Adaptive Synthesis, Supramolecular Behavior, and Biological Properties of Amphiphilic Carbosilane-Phosphonium Dendrons with Tunable Structure.

Here, we present a modular synthesis as well as physicochemical and biological evaluation of a new series of amphiphilic dendrons carrying triphenylphosphonium groups at their periphery. Within the series, the size and mutual balance of lipophilic and hydrophilic domains are systematically varied, changing the dendron shape from cylindrical to conical. In physiological solution, the dendrons exhibit very low critical micelle concentrations (2.

Lymphatic Disorder Management in Pediatric Patients With Congenital Heart Disease in European Pediatric Cardiology Centers: Current Status, Disparities, and Future Considerations.

Background: Lymphatic disorders such as protein-losing enteropathy, plastic bronchitis, and chylothorax are important complications of the Fontan circulation and ultimately result in an increased risk of early death. Several European centers are now performing lymphatic procedures. The aim of this study is to map the extent of these lymphatic disorders and treatments provided across European pediatric cardiology centers.

Second-generation piperazine derivatives as promising radiation countermeasures.

The increasing threat of nuclear incidents and the widespread use of ionizing radiation (IR) in medical treatments underscore the urgent need for effective radiation countermeasures. Despite the availability of compounds such as amifostine, their clinical utility is significantly limited by adverse side effects and logistical challenges in administration. This study focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of novel piperazine derivatives as potential radioprotective agents, with the aim of overcoming the limitations associated with current countermeasures.

Organisation of paediatric echocardiography laboratories and governance of echocardiography services and training in Europe: current status, disparities, and potential solutions. A survey from the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) imaging working group.

Background: There is limited data on the organisation of paediatric echocardiography laboratories in Europe.

Methods: A structured and approved questionnaire was circulated across all 95 Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology affiliated centres. The aims were to evaluate: (1) facilities in paediatric echocardiography laboratories across Europe, (2) accredited laboratories, (3) medical/paramedical staff employed, (4) time for echocardiographic studies and reporting, and (5) training, teaching, quality improvement, and research programs.

Sustainable ionic liquids-based molecular platforms for designing acetylcholinesterase reactivators.

We report a green chemistry approach for preparation of oxime-functionalized ILs as AChE reactivators: amide/ester linked IL, l-alanine, and l-phenylalanine derived salts bearing pyridinium aldoxime moiety. The reactivation capacities of the novel oximes were evaluated towards AChE inhibited by typical toxic organophosphates, sarin (GB), VX, and paraoxon (PON). The studied compounds are mostly non-toxic up to the highest concentrations screened (2 mM) towards Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria cell lines and both filamentous fungi and yeasts in the in vitro screening experiments as well as towards the eukaryotic cell (CHO-K1 cell line).

Clinical Efficacy of Hyaluronic Acid with Iodine in Hard-to-Heal Wounds.

Hard-to-heal wounds do not heal spontaneously and need long-term care provided by specialists. That burdens the patients as well as the healthcare systems. Such wounds arise from several pathologies, which result in venous leg ulcers (VLU), diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), pressure ulcers (PU), or ulcers originating from post-surgical wounds (pSW).

Pregnancy Termination and Postnatal Major Congenital Heart Defect Prevalence After Introduction of Prenatal Cardiac Screening.

Importance: Prenatal cardiac screening of the first and second trimesters has had a major impact on postnatal prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHDs), rates of termination of pregnancy (TOP), and outcomes among children born alive with CHDs.

Objective: To examine the prenatal and postnatal incidence of major CHDs (ie, necessitating intervention within the first year of life), detection rate trends, rates of TOP, and the association of cardiac screening with postnatal outcomes.

Design, Settings, And Participants: In this cross-sectional study, 3827 fetuses with antenatally diagnosed major CHDs in the Czech Republic (population 10.

2,6-Disubstituted 7-(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-7H-purines as a new class of potent antitubercular agents inhibiting DprE1.

Phenotypic screening of an in-house library of small molecule purine derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) led to the identification of 2-morpholino-7-(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-1,7-dihydro-6H-purin-6-one 10 as a potent antimycobacterial agent with MIC of 4 μM. Thorough structure-activity relationship studies revealed the importance of 7-(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl) substitution for antimycobacterial activity, yet opened the possibility of structural modifications at positions 2 and 6 of the purine core. As the result, optimized analogues with 6-amino or ethylamino substitution 56 and 64, respectively, were developed.

Prognostic Value of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Children With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background Transthoracic echocardiography is part of the regular follow-up protocol at most pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) centers. We aimed to develop a comprehensive and simple echocardiographic risk stratification for children with PAH. Methods and Results We included 63 children with PAH and a biventricular cardiac anatomy without relevant shunt lesions (60% female patients; mean age, 9.

Assessment of Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation on calcium phosphate ceramics: The role of crystalline composition and microstructure.

Streptococcus mutans is one of the bacteria that initiates the colonization of the pellicle at the tooth surface. It forms a plaque, together with other bacteria, which gradually dissolves the pellicle and leaves the tooth surface unprotected against the acidic oral environment. Calcium phosphate ceramics are excellent synthetic materials for the study of biofilm formation in dentistry because they are comparable to teeth in chemical composition and structure.

Importance of Acute Anterior Angulation in Double Aortic Arch Needing Attention at Primary Surgery.

Background: Vascular rings are rare congenital abnormalities of the aortic arch. There are many embryological variants including a double aortic arch. In symptomatic children, division of ring and release of airway structures may be sufficient.

Enhanced 3D visualization for planning biventricular repair of double outlet right ventricle: a pilot study on the advantages of virtual reality.

Aims: We aim to determine any additional benefit of virtual reality (VR) experience if compared to conventional cross-sectional imaging and standard three-dimensional (3D) modelling when deciding on surgical strategy in patients with complex double outlet right ventricle (DORV).

Methods And Results: We retrospectively selected 10 consecutive patients with DORV and complex interventricular communications, who underwent biventricular repair. An arterial switch operation (ASO) was part of the repair in three of those.

Sandwich Structures Reflecting Thermal Radiation Produced by the Human Body.

Far infrared (FIR) textiles are a new category of functional textiles that have presumptive health and well-being functionality and are closely related to human thermo-physiological comfort. FIR exerts strong rotational and vibrational effects at the molecular level, with the potential to be biologically beneficial. In general, after absorbing either sunlight or heat from the human body, FIR textiles are designed to transform the energy into FIR radiation with a wavelength of 4-14 μm and pass it back to the human body.

Synthesis and Decontamination Effect on Chemical and Biological Agents of Benzoxonium-Like Salts.

Benzoxonium chloride belongs to the group of quaternary ammonium salts, which have been widely used for decades as disinfectants because of their high efficacy, low toxicity, and thermal stability. In this study, we have prepared the C-C set of benzoxonium-like salts to evaluate the effect of their chemical and biological decontamination capabilities. In particular, biocidal activity against a panel of bacterial strains including in biofilm form was screened.

Enhanced Echocardiography Imaging in Reoperation for Complex Congenital Heart Disease in a Child.

• Evaluation of the mechanism of MR is essential for appropriate repair. • 2D and 3D TEE are the gold standard for presurgical MV repair in children. • Enhanced echo imaging improves benefits in complex congenital heart disease.

Cone reconstruction for Ebstein anomaly: Late biventricular function and possible remodeling.

Objectives: To evaluate late-term tricuspid valve competence and biventricular function following cone reconstruction for Ebstein anomaly, and to explore biventricular remodeling.

Methods: Consecutive adult and pediatric patients who underwent cone reconstruction from 2009 to 2019 were reviewed for inclusion in this retrospective cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study. Tricuspid valve competence was assessed with tricuspid regurgitation fraction.

The Antibacterial Effects of New -Alkylpyridinium Salts on Planktonic and Biofilm Bacteria.

An increasing microbial resistance to known antibiotics raises a demand for new antimicrobials. In this study the antimicrobial properties of a series of new -Alkylpyridinium quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) with varying alkyl chain lengths were evaluated for several nosocomial pathogens. The chemical identities of the new QACs were determined by NMR, LC-MS, and HRMS.

Sleep pattern in the US and 16 European countries during the COVID-19 outbreak using crowdsourced smartphone data.

Background: To stop the spread of the new coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), many countries had completely locked down. This lockdown restricted the everyday life of the affected residents and changed their mobility pattern, but its effects on sleep pattern were largely unknown.

Methods: Here, utilizing one of the largest crowdsourced database (Sleep as Android), we analyzed the sleep pattern of 25 217 users with 1 352 513 sleep records between 1 January and 29 April 2020 in the US and 16 European countries (Germany, UK, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Czech, Sweden, Austria, Poland and Switzerland) with more than 100 records in all days of 2020.

The wide-spectrum antimicrobial effect of novel N-alkyl monoquaternary ammonium salts and their mixtures; the QSAR study against bacteria.

Quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) have been widely used for disinfection purposes because of their low price, high efficacy and low human toxicity for decades. However, precise mechanisms of action nor the powerful versatile agent against all antimicrobial species are known. In this study we have prepared 43 novel N-alkyl monoquaternary ammonium salts including 7 N,N-dialkyl monoquaternary ammonium salts differing bearing alkyl chain either of 12, 14 or 16 carbons.

Crowdsourced smartphone data reveal altered sleep/wake pattern in quarantined Chinese during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Chinese Government quarantined Wuhan on 23 January 2020 and thereafter the Hubei province, affecting a total of 59 million citizens, to cease the spread of the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). The effects of this lockdown on the psychological and mental health of both the affected and unaffected Chinese are largely unknown currently. We utilized one of the largest crowdsourced databases (Sleep as Android) that consisted of 15,681 sleep records from 563 users in China to estimate the change in the sleep pattern of Chinese users during the span of 30 December 2019 to 8 March 2020 with reference to 64,378 sleep records of 1,628 users for the same calendar period of years 2011-2019.