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The electronic structure of transition metal dihelide dications.

Multi-reference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations have been employed to characterize the low-lying states of first-row transition metal dihelide dications, He(2)TM(2+) (TM = Sc-Cu). The most important state-ordering principles were determined to be the occupation of the 4s orbital and orientation of the occupied 3d orbital. The ground states of all species are predicted to be of D(infinityh) symmetry arising from a 3d(n+1) electronic configuration. For excited states with singly occupied 4s or doubly occupied 3d(sigma) orbitals, bending to C(2v) symmetry typically lowers the energy and shortens the He-TM bond length. Coupled cluster singles and doubles with a perturbative treatment of triple excitations (CCSD(T)) results for ground state spectroscopic properties are in agreement with the MRCI predicted trends.

Computer Simulation↗

Metal ion selectivity of oligopeptides.

Metal binding affinity and selectivity of peptides are reviewed with a special emphasis on the high structural variety of peptide complexes. The most common structural type of these complexes is built up by the deprotonation and metal ion coordination of subsequent amide groups in the form of fused five-membered chelate rings. The metal ion selectivity of this process and the role of various anchoring groups are discussed in detail. The highest metal binding affinity of peptides is connected to the presence of two anchoring groups in appropriate location (the "double anchor"): e.g. the NH2-Xaa-Xaa-His/Cys/Asp/Met-Xaa sequence. Among the side chain donor functions, the imidazole of histidyl and thiolate of cysteinyl residues are the most effective ligating groups and their involvement in metal binding results in a great variety of different macrochelate or loop structures and/or formation of various polynuclear complexes. Examples of these structural motifs and their possible applications have been thoroughly discussed.

Animals↗

Falling through the cracks: challenges and opportunities for improving transitional care for persons with continuous complex care needs.

Persons with continuous complex care needs frequently require care in multiple settings. During transitions between settings, this population is particularly vulnerable to experiencing poor care quality and problems of care fragmentation. Despite how common these transitions have become, the challenges of improving care transitions have received little attention from policy makers, clinicians, and quality improvement entities. This article begins with a definition of transitional care and then discusses the nature of the problem, its prevalence, manifestations of poorly executed transitions, and potentially remediable barriers. Necessary elements for effective transitions are then presented, followed by promising new directions for quality improvement at the level of the delivery system, information technology, and national health policy. The article concludes with a proposed research agenda designed to advance the science of high-quality transitional care.

Aged↗

Conservation of connectivity of model-space effective interactions under a class of similarity transformation.

Effective interaction operators usually act on a restricted model space and give the same energies (for Hamiltonian) and matrix elements (for transition operators, etc.) as those of the original operators between the corresponding true eigenstates. Various types of effective operators are possible. Those well defined effective operators have been shown to be related to each other by similarity transformation. Some of the effective operators have been shown to have connected-diagram expansions. It is shown in this paper that under a class of very general similarity transformations, the connectivity is conserved. The similarity transformation between Hermitian and non-Hermitian Rayleigh-Schrodinger perturbative effective operators is one of such transformations and hence the connectivity can be deducted from each other.

Journal Article↗

First principles local pseudopotential for silver: towards orbital-free density-functional theory for transition metals.

Orbital-free density-functional theory (OF-DFT) with modern kinetic-energy density functionals (KEDFs) is a linear scaling technique that accurately describes nearly-free-electron-like (main group) metals. In an attempt towards extending OF-DFT to transition metals, here we consider whether OF-DFT can be used effectively to study Ag, a metal with a localized d shell. OF-DFT has two approximations: use of a KEDF and local pseudopotentials (LPSs). This paper reports construction of a reasonably accurate LPS for Ag by means of inversion of the Kohn-Sham (KS) DFT equations in a bulk crystal environment. The accuracy of this LPS is determined within KS-DFT (where the exact noninteracting kinetic energy is employed) by comparing its predictions of bulk properties to those obtained from a conventional (orbital-based) nonlocal pseudopotential (NLPS). We find that the static bulk properties of fcc and hcp Ag predicted within KS-DFT using this LPS compare fairly well to those predicted by an NLPS. With the transferability of the LPS established, we then use this LPS in OF-DFT, where several approximate KEDFs were tested. We find that a combination of the Thomas-Fermi (T(TF)) and von Weizsacker (T(vW)) functionals (T(vW)+0.4T(TF)) produces better densities than those from the linear-response-based Wang-Teter KEDF. However, the equations of state obtained from both KEDFs in OF-DFT contain unacceptably large errors. The lack of accurate KEDFs remains the final barrier to extending OF-DFT to treat transition metals.

Chemistry, Physical↗

Evaluation of low-scaling methods for calculation of phosphorescence parameters.

In order to find a methodology that is a compromise between favorable computational scaling and tolerable errors, a series of nonrelativistic approaches for the calculation of radiative phosphorescence lifetimes are benchmarked against fully relativistic four-component results. The study of the a 3A2-X 1A1 transition intensity in the series of H2CX molecules, where X is a chalcogene atom, X={O,S,Se,Te}, indicates a general good agreement between fully relativistic four-component and nonrelativistic perturbation-theoretical calculations. Among the nonrelativistic approaches, the scaled-charge spin-orbit operator approach is recognized as to provide transition matrix elements that are in good agreement with those obtained with the more elaborate Breit-Pauli and atomic mean field spin-orbit operators. This finding supports phosphorescence calculations using the available linear scaling technology for large complexes and, together with effective-core potentials, large complexes including heavy elements.

Journal Article↗

Comparative assessment of density functional methods for 3d transition-metal chemistry.

In the present study, we comparatively assessed the newly developed M05 functional against a data set of reaction energies for transition-metal chemistry. The functionals to which we compare are BLYP, B3LYP, B97-2, MPWLYP1M, TPSS, and TPSSh. We draw the following conclusions: (1) TPSS gives the best performance for calculating the binding energies of three transition-metal dimers (Sc(2), Ni(2), and V(2)) that have severe multireference character, (2) B97-2 gives the best performance for calculating the binding energies of the nine metal-ligand diatomics (three monohydrides, three monoxide, and three monofluorides), and (3) M05 gives the overall best performance for all 18 data in the assessment, and it has a mean unsigned error 55% lower than the popular B3LYP functional. Since the M05 functional also gives good performance for main-group thermochemistry, for noncovalent chemistry, and for calculating barrier heights, M05 can be applied to a wide range of problems where nonhybrid functionals or functionals designed for kinetics fail.

Algorithms↗

Calculation of nonadiabatic couplings with restricted open-shell Kohn-Sham density-functional theory.

This paper generalizes the recently proposed approaches for calculating the derivative couplings between adiabatic states in density-functional theory (DFT) based on a Slater transition-state density to transitions such as singlet-singlet excitations, where a single-determinant ansatz is insufficient. The proposed approach is based on restricted open-shell Frank et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 108, 4060 (1998)] theory used to describe a spin-adapted Slater transition state. To treat the dependence of electron-electron interactions on the nuclear positions, variational linear-response density-functional perturbation theory is generalized to reference states with an orbital-dependent Kohn-Sham Hamiltonian and nontrivial occupation patterns. The methods proposed in this paper are not limited to the calculation of derivative coupling vectors, but can also be used for the calculation of other transition matrix elements. Moreover, they can be used to calculate the linear response of open-shell systems to arbitrary external perturbations in DFT.

Journal Article↗

Short-term inhalation of particulate transition metals has little effect on the electrocardiograms of dogs having preexisting cardiac abnormalities.

There is growing epidemiological evidence for statistical associations between increases in air pollution, especially particulate matter, and increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Laboratory studies have shown that transition metals contribute strongly to the effects of high lung doses of model particles on changes in the electrocardiograms of animals. The present study evaluated the effects of short-term inhalation exposure to respirable particles of specific oxide and sulfate forms of transition metals on heart rate and the electrocardiogram of old dogs having preexisting cardiac abnormalities. Conscious beagle dogs were exposed by oral inhalation for 3 h on each of 3 successive days to aerosols of manganese, nickel, vanadium, iron, and copper oxides, and nickel and vanadium sulfates as single compounds at concentrations of 0.05 mg/m(3). Electrocardiograms were recorded and evaluated for exposure-related changes in heart rate, heart rate variability, and abnormalities of waveforms. Although the electrocardiograms of this population of dogs having potential age and cardiovascular susceptibility factors reflected their underlying clinical abnormalities, no significant effect of exposure to the transition metal aerosols was observed.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Comparative study of the formation of oxidative damage marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) adduct from the nucleoside 2'-deoxyguanosine by transition metals and suspensions of particulate matter in relation to metal content and redox reactivity.

An association between exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) and increased incidence of mortality and morbidity due to lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases has been demonstrated by recent epidemiological studies. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially hydroxyl radicals, generated by PM, have been suggested by many studies as an important factor in the oxidative damage of DNA by PM. The purpose of this study was to characterize quantitatively hydroxyl radical generation by various transition metals in the presence of H2O2 in aqueous buffer solution (pH 7.4) and hydroxylation of 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG) to 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) under similar conditions. The order of metals' redox reactivity and hydroxyl radical production was Fe(II), V(IV), Cu(I), Cr(III), Ni(II), Co(II), Pb(II), Cd(II). Then, we investigated the generation of hydroxyl radicals in the presence of H2O2 by various airborne PM samples, such as total suspended particulate (TSP), PM10, PM2.5 (PM with aerodynamic diameter 10 and 2.5 microm), diesel exhaust particles (DEP), gasoline exhaust particles (GEP) and woodsmoke soot under the same conditions. When suspensions of PMs were incubated with H2O2 and dG at pH 7.4, all particles induced hydroxylation of dG and formation of 8-OHdG in a dose-dependent increase. Our findings demonstrated that PM's hydroxyl radical (HO radical) generating ability and subsequent dG hydroxylation is associated with the concentration of water-soluble metals, especially Fe and V and other redox or ionizable transition metals and not their total metal content, or insoluble metal oxides, via a Fenton-driven reaction of H2O2 with metals. Additionally, we observed, by Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), that PM suspensions in the presence of H2O2 generated radical species with dG, which were spin-trapped by 2-methyl-2-nitroso-propane (MNP).

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗

In-vitro antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of some coumarins and their metal complexes.

A series of new antibacterial and antifungal coumarin-derived compounds and their transition metal complexes [cobalt (II), copper (II), nickel (II) and zinc (II)] have been synthesized, characterized and screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Bacillus cereus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacterial strains and for in vitro antifungal activity against Trichophyton longifusus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Microsporum canis, Fusarium solani, Candida glaberata. The results of these studies show the metal complexes to be more antibacterial and antifungal as compared to the uncomplexed coumarins. The brine shrimp bioassay was also carried out to study their in vitro cytotoxic properties.

Animals↗

Biosynthesis and intracellular sorting of growth hormone-viral envelope glycoprotein hybrids.

Various aspects of the biogenetic mechanisms that are involved in the insertion of nascent plasma membrane proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and their subsequent distribution through the cell have been investigated. For these studies chimeric genes that encode hybrid proteins containing carboxy-terminal portions of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (154 amino acids) or the vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein (G) (60 amino acids) linked to the carboxy terminus of a nearly complete secretory polypeptide, growth hormone (GH), were used. In in vitro transcription-translation experiments, it was found that the insertion signal in the GH portion of the chimeras led to incorporation of the membrane protein segments into the ER membrane. Effectively, GH became part of the luminal segment of membrane proteins of which only very small segments, corresponding to the cytoplasmic portions of the G or HA proteins, remained exposed on the surface of the microsomes. When the chimeric genes were expressed in transfected cells, the products, as expected, failed to be secreted and remained cell-associated. These results support the assignment of a halt transfer role to segments of the membrane polypeptides that include their transmembrane portions. The hybrid polypeptide containing the carboxy-terminal portion of HA linked to GH accumulated in a juxtanuclear region of the cytoplasm within modified ER cisternae, closely apposed to the Golgi apparatus. The location and appearance of these cisternae suggested that they represent overdeveloped transitional ER elements and thus may correspond to a natural way station between the ER and the Golgi apparatus, in which further transfer of the artificial molecules is halted. The GH-G hybrid could only be detected in transfected cells treated with chloroquine, a drug that led to its accumulation in the membranes of endosome or lysosome-like cytoplasmic vesicles. Although the possibility that the chimeric protein entered such vesicles directly from the Golgi apparatus cannot be ruled out, it appears more likely that it was first transferred to the cell surface and was then internalized by endocytosis.

Animals↗

The Monte Carlo SRNA-VOX code for 3D proton dose distribution in voxelized geometry using CT data.

This paper describes the application of the SRNA Monte Carlo package for proton transport simulations in complex geometry and different material compositions. The SRNA package was developed for 3D dose distribution calculation in proton therapy and dosimetry and it was based on the theory of multiple scattering. The decay of proton induced compound nuclei was simulated by the Russian MSDM model and our own using ICRU 63 data. The developed package consists of two codes: the SRNA-2KG, which simulates proton transport in combinatorial geometry and the SRNA-VOX, which uses the voxelized geometry using the CT data and conversion of the Hounsfield's data to tissue elemental composition. Transition probabilities for both codes are prepared by the SRNADAT code. The simulation of the proton beam characterization by multi-layer Faraday cup, spatial distribution of positron emitters obtained by the SRNA-2KG code and intercomparison of computational codes in radiation dosimetry, indicate immediate application of the Monte Carlo techniques in clinical practice. In this paper, we briefly present the physical model implemented in the SRNA package, the ISTAR proton dose planning software, as well as the results of the numerical experiments with proton beams to obtain 3D dose distribution in the eye and breast tumour.

Algorithms↗

Zinc deficiency, malnutrition and the gastrointestinal tract.

Recent clinical and experimental findings have reinforced the link among zinc deficiency, malnutrition and diarrheal disease. Because there is a strong association between protein and zinc content in virtually all types of foods, insufficient protein intake may often be the cause of zinc deficiency. Compensatory mechanisms operating in monogastric species during malnutrition are less effective for the absorption of transition divalent elements such as zinc, which remain bound to ligands of dietary or endogenous origin. Both protein and zinc deficiencies are strong negative determinants for normal cellular immunity. In zinc deficiency, the organism is more susceptible to toxin-producing bacteria or enteroviral pathogens that activate guanylate and adenylate cyclases, stimulating chloride secretion, producing diarrhea and diminishing absorption of nutrients, thus exacerbating an already compromised mineral status. In addition, zinc deficiency may impair the absorption of water and electrolytes, delaying the termination of normally self-limiting gastrointestinal disease episodes. The gastrointestinal tract may be one of the first target areas where zinc insufficiency may be manifested. A prolonged low zinc intake deprives the organism of the local potential beneficial effects of zinc, including interactions with oxidative free radicals and nitric oxide metabolism. Nitric oxide is a second messenger that plays an important part in the triggering of diarrheal disease. The possible interrelationship among infection, inflammation, free radical damage and its quenching by potential scavengers, such as zinc, in the intestinal lumen or within the enterocyte should be more extensively studied.

Animals↗

Biomonitoring of titanium, mercury, platinum, rhodium and palladium in dental health care workers.

BACKGROUND: In dentistry, titanium, mercury, platinum, rhodium and palladium are used to produce dental fillings. Therefore, dental workers who apply such materials may be exposed to these metals. METHODS: The study concerned 40 healthy subjects-20 controls and 20 dental health care workers-to determine serum and urinary levels of the aforementioned metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Mean urinary and serum titanium did not reveal statistically significant differences in the two groups. The very low urinary and serum levels of mercury, platinum, rhodium and palladium prevented us from making a statistical evaluation between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a significant increase in serum and urinary titanium levels in dental health care workers. Measurement of mercury, platinum, rhodium and palladium in urine and serum was not useful in determining occupational exposure.

Adult↗

Effect of transition metals (Mn, Cu, Fe) and deoxycholic acid (DA) on the conversion of PrPC to PrPres.

The PMCA (protein misfolding cyclic amplification) technique has been shown to drive the amplification of misfolded prion protein by PrP(Sc) seeds during several cycles of incubation-sonication. Here, we report that cyclic amplification of normal hamster brain homogenates treated with a number of transition metals (manganese [Mn], copper [Cu], and iron [Fe]) leads to conversion of PrP(C) into protease-resistant PrP(res). The efficiency of PrP(res) formation and the glycoforms induced by Mn were different from those obtained by Cu and Fe. Previous results have shown higher Mn and lower Cu levels in the affinity-purified PrP(Sc) from the brain of prion diseases compared with normal hamster brain homogenates. We focused on Mn because we observed higher levels of Mn in whole brain, mitochondria, and scrapie-associated fibril-enriched fractions from the brains of animals with prion disease. In the presence of minute quantities of Mn-induced PrP(res) template with a large amount of PrP(C), PrP(res) amplification is observed. A metal chelater, EDTA reverses the effect of Mn on PrP(res) amplification, suggesting that Mn may play a role in the formation of PrP(res). It has been proposed that metal-catalyzed oxidation of PrP leads to the oxidation of amino acids and extensive aggregation of oxidized PrP. Carboxyl acids such as deoxycholic acid (DA) are oxidized molecules produced by 3' oxidation pathway. In in vitro studies, the potent effect of Mn on PrP(res) amplification is augmented by DA in a dose-dependent manner. On the basis of the evidence of the elevated Mn levels in scrapie-associated fibril (SAF)-enriched preparations from the brains of animals with prion disease, Mn-loaded PrP and oxidized molecules such as carboxyl acids may contribute to the formation of the scrapie isoform of PrP in prion diseases.

Animals↗

Prostatic tissue in mature cystic teratomas of the ovary.

We report two examples of mature cystic teratomas of the ovary containing prostatic tissue. Both were incidental findings in teratomas that were otherwise typical at clinical and pathologic levels. The prostatic tissue contained ducts and acini in a simple branching pattern similar to that seen in the peripheral zone of the prostate gland. Transitional cell elements were present in both cases and compact acini resembling Cowper's gland were noted in one. No testicular or Wolffian duct tissue was noted. The immunohistochemical staining pattern of the glands was identical to that seen in normal prostate. In a literature review, four additional cases were identified. The presence of prostatic tissue in a 46XX tumor suggests induction by locally produced androgen. Some investigators have identified luteinized stromal cells and indicated these as the source of this androgen. Other possible androgenic origins include ovarian hilar cells, adrenal cortex, and tumor cells.

Adult↗