Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate released from a waste water treatment plant in Bavaria, Germany.

Purpose: Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and precursors and derivatives thereof have been employed as surfactants and anti-adhesives. PFOA and PFOS are environmentally persistent and the discharge of municipal waste waters is one of the principal routes of these compounds into the aquatic environment. In a previous study, the concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in grab samples collected from the waste water treatment plant (WWTP) of Bayreuth, a city of 72,000 inhabitants in Bavaria, Germany, during two periods showed considerable variability.

Lethal influenza B myocarditis in a child and review of the literature for pediatric age groups.

Case Presentation: We report on the case of a 5 year-old girl who developed fulminant myocarditis due to acute infection with influenza virus type B. Cardiac arrest occurred suddenly, resuscitation efforts were not successful, and the patient died of congestive heart failure 24 h after admission to the hospital.

Diagnosis: Lymphocytic infiltration of cardiac tissues and virologic studies confirmed the suspected diagnosis of acute viral myocarditis.

Triplet state spectra and dynamics of peridinin analogs having different extents of pi-electron conjugation.

The Peridinin-Chlorophyll a-Protein (PCP) complex has both an exceptionally efficient light-harvesting ability and a highly effective protective capacity against photodynamic reactions involving singlet oxygen. These functions can be attributed to presence of a substantial amount of the highly-substituted and complex carotenoid, peridinin, in the protein and the facts that the low-lying singlet states of peridinin are higher in energy than those of chlorophyll (Chl) a, but the lowest-lying triplet state of peridinin is below that of Chl a. Thus, singlet energy can be transferred from peridinin to Chl a, but the Chl a triplet state is quenched before it can sensitize the formation of singlet oxygen.

Ultrafast Time-resolved Absorption Spectroscopy of Geometric Isomers of Carotenoids.

The structures of a number of stereoisomers of carotenoids have been revealed in three-dimensional X-ray crystallographic investigations of pigment-protein complexes from photosynthetic organisms. Despite these structural elucidations, the reason for the presence of stereoisomers in these systems is not well understood. An important unresolved issue is whether the natural selection of geometric isomers of carotenoids in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes is determined by the structure of the protein binding site or by the need for the organism to accomplish a specific physiological task.

Effect of Renin-Angiotensin system blockade on insulin resistance and inflammatory parameters in patients with impaired glucose tolerance.

Objective: The study investigated the effect of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) on glucose homeostasis and inflammatory parameters in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

Research Design And Methods: We prospectively studied the insulin sensitivity index (ISI) and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in 13 obese males with IGT and in 13 matched control subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) during hyperglycemic testing over 90 min. Adiponectin, retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were analyzed.

Ultrafast energy transfer within pyropheophorbide-a tethered to self-assembling DNA quadruplex.

A DNA quadruplex system that exhibits ultrafast intramolecular energy transfer is discussed.

Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate in two fish species collected from the Roter Main River, Bayreuth, Germany.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are widely distributed in the environment. In this study the accumulation potential of PFOA and PFOS in two fish species with different feeding strategies, i.e.

Identification of a single peridinin sensing Chl-a excitation in reconstituted PCP by crystallography and spectroscopy.

The peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein (PCP) of dinoflagellates is unique among the large variety of natural photosynthetic light-harvesting systems. In contrast to other chlorophyll protein complexes, the soluble PCP is located in the thylakoid lumen, and the carotenoid pigments outnumber the chlorophylls. The structure of the PCP complex consists of two symmetric domains, each with a central chlorophyll a (Chl-a) surrounded by four peridinin molecules.

Carotid plaque composition in chronic kidney disease: a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

Objectives: Calcified plaques are suggested to represent atherosclerotic lesions with stabilising properties. However, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) frequently have calcified plaques but significant higher prevalence of cardiovascular complications. The aim of our study was therefore to analyse the effect of CKD in patients with advanced carotid stenosis (>70%) on plaque composition, lesion stability and risk of rupture.

Effect of short-term high-protein compared with normal-protein diets on renal hemodynamics and associated variables in healthy young men.

Background: High-protein diets are effective for weight reduction; however, little is known about the potential adverse renal effects of such diets.

Objective: The aim of our study was to compare the effect of a high-protein (HP) with a normal-protein (NP) diet on renal hemodynamics and selected clinical-chemical factors.

Design: We prospectively studied the effect of an HP diet (2.

Syntheses of C33-, C35-, and C39-peridinin and their spectral characteristics.

Peridinin, a nor-carotenoid, exhibits an exceptionally high energy transfer efficiency to chlorophyll a in photosynthesis in the sea. This efficiency would be related to the unique structure of peridinin. To answer the question of why peridinin possesses the irregular C37 skeleton, we have achieved the synthesis of three peridinin derivatives.

Effect of pi-electron conjugation length on the solvent-dependent S(1) lifetime of peridinin.

Peridinin exhibits an anomalous solvent dependence of its S(1) excited state lifetime attributed to the presence of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state. The nature of this state has yet to be elucidated. Ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopy has been performed on a synthetic analog, C(35)-peridinin, having one less conjugated double bond than peridinin.

Spectroscopic investigation of peridinin analogues having different pi-electron conjugated chain lengths: exploring the nature of the intramolecular charge transfer state.

The lifetime of the lowest excited singlet (S(1)) state of peridinin and many other carbonyl-containing carotenoids and polyenes has been reported to depend on the polarity of the solvent. This effect has been attributed to the presence of an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in the manifold of excited states for these molecules. The nature of this ICT state has yet to be elucidated.

Syntheses of allene-modified derivatives of peridinin toward elucidation of the effective role of the allene function in high energy transfer efficiencies in photosynthesis.

Peridinin is known as the main light-harvesting pigment in photosynthesis in the sea and exhibits exceptionally high energy transfer efficiencies to chlorophyll a. This energy transfer efficiency is thought to be related to the intricate structure of peridinin, which possesses allene and ylidenbutenolide functions in the polyene backbone. There are, however, no studies on the relationship between the structural features of peridinin and its super ability for energy transfer.

Takayasu's arteritis in pregnancy: review of literature and discussion.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a rare inflammatory disease of the arteries that affects women of childbearing age. The optimal management for pregnant patients with this disease has not yet been defined. The course of disease seems to be neither affected nor worsened by pregnancy.

Effect of a triple blockade of the renin-angiotensin-system in recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis after kidney transplantation.

Recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) after renal transplantation with nephrotic syndrome is a serious problem with a high risk of graft loss. The therapeutic role of renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) blockers in recurrent FSGS is not clear. We present the safety and efficacy of an intensified triple RAS blockade with an ACE-inhibitor, an AT 1 receptor blocker and the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren in a 29-year-old renal transplant recipient with biopsy proven recurrence of FSGS and relapsing severe nephrotic syndrome.

Probenecid, an inhibitor of transmembrane organic anion transporters, alters tissue distribution of DNA adducts in 1-hydroxymethylpyrene-treated rats.

1-Methylpyrene (1-MP), an abundant alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, is activated by side-chain hydroxylation to 1-hydroxymethylpyrene (1-HMP) and subsequent sulfo-conjugation to electrophilic 1-sulfooxymethylpyrene (1-SMP). In rats, this activation mainly occurs in liver. 1-SMP may react with hepatic DNA or be exported into the blood circulation to reach other tissues, in particular kidneys.

Renal organic anion transporters OAT1 and OAT3 mediate the cellular accumulation of 5-sulfooxymethylfurfural, a reactive, nephrotoxic metabolite of the Maillard product 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is formed when sugars are acidified or heated. It is present at high levels in numerous foods. HMF is inactive in standard genotoxicity tests, but can be metabolized to a chemically reactive intermediate, 5-sulfooxymethylfurfural (SMF), which is mutagenic and carcinogenic.

Stepwise conversion of two pyrrole moieties of octaethylporphyrin to pyridin-3-ones: synthesis, mass spectral, and photophysical properties of mono and bis(oxypyri)porphyrins.

Free-base octaethylporphyrin (OEP) was converted in two steps (beta,beta'-dihydroxylation and oxidative diol cleavage with concomitant aldol condensation) to the corresponding oxypyriporphyrin. This conversion was previously described to be applicable only to the Ni(II) complex of OEP. Modified diol cleavage conditions made this reaction sequence now applicable to free-base OEP.

Conversion of the common food constituent 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into a mutagenic and carcinogenic sulfuric acid ester in the mouse in vivo.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), formed by acid-catalyzed dehydration and in the Maillard reaction from reducing sugars, is found at high levels in numerous foods. It was shown to initiate colon aberrant crypt foci in rats and skin papillomas and hepatocellular adenomas in mice. HMF is inactive in in vitro genotoxicity tests using standard activating systems but is activated to a mutagen by sulfotransferases.