Ocular surface temperature in age-related macular degeneration

Background. The aim of this study is to investigate the ocular thermographic profiles in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) eyes and age-matched controls to detect possible hemodynamic abnormalities, which could be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Methods. 32 eyes with early AMD, 37 eyes with atrophic AMD, 30 eyes affected by untreated neovascular AMD, and 43 eyes with fibrotic AMD were included. The control group consisted of 44 healthy eyes. Exclusion criteria were represented by any other ocular diseases other than AMD, tear film abnormalities, systemic cardiovascular abnormalities, diabetes mellitus, and a body temperature higher than 37.5°C. A total of 186 eyes without pupil dilation were investigated by infrared thermography (FLIR A320). The ocular surface temperature (OST) of three ocular points was calculated by means of an image processing technique from the infrared images. Two-sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were used for statistical analyses. Results. ANOVA analyses showed no significant differences among AMD groups (P value >0.272). OST in AMD patients was significantly lower than in controls (P>0.05). Conclusions. Considering the possible relationship between ocular blood flow and OST, these findings might support the central role of ischemia in the pathogenesis of AMD

Synthesis of the Chiral Fragrance Methyl Chamomile by Asymmetric Hydrogenation

An alternative synthesis of enantiomerically enriched 2-methylpentanoic butyl ester (Methyl Chamomile) is proposed. The process entails three different steps: the key one is the asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-methylenpentanoic acid catalysed by a Ru(II) complex and a chiral diphosphine

The Leather Industry: A Chemistry Insight Part I: an Overview of the Industrial Process

A panoramic overview of the leather world market is given. The industrial tanning process is schematically explained giving a general outline of how an animal skin is transformed into a durable material having many different characteristics according to its specific future use. All the tanning industrial steps are overviewed starting from soaking, liming and after various steps ending up with finishing. An insight of collagen chemistry is also given

An Integrated Approach to Design Fluoro Substituted “Smart” Polymers for Protection of Monumental Buildings

Introduction of fluorinated groups in the structure of either fully acrylic or acrylic - vinyl ether copolymers, is achieved through the use of commercially available or specifically synthesized fluorinated acrylic comonomers. If suitably selected, these fluoroacrylates can allow both control on the macromolecular structure and tailoring of material properties that are relevant for coating applications, such as film-forming behavior, adhesion, water repellency and intrinsic photostability. Several copolymers of fluorinated acrylates and methacrylates with not-fluorinated methacrylates and vinyl ethers have been evaluated in terms of chemical stability under accelerated photoaging conditions, and their behavior as protective coating materials has been studied after application to various stone substrates that are commonly found in ancient buildings and objects of cultural significance

The adhesion molecule L1 regulates transendothelial migration and trafficking of dendritic cells

The adhesion molecule L1, which is extensively characterized in the nervous system, is also expressed in dendritic cells (DCs), but its function there has remained elusive. To address this issue, we ablated L1 expression in DCs of conditional knockout mice. L1-deficient DCs were impaired in adhesion to and transmigration through monolayers of either lymphatic or blood vessel endothelial cells, implicating L1 in transendothelial migration of DCs. In agreement with these findings, L1 was expressed in cutaneous DCs that migrated to draining lymph nodes, and its ablation reduced DC trafficking in vivo. Within the skin, L1 was found in Langerhans cells but not in dermal DCs, and L1 deficiency impaired Langerhans cell migration. Under inflammatory conditions, L1 also became expressed in vascular endothelium and enhanced transmigration of DCs, likely through L1 homophilic interactions. Our results implicate L1 in the regulation of DC trafficking and shed light on novel mechanisms underlying transendothelial migration of DCs. These observations might offer novel therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of certain immunological disorders

A pyridyl-triazole ligand for ruthenium and iridium catalyzed C=C and C=O hydrogenations in water/organic solvent biphasic systems

The water soluble pyridyl-triazole ligand sodium 2-(1-((pyridin-2-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl) ethyl sulfate (Nal) has been successfully employed in combination with ruthenium and iridium for catalytic hydrogenation of C=C and C=O double bonds in water/toluene biphasic systems. Reaction of the ligand with [RuCl2(eta(6)-p-cymene)](2) affords the new water soluble complex [RuCl(eta(6)-p-cymene)(1)] (2) which has been found to be catalytically active in the water/organic solvent biphasic hydrogenation using styrene and 2-cyclohexen-1-one as model substrates. Very conveniently, the iridium based catalytic system is prepared by simply stirring in water [Ir(eta(4)-COD)C1]2 with Nal (Ir:Nal molar ratio-1:4), the resulting solution is catalytically active and appears more efficient than 2. With both the Ru- and Ir-based systems the catalytically active aqueous phases can be used at least three times without loss of activity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Synaptic interactome mining reveals p140Cap as a new hub for PSD proteins involved in psychiatric and neurological disorders

Altered synaptic function has been associated with neurological and psychiatric conditions including intellectual disability, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Amongst the recently discovered synaptic proteins is p140Cap, an adaptor that localizes at dendritic spines and regulates their maturation and physiology. We recently showed that p140Cap knockout mice have cognitive deficits, impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), and immature, filopodia-like dendritic spines. Only a few p140Cap interacting proteins have been identified in the brain and the molecular complexes and pathways underlying p140Cap synaptic function are largely unknown. Here, we isolated and characterized the p140Cap synaptic interactome by co-immunoprecipitation from crude mouse synaptosomes, followed by mass spectrometry-based proteomics. We identified 351 p140Cap interactors and found that they cluster to sub complexes mostly located in the postsynaptic density (PSD). p140Cap interactors converge on key synaptic processes, including transmission across chemical synapses, actin cytoskeleton remodeling and cell-cell junction organization. Gene co-expression data further support convergent functions: the p140Cap interactors are tightly co-expressed with each other and with p140Cap. Importantly, the p140Cap interactome and its co-expression network show strong enrichment in genes associated with schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder, intellectual disability and epilepsy, supporting synaptic dysfunction as a shared biological feature in brain diseases. Overall, our data provide novel insights into the molecular organization of the synapse and indicate that p140Cap acts as a hub for postsynaptic complexes relevant to psychiatric and neurological disorders

A NEW PLATINUM-BASED CATALYST SYSTEM FOR OLEFIN ASYMMETRIC HOMOGENEOUS HYDROFORMYLATION

The complex [Pt(C2H4)((+)-DIOP)] interacts with [PtCl2((+)-DIOP)] to give catalysts active in hydroformylation of styrene and 1-hexene. The activities of these systems depend upon the molar ratio of the two platinum complexes and the nature of the substrate. The systems display good chemioselectivity and induce asymmetry in the branched aldehydes formed. 2-Phenylpropanal can be isolated in ∼ 27% optical purity from hydroformylation of styrene. © 1990

ON THE MECHANISM OF THE PLATINUM(0)-ACID CATALYZED HYDROGENATION OF ALKENES

The hydrogenation of styrene promoted by the system [Pt(C2H4)(DPPB)]/acid is strongly affected by the nature of the solvent, the nature of the acid co-catalyst and the Pt/acid molar ratio. The highest catalytic activity is obtained in toluene working with methanesulfonic acid at a Pt/acid ratio = 1 The influence of the temperature and the hydrogen pressure on the catalytic activity has also been studied. The results indicate that at least two different catalytic systems operate. One of these accounts for the catalysis in the temperature range 25-35°C, while the other one is effective above 35°C. The catalytic activity of some model compounds has been also studied. 31P-NMR spectroscopy demonstrates that the complexes [Pt{CH(CH3)(C6H5)}(CH3SO3)(DPPB)] and [Pt(CH3SO3)2(DPPB)] are present in the low-temperature catalytic cycle. © 1994