Photochemical reactions of a diamidocarbene: cyclopropanation of bromonaphthalene, addition to pyridine, and activation of sp C-H bonds.

We report unprecedented photochemistry for the diamidocarbene 1. Described within are the double cyclopropanation of 1-bromonaphthalene, the double addition to pyridine, and remarkably, the insertion into the unactivated sp C-H bonds of cyclohexane, tetramethylsilane, and -pentane to give compounds 2-6, respectively. All compounds have been fully characterized, and the solid state structure of 4 was obtained using single crystal electron diffraction.

Serial block face scanning electron microscopy reveals region-dependent remodelling of transverse tubules post-myocardial infarction.

The highly organized transverse tubule (t-tubule) network facilitates cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and synchronous cardiac myocyte contraction. In cardiac failure secondary to myocardial infarction (MI), changes in the structure and organization of t-tubules result in impaired cardiac contractility. However, there is still little knowledge on the regional variation of t-tubule remodelling in cardiac failure post-MI.

Localization of nanospheres in pheochromocytoma-like cells following exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields at 18 GHz.

Exposure to high-frequency (HF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) at 18 GHz was previously found to induce reversible cell permeabilization in eukaryotic cells; however, the fate of internalized foreign objects inside the cell remains unclear. Here, silica core-shell gold nanospheres (Au NS) of 20 ± 5 nm diameter were used to study the localization of Au NS in pheochromocytoma (PC 12) cells after exposure to HF EMFs at 18 GHz. Internalization of Au NS was confirmed using fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Translocation of silica nanospheres through giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) induced by a high frequency electromagnetic field.

Membrane model systems capable of mimicking live cell membranes were used for the first time in studying the effects arising from electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of 18 GHz where membrane permeability was observed following exposure. A present lack of understanding of the mechanisms that drive such a rapid change in membrane permeabilization as well as any structural or dynamic changes imparted on biomolecules affected by high-frequency electromagnetic irradiation limits the use of 18 GHz EMFs in biomedical applications. A phospholipid, 1,2-dioleoyl--glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) labelled with a fluorescent marker 1,2-dioleoyl--glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine--(lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl) (rhodamine-DOPE) was used in constructing the giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs).

Three-Dimensional Organization of Self-Encapsulating Bacterial Cells.

Self-organized bacteria have been the subject of interest for a number of applications, including the construction of microbial fuel cells. In this paper, we describe the formation of a self-organized, three-dimensional network that is constructed using B-1280 cells in a hydrogel consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with -vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) as a cross-linker, in which the bacterial cells are organized in a particular side-by-side alignment. We demonstrated that nonmotile cells are able to reorganize themselves, transforming and utilizing PVA-VP polymeric networks through the molecular interactions of bacterial extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) components such as acetan, cellulose, dextran, and levan.

Pheochromocytoma (PC12) Cell Response on Mechanobactericidal Titanium Surfaces.

Titanium is a biocompatible material that is frequently used for making implantable medical devices. Nanoengineering of the surface is the common method for increasing material biocompatibility, and while the nanostructured materials are well-known to represent attractive substrata for eukaryotic cells, very little information has been documented about the interaction between mammalian cells and bactericidal nanostructured surfaces. In this study, we investigated the effect of bactericidal titanium nanostructures on PC12 cell attachment and differentiation—a cell line which has become a widely used in vitro model to study neuronal differentiation.

Photochemically Switching Diamidocarbene Spin States Leads to Reversible Büchner Ring Expansions.

The discovery of thermal and photochemical control by Woodward and Hoffmann revolutionized how we understand chemical reactivity. Similarly, we now describe the first example of a carbene that exhibits differing thermal and photochemical reactivity. When a singlet ground-state N,N'-diamidocarbene 1 was photolyzed at 380 nm, excitation to a triplet state was observed.

Photoreduction of Pt(IV) chloro complexes: substrate chlorination by a triplet excited state.

The Pt(IV) complexes trans-Pt(PEt3)2(Cl)3(R) 2 (R = Cl, Ph, 9-phenanthryl, 2-trifluoromethylphenyl, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl, 3-perylenyl) were prepared by chlorination of the Pt(II) complexes trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(Cl) 1 with Cl2(g) or PhICl2. Mixed bromo-chloro complexes trans,trans-Pt(PEt3)2(Cl)2(Br)(R) (R = 9-phenanthryl, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl), trans,cis-Pt(PEt3)2(Cl)2(Br)(4-trifluoromethylphenyl), trans,trans-Pt(PEt3)2(Br)2(Cl)(R) (R = 9-phenanthryl), and trans,cis-Pt(PEt3)2(Br)2(Cl)(4-trifluoromethylphenyl) were obtained by halide exchange or by oxidative addition of Br2 to 1 or Cl2 to trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(Br). Except for 2 (R = Ph, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl), all of the Pt(IV) complexes are photosensitive to UV light and undergo net halogen reductive elimination to give Pt(II) products, trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(X) (X = Cl, Br).