Synthesis of Substituted Mandelic Acid Derivatives via Enantioselective Hydrogenation: Homogeneous versus Heterogeneous Catalysis

An extensive screening of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts was carried out for the enantioselective hydrogenation of p‐chlorophenylglyoxylic acid derivatives. For p‐chlorophenylglyoxylic amides only homogeneous Rh‐diphosphine complexes gave satisfactory results, ees up to 87% were observed for the cy‐oxo‐pronop ligand. For methyl p‐chlorophenylglyoxylate both a homogeneous as well as a heterogeneous catalyst performed with ees >90%. A Pt catalyst modified with cinchona derivatives achieved 93% ee for the (R)‐ and 87% ee for the (S)‐methyl p‐chloromandelate. A Ru‐MeObiphep catalyst also reached 93% ee with TONs up to 4000 and TOFs up to 210 h⁻¹. For all catalytic systems the effects of the metal, the nature of the chiral auxiliary and the solvent as well as of the reaction conditions were investigated. The homogeneous process was scaled up to the kg scale and the enantiomeric purity of the product was enhanced to >99% ee by two recrystallizations of the free p‐chlorophenylmandelic acid.     

Impact of Fluid Dynamics on the Viability and Differentiation Capacity of 3D-Cultured Jaw Periosteal Cells

Perfused bioreactor systems are considered to be a promising approach for the 3D culturing of stem cells by improving the quality of the tissue-engineered grafts in terms of better cell proliferation and deeper penetration of used scaffold materials. Our study aims to establish an optimal perfusion culture system for jaw periosteal cell (JPC)-seeded scaffolds. For this purpose, we used beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds as a three-dimensional structure for cell growth and osteogenic differentiation. Experimental set-ups of tangential and sigmoidal fluid configurations with medium flow rates of 100 and 200 µL/min were applied within the perfusion system. Cell metabolic activities of 3D-cultured JPCs under dynamic conditions with flow rates of 100 and 200 µL/min were increased in the tendency after 1, and 3 days of culture, and were significantly increased after 5 days. Significantly higher cell densities were detected under the four perfused conditions compared to the static condition at day 5. However, cell metabolic and proliferation activity under dynamic conditions showed flow rate independency in our study. In this study, dynamic conditions increased the expression of osteogenic markers (ALPL, COL1A1, RUNX2, and OCN) compared to static conditions and the tangential configuration showed a stronger osteogenic effect than the sigmoidal flow configuration.     

The Role of Telocytes and Telocyte-Derived Exosomes in the Development of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

A hallmark of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) is the degenerative remodeling of aortic wall, which leads to progressive aortic dilatation and resulting in an increased risk for aortic dissection or rupture. Telocytes (TCs), a distinct type of interstitial cells described in many tissues and organs, were recently observed in the aortic wall, and studies showed the potential regulation of smooth muscle cell (SMC) homeostasis by TC-released shed vesicles. The purpose of the present work was to study the functions of TCs in medial degeneration of TAA. During aneurysmal formation an increase of aortic TCs was identified in human surgical specimens of TAA-patients, compared to healthy thoracic aortic (HTA)-tissue. We found the presence of epithelial progenitor cells in the adventitial layer, which showed increased infiltration in TAA samples. For functional analysis, HTA- and TAA-telocytes were isolated, characterized, and compared by their protein levels, mRNA- and miRNA-expression profiles. We detected TC and TC-released exosomes near SMCs. TAA-TC-exosomes showed a significant increase of the SMC-related dedifferentiation markers KLF-4-, VEGF-A-, and PDGF-A-protein levels, as well as miRNA-expression levels of miR-146a, miR-221 and miR-222. SMCs treated with TAA-TC-exosomes developed a dedifferentiation-phenotype. In conclusion, the study shows for the first time that TCs are involved in development of TAA and could play a crucial role in SMC phenotype switching by release of extracellular vesicles.     

Data-Driven Identification of Biomarkers for In Situ Monitoring of Drug Treatment in Bladder Cancer Organoids

Three-dimensional (3D) organoid culture recapitulating patient-specific histopathological and molecular diversity offers great promise for precision medicine in cancer. In this study, we established label-free imaging procedures, including Raman microspectroscopy (RMS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), for in situ cellular analysis and metabolic monitoring of drug treatment efficacy. Primary tumor and urine specimens were utilized to generate bladder cancer organoids, which were further treated with various concentrations of pharmaceutical agents relevant for the treatment of bladder cancer (i.e., cisplatin, venetoclax). Direct cellular response upon drug treatment was monitored by RMS. Raman spectra of treated and untreated bladder cancer organoids were compared using multivariate data analysis to monitor the impact of drugs on subcellular structures such as nuclei and mitochondria based on shifts and intensity changes of specific molecular vibrations. The effects of different drugs on cell metabolism were assessed by the local autofluorophore environment of NADH and FAD, determined by multiexponential fitting of lifetime decays. Data-driven neural network and data validation analyses (k-means clustering) were performed to retrieve additional and non-biased biomarkers for the classification of drug-specific responsiveness. Together, FLIM and RMS allowed for non-invasive and molecular-sensitive monitoring of tumor-drug interactions, providing the potential to determine and optimize patient-specific treatment efficacy.     

Free‐Standing Functionalized Graphene Oxide Solid Electrolytes in Electrochemical Gas Sensors

A free‐standing sulfonic acid functionalized graphene oxide (fSGO)‐based electrolyte film is prepared and used in an electrochemical gas sensor, an alcohol fuel cell sensor (AFCS), for the detection of alcohol. The fSGO electrolyte film‐based AFCS detects ethanol vapor with excellent response, linearity, and sensitivity, since it possesses a high proton conductivity (58 mS cm^?1 at 55 °C). An ethanol detection limit level as low as 25 ppm is achieved and high selectivity for ethanol over acetone is demonstrated. These results do not only show the promising potential of fSGO films in an electrochemical gas sensors, specifically a portable breathalyzer, but also open an alternative pathway to investigate the application of graphene derivatives in the field of gas sensors.     

Nearly room-temperature type-II quantum-well lasers at 3–4 μm

We report optically pumped four-constituent InAs/InGaSb/InAs/AlSb type-II quantum-well lasers emitting at 3.2–4.1 μm. Lasing was observed up to 350K under pulsed operation, with a characteristic temperature T₀ up to 68K at temperatures above ambient.     

Thermal characterization of diamond-pressure-bond heat sinking foroptically pumped mid-infrared lasers

The heat-sinking properties of optically pumped semiconductor lasers mounted by the diamond-pressure-bonding (DPB) technique have been evaluated quantitatively. This method combines epi-side-down mounting with minimal processing and top optical access via pumping through the diamond. By correlating the pump-intensity variation of the emission wavelength with its temperature variation, specific thermal resistances have been determined for DPB-mounted type-II “W” lasers operating in the mid-infrared. Values <2.0 K·cm²/kW were obtained for all temperatures in the range 140-220 K     

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Frying Performance of Canola Oil Triacylglycerides as Affected by Vegetable Oils Minor Components

The endogenous minor components from canola, rice bran, sesame and palm oils including selected phospholipids, and various combinations of tocopherol isomers were tested during frying using canola oil triacylglycerols as the frying medium. Thermo-oxidative degradation was assessed by measurement of the total polar components, the rate of volatile carbonyl compounds and 4-hydroxynonenal formation. All the tested minor components protected to a different extent canola triacylglycerides from thermo-oxidative degradation during frying. No significant differences were observed in the protection of the triacylglycerides among all the tested tocopherol isomers and their mixtures. Irrespective of the composition of tocopherol homologous, an increase in the added amounts above 1,000 μg/g did not improve protection. Minor components isolated from rice bran and sesame oils offered better protection during canola triacylglycerides frying than endogenous minor components isolated from canola oil. When 0.2% phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine was added to the canola triacylglycerides, the amount of formed polar components decreased twice as compared to the tocopherol isomers. Accordingly, by optimizing the composition and the concentration of the endogenous minor components, the frying performance of oil can be significantly enhanced.