Batrachopolyenes: Volatile Norsteroids from Femoral Scent Glands of Frogs.

Steroid hormones are C-C-sterane derivatives, featuring the typical 6-6-6-5 ring system. Here we report on a novel C-steroid ring system named batrachane with a contracted A-ring resulting in a 5-6-6-5 ring arrangement. The isolation, structural elucidation, and total synthesis of three members of the novel batrachopolyene family occurring in the tropical frog genus Odontobatrachus is reported.

Prophylaxis of postoperative hypoparathyroidism in thyroid surgery.

Introduction: There are a number of thyroid gland diseases that require surgical treatment. Therefore, it is important to improve the surgical approaches and treatment tactics in patients that need such surgery.

Aim: To provide an algorithm to prevent parathyroid gland damage during surgery.

Enantioselective synthesis and determination of the absolute configuration of the male sex pheromone of the parasitoid wasp Urolepis rufipes.

Males of the parasitoid wasp Urolepis rufipes use 2,6-dimethyl-7-octene-1,6-diol as a sex pheromone to attract virgin females. Herein, we determine the absolute configuration of the pheromone to be (2S,6S)-2,6-dimethyl-7-octene-1,6-diol (2S,6S-6) and present a stereoselective synthesis of the natural enantiomer of this new linalool derivative. In addition, we show that female wasps respond to the natural 2S,6S-6 stereoisomer while 2R,6S-6 is behaviorally inactive.

Identification and Synthesis of Luteolide, a Highly Branched Macrolide Semiochemical from the Mantellid Frog Gephyromantis luteus.

Luteolide is a 10-membered aliphatic macrolactone, (4 R,8 S,9 S)-4,8-dimethylundecan-9-olide ((-) -17), released by the femoral gland of males of the mantellid frog Gephyromantis luteus. Its structure was established using NMR, MS, and chiral GC and confirmed by stereoselective synthesis of different stereoisomers. Among the approximately 20 current macrolides known from the Mantellidae, luteolide is the first example of a volatile macrolide furnishing three stereogenic centers and an ethyl side chain.

[Saliva diagnostic in the research about human immune adaptation to study stress and to differrent water drinking behavior.].

85 healthy young people were participates of a randomized placebo controlled cross-over fashion. This study tested associations between different water drinking behavior, the condition of oral immune protection and stress factors over 3 months. We examined saliva IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α, γ-IFN, α-amylase and compared them with stress-associated psychophysiological data.