Improved production of palitantin by design of experiments and semi-synthesis of palitantin derivatives for bioactivity assessment.

A new method for the production and isolation of (+)-palitantin (1) is herein reported, from cultures of the fungal strain Penicillium sp. AMF1a. (+)-Palitantin was isolated in 160 mg/L yield, as an alternative procedure to obtain 1 at a larger scale.

Structure and Biosynthesis of Perochalasins A-C, Open-Chain Merocytochalasans Produced by the Marine-Derived Fungus sp. M16.

Novel open-chain merocytochalasans, perochalasins A-C (-), containing an unusual N-O six-membered heterocyclic moiety, were isolated from cultures of the marine-derived sp. M16 fungus, along with cytochalasin Z (), cytochalasin Z (), [12]-cytochalasin (), and phenochalasin B (). The structures of compounds - were established by analysis of the spectroscopic data.

Exploring Enzymatic Conformational Dynamics at Surfaces through μ-FTIR Spectromicroscopy.

Immobilization of proteins onto solid supports has critical industrial, technological, and medical applications, and is a daily task in chemical research. Significant conformational rearrangements often occur due to enzyme-surface interactions, and it is of broad interest to develop methods to probe and better understand these molecular-level changes that contribute to the enzyme's catalytic activity and stability. While circular dichroism is a common method for solution-phase conformational study, the application to surface-supported proteins is not trivial and spatial mapping is not viable.

Synthesis and antiplasmodial assessment of nitazoxanide and analogs as new antimalarial candidates.

During the last years, the progression to control malaria disease seems to be slowed and WHO (World Health Organization) reported a modeling analysis with the prediction of the increase in malaria morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. A rapid way to the discovery of new drugs could be carried out by performing investigations to identify drugs based on repurposing of "old" drugs. The 5-nitrothiazole drug, Nitazoxanide was shown to be active against intestinal protozoa, human helminths, anaerobic bacteria, viruses, etc.

Diabetic Macular Edema Screened by Handheld Smartphone-based Retinal Camera and Artificial Intelligence.

Our aim was to assess the tomographic presence of diabetic macular edema in type 2 diabetes patients screened for diabetic retinopathy with color fundus photographs and an artificial intelligence algorithm. Color fundus photographs obtained with a low-cost smartphone-based handheld retinal camera were analyzed by the algorithm; patients with suspected macular lesions underwent ocular coherence tomography. A total of 366 patients were screened; diabetic macular edema was suspected in 34 and confirmed in 29 individuals, with average age 60.