Iminophosphoranes with the general formula (RP═NR') have great potential in synthetic chemistry as valuable precursors/intermediates in organic synthesis or as building blocks for various organic compounds. However, the synthetic approaches and conditions to prepare iminophosphoranes are still poorly understood, limiting the utility of this chemistry for organic materials. In this article, a simple and efficient synthesis of previously unattainable poly(arylene iminophosphoranes) is reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this article, we report a series of functionalized polyacetylene-type networks formed by chain-growth insertion coordination polymerization in high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). All polymerized HIPEs (polyHIPEs) contain a hierarchically structured, 3D-interconnected porous framework consisting of a micro-, meso- and macropore system, resulting in exceptionally high specific surface areas (up to 1055 m·g) and total porosities of over 95%. The combination of π-conjugated and hierarchically porous structure in one material enabled the use of these polyacetylene polyHIPEs as adsorptive photocatalysts for the removal of chemical contaminants from water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Negative CCTA can effectively exclude significant CAD, eliminating the need for further noninvasive or invasive testing. However, in the presence of severe CAD, the accuracy declines, thus necessitating additional testing. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of noninvasive cFFR derived from CCTA, compared to ICA in detecting hemodynamically significant stenoses in participants with high CAC scores (>400).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHighly porous metal oxide-polymer nanocomposites are attracting considerable interest due to their unique structural and functional features. A porous polymer matrix brings properties such as high porosity and permeability, while the metal oxide phase adds functionality. For the metal oxide phase to perform its function, it must be fully accessible, and this is possible only at the pore surface, but functioning surfaces require controlled engineering, which remains a challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a global danger that hides in the shadows and is changing the way continuing care operators care for residents. Today, to provide that same historical level of resident care, a group of techno-soldiers are not just a nice-to-have, but are a must, to protect our critical Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. There is little doubt that technology has enabled us to provide better care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntivirals with broad coronavirus activity are important for treating high-risk individuals exposed to the constantly evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) as well as emerging drug-resistant variants. We developed and characterized a novel class of active-site-directed 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) inhibitors (). Our lead direct-acting antiviral (DAA), , is a non-covalent, non-peptide with a dissociation constant of 170 nM against recombinant SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently, metal-organic framework (MOF)-polymer composites are attracting great interest as a step forward in making MOFs a useful material for industrially relevant applications. However, most of the research is engaged with finding promising MOF/polymer pairs and less with the synthetic methods by which these materials are then combined, albeit hybridization has a significant impact on the properties of the new composite macrostructure. Thus, the focus of this work is on the innovative hybridization of MOFs and polymerized high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs), two classes of materials that exhibit porosity at different length scales.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMulti-hazard risk perception is an emerging research topic that has been gaining more and more interest since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, due to the unprecedented interactions between the management practices of the pandemic and of other co-occurring natural hazards, and to the compounded impact of these multi-hazards. This paper aims to investigate the specialization and study level-dependent differences concerning multi-hazard risk perception and hazard-related education insights of future potential specialists in natural hazard-induced risk management and tourism reconstruction. These differences were explored by applying a multi-layer questionnaire on 547 Geography and Tourism students and graduates from two universities in Iași City (Romania) and Novi Sad (Serbia), and performing descriptive and differential statistical analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe application of highly porous and 3D interconnected microcellular polyelectrolyte polyHIPE (PE-PH) monoliths based on (3-acrylamidopropyl)-trimethylammonium chloride as soilless cultivation substrates for in vitro embryo culture is discussed. The embryo axes isolated from chickpea seeds are inoculated onto the surface of the monoliths and allowed to germinate. Germination study show that the newly disclosed PE-PH substrate performs much better than the conventionally used agar as the germination percentage, shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight as well as the number of leaves are enhanced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe indole moiety is one of the most widespread heterocycles found in both natural products and biological systems. Indoles have important biological activities including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and antibacterial properties. Scientists are therefore interested in the synthesis of biologically active indole-based hybrids such as indole-coumarin, indole-chalcone, indole-isatin, indole-pyrimidine and so on, with the aim of improving activity, selectivity, and mitigating side effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConjugated porous polymers through the emulsion-templating polymerization process are typically prepared as monoliths, and the emulsions are cured via metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of well-defined, millimeter-sized conjugated porous polymer beads by combining an oil-in-oil-in-oil (O/O/O) double emulsion as a de novo template and an amino-catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation reaction as a polymerization chemistry to cure such emulsions. The 1,4-phenylenediacetonitrile is reacted with aromatic multialdehydes in the presence of piperidine, and a series of metal-free poly(arylene cyano-vinylene) beads are prepared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComponents of carotid atherosclerotic plaque can be analysed preoperatively by non-invasive advanced imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 protein (MMP-9), which has a potential role in remodelling of atherosclerotic plaques, can be analysed immunohistochemically. The aim of the present prospective pilot study is to analyse histological characteristics and expression of MMP-9 in carotid plaques of patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and to investigate the correlation with preoperative clinical symptoms and MRI features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has a high risk of recurrence, particularly in the early stage. Recurrent ischemic stroke (RIS) is associated with adverse neurological outcomes but the phenomenon of early RIS in the endovascular thrombectomy era has not been frequently discussed. We report a case addressing this issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThyroid hormones affect the cardiovascular system, but the precise mechanisms of their effects on the development of atherosclerosis are not entirely clear. The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism, dyslipidemia and carotid atherosclerosis has been widely investigated, but the findings were controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine whether female subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism (SHypo) have increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) compared with euthyroid subjects, as well as to examine the association of SHypo, carotid atherosclerosis and dyslipidemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypothesis: Macroporous polyampholyte hydrogels, simultaneously bearing both the anionic and cationic groups, demonstrate immense promise over the one-sign charged polyelectrolytes, owing to a unique phenomenon known as the ˝anti-polyelectrolyte˝ effect. Thus, they are extremely promising materials, since they remain solvated and functional even in harsh conditions. Furthermore, macroporous morphology significantly enhances polyampholyte response to external stimuli, since it accelerates the solvent transport through the hydrogel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Weighted average dual-energy computed tomography (DE-CT) reconstructions are considered a proxy of standard CT images of the brain, recommended for routine clinical use and used as a reference standard in DE-CT research. However, their image quality has not been assessed, which was the aim of our study.
Methods: Images from 81 consecutive patients who underwent both non-contrast single-energy (SE)-CT and DE-CT of the brain on the same scanner were retrospectively evaluated.
Here, the facile synthesis of four-length-scaled (ultramicro-micro-meso-macroporous) hierarchically structured porous carbon nanocomposite by an emulsion-template strategy is reported. This previously unreported combination of zeolite nanocrystals embedded in the walls of microcellular carbon foams gives unique textural and structural properties, which result in their excellent ability to selectively capture CO owing to the presence of ultra-micropores. The zeolite-microcellular carbon foam synergism delivers an adsorbent with a significantly enhanced CO capture capacity of up to 5 mmol g , CO /N selectivity of up to 80, and an outstanding multi-cycle capture performance under humid conditions (70 % performance retention after 30 regeneration cycles).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSemi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) were prepared by simultaneous orthogonal polymerizations, where the linear poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone and the poly(styrene--divinylbenzene) (PS) network was formed by free-radical polymerization of styrene/divinylbenzene. Semi-IPNs were used as the precursors for the preparation of porous PS monoliths. To this end, the PCL domains were selectively removed by hydrolysis under basic conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work merges the fields of highly porous polymers (polymerized high internal phase emulsions, polyHIPEs) and synthetic cationic polyelectrolytes and introduces a new approach toward the synthesis of highly porous cationic polyelectrolytes. Cationic polyelectrolytes based on (3-acrylamidopropyl)-trimethylammonium chloride (AMPTMA) were synthesized directly through the oil-in-water HIPEs. The resulting polyelectrolyte-based polyHIPEs are distinguished by the highly porous morphology as well as high concentration and accessibility of the cationic N-quaternized functional groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cysteine protease ATG4B is a key component of the autophagy machinery, acting to proteolytically prime and recycle its substrate MAP1LC3B. The roles of ATG4B in cancer and other diseases appear to be context dependent but are still not well understood. To help further explore ATG4B functions and potential therapeutic applications, we employed a chemical biology approach to identify ATG4B inhibitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground An assessing of the in-hospital mortality risk for an emergency hospitalized patient with acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is challenging task. Simple formula can help. Methods On the base of six indicators identified in derivation group, simple formula for assessing the risk for in-hospital mortality of ADHF patients was derived and later tested in validation group.
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