Application of Silicon-Initiated Water Splitting for the Reduction of Organic Substrates

The use of water as a donor for hydrogen suitable for the reduction of several important classes of organic compounds is described. It is found that the reductive water splitting can be promoted by several metalloids among which silicon shows the best efficiency. The developed methodologies were applied for the reduction of nitro compounds, N‐oxides, sulfoxides, alkenes, alkynes, hydrodehalogenation as well as for the gram‐scale synthesis of several substrates of industrial importance

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Arylation of Nitroimidazoles and Further Transformations of Manipulable Nitro Group

Pd- or Ni-catalyzed C–H arylation of 4-nitroimidazole derivatives directed by a manipulable nitro group was developed. The reaction tolerates a wide range of substituted aryl halides and 4-nitroimidazoles. The experiments indicated that the nitro group has influence on regioselectivity of the reaction. In addition, we have shown that the efficiency of the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of nitroimidazoles is slightly lower in comparison to the direct C–H arylation. The exploration of the chemical potential of the nitro group and a putative reaction mechanism are discussed

Prevalence of Pretreatment HIV-1 Drug Resistance in Armenia in 2017–2018 and 2020–2021 following a WHO Survey

The increased antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage of patients in the absence of routine genotyping tests and in the context of active labor migration highlight the importance of HIV-1 drug resistance (DR) surveillance in Armenia. We conducted a two-phase pretreatment DR (PDR) study in 2017–2018 (phase I; 120 patients) and 2020–2021 (phase II; 133 patients) according to the WHO-approved protocol. The analysis of HIV-1 genetic variants showed high degrees of viral diversity, with the predominance of A6. The prevalence of any PDR was 9.2% in phase I and 7.5% in phase II. PDR to protease inhibitors was found only in 0.8% in phase II. PDR to efavirenz and nevirapine was found among 5.0% and 6.7% of patients in phase I, and 6.0% and 6.8% of patients in phase II, respectively. The prevalence of PDR to nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors decreased from 5.0% in phase I to 0.8% in phase II. In addition, we identified risk factors associated with the emergence of DR—male, MSM, subtype B, and residence in or around the capital of Armenia—and showed the active spread of HIV-1 among MSM in transmission clusters, i.e., harboring DR, which requires the immediate attention of public health policymakers for the prevention of HIV-1 DR spread in the country

Co-Occurrence of Familial Mediterranean Fever and Hematologic Malignancies: Case Report Series

Introduction: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder primarily found among individuals of Mediterranean descent, including Armenians, Italians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks and Jews. In the Armenian population, approximately 90% of FMF cases are associated with three main mutations (M694V, V726A, and M680I) in two alleles of MEFV gene, while more than 300 MEFV variants have been reported worldwide. The homozygous M694V genotype is associated with frequent renal failure due to amyloidosis. Clinical manifestations of FMF include periodic attacks of diffuse serositis with pain and fever that are treated with colchicine or biologic therapy. There is a scarcity of data on patients with FMF and hematologic malignancies. Limited data makes it difficult to generate evidence-based recommendations for the management of these patients, which is mostly based on expert opinions or few case reports. Here we report the case series of patients from Armenia with simultaneous presence of FMF and hematologic malignancies (FMFHM) and evaluate their management challenges. Methods: Data was collected from the Armenian National Registry of Blood Disorders, at the Hematology Center after Prof. R. Yeolyan, and through personal interviews conducted with each patient. Hematology Center is the only institution in Armenia managing hematologic malignancies. We have analyzed 8 patients diagnosed with both FMFHM during 2000-2020, treated in the pediatric (1 patient) and adult (7 patients) hematology departments. Results: 8 patients with FMFHM were identified, from which 4 were diagnosed with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), 2 with acute leukemia (AL), and 2 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The median age of patients was 46, range 20-60 years. Only 5 (62.5%) of patients were regularly taking colchicine for FMF, while the rest refused it. Four MPN patients received treatment only with oral medications (tyrosine kinase inhibitors, hydroxyurea). Autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) was performed in 1 NHL patient after indicated 1 st and 2 nd line immuno-chemotherapy. Another 2 AL patients and one NHL patient received protocol-based respective chemotherapy regimens. Moderate gastrointestinal (GI) complications (e.g., epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, intestinal discomfort) was experienced by 7 (87.5%) patients. Allergic reactions (e.g., moderate skin rash, itching) were seen in 5 patient (62.5%), of which one developed severe anaphylactic shock. A patient with FMF and PMF had ischemic stroke caused by thrombi. Arterial hypertension occurred in 3 (37.5%). Only in one patient reduction of colchicine dosage was performed (1mg/day was reduced to 0.6mg/d), because of interaction with imatinib. The rest of patients received chemotherapy and colchicine treatment as indicated. All 8 patients are alive, 5 of them are in hematologic or molecular remission, two of which received concurrent colchicine treatment. One patient in remission developed renal failure due to FMF (colchicine was refused). Two patients with MPN treated with colchicine experienced disease stabilization. Conclusion: In conclusion, the concurrent appearance of FMFHM may potentially increase the risk of GI side effects, allergic complications, and arterial hypertension, however definitive conclusions require further investigations in larger patient cohorts. While the overall treatment responses were largely positive, the association between MEFV and HM mutations warrants deeper exploration to provide more precise drug administration recommendations for colchicine and cancer medications. Future studies in this area will contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between these conditions and guide optimal treatment strategies