Prolonged Contacts Research Articles

Molecular-Dynamics-Simulation-Directed Rational Design of Nanoreceptors with Targeted Affinity.

Here, we demonstrate the possibility of rationally designing nanoparticle receptors with targeted affinity and selectivity for specific small molecules. We used atomistic molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations to gradually mutate and optimize the chemical structure of the molecules forming the coating monolayer of gold nanoparticles (1.7 nm gold-core size). The MD-directed design resulted in nanoreceptors with a 10-fold improvement in affinity for the target analyte (salicylate) and a 100-fold decrease of the detection limit by NMR-chemosensing from the millimolar to the micromolar range. We could define the exact binding mode, which features prolonged contacts and deep penetration of the guest into the monolayer, as well as a distinct shape of the effective binding pockets characterized by exposed interacting points.

Molecular‐Dynamics‐Simulation‐Directed Rational Design of Nanoreceptors with Targeted Affinity

AbstractHere, we demonstrate the possibility of rationally designing nanoparticle receptors with targeted affinity and selectivity for specific small molecules. We used atomistic molecular‐dynamics (MD) simulations to gradually mutate and optimize the chemical structure of the molecules forming the coating monolayer of gold nanoparticles (1.7 nm gold‐core size). The MD‐directed design resulted in nanoreceptors with a 10‐fold improvement in affinity for the target analyte (salicylate) and a 100‐fold decrease of the detection limit by NMR‐chemosensing from the millimolar to the micromolar range. We could define the exact binding mode, which features prolonged contacts and deep penetration of the guest into the monolayer, as well as a distinct shape of the effective binding pockets characterized by exposed interacting points.

A sexually transmitted infection model with long-term partnerships in homogeneous and heterogenous populations.

Population models for sexually transmitted infections frequently use a transmission model that assumes an inherent partnership length of zero. However, in a population with long-term partnerships, the infection status of the partners, the length of the partnership, and the exclusivity of the partnership significantly affect the rate of infection. We develop an autonomous population model that can account for the possibilities of an infection from either a casual sexual partner or a longtime partner who was either infected at the start of the partnership or was newly infected. The impact of the long-term partnerships on the rate of infection is captured by calculating the expected values of the rate of infection from these extended contacts. We present a new method to evaluate partner acquisition rates for casual or long-term partnerships which produces in a more realistic number of lifetime sexual partners. Results include a SI model with different infectiousness levels for the transmission of HIV and HSV-2 with acute and chronic/latent infection stages for homogeneous (MSM) and heterogeneous (WSM-MSW) groups. The accompanying reproduction number and sensitivity studies highlight the impact of both casual and long-term partnerships on infection spread. We construct an autonomous set of equations that handle issues usually ignored by autonomous equations and handled only through simulations or in a non-autonomous form. The autonomous formulation of the model allows for simple numerical computations while incorporating a combination of random instantaneous contacts between individuals and prolonged contacts between specific individuals.

Value basics of musical enlightenment (on the example of Eastern Galicia in the first half of the 20th century)

<p>Wykształcenie jest zjawiskiem społecznym i kulturowym, a jego obowiązkowym atrybutem jest nie tylko nowa wiedza, ale także jej transfer. Początki edukacji muzycznej są zakorzenione w wiedzy dotyczącej korzystnego wpływu muzyki na ludzką duszę i jej znaczącego efektu edukacyjnego. Wykształcenie muzyczne może być postrzegane jako działalność, która zapewni rozwój zainteresowań muzycznych, potrzeb i gustów oraz generalnie przyczynia się do poznania podstaw muzyki. Edukacja oparta na wiedzy muzycznej ma również istotny wpływ na osobisty rozwój kultury człowieka. Stanowi edukacyjny pomysł do zapewnienia szerokiego dostępu do prawdziwych wartości muzycznych. Jako działalność edukacja muzyczna jest ściśle związana z problemami wychowania i kształcenia. Jej głównym celem jest wzbudzenie zainteresowania różnych grup muzycznych takimi kategoriami muzyki, jak: pieśni narodowe, ludowe czy inne, wchodzące w zakres światowego dziedzictwa muzycznego. Ważnym zadaniem edukacji muzycznej jest częsty kontakt słuchaczy z artystami. Istotnym czynnikiem w rozwoju kultury ukraińskiej Galicji Wschodniej w pierwszej połowie XX wieku były grupy amatorskie o charakterze edukacyjno-kulturalnym, jak np. „Proswita”, „Bojan”, „Ridna szkola”, „Plast”, „Sich”. Ich członkowie, muzyką swą aktywnie popierali tradycję i ukraińską tożsamość narodową, przyczyniając się tym samym do rozwoju postępu kulturowego. Działalność koncertowa chórów, orkiestr i grup teatralnych tych zrzeszeń stanowiła ważny element w kontynuowaniu tradycji i krzewieniu kultury muzycznej.</p>

Social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong

The spread of many respiratory infections is determined by contact patterns between infectious and susceptible individuals in the population. There are no published data for quantifying social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong which is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases due to its high population density and connectivity in the air transportation network. We adopted a commonly used diary-based design to conduct a social contact survey in Hong Kong in 2015/16 using both paper and online questionnaires. Participants using paper questionnaires reported more contacts and longer contact duration than those using online questionnaires. Participants reported 13 person-hours of contact and 8 contacts per day on average, which decreased over age but increased with household size, years of education and income level. Prolonged and frequent contacts, and contacts at home, school and work were more likely to involve physical contacts. Strong age-assortativity was observed in all age groups. We evaluated the characteristics of social contact patterns relevant to the spread of respiratory infectious diseases in Hong Kong. Our findings could help to improve the design of future social contact surveys, parameterize transmission models of respiratory infectious diseases, and inform intervention strategies based on model outputs.

Measurement of T Cell Alloreactivity Using Imaging Flow Cytometry

The measurement of immunological reactivity to donor antigens in transplant recipients is likely to be crucial for the successful reduction or withdrawal of immunosuppression. The mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR), limiting dilution assays, and trans-vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) assay have all been applied to this question, but these methods have limited predictive ability and/or significant practical limitations that reduce their usefulness. Imaging flow cytometry is a technique that combines the multiparametric quantitative powers of flow cytometry with the imaging capabilities of fluorescent microscopy. We recently made use of an imaging flow cytometry approach to define the proportion of recipient T cells capable of forming mature immune synapses with donor antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Using a well-characterized mouse heart transplant model, we have shown that the frequency of in vitro immune synapses among T-APC membrane contact events strongly predicted allograft outcome in rejection, tolerance, and a situation where transplant survival depends on induced regulatory T cells. The frequency of T-APC contacts increased with T cells from mice during acute rejection and decreased with T cells from mice rendered unresponsive to alloantigen. The addition of regulatory T cells to the in vitro system reduced prolonged T-APC contacts. Critically, this effect was also seen with human polyclonally expanded, naturally occurring regulatory T cells, which are known to control the rejection of human tissues in humanized mouse models. Further development of this approach may allow for a deeper characterization of the alloreactive T-cell compartment in transplant recipients. In the future, further development and evaluation of this method using human cells may form the basis for assays used to select patients for immunosuppression minimization, and it can be used to measure the impact of tolerogenic therapies in the clinic.

Measurement of T Cell Alloreactivity Using Imaging Flow Cytometry.

The measurement of immunological reactivity to donor antigens in transplant recipients is likely to be crucial for the successful reduction or withdrawal of immunosuppression. The mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR), limiting dilution assays, and trans-vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) assay have all been applied to this question, but these methods have limited predictive ability and/or significant practical limitations that reduce their usefulness.Imaging flow cytometry is a technique that combines the multiparametric quantitative powers of flow cytometry with the imaging capabilities of fluorescent microscopy. We recently made use of an imaging flow cytometry approach to define the proportion of recipient T cells capable of forming mature immune synapses with donor antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Using a well-characterized mouse heart transplant model, we have shown that the frequency of in vitro immune synapses among T-APC membrane contact events strongly predicted allograft outcome in rejection, tolerance, and a situation where transplant survival depends on induced regulatory T cells.The frequency of T-APC contacts increased with T cells from mice during acute rejection and decreased with T cells from mice rendered unresponsive to alloantigen. The addition of regulatory T cells to the in vitro system reduced prolonged T-APC contacts. Critically, this effect was also seen with human polyclonally expanded, naturally occurring regulatory T cells, which are known to control the rejection of human tissues in humanized mouse models. Further development of this approach may allow for a deeper characterization of the alloreactive T-cell compartment in transplant recipients. In the future, further development and evaluation of this method using human cells may form the basis for assays used to select patients for immunosuppression minimization, and it can be used to measure the impact of tolerogenic therapies in the clinic.

Myrmica rubra ants are more communicative when young: Do they need experience?

The role of experience in the development of communication in animals is a matter of special interest to many ethologists and psychologists. Ants are known to possess sophisticated and flexible communication systems based mainly on their antennal movements (Reznikova & Ryabko, 2011). However, it is still enigmatic whether young ants need stimulation performances by adults to develop their communication capacities. Experiments with pairwise interactions of Myrmica rubra ants revealed significant differences in individual behavior and the mode of communication in callow (newly emerged) and adult workers. Adult ants are much more mobile than callow ones, and they switch their behavior depending on what partner they interact with, whereas callows behave independently. Adults communicate with callows and queens much longer than with other adults. Both callows and queens seem to be rather attractive to adults, although in different ways. Adults pay close attention to callow ants and initiate prolonged antennal contacts with them, touching their bodies and not leaving them alone. Young (callow) ants appear to be more communicative than adults, and they are equally ready to communicate with each other and with adults. Antennal movements are slow and clumsy in young ants, and they often switch from communication to other activities. It is likely that patterns of antennal movements in callows change gradually. Peculiarities of the mode of communication enable us to speculate that young ants need prolonged contacts with adult nestmates to gain the experience of communication. Some parallels with the development of communication skills in vertebrate species are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record

Ringworm Infections in Anambra State of Nigeria: Epidemiologic Features and Antifungal Potentials of Local Plant Remedies

Ringworm infection remains an important public health problem in Nigeria, as in other parts of the world where poor living conditions prevail. The epidemiologic pattern of the disease has not been well defined in Anambra State of Nigeria, hence the need for this study. A total of 51,092 individuals (48,084 children and 3,008 adults) were surveyed for ringworm lesions. The population constituted of primary school children and their contacts. Results showed that of the 51,092 individuals, 5,127 (or 10.04%) had ringworm lesions on their body. Scalp ringworm was more common in children than adults (X2=9.8482; P 0.05) or gender-related (X2=0.0057; P>0.05) pattern. Contact tracing showed that chances of transmitting ringworm infection from a case were higher in the family (38%) than in the school classroom (1.3%), which was higher than in the neighbourhood (0.8%). Transmission within the household was mainly horizontal among children, and occasionally from child to adults. Close and prolonged contacts with ringworm–afflicted individual appeared to enhance transmission. Of plant materials locally used to treat ringworm infections, the inhibitory concentrations against locally isolated dermatophyte fungi were as follows: leaves of Vanda roxburgii (MICrange=1.56-25.00 mg/ml; MIC90=25.00 mg/ml), Parkia biglobosa seeds (MICrange=3.13-12.50 mg/ml; MIC90=12.50 mg/ml), leaves of Sena alata (MICrange=3.13-12.50 mg/ml; MIC90=12.50 mg/ml), leaves of Mitracarpus villosus (MICrange=3.13-25.00 mg/ml; MIC90=25.00 mg/ml) and Gmelina arborea fruits (MICrange=6.25-100 mg/ml; MIC90=50.00 mg/ml). It could be concluded that tropical plants hold great promise as potential source of antifungal agents and are therefore, recommendable as possible option in the search for newer anti-fungal agents.

Treatment of frictional dental hypersensitivity (FDH) with computer-guided occlusal adjustments

Objective: To verify the efficacy of treating dentin/dental hypersensitivity (DH) to Cold Ice Water Swish testing before and after subjects undergo the Immediate Complete Anterior Guidance Development (ICAGD) computer-guided occlusal adjustment.Methods: One hundred chronically dysfunctional patients with known cold sensitivity swished ice water intraorally to elicit a DH response scored on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The subjects then underwent the ICAGD coronoplasty, which was followed by a second ice water swish scored with a second VAS. The pre to post ICAGD Disclusion Time values and VAS scores were statistically evaluated by the Wilcoxon Signed Rank for Paired Difference test. The subjects were divided into subgroups with DH sensitivities <4 and ≥4, and analyzed. Limitations were as follows: abfractions were not quantified, dysfunctional symptom resolution was not determined, each subject was their own control, one clinician administered all ice water tests, and protrusive excursions were not included.Results: Disclusion Time reductions from ICAGD were significant (2.11–0.55 s. p = 0.0000). The DH score changes showed highly significant decreases from pre to post ICAGD (p < 0.0001).Conclusions: A partial etiology for cold tooth sensitivity exists, resultant from prolonged occlusal surface excursive movement frictional contacts. This cold sensitivity can be lessened with measured, computer-guided occlusal adjustments.

On the mechanisms of the grammaticalization of comitative and instrumental categories in Slavic

This article critically assesses probabilistic predictions on the theory of contact-induced grammaticalization of the comitative-instrumental polysemy in those Slavic languages which have had a history of long and intense interaction with either German or Italian. Having provided extensive dialectal data, I argue instead that there are no grounds for positing a direct correlation between the introduction of the comitative preposition to instrumental in “high-contact” Slavic languages and the history of language contact with German or Italian. I propose to distinguish between the grammaticalization of the comitative-instrumental polysemy due to analytic simplification and the grammaticalization of the instrumental-comitative polysemy due to synthetic simplification. The comitative marking for instrumentals in Slavic is likely to develop in places of prolonged multilingual contacts, not necessarily with German or Italian. Under these conditions one can predict the development of convergent analytic features in closely related or even areally contingent languages (dialects), as is the case of the Circum-Baltic area.

BLOC-2 targets recycling endosomal tubules to melanosomes for cargo delivery.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a group of disorders characterized by the malformation of lysosome-related organelles, such as pigment cell melanosomes. Three of nine characterized HPS subtypes result from mutations in subunits of BLOC-2, a protein complex with no known molecular function. In this paper, we exploit melanocytes from mouse HPS models to place BLOC-2 within a cargo transport pathway from recycling endosomal domains to maturing melanosomes. In BLOC-2-deficient melanocytes, the melanosomal protein TYRP1 was largely depleted from pigment granules and underwent accelerated recycling from endosomes to the plasma membrane and to the Golgi. By live-cell imaging, recycling endosomal tubules of wild-type melanocytes made frequent and prolonged contacts with maturing melanosomes; in contrast, tubules from BLOC-2-deficient cells were shorter in length and made fewer, more transient contacts with melanosomes. These results support a model in which BLOC-2 functions to direct recycling endosomal tubular transport intermediates to maturing melanosomes and thereby promote cargo delivery and optimal pigmentation.

Admixed Phylogenetic Distribution of Drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia

BackgroundThe phylogeographical structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is generally bimodal in low tuberculosis (TB) incidence countries, where genetic lineages of the isolates generally differ with little strain clustering between autochthonous and foreign-born TB patients. However, less is known on this structure in Saudi Arabia—the most important hub of human migration as it hosts a total population of expatriates and pilgrims from all over the world which is equal to that of its citizens.MethodologyWe explored the mycobacterial phylogenetic structure and strain molecular clustering in Saudi Arabia by genotyping 322 drug-resistant clinical isolates collected over a 12-month period in a national drug surveillance survey, using 24 locus-based MIRU-VNTR typing and spoligotyping.Principal FindingsIn contrast to the cosmopolitan population of the country, almost all the known phylogeographic lineages of M. tuberculosis complex (with noticeable exception of Mycobacterium africanum/West-African 1 and 2) were detected, with Delhi/CAS (21.1%), EAI (11.2%), Beijing (11.2%) and main branches of the Euro-American super-lineage such as Ghana (14.9%), Haarlem (10.6%) and Cameroon (7.8%) being represented. Statistically significant associations of strain lineages were observed with poly-drug resistance and multi drug resistance especially among previously treated cases (p value of < = 0.001 for both types of resistance), with relative over-representation of Beijing strains in the latter category. However, there was no significant difference among Saudi and non-Saudi TB patients regarding distribution of phylogenetic lineages (p = 0.311). Moreover, 59.5% (22/37) of the strain molecular clusters were shared between the Saudi born and immigrant TB patients.ConclusionsSpecific distribution of M. tuberculosis phylogeographic lineages is not observed between the autochthonous and foreign-born populations. These observations might reflect both socially favored ongoing TB transmission between the two population groups, and historically deep-rooted, prolonged contacts and trade relations of the peninsula with other world regions. More vigorous surveillance and strict adherence to tuberculosis control policies are urgently needed in the country.

Civilization Connections: Early Islam and Latin-European Renaissance

The paper discusses four interrelated themes. First, there is a description on the ―lost paradigm‖ of Islamic connections to European Renaissance, followed by a discussion of evidence that this Renaissance depended crucially upon the intellectual armory acquired through prolonged contacts with early Islamic civilization. The influence of many Muslim scholars on Western Enlightenment also cannot be denied. The paper documents the influence of some key Islamic scholars such as Al-Kindi, Ibn-e-Sina, Al-Ghazali and in particular Ibn-e-Rushd, whose writings contributed hugely to the European Enlightenment. This is followed by a discussion of the various sources of transmission of that intellectual armory that enabled Latin-Europeans to exit from the Dark Ages and contributed towards medieval Renaissance as well as subsequent Italian Renaissance.

Posthatching Parental Care in Salamanders Revealed by Infrared Video Surveillance

Posthatching parental care is known in amphibians for frogs and caecilians but, thus far, has never been reported for salamanders. Here, we describe the parental behavior of a female Northwest Italian Cave Salamander, Speleomantes strinatii, from egg deposition to nest site abandonment. The female was kept in seminatural conditions and filmed in complete darkness by an infrared video camera. In November 2007, the female laid nine eggs in a small depression of the terrarium floor, displaced the clutch with hind limbs, and showed antipredator behaviors toward a conspecific female and an intruding Roof Rat (Rattus rattus). During egg brooding, the female remained in contact with the clutch for about 98% of the time. In September 2008, two young hatched and shared the nesting site for six weeks with the female, which attended the nesting site for 87% of the time. Hatchlings repeatedly climbed over the female's body, lying on her for hours. The female walked out of the nesting site with a young on its back twice. These prolonged skin contacts between parent and offspring should be considered as the first certain case of young attendance in salamanders. This behavior may be related to increased survival of hatchlings during their first weeks of life, when young are particularly vulnerable to predation, skin infection, and dehydration.

Functional Anatomy of T Cell Activation and Synapse Formation

T cell activation and function require a structured engagement of antigen-presenting cells. These cell contacts are characterized by two distinct dynamics in vivo: transient contacts resulting from promigratory junctions called immunological kinapses or prolonged contacts from stable junctions called immunological synapses. Kinapses operate in the steady state to allow referencing to self-peptide-MHC (pMHC) and searching for pathogen-derived pMHC. Synapses are induced by T cell receptor (TCR) interactions with agonist pMHC under specific conditions and correlate with robust immune responses that generate effector and memory T cells. High-resolution imaging has revealed that the synapse is highly coordinated, integrating cell adhesion, TCR recognition of pMHC complexes, and an array of activating and inhibitory ligands to promote or prevent T cell signaling. In this review, we examine the molecular components, geometry, and timing underlying kinapses and synapses. We integrate recent molecular and physiological data to provide a synthesis and suggest ways forward.

Making antigen invisible: a coinhibitory molecule regulates the interaction between T cells and dendritic cells

Evaluation of: Fife BT, Pauken KE, Eagar TN et al. Interactions between PD-1 and PD-L1 promote tolerance by blocking the TCR-induced stop signal. Nat. Immunol. 10(11), 1185–1191 (2009).Antigen-specific downregulation of T-cell effector function is critical for maintaining self-tolerance but it can promote pathogen persistence in chronic infections; consequently, the restoration of T-cell effector functions is a major goal of therapeutic vaccines against chronic viral infections and malignancies. Recently, a number of T-cell inhibitory receptors, most prominently programmed death-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, have been described that are associated with T-cell exhaustion and tolerance. Blocking these receptors can restore T-cell function and, depending on the model, lead to autoimmune disease or successful viral elimination. Antibodies to PD-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 are currently being tested in clinical trials in several malignant diseases and chronic hepatitis C as they are promising candidates for combination with both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Given the central role of T-cell inhibitory receptors in the regulation of immune responses, understanding their molecular mode of action is of major importance. In the report from Fife and colleagues, two-photon laser scanning microscopy of mouse lymphoid and peripheral tissue has been employed to study the interaction of tolerized PD-1-expressing T cells with antigen-bearing dendritic cells in vivo. While tolerized T cells moved freely and did not make prolonged contacts with dendritic cells, addition of an antibody that blocked the interaction between PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 lowered T-cell motility, enhanced T-cell–dendritic cell contacts and caused autoimmune disease in the nonobese diabetic mouse model of autoimmune diabetes. The authors conclude that PD-1–PD-L1 interactions mediate peripheral tolerance by inhibiting T-cell receptor-induced stop signals.

Targeting of cancer stem cell marker EpCAM by bispecific antibody EpCAMxCD3 inhibits pancreatic carcinoma

Patients with pancreatic cancer have a poor survival rate, and new therapeutic strategies are needed. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), suggested as a marker for cancer stem cells, is over-expressed on most pancreatic tumour cells but not on normal cells and may be an ideal therapeutic target. We evaluated the anti-tumour efficiency of bispecific EpCAMxCD3 antibody linking tumour cells and T lymphocytes. In NOD SCID mice, EpCAMxCD3 had a long serum half-life (t1/2∼ 7 days). EpCAMxCD3 significantly retarded growth of BxPC-3 pancreatic carcinoma xenografts. For mimicking a pancreatic cancer microenvironment in vitro, we used a three-dimensional tumour reconstruct system, in which lymphocytes were co-cultured with tumour cells and fibroblasts in a collagen matrix. In this in vivo–like system, EpCAMxCD3 potently stimulated production of the effector cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α by extracorporally pre-activated lymphocytes. Moreover, compared with a bivalent anti-CD3 antibody, EpCAMxCD3 more efficiently activated the production of TNF-α and IFN-γ by non-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Most excitingly, we demonstrate for the first time that EpCAMxCD3 induces prolonged contacts between lymphocytes and tumour cells, which may be the main reason for the observed anti-tumour effects. As an important prerequisite for future use in patients, EpCAMxCD3 did not alter lymphocyte migration as measured by time-lapse video microscopy. Our data may open a way to improve the immune response and treatment outcome in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Chemokine Signaling to Lymphocyte Integrins Under Shear Flow

The arrest of lymphocytes at target vascular sites depends on the rapid activation of their integrins by specialized endothelial chemokines. For over a decade, the mechanisms by which these chemokines trigger initial integrin-mediated adhesiveness and subsequent adhesion strengthening and crawling over endothelial surfaces have been dissected in vitro using flow chamber setups. These studies revealed that lymph node chemokines and subsets of inflammatory chemokines, collectively termed "arrest chemokines," can trigger the fastest measurable inside-out integrin activation events. Recent studies indicate that shear forces applied on lymphocytes are instrumental in these rapid activation processes. Different GTPases have been implicated in these activation processes. As these enzymes contribute to successive integrin activation and redistribution processes in both early and prolonged contacts there is a growing need to dissect in vitro and validate in vivo specific signaling routes involved in early and late integrin activation events controlling lymphocyte arrest and their subsequent crawling to sites of diapedesis. In this article, we present an overview of both early and recent shear-flow studies of integrin activation in lymphocytes and discuss future perspectives of integrin activation research in vitro and in vivo.

Studies on Liquid‐Liquid Extraction and Recovery of Bismuth(III) from Succinate Media Using 2‐Octylaminopyridine in Chloroform

AbstractA procedure is described for the liquid‐liquid extraction and recovery of bismuth(III) from succinate solution using 2‐octylaminopyridine (2‐OAP) as an extractant. The quantitative extraction of bismuth(III) occurs from 0.004 to 0.007 M sodium succinate solution of pH 2.5‐10 using 0.036 M 2‐OAP in chloroform. The extracted metal ion has been recovered by stripping with (3 × 10 mL) 0.5 M nitric acid. The log‐log plot of distribution ratio versus succinate concentration and distribution ratio versus 2‐OAP concentration gave slopes of 2.0 and 0.9, respectively, indicating a metal‐succinate ratio of 1:2 and a metal: 2‐OAP ratio of 1:1.The ion pair complex has a high distribution ratio in chloroform, while other solvents are poor. The extractants are stable towards prolonged acid contacts and there is no loss in its extraction efficiency even after recycling ten times. The extraction behaviour of some commonly associated metal ions, namely Ga(III), Cd(II), Zn(II), Cr(VI), Cu(II), Ba(II), Sb(III), Sn(IV), Tl(I) and Pb(II), has also been investigated. Based on partition data, conditions have been identified for attaining some separations of bismuth(III) from other metal ions; these conditions are extended for the recovery of pure bismuth from ore and alloys. Thermodynamic quantities for the extraction process were calculated.