One-pot multicomponent synthesis of 2,3-dihydropyrans: new access to furanose–pyranose 1,3-C–C-linked-disaccharides

An efficient synthesis of 2,3-dihydropyrans starting from different terminal alkynes was developed. The 2,3-dihydropyrans were obtained in a few minutes through a microwave-assisted multicomponent enyne cross-metathesis/hetero-Diels–Alder reaction. Starting from C-ethynyl-ribofuranose, a new multicomponent approach to furanose–pyranose 1,3-C–C-linked disaccharides was also developed

Ugi multicomponent reaction to prepare peptide–peptoid hybrid structures with diverse chemical functionalities

Monodisperse sequenced peptides and peptoids present unique nano-structures based on their self-assembled secondary and tertiary structures. However, the generation of peptide and peptoid hybrid oligomers in a sequence-defined manner via Ugi multicomponent reaction has not yet been studied. Herein, we report a synthetic strategy that enables both the modification of peptides as well as the generation of sequence-defined peptide–peptoid hybrid structures. Our synthetic methodology rests on the fusion of solid phase peptide synthesis with Ugi multicomponent reactions. We evidence that a diversity of chemical functionalities can be inserted into peptides or used in the design of peptide–peptoid hybrids exploiting a wide functional array including amines, carboxylic acids, hydrocarbons, carbohydrates as well as polymers, introducing a sequence-defined synthetic platform technology for precision peptoid hybrids

From sequence-defined macromolecules to macromolecular pin codes

Dynamic sequence-defined oligomers carrying a chemically written pin code are obtained through a strategy combining multicomponent reactions with the thermoreversible addition of 1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-diones (TADs) to indole substrates. The precision oligomers are specifically designed to be encrypted upon heating as a result of the random reshuffling of the TAD-indole covalent bonds within the backbone, thereby resulting in the scrambling of the encoded information. The encrypted pin code can eventually be decrypted following a second heating step that enables the macromolecular pin code to be deciphered using 1D electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The herein introduced concept of encryption/decryption represents a key advancement compared with current strategies that typically use uncontrolled degradation to erase and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to analyze, decipher, and read-out chemically encrypted information. Additionally, the synthesized macromolecules are coated onto a high-value polymer material, which demonstrates their potential application as coded product tags for anti-counterfeiting purposes

Managing behavioural and psychological symptoms in community dwelling older people with dementia:1. A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions

© 2018 The Author(s) This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Two-thirds of people living with dementia live at home in the UK and many experience distressing behavioural and psychological symptoms. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for behavioural and psychological symptoms among community-dwelling people living with dementia. Methods: This two-stage review undertook an initial mapping of the literature followed by a systematic review of relevant randomised controlled trials. We searched electronic databases for pertinent studies reporting outcomes from interventions from January 2000 to March 2015 and updated searches in October 2016. We included studies that considered behavioural and psychological symptom management for older people living with dementia who live at home and excluded studies conducted in long-term care settings. This paper presents findings from a narrative synthesis of 48 randomised controlled trials evaluating interventions for people living with dementia alone, family carers alone and patient-carer dyads. Results: We retrieved 17,871 de-duplicated records and screened them for potential inclusion. Evidence from 48 randomised controlled trials suggests that family carer training and educational programmes that target problem behaviours and potential triggers can improve outcomes. Nurses and occupational therapists appear to help people with dementia with behavioural and psychological symptoms, but professional comparisons are lacking and there is no shared language about or understanding of behavioural and psychological symptoms amongst professionals, or between professionals and family carers. Conclusions: Future research should focus on the effectiveness of components of multi-faceted programmes and their cost effectiveness and include qualitative data to better target interventions for behavioural and psychological symptoms. It is important to consider family carer readiness to use non-pharmacological strategies and to develop a shared language about the inherent needs and communications of behavioural and psychological symptoms.Peer reviewe

Stereoselective protecting group free synthesis of d,l-gulose ethyl glycoside via multicomponent enyne cross metathesis—hetero Diels–Alder reaction

An efficient and stereoselective synthesis of d,l-gulose was described. The key step of the synthetic route is represented by a multicomponent enyne cross metathesis—hetero Diels–Alder reaction which allows the formation of the pyran ring from cheap and commercially available substrates in a single synthetic step. The synthesis of d,l-gulose was accomplished without the use of protecting groups making this approach highly desirable also in terms of atom economy

Physical activity programs for balance and fall prevention in elderly: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Due to demographic changes the world's population is progressively ageing. The physiological decay of the elderly adult may lead to a reduction in the ability to balance and an increased risk of falls becoming an important issue among the elderly. In order to counteract the decay in the ability to balance, physical activity has been proven to be effective. The aim of this study is to systematically review the scientific literature in order to identify physical activity programs able to increase balance in the elderly. METHODS: This review is based on the data from Medline-NLM, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and SPORTDiscuss and includes randomized control trials that have analyzed balance and physical activity in healthy elderly over 65 years of age during the last decade. A final number of 8 manuscripts were included in the qualitative synthesis, which comprised 200 elderly with a mean age of 75.1 ± 4.4 years. The sample size of the studies varied from 9 to 61 and the intervention periods from 8 to 32 weeks. RESULTS: Eight articles were considered eligible and included in the quantitative synthesis. The articles investigated the effects of resistance and aerobic exercise, balance training, T-bow© and wobble board training, aerobic step and stability ball training, adapted physical activity and Wii Fit training on balance outcomes. Balance measures of the studies showed improvements between 16% and 42% compared to baseline assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Balance is a multifactorial quality that can be effectively increased by different exercise training means. It is fundamental to promote physical activity in the aging adult, being that a negative effect on balance performance has been seen in the no-intervention control groups

Generalised model for heteroazeotropic batch distillation with variable decanter hold-up

A general model of batch heteroazeotropic distillation is proposed. Both liquid phases present in the decanter can be refluxed or withdrawn as distillate, their hold-up can be increased, decreased or kept constant, as well. By assuming maximal separation, that is, that the composition of the condensate always equals to that of the heteroazeotrope, the still path equation was derived. The still path directions are determined for all the 16 possible operational policies. It is possible to steer the still path in a desired direction by changing the operational parameters, which allows the recovery of a pure component in the still. The still path directions are validated by rigorous simulations for three policies not published yet using the mixture water – formaldehyde – propyl formate. From the 16 operational policies, 11 can be considered as useful in practice. To demonstrate the advantage of using a non-traditional policy, the separation of the mixture aniline – ethylene glycol – water was investigated, as well. By using a non-traditional operational policy with hold-up reduction in the decanter a higher purity of ethylene glycol was obtained in the still