Palladium-Catalyzed Carboetherification and Carboamination Reactions of Γ-Hydroxy- and Γ-Aminoalkenes for the Synthesis of Tetrahydrofurans and Pyrrolidines

Substituted tetrahydrofuran and pyrrolidine moieties are displayed in a wide range of interesting biologically active molecules. The Pd-catalyzed carboetherification or carboamination of Γ-hydroxy and Γ-aminoalkenes is a powerful tool for the construction of these heterocycles, as it is convergent and can allow access to a variety of analogs from a single Γ-hydroxy- or Γ-aminoalkene starting material. This microreview describes the current state of this field. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55970/1/571_ftp.pd

Increased indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity is associated with poor clinical outcome in adults hospitalized with influenza in the INSIGHT FLU003Plus study

BACKGROUND: Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) mediated tryptophan (TRP) depletion has antimicrobial and immuno-regulatory effects. Increased kynurenine (KYN)-to-TRP (KT) ratios, reflecting increased IDO activity, have been associated with poorer outcomes from several infections. METHODS: We performed a case-control (1:2; age and sex matched) analysis of adults hospitalized with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 with protocol-defined disease progression (died/transferred to ICU/mechanical ventilation) after enrollment (cases) or survived without progression (controls) over 60 days of follow-up. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between baseline KT ratio and other metabolites and disease progression. RESULTS: We included 32 cases and 64 controls with a median age of 52 years; 41% were female, and the median durations of influenza symptoms prior to hospitalization were 8 and 6 days for cases and controls, respectively (P = .04). Median baseline KT ratios were 2-fold higher in cases (0.24 mM/M; IQR, 0.13-0.40) than controls (0.12; IQR, 0.09-0.17; P ≤ .001). When divided into tertiles, 59% of cases vs 20% of controls had KT ratios in the highest tertile (0.21-0.84 mM/M). When adjusted for symptom duration, the odds ratio for disease progression for those in the highest vs lowest tertiles of KT ratio was 9.94 (95% CI, 2.25-43.90). CONCLUSIONS: High KT ratio was associated with poor outcome in adults hospitalized with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. The clinical utility of this biomarker in this setting merits further exploration. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01056185

Anthraquinone polymer catalysts for alkaline delignification of lignocellulosic matter. Part 1. Syntheses and characterizations

Syntheses of two new styrene monomers are described, which bear a C4 and C3 chain ending with an anthraquinone (AQ) unit, in para and meta positions of the benzene ring. Both monomers were submitted to radical polymerization, and three linear AQ polystyrene (PS) copolymers (CP-A, CP-B, and CP-C) were prepared. The first two differed by the nature of the link between the AQ and the PS network. An ether oxide group in CP-B gave better accessibility of AQ to the lignin polymer in lignocellulosics, and the incorporation of carboxylic acid functions in CP-C increased its hydrophilicity. The copolymers synthesized were characterized by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), C-13 NMR, ultraviolet, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, such as by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and thermogravimetry (TG). A cross-linked copolymer (CP-3D) bearing AQ units (11.3%) was prepared by emulsion polymerization in the presence of divinylbenzene. Contrary to linear copolymers, the latter was insoluble in aqueous and organic solutions, and displayed remarkable thermal stability