Activity

Labyrinthulomycetes are mostly fungus-like heterotrophic protists that absorb nutrients in an osmotrophic or phagotrophic manner. Members of order Labyrinthulida produce unique membrane-bound ectoplasmic networks for movement and feeding. Among the various types of labyrinthulids’ food substrates, diatoms play an important role due to their ubiquitous distribution and abundant biomass. We isolated and cultivated new diatom consuming Labyrinthulida strains from shallow coastal marine sediments. We described Labyrinthula diatomea n. sp. that differs from all known labyrinthulids in both molecular and morphological features. We provided strain delimitation within the genus Labyrinthula based on ITS sequences via haplotype network construction and compared it with previous phylogenetic surveys. © 2020 International Society of Protistologists.Herein we report the development of a photocatalytic strategy for the divergent preparation of functionalized bicyclo[1.1.1]pentylamines. This approach exploits, for the first time, the ability of nitrogen-radicals to undergo strain-release reaction with [1.1.1]propellane. selleck kinase inhibitor This reactivity is facilitated by the electrophilic nature of these open-shell intermediates and the presence of strong polar effects in the transition-state for C-N bond formation/ring-opening. With the aid of a simple reductive quenching photoredox cycle, we have successfully harnessed this novel radical strain-release amination as part of a multicomponent cascade compatible with several external trapping agents. Overall, this radical strategy enables the rapid construction of novel amino-functionalized building blocks with potential application in medicinal chemistry programs as p-substituted aniline bioisosteres. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.A total synthesis of tiacumicin B, a natural macrolide whose remarkable antibiotic properties are used to treat severe intestinal infections, is reported. The strategy is in part based on the prior synthesis of the tiacumicin B aglycone, and on the decisive use of sulfoxides as anomeric leaving groups in hydrogen-bond-mediated aglycone delivery (HAD). This new HAD variant permitted highly β-selective rhamnosylation and noviosylation. To increase convergence, the rhamnosylated C1-C3 fragment thus obtained was anchored to the C4-C19 aglycone fragment by adapting the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling used for the aglycone synthesis. Ring-size-selective macrolactonization provided a compound engaged directly in the noviolysation step with virtually total β selectivity. The final efficient removal of all the protecting groups provided synthetic tiacumicin B. © 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.The prevalence of hypertension is increasing, but rates of awareness, treatment, and blood pressure (BP) control are also increasing. In terms of cardiovascular disease, the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke is similar, but stroke mortality is higher than that from CAD. Home BP monitoring (HBPM) is an important tool for determining the presence of white-coat or masked hypertension, facilitating drug cost savings or effective cardiovascular risk management strategies, respectively. However, there are a number of barriers to use of HBPM in Thailand. These include lack of availability (particularly in lower socioeconomic groups), lack of awareness of the importance of white-coat and masked hypertension, and concerns about device reliability. The latest Thai Hypertension Society guidelines recommend that physicians and nurses encourage their patients to use their HBPM devices, and these are increasingly being utilized in clinical practice for both diagnostic purposes and therapeutic monitoring. Calcium channel blockers are the most commonly used antihypertensive agents in Thailand, followed by angiotensin receptor blockers, ß-blockers, and diuretics. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are used less often due to drug-related cough, and the use of fixed drug combinations is low because of their high cost and more complex reimbursement process. Ongoing work is needed to improve the primary prevention and effective treatment of hypertension in Thailand. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? How does an extract of Melissa officinalis L. ameliorate anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour of mice? What is the main finding and its importance? An extract of Melissa officinalis L. possessed anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects, which could mainly be mediated through its antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties. ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of a hydro-alcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis (HAEMO) on anxiety- and depressive-like behaviours, oxidative stress and apoptosis markers in restraint stress-exposed mice. In order to induce a depression-like model, mice were subjected to restraint stress (3 h day-1 for 14 days) and received normal saline or HAEMO (50, 75 and 150 mg kg-1  day-1 ) for 14 days. The administered doses of HAEMO were designated based on the concentration of one of the main phenolic compounds present in the extract, rosmarinic acid (2.55 mg kg-1 at lowest dose); other phytochemical analyses including assays for antidepressant effects in mice. © 2020 Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Experimental Physiology © 2020 The Physiological Society.AIMS Given the inherent inaccuracies stemming from the assumption that the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) is circular, this study aimed to improve the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE)-based aortic valve area (AVA) calculation using continuity equation (CE) by introducing a correction factor (CF) derived from multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) images and validate it in aortic stenosis (AS) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS This retrospective study used MDCTA images of 400 patients for modeling and 403 TTE dataset for validation. Echocardiographic parasternal long-axis view was modeled using MDCTA, and LVOT diameter (D1) was measured. Direct planimetry of LVOT area was performed and subsequently converted into a theoretical circle. The assumed circle (D2) diameter was derived, and D2/D1 was calculated and termed as the CF. The CF was 1.13, and it improved the agreement between MDCTA- and TTE-derived LVOT areas and correlation between AVA and peak velocity, mean pressure gradient, and velocity ratio.