QSAR and pharmacophore analysis on amides against drug-resistant S. aureus

Considering the worth of developing new antibacterial agents against drug-resistant Stapylococcus aureus, the present study explores the structure-activity relationships analysis of N-(2-hydroxy-4(or 5)-nitro/aminophenyl)benzamide and phenylacetamide derivatives using classical QSAR and 3D-common-feature pharmacophore hypothese approaches. QSAR analysis revealed that the compounds possessing a methylene group between the phenyl and the carboxyamido moiety played a role for decreasing the activity. On the other side, substituent effects on position R1 was found important for the activity and holding a substituent possessing a minimum width property on this position like as alkyl groups enhanced the activity. Moreover, substituting position R3 with a group enhancing the electron-donor capability of the phenolic ring system increased the potency. 3D-common-feature pharmacophore approach considered that the conformational properties of the compounds were important for the activity against drug-resistant S. aureus and compounds possessing a benzamide moiety rather than phenylacetamide structure increased the activity. Furthermore, holding NO2 and OH groups on the phenyl ring attached to the benzamide moiety was important for improving the potency against drug-resistant S. aureus.     

Synthesis of new hetarylazoindole dyes from some 2-aminothiazole derivatives

A new series of heterocyclic disperse dyes were prepared by diazotization of some 2-aminothiazole derivatives and subsequent coupling with indole compounds. The dyes were characterized by UV-Vis, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and mass spectra (LC-MS). Solvent effects on their visible absorption spectra were estimated. The color of the dyes is discussed with respect to the substituent therein. The effects of acids and bases on the visible absorption maxima of the dyes are also reported. Replacement of methyl group in the 4-position of the thiazole ring by phenyl group leads to red shift of the absorption maximum due to π-electron-donating properties of the phenyl group, while weak electron-withdrawing chlorine or bromine atom in the para-position of the phenyl group in the 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole fragment induce a small blue shift relative to 2-amino-4-phenylthiazole derivatives. Introduction of an electron-withdrawing 4-nitrophenylsulfonyl group into the thiazole ring produces bathochromic shift of the absorption maximum in all solvents. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 592–599. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Asymmetric synthesis of aminocyclooctenecarbonitriles: Cyclooctene β-lactam and hydroxyaminocyclooctene carboxylic precursors

Enantiopure β-aminocyclooctenenitriles, as precursors of β-amino acids and β-lactams, were synthesized from a readily available chloroalkene nitrile and (S)-methylbenzylamine via a straightforward substitution reaction and purified by crystallization. Acidic hydrolysis of the nitrile groups to their corresponding amides followed by DCC assisted carbonyl group activation gave novel α,β-unsaturated lactams. The treatment of 3-bromo-8-chlorocyclooctenecarbonitrile with (S)-methylbenzylamine furnished a diastereomeric mixture of bromoaminocyclooctenecarbonitriles via an S_N2′ pathway rather than bromide substitution via an S_N2 pathway. The diastereomeric mixture of bromoaminocyclooctanecarbonitriles provided two novel aziridines upon heating. TFA catalyzed aziridine ring opening gave γ-hydroxyl-β-aminocyclooctenecarbonitriles and γ-amino-β-hydroxycyclooctenecarbonitriles.     

3.0-T MRI evaluation of patients with chronic liver diseases: initial observations

PURPOSE: To describe the use of 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of chronic liver diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of patients who had chronic liver diseases and underwent 3.0-T MRI for evaluation of the liver were included in the study. The first group of patients included 66 consecutive patients (33 male, 33 female; mean age+/-standard deviation, 56+/-11). The second group of patients included 30 consecutive patients (18 males, 12 females; mean age+/-standard deviation, 53+/-10) in whom Variable-Rate Selective Excitation (VERSE) pulses and improved adjustments procedure were used during the acquisitions. Imaging findings of chronic liver diseases, predetermined artifacts and image quality of all individual sequences in the first group and predetermined artifacts and image quality of T2-weighted sequences in the second group were reviewed retrospectively and independently by two reviewers. chi-Square tests were used to compare the findings between two groups of patients and individual sequences. Kappa statistics were used to determine the extent of agreement between the reviewers. RESULTS: Fifteen dysplastic nodules in 6 of 66 (9%) patients and 12 hepatocellular carcinomas in 11 of 66 (17%) patients were detected. Excluding motion artifacts, three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted gradient-echo (GE) sequence was the least affected sequence by the artifacts. Image quality of T1-weighted 3D-GE sequences was excellent in 43 of 66 (65%) patients. In-phase and out-of-phase T1-weighted spoiled GE (SGE) images were fair in 62 of 66 (94%) and 61 of 66 (92%) patients, respectively. The image quality of short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and half-Fourier rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequences were fair in 31 of 66 (47%) and 53 of 66 (80%) patients. STIR and half-Fourier RARE sequences in the second group demonstrated significantly better image quality (P=.03 and P<.0001). CONCLUSION: 3.0-T MRI allows the acquisition of very high quality postgadolinium 3D-GE sequence, which permitted the detection and characterization of lesions in the setting of chronic liver diseases. The use of VERSE pulses and improved adjustments procedure improved the image quality of T2-weighted sequences. In-phase/out-of-phase SGE sequences are at present of fair quality.     

Electrical and optical percolations in PMMA/GNP composite films

Effects of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) addition on the electrical conductivity and optical absorbance of poly(methyl methacrylate)/graphene nanoplatelet (PMMA/GNP) composite films were studied. Optical absorbance and two point probe resistivity techniques were used to determine the variations of the optical and electrical properties of the composites, respectively. Absorbance intensity, A, and surface resistivity, R_s, of the composite films were monitored as a function of GNP mass fraction (M) at room temperature. Absorbance intensity values of the composites were increased and surface resistivity values were decreased by increasing the content of GNP in the composite. Electrical and optical percolation thresholds of composite films were determined as M_σ = 27.5 wt.% and M_op = 26.6 wt.%, respectively. The conductivity and the optical results were attributed to the classical and site percolation theories, respectively. Optical (β_op) and electrical (β_σ) critical exponents were calculated as 0.40 and 1.71, respectively.     

Modeling Ergodic, Measure Preserving Actionson Shifts of Finite Type

 In this paper we show that shifts of finite type satisfying a strong topological mixing property are universal models for ergodic measure preserving dynamical systems. (Received 21 July 1999; in revised form 4 November 2000)     

Electrochemically Treated Pencil Graphite Electrodes Prepared in One Step for the Electrochemical Determination of Paracetamol

This article reports the electrochemical determination of paracetamol (PC) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and caffeine (CF) using an electrochemically treated pencil graphite electrode. In this study, we describe the use of an electrode prepared by overoxidation between 0.0 and +2.1 V for paracetamol determination. The electrochemically treated pencil graphite electrodes (ETPGEs) were prepared using a cyclic voltammetric method. The electrode was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), and Resonance Raman Spectroscopy. The differences in oxidation peak potentials were large enough to determine PC in the presence of AA and CF. The electroactive areas of the bare electrode and 10 scan-ETPGE in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ were calculated to be 0.0031 and 0.0341 cm², respectively. The sensor (10 scan-ETPGE in 0.5 M H₂SO₄) was sensitive to the PC with 1.74 × 10^–7 M limits of detection (S/N = 3). Finally, the developed method and the prepared electrodes were used for determination of PC in the pharmaceutical samples.

     

Synthesis of dual‐functional poly(6‐azidohexylmethacrylate) brushes by a RAFT agent carrying carboxylic acid end groups

Novel types of dual‐functional surface‐attached polymer brushes were developed by interface‐mediated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of 6‐azidohexylmethacrylate using the surface‐immobilized RAFT agent and the free initiator. The interface‐mediated RAFT polymerization produced silicon substrate coated with dual‐functional (azido groups from monomer and carboxylic acid groups from RAFT agent) poly(6‐azidohexylmethacrylate) [poly (AHMA)] with a grafting density as high as 0.59 chains/nm². Dual‐functional polymer brushes can represent an attractive chemical platform to deliberately introduce other molecular units at specific sites. The azido groups of the poly(AHMA) brushes can be modified with alkyl groups via click reaction, known for their DNA hybridization, while the carboxylic acid end groups can be reacted with amine groups via amide reaction, known for their antifouling properties. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1696–1706