Synthesis of a new bowl-shaped polyarene aiming

Efficient hydrogen storage is one of the major hurdles towards a potential hydrogen economy. Curved molecules are very interesting for this purpose because of their permanent electrical dipole moment, which can induce a dipole moment on H2 molecules increasing therefore the dipole-dipole interaction and so their adsorption. This work presents the synthesis of a new bowl-shaped polyarene based on curved corannulene’s motive. Since corannulene is known for its ability to adsorb hydrogen, the greater surface and curvature of our target molecule is assumed to increase the hydrogen adsorption. The plan was to start from phenanthrene-9,10-dione and 1-phenylpropan-2-one to obtain a planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) containing a five-membered ring. Then, via a crosscoupling reaction and a classical Scholl reaction under Kovacic conditions, it would have been possible to obtain the bowl-shaped molecule. Unfortunately, the synthesis of the first precursor presented obstacles and, from three proposed strategies, only one allowed the obtainment of the planar PAH in acceptable yield. Moreover, only one attempt for the coupling reaction was made and, because of the small amount and the impurity of the obtained product, no Scholl reaction was performed. Therefore, the desired bowl-shaped polyaromatic compound has not been obtained and the efficacy of the Scholl reaction for this synthesis has not been tested

Low sensitivity of the careHPV™ Assay for detection of oncogenic Human papillomavirus in cervical samples from HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Kenyan women

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection causes cervical cancer (CC), a common malignancy among Kenyan women. New CC screening methods rely on oncogenic HPV (“highrisk”, or HR-HPV) detection, but most have not been evaluated in swabs from Kenyan women. Methods: HPV typing was performed on 155 cervical swabs from Kenyan women using the Roche Linear Array® (LA) and careHPV™ (careHPV) assays. Detection of 14 oncogenic HPV types in careHPV assay was compared to LA results. Results: Compared to LA, sensitivity and specifi city of careHPV assay was 53.0% and 80.9%, respectively. The sensitivity and specifi city of careHPV in swabs from women with cervical dysplasia was 74.1% and 65.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specifi city of careHPV in swabs from HIV-infected women was 55.9% and of 96.4%, respectively. Overall agreements of careHPV assay with LA was substantial. Conclusion: The results for careHPV assay are promising for oncogenic HPV detection in Kenyan women. The low sensitivity of careHPV for detection of HR-HPV could limit it’s benefi t as a screening tool. Thus, a full clinical validation study is highly desirable before the careHPV assay can be accepted for cervical cancer screening

Detection of types of HPV among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Kenyan women undergoing cryotherapy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure

Objective: To assess the baseline types of HPV infection among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in western Kenya undergoing cryotherapy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted of baseline HPV characteristics of women undergoing visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy or LEEP. After a positive VIA in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, data on demographics, CD4 count, and use of antiretroviral therapy and a cervical swab were collected. HPV typing was performed using the Roche Linear Array. Results: Of 175 participants, 86 (49.1%) were HIV-positive and had a higher prevalence of low-risk HPV types (odds ratio [OR] 5.28, P=0.005) compared with HIV-negative women. The most common high-risk (HR)-HPV types in HIV-positive women were HPV 16 (13.9%) and HPV 18 (11.1%). HIV-positive women requiring LEEP were more likely to have HR-HPV types (OR 6.67, P=0.012) and to be infected with multiple HR-HPV types (OR 7.79, P=0.024) compared to those undergoing cryotherapy. Conclusion: HIV-positive women requiring LEEP versus cryotherapy had a higher prevalence of any HR-HPV type and multiple HR-HPV types. There were no such differences in HPV types identified among HIV-negative women

Epigenetic Variation May Compensate for Decreased Genetic Variation with Introductions: A Case Study Using House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) on Two Continents

Epigenetic mechanisms impact several phenotypic traits and may be important for ecology and evolution. The introduced house sparrow (Passer domesticus) exhibits extensive phenotypic variation among and within populations. We screened methylation in populations from Kenya and Florida to determine if methylation varied among populations, varied with introduction history (Kenyan invasion <50 years old, Florida invasion ~150 years old), and could potentially compensate for decrease genetic variation with introductions. While recent literature has speculated on the importance of epigenetic effects for biological invasions, this is the first such study among wild vertebrates. Methylation was more frequent in Nairobi, and outlier loci suggest that populations may be differentiated. Methylation diversity was similar between populations, in spite of known lower genetic diversity in Nairobi, which suggests that epigenetic variation may compensate for decreased genetic diversity as a source of phenotypic variation during introduction. Our results suggest that methylation differences may be common among house sparrows, but research is needed to discern whether methylation impacts phenotypic variation

Efficacy and Safety of High-Dose Ivermectin for Reducing Malaria Transmission (IVERMAL): Protocol for a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Finding Trial in Western Kenya

Background: Innovative approaches are needed to complement existing tools for malaria elimination. Ivermectin is a broad spectrum antiparasitic endectocide clinically used for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis control at single doses of 150‐200 mcg/kg. It also shortens the lifespan of mosquitoes that feed on individuals recently treated with ivermectin. However, the effect after a 150‐200 mcg/kg oral dose is short‐lived (6‐11 days). Modelling suggests higher doses, that prolong the mosquitocidal effects, are needed to make a significant contribution to malaria elimination. Ivermectin has a wide therapeutic index and previous studies have shown doses up to 2,000 mcg/kg, i.e. 10x the US Food and Drug Administration approved dose, are well tolerated and safe; the highest dose used for onchocerciasis is single‐dose 800 mcg/kg. Objective: To determine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of ivermectin 0, 300, 600 mcg/kg/day for 3 days, when provided with a standard 3‐day course of the antimalarial dihydroartemisinin‐piperaquine, on mosquito survival. Methods: This is a double‐blind, randomised, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group, 3‐arm, dose‐finding trial in adults with uncomplicated malaria. Monte Carlo simulations based on pharmacokinetic modelling were performed to determine the optimum dosing regimens to be tested. Modelling showed that a 3‐day regimen of 600 mcg/kg/day achieves similar median (5‐95 percentiles) Cmax concentrations of ivermectin to single‐dose of 800 mcg/kg, while increasing the median time above the LC50 (16 ng/mL) from 1.9 days (1.0‐5.7) to 6.8 (3.8‐13.4) days. The 300 mcg/kg/day dose was chosen at 50% of the higher dose to allow evaluation of the dose response. Mosquito survival will be assessed daily up to 28 days in laboratory‐reared Anopheles gambiae s.s. populations fed on patients’ blood taken at days 0, 2 (Cmax), 7 (primary outcome), 10, 14, 21, and 28 after the start of treatment. Safety outcomes include QT‐prolongation and mydriasis. The trial will be conducted in 6 health facilities in western Kenya and requires a sample size of 141 participants (47 per arm). Sub‐studies include: (1) rich pharmacokinetics and (2) direct skin vs membrane feeding assays. Results: Recruitment started July 20th, 2015. Data collection was completed on July 2nd, 2016. Unblinding and analysis will commence once the database has been completed, cleaned and locked. Discussion: High‐dose ivermectin, if found to be safe and well tolerated, might offer a promising new tool for malaria elimination. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02511353 (July 15, 2015)

Geofencing Components and Existing Models

This paper describes the various Geofencing Components and Existing Models in terms of their Information Security Control Attribute Profiles. The profiles will dictate the security attributes that should accompany each and every Geofencing Model used for Wi-Fi network security control in an organization, thus minimizing the likelihood of malfunctioning security controls. Although it is up to an organization to investigate the best way of implementing information security for itself, by looking at the related models that have been used in the past this paper will present models commonly used to implement information security controls in the organizations. Our findings will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the various models and present what our experiment and prototype consider as a robust Geofencing Security Model for securing Wi-Fi Network

Skunk River Review Fall 2004, vol 16

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