Mild and Highly Efficient Stereoselective Synthesis of 2,3-Unsaturated Glycopyranosides using La(NO3)3 · 6H2O as a Catalyst: Ferrier Rearrangement

A mild and highly efficient stereoselective reaction of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal with a variety of nucleophiles, viz. alcohols, phenols, thiols, thiophenols, and allyl trimethyl silane (TMS), in the presence of 5 mol% of lanthanum(III) nitrate hexahydrate under solvent-free conditions yielded the corresponding 2,3-unsaturated glycopyranosides (pseudoglycals) in excellent yields

Dopamine Transporter SPECT Imaging in Corticobasal Syndrome

evidence of preserved nigral neuronal density. imaging evidence of preserved nigral terminals have been recently described.In this multicenter study, we investigated presynaptic nigrostriatal function in 36 outpatients fulfilling clinical criteria for “probable corticobasal degeneration” (age 71±7.3 years; disease duration 3.9±1.6 years), 37 PD and 24 healthy control subjects using FP-CIT single photon emission computed tomography. Clinical, neuropsychological, and magnetic resonance imaging assessment was performed to characterize CBS patients. Linear discriminant analysis was used to categorize normal vs. pathological scans.FP-CIT binding reduction in patients with CBS was characterized by larger variability, more uniform reduction throughout the striatum and greater hemispheric asymmetry compared to PD. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between tracer uptake values and clinical features such as disease duration and severity. Despite all CBS subjects showed obvious bilateral extrapyramidal signs, FP-CIT uptake was found to be normal bilaterally in four CBS patients and only unilaterally in other four cases. Extensive clinical, neuropsychological and imaging assessment did not reveal remarkable differences between CBS subjects with normal vs. pathological FP-CIT uptake.Our findings support the hypothesis that extrapyramidal motor symptoms in CBS are not invariably associated with SNc neuronal degeneration and that supranigral factors may play a major role in several cases. CBS individuals with normal FP-CIT uptake do not show any clinical or cognitive feature suggesting a different pathology than CBD

Interview with Harry Hogenkamp

Henricus “Harry” Hogenkamp was born in the Netherlands in 1925. He served in the Dutch Army during the Indonesian War of Independence. In 1950, he returned to the Netherlands and went to an agricultural school, earning a certificate in tropical agriculture. He and his wife married in 1953 and immigrated to Canada. He worked in a warehouse for a year before applying to the University of British Columbia. He earned a bachelor’s in 1957 and a master’s in 1958 from UBC. He then earned his Ph.D. in 1961 and worked as a research biochemist at the University of California at Berkley. In 1962, he became an associate scientist at the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. In 1963, he moved back to the United States and became a professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa. During his time at Iowa, he was a visiting professor at the John Curtain School of Medical Research at Australian National University and a guest scientist at the Los Alamos Scientific Lab at the University of California. In 1976, he moved to the University of Minnesota’s Medical School to serve as head of the Department of Biochemistry. Dr. Hogenkamp’s research chiefly involved understanding the bioorganic mechanisms of vitamin B-12. He served as head of the Department until 1992 and retired in 2000.Dr. Henricus Hogenkamp begins his interview by describing his early life in the Netherlands and his immigration to Canada. He then discusses his decision to attend the University of British Columbia and the University of California at Berkley, his work at the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, and his time at the University of Iowa. Dr. Hogenkamp goes on to describe his recruitment to the University of Minnesota as head of the Department of Biochemistry in the Medical School, his work with B-12, teaching in the AHC, funding within the AHC, and relations with other schools in the health sciences and in the University. He also reflects on the leadership of Neal Gault and David Brown as deans of the Medical School, his committee work, his time on journal editorial boards, research he conducted in Germany through the Humboldt Foundation, and the longer history of B-12. He concludes with a discussion of the changes in relations and structure of the Department of Biochemistry in the Medical School and the Department of Biochemistry in the College of Biological Sciences