Scaling analytical RP-HPLC to semi-preparative for fractionation and characterization of pegfilgrastim oxidized variants.

Pegfilgrastim, a 40 kDa PEGylated form of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), is a biotherapeutic protein used to treat chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. To ensure the product is safe and effective, stringent monitoring of product-related impurities, particularly those arising from oxidative degradation, is necessary. This study focuses on the isolation and characterization of oxidized variants in pegfilgrastim using a multi-step approach that includes method transfer to semi-preparative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry, and an in vitro cell-based potency assay (CBPA).

Ultrafast Kapitza-Dirac effect.

Similar to the optical diffraction of light passing through a material grating, the Kapitza-Dirac effect occurs when an electron is diffracted by a standing light wave. In its original description, the effect is time independent. Here, we extended the Kapitza-Dirac effect to the time domain.

From instable directional switching to controlled unidirectional operation in a nonlinear fiber ring laser.

We investigate a new phenomenon, where a reciprocal fiber ring laser switches from bidirectional to unidirectional operation above a certain pump power threshold. Significant simplifications regarding earlier experiments are presented, which for the first time allow the identification of individual nonlinear effects. We highlight the unique role of stimulated Raman scattering in triggering unidirectional operation, and that additional conditions apply.

Biocide Susceptibility and Antimicrobial Resistance of Isolated from Swine Feces, Pork Meat and Humans in Germany.

Phenotypic susceptibility testing of () is an essential tool to gain a better understanding of the potential impact of biocide selection pressure on antimicrobial resistance. We, therefore, determined the biocide and antimicrobial susceptibility of 216 extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL) and 177 non-ESBL isolated from swine feces, pork meat, voluntary donors and inpatients and evaluated associations between their susceptibilities. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), chlorocresol (PCMC), glutaraldehyde (GDA), isopropanol (IPA), octenidine dihydrochloride and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) showed unimodal distributions, indicating the absence of bacterial adaptation to biocides due to the acquisition of resistance mechanisms.

Investigating charge-up and fragmentation dynamics of oxygen molecules after interaction with strong X-ray free-electron laser pulses.

During the last decade, X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) have enabled the study of light-matter interaction under extreme conditions. Atoms which are subject to XFEL radiation are charged by a complex interplay of (several subsequent) photoionization events and electronic decay processes within a few femtoseconds. The interaction with molecules is even more intriguing, since intricate nuclear dynamics occur as the molecules start to dissociate during the charge-up process.