Strontium-Based MOFs Showing Dual Emission: Luminescence Thermometers and Toluene Sensors.

This work reports on the preparation and optical characterization of two metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on strontium ions and 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (NH-bdc) ligand: i.e., [Sr(NH-bdc)(DMF)] () and {[Sr(NH-bdc)(Form)]·HO} () (where DMF = dimethylformamide and Form = formamide).

A double basic Sr-amino containing MOF as a highly stable heterogeneous catalyst.

A novel metal-organic framework (MOF) based on strontium alkaline-earth metal and 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (NH-bdc) has been developed. This material is formed by a linear succession of face-sharing strontium polyhedra bridged by an organic ligand molecule to give a three-dimensional network with rhombohedral one-directional channels. This MOF is stable in polar organic solvents and up to 250 °C.

A Recyclable Cu-MOF-74 Catalyst for the Ligand-Free O-Arylation Reaction of 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde and Phenol.

The activity and recyclability of Cu-MOF-74 as a catalyst was studied for the ligand-free C-O cross-coupling reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde (NB) with phenol (Ph) to form 4-formyldiphenyl ether (FDE). Cu-MOF-74 is characterized by having unsaturated copper sites in a highly porous metal-organic framework. The influence of solvent, reaction temperature, NB/Ph ratio, catalyst concentration, and basic agent (type and concentration) were evaluated.

Curcumin-loaded silica-based mesoporous materials: Synthesis, characterization and cytotoxic properties against cancer cells.

Two different silica based (MSU-2 and MCM-41) curcumin loaded mesoporous materials V3 and V6 were synthesized and characterized by several physico-chemical techniques. Release kinetic study revealed the slow and sustained release of curcumin from those materials in blood simulated fluid (pH: 7.4).

New URJC-1 Material with Remarkable Stability and Acid-Base Catalytic Properties.

Emerging new metal-organic structures with tunable physicochemical properties is an exciting research field for diverse applications. In this work, a novel metal-organic framework Cu(HIT)(DMF), named URJC-1, with a three-dimensional non-interpenetrated topological network, has been synthesized. This material exhibits a microporous structure with unsaturated copper centers and imidazole⁻tetrazole linkages that provide accessible Lewis acid/base sites.

Curcumin loaded mesoporous silica: an effective drug delivery system for cancer treatment.

In the present study, we report the delivery of anti-cancer drug curcumin to cancer cells using mesoporous silica materials. A series of mesoporous silica material based drug delivery systems (S2, S4 and S6) were first designed and developed through the amine functionalization of KIT-6, MSU-2 and MCM-41 followed by the loading of curcumin. The curcumin loaded materials were characterized with several physico-chemical techniques and thoroughly screened on cancer cells to evaluate their in vitro drug delivery efficacy.

Polymorphisms within ASTN2 gene are associated with age at onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurological condition associated with genetic profiles that are still not completely understood. We performed a family-based low-density genome-wide association analysis of age at onset (AAO) in AD (244 patients and their relatives) using Illumina 6 K single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) panel and the FBAT-logrank statistic. We observed 10 SNPs associated with AAO in AD with p < 2 × 10(-3).

Prognostic implications of paranoia and thought disorder in new onset psychosis.

This study follows a group of 174 young people with new onset of schizotypal symptoms and examines factors which may lead to conversion to psychosis. These prodromal subjects were screened for symptoms and later given the Structured Clinical Interview of DSM-III-R at one year, two years and ten years post onset. We also included the Paranoia Scale of Fenigstein and Vanable and the Scale for Thought, Language and Communications of Andreasen in all interviews.

NRG3 gene is associated with the risk and age at onset of Alzheimer disease.

The Neuregulin 3 (NRG3) gene at 10q22-q24 has been implicated in multiple psychiatric traits such as cognitive impairment. We therefore hypothesized that NRG3 gene polymorphisms may play a role in Alzheimer disease (AD). This present study explored the association of NRG3 with the age at onset (AAO) of AD and the risk of developing AD.

BCL9 and C9orf5 are associated with negative symptoms in schizophrenia: meta-analysis of two genome-wide association studies.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric condition affecting slightly more than 1% of the population worldwide and it is a multifactorial disorder with a high degree of heritability (80%) based on family and twin studies. Increasing lines of evidence suggest intermediate phenotypes/endophenotypes are more associated with causes of the disease and are less genetically complex than the broader disease spectrum. Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are attractive intermediate phenotypes based on their clinical and treatment response features.

Synthesis of a honeycomb-like Cu-based metal-organic framework and its carbon dioxide adsorption behaviour.

Herein, we report on a new Cu-based MOF material, Cu(2)(dhtp), structurally homologous to the honeycomb-like M(2)(dhtp) series. This has been crystallized under solvothermal conditions using copper nitrate and 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid as an organic linker, being the nature of the co-solvent in the synthesis media an important variable over the final physical properties of the material. The presence of isopropanol as a co-solvent leads to the formation of a pure crystalline phase with textural properties comparable to M(2)(dhtp) homologues.

Children's mental health and collective violence: a binational study on the United States-Mexico border.

Objective: To investigate the risk effects of poverty and exposure to collective violence attributed to organized crime on the mental health of children living on the United States-Mexico border.

Methods: A repeated, cross-sectional study measured risk effects by comparing scores of psychosocial and behavioral problems among children and adolescents living on the border in the United States or Mexico in 2007 and 2010. Patients living in poverty who responded once to the Pictorial Child Behavior Checklist (P+CBCL) in Spanish were randomly selected from clinics in El Paso, Texas, United States (poverty alone group), and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (poverty plus violence group).

Health-related conditions and depression in elderly mexican american and non-Hispanic white residents of a United States-Mexico border county: moderating effects of educational attainment.

We investigated the prevalence of "high" levels of depressive symptomatology and 13 health-related medical conditions in elderly Mexican American (MA) and non-Hispanic white (NHW) residents of El Paso County, Texas. We analyzed the extent to which depressive symptoms in this population are associated with these conditions. Elderly MA residents possessed a higher prevalence of current depression, a relatively unique health-related condition profile, and were more likely to experience a set of conditions that impede participation in daily life-conditions that we found to be strongly associated with high depressive symptomatology in the elderly.

Disability from "soft" neuropsychiatric sequelae due to frontal lobe injury.

Each year about 1.5 million people suffer from a traumatic brain injury. Many of these are seen in primary care settings and most recover completely.

The health care matrix formulation: a tool for competency assessment in psychiatry residency training.

Objective: To assert the importance of the use of the healthcare matrix formulation for competency assessment in psychiatry residency training.

Methods: We present a case from our inpatient psychiatric facility and format it in the form of the healthcare matrix, which was developed at Vanderbilt University incorporating the Institute of Medicine 'aims' and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 'core competencies'. We also analyze the healthcare matrix and elucidate its use in clinical practice.

Risperidone-induced polydipsia and polyphagia associated with galactorrhea, abdominal pain, and rapid weight gain in an adolescent Hispanic female.

A 15-year-old Hispanic female was started on risperidone for new-onset psychosis. The patient responded well to the gradual dose increase but developed rapid weight gain secondary to polydipsia and polyphagia. She also began complaining of nipple discharge and griping abdominal pain on the left lower quadrant by the third week of treatment.

Mexican-American ethnicity and cognitive function: findings from an elderly southwestern sample.

Relatively little is known about late-life patterns of cognitive function among Hispanics of Mexican heritage who reside in the United States. The authors designed a study to assess the association between Mexican-American ethnicity (defined in terms of childhood and adolescent developmental history) and cognitive function among elderly Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white residents of El Paso County, Texas. Our findings indicate significant associations between the degree of Mexican-American ethnicity and cognitive impairment on all three measures of cognitive function.

Risk factors and prevention in adolescent substance abuse: a biopsychosocial approach.

This article provides an overview of existing evidence regarding risk and prevention factors in adolescent substance abuse from a biopsychosocial viewpoint. It is believed that this approach offers a practical model for the integration of inherently complex factors into the clinical setting. These factors cannot be isolated from the influences of the greater society, such as the school system or homelessness.

Assessing residents' competence in psychotherapy.

Objective: This article describes the development of a method for assessing resident competence in the five forms of psychotherapy specified in the program requirements for residency training in psychiatry.

Method: Concomitant with the rise of evidence-based medicine. There has been a movement toward evidence-based training from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).