Search

Abstract: The postharvest dehydration is one of the most important steps in obtaining a high quality naturally sweet wine and it can play an important role in modulating the production and the release of volatile compounds. However, only a few studies have analysed the changes in the free and bound volatile compounds of grapes throughout the process. In this work, GC–MS was applied to determine the aromatic composition of Garnacha Tintorera grapes subjected to off-vine dehydration or raisining at several points during the process. The total water loss in 83days was about 62% and the sugar concentration rose from 225 to 464g/L. Within the free volatile compounds, isoamyl alcohols, benzaldehyde and guaiacol registered the largest increase above the concentration effect due to water loss; while within the bound volatile compounds were isoamyl alcohols, ethyl vanillate and benzoic acid. The aromatic profile of the raisins obtained were mainly caramelised, floral, phenolic and burned. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Theconformational properties and aggregation behavior of two selectivelymodified cyclomaltooligosaccharides (cyclodextrins, CDs) containinga double-linked 1,8-dimethylnaphthalene cap-like moiety at the secondaryface, namely, 2I,3I-O-(1,8-dimetylnaphthalene-α,α′-diyl)-per-O-Me-α- and -γ-cyclodextrins (NmαCD and NmγCD, respectively), in waterand in organic solvents were investigated. Both CD derivatives self-associatedin water to form dimer species, but the characteristics of the dimerizationprocess and of the resulting dimer strongly depended on the size ofthe macrocycle. Dimerization constants, thermodynamic parameters uponassociation, and information about the preferred conformations ofthe monomer and dimer CD structures were obtained by using NMR, UV–vis,steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, and circular dichroismexperimental techniques, as well as molecular mechanics (MM) and moleculardynamics (MD) simulations. The complexation of 1,8-di(methoxymethyl)naphathalene(oNy) and the heteroassociation of both NmCDs withtheir permethylated CD partners (mCDs), lacking thearomatic cap, were examined. In addition, the influence of the sizeof the chromophore moiety on the thermodynamics of self-associationwas also assessed by comparison of the results obtained for the newnaphthalene derivatives with those of the 2I,3I-O-(1,2-xylylene)-modified CD analogues (XmCDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new trinuclear copper(II) complex has been synthesized and structurally characterized: [Cu[sub 3](L)[sub 2](HCOO)[sub 2](OH)[sub 2]][sub ∞] (HL = (N-pyrid-2-ylmethyl)benzenesulfonylamide). In the complex, the central copper ion is six-coordinated. The coordination spheres of the terminal copper atoms are square pyramidal, the apical positions being occupied by a sulfonamido oxygen of the contiguous trimer. As a consequence, the complex can be considered a chain of trinuclear species. The three copper atoms are in a strict linear arrangement, and adjacent coppers are connected by a hydroxo bridge and a bidentate syn-syn carboxylato group. The mixed bridging by a hydroxide oxygen atom and a bidentate formato group leads to a noncoplanarity of the adjacent basal coordination planes with a dihedral angle of 61.4(2)°. Susceptibility measurements (2-300 K) reveal a strong ferromagnetic coupling, J = 79 cm[sup -1], leading to a quartet ground state that is confirmed by the EPR spectrum. The ferromagnetic coupling arises from the countercomplementarity of the hydroxo and formato bridges. The trinuclear complex cleaves DNA efficiently, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide/sodium ascorbate. tert-Butyl alcohol and sodium azide inhibit the oxidative cleavage, suggesting that the hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen are involved in the DNA degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The [Cu(sulfathiazolato)2(benzimidazole)2]2MeOH complex has been synthesised and characterised. It crystallises in the monoclinic system, space group C1c1, with unit cell dimensions a=18.829(7) A˚, b=12.206(3) A˚, c=17.233(5) A˚, α=90.06(2)°, β=97.28(3)°, γ=90.21(3)° and Z=4. The geometry around the copper(II) ion is intermediate between tetrahedral and square planar. The complex produces cleavage of plasmid pUC18 in presence of reducing agents. The efficiency of cleavage reaction of the title compound with pUC18 and with different reducing agents follows the order ascorbate–H2O2>ascorbate>MPA>dithiothreitol>H2O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Video game playing (VGP) is an increasingly common leisure activity among children and adolescents, although in some cases, it is accompanied by problems due to misuse., Method: A sample of 2884 children and adolescents aged between 12 and 20, representative of the Community of Madrid (Spain), were studied using a cluster analysis to explore the existence of cognitive patterns associated with engagement, attitudes, and concurrent cognitions. We also explored the relationship between these patterns and problematic VGP, using the 2173 gamers as a reference., Results: The concurrent cognitions were not qualitatively different between the problematic users and the others. High engagement and high activation of concurrent cognitions (intensity and frequency) showed the greatest relationship with problematic VGP., Conclusions: The results suggest the existence of different groups of gamers and the relevance to include psycho-educational aspects in intervention programs, as well as the training of specific skills, especially those related with the control of activation. Limitations related to the sample size and potential supplementary analyses are acknowledged.

Background: Glioblastoma is the most common and lethal brain cancer. New treatments are needed. However, the presence of the blood-brain barrier is limiting the development of new treatments directed toward the brain, as it restricts the access and distribution of drugs to the CNS. Materials & methods: In this work, two different nanoparticles (i.e., mesoporous silica nanoparticles and magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles) loaded with ponatinib were prepared. Results & conclusion: Both particles were characterized and tested in vitro and in vivo , proving that they are not toxic for blood-brain barrier cells and they increase the amount of drug reaching the brain when administered intranasally in comparison with the results obtained for the free drug.

Chromosome instability is a well-known hallmark of cancer, leading to increased genetic plasticity of tumoral cells, which favors cancer aggressiveness, and poor prognosis. One of the main sources of chromosomal instability are events that lead to a Whole-Genome Duplication (WGD) and the subsequently generated cell polyploidy. In recent years, several studies showed that WGD occurs at the early stages of cell transformation, which allows cells to later become aneuploid, thus leading to cancer progression. On the other hand, other studies convey that polyploidy plays a tumor suppressor role, by inducing cell cycle arrest, cell senescence, apoptosis, and even prompting cell differentiation, depending on the tissue cell type. There is still a gap in understanding how cells that underwent WGD can overcome the deleterious effect on cell fitness and evolve to become tumoral. Some laboratories in the chromosomal instability field recently explored this paradox, finding biomarkers that modulate polyploid cells to become oncogenic. This review brings a historical view of how WGD and polyploidy impact cell fitness and cancer progression, and bring together the last studies that describe the genes helping cells to adapt to polyploidy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Sanz-Gómez, González-Álvarez, De Las Rivas and de Cárcer.)