An anionic indium porphyrin framework (UNLPF-10) consisting of rare Williams β-tetrakaidecahedral cages was constructed using an octatopic ligand linked with 4-connected In(COO)4− SBUs. Remarkably, ...the extent of indium metalation of porphyrin macrocycles in UNLPF-10 can be facilely tuned in situ depending on the M/L ratio during synthesis, resulting in a controllable framework charge density and photocatalytic activity toward the selective oxygenation of sulfides.
Photoredox catalytic activation of organic molecules via single-electron transfer processes has proven to be a mild and efficient synthetic methodology. However, the heavy reliance on expensive ...ruthenium and iridium complexes limits their applications for scale-up synthesis. To this end, photoactive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit unique advantages as novel heterogeneous photocatalytic systems, yet their utilization toward organic transformations has been limited. Here we describe the preparation and synthetic applications of four isostructural porphyrinic MOFs, namely, UNLPF-10a, -10b, -11, and -12, which are composed of free base, InIII-, SnIVCl2-, and SnIV-porphyrin building blocks, respectively. We demonstrate that the metalation with high valent metal cations (InIII and SnIV) significantly modifies the electronic structure of porphyrin macrocycle and provides a highly oxidative photoexcited state that can undergo efficient reductive quenching processes to facilitate organic reactions. In particular, UNLPF-12 exhibits both outstanding photostability and efficient photocatalytic activities toward a range of important organic transformations including aerobic hydroxylation of arylboronic acids, amine coupling, and the Mannich reaction.
We describe a new strategy to generate non-coordinating anions using zwitterionic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). By assembly of anionic inorganic secondary building blocks (SBUs) (In(CO2)4−) with ...cationic metalloporphyrin-based organic linkers, we prepared zwitterionic MOFs in which the complete internal charge separation effectively prevents the potential binding of the counteranion to the cationic metal center. We demonstrate the enhanced Lewis acidity of MnIII- and FeIII-porphyrins in the zwitterionic MOFs in three representative electrocyclization reactions: 2 + 1 cycloisomerization of enynes, 3 + 2 cycloaddition of aziridines and alkenes, and 4 + 2 hetero-Diels–Alder cycloaddition of aldehydes with dienes. This work paves a new way to design functional MOFs for tunable chemical catalysis.
Two non-interpenetrated zirconium metal–organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs), NPF-200 and NPF-201, were synthesized via the assembly of elongated tetrahedral linkers with Zr6 and Zr8 clusters. They represent ...the first examples of MOFs to have the β-UH3-like, 4,12,12T1 topology. Upon activation, NPF-200 exhibits the largest BET surface area (5463 m2 g–1) and void volume (81.6%) among all MOFs formed from tetrahedral ligands. Composed of negative-charged boron-centered tetrahedral linkers, NPF-201 is an anionic Zr-MOF which selectively uptakes photoactive Ru(bpy)32+ for heterogeneous photo-oxidation of thioanisole.
This systematic review evaluated the evidence comparing patient-important outcomes in spinal or epidural vs general anaesthesia for total hip and total knee arthroplasty.
MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, EBSCO ...CINAHL, Thomson Reuters Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception until March 2015 were searched. Eligible randomized controlled trials or prospective comparative studies investigating mortality, major morbidity, and patient-experience outcomes directly comparing neuraxial (spinal or epidural) with general anaesthesia for total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, or both were included. Independent reviewers working in duplicate extracted study characteristics, validity, and outcomes data. Meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effects model.
We included 29 studies involving 10 488 patients. Compared with general anaesthesia, neuraxial anaesthesia significantly reduced length of stay (weighted mean difference −0.40 days; 95% confidence interval −0.76 to −0.03; P+0.03; I2 73%; 12 studies). No statistically significant differences were found between neuraxial and general anaesthesia for mortality, surgical duration, surgical site or chest infections, nerve palsies, postoperative nausea and vomiting, or thromboembolic disease when antithrombotic prophylaxis was used. Subgroup analyses failed to find statistically significant interactions (P>0.05) based on risk of bias, type of surgery, or type of neuraxial anaesthesia.
Neuraxial anaesthesia for total hip or total knee arthroplasty, or both appears equally effective without increased morbidity when compared with general anaesthesia. There is limited quantitative evidence to suggest that neuraxial anaesthesia is associated with improved perioperative outcomes. Future investigations should compare intermediate and long-term outcome differences to better inform anaesthesiologists, surgeons, and patients on importance of anaesthetic selection.
We describe a metal-free, photocatalytic hydrodefluorination (HDF) of polyfluoroarenes (FA) using pyrene-based photocatalysts (Py). The weak “π-hole−π” interaction between Py and FA promotes the ...electron transfer against unfavorable energetics (ΔG ET up to 0.63 eV) and initiates the subsequent HDF. The steric hindrance of Py and FA largely dictates the HDF reaction rate, pointing to an inner-sphere electron transfer pathway. This work highlights the importance of the size and shape of the photocatalyst and the substrate in controlling the electron transfer mechanism and rates as well as the overall photocatalytic processes.
Atypical breast hyperplasias (AH) have a 10-year risk of progression to invasive cancer estimated at 4-7%, with the overall risk of developing breast cancer increased by ~ 4-fold. AH lesions are ...estrogen receptor alpha positive (ERα+) and represent risk indicators and/or precursor lesions to low grade ERα+ tumors. Therefore, molecular profiles of AH lesions offer insights into the earliest changes in the breast epithelium, rendering it susceptible to oncogenic transformation.
In this study, women were selected who were diagnosed with ductal or lobular AH, but no breast cancer prior to or within the 2-year follow-up. Paired AH and histologically normal benign (HNB) tissues from patients were microdissected. RNA was isolated, amplified linearly, labeled, and hybridized to whole transcriptome microarrays to determine gene expression profiles. Genes that were differentially expressed between AH and HNB were identified using a paired analysis. Gene expression signatures distinguishing AH and HNB were defined using AGNES and PAM methods. Regulation of gene networks was investigated using breast epithelial cell lines, explant cultures of normal breast tissue and mouse tissues.
A 99-gene signature discriminated the histologically normal and AH tissues in 81% of the cases. Network analysis identified coordinated alterations in signaling through ERα, epidermal growth factor receptors, and androgen receptor which were associated with the development of both lobular and ductal AH. Decreased expression of SFRP1 was also consistently lower in AH. Knockdown of SFRP1 in 76N-Tert cells resulted altered expression of 13 genes similarly to that observed in AH. An SFRP1-regulated network was also observed in tissues from mice lacking Sfrp1. Re-expression of SFRP1 in MCF7 cells provided further support for the SFRP1-regulated network. Treatment of breast explant cultures with rSFRP1 dampened estrogen-induced progesterone receptor levels.
The alterations in gene expression were observed in both ductal and lobular AH suggesting shared underlying mechanisms predisposing to AH. Loss of SFRP1 expression is a significant regulator of AH transcriptional profiles driving previously unidentified changes affecting responses to estrogen and possibly other pathways. The gene signature and pathways provide insights into alterations contributing to AH breast lesions.
The 2021 VCP Scientific Conference took place virtually from September 9–10, 2021. This conference, planned and organized by the nonprofit patient advocacy group Cure VCP Disease, Inc. ...(https://www.curevcp.org), was the first VCP focused meeting since the 215th ENMC International Workshop VCP-related multi-system proteinopathy in 2016 (Evangelista et al., 2016). Mutations in VCP cause a complex and heterogenous disease termed inclusion body myopathy (IBM) with Paget's disease of the bone (PDB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (IBMPFD), or multisystem proteinopathy 1 (MSP-1) Kimonis (n.d.), Kovach et al. (2001), Kimonis et al. (2000). In addition, VCP mutations also cause other age-related neurodegenerative disorders including amyptrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinsonism, Charcot-Marie type II-B, vacuolar tauopathy among others (Korb et al., 2022). The objectives of this conference were as follows: (1) to provide a forum that facilitates sharing of published and unpublished information on physiological roles of p97/VCP, and on how mutations of VCP lead to diseases; (2) to bolster understanding of mechanisms involved in p97/VCP-relevant diseases and to enable identification of therapeutics to treat these conditions; (3) to identify gaps and barriers of further discoveries and translational research in the p97/VCP field; (4) to set a concrete basic and translational research agenda for future studies including crucial discussions on biomarker discoveries and patient longitudinal studies to facilitate near-term clinical trials; (5) to accelerate cross-disciplinary research collaborations among p97/VCP researchers; (6) to enable attendees to learn about new tools and reagents with the potential to facilitate p97/VCP research; (7) to assist trainees in propelling their research and to foster mentorship from leaders in the field; and (8) to promote diversity and inclusion of under-represented minorities in p97/VCP research as diversity is critically important for strong scientific research. Given the range of topics, the VCP Scientific Conference brought together over one hundred and forty individuals representing a diverse group of research scientists, trainees, medical practitioners, industry representatives, and patient advocates. Twenty-five institutions with individuals from thirteen countries attended this virtual meeting. In this report, we summarize the major topics presented at this conference by a range of experts.
Alfaxalone is a commonly used anesthetic agent in small animals. In cats, alfaxalone can be administered as an IM agent to achieve clinically useful sedation or anesthesia, negating the need for IV ...injection in difficult patients. The molecular structure of alfaxalone is similar to the hormone progesterone (P4). It is hypothesized that alfaxalone would cross-react with the assay measuring progesterone causing a false elevation.
8 healthy neutered male, domestic shorthair cats that were privately owned were enrolled in the study.
Male neutered cats were administered 3 mg/kg of alfaxalone IM. Blood samples were collected at set time points (baseline, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 10 hours after administration), and serum concentrations of progesterone immunoreactivity (IR) were determined using the Siemens Immulite 1000 automated immunoassay system. Statistical analysis was performed with repeated measures ANOVA and a Tukey-Cramer multiple comparisons test. A P value of < .05 was used for significance.
Serum progesterone IR was significantly elevated at 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 3 hours (P < .05) when compared to baseline progesterone immunoreactivity. Progesterone immunoreactivity had returned to baseline by 6 hours.
This study suggests that alfaxalone administered IM in cats may interfere with immunoassay measurement of serum progesterone for up to 6 hours. Caution should be used when interpreting serum progesterone immunoreactivity results in cats within 4 hours of alfaxalone.
Trimethlyamine-N-oxide (TMAO) was recently identified as a promoter of atherosclerosis. Patients with CKD exhibit accelerated development of atherosclerosis; however, no studies have explored the ...relationship between TMAO and atherosclerosis formation in this group. This study measured serum concentrations and urinary excretion of TMAO in a CKD cohort (n=104), identified the effect of renal transplant on serum TMAO concentration in a subset of these patients (n=6), and explored the cross-sectional relationship between serum TMAO and coronary atherosclerosis burden in a separate CKD cohort (n=220) undergoing coronary angiography. Additional exploratory analyses examined the relationship between baseline serum TMAO and long-term survival after coronary angiography. Serum TMAO concentrations demonstrated a strong inverse association with eGFR (r(2)=0.31, P<0.001). TMAO concentrations were markedly higher in patients receiving dialysis (median interquartile range, 94.4 μM 54.8-133.0 μM for dialysis-dependent patients versus 3.3 μM 3.1-6.0 μM for healthy controls; P<0.001); whereas renal transplantation resulted in substantial reductions in TMAO concentrations (median min-max 71.2 μM 29.2-189.7 μM pretransplant versus 11.4 μM 8.9-20.2 μM post-transplant; P=0.03). TMAO concentration was an independent predictor for coronary atherosclerosis burden (P=0.02) and predicted long-term mortality independent of traditional cardiac risk factors (hazard ratio, 1.26 per 10 μM increment in TMAO concentration; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 1.40; P<0.001). In conclusion, serum TMAO concentrations substantially increase with decrements in kidney function, and this effect is reversed by renal transplantation. Increased TMAO concentrations correlate with coronary atherosclerosis burden and may associate with long-term mortality in patients with CKD undergoing coronary angiography.