Starreveld scoring method in diagnosing childhood constipation

Four scoring methods exist to assess severity of fecal loading on plain abdominal radiographs in constipated patients (Barr-, Starreveld-, Blethyn- and Leech). So far, the Starreveld score was used only in adult patients. To determine accuracy and intra- and inter-observer agreement of the Starreveld scoring method in the diagnosis of functional constipation among pediatric patients. In addition, we compared the Starreveld with the Barr scoring method. Thirty-four constipated and 34 non-constipated children were included. Abdominal radiographs, obtained before treatment, were rated (Starreveld- and Barr) by 4 observers. A second observation after 4 weeks was done by 3 observers. Cut-off level for the Starreveld score, accuracy as measured by the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve, and inter- and intra-observer agreement were calculated. Cut-off value for the Starreveld score was 10. AUC for Starreveld score was 0.54 and for Barr score 0.38, indicating poor discriminating power. Inter-observer agreement was 0.49-0.52 4 (Starreveld) and 0.44 (Barr), which is considered moderate. Intra-observer agreement was 0.52-0.71 (Starreveld) and 0.62- 0.76 (Barr). The Starreveld scoring method to assess fecal loading on a plain abdominal radiograph is of limited value in the diagnosis of childhood constipatio

Facile Amidation of Non-Protected Hydroxycinnamic Acids for the Synthesis of Natural Phenol Amides

Phenol amides are bioactive compounds naturally present in many plants. This class of compounds is known for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. To better under-stand the reactivity and structure–bioactivity relationships of phenol amides, a large set of structurally diverse pure compounds are needed, however purification from plants is inefficient and labo-rious. Existing syntheses require multiple steps, including protection of functional groups and are generally overly complicated and only suitable for specific combinations of hydroxycinnamic acid and amine. Thus, to facilitate further studies on these promising compounds, we aimed to develop a facile general synthetic route to obtain phenol amides with a wide structural diversity. The result is a protocol for straightforward one-pot synthesis of phenol amides at room temperature within 25 h using equimolar amounts of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), amine, hydroxycinnamic acid, and sodium bicarbonate in aqueous acetone. Eight structurally diverse phenol amides were synthesized and fully chemically characterized. The facile synthetic route described in this work is suitable for a wide variety of biologically relevant phenol amides, consisting of different hy-droxycinnamic acid subunits (coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid) and amine subunits (ag-matine, anthranilic acid, putrescine, serotonin, tyramine, and tryptamine) with yields ranging between 14% and 24%

Browning of Epicatechin (EC) and Epigallocatechin (EGC) by Auto-Oxidation

Green tea catechins are well known for their health benefits. However, these compounds can easily be oxidized, resulting in brown color formation, even in the absence of active oxidative enzymes. Browning of catechin-rich beverages, such as green tea, during their shelf life is undesired. The mechanisms of auto-oxidation of catechins and the brown products formed are still largely unknown. Therefore, we studied auto-oxidative browning of epicatechin (EC) and epigallocatechin (EGC) in model systems. Products of EC and EGC auto-oxidation were analyzed by reversed-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection coupled to mass spectrometry (RP-UHPLC-PDA-MS). In the EC model system, 11 δ-type dehydrodicatechins (DhC2s) and 18 δ-type dehydrotricatechins (DhC3s) that were related to browning could be tentatively identified by their MS2 signature fragments. In the EGC model system, auto-oxidation led to the formation of 13 dihydro-indene-carboxylic acid derivatives and 2 theaflagallins that were related to browning. Based on the products formed, we propose mechanisms for the auto-oxidative browning of EC and EGC. Furthermore, our results indicate that dimers and oligomers that possess a combination of an extended conjugated system, fused rings, and carbonyl groups are responsible for the brown color formation in the absence of oxidative enzymes. </p

Biomimetic Enzymatic Oxidative Coupling of Barley Phenolamides : Hydroxycinnamoylagmatines

Oxidative coupling of hydroxycinnamoylagmatines in barley (Hordeum vulgare) and related Hordeum species is part of the plant defense mechanism. Three linkage types have been reported for hydroxycinnamoylagmatine dimers, but knowledge on oxidative coupling reactions underlying their formation is limited. In this study, the monomers coumaroylagmatine, feruloylagmatine, and sinapoylagmatine were each incubated with horseradish peroxidase. Their coupling reactivity was in line with the order of peak potentials measured: sinapoylagmatine (245 mV) > feruloylagmatine (341 mV) > coumaroylagmatine (506 mV). Structure elucidation of fourteen in vitro coupling products by NMR and MS revealed that the three main linkage types were identical to those naturally present in Hordeum species, namely, 4-O-7′/3-8′, 2-7′/8-8′, and 8-8′/9-N-7′. Furthermore, we identified two linkage types that were not previously reported for hydroxycinnamoylagmatine dimers, namely, 8-8′ and 4-O-8′. We conclude that oxidative coupling by horseradish peroxidase can be used for biomimetic formation of natural antifungal hydroxycinnamoylagmatine dimers from barley

Toward a systematic nomenclature for (neo)lignanamides

Phenylalkenoic acid amides, often referred to as phenol amides or hydroxycinnamic acid amides, are bioactive phytochemicals, whose bioactivity can be enhanced by coupling to form dimers or oligomers. Phenylalkenoic acid amides consist of a (hydroxy)cinnamic acid derivative (i.e., the phenylalkenoic acid subunit) linked to an amine-containing compound (i.e., the amine subunit) via an amide bond. The phenylalkenoic acid moiety can undergo oxidative coupling, either catalyzed by oxidative enzymes or due to autoxidation, which leads to the formation of (neo)lignanamides. Dimers described in the literature are often named after the species in which the compound was first discovered; however, the naming of these compounds lacks a systematic approach. We propose a new nomenclature, inspired by the existing system used for hydroxycinnamic acid dimers and lignin. In the proposed systematic nomenclature for (neo)lignanamides, compound names will be composed of three-letter codes and prefixes denoting the subunits, and numbers that indicate the carbon atoms involved in the linkage between the monomeric precursors. The proposed nomenclature is consistent, future-proof, and systematic

Rhodium Catalysed Hydroformylation of Branched 1-Alkenes; Bulky Phosphite vs. Triphenylphosphine as Modifying Ligand

Abstract The influence of alkyl substituents in 1-alkene substrates in the rhodium-catalysed hydroformylation in the presence of tris(2-tertbutyl-4-methylphenyl) phosphite has been studied and compared with that observed for the reaction involving the conventional PPh3-modified catalyst. Hindered alkenes underwent hydroformylation at good rates (i.e. 1300 mol (mol Rh)-~ h-t for 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene as T = 70°C and P = 20 bar (H2-CO)); under mild conditions the rates were only slightly affected by the alkyl substituents. The selectivity towards the linear aldehyde increases progressively with substitution, from 66% for 1-octene up to 100% for 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, and the proportion of isomerized alkenes remained substantial (up to 17.4% for allylcyclohexane). The differences between the two systems are explained in terms of the different kinetics observed for them

Inhibition of Bcl-2 family members sensitizes mesenchymal chondrosarcoma to conventional chemotherapy: report on a novel mesenchymal chondrosarcoma cell line

Molecular tumour pathology - and tumour geneticsMTG