Copper-catalyzed synthesis of substituted benzothiazoles via condensation of 2-aminobenzenethiols with nitriles.

An efficient and convenient method was developed for the formation of 2-substituted benzothiazoles via a copper-catalyzed condensation of 2-aminobenzenethiols with nitriles. The developed method is applicable to a wide range of nitriles containing different functional groups furnishing excellent yields of the corresponding products.

Structure, enhancement and white luminescence of multifunctional Lu₆O₅F₈:20%Yb³⁺,1%Er³⁺(Tm³⁺) nanoparticles via further doping with Li⁺ under different excitation sources.

A series of Lu6O5F8:20%Yb(3+),1%Er(3+)(Tm(3+)),x%Li(+) (0 ≤ x ≤ 12) nanoparticles with average size from 20 to 320 nm upon increasing Li(+) concentration were prepared by a coprecipitation method. The detailed crystal structure of Lu6O5F8 as a new matrix is firstly analysed via retrieved refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the corresponding Powder Diffraction File card information was also obtained through indexing the XRD pattern of the host.

An integrated high-throughput strategy for rapid screening of poly(γ-glutamic acid)-producing bacteria.

Poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) is a promising biomaterial with a wide range of unique applications. To extensively screen γ-PGA-producing bacteria with high yield and different molecular weight, we developed an integrated high-throughput strategy. Firstly, γ-PGA-producing bacteria were selected in a primary screen plate containing a basic dye (neutral red) based on the concentric zone formed through the electrostatic interaction between the dye and the secreted acidic polymer γ-PGA.

Preparation and drug-delivery properties of hollow YVO:Ln and mesoporous YVO:Ln@nSiO@mSiO (Ln = Eu, Yb, Er, and Ho).

In this paper, size-controlled morphologies of (Y, Gd)VO and (Y, Gd)VO:Ln (Ln = Eu, Yb, Er, and Ho) were obtained via a facile hydrothermal route, and their properties for drug delivery and photoluminescence were investigated. Monodisperse ellipsoid-like hollow (Y, Gd)VO were designed by employing (Y, Gd)(OH)CO colloidal spheres as a sacrificial template and NHVO as a vanadium source, and the formation mechanism could be interpreted by the Kirkendall effect. The control of particle size for hollow (Y, Gd)VO was realized, facilitating their practical application.

Hyperbolic harmonic brain surface registration with curvature-based landmark matching.

Brain Cortical surface registration is required for inter-subject studies of functional and anatomical data. Harmonic mapping has been applied for brain mapping, due to its existence, uniqueness, regularity and numerical stability. In order to improve the registration accuracy, sculcal landmarks are usually used as constraints for brain registration.

[Denitrifying phosphorus removal in a Modified University of Cape Town (MUCT) process treating domestic wastewater under nitrification and nitritation].

The performance of denitrifying phosphorus removal under nitrification and nitritation was investigated in a lab-scale Modified University of Cape Town (MUCT) process treating real domestic wastewater with low C/N ratio. The experimental results of 180 days showed that nitritation was achieved at short hydraulic retention time (HRT) and low dissolved oxygen (DO) of 0.3-0.

Preclinical safety studies on autologous cultured human skin fibroblast transplantation.

Recently, FDA approved the clinical use of autologous fibroblasts (LAVIV™) for the improvement of nasolabial fold wrinkles in adults. The use of autologous fibroblasts for the augmentation of dermal and subcutaneous defects represents a potentially exciting natural alternative to the use of other filler materials for its long-term corrective ability and absence of allergic adverse effects proved by clinical application. However, compared to the clinical evidence, preclinical studies are far from enough.

[Reconstruction of facial soft tissue defects with free flaps by microsurgery].

Objective: To investigate the method and indications for reconstruction of facial complicated soft tissue defects with free flaps by microsurgery.

Methods: 37 patients (16 males and 21 females, aged from 1 to 54 years) with different size of facial soft tissue defects were reconstructed with free flaps, including 10 latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps, 3 thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps, 9 scapular flaps, forearm flaps and 9 postauricular flaps. The defects size ranged from 1 cm x 2 cm to 25 cm x 12 cm.

Conformal Magnifier: A Focus+Context Technique with Minimal Distortion.

We present the conformal magnifier, a novel interactive Focus+Context visualization technique to magnify a region of interest (ROI) using conformal mapping. Our framework allows the user to design an arbitrary magnifier to enlarge the features of interest while deforming part of the remaining areas without any cropping. By using conformal mapping, the ROI is magnified with minimal distortion, while the transition region is a smooth and continuous deformation between the focus and context regions.

Pd-catalyzed tandem cyclization of ethyl glyoxalate and amines: rapid assembly of highly substituted cyclic dehydro-α-amino acid derivatives.

A novel cascade cyclization of ethyl glyoxalate and amines proceeds in the presence of Pd(TFA)(2) (5 mol %) to give the cyclic dehydro-α-amino acid derivatives. This method provides a fast and simple access to highly substituted dihydro-pyrrol-2-ones in good yields.

Evaluation of dried blood spot (DBS) technology versus plasma analysis for the determination of MK-1775 by HILIC-MS/MS in support of clinical studies.

The collection of human blood samples as dried blood spots (DBS) for the pharmacokinetic assessment of investigational drugs in clinical trials offers a number of advantages over conventional plasma sampling, namely, small sample volume, simplified sample handling, and cost-effective shipping and storage. The use of DBS coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis was evaluated for the quantification of MK-1775, a Wee-1 inhibitor under development as a chemo/radio-sensitizer for the treatment of cancer. The DBS method exhibited an assay performance comparable to that of the existing plasma assay, which is currently used in support of clinical studies.

Asymmetric trifluoromethylation of aromatic aldehydes by cooperative catalysis with (IPr)CuF and quinidine-derived quaternary ammonium salt.

A general enantioselective trifluoromethylation of aldehydes has been developed using (IPr)CuF and quinidine-derived quaternary ammonium salt as the cooperative catalyst. Thus, a wide range of aromatic aldehydes have been converted to the corresponding products in up to 92% yield and 81% ee at 2 mol% of catalyst loading. The greatly enhanced activity and enantioselectivity result from the initiative generation of active [(IPr)CuCF(3)] as well as additional coordination activation of other copper species.

Cu(II)-catalyzed synthesis of naphthalene-1,3-diamine derivatives from haloalkynes and amines.

An efficient procedure for the preparation of naphthalene-1,3-diamine derivatives by copper-catalyzed haloalkynes with amines has been reported. The reaction was supposed to proceed through a coupling reaction followed by the dimerization of ynamines.

Inhibition of BDNF in multiple myeloma blocks osteoclastogenesis via down-regulated stroma-derived RANKL expression both in vitro and in vivo.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was recently identified as a factor produced by multiple myeloma (MM) cells, which may contribute to bone resorption and disease progression in MM, though the molecular mechanism of this process is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of BDNF on bone disease and growth of MM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Co- and triple-culture systems were implemented.

Palladium(II)-catalyzed enantioselective arylation of α-imino esters.

A protocol for Pd(II)-catalyzed asymmetric arylation of N-aryl imino esters has been developed. The method affords a practical and direct access to chiral arylglycine derivatives in good yields and with high enantioselectivities.

A regio- and diastereoselective palladium-catalyzed cyclopropanation of norbornene derivatives with molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant.

A mild and efficient Pd-catalyzed cyclopropanation of norbornene derivatives with tertiary propargylic alcohols using molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant is described. This process allows quick and atom-economical assembly of various 1,2,3-trisubstituted cyclopropanes bearing α,β-unsaturated ketone moieties in high yields as a single regio- and diastereoisomer.

Human gait recognition via deterministic learning.

Recognition of temporal/dynamical patterns is among the most difficult pattern recognition tasks. Human gait recognition is a typical difficulty in the area of dynamical pattern recognition. It classifies and identifies individuals by their time-varying gait signature data.

Facile synthesis of a dimeric dipyrrole-polyamide and synergetic DNA-cleaving activity of its Cu(II) complex.

Inspired by the potent DNA-cleaving activity of the Cu(II) complex of monopyrrole-polyamide dimer 1 (i.e., 1@Cu(2+)), we designed a new dimeric dipyrrole-polyamide analog 2 with the aim to optimize the catalytic activities of the metal complexes of this type of polypyrrole-polyamides.

Application of breast ultrasound in a mammography-based Chinese breast screening study.

We evaluated the clinical significance of the combined use of mammography + ultrasound as a new breast screening strategy. The inclusion criteria were: (1) females aged >40yrs; (2) breast cancer diagnosis by the breast image screening personnel at FUSCC; (3) screening by both ultrasound and mammography; (4) mammographic/sonographic images analyzed independently by different radiologists; and (5) follow-up for at least 1 year. Fifty-four women were enrolled.

Cutaneous structural and biochemical correlates of foot complications in high-risk diabetes.

Objective: Impairment of skin quality may contribute to diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). Our goal was to determine whether high-risk patients exhibited specific skin structural and metabolic deficits that could predispose to foot complications.

Research Design And Methods: A total of 46 patients comprising 9 diabetic control subjects, 16 with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) alone, and 21 with recurrent DFUs (including 9 with Charcot neuroarthropathy [CNA]) were recruited and compared with 14 nondiabetic control (NDC) subjects.

A facile one-step solvothermal synthesis of graphene/rod-shaped TiO₂ nanocomposite and its improved photocatalytic activity.

Graphene sheets were obtained through solvothermal reduction of colloidal dispersion of graphene oxide in benzyl alcohol. The graphene/rod-shaped TiO(2) nanocomposite was synthesized by this novel and facile solvothermal method. During the solvothermal reaction, both the reduction of graphene oxide and the growth of rod-shaped TiO(2) nanocrystals as well as its deposition on graphene occur simultaneously.

Copper(I)-catalyzed synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted furans and thiophenes from haloalkynes or 1,3-diynes.

A regioselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted furans using copper(I) catalyst from haloalkynes in a one-pot procedure has been reported. This chemistry proceeds through the hydration reaction of 1,3-diynes, which can be readily prepared from the coupling reaction of haloalkynes in the presence of CuI. The procedure also can be used for the facile synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted thiophenes.

Studies on the UV spectrum of poly(γ-glutamic acid) based on development of a simple quantitative method.

A simple and valid ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometric method for the determination of poly(γ-glutamic acid) is developed. The method is based on the UV absorption spectrum of γ-PGA in aqueous solution, which exhibits a maximum absorption wavelength at 216 nm. The results obtained were comparable to those obtained with the reported high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method according to ICH guidelines.

Alkaloids from areca (betel) nuts and their effects on human sperm motility in vitro.

An improved high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established to rapidly and simultaneously determine 3 main alkaloids (arecoline, arecaidine, and guvacine) in areca (betel) nuts (AN), and 12 AN samples from the main betel palm growing areas on the Chinese Mainland were collected and determined. Semen samples from acceptable volunteers were treated in vitro with different concentrations of the 3 alkaloids to evaluate the effects on sperm motility (SM). Highly motile spermatozoa were selected from the samples and divided into 5 equal fractions.