Physicochemical and ionic characteristics of groundwater aquifers have been tremendous importance in water applications. Groundwater selected coastal communities (Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu, Ilaje/ese-odo) south-western Nigeria was assessed for domestic irrigation suitability. One hundred ninety-two (192) samples were obtained analyzed chemical composition major ratio over a period four seasons usin...

Although Mg2+ is an important cofactor for the specific degradation of RNA by ribozymes, it is not considered as a typical chemical nuclease. In this study we show that in combination with common buffers such as tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and sodium borate, Mg2+ is a powerful catalyst for the degradation of RNA. pH and temperature are found to be the principal factors for the efficient deg...

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome with origins rooted in a salt-avid state largely mediated by effector hormones of the circulating renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Other participating neurohormones include catecholamines, endothelin-1, and arginine vasopressin. CHF is accompanied by a systemic illness of uncertain causality. Features include the appearance of oxidative...

The properties of the cGMP-dependent channel present in membrane vesicles prepared from intact isolated bovine rod outer segments (ROS) were investigated with the optical probe neutral red. The binding of neutral red is sensitive to transport of cations across vesicular membranes by the effect of the translocated cations on the surface potential at the intravesicular membrane/water interface (S...

Osteopontin is an intrinsically disordered protein involved in tissue remodeling. As a biomarker for pathological hypertrophy and fibrosis, the protein is targeted by an RNA aptamer. In this work, we model the interactions between osteopontin and its aptamer, including mono- (Na+) and divalent (Mg2+) cations. The molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the presence of divalent cations force...

We observed the nonenzymatic formation of guanosine 3’:5’-monophosphate (cyclic GMP) from GTP. The reaction was dependent upon heat and was accelerated by divalent cations and creatine phosphate. The formation of cyclic GMP was greater with increased incubation time, temperature, GTP concentration, and pH. All of the divalent cations tested (Mg2+, Mnz+, Ca2+, Ba2+, and Znzf) increased cyclic GM...

When rat liver nuclei prepared with polyamines as stabilising cations are digested with DNAase II, release of both inactive chromatin and Mg-soluble, active chromatin is greatly reduced, in comparison to digestion of liver nuclei prepared with Mg2+ as stabilising cation. Chromatin release from polyamine stabilised nuclei is also inhibited relative to Mg-stabilised nuclei following digestion wit...

Under physiological conditions, filamentous actin (F-actin) is a polyanionic protein filament. Key features of the behavior of F-actin are shared with other well-characterized polyelectrolytes, in particular, duplex DNA. For example, the bundle formation of F-actin by polyvalent cations, including divalent metal ions such as Mg2+, has been proposed to be a natural consequence of the polyelectro...

We introduced an approach to the ion chromatographic determination of common mono- and divalent cations including hydrogen ion and demonstrated the ability of a C30 column dynamically coated first with dodecylsulfate and then with 18-crown-6 ether to separate the cations by ion-exchange mechanism. Using an ethylenediamine solution containing a small concentration of 18-crown-6 ether and lithium...

The distal convoluted tubule plays a significant role in renal magnesium conservation. Although the cells of the distal convoluted tubule possess the vitamin D receptor, little is known about the effects of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)] on magnesium transport. In this study, we examined the effect of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) on distal cellular magnesium uptake and the modulation of this...