Laboratory exercises on physical and colloid chemistry

Manual for laboratory exercises on physical and colloid chemistry is constituted in agreement with programme of this course for students of medical and biological specialities of universities. Manual includes exercises on selected top-ics: thermochemistry, electrolytic conductance, electromotive force and galvanic cells. Навчально-методичний посібник містить лабораторні роботи з курсу фізичної та колоїдної хімії та відповідає програмі цього курсу для студентів медико-біологічного профілю вищих навчальних закладів України. У ньому містяться роботи, які відносяться до таких розділів: термохімія, електропровідність розчинів, електрорушійні сили та гальванічні елементи, хімічна кінетика, утворення та стійкість дисперсних систем, електрокінетичні явища

Medical Chemistry (in two modules). Module No. 1: Acid-Base Equilibria and Complex Formation in Biological Liquids

TO THE STUDENT Dear Student, We are glad to greet You in Ukraine at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. To be successful in the Medicine and Healthcare Professions You should have a fundamental knowledge of the University’s Chemistry. Understanding of Chemistry and other natural science disciplines allow You to appreciate its impact on society and personally on You as a highly intelligent individual. The required discipline “Medical Chemistry” is a joint chemical course recommended by the Ministry of Health Protection and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for the first-year students of the speciality 222 “Medicine” in the field of knowledge 22 “Health Protection”. The course “Medical Chemistry” that was designed to help You learn the fundamentals of Chemistry consists of the Modules No. 1 and No. 2. Both Modules include lectures, seminars and praxis. A lot of new formulas of compounds, equations of chemical reactions, laws and rules You will find within the course. Successful students should not only know them, but also should understand how to apply each one. Well known that the best way of learning is the practical lessons. Praxis in Medical Chemistry will show You that the fundamental principles are applicable to all kinds of chemical and biochemical systems as well as living organisms. We are wishing You successful learning and high-level grades! Sincerely, AuthorsMethodical recommendations to the practical lessons for the first-year students of the School of Medicine. Manual to the practical lessons on the Module No. 1 of Medical Chemistry course. Guidance designed for the first-year students of the School of Medicine (field of knowledge – 22 “Health Protection”, speciality – 222 “Medicine”)

Assessment of subclinical magnesium deficiency in pregnant women

Introduction. The question of the ratio of calcium and magnesium in the body in the scientific community is not discussed as often as the role of each of these elements. Experts pay even less attention to the ratio of minerals in the body of pregnant women.Aim. To analyze the content of magnesium and calcium in the blood of pregnant women at different gestation periods and evaluate the ratio of magnesium / calcium in order to establish the calculated coefficient.Materials and methods. 272 pregnant women (age 31.85 ± 5.0 years) at different gestation periods were included in the study. The subjects did not complain, typical for the clinic of magnesium and calcium deficiency. All surveyed gave written consent to the study. A biochemical blood test (determination of the concentration of total calcium, magnesium) was carried out in the laboratory of LLC DNKOM in Moscow. Blood sampling from the cubital vein was carried out according to the standard method in the morning on an empty stomach after 10–12 hours of fasting.Results and discussion. Concentration of  total calcium in  the serum was (M  ±  SD) 2.28  ±  0.11  mmol/l, total magnesium  – 0.78 ± 0.07 mmol/l, magnesium/calcium ratio – 0.34 ± 0.03. Mean concentrations of calcium and magnesium were significantly lower in women in the II and III trimesters compared with the I trimester (p < 0.001). A decrease in magnesium concentration below the optimal for pregnant women of 0.8 mmol / l was observed in 37.5% of women in the first trimester, in 77.3% and 84.1% in the II and III trimesters, respectively. Serum magnesium concentration less than 0.7 mmol / l, reflecting a profound magnesium deficiency, was detected in the first trimester in 3.6% of women, in the second trimester – in 11.3% of women, in the third trimester – in 15.9% of pregnancies. Hypocalcemia (total calcium concentration less than 2.15 mmol/l) was recorded in 0.9%, 11.3% and 22.3% of pregnant women in the I, II and III trimesters. When calculating the magnesium/calcium ratio, subclinical magnesium deficiency was detected in 96.7% of pregnant women throughout pregnancy. Conclusion. The data obtained indicate the need for pregravid examination and early correction of metabolic disorders.>< 0.001). A decrease in magnesium concentration below the optimal for pregnant women of 0.8 mmol / l was observed in 37.5% of women in the first trimester, in 77.3% and 84.1% in the II and III trimesters, respectively. Serum magnesium concentration less than 0.7 mmol / l, reflecting a profound magnesium deficiency, was detected in the first trimester in 3.6% of women, in the second trimester – in 11.3% of women, in the third trimester – in 15.9% of pregnancies. Hypocalcemia (total calcium concentration less than 2.15 mmol/l) was recorded in 0.9%, 11.3% and 22.3% of pregnant women in the I, II and III trimesters. When calculating the magnesium/calcium ratio, subclinical magnesium deficiency was detected in 96.7% of pregnant women throughout pregnancy.Conclusion. The data obtained indicate the need for pregravid examination and early correction of metabolic disorder

Association of novel monomethine cyanine dyes with bacteriophage MS2:A fluorescence study

Novel monomethine cyanine dyes Cl-YO, F-YO, Cl-YO-Et, Cl-YO-Bu, and YO-Pent were evaluated as agents to detect and characterise a small virus, the MS2 bacteriophage, using the dye and virus intrinsic fluorescence, kinetic and thermal properties, chemical denaturation, and molecular docking and quantum chemistry modelling. The examined compounds demonstrated enhanced fluorescence responses and high affinities (~1 μM−1) for the intact bacteriophage at physiological ionic strength. The linear Scatchard plots revealed the existence of one binding mode for most dyes. Strong evidence that the cyanines bind to the bacteriophage external surface were obtained, although the possibility of the dye penetration through the virus shell and subsequent complexation with the viral RNA was also tested. The main arguments in favour of the former were that i) the fluorescence of the MS2-bound fluorophores decreased under the influence of protein denaturants, urea and guanidine hydrochloride; ii) the fluorescence responses of the dyes to MS2 and bovine serum albumin were similar; and (iii) one order of magnitude higher sensitivity of the dyes to the yeast RNA was found. Simple docking studies suggested that one cyanine molecule is trapped in a cleft formed by three proteins composing the virus shell. Significant role of electrostatic forces in the stabilisation of the dye-MS2 complexes at low ionic strength (10 mM) was demonstrated, while the influence of steric, hydrophobic, and van-der-Waals interactions was expected to increase at physiological ionic strength. The spectral properties of the novel cyanine dyes compared to other fluorophores demonstrated higher sensitivity of the cyanines to MS2, rendering them promising agents for the investigation of the changes in the virus structure under the influence of heat (Cl-YO-Et, Cl-YO-Bu), denaturants (Cl-YO, F-YO), and ionic strength (all the compounds)

The Spectrophotometric Determination of the Patchy Surface Potential of Viruses Using pH-Sensitive Molecular Probes

Chemistry experiments involving biological aspects are in high demand. This laboratory exercise blends biochemistry and physical chemistry, illustrates key concepts of the virus capsid surface, and is designed for a chemistry laboratory course for students majoring in biology in college. The experimental part provides a mastery of spectrophotometric and potentiometric methods as well as numerical and graphical analysis of the data obtained. The experimental determination of pKa for neutral red, NR, and p-nitrophenol, NP, attracted to the surface of the MS2 bacteriophage results in an estimation of its local surface potential, Ψ. A distinctive feature of this lab is the twofold result: the positive Ψ value in the NP localization patch and the negative Ψ value in the NR localization patch. Discussions with students are focused on considering the surface (i) as an unstructured continuum that is characterized by physical quantities such as electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential and (ii) as a discontinuum containing certain charged groups that form discrete patches diverse in charge density and in the sign of the charges. The full-atom model of the MS2 capsid recently presented in the scientific literature provides reasonable confirmation of the experimental results obtained