A SOLID NMR STUDY OF POLYETHERESTER-UREAS

The morphology of some polyetherester-ureas were studied by ^(13)C CP/MAS and ~1H wide-line NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the HDI and MDI based polymers have well crystallized hard segments, whereas the TDI and HMDI based ones have not. For HDI/MDI based polymers, the presented results suggest that the distribution of two kinds of hard segment units is mainly in a block form. The influences of the different hard segment and chain length on the mobility of the soft segment were also studied.

Tracking of Labelled Stem Cells Using Molecular MR Imaging in a Mouse Burn Model <i>in Vivo</i>as an Approach to Regenerative Medicine

Therapies based on stem cell transplants offer significant potential in the field of regenerative medicine. Monitoring the fate of the transplanted stem cells in a timely manner is considered one of the main limitations for long-standing success of stem cell transplants. Imaging methods that visualize and track stem cells in vivo non-invasively in real time are helpful towards the development of successful cell transplantation techniques. Novel molecular imaging methods which are non-invasive particularly such as MRI have been of great recent interest. Hence, mouse models which are of clinical relevance have been studied by injecting contrast agents used for labelling cells such as super-paramagnetic iron-oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles for cellular imaging. The MR techniques which can be used to generate positive contrast images have been of much relevance recently for tracking of the labelled cells. Particularly when the off-resonance region in the vicinity of the labeled cells is selectively excited while suppressing the signals from the non-labeled regions by the method of spectral dephasing. Thus, tracking of magnetically labelled cells employing positive contrast in vivo MR imaging methods in a burn mouse model in a non-invasive way has been the scope of this study. The consequences have direct implications for monitoring labeled stem cells at some stage in wound healing. We suggest that our approach can be used in clinical trials in molecular and regenerative medicine.

Imaging C-Fos Gene Expression in Burns Using Lipid Coated Spion Nanoparticles

MR imaging of gene transcription is important as it should enable the non-invasive detection of mRNA alterations in disease. A range of MRI methods have been proposed for in vivo molecular imaging of cells based on the use of ultra- small super-paramagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles and related susceptibility weighted imaging methods. Al-though immunohistochemistry can robustly differentiate the expression of protein variants, there is currently no direct gene assay technique that is capable of differentiating established to differentiate the induction profiles of c-Fos mRNA in vivo. To visualize the differential FosB gene expression profile in vivo after burn trauma, we developed MR probes that link the T2* contrast agent [superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION)] with an oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) sequence complementary to FosB mRNA to visualize endogenous mRNA targets via in vivo hybridization. The presence of this SPION-ODN probe in cells results in localized signal reduction in T2*-weighted MR images, in which the rate of signal reduction (R2*) reflects the regional iron concentration at different stages of amphetamine (AMPH) exposure in living mouse tissue. Our aim was to produce a superior contrast agent that can be administered using sys- temic as opposed to local administration and which will target and accumulate at sites of burn injury. Specifically, we developed and evaluated a PEGylated lipid coated MR probe with ultra-small super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparti- cles (USPION, a T2 susceptibility agent) coated with cationic fusogenic lipids, used for cell transfection and gene de- livery and covalently linked to a phosphorothioate modified oligodeoxynucleotide (sODN) complementary to c-Fos mRNA (SPION-cFos) and used the agent to image mice with leg burns. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of monitoring burn injury using MR imaging of c-Fos transcription in vivo, in a clinically relevant mouse model of burn injury for the first time.

Change of pore water near the freezing front during soil freezing: Migration and mechanisms

The formation and growth of segregation ice dominate the frost heave during soil freezing,which is closely related to water migration.To analyze segregation ice during soil freezing for different soils,a freezing-thawing experiment was conducted with Lanzhou loess(LZL)and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau silty clay(QSC)using a novel layered nuclear magnetic resonance approach.During LZL freezing,the unfrozen water content first increased and then decreased with decreasing temperature near the freezing front,but decreased with decreasing temperature in other layers,whereas during the freezing of QSC,the unfrozen water content in different layers(including the freezing front)decreased with decreased temperature.Notably,the increased liquid water near the freezing front during LZL freezing was primarily adsorbed water.In addition to the temperature gradient,the squeezing action during soil freezing was another important factor affecting water migration,especially at the early stage of soil freezing.However,which of the two factors,squeezing action and temperature gradient,was the dominant one causing water migration depended on soil structure.At the early stage of soil freezing,the squeezing action had a significant effect on the water migration of LZL,but no significant effect on that of QSC.Furthermore,water accumulation of LZL near the freezing front due to squeezing action at the early stage of freezing limited the formation and growth of segregation ice.This study provided an improved understanding for ice segregation and water migration during soil freezing.

Three-dimensional solution structure of ω-conotoxin SO_(3) determined by ^(1)H NMR

Cone snails (Conus) elaborate a series of conotoxin (CTX) peptides in their venoms to paralyze their prey. Among these toxins, w-CTX抯 specifically target to presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channel subsets, causing inhibition of neurotransmitter release. w-CTX SO3 was isolated from the venom of Conus striatus, which is the only available fish-hunting snail near the coast of the South China Sea. The three-dimensional solution structure of w-CTX SO3, a peptide which is the only w-conotoxin reported to show high homology with another w-CTX (MVIIA from C. Magus), has been determined by 1H NMR techniques. The molecular structure of w-CTX SO3 is stabilized by three disulfide bridges and a short triple-stranded antiparallel b-sheet with four turns. A comprehensive comparison suggested that the backbone conformation of w-CTXs was quite conserved, while the length of b-sheet and the type of some turns might have minor differences.