Correction: Perylene-derivative singlet exciton fission in water solution.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D4SC04732J.].

Perylene-derivative singlet exciton fission in water solution.

We provide direct evidence of singlet fission occurring with water-soluble compounds. We show that perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate forms dynamic dimers in aqueous solution, with lifetimes long enough to allow intermolecular processes such as singlet fission. As these are transient dimers rather than stable aggregates, they retain a significant degree of disorder.

Dual-Functional Implant Based on Gellan-Xanthan Hydrogel with Diopside, BMP-2 and Lysostaphin for Bone Defect Repair and Control of Staphylococcal Infection.

A new dual-functional implant based on gellan-xanthan hydrogel with calcium-magnesium silicate ceramic diopside and recombinant lysostaphin and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2)-ray is developed. In this composite, BMP-2 is immobilized on microparticles of diopside while lysostaphin is mixed directly into the hydrogel, providing sustained release of BMP-2 to allow gradual bone formation and rapid release of lysostaphin to eliminate infection immediately after implantation. Introduction of diopside of up to 3% (w/v) has a negligible effect on the mechanical properties of the hydrogel but provides a high sorption capacity for BMP-2.

Synthesis and anticancer evaluation of new lupane triterpenoid derivatives containing various substituent at the 2 or 3 position.

Betulonic acid benzyl ester 1 has been subjected to a series of structural modifications for the purpose of new triterpenoid synthesis and evaluating for anticancer activity. The one-pot two step synthesis of 2α-(aminomethyl)betulinic acid benzyl ester derivatives 3a-f (yield 46-69 %) was achieved by the Mannich reaction of compound 1 with methyleneiminium salts, generated in situ from N,N-disubstituted bis(amino)methanes 2a-f by the action of acetyl chloride in dichloromethane, and subsequent reduction of aminomethylation products with sodium borohydride. Minor 2β-(aminomethyl) triterpenoids 4c,d,f were also isolated (yield 6-15 %).

Antibacterial and Anti-Biofilm Properties of Diopside Powder Loaded with Lysostaphin.

Background: Diopside-based ceramic is a perspective biocompatible material with numerous potential applications in the field of bone prosthetics. Implantable devices and materials are often prone to colonization and biofilm formation by pathogens such as , which in the case of bone grafting leads to osteomyelitis, an infectious bone and bone marrow injury. To lower the risk of bacterial colonization, implanted materials can be impregnated with antimicrobials.

An international survey of current management practices for polymyalgia rheumatica by general practitioners and rheumatologists.

Objectives: To explore current management practices for PMR by general practitioners (GPs) and rheumatologists including implications for clinical trial recruitment.

Methods: An English language questionnaire was constructed by a working group of rheumatologists and GPs from six countries. The questionnaire focused on: 1: Respondent characteristics; 2: Referral practices; 3: Treatment with glucocorticoids; 4: Diagnostics; 5: Comorbidities; and 6: Barriers to research.

Gout and AA-Amyloidosis: A Case-Based Review.

Background: AA-amyloidosis complicates many chronic infections and inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis, but its relationship to gout is extremely rare. As it is unknown definitely what the pathophysiological connections between gout and amyloidosis are, treatment issues of the diseases are open for discussion.

Aim: To establish a link between gout and AA-amyloidosis, and to improve the quality of treatment in patients suffering from gout and AA-amyloidosis.

[Evaluation of topical therapy of patients with osteoarthritis of small joints of the hands with Voltaren® Emulgel® 2% (diclofenac diethylamine 2%)].

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of using the drug Voltaren Emulgel 2% (diclofenac diethylaminе 2%) for 14 days in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of small joints of the hands.

Materials And Methods: 62 patients of both sexes with hands OA were included in the study, 31 of whom (main group) used Voltaren Emulgel 2% (diclofenac diethylaminе 2%) topically, and the remaining 31 (comparison group) Voltaren Emulgel 2% (diclofenac diethylamine 2%) + oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The effectiveness of therapy was assessed by using a visual analogue scale (VAS) in dynamics: joint pain and stiffness at rest, pain on movement and during palpation, by functional indices AUSCAN, FIHOA, by assessment of the effect of therapy by the doctor and the patient on a weekly basis.

[Evaluation of a 12-week allopurinol-lowering therapy in combination with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam in patients with gout].

Aim: To evaluate a 12-week course of combined alloturinol-lowering therapy with a prophylactic anti-inflammatory dose of movalis for the frequency of exacerbations and the quality of life of patients with gout.

Materials And Methods: Allopurinol was administered orally, 1 time per day. Every 3 weeks, the dosage of the drug was increased by 50 mg to 300 mg per day under the control of the level of serum uric acid (sUA).

Biomarkers: Opportunities and Challenges for Drug Development in the Current Regulatory Landscape.

Biomarkers are widely used at every stage of drug discovery and development. Utilisation of biomarkers has a potential to make drug discovery, development and approval processes more efficient. An overview of the current global regulatory landscape is presented in this article with particular emphasis on the validation and qualification of biomarkers, as well as legal framework for companion diagnostics.

Etiological profile of hearing loss amongst Lithuanian pediatric cochlear implant users.

Introduction: Congenital sensorineural hearing loss is a heterogeneous disorder; its etiological profile varies between populations. Pathogenic variants of GJB2 gene are the major cause of non-syndromic hearing loss. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) is the most important prenatal etiological factor causing hearing loss and other disorders.

Stepwise Biogenesis of Subpopulations of Lipid Droplets in Nitrogen Starved Cells.

Diatoms are unicellular heterokonts, living in oceans and freshwaters, exposed to frequent environmental variations. They have a sophisticated membrane compartmentalization and are bounded by a siliceous cell-wall. Formation of lipid droplets (LDs), filled with triacylglycerol (TAG), is a common response to stress.

Efficient Synthesis of the (buta-2,3-dienyl)carboxamide of Isopimaric Acid and the Potential of This Compound towards Heterocyclic Derivatives of Diterpenoids.

The -(2,3-butadienyl)carboxamide of isopimaric acid, that is, compound , was prepared through a two-step synthetic procedure starting from the natural diterpene isopimaric acid. The Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling and subsequent cyclization of terpenoid allene with several aryl iodides and aryl bromides gave access to optically active diterpenoid-oxazoline derivatives in good to excellent yields. The functional group tolerance in the aryl iodides was demonstrated by several examples, including substrates with additional --butoxycarbonyl-protected amino, hydroxy, and carboxy substituents in the position.

The molecular basis of protein toxin HicA-dependent binding of the protein antitoxin HicB to DNA.

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are present in many bacteria and play important roles in bacterial growth, physiology, and pathogenicity. Those that are best studied are the type II TA systems, in which both toxins and antitoxins are proteins. The HicAB system is one of the prototypic TA systems, found in many bacterial species.

[A rationally grounded approach to treating gout with regard to its onset and course and the presence of comorbidity according to the European League against Rheumatism (EULAR 2016) recommendations].

The review analyzes in detail the management of gout, which takes into account its onset and course and the presence of comorbidity. Emphasis is placed on drug and non-drug treatments and urate-lowering therapy in patients with kidney dysfunction. Along with allopurinol, the urate-lowering drug febuxostat is first recommended in Russia.

Growth Mechanism and Surface State of CuInS Nanocrystals Synthesized with Dodecanethiol.

Ternary metal chalcogenide nanocrystals (NCs) offer exciting opportunities as novel materials to be explored on the nanoscale showing optoelectronic properties tunable with size and composition. CuInS (CIS) NCs are the most widely studied representatives of this family as they can be easily prepared with good size control and in high yield by reacting the metal precursors (copper iodide and indium acetate) in dodecanethiol (DDT). Despite the widespread use of this synthesis method, both the reaction mechanism and the surface state of the obtained NCs remain elusive.

The structural organization of seed oil bodies could explain the contrasted oil extractability observed in two rapeseed genotypes.

The protein, phospholipid and sterol composition of the oil body surface from the seeds of two rapeseed genotypes was compared in order to explain their contrasted oil extractability. In the mature seeds of oleaginous plants, storage lipids accumulate in specialized structures called oil bodies (OBs). These organelles consist of a core of neutral lipids surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer in which structural proteins are embedded.

In vivo measurement of the size of oil bodies in plant seeds using a simple and robust pulsed field gradient NMR method.

An easy to implement and convenient method to measure the mean size of oil bodies (OBs) in plant seeds is proposed using a pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFGNMR) approach. PFGNMR is a well-known technique used to study either free or restricted diffusion of molecules. As triacylglycerols (TAG) are confined in OBs, analysis of their diffusion properties is a well-suited experimental approach to determine OB sizes.

Enhanced charge separation in ternary P3HT/PCBM/CuInS2 nanocrystals hybrid solar cells.

Geminate recombination of bound polaron pairs at the donor/acceptor interface is one of the major loss mechanisms in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. One way to overcome Coulomb attraction between opposite charge carriers and to achieve their full dissociation is the introduction of high dielectric permittivity materials such as nanoparticles of narrow band gap semiconductors. We selected CuInS2 nanocrystals of 7.

Quenching dynamics in CdSe nanoparticles: surface-induced defects upon dilution.

We have analyzed the decays of the fluorescence of colloidal CdSe quantum dots (QDs) suspensions during dilution and titration by the ligands. A ligand shell made of a combination of trioctylphosphine (TOP), oleylamine (OA), and stearic acid (SA) stabilizes the as-synthesized QDs. The composition of the shell was analyzed and quantified using high resolution liquid state 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Massive production of butanediol during plant infection by phytopathogenic bacteria of the genera Dickeya and Pectobacterium.

Plant pathogenic bacteria of the genera Dickeya and Pectobacterium are broad-host-range necrotrophs which cause soft-rot diseases in important crops. A metabolomic analysis, based on (13)C-NMR spectroscopy, was used to characterize the plant-bacteria interaction. Metabolic profiles revealed a decline in plant sugars and amino acids during infection and the concomitant appearance of a compound identified as 2,3-butanediol.

[Visual evoked potentials in management of amblyopia in children].

Goal: The authors want to point out the possibility of using the visual evoked potentials (VEP) in the diagnostic process of amblyopia, especially in preverbal children. We also researched the possibility of screening for amblyopia with VEP in young patients with anisometropia without strabismus being present, especially those who come from affected families. The authors followed changes in the course of an occlusion therapy and suggest that VEP could be used to predict a success of the amblyopia therapy.

[A possible association of fatal pneumonia with mutations of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 sw1 virus in the receptor-binding site of the HA1 subunit].

The paper gives the results of sequence analysis of 150 positive samples in real-time RT-PCR, including 47 autopsy materials from patients (including 10 pregnant women), who died from fatal pneumonia mainly in November-December 2009, in whom the lifetime etiological diagnosis had not been made and hence no early etiotropic therapy performed. 70% of the primary materials from the deceased patients were found to have pandemic influenza A(H1N1) v mutants in the lung tissue with D222G (15%), D222N (15%), D222E (2%) substitutions, as well as a mixture of mutants (38%). Nasopharyngeal lavages from 3 Chukotka deceased patients exhibited only consensus (nonmutant) D222 virus variants; there was a mixture of consensus and mutant virus variants in the trachea and a mixture of mutant ones in the lung.

[Trends in the spread of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) swl in the Far East in 2009].

The paper describes the trend in the spread of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) swl virus in the Far East, which started in this region 2-3 months later than that in the European part of Russia. By mid-October seasonal epidemic influenza was practically displaced by pandemic one.

Toward Arabidopsis thaliana hydrophilic metabolome: assessment of extraction methods and quantitative 1H NMR.

Our goal was to establish the hydrophilic metabolome of heterotrophic Arabidopsis thaliana cells grown in suspension, a cellular model of plant sink tissues. Water-soluble metabolites were extracted using four protocols: perchloric acid, boiling ethanol, methanol and methanol/chloroform (M/Chl). They were detected and quantified using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at 400 MHz.