Oxychloridoselenites( iv ) with cubane-derived anions and stepwise chlorine-to-oxygen exchange

The novel oxychloridoselenites(IV) [BMIm][Se$_3$Cl$_{13}$] (1), [BMIm][Se$_4$Cl$_{15}$O] (2), [BMIm]$_2$[Se$_4$Cl$_{14}$O$_2$] (3), [BMPyr]$_2$[Se$_4$Cl$_{14}$O$_2$] (4), [BMPyr]$_2$[Se$_6$Cl$_{18}$O$_4$] (5), [BMIm]$_2$[SeCl$_4$O] (6), [BMPyr]$_2$[Se$_2$Cl$_6$O$_2$] (7), and [BMPyr]$_2$[Se$_6$Cl$_{14}$O$_6$] (8) are prepared by ionic-liquid-based synthesis. Accordingly, SeCl$_4$, SeO$_2$ (1–6), and/or SeOCl$_2$ (7,8) as the starting materials are reacted in [BMIm]Cl or [BMPyr]Cl as ionic liquid (BMIm: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, BMPyr: 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium; partially with AlCl$_3$ in addition). Generally, the composition and structure of title compounds can be derived from the tetrameric, heterocubane-type (SeCl$_4$)$_4$ as the initial building unit. Thus, chlorine is successively exchanged by oxygen from 1 to 8. Moreover, the four edge-sharing (SeCl$_6$) octahedra in (SeCl$_4$)$_4$ are increasingly dismantled, ending with a [SeCl$_4$O]$^{2−}$ anion as a single pseudo-octahedron in 6. Based on the weakly coordinating ionic liquid, it is possible to selectively obtain the different species via synthesis near room temperature (20–80 °C). The oxychloridoselenite anions [Se$_4$Cl$_{15}$O]$^−$, [Se$_4$Cl$_{14}$O$_2$]$^{2−}$, [Se$_6$Cl$_{18}$O$_4$]$^{2−}$, and [Se$_6$Cl$_{14}$O$_6$]$^{2−}$ are obtained for the first time. The title compounds are characterized by X-ray structure analysis based on single crystals and powders as well as by infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis

Hipertiroidismo felino : caso clínico

Tras efectuar una revisión bibliográfica centrada en el diagnóstico clínico y laboratorial del hipertiroidismo felino, así como en el tratamiento mediante antitiroideos orales, el presente artículo describe un caso de esta patología felina geriátrica todavía poco frecuente en España. Posteriormente se discuten aspectos importantes del diagnóstico y tratamiento.After a bibliographic update focused on clinical and laboratorial diagnosis of feline hiperthyroidism, as well on its oral treatment, this article describes one case of this geriatric unfrequent disease in Spain. Then, important diagnostic and treatment issues are discussed

Phylogeny, Resistome, and Virulome of Escherichia coli Causing Biliary Tract Infections

Escherichia coli is the most frequent Gram-negative bacilli involved in intra-abdominal infections. However, despite high mortality rates associated with biliary tract infections due to E. coli, there is no study focusing on this pathogen. In this study, we have characterized a group of 15 E. coli isolates obtained from 12 patients with biliary tract infections. Demographic and clinical data of the patients were recovered. Phylogeny, resistome, and virulome analysis through whole genome sequencing and biofilm formation were investigated. Among the 15 E. coli isolates, no predominant sequence type (ST) was identified, although 3 of them belonged to unknown STs (20%). Resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cotrimoxazole, and quinolones was more present in these isolates; whereas, third and fourth generation cephalosporins, carbapenems, amikacin, tigecycline, and colistin were highly active. Moreover, high diversity of virulence factors has been found, with sfa, fimH, and gad the most frequently detected genes. Interestingly, 26.6% of the E. coli isolates were high biofilm-producers. Altogether, our data characterized for the first time E. coli isolates associated with biliary tract infections in terms of genomic relationship, resistome, and virulome.España, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (CP15/00132)España, Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2013-2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (RD16/0016/0009

Cardiac multi-scale investigation of the right and left ventricle ex vivo: a review

The heart is a complex multi-scale system composed of components integrated at the subcellular, cellular, tissue and organ levels. The myocytes, the contractile elements of the heart, form a complex three-dimensional (3D) network which enables propagation of the electrical signal that triggers the contraction to efficiently pump blood towards the whole body. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a major cause of mortality in developed countries, often lead to cardiovascular remodeling affecting cardiac structure and function at all scales, from myocytes and their surrounding collagen matrix to the 3D organization of the whole heart. As yet, there is no consensus as to how the myocytes are arranged and packed within their connective tissue matrix, nor how best to image them at multiple scales. Cardiovascular imaging is routinely used to investigate cardiac structure and function as well as for the evaluation of cardiac remodeling in CVDs. For a complete understanding of the relationship between structural remodeling and cardiac dysfunction in CVDs, multi-scale imaging approaches are necessary to achieve a detailed description of ventricular architecture along with cardiac function. In this context, ventricular architecture has been extensively studied using a wide variety of imaging techniques: ultrasound (US), optical coherence tomography (OCT), microscopy (confocal, episcopic, light sheet, polarized light), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and, more recently, synchrotron X-ray phase contrast imaging (SR X-PCI). Each of these techniques have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, relating to sample size, preparation, resolution, 2D/3D capabilities, use of contrast agents and possibility of performing together with in vivo studies. Therefore, the combination of different imaging techniques to investigate the same sample, thus taking advantage of the strengths of each method, could help us to extract the maximum information about ventricular architecture and function. In this review, we provide an overview of available and emerging cardiovascular imaging techniques for assessing myocardial architecture ex vivo and discuss their utility in being able to quantify cardiac remodeling, in CVDs, from myocyte to whole organ

Second-harmonic-generation of [(Se,Te)Cl3_{3}]+^{+} [GaCl4_{4}]–^{–} with aligned ionic tetrahedra

[SeCl$_{3}$][GaCl$_{4}$] (1) and [TeCl$_{3}$][GaCl$_{4}$] (2) are prepared via Lewis-acid–base reaction of SeCl$_{4}$ or TeCl$_{4}$ with GaCl$_{3}$ at 50 °C (1) and 140 °C (2) in quantitative yield. The ionic compounds contain pseudo-tetrahedral [SeCl$_{3}$]$^{+}$/[TeCl$_{3}$]$^{+}$ cations with a prominent stereochemically active electron lone pair at Se(IV)/Te(IV) as well as tetrahedral [GaCl$_{4}$]$^{–}$ anions. Both compounds crystallize in the polar chiral space group P1 with an unidirectional alignment of all tetrahedral building units. They can be considered as the first examples of a much larger group of ionic compounds [MX$_{3}$]$^{+}$[M′X$_{4}$]$^{–}$ (M, M′: metal or main-group element, X: halogen) showing nonlinear optical effects. Material characterization is performed by X-ray structure analysis based on single crystals and powder samples, thermogravimetry, optical spectroscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Second harmonic generation (SHG) is observed with intensities about 3-times stronger than for potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) in the visible spectral regime with narrow-band-gap materials (2.8, 3.2 eV). Density functional theory calculations are employed to complement the experimental findings, interpret the Raman spectra, visualize the stereochemically active lone electron pair, and compute the SHG tensor