Examining the effects of climate change and political instability on maize production in Somalia.

Agricultural production is sensitive to climate variability, so climate change-agriculture sector nexus is topical in developing countries. To this end, this study examines the impact of climate change variables-rainfall and temperature-and non-climatic factors on maize production in Somalia for the period between 1980 and 2018 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test, dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), variance decomposition(VD), and impulse response function (IRF). The empirical results of the ARDL bound test confirmed the presence of long-run cointegration between the dependent variable and the explanatory variables.

N-[6-(4-butanoyl-5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridazin-3-yl]-5-chloro-1-[2-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl]-1H-indole-3-carboxamide (SAR216471), a novel intravenous and oral, reversible, and directly acting P2Y12 antagonist.

In the search of a potential backup for clopidogrel, we have initiated a HTS campaign designed to identify novel reversible P2Y12 antagonists. Starting from a hit with low micromolar binding activity, we report here the main steps of the optimization process leading to the identification of the preclinical candidate SAR216471. It is a potent, highly selective, and reversible P2Y12 receptor antagonist and by far the most potent inhibitor of ADP-induced platelet aggregation among the P2Y12 antagonists described in the literature.

5-Chlorothiophene-2-carboxylic acid [(S)-2-[2-methyl-3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzenesulfonylamino]-3-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-3-oxopropyl]amide (SAR107375), a selective and potent orally active dual thrombin and factor Xa inhibitor.

Compound 15 (SAR107375), a novel potent dual thrombin and factor Xa inhibitor resulted from a rational optimization process. Starting from compound 14, with low factor Xa and modest anti-thrombin inhibitory activities (IC50's of 3.5 and 0.

Lhermitte-Duclos disease: case report.

Lhermitte-Duclos disease is a rare disorder with an unknown pathogenesis. A single report of a pathological proven case of Lhermitte-Duclos disease is presented with clinical, imaging, and histopathological findings. A brief review of the condition is provided with an emphasis on imaging description.

Synthesis of new macrocyclic chiral manganese(III) Schiff bases as catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation.

We describe a general synthetic strategy for the preparation of a series of macrocyclic chiral manganese(III) salen complexes. The developed reaction pathway allows the modulation of the different key groups, namely, the chiral diimine, the bulky substituents in positions 3 and 3', and the linker used in the macrocyclization of the Schiff base. The different complexes presented here illustrate these readily available structural variations.

Breast conservation therapy for invasive lobular carcinoma: the impact of lobular carcinoma in situ in the surgical specimen on local recurrence and axillary node status.

Forty patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy for invasive lobular carcinoma were studied for the volume of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) in the surgical specimen and its relationship to the surgical margins. The pathology of all cases was reviewed for margin status as well as the volume of LCIS in the surgical specimen. Mean follow-up time was 67 months.

Closer to the "ideal recoverable catalyst" for atom transfer radical polymerization using a molecular non-fluorous thermomorphic system.

The tetramine ligand 1 hexasubstituted by very long alkyl chains (C18H37) exhibits an exceptionally large temperature-dependent solubility in 1,4-dioxane, its solubility increasing ca. approximately 104-fold between 23 and 50 degrees C. The preformed copper(I) complex CuBr/1 was shown to catalyze the atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate with good control of the molar masses and polydispersities.

Bartholin's gland carcinoma, malignant melanoma and other rare tumours of the vulva.

Non-squamous cancers of the vulva encompass an exciting and broad group of tumours, including Bartholin's gland carcinoma, malignant melanoma, Paget's disease, sarcomas and lymphoma. These tumours range from innocuous lesions treatable with simple local excision, such as basal-cell carcinoma, to cancers with very poor prognosis, such as Merkel-cell tumours. All of these tumours are thoroughly reviewed, with emphasis on presenting symptoms, pathological diagnosis and optimal management approaches.

Biodegradable polymer nanocapsules containing a sunscreen agent: preparation and photoprotection.

Biodegradable polymer nanocapsules containing the lipophilic sunscreen, Parsol MCX (OMC), as the oil core were prepared by solvent displacement. We investigated the influence of polysorbate 85 (P-85) and poloxamer 188 (P-188) as stabilizing agents, the OMC loading capacity and the photoprotective potential of the formulations. The formation of nanocapsules is probably due to an interfacial instability arising from rapid diffusion of the solvent across the interface.

Microencapsulation of erythromycin and clarithromycin using a spray-drying technique.

Previous methods of microencapsulation are unable to process particles smaller than 100 microm without organic solvents or the use of multistep processes. The present study investigates the feasiblity of a one-step spray-drying process to microencapsulate erythromycin and clarithromycin, antibiotics known to have an unpleasant, bitter taste. Mixtures of clarithromycin (5% by weight) or erythromycin (30% by weight) with a biodegradable polymer were prepared and spray-dried under specific conditions of temperature and turbine speed.

Tanycytic ependymoma.

Tanycytic ependymoma is an uncommon fibrillar variant of ependymoma characterized by streams of piloid, or hair-like, cells having "ependymal" nuclei. True ependymal rosettes are absent, and perivascular rosettes are inconspicuous. Misinterpretation as schwannoma or astrocytoma is a diagnostic problem and well-documented cases are scarce.

N,N'-bis-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl) ethylenediamine N,N'-diacetic acid as a new iron chelator with potential medicinal applications against oxidative stress.

N,N'-bis-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl) ethylenediamine N,N,-diacetic acid dihydrochloride (OR10141) is a member of a recently described series of "oxidative stress activatable iron chelators." These chelators have a relatively low affinity for iron but can be site-specifically oxidized, in situations mimicking oxidative stress in vitro, into species with strong iron-binding capacity. It is hoped that this local activation process will minimise toxicity compared to strong iron chelators that may interfere with iron metabolism.