Biomedical subjects

C S Pappas

Publications and source records attributed to C S Pappas.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Determination of uronic acids in isolated hemicelluloses from kenaf using diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and the curve-fitting deconvolution method.

Hemicellulose samples were isolated from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.). Hemicellulosic fractions usually contain a variable percentage of uronic acids. The uronic acid content (expressed in polygalacturonic acid) of the isolated hemicelluloses was determined by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and the curve-fitting deconvolution method. A linear relationship between uronic acids content and the sum of the peak areas at 1745, 1715, and 1600 cm(-1) was established with a high correlation coefficient (0.98). The deconvolution analysis using the curve-fitting method allowed the elimination of spectral interferences from other cell wall components. The above method was compared with an established spectrophotometric method and was found equivalent for accuracy and repeatability (t-test, F-test). This method is applicable in analysis of natural or synthetic mixtures and/or crude substances. The proposed method is simple, rapid, and nondestructive for the samples.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

New method for pollen identification by FT-IR spectroscopy.

A new methodology for identification of pollen was developed based on FT-IR spectroscopy. Pollen samples of twenty different plant species were collected and the diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFTS) and KBr pellet spectra were recorded. Libraries of spectra were created. Spectra of unknown plant origin pollen were recorded and compared with those of the corresponding pollen library and the match value was measured automatically using the appropriate software (OMINC ver. 3.1). From the same pollen samples, microscopic slides were prepared and the photographs of the pollen grains were used as a second comparison method. Using light microscopy, the pollen identification is usually limited to the family or generic name, while FT-IR spectroscopy can distinguish species belonging to the same genus. This method is simple and fast, and when the DRIFTS technique is used the sample is not destroyed.

Algorithms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

L-Leucine prevents ammonia-induced changes in glutamate receptors in the brain and in visual evoked potentials in the rabbit.

The effect of L-leucine on glutamate receptors in the brain and on visual evoked potentials was studied in hyperammonemic rabbits. Hyperammonemia was induced by the iv infusion of 2.1 mmol NH4Cl/h over 3 hr. Hyperammonemia was followed by a 116% increase in the specific binding of 3H-glutamate to synaptic membranes prepared from the hippocampus. This increase was due to both an increase in the affinity and in the density of the glutamate receptor. The simultaneous infusion of L-leucine (6.7 mmol/hr) completely prevented the ammonia-induced increase in the specific glutamate binding, whereas L-valine and D-leucine had no effect. Hyperammonemia was also associated with typical, reproducible, and reversible changes in visual evoked potentials. The amplitudes of the first negative and the second positive peak decreased, whereas the latencies of these peaks remained unchanged. The simultaneous infusion of L-leucine completely prevented these changes. These findings indicate (1) that L-leucine prevents ammonia-induced changes in the glutamatergic excitatory neurotransmitter system and (2) that pharmacologic doses of L-leucine modulate the effects of hyperammonemia on central neurotransmission as assessed by visual evoked potentials. A causal relationship between the effects of L-leucine on ammonia-induced changes in glutamate receptors and in visual evoked potentials cannot be inferred with confidence. These findings provide a potential alternative explanation for the apparent beneficial effects of infusions of branched-chain amino acids on hepatic encephalography in patients with chronic liver disease.

Ammonia↗