Influence of carboxylic ion-pairing reagents on retention of peptides in thin-layer chromatography systems with C18 silica-based adsorbents.

One of the main problems related to chromatography of peptides concerns adverse interactions of their strong basic groups with free silanol groups of the silica based stationary phase. Influence of type and concentration of ion-pairing regents on peptide retention in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) systems has been discussed before. Here we present influence of these mobile phase additives on retention of some peptide standards in high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) systems with C18 silica-based adsorbents. We prove, that due to different characteristic of adsorbents used in both techniques (RP HPLC and HPTLC), influence of ion-pairing reagents on retention of basic and/or amphoteric compounds also may be quite different. C18 silica-based HPTLC adsorbents provide more complex mechanism of retention and should be rather considered as mixed-mode adsorbents.

Inversion of type of separation system in planar chromatography of peptides, using C18 silica-based adsorbents.

Our previous results show, that C18 silica-based adsorbents used in high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), provide complex retention mechanism basing on various polar and nonpolar interactions. Here we present, that in chromatography of peptides, due to mixed-mode properties of these adsorbents, there is a simple way to obtain inversion of separation system type (from reversed-phase, RP, to normal-phase, NP, and vice versa). The results presented provide detailed information how to obtain inversion mentioned and reflect the extent (the type and concentration of organic solvent, the type and concentration of ion-pairing reagent in the mobile phase) of this phenomenon. We show, that the system type inversion results in significant change of selectivity of separation, which may be especially useful in 2D separation of complex samples of basic/amphoteric compounds such as peptides. This results from the fact, that C18 silica-based HPTLC adsorbents, may be used in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) or RP chromatography, in dependence on mobile phase composition.

Low risk of seroconversion or clinical disease in humans after a bite by an Anaplasma phagocytophilum-infected tick.

The risk of contracting human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) after a tick bite is mainly unknown. In this study we investigated the clinical and serological response in 30 humans bitten by ticks positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Group A), 30 humans bitten by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)-positive ticks (Group B), and 30 humans bitten by ticks negative for both A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. (Group C). Ticks, blood samples and questionnaires were collected from tick-bitten humans at 34 primary healthcare centres in Sweden and in the Åland Islands, Finland, at the time of the tick bite and after three months. A total of 2553 ticks detached from humans in 2007-2009 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and 31 (1.2%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum, 556 (21.8%) were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., and eight (0.3%) were co-infected by A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma IgG antibodies in the included participants (n=90) was 17%, and there was no significant difference between the groups A-C. Only one of the participants (in Group C) showed a four-fold increase of IgG antibodies against A. phagocytophilum at the three-month follow-up, but reported no symptoms. The frequency of reported symptoms did not differ between groups A-C, and was unrelated to the findings of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. in the detached ticks. We conclude that the risk for HGA or asymptomatic seroconversion after a tick bite in Sweden or in the Åland Islands is low, even if the tick is infected by A. phagocytophilum.

Mitochondrial DNA haplotype analysis of liver fluke in bison from Bialowieza Primaeval Forest indicates domestic cattle as the likely source of infection.

We have determined the mitochondrial genotype of liver fluke present in Bison (Bison bonasus) from the herd maintained in the Bialowieza National Park in order to determine the origin of the infection. Our results demonstrated that the infrapopulations present in the bison were genetically diverse and were likely to have been derived from the population present in local cattle. From a consideration of the genetic structure of the liver fluke infrapopulations we conclude that the provision of hay at feeding stations may be implicated in the transmission of this parasite to the bison. This information may be of relevance to the successful management of the herd.

The performance of a PCR assay for field studies on the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection in Galba truncatula intermediate host snails.

The aim of this work was to develop a PCR assay for the detection of F. hepatica in Galba truncatula snails and to evaluate its performance in field studies. Primers were designed to amplify a 124bp non-coding tandem repeat found in the Fasciola genome. The result was a banding pattern corresponding to multiples of the initial target sequence. The sensitivity of the PCR was determined on experimentally infected snails. The test was sensitive enough to detect fluke DNA in snails experimentally infected with 1 miracidium, within 12h after exposure. The specificity was determined with Dicrocoelium dendriticum, Paramphistomum cervi and snail DNA. No cross-reactions occurred with DNA of the trematodes or snail DNA. G. truncatula specimens were collected from 4 localities in Eastern Poland, with a total of 192 snails from 12 habitats. The overall prevalence of F. hepatica infection was 26.6% (51/192), ranging from 21.4% to 84.6% in the individual sites. The designed assay was shown to be a valuable epidemiological tool for the purpose of snail infection monitoring. The results on F. hepatica prevalence in snail hosts are the first data from Poland since the 1950s and the only such data based on molecular methods.

[Progress in the development of vaccines against helminths]. / Postepy w opracowywaniu szczepionek przeciwko robakom pasozytniczym.

Helminth infections are an important health problem for both humans and animals worldwide. The most sought for prophylactic strategy is vaccination due to the increasing incidence of anthelminthic resistance with little progress towards the discovery of novel drugs. However, the development of efficient anti-parasitic vaccines was proven to be a far greater challenge than in the case of bacteria or viruses. This is partly a result of the complex immunological interactions occurring during helminth infections, which are not yet fully understood, especially regarding the immune mechanisms conveying protection. Another problem is progressing from the research phase of vaccine development to commercial production and marketing. The advances made so far in developing efficient vaccines against helminth vary among the different classes, with a wide spectrum of both native and recombinant vaccine candidates. This review aims at presenting the current status and most important achievements in the field of helminth vaccine development, as well as the main obstacles and difficulties standing in the way of progress and practical applications.

Synthesis and some reactions of dibutyltin (S)- and (R)-camphorsulfonyl hydrides.

The synthesis and physical properties of dibutyltin (S)-camphorsulfonyl hydride (1) and dibutyltin (R)-camphorsulfonyl hydride (2), and diphenyltin (S)-camphorsulfonyl hydride (3) as well as that of their organotin precursors are described. Their reactivity with different amines as triethylamine, morpholine and pyridine has been compared with other mixed hydrides as dibutyltin chloride hydride, dibutyltin acetate hydride and dibutyltin dihydride. It has been studied also the possibility of using of dibutyltin (R)- or (S)-camphorsulfonyl hydrides for the stereoselective reduction of different ketones as acetophenone, menthon, camphor and cyclopropyl-(4-metoxyphenyl)-methanone. The reduction of acetophenone with studied camphorsulfonyl hydrides carried out in benzene at room temperature afforded 1-phenylethanol with relatively low enantioselectivity. Addition of 10 equiv. of MnCl(2)*4H(2)O or ZnCl(2) to the reduction mixture involving dibutyltin (S)-camphorsulfonyl hydride (1) and acetophenone and carried out in methanol and tetrahydrofuran, respectively, resulted in remarkable increase in enantioselectivity. The comparative kinetic studies of reduction of acetophenone by different hydrides proved that dibutyltin camphorsulfonyl hydride is significantly more reactive in comparison with dibutyltin chloro hydride and dibutyltin acetate hydride. Analogous results have been obtained from kinetic studies for different tin hydrides with chosen amines. The outcome of these studies supported by theoretical calculations led to the conclusion that the order of reactivity of the studied hydrides correlates with the rate of their homolytic decomposition at room temperature.