Synthesis and structure of a neutral SiAl14 cluster

Purath A, Dohmeier C, Ecker A, et al. Synthesis and structure of a neutral SiAl14 cluster. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 2000;122(29):6955-6959.A metastable AlCl solution obtained by co-condensation of the high-temperature molecule AlCl and a mixture of toluene/diethyl ether reacted with SiCp*2 or SiCl4/AlCp*, giving a unique SiAl14 cluster species that bears six Cp* ligands protecting the compound from disproportionation and formation of the bulk material (elemental Al or an Si/Al alloy). The structure of the SiAl14 core represents a section of the body centered packing when a Si atom resides in the center of an Al cube. Each of the six faces of the cube is capped by an additional Al(eta(5) Cp*) moiety. This cluster compound was investigated by mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, Al-27 NMR spectroscopy, and ab initio theory. The solid-state structure contains minor amounts of molecules with additional Cl atoms bonded to the Al atoms at the corners of the cube, and the presence of Cl-containing molecules in the crystal is rationalized on basis of the suggested reaction path

Inhaled Argon Impedes Hepatic Regeneration after Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Organoprotective effects of noble gases are subject of current research. One important field of interest is the effect of noble gases on hepatic regenerative capacity. For the noble gas argon, promising studies demonstrated remarkable experimental effects in neuronal and renal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of argon on the regenerative capacity of the liver after ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Male, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent hepatic IRI by clamping of the hepatic artery. Expression of hepatoproliferative genes (HGF, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF), cell cycle markers (BrdU, TUNEL, Ki-67), and liver enzymes (ALT, AST, Bilirubin, LDH) were assessed 3, 36, and 96 h after IRI. Expression of IL-1β and IL-6 was significantly higher after argon inhalation after 36 h (IL-1β 5.0 vs. 8.7 fold, p = 0.001; IL-6 9.6 vs. 19.1 fold, p = 0.05). Ki-67 was higher in the control group compared to the argon group after 36 h (214.0 vs. 38.7 positive cells/1000 hepatocytes, p = 0.045). Serum levels of AST and ALT did not differ significantly between groups. Our data indicate that argon inhalation has detrimental effects on liver regeneration after IRI as measured by elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 after 36 h. In line with these results, Ki-67 is decreased in the argon group, indicating a negative effect on liver regeneration in argon inhalation

Psychotropic Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs

Antiepileptic drugs are important psychotropic agents that are commonly used to treat psychiatric disorders. The behavioral effects of antiepileptic drugs may differ between epilepsy and psychiatric patient populations. Randomized, double-blind, controlled data on the psychotropic efficacy of antiepileptic drugs are limited mainly to bipolar disorder