103 research outputs found
What influences consumers’ online medication purchase intentions and behavior? A scoping review
Objective: Consumers increasingly buy pharmaceuticals online. No scoping review has been carried out to summarize and synthesize the studies that have identified drivers of consumers’ purchase intention and behavior from online pharmacies. Thus, we conducted a scoping review to explore the extent to which prior research has studied consumer purchase intentions and behavior related to online pharmacies, the drivers previously identified to explain consumers’ online pharmacy purchase intentions and behavior, and how these antecedents differ between OTC and prescription medications. Then, we identified gaps in the published literature to form a comprehensive theory-based agenda for future research.Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to retrieve relevant studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals. The search strategy identified forty-eight eligible studies.Results: We identified twelve types of factors influencing purchase intentions and behaviors from online pharmacies: demographics, convenience, availability, price, evaluations of the purchase environment, information sources, internet usage, prior experience, perceived risk, health insurance, privacy, and product. Our analysis also revealed differences between OTC and prescription medications in drivers of purchase intentions and behaviors.Conclusion: While demographic factors tended to be the most often measured influences on intentions and behavior, their role was generally inconsistent, with many contradictory results. However, other factors (e.g., convenience, availability, lower prices, and favorable evaluations toward the purchase environment) more consistently enhanced online medication purchase intentions and behavior. An extensive agenda for future research is advanced
Systematic evaluation of fluorination as modification for peptide-based fusion inhibitors against HIV-1 infection
With the emergence of novel viruses, the development of new antivirals is more urgent than ever. A key step in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is six-helix bundle formation within the envelope protein subunit gp41. Selective disruption of bundle formation by peptides has been shown to be effective; however, these drugs, exemplified by T20, are prone to rapid clearance from the patient. The incorporation of non-natural amino acids is known to improve these pharmacokinetic properties. Here, we evaluate a peptide inhibitor in which a critical Ile residue is replaced by fluorinated analogues. We characterized the influence of the fluorinated analogues on the biophysical properties of the peptide. Furthermore, we show that the fluorinated peptides can block HIV-1 infection of target cells at nanomolar levels. These findings demonstrate that fluorinated amino acids are appropriate tools for the development of novel peptide therapeutics
Removing krypton from xenon by cryogenic distillation to the ppq level
The XENON1T experiment aims for the direct detection of dark matter in a
cryostat filled with 3.3 tons of liquid xenon. In order to achieve the desired
sensitivity, the background induced by radioactive decays inside the detector
has to be sufficiently low. One major contributor is the -emitter
Kr which is an intrinsic contamination of the xenon. For the XENON1T
experiment a concentration of natural krypton in xenon Kr/Xe < 200
ppq (parts per quadrillion, 1 ppq = 10 mol/mol) is required. In this
work, the design of a novel cryogenic distillation column using the common
McCabe-Thiele approach is described. The system demonstrated a krypton
reduction factor of 6.410 with thermodynamic stability at process
speeds above 3 kg/h. The resulting concentration of Kr/Xe < 26 ppq
is the lowest ever achieved, almost one order of magnitude below the
requirements for XENON1T and even sufficient for future dark matter experiments
using liquid xenon, such as XENONnT and DARWIN
Rh-POP Pincer Xantphos Complexes for C-S and C-H Activation. Implications for Carbothiolation Catalysis
The neutral Rh(I)–Xantphos
complex [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)Cl]<sub><i>n</i></sub>, <b>4</b>, and cationic Rh(III) [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(H)<sub>2</sub>][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>2a</b>, and [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos-3,5-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>)(H)<sub>2</sub>][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>2b</b>, are described [Ar<sup>F</sup> = 3,5-(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>; Xantphos
= 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene; Xantphos-3,5-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> = 9,9-dimethylxanthene-4,5-bis(bis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)phosphine].
A solid-state structure of <b>2b</b> isolated from C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>Cl solution shows a κ<sup>1</sup>-chlorobenzene
adduct, [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos-3,5-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>)(H)<sub>2</sub>(κ<sup>1</sup>-ClC<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>3</b>. Addition of H<sub>2</sub> to <b>4</b> affords,
crystallographically characterized, [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(H)<sub>2</sub>Cl], <b>5</b>. Addition of diphenyl
acetylene to <b>2a</b> results in the formation of the C–H
activated metallacyclopentadiene [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(ClCH<sub>2</sub>Cl)(σ,σ-(C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>)C(H)CPh)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>7</b>, a rare example of a crystallographically characterized Rh–dichloromethane
complex, alongside the Rh(I) complex <i>mer</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(η<sup>2</sup>-PhCCPh)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>6</b>. Halide abstraction from [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)Cl]<sub><i>n</i></sub> in the presence of diphenylacetylene affords <b>6</b> as the
only product, which in the solid state shows that the alkyne binds
perpendicular to the κ<sup>3</sup>-POP Xantphos ligand plane.
This complex acts as a latent source of the [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)]<sup>+</sup> fragment and facilitates
<i>ortho</i>-directed C–S activation in a number
of 2-arylsulfides to give <i>mer</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(σ,κ<sup>1</sup>-Ar)(SMe)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>] (Ar = C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>COMe, <b>8</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>(CO)OMe, <b>9</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>2</sub>, <b>10</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>CNCH<sub>2</sub>CH<sub>2</sub>O, <b>11</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>4</sub>N, <b>12</b>).
Similar C–S bond cleavage is observed with allyl sulfide,
to give <i>fac</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(η<sup>3</sup>-C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)(SPh)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>13</b>. These products of C–S
activation have been crystallographically characterized. For <b>8</b> in situ monitoring of the reaction by NMR spectroscopy reveals
the initial formation of <i>fac</i>-κ<sup>3</sup>-<b>8</b>, which then proceeds to isomerize to the <i>mer</i>-isomer. With the <i>para</i>-ketone aryl sulfide, 4-SMeC <sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>COMe, C–H activation <i>ortho</i> to the ketone occurs to give <i>mer</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(σ,κ<sup>1</sup>-4-(COMe)C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>SMe)(H)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>14</b>. The temporal evolution of carbothiolation catalysis using <i>mer</i>-κ<sup>3</sup>-<b>8</b>, and phenyl acetylene
and 2-(methylthio)acetophenone substrates shows initial fast catalysis
and then a considerably slower evolution of the product. We suggest
that the initially formed <i>fac</i>-isomer of the C–S
activation product is considerably more active than the <i>mer</i>-isomer (i.e., <i>mer</i>-<b>8</b>), the latter of
which is formed rapidly by isomerization, and this accounts for the
observed difference in rates. A likely mechanism is proposed based
upon these data
New Clathrin-Based Nanoplatforms for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Background: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has high spatial resolution, but low sensitivity for visualization of molecular targets in the central nervous system (CNS). Our goal was to develop a new MRI method with the potential for non-invasive molecular brain imaging. We herein introduce new bio-nanotechnology approaches for designing CNS contrast media based on the ubiquitous clathrin cell protein. Methodology/Principal Findings: The first approach utilizes three-legged clathrin triskelia modified to carry 81 gadolinium chelates. The second approach uses clathrin cages self-assembled from triskelia and designed to carry 432 gadolinium chelates. Clathrin triskelia and cages were characterized by size, structure, protein concentration, and chelate and gadolinium contents. Relaxivity was evaluated at 0.47 T. A series of studies were conducted to ascertain whether fluorescent-tagged clathrin nanoplatforms could cross the blood brain barriers (BBB) unaided following intranasal, intravenous, and intraperitoneal routes of administration. Clathrin nanoparticles can be constituted as triskelia (18.5 nm in size), and as cages assembled from them (55 nm). The mean chelate: clathrin heavy chain molar ratio was 27.0464.8: 1 fo
The legal framework for financial advertising:curbing behavioural exploitation
Policy makers and behavioural finance scholars express growing concern that marketing practices by financial institutions exploit retail investors’ behavioural biases. Investor protection regulation should thus address these marketing practices and include mechanisms curbing behavioural exploitation. That raises the question whether the marketing communications regime of the new Markets in Financial Instruments Directive can live up to this demand. This article develops a regulatory model that integrates behavioural finance insights into the new marketing communications regime. It then determines how regulatory authorities can apply this model when they interpret and apply specific regulatory requirements. It demonstrates how a regulatory authority or a court can translate empirical behavioural finance research findings into legal arguments when assessing whether marketing practices can significantly distort a model investor’s decision-making process. The article further establishes that the detailed requirements imposed on investment firms by the new Markets in Financial Instruments Directive are necessary in order to protect investors from behavioural exploitation. Finally, the article submits policy proposals that aim to protect investors more effectively from behavioural exploitation
Application and modeling of an online distillation method to reduce krypton and argon in XENON1T
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