HgO/I2 as an Efficient Reagent for the Oxidative Aromatization of Hantzsch 1-NH, 4-Dihydropyridines under Mild and Heterogeneous Conditions

A variety of Hantzsch 1-NH, 4-dihydropyridines were efficiently aromatized to the corresponding pyridine derivatives by treatment with HgO/I2 reagent in dichloromethane under mild and  heterogeneous conditions in good to excellent yields at room temperature. The products were separated by simple filtration and evaporation of the solvent.KEYWORDS: HgO/I2, Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine, aromatization, heterogeneous

Comparison of Three Methods for Diagnosis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the infectious parasitic diseases of highest incidence in the world. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) has long been reported in Shiraz, Southern Iran. There is a need to find a sensitive and specific method for treatment and control of the disease.Methods: We have compared the sensitivity of the conventional methods microscopy and cultiva­tion of lesion scrapes against PCR amplification of parasite kinetoplast DNA from these sam­ples. The samples (n=219) were obtained from the patients clinically suspected of CL. The smears were stained with Giemsa for microscopy and cultured in Novy-Nicolle-McNeal (NNN) blood agar for promastigote growth. For PCR, the dry smears were scraped off the slides and DNA was extracted.Results: The positive rates from 219 specimens were 76.71%, 50.68%, and 93.61% for micros­copy, cultivation, and PCR, respectively. The highest correlation was found between PCR and micros­copy method (P= 0.014). In PCR assay, 95.61%, 3.9%, and 0.49% of the samples were identi­fied as Leishmania major, L. tropica, and dermatropic L. infantum, respectively.Conclusion: The PCR method appears to be the most sensitive for the diagnosis of CL and is valu­able for identifying the other species of Leishmania with confusing dermatropic signs

Takayasu's arteritis associated with Crohn's disease: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The simultaneous presence of Takayasu's arteritis and Crohn's disease in a patient seems to be rare. To our knowledge, no patient with the combination of Crohn's disease and Takayasu's arteritis has been reported from our region.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Herein we present the case of a 22-year-old Iranian woman previously diagnosed as Crohn's disease and who had subsequently developed Takayasu's arteritis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Clinical suspicion, proper imaging, and consideration of the differential diagnosis are important for the correct diagnosis and management of patients with this coincidence.</p

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with pectus excavatum compared with normal controls

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>To assess cardiothoracic structure and function in patients with pectus excavatum compared with control subjects using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Thirty patients with pectus excavatum deformity (23 men, 7 women, age range: 14-67 years) underwent CMR using 1.5-Tesla scanner (Siemens) and were compared to 25 healthy controls (18 men, 7 women, age range 18-50 years). The CMR protocol included cardiac cine images, pulmonary artery flow quantification, time resolved 3D contrast enhanced MR angiography (CEMRA) and high spatial resolution CEMRA. Chest wall indices including maximum transverse diameter, pectus index (PI), and chest-flatness were measured in all subjects. Left and right ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF, RVEF), ventricular long and short dimensions (LD, SD), mid-ventricle myocardial shortening, pulmonary-systemic circulation time, and pulmonary artery flow were quantified.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In patients with pectus excavatum, the pectus index was 9.3 ± 5.0 versus 2.8 ± 0.4 in controls (P < 0.001). No significant differences between pectus excavatum patients and controls were found in LV ejection fraction, LV myocardial shortening, pulmonary-systemic circulation time or pulmonary flow indices. In pectus excavatum, resting RV ejection fraction was reduced (53.9 ± 9.6 versus 60.5 ± 9.5; P = 0.013), RVSD was reduced (P < 0.05) both at end diastole and systole, RVLD was increased at end diastole (P < 0.05) reflecting geometric distortion of the RV due to sternal compression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Depression of the sternum in pectus excavatum patients distorts RV geometry. Resting RVEF was reduced by 6% of the control value, suggesting that these geometrical changes may influence myocardial performance. Resting LV function, pulmonary circulation times and pulmonary vascular anatomy and perfusion indices were no different to controls.</p

The Met oncogene and basal-like breast cancer: another culprit to watch out for?

Recent findings suggest the involvement of the MET oncogene, encoding the tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor, in the onset and progression of basal-like breast carcinoma. The expression profiles of basal-like tumors - but not those of other breast cancer subtypes - are enriched for gene sets that are coordinately over-represented in transcriptional signatures regulated by Met. Consistently, tissue microarray analyses have revealed that Met immunoreactivity is much higher in basal-like cases of human breast cancer than in other tumor types. Finally, mouse models expressing mutationally activated forms of Met develop a high incidence of mammary tumors, some of which exhibit basal characteristics. The present review summarizes current knowledge on the role and activity of Met in basal-like breast cancer, with a special emphasis on the correlation between this tumor subtype and the cellular hierarchy of the normal mammary gland

International Consensus Statement on Rhinology and Allergy: Rhinosinusitis

Background: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR‐RS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICAR‐RS‐2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidence‐based findings of the document. Methods: ICAR‐RS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidence‐based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidence‐based reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary. Results: ICAR‐RS‐2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidence‐based management algorithm is provided. Conclusion: This ICAR‐RS‐2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidence‐based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS

Protein contact map prediction based on an ensemble learning method

Contact map is the simplified, 2D representation of protein spatial structure. Contact map prediction is an intermediate step to predict protein 3D structure. Ensemble learning-based model is a collection of learners that is more accurate than a single learner. In this paper we propose an ensemble learning method for contact map prediction. Results show that a considerable performance improvement is attainable using this approach instead of using a single model

Protein contact map prediction using committee machine approach

A protein contact map is a simplified representation of the protein's spatial structure. In recent years, contact map prediction has received a great deal of attention in Bioinformatics. Committee Machine is a machine learning method which shares the learning task among a number of learners and divides the input space into subspaces. Learners' responses to an input are combined to produce the system’s final response which is more accurate than any single individual’s response. In this paper a novel method called CMP_Model, for contact map prediction based on Committee Machine, is proposed. In this method, the learner group is a set of neural networks. To analyze the results of the proposed model, two other models are implemented and their results are compared and presented. The results show considerable gain (an accuracy improvement from 0.05 to 0.15) which is achievable by the Committee Machine approach in the contact map prediction problem