Associations between Neurocardiovascular Signal Entropy and Physical Frailty

In this cross-sectional study, the relationship between noninvasively measured neurocardiovascular signal entropy and physical frailty was explored in a sample of community-dwelling older adults from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). The hypothesis under investigation was that dysfunction in the neurovascular and cardiovascular systems, as quantified by short-length signal complexity during a lying-to-stand test (active stand), could provide a marker for frailty. Frailty status (i.e., “non-frail”, “pre-frail”, and “frail”) was based on Fried’s criteria (i.e., exhaustion, unexplained weight loss, weakness, slowness, and low physical activity). Approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SampEn) were calculated during resting (lying down), active standing, and recovery phases. There was continuously measured blood pressure/heart rate data from 2645 individuals (53.0% female) and frontal lobe tissue oxygenation data from 2225 participants (52.3% female); both samples had a mean (SD) age of 64.3 (7.7) years. Results revealed statistically significant associations between neurocardiovascular signal entropy and frailty status. Entropy differences between non-frail and pre-frail/frail were greater during resting state compared with standing and recovery phases. Compared with ApEn, SampEn seemed to have better discriminating power between non-frail and pre-frail/frail individuals. The quantification of entropy in short length neurocardiovascular signals could provide a clinically useful marker of the multiple physiological dysregulations that underlie physical frailty.     

Facile one-pot synthesis of 5-aryl/heterylidene-2-(2-hydroxyethyl- and 3-hydroxypropylamino)-thiazol-4-ones via catalytic aminolysis

A multicomponent synthetic approach for 5-aryl/heterylidene-2-(2-hydroxyethylamino)- and 2-(3-hydroxypropylamino)-thiazol-4-ones starting from 2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one or 2-methylsulfanylthiazol-4-one was developed. The proposed method involves simultaneous aminolysis of 2-thioxo- or 2-methylsulfanyl groups and Knoevenagel condensation with (hetero)aromatic aldehydes using 2-aminoethanol or 3-aminopropan-1-ol as catalysts. Side-chain prototropic amino–imino tautomerism was observed for target 5-ylidene-2-alkylaminothiazol-4-ones.     

Systematic Investigation of Photoinduced Electron Transfer Controlled by Internal Charge Transfer and Its Consequences for Selective PdCl2 Coordination

Fluoroionophores of fluorophore–spacer–receptor format were prepared for detection of PdCl₂ by fluorescence enhancement. The fluorescent probes 1 – 13 consist of a fluorophore group, an alkyl spacer and a dithiomaleonitrile PdCl₂ receptor. First, varying the length of the alkylene spacer (compounds 1 – 3 ) revealed a dominant through‐space pathway for oxidative photoinduced electron transfer (PET) in CH₂‐bridged dithiomaleonitrile fluoroionophores. Second, fluorescent probes 4 – 9 containing two anthracene or pyrene fragments connected through CH₂ bridges to the dithiomaleonitrile unit were synthesized. Modulation of the oxidation potential (E_Ox) through electron‐withdrawing or ‐donating groups on the anthracene moiety regulates the thermodynamic driving force for oxidative PET (ΔG_PET) in bis(anthrylmethylthio)maleonitriles and therefore the fluorescence quantum yields (Φ_f), too. The new concept was confirmed and transferred to pyrenyl ligands, and fluorescence enhancements (FE) greater than 3.2 in the presence of PdCl₂ were achieved by 7 and 8 (FE=5.4 and 5.2). Finally, for comparison, monofluorophore ligands 10 – 13 were synthesized.     

Probing the oxyferrous and catalytically active ferryl states of Amphitrite ornata dehaloperoxidase by cryoreduction and EPR/ENDOR spectroscopy. Detection of compound I

Dehaloperoxidase (DHP) from Amphitrite ornata is a heme protein that can function both as a hemoglobin and as a peroxidase. This report describes the use of 77 K cryoreduction EPR/ENDOR techniques to study both functions of DHP. Cryoreduced oxyferrous [Fe(II)-O(2)] DHP exhibits two EPR signals characteristic of a peroxoferric [Fe(III)-O(2)(2-)] heme species, reflecting the presence of conformational substates in the oxyferrous precursor. (1)H ENDOR spectroscopy of the cryogenerated substates shows that H-bonding interactions between His N(ε)H and heme-bound O(2) in these conformers are similar to those in the β-chain of oxyferrous hemoglobin A (HbA) and oxyferrous myoglobin, respectively. Decay of cryogenerated peroxoferric heme DHP intermediates upon annealing at temperatures above 180 K is accompanied by the appearance of a new paramagnetic species with an axial EPR signal with g(⊥) = 3.75 and g(∥) = 1.96, characteristic of an S = 3/2 spin state. This species is assigned to Compound I (Cpd I), in which a porphyrin π-cation radical is ferromagnetically coupled with an S = 1 ferryl [Fe(IV)═O] ion. This species was also trapped by rapid freeze-quench of the ambient-temperature reaction mixture of ferric [Fe(III)] DHP and H(2)O(2). However, in the latter case Cpd I is reduced very rapidly by a nearby tyrosine to form Cpd ES [(Fe(IV)═O)(porphyrin)/Tyr(?)]. Addition of the substrate analogue 2,4,6-trifluorophenol (F(3)PhOH) suppresses formation of the Cpd I intermediate during annealing of cryoreduced oxyferrous DHP at 190 K but has no effect on the spectroscopic properties of the remaining cryoreduced oxyferrous DHP intermediates and kinetics of their decay. These observations indicate that substrate (i) binds to oxyferrous DHP outside of the distal pocket and (ii) can reduce Cpd I to Cpd II [Fe(IV)═O]. These assumptions are also supported by the observation that F(3)PhOH has only a small effect on the EPR properties of radiolytically cryooxidized and cryoreduced ferrous [Fe(II)] DHP. EPR spectra of cryoreduced ferrous DHP disclose the multiconformational nature of the ferrous DHP precursor. The observation and characterization of Cpds I, II, and ES in the absence and in the presence of F(3)PhOH provides definitive evidence of a mechanism involving consecutive one-electron steps and clarifies the role of all intermediates formed during turnover.     

Lewis acid catalyzed reactions of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with 1- and 2-pyrazolines: formation of substituted 2-pyrazolines and 1,2-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes

The reaction of 2-substituted cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylates with 1- and 2-pyrazolines is efficiently catalyzed by scandium or ytterbium triflates to give N-substituted 2-pyrazolines or 1,2-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes. The reactions of 2-pyrazolines give diazabicyclooctanes as the major products. In contrast, the reactions starting from 1-pyrazolines predominantly give N-substituted 2-pyrazolines, which become the major compounds obtained if an equimolar amount of GaCl₃ is used. A possible reaction mechanism is suggested.     

First example of intramolecular [2π + 2π] alkene-arene photocyclization in the chromone series and its synthetic utility

Diels-Alder adducts of chromones are shown to undergo an intramolecular [2_π+2_π] alkene-arene photocyclization, leading to a versatile polycyclic diene, which is capable of dimerization or can be introduced into a high-yielding photoprotolytic oxametathetic sequence. This allows for an expeditious growth of molecular complexity over a few experimentally simple steps with stereochemistry being defined and locked at the very first Diels-Alder step. The overall reaction can potentially be utilized in diversity-oriented synthesis as it allows for three or more diversity inputs furnishing novel unique polycyclic scaffolds, which can readily be decorated with a variety of functionalities and aromatic/heterocyclic pendants.     

The first example of stereoselective self-assembly of a cryptand containing four asymmetric intracyclic phosphane groups

The rac stereoisomer of a novel cryptand containing two bridgehead nitrogen and four asymmetric phosphorus atoms in the 16-membered core cycle was obtained stereoselectively via the reaction of bis(mesitylphosphino)propane, formaldehyde, and meta-xylylenediamine in the course of a covalent self-assembly process.     

SrPd4B and BaPd4B: New Type of Crystal Structure and Physical Properties

Two new intermetallic alkaline‐earth palladium borides, SrPd₄B and BaPd₄B were synthesised and their physical properties were investigated. The crystal structure of SrPd₄B was solved from powder X‐ray diffraction data: new structure type, space group Pnma, a = 6.0014(1) Å, b = 5.5041(1) Å, c = 11.8723(2) Å, R_I = 0.065, R_P = 0.093. BaPd₄B is isostructural with a = 6.0883(1) Å, b = 5.6066(1) Å, c = 12.0050(2) Å, R_I = 0.062, R_P = 0.097. The relationship of this structure type with the series of derivatives of the CaCu₅ type is discussed. Calculated electronic band structures for palladium, Pd₃B, SrPd₅, SrPd₄B and SrPd₃B are compared. The role of boron and strontium for the electronic properties is discussed in detail. SrPd₄B shows metallic behaviour with a DOS(E_F) ≈? 1.7 eV^–1 · f.u.^–1 at the Fermi level. Magnetic properties, electrical resistivity and specific heat capacity measurements reveal that the two compounds are diamagnetic metallic conductors with low electronic density of states, in agreement, with the electronic structure calculations.