Redox properties of alkyl-substituted 4-aryl-2,4-dioxobutanoic acids

© 2017 J. Serb. Chem. Soc. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Redox properties of a set of aryldiketo acids (ADKs), small organic molecules that comprise 2,4-dioxobutanoic acid moiety, were studied. Along with well-known HIV-1 integrase (IN) inhibition, ADKs exert widespread biological activities. The aim of this work was to evaluate effects of aryl substitutions on properties of dioxobutanoic moiety that is involved in key interactions with metal ions within active sites of target enzymes. The effect of pH on electronic properties of nine congeners was examined using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse polarography. Compounds were chosen as a simple set of congeners, bearing Me-groups on phenyl ring which should not be involved in electrochemical reactions, leaving diketo moiety as sole electrophore. Substitution pattern was systematically varied, yielding a set having different torsion between phenyl ring and aryl keto group (Ar-C(O)). Protonation state of ADKs at different pH values was determined from experimentally obtained pKas. The results showed that the equal number of protons and electrons is involved in the oxidation and reduction reactions at the surface of electrode. Quantitative linear correlations between reduction potentials and energies of frontier orbitals, calculated for neutral, monoanionic and corresponding radical anionic species, and steric parameter were found.Peer reviewe

Is There Any Point in a Corticosteroid Treatment of Intermittent Asthma?

International guidelines advocate the early introduction of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in all types of persistent asthma. Our study was undertaken to assess the effects of ICS on bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) as a hallmark of inflammation, and to assess the symptoms, the use of rescue medications, and the parameters of lung function in patients with mild intermittent asthma. The patients with intermittent asthma (n = 85) were randomly allocated to a treatment with ICS, beclomethasone dipropionate 250 μg/day and short-acting β2 agonists salbutamol as needed (Group A, n = 45) or to a treatment with only short-acting β2 agonists as needed (Group B, n = 40) during the 6-month treatment period. At the end of the study, in Group A, we found a statistically significant decrease of BHR (PD20 0.98 vs. 2.07) (p < 0.001), diurnal peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability (17.9 vs. 13.8) (p < 0.001), symptom scores (0.63 vs. 0.30) (p < 0.001), and used rescue medication (p < 0.001), while the parameters of lung function remained unchanged except for forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), which had a statistically significant increase (3.58 vs. 3.66) (p < 0.001). In Group B, there was a statistically significant decrease of lung function parameters FEV1 (3.80 vs. 3.71) (p < 0.001), forced vital capacity (FVC) (4.43 vs. 4.37) (p < 0.001), FEV1/FVC (88.2 vs. 85.3) (p < 0.05), PEF (8.05 vs. 7.51) (p < 0.01), PEF variability (17.85 vs. 18.33) (p < 0.001), increased BHR (PD20 1.04 vs. 0.62) (p < 0.05), and symptom scores (0.46 vs. 0.62) (p < 0.01), as well as the use of rescue medication during the day (p < 0.001). Early introduction of low doses of ICS may be more beneficial than β2 agonists alone in patients with intermittent asthma

Functional Movement Screen Task Scores and Joint Range-of-motion: A Construct Validity Study

Little is known about the construct validity of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). We aimed to assess associations between FMS task scores and measures of maximum joint range-of-motion (ROM) among university varsity student-athletes from 4 sports (volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer). Athletes performed FMS tasks and had their maximum ankle, hip and shoulder ROM measured. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate associations between FMS task scores and ROM measurements. 101 university student-athletes were recruited (52 W/49 M; mean age 20.4±1.9 years). In general, athletes with higher FMS task scores had greater ROM compared to those with lower task scores. For example, athletes who scored 2 on the FMS squat task had 4° (95% CI, 1° to 7°) more uni-articular ankle dorsiflexion ROM compared with those who scored 1, while those who scored 3 on the FMS squat task had 10° (4° to 17°) more uni-articular ankle dorsiflexion ROM compared with those who scored 1. Large variation in ROM measurements was observed. In sum, substantial overlap in joint ROM between groups of athletes with different FMS task scores weakens the construct validity of the FMS as an indicator of specific joint ROM

POTENCIJAL BIOAKUMULACIJE I TRANSLOKACIJE METALA KOD VRSTE ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM SA RAZLICITIH LOKALITETA

Achillea millefolium L. has a great value as medicinal plant. The aim of the research is to determine the uptake potential for heavy metals and the intraspecial difference between unique species of A. millefolium from different localities based on the heavy metals uptake, their distribution in plant organs and enrichment factors. The results showed that plants growing on soil rich in heavy metals (tailings) absorb significantly higher amounts of metals compared to plants from the Ovčar-Kablar gorge (non-contaminated soil).Publishe