Theoretical Study of the Electronic Properties of The Curcumin Molecule: Using Density Functional Theory

يهدف البحث الى دراسة الخواص الالكترونية لجزيئة الكركمين والتي توجد في صيغتين أيزوميريتين صيغة الكيتون والأينول وتأثير أستخدام دوال أساس مختلفة من خلال الاعتماد على نظرية دالية الكثافة عند المستوي B3LYP. أنتقال ذرة الهيدروجين من مجموعة الميثيلين المركزية(CH2)  لترتبط بذرة الأوكسجين حتى تشكل أصرة هيدروجينية(O H)  يسبب تغيرات هندسية في شكل الأيزوميرين, حيث شكل الأينول هي تركيب خطي   تقريبا ولكن شكل الكيتون ليس خطي تماما. الدالة 6-311G+(d,p) أعطت نتائج مقنعة للحسابات. كذلك حسابات كل من الطاقة الكلية و طاقة أعلى مدار جزيئي ممتلئ وفجوة الطاقة أكدت أن الكيتون هو الأكثر أستقرارا من الأينول. وأيضا الكيتون لديه قابلية عالية لقبول الألكترونات كما ثبت من خلال قيم كل من طاقة أوطأ مدار جزيئي غير ممتلئ وجهد التأين والألفة الألكترونية و الكهروسالبية.This search aims to study electronic properties of the curcumin moleculewhich exist in two isomers, ketone and enol forms, and the effect of usingdifferent basis setsby relying on density functions theory (DFT) at B3LYP level. The hydrogen atom transfer from the central methylene (CH2) group to an oxygen atom to form strong intra-molecular hydrogen (O H) bond causes geometrical changes in two isomers; where the enol form is structure approximately planar but not completely planar for the ketone form.The results showed that the 6-311G+(d,p) basis set gave sat- isfactory results for calculations. As well as the findings of each of the total energy, the energy of the high occupied molecular orbital and energy gap confirm that the isomer ketone is more stable than isomer enol. Also the ketone has a high electron-accepting, as was proven by the values of the energy of lower unoccupied molecular orbital,ionization potential, electron affinity and electronegativity

Application of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to predict cefazolin and cefuroxime disposition in obese pregnant women undergoing caesarean section

Intravenous (IV) cefuroxime and cefazolin are used prophylactically in caesarean sections (CS). Currently, there are concerns regarding sub-optimal dosing in obese pregnant women compared to lean pregnant women prior to CS. The current study used a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) approach to predict cefazolin and cefuroxime pharmacokinetics in obese pregnant women at the time of CS as well as the duration that these drug concentrations remain above a target concentration (2, 4 or 8 µg/mL or µg/g) in plasma or adipose tissue. Cefazolin and cefuroxime PBPK models were first built using clinical data in lean and in obese non−pregnant populations. Models were then used to predict cefazolin and cefuroxime pharmacokinetics data in lean and obese pregnant populations. Both cefazolin and cefuroxime models sufficiently described their total and free levels in the plasma and in the adipose interstitial fluid (ISF) in non−pregnant and pregnant populations. The obese pregnant cefazolin model predicted adipose exposure adequately at different reference time points and indicated that an IV dose of 2000 mg can maintain unbound plasma and adipose ISF concentration above 8 µg/mL for 3.5 h post dose. Predictions indicated that an IV 1500 mg cefuroxime dose can achieve unbound plasma and unbound ISF cefuroxime concentration of ≥8 µg/mL up to 2 h post dose in obese pregnant women. Re-dosing should be considered if CS was not completed within 2 h post cefuroxime administration for both lean or obese pregnant if cefuroxime concentrations of ≥8 µg/mL is required. A clinical study to measure cefuroxime adipose concentration in pregnant and obese pregnant women is warranted

Quantitative 7T Phase Imaging in Premanifest Huntington Disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In vivo MRI and postmortem neuropathological studies have demonstrated elevated iron concentration and atrophy within the striatum of patients with Huntington disease (HD), implicating neuronal loss and iron accumulation in the pathogenesis of this neurodegenerative disorder. We used 7T MRI to determine whether quantitative phase, a putative marker of these endpoints, is altered in subjects with premotor HD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Local field shift (LFS), calculated from 7T MR phase images, was quantified in 13 subjects with premotor HD and 13 age- and gender-matched controls. All participants underwent 3T and 7T MRI, including volumetric 3T T1 and 7T gradient-recalled echo sequences. LFS maps were created from 7T phase data and registered to caudate ROIs automatically parcellated from the 3T T1 images. HD-specific neurocognitive assessment was also performed and compared to LFS. RESULTS: Subjects with premotor HD had smaller caudate nuclear volume and higher LFS than controls. A significant correlation between these measurements was not detected, and prediction accuracy for disease state improved with inclusion of both variables. A positive correlation between LFS and genetic disease burden was also found, and there was a trend towards significant correlations between LFS and neurocognitive tests of working memory and executive function. CONCLUSION: Subjects with premotor HD exhibit differences in 7T MRI phase within the caudate nuclei that correlate with genetic disease burden and trend with neurocognitive assessments. Ultra-high field MRI of quantitative phase may be a useful marker for monitoring neurodegeneration in premanifest HD

The Value of Success: Acquiring Gains, Avoiding Losses, and Simply Being Successful

A large network of spatially contiguous, yet anatomically distinct regions in medial frontal cortex is involved in reward processing. Although it is clear these regions play a role in critical aspects of reward-related learning and decision-making, the individual contributions of each component remains unclear. We explored dissociations in reward processing throughout several key regions in the reward system and aimed to clarify the nature of previously observed outcome-related activity in a portion of anterior medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). Specifically, we tested whether activity in anterior mOFC was related to processing successful actions, such that this region would respond similarly to rewards with and without tangible benefits, or whether this region instead encoded only quantifiable outcome values (e.g., money). Participants performed a task where they encountered monetary gains and losses (and non-gains and non-losses) during fMRI scanning. Critically, in addition to the outcomes with monetary consequences, the task included trials that provided outcomes without tangible benefits (participants were simply told that they were correct or incorrect). We found that anterior mOFC responded to all successful outcomes regardless of whether they carried tangible benefits (monetary gains and non-losses) or not (controls). These results support the hypothesis that anterior mOFC processes rewards in terms of a common currency and is capable of providing reward-based signals for everything we value, whether it be primary or secondary rewards or simply a successful experience without objectively quantifiable benefits

Drug dosing during pregnancy—opportunities for physiologically based pharmacokinetic models

Drugs can have harmful effects on the embryo or the fetus at any point during pregnancy. Not all the damaging effects of intrauterine exposure to drugs are obvious at birth, some may only manifest later in life. Thus, drugs should be prescribed in pregnancy only if the expected benefit to the mother is thought to be greater than the risk to the fetus. Dosing of drugs during pregnancy is often empirically determined and based upon evidence from studies of non-pregnant subjects, which may lead to suboptimal dosing, particularly during the third trimester. This review collates examples of drugs with known recommendations for dose adjustment during pregnancy, in addition to providing an example of the potential use of PBPK models in dose adjustment recommendation during pregnancy within the context of drug-drug interactions. For many drugs, such as antidepressants and antiretroviral drugs, dose adjustment has been recommended based on pharmacokinetic studies demonstrating a reduction in drug concentrations. However, there is relatively limited (and sometimes inconsistent) information regarding the clinical impact of these pharmacokinetic changes during pregnancy and the effect of subsequent dose adjustments. Examples of using pregnancy PBPK models to predict feto-maternal drug exposures and their applications to facilitate and guide dose assessment throughout gestation are discussed

Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19: a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Funder: laura and john arnold foundationBACKGROUND: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GEHFX ). METHODS: In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. RESULTS: A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92; 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care

Drug Dosing in Pregnant Women: Challenges and Opportunities in Using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Simulations.

Contains fulltext : 191232.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The unmet medical need of providing evidence-based pharmacotherapy for pregnant women is recognized by the regulatory bodies. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling offers an attractive platform to quantify anticipated changes in the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of drugs during pregnancy. Recent publications applying a pregnancy PBPK module to the prediction of maternal and fetal exposure of drugs are summarized. Future opportunities to use PBPK models to predict breast milk exposure and assess human fetotoxicity risks are presented.1 februari 201