Publications by authors named "S Zeynep Kaska"

Background: High birth weight (HBW) describes fetal birth weight of more than 4000 g. Infants with HBW have a high risk of developing neurological and developmental problems. Until recently, there were no studies in the literature that investigated the quality of spontaneous movements and the integrity of the developing nervous system in infants with HBW.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The synthesis of stereochemically pure oximes, amines, saturated and unsaturated cyanomethyl compounds, and methylaminomethyl compounds at the C9 position in 3-hydroxy--phenethyl-5-phenylmorphans provided μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists with varied efficacy and potency. One of the most interesting compounds, (2-((1,5,9)-5-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lamin A/C (LMNA) is an important component of nuclear lamina. Mutations cause arrhythmia, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. While LMNA-associated cardiomyopathy typically has an aggressive course that responds poorly to conventional heart failure therapies, there is variability in severity and age of penetrance between and even within specific mutations, which is poorly understood at the cellular level.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

All possible diastereomeric C9-hydroxymethyl-, hydroxyethyl-, and hydroxypropyl-substituted 5-phenylmorphans were synthesized to explore the three-dimensional space around the C9 substituent in our search for potent MOR partial agonists. These compounds were designed to lessen the lipophilicity observed with their C9-alkenyl substituted relatives. Many of the 12 diastereomers that were obtained were found to have nanomolar or subnanomolar potency in the forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation assay.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: One of the most prominent opioid analgesics in the United States is the high potency agonist fentanyl. It is used in the treatment of acute and chronic pain and as an anesthetic adjuvant. When used inappropriately, however, ingestion of just a few milligrams of fentanyl or other synthetic opioid can cause opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD), often leading to death.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF