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Background: In addition to allergen-specific IgE (sIgE), allergen-specific IgG4 (sIgG4) antibodies are also involved in the immune response resulting from an allergen exposure. The aim of our study was to analyze sIgE and sIgG4 patterns in the most common allergic disorders: bronchial asthma, upper airway disorders and atopic dermatitis. Methods: In this study a screening analysis of blood serum samples from 673 patients aged from 6 months to 17 years with different allergic entities was performed on microarrays. sIgE and sIgG4 levels to the most common allergens were estimated. Results: sIgE response to most pollen allergens is more strongly associated with respiratory diseases than with atopic dermatitis, while sIgE responses to cat and dog dander are more strongly associated with bronchial asthma than with atopic dermatitis and upper airway disorders such as rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis. A lower prevalence of sIgG4 to pollen allergens in cases of atopic dermatitis is observed compared with that in cases of asthma and upper airway disorders. Analyzing all the allergic disorders, one can see that sIgG4 response to inhalant allergens is strongly associated with sensitization to the corresponding allergen. Conclusion: Allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 patterns that are relevant to concrete allergic diseases differ by sIgE and sIgG4 prevalences to defined allergens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel hexadecachloro-substituted Eu, Er and Lu monophthalocyaninates were prepared via two alternative ways: lanthanide ion templated tetramerization of tetrachlorophthalonitrile and metallation of the corresponding phthalocyanine ligand. Target complexes were identified by mass spectrometry and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Aggregation behavior of these compounds was investigated using UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Hybrid nanoparticle conjugates composed of the gold cores (20 and 30 nm in diameter) covered by the layers of target phthalocyanines were obtained. The formation of phthalocyanine shell on the surface of nanoparticles and its elemental composition were examined using transmission electron microscopy experiments. Reverse saturable absorption effect was found in solution of the erbium complex utilizing z-scan technique. Furthermore, significant increase in the effect was observed in hybrid nanoparticles due to their plasmonic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel phenyl- and phenoxy-substituted subphthalocyanines bearing a halogen ion in the axial position were synthesised. The compounds obtained were characterised by 1 H, 13 C and 1 H– 1 H nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry. The correlation between the position of the Q-band and the nature of axial or peripheral substituents was shown. Redox transitions of the compounds were characterised using cyclic voltammetry in o -dichlorobenzene. The redox potentials determined suggest a higher electron-donating ability of phenyl substituents compared to phenoxy groups. Absorption cross sections, quantum yields of fluorescence and intersystem crossing, lifetimes of excited states and non-linear optical properties were studied using UV–Vis spectroscopy, stationary and time-resolved fluorimetry, and a non-linear Z-scan technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two series of novel zwitterionic water-soluble pentamethine cyanine dyes with geometrically balanced structures were synthesized and characterized. One series of cyanine dyes is the «zwitterionic» fluorophores, which contain positively charged trimethylammonioalkyl and negatively charged sulfonate groups. The second series of cyanine dyes contains a sulfonate group on one indolenine nucleus and a carboxyl group linked through an N- acylsulfonamide bond on the other indolenine nucleus. Dye-modified deoxyuridine triphosphates were synthesized and evaluated as reagents for nucleic acid labeling using PCR with Taq DNA-polymerase. The efficiency of the incorporation of labeled nucleotides was investigated via real-time PCR and using a «KRAS-Biochip» commercial testing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Near-infrared heptamethine cyanine dyes were synthesized without substitution to the polyene chain but with various substituents on the indoleninium fragments. To develop indotricarbocyanine dyes with improved photochemical characteristics, we studied the relationship between the structures of these compounds, their spectral properties, their photostability, and thermal stability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A molecular approach was developed to identify drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by means of biochips with oligonucleotides immobilised in polyacrylamide gel pads. The technique was based on multiplex PCR, followed by hybridisation on an oligonucleotide microarray, and detected> 95% of rifampicin-resistant and c. 80% of isoniazid-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates within 12 h. In total, 220 drug-resistant isolates and 131 clinical samples were tested using biochips. The sensitivity and specificity of the developed method were comparable with those of standard bacteriological testing of M. tuberculosis drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]