Peripheral Arylation of Subporphyrazines

Peripherally hexaarylated subporphyrazines (SubPzs) have been prepared through a Pd‐catalyzed, CuTC‐mediated coupling of a hexaethylsulfanylated subporphyrazine with arylboronic acids. The introduced aryl substituents strongly influence the electronic properties of the subporphyrazine through effective conjugative interaction. Aryl rings endowed with π‐electron‐donating groups at the para positions produce a remarkable perturbation of the electron density of the SubPz macrocycle. This is reflected through significant redshifts of the SubPz CT and Q‐bands, together with increase of the molar absorptivity of the former, with respect to those exhibited by the hexaphenyl‐SubPz 2 a . Moreover, the trend in the first SubPz reduction potentials correlates with the Hammett constants (σ_p) corresponding to the para substituents of the aryl. The domed, extended SubPz π‐system self‐assembles in the solid state to form a dimeric capsule that houses a solvent molecule.     

High Final Energy of Low‐Level Gallium Arsenide Laser Therapy Enhances Skeletal Muscle Recovery without a Positive Effect on Collagen Remodeling

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) laser, using a high final energy of 4.8 J, during muscle regeneration after cryoinjury. Thirty Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Control (C, n = 10); Injured (I, n = 10) and Injured and laser treated (Injured/LLLT, n = 10). The cryoinjury was induced in the central region of the tibialis anterior muscle (TA). The applications of the laser (904 nm, 50 mW average power) were initiated 24 h after injury, at energy density of 69 J cm^?1 for 48 s, for 5 days, to two points of the lesion. Twenty‐four hours after the final application, the TA muscle was removed and frozen in liquid nitrogen to assess the general muscle morphology and the gene expression of TNF‐α, TGF‐β, MyoD, and Myogenin. The Injured/LLLT group presented a higher number of regenerating fibers and fewer degenerating fibers (P < 0.05) without changes in the collagen remodeling. In addition, the Injured/LLLT group presented a significant decrease in the expression of TNF‐α and myogenin compared to the injured group (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the GaAs laser, using a high final energy after cryoinjury, promotes muscle recovery without changing the collagen remodeling in the muscle extracellular matrix.     

Highly Enantioselective Iridium‐Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Cyclic Enamides

The MaxPHOX–Ir catalyst system provided the highest selectivity ever reported for the reduction of cyclic enamides derived from α‐ and β‐tetralones. This result indicates that iridium catalysts are also proficient in reducing alkenes bearing metal‐coordinating groups. In the present system, selectivity was pressure‐dependent: In most cases, a decrease in the H₂ pressure to 3 bar resulted in an increase in enantioselectivity. Moreover, the process can be carried out in environmentally friendly solvents, such as methanol and ethyl acetate, with no loss of selectivity.     

氧化镁上乙酸乙酯和乙酸丁酯氧化反应（英文）

采用新型无溶剂反应和回流的方法制得锰钾矿型氧化镁(K-OMS-2),同时采用常规方法制得氧化镁,并测试不同催化剂对工业排放气中有机挥发性物质(VOCs)中的模型化合物––乙酸乙酯和乙酸丁酯的催化氧性能.采用N2吸附-脱附、X射线衍射、扫描电镜、程序升温还原和X射线光电子能谱等技术对催化剂进行了表征.所有氧化镁样品均表现出很高的催化乙酸乙酯和乙酸丁酯氧化生成CO2的活性,且制备方法对催化剂性能起着重要作用.新型无溶剂法制得的K-OMS-2纳米棒样品比常规的回流法制得样品表现出更好的催化性能,含锰钾矿型氧化镁的样品比常规方法制得样品表现出更高的活性.性能最好的催化剂也表现出较高的稳定性,在213和202 oC条件下,可分别使90%的乙酸乙酯和乙酸丁酯转化为CO2.催化剂性能的显著差异清楚地表明,对于所选VOCs氧化反应,采用新型无溶剂法制得的K-OMS-2纳米棒样品比常规法制备的氧化镁混合物更好,这可能与样品结构中含有更高的Mn平均氧化态有关.本文表明了催化剂性能与其表面化学性质间存在显著的关联,显示了K-OMS-2内在性质决定了其高的催化性能.     

Modeling the growth processes of polyelectrolyte multilayers using a quartz crystal resonator

The layer-by-layer buildup of chitosan/hyaluronan (CH/HA) and poly(l-lysine)/hyaluronan (PLL/HA) multilayers was followed on a quartz crystal resonator (QCR) in different ionic strengths and at different temperatures. These polyelectrolytes were chosen to demonstrate the method whereby useful information is retrieved from acoustically thick polymer layers during their buildup. Surface acoustic impedance recorded in these measurements gives a single or double spiral when plotted in the complex plane. The shape of this spiral depends on the viscoelasticity of the layer material and regularity of the growth process. The polymer layer is assumed to consist of one or two zones. A mathematical model was devised to represent the separation of the layer to two zones with different viscoelastic properties. Viscoelastic quantities of the layer material and the mode and parameters of the growth process were acquired by fitting a spiral to the experimental data. In all the cases the growth process was mainly exponential as a function of deposition cycles, the growth exponent being between 0.250 and 0.275.     

Different cell death pathways induced by drugs in Trypanosoma cruzi: an ultrastructural study

Electron microscopy has proven to be a reliable and essential tool to determine morphological alterations and target organelles in the investigation of new drugs for Chagas disease. In this review, we focused on evaluating different agents that induce death of Trypanosoma cruzi, i.e. lysophospholipids analogues, naphthoquinones and derivatives, cytoskeletal inhibitors and natural products. Apoptosis-like presents as morphological characteristics DNA fragmentation, membrane blebbing and apoptotic body formation. Autophagy involves autophagosome formation, with the appearance of membranes surrounding organelles and cytosolic structures. Necrosis causes the loss of osmotic balance, an increase of cytoplasmic vacuolization and plasma membrane disruption. Mitochondrion appears as a central checkpoint in both apoptosis and necrosis. Our evidences of ultrastructural changes to T. cruzi treated with the different classes of compounds point to dramatic mitochondrial alterations and similar autophagic phenotypes. Lysophospholipid analogues interfere in the lipid biosynthesis in epimastigotes, altering the amount of both phospholipids and sterols, and consequently the physical properties of the membrane. Naphthoquinone derivatives led to a strong DNA fragmentation in trypomastigotes and to the release of cysteine proteases from reservosomes to cytosol in epimastigotes, starting a proteolytic process which results in parasite death. The susceptibility of reservosomes was also observed in parasites treated with propolis, suggesting impairment of lipid metabolism, compromising membrane fluidity and leading to lysis. The cytoskeletal agents blocked mitosis of epimastigotes, arresting cell cycle and impairing the parasite proliferation. The variety of drug stimuli converge to the same pathway of death suggests an intense cross-talking between the three types of PCD in the protozoa.     

Relation between perceived voice register and flow glottogram parameters in males

The perception of modal and falsetto registers was analyzed in a material consisting of a total of 104 vowel sounds sung by 13 choir singers, 52 sung in modal register, and 52 in falsetto register. These vowel sounds were classified by 16 expert listeners in a forced choice test and the number of votes for modal was compared to the voice source parameters: (1) closed quotient (Q(closed)), (2) level difference between the two lowest source spectrum partials (H1-H2), (3) AC amplitude, (4) maximum flow declination rate (MFDR), and (5) normalized amplitude quotient (NAQ, AC amplitude/MFDR(*) fundamental frequency). Tones with a high value of Q(closed) and low values of H1-H2 and of NAQ were typically associated with high number of votes for modal register, and vice versa, Q(closed) showing the strongest correlation. Some singer subjects produced tones that could not be classified as either falsetto or modal register, suggesting that classification of registers is not always feasible.