New parametrization for optical model description of elastic α\alpha -particle scattering from heavy nuclei over a wide energy range

Differential cross sections for elastic scattering of $\alpha$-particle from $^{90}$Zr, $^{92}$Zr, $^{124}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb were analysed over available energy range in terms of the optical model. New parametrization of the energy dependence of the optical potential parameters was used. Satisfactory agreement of the model predictions and experimental data was obtained

A study on whether the wood-saxon or the woods-saxon square parametrisation is appropriate for the phenomenological representation of different α \alpha -particle nucleus folding potentials

The Woods-Saxon (WS) and the squared Woods-Saxon (WS)$^{2}$ parametrisations for the single and double folding potentials were tested. We showed that the (WS)$^{2}$ form is appropriate for single as well as double folding approaches

Saturation effect and determination of nuclear matter denisity distribution from optical potential

A refined double folding procedure with density dependence of the effective nucleon- -nucleon interaction included is used to calculate the real part of the alpha particle — $^{48,40}$Ca potentials. We show that the experimentally determined difference between rms radii of the (real) potentials implies a larger size of the nuclear matter distribution of the $^{48}$Ca nucleus as compared to the $^{40}$Ca nucleus

Synthesis of Novel Indane-1,3-dione Derivatives and Their Biological Evaluation as Anticoagulant Agents

2-Substituted derivatives of indane-1,3-dione 3a–f , 5a–g, 6a–g were synthesized and investigated as anticoagulant agents. 2-Arylindane-1,3-diones (3) were obtained in the reaction of phthalide with appropriate arylaldehydes. 2-Arylmethyleneindane-1,3-diones (5) were prepared by condensation of indane-1,3-dione with the corresponding arylaldehydes. The compounds 5 were converted into their methyl analogues 6 by reduction with sodium tetrahydroborate. All of the compounds studied were screened for the anticoagulant activity. The highest prothrombin time was established for 2-[4-(methyl-sulfanyl)phenyl]indane-1,3-dione (3c) (PT = 33.71(±26.01) s), which was very close to PT of the drug anisindione (PT = 36.0(±26.42) s). </p

Efficient methods for synthesis of florol and its derivatives

The paper describes and compares the two methods of synthesis of florol (1) (4-methyl-2-(2-methylpropyl) tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-ol) by the Prins reaction. The first method involves the reaction for obtaining 1 in methylene chloride as solvent at 60°C. The second method applies the preparation of florol (1) and other tetrahydrofuran derivatives in solvent-free conditions in room temperature

MET receptor is a potential therapeutic target in high grade cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women suffering from tumors. Current treatment options are insufficient. Here, we investigated the MET receptor as a potential molecular target in advanced cervical cancer. Downregulation of MET receptor expression via RNA interference in different cervical carcinoma cell lines dramatically decreased tumor growth and forced tumor differentiation in vivo. MET receptor silencing also led to a dramatic decrease in cell size and a decrease in proliferation rate under normal and stress conditions. MET receptor downregulation also resulted in decreased cyclin D1 and c-myc levels but did not increase apoptosis. Subsequent experiments showed that downregulation of the MET receptor decreased the expression of a key regulator of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, SLUG. and increased the expression of E-cadherin, a hallmark of the epithelial phenotype. Moreover, MET downregulation impairs expression and signaling of CXCR4 receptor, responsible for invasive phenotype. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that the MET receptor influences the oncogenic properties of cervical carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. These findings highlight a unique role of the MET receptor in cervical carcinoma cells and indicate the MET receptor as a potential therapeutic target for advanced cervical carcinoma

Cytogenetic and molecular genotyping in the allotetraploid Festuca pratensis × Lolium perenne hybrids

Background: Species of the Festuca and Lolium genera, as well as intergeneric Festuca × Lolium (Festulolium) hybrids, are valuable fodder and turf grasses for agricultural and amenity purposes worldwide. Festulolium hybrids can merge in their genomes agronomically important characteristics. However, in polyploid plants, especially in allopolyploids, the hybridization of divergent genomes could contribute to various abnormalities, such as variability in chromosome number, structural rearrangements, and/or disorders in inheritance patterns. Here we studied these issues in allotetraploid Festuca pratensis × Lolium perenne hybrids. Results: Cytogenetic procedures, including fluorescent in situ hybridization, genomic in situ hybridization, and molecular markers – inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) were exploited. This cytogenetic approach indicated the dynamics in the number and distribution of ribosomal RNA genes and structural rearrangements for both parental genomes (Festuca and Lolium) in hybrid karyotypes. The separate analysis of F. pratensis and L. perenne chromosomes in hybrid plants (F2-F3 generations of F. pratensis × L. perenne) revealed the asymmetrical level of rearrangements. Recognized structural changes were mainly located in the distal part of chromosome arms, and in chromosomes bearing ribosomal DNA, they were more frequently mapped in arms without this sequence. Based on the ISSR markers distribution, we found that the tetrasomic type of inheritance was characteristic for the majority of ISSR loci, but the disomic type was also observed. Nonetheless, no preference in the transmission of either Festuca or Lolium alleles to the following generations of allotetraploid F. pratensis × L. perenne hybrid was observed. Conclusion: Our study reports cytogenetic and molecular genotyping of the F. pratensis × L. perenne hybrid and its following F2-F3 progenies. The analysis of 137 allotetraploid F. pratensis × L. perenne hybrids revealed the higher level of recombination in chromosomes derived from F. pratensis genome. The results of ISSR markers indicated a mixed model of inheritance, which may be characteristic for these hybrids

Solvent-free microwave-assisted synthesis of aripiprazole

Aripiprazole is a widely used antipsychotic approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in 2002. Methods for preparation of aripiprazole mainly involve the use of expensive and toxic solvents, and the reaction time can be even several hours long. Our method allows to obtain aripiprazole with a yield of approximately 70–80% over just a few minutes using solvent-free conditions in the presence of PTC (Phase Transfer Catalysts) and microwave radiation

Comparative "in vitro" studies of furazidin and nitrofurantoin activities against common uropathogens including multidrug-resistant strains of "E. coli" and "S. aureus"

Urinary tract infections caused by wide range of pathogens including gram-negative andgram-positive bacteria as well as fungi are a severe public health problem. The predominant causative agent of both uncomplicated and complicated urinary tract infections is Escherichia coli. In an era of increasing bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents and a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains in communityandhospital-acquired infections, the re-evaluation of older generations of antimicrobial agents, such as nitrofuran derivatives, seems to be a reasonable approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate furazidin activity against common uropathogens in comparison to nitrofurantoin and other selected antimicrobial agents, routinely used in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Furazidin exhibited lower MICs than nitrofurantoin when tested against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria including clinical MDR E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The MICs for furazidin ranged from 4 to 64 mg/L forEnterobacteriaceae strains, from 2 to 4 mg/L for gram-positive cocci, and 0.5 mg/L for anaerobic bacteria. The MICs for nitrofurantoin ranged from 16 to 64 mg/L for Enterobacteriaceae strains, from 8 to 64 mg/L for gram positive cocci, and 4 mg/L for anaerobic bacteria. In addition, both nitrofurans displayed better activity against the tested bacterial strains than ciprofloxacin, fosfomycin, trimethoprim and co-trimoxazole. Nitrofuran derivatives displayed higher antimicrobial activity than other antimicrobial agents regardless of bacteria species or resistance mechanism