Bis(diethyldithiocarbamato)(iodo)(4-methoxyphenyl)tellurium(IV), \u3cem\u3ep\u3c/em\u3e-MeOC\u3csub\u3e6\u3c/sub\u3eH\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3eTe(Et\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eNCS\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e)\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eI, and its Isomorphous Partially Bromine-Replaced Analogue, \u3cem\u3ep\u3c/em\u3e-MeOC\u3csub\u3e6\u3c/sub\u3eH\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3eTe(Et\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eNCS\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e)\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eBr\u3csub\u3e0.41\u3c/sub\u3eI\u3csub\u3e0.59\u3c/sub\u3e

The structure of the title TeIV complex, C13H19BrN2OS4Te.045(CH2Cl2), is pentagonal bipyramidal with four S atoms [Te-S 2.623 (1)-2.717 (1) Å] and the Br atom [Te-Br 2.890 (1) Å] in equatorial positions. The p-methoxyphenyl group is axial [Te-C 2.145 (3) Å] and the second axial position seems to be occupied by a dithiocarbamate group of a neighbouring molecule acting as a -ligand [TeC 3.751 (3) Å, C-TeC 170.2 (1)°], so that molecules are joined into centrosymmetric associations by this secondary coordination

\u3cem\u3eN\u3c/em\u3e-Methylbenzothiazole-2(3\u3cem\u3eH\u3c/em\u3e)-selone, C\u3csub\u3e8\u3c/sub\u3eH\u3csub\u3e7\u3c/sub\u3eNSSe

The crystal structure of N-methyl1,3-benzothiazole-2(3H)-selone, (mbts) has been studied to estimate the changes in the molecular geometry of the mbts ligand upon coordination. Hypervalent complexes of mbts with TeII and II have been studied by us previously. A significant elongation of the Se=C bond [from 1.817 (7) in mbts to 1.85-1.88 Å in the complexes] was found, but there were no significant changes in the other geometric parameters of the ligand. The only other bond-length decrease of note was for SeC-NMe [from 1.35 (1) in mbts to 1.32-1.34 Å in the complexes]. Thus, only the amino group takes part in electron redistribution upon coordination

\u3cem\u3ecis\u3c/em\u3e-(Diethyldithiocarbamato)diiodo(phenyl)tellurium(IV), PhTe(S\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eCNEt\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e)I\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e, and its Methoxy-Substituted Mixed Br/1 Analogue \u3cem\u3ecis\u3c/em\u3e-Bis(0.4-bromo/0.6-iodo)-(diethyldithiocarbamato)(4-methoxyphenyl) tellurium(IV), \u3cem\u3ep\u3c/em\u3e-MeOC\u3csub\u3e6\u3c/sub\u3eH\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3eTe(S\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e CNEt\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e)(Br\u3csub\u3e0.4\u3c/sub\u3eI\u3csub\u3e0.6\u3c/sub\u3e)\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e

The TeIV complexes PhTe(S2CNEt2)I2, (1), and p-MeOC6H4Te(S2CNEt2)Br0.4/I0.6) 2, (2), have been synthesized by reacting PhTeI3 with NaS2CNEt2, and p-MeOC6H4Te(S2CNEt2)2I with Br2, respectively. In (2), both I atoms are partially replaced by Br atoms in a 3:2 ratio. The structures display distorted octahedral Te coordination with two symmetrically coordinated S atoms [Te—S 2.550 (2)—2.569 (2) Å in three independent molecules of (1) and 2.523 (1) Å in (2)] and with two cis-disposed halogen atoms [Te—I 2.941 (1)—2.986 (1) Å in (1) and 3.003 (4) and 3.049 (3) Å in (2); Te—Br 2.962(8) and 2.967 (8) Å in (2)] in equatorial positions. The aryl group is axial in both complexes [Te—C 2.137(6)—2.146(6) and 2.123(5) Å in (1) and (2) respectively] and the second axial position is occupied by a halogen atom of a neighbouring molecule [Te⋅⋅⋅I 3.898(1)—4233(1) Å in (1); Te⋅ ⋅ ⋅I3872(3) Å and Te⋅ ⋅ ⋅Br 3.676(6) Å in (2); trans angles C---Te⋅ ⋅ ⋅ (Br) 153.4(2)—177.7(2)°] so that the molecules are joined into (quasi)centrosymmetric pairs by these secondary interactions

Bromobis(Diethyldithiocarbamato)(4-Methoxyphenyl)Tellurium(IV)

The crystals of the TeIV complex p-CH3OC6H4Te(Et2NCS2)2Br are isomorphous with those of the the iodine and mixed iodine/bromine analogues previously investigated. The structure is pentagonal bipyramidal at the Te atom with four S atoms [Te-S 2.618-2.721 (1) Å] and the Br atom [Te-Br 2.943 (1) Å] in equatorial positions. The p-methoxyphenyl group is axial [Te-C 2.147 (3) Å]. The second axial position is approached by a Br atom of a centrosymmetrically related complex [TeBr 3.423 (1) Å, C-TeBr 173.1 (1)°] so that the molecules are joined into centrosymmetric pairs by this weak secondary coordination

Maternal pregnancy folate status and association to language impairment in children of women with epilepsy after prenatal antiseizure medication exposure

Background: 2-8 out of 1000 pregnancies occur in women with epilepsy. Most women use antiseizure medication (ASM) during pregnancy to avoid potentially harmful epileptic seizures. Fetal exposure to ASM is associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations and adverse neurodevelopment. It is important to identify factors that modulate the risk of ASM-associated fetal harm. Folate is a B vitamin important for normal brain development and associated with favorable neurodevelopmental outcome in the children. Many ASM interact with folate metabolism causing reduced folate concentrations, in addition to the folate-lowering effect of the pregnancy itself. Aims: The aims of this research project were to examine the risk of language impairment in children of women with epilepsy aged 5 and 8 years and associated risk factors, and to examine the association between maternal folate status during pregnancy, plasma ASM concentrations, and ASM-associated language impairment in children of women aged 1.5-8 years. The overall aim was to find ways to improve the outcome in children of women with epilepsy after prenatal ASM exposure. Material and methods: The data source was The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). MoBa is a prospective, population-based pregnancy cohort study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN). Pregnant women from all over Norway were invited to participate during the years 1999-2008. 41% of the invited pregnancies consented to participate. Data on medical background, social background, epilepsy diagnosis, ASM use, vitamin supplement use, and language impairment in the children were collected from parental-reported questionnaires during the pregnancy and after birth when the child was at age 1.5, 3, 5 and 8 years. We measured plasma ASM concentrations and vitamin and metabolite concentrations in maternal samples from gestation week 17-19 and ASM concentrations in umbilical cord samples collected immediately after birth. Language impairment was examined based on the following parental-reported screening instruments: The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ); a one-item question regarding expressive language delay; the Speech and Language Assessment Scale (SLAS); and the Norwegian instrument The Twenty Statements about Language-Related Difficulties (Language 20). Results: The maternal epilepsy cohort in MoBa consisted of 346 ASM-exposed children of 297 women and 388 ASM-unexposed children of 323 women with epilepsy. The control group consisted of 113,674 children of 94,338 women without epilepsy. For ASM-exposed children, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for language impairment at age 5 years was 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.5 compared to children of women without epilepsy. At age 8 years, the corresponding aOR for language impairment was 2.0, CI 1.4-3.0. Maternal use of periconceptional folic acid was associated with decreased risk of ASM-associated language impairment at ages 1.5, 3, 5, and 8 years. High maternal valproate concentrations correlated with poor language score at ages 1.5 (ASQ: Spearman’s rho (r) = -0.50, n = 17, p-value (p) = 0.04) and 5 years (ASQ: r = -0.77, n = 9, p = 0.02; Language 20: r = 0.82, n = 9, p = 0.01). High maternal ASM concentrations correlated with high concentrations of unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA; n = 199, r = 0.22, p = 0.002), and with low concentrations of riboflavin (n = 188, r = -0.32, p <0.001) and metabolically active pyridoxine (PLP; n = 188, r = -0.19, p = 0.01). There was no association between ASM and plasma niacin status. Conclusions and implications: Fetal ASM exposure in utero may have long term consequences for language outcome in children of women with epilepsy. Use of folic acid in the periconceptional period was associated with better language outcome in ASM-exposed children. Maternal ASM concentrations in the second trimester interacted with folate metabolism and non-folate B vitamins associated with folate function, and with language score. Folate may play a role in ASM-associated risk of language impairment. Periconceptional folic acid supplementation seems to improve the outcome in ASM-exposed children of women with epilepsy.Doktorgradsavhandlin

The TLR4 adaptor TRAM controls the phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria by interacting with the Rab11-family interacting protein 2

Phagocytosis is a complex process that eliminates microbes and is performed by specialised cells such as macrophages. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is expressed on the surface of macrophages and recognizes Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, TLR4 has been suggested to play a role in the phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here we have used primary human macrophages and engineered THP-1 monocytes to show that the TLR4 sorting adapter, TRAM, is instrumental for phagocytosis of Escherichia coli as well as Staphylococcus aureus. We find that TRAM forms a complex with Rab11 family interacting protein 2 (FIP2) that is recruited to the phagocytic cups of E. coli. This promotes activation of the actin-regulatory GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42. Our results show that FIP2 guided TRAM recruitment orchestrates actin remodelling and IRF3 activation, two events that are both required for phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria

In silico and in situ characterization of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) gnrh3 (sGnRH) gene

BACKGROUND: Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is responsible for stimulation of gonadotropic hormone (GtH) in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG). The regulatory mechanisms responsible for brain specificity make the promoter attractive for in silico analysis and reporter gene studies in zebrafish (Danio rerio). RESULTS: We have characterized a zebrafish [Trp(7), Leu(8)] or salmon (s) GnRH variant, gnrh3. The gene includes a 1.6 Kb upstream regulatory region and displays the conserved structure of 4 exons and 3 introns, as seen in other species. An in silico defined enhancer at -976 in the zebrafish promoter, containing adjacent binding sites for Oct-1, CREB and Sp1, was predicted in 2 mammalian and 5 teleost GnRH promoters. Reporter gene studies confirmed the importance of this enhancer for cell specific expression in zebrafish. Interestingly the promoter of human GnRH-I, known as mammalian GnRH (mGnRH), was shown capable of driving cell specific reporter gene expression in transgenic zebrafish. CONCLUSIONS: The characterized zebrafish Gnrh3 decapeptide exhibits complete homology to the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) GnRH-III variant. In silico analysis of mammalian and teleost GnRH promoters revealed a conserved enhancer possessing binding sites for Oct-1, CREB and Sp1. Transgenic and transient reporter gene expression in zebrafish larvae, confirmed the importance of the in silico defined zebrafish enhancer at -976. The capability of the human GnRH-I promoter of directing cell specific reporter gene expression in zebrafish supports orthology between GnRH-I and GnRH-III

The assignment of the Ca2+-ATPase activity of chromaffin granules to the proton translocating ATPase

AbstractCaATP is shown to function as a substrate for the proton translocating ATPase of chromaffin granule ghosts at concentrations which are comparable to that of MgATP. Using the initial rate of the proton pump activity as the measure (ΔpH/Δt), an apparent Km-value of 139 ± 8 μM was estimated for CaATP and 59 ± 3 μM for MgATP. The maximal rate was markedly higher with MgATP than with CaATP, partly due to an inhibition of the hydrolytic activity at the higher concentrations of CaATP. The proton pump activity with CaATP was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide at concentrations similar to that found for MgATP. No inhibition was observed with sodium vanadate in the concentration range 0–15 μM. Calmodulin and trifluoperazine had no effect on the overall ATPase activity with CaATP. These findings establish this acitivity as an intrinsic property of the chromaffin granules, i.e., linked to the H+-ATPase. No evidence was obtained for the presence of a Ca2+-translocating ATPase ((Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase) in the chromaffin granules.Ca2+-ATPaseH+-ATPaseProton pumpChromaffin granuleAdrenal medull

Intelligens’ påvirkning på skoleresultater

Formålet med denne studien var å undersøke hvorvidt intelligens er korrelert med terminkarakterer i den videregående skole. Intelligens er en viktig egenskap hos mennesker, og omfatter blant annet oppfattelse, tenkning og problemløsning. Selv om intelligens er viktig for menneskets evne til læring, er miljø og motivasjon viktige faktorer for hvorvidt den medfødte intelligensen utnyttes. I skolen har elevene rett til tilpasset opplæring, som gjør det relevant å undersøke om intelligens har en korrelasjon med terminkarakterer og således bør være en faktor man hensyntar i undervisningen. Studien samlet inn terminkarakterer og intelligenskvotienter fra 65 elever, der t-tester viser en tydelig korrelasjon mellom nivået på karakterene og intelligenskvotientene. Det er en svakhet at forsøksutvalget i mange henseende var homogent, blant annet med høy kvinneandel og samtlige fra samme skole, med høyt karakternivå. Intelligenskvotient er i tillegg kun et mål på den matematisk-logiske intelligensen og måler derfor ikke hele spekteret av intelligens