study of the title compounds and some ancillary compounds are reported. Two bicyclic pyrazol-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives were synthesized by reaction between 6-dimethylaminomethylene-3-thioxo-[1,2,4]- triazepin-5-one 1 and several nitrilimines 2a-f to give corresponding spirocycloadducts 3a-f, which undergo a rapid rearrangement leading to the new bicyclic compounds, 4a-f and 5a-f. These obtained bicyclic products were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and finally by X-ray crystallography. Theoretical calculations have been carried out using DFT methods to rationalize the formation of the two new bicyclic compounds. Two reaction types are involved in the formation of the compounds 4a-f and 5a-f. The first one is a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between 1 acting as dipolarophile and 2a-f as dipoles. The results indicate that the cycloaddition between 1 and 2g, as model of 2a-c, takes place via a high asynchronous bond-formation process. The regioselectivity obtained from the calculations is in complete agreement with the formation of the unique spirocycloadducts 3a-f. The second reaction leading to the formation of the final products is a domino process that is initiated by the quick and irreversible cleavage in a catalytic acid environment of triazepenic ring