Effects of Red Blood Cell Transfusion on Long-Term Disability of Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: This 3-year prospective study examined the association between red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) and 1-year neurocognitive and disability levels in 309 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to the neurological intensive care unit (NICU).

Methods: Using a telephone interview-based survey, functional outcomes were assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), Rancho Los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning Scale (RLCFS), and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) and dichotomized as favorable and unfavorable (dependent variable). The adjusted influence of RBCT on unfavorable results was assessed by conventional logistic regression, controlling for illness severity and propensity score (introduced as a continuous variable and by propensity score-matched patients).

Asymmetric alcohol C-H allylation and syn-crotylation: C9-C20 of tetrafibricin.

The C9-C20 segment of the fibrinogen receptor inhibitor tetrafibricin was prepared in 10 steps (longest linear sequence). Ruthenium catalyzed enantioselective syn-crotylation is used to construct C9-C13. Iridium catalyzed asymmetric alcohol C-H allylation of a commercial malic acid derived alcohol is used to construct C14-C20.

Palladium-catalyzed, pyrrolidine-mediated arylmethylation of ketones and aldehydes with coumarinyl(methyl) acetates.

We report the palladium-catalyzed, pyrrolidine-mediated α-benzylation of enamines generated from aldehydes and ketones. The method allows for direct coupling of medicinally relevant coumarin moieties with aldehydes and ketones in good yield under mild conditions. The reaction is believed to proceed via a Pd-π-benzyl complex generated from (coumarinyl)methyl acetates.

Targeting HER2-positive cancer with dolastatin 15 derivatives conjugated to trastuzumab, novel antibody-drug conjugates.

Purpose: Targeting tubulin binders to cancer cells using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) has great potential to become an effective cancer treatment with low normal tissue toxicity. The nature of the linker used to tether the tubulin binder to the antibody and the conjugation sites on the antibody and the small molecule are important factors in the ADC stability and effectiveness.

Methods: We explored the use of tubulin-targeting dolastatin 15 derivatives (Dol15) tethered covalently to a representative antibody, trastuzumab, via cleavable and non-cleavable linkers at varying antibody reactive sites (i.

Decarboxylative benzylation and arylation of nitriles.

Decarboxylative benzylation of nitriles is achieved via coupling of metallated nitriles with Pd-π-benzyl complexes that are generated in situ from cyanoacetic benzyl esters. In addition, decarboxylative couplings of α,α-disubstituted 2-methylfuranyl cyanoacetates can lead to either decarboxylative arylation or benzylation depending on the reaction conditions.

Transition metal-catalyzed decarboxylative allylation and benzylation reactions.

A review. Transition metal catalyzed decarboxylative allylations, benzylations, and interceptive allylations are reviewed.

Regiospecific decarboxylative allylation of nitriles.

Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative alpha-allylation of nitriles readily occurs with use of Pd(2)(dba)(3) and rac-BINAP. This catalyst mixture also allows the highly regiospecific alpha-allylation of nitriles in the presence of much more acidic alpha-protons. Thus, the reported method provides access to compounds that are not readily available via base-mediated allylation chemistries.