Reactions of β-Sulfinyl α,β-Unsaturated Ketones with Dienes

β-Sulfinyl α,β-unsaturated ketones (2a-f) reacted in a regioselective manner with dienes such as butadiene (3a) and 1,3-pentadiene (3b) to give 1,4-cyclohexadiene derivatives (4-8) with the concomitant elimination of sulfenic acid, while the ketones (2a-c) reacted with cyclopentadiene (3c) to yield the norbornenes (9).     

Novel Synthesis of Optically Active 2‐Ethylhexanoic Acid, 2‐Ethylhexanol,and 2‐Ethylhexylamine via the Asymmetric Favorskii Rearrangement

The asymmetric Favorskii rearrangement of optically active α‐haloketones, which are easily prepared from chiral menthyl‐4‐toluenesulfoxide in several steps using primary or secondary amines, yields their corresponding secondary or tertiary chiral amides. The secondary chiral amides were converted to acids or amines using acylation followed by hydrolysis or reduction. In addition, the tertiary amides were directly reduced to alcohol with Super‐Hydride^®.     

Magnetic property and structural study of nickel supported on reduced graphene oxide prepared by chemical vapor deposition

Nickel supported on reduced graphene oxide was synthesized by chemical vapor deposition technique. The crystal structure and magnetic properties of the prepared sample were studied by means of Raman spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The result of Raman spectroscopy revealed the structure of few-layer graphene as the support for Ni nanoparticles. XP spectrum confirmed the presence of metallic Ni on the a few-layer graphene surface. TE micrograph showed that the nickel nanoparticles were sphere shaped and the mean particle size is about 20 nm deposited on the reduced graphene oxide. The magnetic study showed the ferromagnetic behavior of 3.2 wt% nickel over reduced graphene oxide at room temperature.     

Easy‐to‐Attach/Detach Solubilizing‐Tag‐Aided Chemical Synthesis of an Aggregative Capsid Protein

A solubilizing Trt‐K₁₀ tag was developed for the effective chemical preparation of peptides/proteins with low solubility. The Trt‐K₁₀ tag comprises a hydrophilic oligo‐Lys sequence and a trityl anchor, and can be selectively introduced to a side chain thiol of Cys of deprotected peptides/proteins with a trityl alcohol‐type introducing reagent Trt(OH)‐K₁₀ under acidic conditions. Significantly, the ligation product in the reaction mixture of a thiol‐additive‐free native chemical ligation can be modified directly in a one‐pot manner to facilitate the isolation of the product by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Finally, the Trt‐K₁₀ tag can be readily removed with a standard trifluoroacetic acid cocktail. Using this easy‐to‐attach/detach tag‐aided method, a hepatitis B virus capsid protein that is usually difficult to handle was synthesized successfully.     

Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI compared with CT during angiography in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose

To assess the value of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the pre-therapeutic detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with the combination of computed tomography (CT) arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography (CTAP/CTHA).

Materials and Methods

A total of 54 consecutive patients with 87 nodular HCCs were retrospectively analyzed. All HCC nodules were confirmed pathologically. Three blinded readers independently reviewed 432 hepatic segments, including 78 segments with 87 HCCs. Each reader read two sets of images: Set 1, CTAP/CTHA; Set 2, gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI including a gradient dual-echo sequence and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The ROC method was used to analyze the results. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and sensitivity according to tumor size were evaluated.

Results

For each reader, the area under the curve was significantly higher for Set 2 than for Set 1. The mean area under the curve was also significantly greater for Set 2 than for Set 1 (area under the curve, 0.98 vs. 0.93; P = .0009). The sensitivity was significantly higher for Set 2 than for Set 1 for all three readers (P = .012, .013 and .039, respectively). The difference in the specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of the two modalities for each reader was not significant (P > .05).

Conclusion

Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI including a gradient dual-echo sequence and DWI is recommended for the pre-therapeutic evaluation of patients with HCC.     

Energy systematics of low-lying Nilsson levels in odd-mass einsteinium isotopes

The decay of odd-mass mendelevium isotopes ( A = 247-255) has been studied by means of α-γ spectroscopy. Strong evidence for a small α branch in the decay of ²⁵³Md was found. γ lines in coincidence with α-decays of ^{247, 249, 251, 253}Md have been observed for the first time. Levels in the einsteinium daughter nuclei were assigned on the basis of α-γ coincidence measurements. An energy systematics of the 7/2^-[514] Nilsson level could be established, showing a correlation with the deformation parameter β₂ of the corresponding nuclei. The results are compared with theoretical predictions     

Preparation and Electrical Properties of Lnx(SiO4)6O(1.5x?12) (Ln: Nd, La) with Apatite Structure

In this study, Ln_x(SiO₄)₆O_(1.5x–12) (Ln: Nd, La) materials as electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) were prepared by the sol-gel process. It has been reported that the apatite structure of Ln_x(SiO₄)₆O_(1.5x–12) shows higher ionic conductivity than yttrium-stabilized zirconium oxide at the working temperature of the SOFC. Ln₁₀(SiO₄)₆O₃ is a major component of the Ln_x(SiO₄)₆O_(1.5x–12) system. Ln₁₀(SiO₄)₆O₃ consists of Ln_9.33(SiO₄)₆O₂ and a small amount of Ln₂SiO₅. It has been proposed that the ionic conductivity of Ln_x(SiO₄)₆O_(1.5x–12) decreases with increasing Ln₂SiO₅ with non-apatite structure. The object of the present study was to bring about this decrease by generating Ln₂SiO₅ in the system.Precursor solutions for synthesis of the powder were prepared using tetraethoxysilane (Si(OC₂H₅)₄) and neodymium acetate monohydrate (Nd(CH₃COO)₃·H₂O) or lanthanum acetate monohydrate (La (CH₃COO)₃·H₂O) as raw materials and acetic acid (CH₃COOH), 2-methoxyethanol (C₂H₅OCH₂CH₂OH), and triethanolamine (N(CH₂CH₂OH)₃) as solvents. To obtain the powder, the solution was dried and heat-treated at 600 °C for 2 h. Disks made from the powder were heat-treated at temperatures between 1100 and 1500 °C for 10 h. The results of an XRD investigation indicate that almost all diffraction peaks of these samples could be assigned to Ln_9.33(SiO₄)₆O₂. The sample with x = 10.00 included a small amount of Ln₂SiO₅. The ionic conductivity of this latter sample was higher than that of other samples with similar values of x (x = 9.33 and 10.67).     

Preparation and properties of a novel solution of hydrogen bromide (HBr) in 1,4-dioxane: An alternative reagent to HBr gas without protic solvents

A solution of hydrogen bromide (HBr) in 1,4-dioxane was prepared and investigated for its ability to brominate alcohols, and hydrobrominate alkenes. This study revealed that the brominating ability of this HBr/1,4-dioxane solution is equal or superior to that of hydrobromic acid or HBr in acetic acid. The solution of HBr in 1,4-dioxane is robust, exhibiting no decomposition of the solvent, and retaining 97% of its original concentration, when kept at ?25 °C for 30 days. This solution is a liquid alternative to HBr gas without protic solvents.     

Significant Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro by a Green Tea Catechin,a Catechin-Derivative,and Black Tea Galloylated Theaflavins

Potential effects of tea and its constituents on SARS-CoV-2 infection were assessed in vitro. Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 was decreased to 1/100 to undetectable levels after a treatment with black tea, green tea, roasted green tea, or oolong tea for 1 min. An addition of (−) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) significantly inactivated SARS-CoV-2, while the same concentration of theasinensin A (TSA) and galloylated theaflavins including theaflavin 3,3′-di-O-gallate (TFDG) had more remarkable anti-viral activities. EGCG, TSA, and TFDG at 1 mM, 40 µM, and 60 µM, respectively, which are comparable to the concentrations of these compounds in tea beverages, significantly reduced infectivity of the virus, viral RNA replication in cells, and secondary virus production from the cells. EGCG, TSA, and TFDG significantly inhibited interaction between recombinant ACE2 and RBD of S protein. These results suggest potential usefulness of tea in prevention of person-to-person transmission of the novel coronavirus.