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Polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface modified biocompatible InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) act as a potential alternative for conventional carcinogenic cadmium-based quantum dots for in vivo and in vitro studies. Comprehensively, we studied the interaction between a model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) and PEGylated toxic free InP/ZnS QDs using various spectroscopic tools such as absorption, fluorescence quenching, time resolved and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopic measurements. These studies principally show that tryptophan (Trp) residues of BSA have preferable binding affinity towards PEG-InP/ZnS QDs surface and a blue shift in Trp fluorescence emission is a signature of conformational changes in its hydrophobic microenvironment. Photoluminescence (PL) intensity of Trp is quenched by ground state complex formation (static quenching) at room temperature. However, InP/ZnS@BSA conjugates become unstable with increasing temperature and PL intensity of Trp is quenched via dynamic quenching by PEG-InP/ZnS QDs. Experimentally determined thermodynamic parameters for these conjugates have shown spontaneity, entropy driven and exothermic nature of bio-conjugation. The calculated binding affinity (n ≅ 1, Hill coefficient) suggest that the affinity of InP/ZnS QDs for a BSA protein is not dependent on whether or not other BSA proteins are already bound to the QD surface. Energy transfer efficiency (E), Trp residue to InP/ZnS QDs distances and energy transfer rate (kT ) were all obtained from FÖrster resonance energy.

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The absorption and fluorescence spectra of laser dyes: coumarin 504T (C504T) and coumarin 521T (C521T) have been recorded at room temperature in a series of non-polar and polar solvents. The spectra of these dyes showed bathochromic shift with increasing in solvent polarity indicating the involvement of π→π⁎ transition. Kamlet-Taft and Catalan solvent parameters were used to analyze the effect of solvents on C504T and C521T molecules. The study reveals that both general solute-solvent interactions and specific interactions are operative in these two systems. The ground state dipole moment was estimated using Guggenheim's method and also by quantum mechanical calculations. The solvatochromic data were used to determine the excited state dipole moment (µ(e)). It is observed that dipole moment value of excited state (µ(e)) is higher than that of the ground state in both the laser dyes indicating that these dyes are more polar in nature in the excited state than in the ground state.

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A series of novel unsymmetrically substituted indene-oxadiazole derivatives (3a-f) have been designed and synthesized by employing palladium catalysed Suzuki cross coupling reaction in high yields. The structural integrity of all the novel compounds was established by (1)H, (13)C NMR and LC/MS analysis. These compounds are amorphous in nature and are remarkably stable to long term storage under ambient conditions. The optoelectronic properties have been studied in detail using UV-Vis absorption and Fluorescence spectroscopy. All compounds emit intense blue to green-blue fluoroscence with high quantum yields. Time resolved measurments have shown life times in the range of 1.28 to 4.51 ns. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out for all the molecules to understand their structure-property relationships. Effect of concentration studies has been carried out in different concentrations for both absorption and emission properties and from this we have identified the optimized fluoroscence concentrations for all these compounds. The indene substituted anthracene-oxadiazole derivative (3f) showed significant red shift (λmax (emi) = 490 nm) and emits intense green-blue fluoroscence with largest stokes shift of 145 nm. This compound also exhibited highest fluoroscence life time (τ) of 4.51 ns, which is very close to the standard dye coumarin-540A (4.63 ns) and better than fluorescein-548 (4.10 ns). The results demonstrated that the novel unsymmetrical indene-substituted oxadiazole derivatives could play important role in organic optoelectronic applications, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) or as models for investigating the fluorescent structure-property relationship of the indene-functionalized oxadiazole derivatives.

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The absorption and fluorescence spectra of three medium sized dipolar laser dyes: coumarin 478 (C478), coumarin 519 (C519) and coumarin 523 (C523) have been recorded and studied comprehensively in various solvents at room temperature. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of C478, C519 and C523 show a bathochromic and hypsochromic shifts with increasing solvent polarity indicate that the transitions involved are π→π(∗) and n→π(∗). Onsager radii determined from ab initio calculations were used in the determination of dipole moments. The ground and excited state dipole moments were evaluated by using solvatochromic correlations. It is observed that the dipole moment values of excited states (µe) are higher than corresponding ground state values (µg) for the solvents studied. The ground and excited state dipole moments of these probes computed from ab initio calculations and those determined experimentally are compared and the results are discussed.

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BACKGROUND: IGF2 is a tumor suppressor gene at locus 11p15. Many hepatoblastomas have loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at this locus. Earlier studies have not demonstrated any association between LOH and prognosis. Aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of LOH at 11p15.5 in hepatoblastomas. METHODS: DNA was isolated from normal liver and tumor tissue in 20 patients with hepatoblastoma. PCR was performed and cases were classified as LOH present, absent or non-informative. Patients' follow-up data was analyzed using Fischer's exact test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for relapse-free survival (RFS) in relation to LOH. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethics board. RESULTS: All cases were informative for at least one microsatellite marker used. 4 of the 20 cases (20%) had LOH at 11p15.5. One patient died in the immediate postoperative period. 5 of 19 patients relapsed (26%). Of 4 patients who had LOH, 3 (75%) relapsed, the time to relapse being 7, 7 and 9 months, respectively. Of the 15 cases without LOH, 2 (13.3%) relapsed. 4 patients had mixed epithelial and mesenchymal histology; 3 of them had LOH. The 2 groups with and without LOH were well matched. The RFS for patients with LOH (n=4) was 13% (mean survival time [MST]: 8.7 months; 95CI 6.7-10.7), while the RFS for cases without LOH (n=15) was 75% (MST: 100.7 months; 95CI 74.5-126.8). CONCLUSION: Mixed epithelial and mesenchymal histology is more frequently associated with LOH on chromosome 11p15.5 than pure epithelial histology. LOH on chromosome 11p15.5 is associated with a significantly increased incidence of relapse and a significantly shorter relapse-free survival in patients with hepatoblastoma. The risk of relapse is higher and the RFS lower both in standard-risk and high-risk patients with hepatoblastoma if they demonstrate the presence of LOH at 11p15.5.

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