Antitumor Organometallics. IV. The Mutagenic Potential of Some Diphenylantimony(III) Dithiophosphorus Derivatives

Two diphenylantimony(III) derivatives of dithiophosphorus ligands, i.e. Ph(2)SbS(2)PPh(2) and Ph(2)SbS(2)P(OPr-i)(2), which were previously found to exhibit antitumor properties, have been now investigated for potential mutagenic effects in healthy and Ehrlich ascites tumor-bearing mice. Two short-term tests, i.e. the micronucleus test and the cytogenetic analysis, were used as end-points for mutagenicity. The results are consistent with a mutagenic potential for both organoantimony(III) compounds tested, the effect being higher for the phosphorodithioato derivative.     

Genotoxicity of Some Metal-Based Antineoplastics, Evaluated by SOS Chromotest and Cytogenetic Analysis

The paper reports the screening results of two metal-based antineoplastic drugs with mutagenic potential, such as Romcis (trademark of Cisplatinum, produced in Romania) and diphenylantimony(III) diisopropyldithiophosphate (PADTF). Their effects were compared with those induced by Cyclophosphamide. Two mutagenicity tests, the SOS Chromotest and cytogenetic analysis were applied. The tests were carried out with or without metabolic activation (addition of S(9)-mix), either in E. coli PQ 37 cultures, using four doses (0.3, 3, 30 and 300 pmol compound/assay) for the SOS Chromotest or in leukocyte cultures using 0.3 mM from each compound, for cytogenetics. The dose- response relationships and SOSIP values revealed an indirect mutagenic potential for Cyclophosphamide, amplified by S(9) mix in bacterial cultures and an antiproliferative, clastogenic effect on lymphocytes. For Romcis and diphenylantimony(III) diisopropyldithiophosphate, a significant positive response by SOS Chromotest was recorded, which correlated with increased frequencies of chromosomal aberrations.     

Thermal conductivity of Torlon between 4.2 and 300 K

Torlon is an organic polymer (polyamide-imide) which exhibits room temperature good mechanical and thermal properties and high chemical resistance. The thermal conductivity of Torlon 4203 was measured in the range of temperature 4.2-300 K. These data complete existing measurement in the temperature range 0.1-5 K. The thermal conductivity shows a linear behavior between 30 K and 250 K and a plateau, typical of many amorphous materials, around 7 K.     

Low-temperature thermal properties of polypropylene

We have studied the low temperature thermal properties of a polypropylene copolymer (PP): thermal conductivity (between 0.1 and 4 K), specific heat (between 0.06 and 1 K) and thermal expansion (from 4.2 K to room temperature).Both the thermal conductivity and the specific heat temperature data were interpreted using the tunnelling model for phonon scattering.The measured thermal properties show that PP is suitable for use as thermal insulating support material in cryogenic devices.     

Development and characterisation of microporous biomimetic scaffolds loaded with magnetic nanoparticles as bone repairing material

Fine-tuning of the scaffolds structural features for bone tissue engineering can be an efficient approach to regulate the specific response of the osteoblasts. Here, we loaded magnetic nanoparticles aka superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) into 3D composite scaffolds based on biological macromolecules (chitosan, collagen, hyaluronic acid) and calcium phosphates for potential applications in bone regeneration, using a biomimetic approach. We assessed the effects of organic (chitosan/collagen/hyaluronic acid) and inorganic (calcium phosphates, SPIONs) phase over the final features of the magnetic scaffolds (MS). Mechanical properties, magnetic susceptibility and biological fluids retention are strongly dependent on the final composition of MS and within the recommended range for application in bone regeneration. The MS architecture/pore size can be made bespoken through changes of the final organic/inorganic ratio. The scaffolds undertake mild degradation as the presence of inorganic components hinders the enzyme catalytic activity. In vitro studies indicated that osteoblasts (SaOS-2) on MS9 had similar cell behaviour activity in comparison with the TCP control. In vivo data showed an evident development of integration and resorption of the MS composites with low inflammation activity. Current findings suggest that the combination of SPIONs into 3D composite scaffolds can be a promising toolkit for bone regeneration.     

Post-buckling analysis of corrugated panels in the presence of multiple interacting modes

In this paper, the effect of the interaction between one overall buckling mode and many local modes on the post-buckling behaviour of uniformly compressed corrugated sheets is analysed by means of the general theory of elastic stability. The analysis is restricted to third order terms of the energy expansion and, therefore, it can be fruitfully applied to the investigation of structures with asymmetric post-buckling behaviour only. Initial imperfection effect is taken into account. By using the finite strip method, an extensive parametric analysis is performed.     

Superior Cerebellar Atrophy: An Imaging Clue to Diagnose ITPR1-Related Disorders

The inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor type 1 (ITPR1) gene encodes an InsP₃-gated calcium channel that modulates intracellular Ca²⁺ release and is particularly expressed in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Pathogenic variants in the ITPR1 gene are associated with different types of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia: SCA15 (adult onset), SCA29 (early-onset), and Gillespie syndrome. Cerebellar atrophy/hypoplasia is invariably detected, but a recognizable neuroradiological pattern has not been identified yet. With the aim of describing ITPR1-related neuroimaging findings, the brain MRI of 14 patients with ITPR1 variants (11 SCA29, 1 SCA15, and 2 Gillespie) were reviewed by expert neuroradiologists. To further evaluate the role of superior vermian and hemispheric cerebellar atrophy as a clue for the diagnosis of ITPR1-related conditions, the ITPR1 gene was sequenced in 5 patients with similar MRI pattern, detecting pathogenic variants in 4 of them. Considering the whole cohort, a distinctive neuroradiological pattern consisting in superior vermian and hemispheric cerebellar atrophy was identified in 83% patients with causative ITPR1 variants, suggesting this MRI finding could represent a hallmark for ITPR1-related disorders.     

Investigation of Mixed Mode I/II Brittle Fracture Using ASCB Specimen

Using the asymmetric semi-circular bend specimen (ASCB) with vertical crack, a series of mixed mode I/II fracture tests were performed on two different rigid polyurethanes materials. The experimental results obtained for brittle fracture are compared with the theoretical predictions based on MTS and SED criteria. The results demonstrate that the SED criterion gives better results for mode II loading conditions, while for mode I and predominantly mode I both criteria are accurate.     

Efficient Floating-Point Implementation of the Probit Function on FPGAs

Journal of Signal Processing Systems - Non-uniform random number generators are key components in Monte Carlo simulations. The inverse cumulative distribution function (ICDF) technique provides a...