Nitrogen Lewis Acids

Being a major conception of chemistry, Lewis acids have found countless applications throughout chemical enterprise. Although many chemical elements can serve as the central atom of Lewis acids, nitrogen is usually associated with Lewis bases. Here, we report on the first example of robust and modifiable Lewis acids centered on the nitrogen atom, which provide stable and well-characterized adducts with various Lewis bases. On the basis of the reactivity of nitrogen Lewis acids, we prepared, for the first time, cyclic triazanes, a class of cyclic organic compounds sequentially bearing three all-saturated nitrogen atoms (N–N–N motif). Reactivity abilities of these <i>N</i>-Lewis acids were explained by theoretical calculations. Properties and future applications of nitrogen Lewis acids are intriguing

Success of prolonged therapy with the somatostatin analog, octreotide acetate, in recalcitrant enterocutaneous fistulas

The somatostatin analog, octreotide acetate, has been reported to accelerate closure of enterocutaneous fistulas (ECF), and, if the closure does occur, it does so within 10 days of therapy. We report on the closure in 2 consecutive patients with recalcitrant, high output ECF after 4 and 6 weeks of octreotide acetate therapy. The changes in fistula output volume and content in response to the drug are described. Since long-term treatment with this drug is generally well tolerated and easy to administer, at least a 6-week course should be considered before resorting lo surgical resection. © 1989 S. Karger AG, Basel

123I‐mIBG scintigraphy in patients with known or suspected neuroblastoma: Results from a prospective multicenter trial

Background A prospective trial was conducted to confirm the diagnostic performance of 123I‐mIBG scintigraphy in patients with known or suspected neuroblastoma. Procedure One hundred patients (mean age 4.7 years) were enrolled, 86 with a previous diagnosis of neuroblastoma, 13 with suspected disease based upon symptoms, imaging findings, and elevated catecholamines, and one adult with an abdominal tumor thought to be of neuroendocrine origin. All patients underwent whole‐body planar imaging 24 hr following IV administration of 1–10 mCi (37–370 MBq) 123I‐mIBG. SPECT imaging of the thorax/abdomen/pelvis was performed in 51 patients. Images were interpreted by three blinded readers, with consensus requiring agreement of at least two readers. Disease status was confirmed by histopathology, imaging results, catecholamine measurements, and follow‐up. Results Sixty‐four patients had active disease, 30 were without disease, and 6 were judged indeterminate because of insufficient confirmatory data. 123I‐mIBG scintigraphy had a sensitivity of 88% (56/64) and specificity of 83% (25/30). Sensitivity was 91% (30/33) among the subset of subjects who had both planar and SPECT imaging. Among 53 patients with recent histopathology, sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 92%, respectively. Most false‐negative interpretations were in patients with minimal residual disease (n = 4), while false‐positive interpretations generally involved atypical adrenal or other physiological uptake (n = 4). Conclusions This prospective multicenter trial of 123I‐mIBG scintigraphy documents high sensitivity and specificity of this imaging technique in patients with both newly diagnosed and previously treated neuroblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:784–790. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc