To Acquire or Not to Acquire: Evaluating Compressive Sensing for Raman Spectroscopy in Biology.

Raman spectroscopy has revolutionized the field of chemical biology by providing detailed chemical and compositional information with minimal sample preparation. Despite its advantages, the technique suffers from low throughput due to the weak Raman effect, necessitating long acquisition times and expensive equipment. This limitation is particularly acute in time-sensitive applications like bioprocess monitoring and dynamic studies.

Metal-Free Diversification of Unprotected Amino Acid Drugs via Tandem Reaction of 2-(2-oxo-2-aryl/alkylethyl)benzonitrile in Aqueous Medium.

Herein, we report an efficient strategy towards the synthesis of amino acid substituted isoquinoline derivatives via reaction of unprotected amino acid/amino acid ester/amino acid based drugs with 2-(2-oxo-2-aryl/alkylethyl)benzonitrile under metal-free conditions. The developed protocol is highly simple and shows functional group tolerance to provide corresponding novel amino acid substituted isoquinolines in aqueous medium. The applicability of the reaction is an easier modification of well-known drugs and successfully extended to gram-scale synthesis.

Engineering vascularized skin-mimetic phantom for non-invasive Raman spectroscopy.

Recent advances in Raman spectroscopy have shown great potential for non-invasive analyte sensing, but the lack of a standardized optical phantom for these measurements has hindered further progress. While many research groups have developed optical phantoms that mimic bulk optical absorption and scattering, these materials typically have strong Raman scattering, making it difficult to distinguish metabolite signals. As a result, solid tissue phantoms for spectroscopy have been limited to highly scattering tissues such as bones and calcifications, and metabolite sensing has been primarily performed using liquid tissue phantoms.

Efficient actinide sequestration with ionic liquid-based extraction chromatography resins containing Aza-crown ether functionalized diglycolamides.

Two new extraction chromatographic resins (ECRs) were prepared by impregnating two exotic diglycolamide (DGA) ligands (having three or four DGA moieties tethered to aza-crown ether scaffolds) dissolved in an ionic liquid onto an inert solid support. A room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) was used for enhancing the performance of the ECRs. The ECR containing triaza-9-crown-3 functionalized with three DGA moieties (TAM-3-DGA), and tetraaza-12-crown-4 tethered with four DGA arms (TAM-4-DGA) were evaluated for the separation of Am and Pufrom nitric acid solutions.

Highly efficient separation of Am(III) and Pu(IV) from lean feeds and soil using an extraction chromatographic resin containing a diglycolamide in an ionic liquid.

A TODGA based extraction chromatographic resin containing an ionic liquid was used for the separation of actinide ions such as Am and Pu from samples such as lean effluents emanating from laboratory waste, environmental water as well as soil samples adjacent to a nuclear plant site. The methodology involved feed adjustment to 3 M HNO followed by conditioning of the column, loading, washing (3 M HNO), and elution of the actinide ions. The elution of Am was done using EDTA in a buffered medium (1 M guanidine carbonate) while that of Pu was carried out using a mixture of 0.

Magnetic resonance imaging is safe in patients with left bundle branch pacing.

Background: The use of left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) has dramatically increased since it was first described in 2016, but to date there are no published data on the safety of performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in these patients.

Methods: Patients with LBBP who underwent MRI between January 2016 and October 2022 were retrospectively studied in our clinical center, which has a special program for imaging patients with cardiac devices. All patients underwent close cardiac monitoring throughout the MRI scans.

A comparative study on the uptake of lanthanides from acidic feeds using extraction chromatography resins containing N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-alkyl diglycolamides with varying alkyl chain lengths in an ionic liquid.

A comparative study on the uptake of several rare earth element (REE) ions viz. La(III), Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), Gd(III) and Dy(III) was carried out from nitric acid feeds using four extraction chromatography resins which contained the diglycolamide (DGA) ligands, N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-alkyldiglycolamide with n-pentyl (TPDGA), n-hexyl (THDGA), n-octyl (TODGA) and n-decyl (TDDGA) groups taken in a room temperature ionic liquid (Cmim·NTf). The uptake of the lanthanides followed the trend: La(III) < Ce(III) < Pr(III) < Nd(III) < Sm(III) < Gd(III) < Dy(III), which is similar to their ionic potential values and the uptake trend of the resins was TPDGA > THDGA > TODGA > TDDGA.

Radiation stability of two extraction chromatography resin materials containing substituted diglycolamide ligands in an ionic liquid.

The radiation stability of two extraction chromatography resins containing diglycolamide ligands viz. TPDGA (N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-pentyl diglycolamide) and TODGA (N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-octyl diglycolamide) in a room temperature ionic liquid (Cmim.NTf) was studied by exposing to gamma rays from a Co source.

Highly efficient uptake of Europium (III) and Americium (III) from acidic feeds using extraction chromatography resins containing N,N,N',N'-tetra alkyl diglycolamides with varying alkyl chain length in an ionic liquid.

A comparative study on the uptake of Eu(III) and Am(III) was carried out using four extraction chromatography (XC) resins impregnated with constant weight of the tetra-n-pentyl diglycolamide (TPDGA) ligands, viz. tetra-n-hexyl diglycolamide (THDGA), tetra-n-octyl diglycolamide (TODGA) and tetra-n-decyl diglycolamide (TDDGA) along with Cmim·NTf, a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), from nitric acid feed solutions. The uptake of Eu(III) was higher than that of Am(III) while the uptake trend with the four XC resins followed the order: TPDGA > THDGA > TODGA > TDDGA, which was opposite to the alkyl chain length attached to the DGA extractant.

Highly efficient Plutonium(IV) uptake from acidic feeds using four extraction chromatography resins containing diglycolamides and ionic liquid.

Quantitative recovery of plutonium from lean effluents is one of the most challenging tasks for separation scientists. Four extraction chromatography (XC) resins containing substituted diglycolamide ligands viz. N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-pentyl diglycolamide (TPDGA), N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-hexyl diglycolamide (THDGA), N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-octyl diglycolamide (TODGA) and N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-decyl diglycolamide (TDDGA) and a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) were tested for the extraction of plutonium (IV) from nitric acid feed solutions.

Highly efficient uptake of tetravalent actinide ions from nitric acid feeds using an extraction chromatography material containing tetra-n-butyl diglycolamide and a room temperature ionic liquid.

An extraction chromatography (XC) material containing N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-butyl diglycolamide (TBDGA) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl) imide (Cmim∙NTf), a room temperature ionic liquid, was used for the uptake of the tetravalent actinide ions Th(IV), Np(IV), and Pu(IV) from nitric acid feed solutions. The uptake of the metal ions followed the trend: Th(IV) < Np(IV) < Pu(IV), which is the same as that of their ionic potential values. While a decrease in the Np(IV) and Pu(IV) uptake was seen with increasing HNO concentration at lower acidities, an opposite trend was observed at higher acidities.

Highly efficient plutonium scavenging by an extraction chromatography resin containing a tetraaza-12-crown-4 ligand tethered with four diglycolamide pendent arms.

An efficient extraction chromatography resin, containing tetraaza-12-crown-4 functionalized with four diglycolamide moieties, was evaluated for the separation of plutonium. This chromatography resin yielded very large distribution coefficients for Pu (>10) in 0.5 - 6 M HNO feed solutions.

Comparative uptake studies on trivalent f-cations from acidic feeds using two extraction chromatography resins containing a diglycolamide in molecular diluent and ionic liquid.

Low molecular weight diglycolamide (DGA) extractants were tested for the extraction of europium(III) and americium(III) from nitric acid solutions in n-dodecane, a molecular diluent and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl) imide (Cmim⋅NTf), a room temperature ionic liquid, as the diluents. N,N,N',N'-tetra-n-butyl diglycolamide (TBDGA) was selected for extraction chromatography (XC) studies involving Eu(III) and Am(III). While the TBDGA resin containing n-dodecane gave reasonably high K values, that containing the ionic liquid showed higher Eu(III) uptake values.

A Comparison of Two Different High-Volume Image-Guided Injection Procedures for Patients With Chronic Noninsertional Achilles Tendinopathy: A Pragmatic Retrospective Cohort Study.

We undertook a comparison evaluation of outcomes after 2 different high-volume image-guided injection (HVIGI) procedures performed under direct ultrasound guidance in patients with chronic noninsertional Achilles tendinopathy. In group A, the HVIGI involved high-volume (10 mL of 1% lidocaine combined with 40 mL of saline) and no dry needling. In group B, the HVIGI involved a smaller volume (10 mL of 1% lidocaine combined with 20 mL of saline) and dry needling of the Achilles tendon.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Clinical Tests for Morton's Neuroma Compared With Ultrasonography.

The aim of the present study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of 7 clinical tests for Morton's neuroma (MN) compared with ultrasonography (US). Forty patients (54 feet) were diagnosed with MN using predetermined clinical criteria. These patients were subsequently referred for US, which was performed by a single, experienced musculoskeletal radiologist.

Pictorial essay: USG of lumps and bumps of the foot and ankle.

USG is a cost-effective and dynamic way to interrogate superficial lumps and bumps. We present a pictorial review of the USG findings in various "lumps and bumps" of the foot and ankle.