A Central Role for TRPM4 in Ca-Signal Amplification and Vasoconstriction.

Transient receptor potential melastatin-4 (TRPM4) is activated by an increase in intracellular Ca concentration and is expressed on smooth muscle cells (SMCs). It is implicated in the myogenic constriction of cerebral arteries. We hypothesized that TRPM4 has a general role in intracellular Ca signal amplification in a wide range of blood vessels.

TRPV1 in arteries enables a rapid myogenic tone.

Arterioles maintain blow flow by adjusting their diameter in response to changes in local blood pressure. In this process called the myogenic response, a vascular smooth muscle mechanosensor controls tone predominantly through altering the membrane potential. In general, myogenic responses occur slowly (minutes).

Long-Term PDE-5A Inhibition Improves Myofilament Function in Left and Right Ventricular Cardiomyocytes through Partially Different Mechanisms in Diabetic Rat Hearts.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction are frequent complications of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Here we aimed to characterize RV and left ventricular (LV) remodeling and its prevention by vardenafil (a long-acting phosphodiesterase-5A (PDE-5A) inhibitor) administration in a diabetic HFpEF model. Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) and control, ZDF Lean (Lean) male rats received 10 mg/kg vardenafil (ZDF + Vard; Lean + Vard) per os, on a daily basis for a period of 25 weeks.

Air-stable 18-electron adducts of Schrock catalysts with tuned stability constants for spontaneous release of the active species.

Schrock alkylidenes are highly versatile, very active olefin metathesis catalysts, but their pronounced sensitivity to air still hinders their applications. Converting them into more robust but inactive 18-electron adducts was suggested previously to facilitate their handling. Generating the active species from the inactive adducts, however, required a high-temperature Lewis acid treatment and resulted in an insoluble by-product, limiting the practicality of the methodology.

Level of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 activity is highly elevated in old-aged patients with aortic stenosis: implications for ACE2 as a biomarker for the severity of COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a high mortality in elderly patients with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases. The cellular receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), thereby implicating a link between cardiovascular diseases and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility. Aortic stenosis (AS) represents a chronic inflammatory state with severe cardiovascular complications in the elderly, a prime condition for COVID-19 mortality.

TRPV1 expressed throughout the arterial circulation regulates vasoconstriction and blood pressure.

Key Points: The functional roles of the capsaicin receptor, TRPV1, outside of sensory nerves are unclear. We mapped TRPV1 in the mouse circulation, revealing extensive expression in the smooth muscle of resistance arterioles supplying skeletal muscle, heart and adipose tissue.  Activation of TRPV1 in vascular myocytes constricted arteries, reduced coronary flow in isolated hearts and increased systemic blood pressure.

Pretreatment of Wastewater from Licorice Processing-A Preliminary Evaluation.

  This study was performed as a preliminary investigation of anaerobic digestion and the activated sludge process as pretreatment options for highly loaded wastewater from licorice processing (approximately 8000 mg COD/L). Only 15% reduction of initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) was achieved by anaerobic digestion, whereas up to 80% reduction was attained with activated sludge process. Adsorption using powdered activated carbon (PAC) was studied for the removal of color and residual organics from the effluent of aerobic treatment.

Measured and predicted environmental concentrations of carbamazepine, diclofenac, and metoprolol in small and medium rivers in northern Germany.

This study evaluated the impact of secondary municipal effluent discharge on carbamazepine, diclofenac, and metoprolol concentrations in small and medium rivers in northern Germany and compared the measured environmental concentrations (MECs) to the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) calculated with four well-established models. During a 1-year sampling period, secondary effluent grab samples were collected at four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) together with grab samples from the receiving waters upstream and downstream from the wastewater discharge points. The carbamazepine, diclofenac, and metoprolol concentrations were analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS-MS) after solid phase extraction.

Inadequacy of carbamazepine-spiked model wastewaters for testing photocatalysis efficiency.

The study was performed in order to clarify whether carbamazepine-spiked solutions used as model wastewaters are suitable for the assessment of carbamazepine removal from real secondary municipal effluents by photocatalytic oxidation in the presence and absence of activated carbon. Therefore, carbamazepine (10 mg L(-1)) was dissolved in deionized water or in secondary municipal effluent. Photocatalytic oxidation of these model wastewaters was carried out with TiO2 "P25" (100 mg L(-1)) and UV-A lamps in the absence and in the presence of 20 mg L(-1) powdered activated carbon (PAC).

Combining activated carbon adsorption with heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation: lack of synergy for biologically treated greywater and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether.

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the addition of activated carbon in the photocatalytic oxidation of biologically pretreated greywater and of a polar aliphatic compound gives synergy, as previously demonstrated with phenol. Photocatalytic oxidation kinetics were recorded with fivefold concentrated biologically pretreated greywater and with aqueous tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether solutions using a UV lamp and the photocatalyst TiO2 P25 in the presence and the absence of powdered activated carbon. The synergy factor, SF, was quantified as the ratio of photocatalytic oxidation rate constant in the presence of powdered activated carbon to the rate constant without activated carbon.

Metal-free borylative ring-opening of vinyl epoxides and aziridines.

A rational approach towards the borylative ring-opening of vinylepoxides and vinylaziridines, by the in situ formed MeO(-)→bis(pinacolato)diboron adduct, has been developed. The enhanced nucleophilic character of the Bpin (sp(2)) moiety from the reagent favours the SN2' conjugated B addition with the concomitant opening of the epoxide and aziridine rings. The reaction proceeds with total chemoselectivity towards the polyfunctionalised (-OH or -NHTs) allyl boronate.

Occurrence of Cryptosporidium in a wastewater treatment plant in North Germany.

Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most common human parasitic protozoa and is responsible for many waterborne outbreaks in several industrialized countries. The oocyst, which is the infective form, is known to be highly resistant to wastewater treatment procedures and represents a potential hazard to human populations through contaminated raw or treated wastewater. In this investigation, the occurrence of Cryptosporidium in wastewater samples was monitored and removal efficiency was assessed.

Asymmetric organocatalytic diboration of alkenes.

The use of chiral alcohols to form the Lewis acid-base *RO(-)→ bis(pinacolato)diboron adduct, in situ, provides an opportunity to induce asymmetry in the organocatalytic diboration of alkenes and complements the well established transition metal-mediated enantioselective diboration.

Asymmetric synthesis of α-amino boronate esters via organocatalytic pinacolboryl addition to tosylaldimines.

Organocatalytic nucleophilic pinacolboryl addition from in situ generated MeO(-)→ B(2)pin(2) to C=N double bond can be performed enantioselectively with the aid of chiral phosphines, which promote enantiofacial differentiation in the course of the C-B bond formation.

Trivalent boron nucleophile as a new tool in organic synthesis: reactivity and asymmetric induction.

Boron compounds have been traditionally regarded as "Lewis acids" preferring to accept electrons rather than donate them in the course of their reactions but current examples of unusual reactivity between tricoordinated boranes and electrophilic sites suggest a new conceptual context for the boryl moieties, based on their nucleophilic character which can be enhanced depending on the substituents on boron.

Activation of diboron reagents with Brønsted bases and alcohols: an experimental and theoretical perspective of the organocatalytic boron conjugate addition reaction.

Bases play an important role in organocatalytic boron conjugate addition reactions. The sole use of MeOH and a base can efficiently transform acyclic and cyclic activated olefins into the corresponding β-borated products in the presence of diboron reagents. Inorganic and organic bases deprotonate MeOH in the presence of diboron reagents.

Catalytic 1,3-difunctionalisation of organic backbones through a highly stereoselective, one-pot, boron conjugate-addition/reduction/oxidation process.

A simple one-pot, three-step synthetic route to chiral 1,3-amino alcohols and 1,3-diols has been established. Considering the overall stereocontrol of the synthetic protocol, the first and key step is an enantioselective β-boration of α,β-unsaturated imines and ketones, respectively. The enantioselectivity provided by the Cu(I) catalyst modified with Josiphos- and Mandyphos-type ligands has been examined.

Inorganic greywater matrix impact on photocatalytic oxidation: does flocculation of TiO2 nanoparticles impair process efficiency?

This study was conducted in order to clarify whether photocatalyst flocculation--as observed in biologically pretreated greywater--contributes to photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) efficiency impairment. Aqueous solutions of tetraethyleneglycol dimethylether spiked with different inorganic salts in concentrations as found in biologically treated greywater were investigated with respect to TiO2 flocculation and PCO mineralisation kinetics. Flocculation of the photocatalyst primarily depended on pH (which was affected by the salts) and how close pH was to the point of zero charge (PZC).

Zn(II) Robson macrocycles as templates for chelating diphosphines.

Chelating diphosphines were constructed using dinuclear Zn(II) complexes of Robson macrocycles (Zn-RMCs) as templates. The assembly process is driven by the interaction between the metal centers (Lewis acids) with anionic and neutral Lewis base-functionalized monophosphines. The stability of the final structure depends on the geometry and the affinity of the functional groups of the ditopic phosphines and on the structure of the RMC.

A new context for palladium mediated B-addition reaction: an open door to consecutive functionalization.

Palladium metal-catalyzed boron addition to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds provides an efficient and convenient route for the preparation of organoboranes, which are versatile intermediates for organic synthesis. Palladium complexes are responsible for the exclusive catalytic performance and eventually allow access to selectively functionalized molecules by catalytic consecutive tandem sequences. The final objective is to find suitable palladium complexes that make it possible to perform a one-pot sequential reaction (B-addition/functionalization) by means of a multifaceted palladium catalyst.

Tandem beta-boration/arylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by using a single palladium complex to catalyse both steps.

Diphenyl(3-methyl-2-indolyl)phosphine (C(9)H(8)NPPh(2), 1) gives stable dimeric palladium(II) complexes that contain the phosphine in P,N-bridging coordination mode. On treating 1 with [Pd(O(2)CCH(3))(2)], the new complexes [Pd(mu-C(9)H(7)NPPh(2))(NCCH(3))](2) (2) or [Pd(mu-C(9)H(7)NPPh(2))(mu-O(2)CCH(3))](2) (3) were isolated, depending on the solvent used, acetonitrile or toluene, respectively. Further reaction of 3 with the ammonium salt of 1 led to the substitution of one carboxylate ligand to afford [Pd(mu-C(9)H(7)NPPh(2))(3)(mu-O(2)CCH(3))] (4), in which the bimetallic unit is bonded by three C(9)H(7)NPPh(2)(-) moieties and one carboxylate group.