The diastereoselective Meth-Cohn epoxidation of camphor-derived vinyl sulfones

Some camphor-derived vinyl sulfones bearing oxygen functionality at the allylic position have been synthesized and their nucleophilic epoxidation reactions under Meth-Cohn conditions have been explored. The γ-oxygenated camphor-derived vinyl sulfones underwent mildly diastereoselective nucleophilic epoxidation reactions, affording the derived sulfonyloxiranes in up to 5.8:1 dr. The observed diastereoselectivities were sensitive to the reaction conditions employed. In contrast, no stereoselectivity was observed in the nucleophilic epoxidation of the corresponding γ-oxygenated isobornyl vinyl sulfone. A tentative mechanism has been proposed to explain the origins of the diastereoselectivit

Proof of infectivity of hepatitis E virus particles from the ejaculate of chronically infected patients

Recently, hepatitis E virus (HEV, Paslahepevirus balayani) particles were detected for the first time in the ejaculate of two chronically infected patients. Since then, we have been able to detect HEV in ejaculate in five further patients, and thus in a total of seven out of nine (78%) chronically infected men (age 36–67 years, median 56 years). In five patients, the HEV RNA concentration was more than 100-fold higher compared to the serum, while in two patients, the viral load was more than 10-fold lower. However, it has remained unclear whether viral particles shed in the ejaculate were infectious, as a previous cell culture model had failed to demonstrate the infectivity. In the current study, we employed an optimized HEV cell culture system based on overconfluent PLC/PRF/5 cells to investigate the infectivity of HEV particles from ejaculate and other body fluids. With this approach, we were able to show for the first time that HEV particles in the ejaculate from several patients were infectious. HEV replicated to high viral loads of 1e9 HEV RNA copies per ml. This indicates that HEV-positive ejaculate could bear a risk of infection for sexual partners

BCMA x CD3 T-cell engager in a patient with penta-refractory multiple myeloma and HIV: a clinical and immunological report

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Clinical features of hepatitis E infections in patients with hematologic disorders

Hepatitis E virus is increasingly being reported to cause chronic infection in immunocompromised patients. However, less is known about patients with an underlying hematologic disease. In particular, the impact of hepatitis E infection on oncological therapy has been poorly described. In this retrospective single-center study, we analyzed 35 hematologic patients with hepatitis E, including 20 patients under active oncological treatment and 15 patients who were in the posttreatment follow-up or under active surveillance. The primary aim was to describe the clinical courses with particular focus on any hepatitis E-related therapy modifications of cancer-directed therapy. In the majority (60%) of patients who were under active oncological treatment, hepatitis E-related therapy modifications were made, and 25% of deaths were due to progression of the hematologic disease. In patients receiving concomitant oncological treatment, no hepatitis Erelated deaths occurred. In contrast, two patients in the follow-up group died from hepatitis E-associated acute-onchronic liver failure. Chronic hepatitis E was observed in 34% of all cases and 43% received ribavirin therapy; of those, 27% achieved a sustained virological response. CD20-directed therapy was the only independent risk factor for developing chronic hepatitis E. We conclude that CD20-directed treatment at any time point is a risk factor for developing chronic hepatitis E. Nevertheless, since mortality from the progression of hematologic disease was higher than hepatitis E-related mortality, we suggest careful case-by-case decisions on modifications of cancer treatment. Patients in the posttreatment follow-up phase may also suffer from severe courses and hepatitis E chronicity occurs as frequently as in patients undergoing active therapy

Controlled Mechanical Cracking of Metal Films Deposited on Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

Stretchable large area electronics conform to arbitrarily-shaped 3D surfaces and enables comfortable contact to the human skin and other biological tissue. There are approaches allowing for large area thin films to be stretched by tens of percent without cracking. The approach presented here does not prevent cracking, rather it aims to precisely control the crack positions and their orientation. For this purpose, the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is hardened by exposure to ultraviolet radiation (172 nm) through an exposure mask. Only well-defined patterns are kept untreated. With these soft islands cracks at the hardened surface can be controlled in terms of starting position, direction and end position. This approach is first investigated at the hardened PDMS surface itself. It is then applied to conductive silver films deposited from the liquid phase. It is found that statistical (uncontrolled) cracking of the silver films can be avoided at strain below 35%. This enables metal interconnects to be integrated into stretchable networks. The combination of controlled cracks with wrinkling enables interconnects that are stretchable in arbitrary and changing directions. The deposition and patterning does not involve vacuum processing, photolithography, or solvents