Synthesis and antiplatelet, antiinflammatory, and antiallergic activities of substituted 3-chloro-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone and related compounds

2-Amino (6), 2-alkylamino (7-8), 2-methoxy (9), 2-acetamido (10), and 5,8-diacetoxy (11) derivatives of the lead compound 2,3-dichloro-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (4) were synthesized, together with 6,7-dichloro-5,8dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (5), a positional isomer of 4. Antiplatelet, antiinflammatory, and antiallergic activities were evaluated, and most compounds were quite potent in all assays. Compounds 5 and 9-11 were especially active; however, 5 was ineffective against neutrophil superoxide formation, and 10 was ineffective against mast cell degranulation.     

The prognostic significance of tumor cell detection in intraoperative pleural lavage and lung tissue cultures for patients with lung cancer

METHODS: Three hundred forty-two patients with lung cancer and 99 patients with nonneoplastic lung diseases (control group) underwent intraoperative pleural lavage with 300 ml physiologic saline solution before (lavage I) and after resection (lavage II). RESULTS: Studies of the lavage fluid in all control patients were negative, that is, there were no false positive findings. Tumor cells were found in lavage I in 132 patients (38.6%) and also in lavage II in 99 of them. In stage I (pT1 N0, pT2 N0) lung cancer, tumor cell detection was possible in 47 patients (28.6%). The 4-year survival of patients with resected non-small-cell lung cancer was 24% (95% confidence interval, 16% to 32%) if lavage I results were positive and 52% (95% confidence interval, 45% to 59%) if lavage I results were negative (all stages, p = 0.007). For patients with stage I disease (n = 164) the 4-year survival was 35% (95% confidence interval, 18% to 52%) if lavage I results were positive (n = 47), and 69% (95% confidence interval, 60% to 78%) if lavage I results were negative (n = 117) (p = 0.037). On multivariate analysis the positive cytologic result in intraoperative pleural lavage was an additional prognostic factor for our patients. To prove how the tumor cells enter the pleural cavity, we performed tissue cultures of tumor-free parenchyma in 23 cases of lung cancer. Tumor cell detection by histology and immunohistology was possible in 16 cases (69.6%). Detection of tumor cells in pleural lavage fluid before resection proves that tumor cells have spread into the pleural cavity. CONCLUSION: The positive result in pleural lavage seems to be a prognostic predictor for patients with lung cancer.     

Analysis of transient permeation fluxes into and out of membranes for adsorption measurements

A relationship between the integrated fluxes into and out of a membrane following a positive or negative step change in feed concentration was derived. This analysis allows adsorption isotherms in the transport pathways through membranes to be determined from transient permeation responses to step concentration changes in the feed without measuring the retentate response. For Fickian diffusion through a membrane with Langmuir adsorption and zero coverage at the permeate boundary, the difference between the time-integrated flux into and flux out of the membrane is shown to be three times the time-integrated difference between the steady-state flux and the flux out. For Maxwell-Stefan diffusion, this ratio of integrated flux differences is 3 at low coverages and decreases towards 2 at saturation coverage. Mass transfer resistance at the permeate boundary increases the Fickian ratio above 3, and the ratio increases with decreasing Sherwood number. The ratio of integrated flux differences is shown to be identical to the steady-state replenishment time divided by the time lag. Thus, the ratio can be calculated directly from the steady-state concentration profile and the concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient. Surface diffusion through zeolite membranes was analyzed to demonstrate the calculation of the flux relationship for specific adsorption and diffusion models, but the method developed can be applied to membrane permeation in general.     

Increased Placental Cell Senescence and Oxidative Stress in Women with Pre-Eclampsia and Normotensive Post-Term Pregnancies

Up to 11% of pregnancies extend to post-term with adverse obstetric events linked to pregnancies over 42 weeks. Oxidative stress and senescence (cells stop growing and dividing by irreversibly arresting their cell cycle and gradually ageing) can result in diminished cell function. There are no detailed studies of placental cell senescence markers across a range of gestational ages, although increased levels have been linked to pre-eclampsia before full term. This study aimed to determine placental senescence and oxidative markers across a range of gestational ages in women with uncomplicated pregnancies and those with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. Placentae were obtained from 37 women with uncomplicated pregnancies of 37–42 weeks and from 13 cases of pre-eclampsia of 31⁺²–41⁺² weeks. The expression of markers of senescence, oxidative stress, and antioxidant defence (tumour suppressor protein p16^INK4a, kinase inhibitor p21, interleukin-6 (IL-6), NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), glutathione peroxidases 1, 3, and 4 (GPx1, GPx3, and GPx4), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)) genes was measured (quantitative real-time PCR). Protein abundance of p16^INK4a, IL-6, NOX4, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG), and PlGF was assessed by immunocytochemistry. Placental NOX4 protein was higher in post-term than term deliveries and further increased by pre-eclampsia (p < 0.05 for all). P21 expression was higher in post-term placentae (p = 0.012) and in pre-eclampsia (p = 0.04), compared to term. Placental P16^INK4a protein expression was increased post-term, compared to term (p = 0.01). In normotensive women, gestational age at delivery was negatively associated with GPx4 and PlGF (mRNA and protein) (p < 0.05 for all), whereas a positive correlation was seen with placental P21, NOX4, and P16^INK4a (p < 0.05 for all) expression. Markers of placental oxidative stress and senescence appear to increase as gestational age increases, with antioxidant defences diminishing concomitantly. These observations increase our understanding of placental health and may contribute to assessment of the optimal gestational age for delivery.     

Transformation of fatty acid hydroperoxides by alkali and characterization of products

It has previously been determined that (13S,9Z,11E)-13-hydroperoxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid was mainly converted into (13S,9Z,11E)-13-hydroxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid by 5 N KHO with preservation of the stereochemistry of the reactant [Simpson, T.D., and Gardner, H.W. (1993)Lipids 28, 325–330]. In addition, about 20–25% of the reactant was converted into several unknown by-products. In the present work it was confirmed that the stereochemistry was conserved during the hydroperoxy-diene to hydroxydiene transformation, but also, novel by-products were identified. It was found that after only 40 min reaction (9Z)-13-oxo-trans-11,12-epoxy-9-octadecenoic acid accumulated to as much as 7% of the total. Later, (9Z)-13-oxo-trans-11,12-epoxy-9-octadecenoic acid began to disappear, and several other compounds continued to increase in yield. Two of these compounds, 2-butyl-3,5-tetradecadienedioic acid and 2-butyl-4-hydroxy-5-tetradecenedioic acid, were shown to originate from (9Z)-13-oxo-trans-11,12-epoxy-9-octadecenoic acid, and they accumulated up to 2–3% each after 4 to 6 h. Some other lesser products included 11-hydroxy-9,12-heptadecadienoic acid, 3-hydroxy-4-tridecenedioic acid, 13-oxo-9,11-octadecadienoic acid and 12,13-epoxy-11-hydroxy-9-octadecenoic acid. Except for the latter two, most or all of the compounds could have originated from Favorskii rearrangement of the early product, (9Z)-13-oxo-trans-11,12-epoxy-9-octadecenoic acid, through a cyclopropanone intermediate.     

Polyamide 6–Cellulose Composites: Effect of Cellulose Composition on Melt Rheology and Crystallization Behavior

Melt rheology and crystallization behavior of polyamide 6 (PA 6) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) composites were systematically studied in this research. The incorporation of MCC into the PA 6 matrix resulted in higher complex viscosities (|η*|), storage modulus (G′), and shear viscosities than those of neat PA 6, especially at low frequencies. The orientation of rigid molecular chains in the composites introduced by the addition of MCC induced a strong shear thinning behavior with an increase in MCC loading. The non‐isothermal crystallization kinetics of PA 6 and MCC composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The Avrami and Tobin model were applied to describe the process of non‐isothermal crystallization and to determine the crystallization parameters of the composites. Analysis of the crystallization kinetics indicated that the Avrami (n_a) and Tobin exponent (n_t) was altered by the MCC. It was also found that the Avrami and Tobin equations fit the empirical data well. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:739–746, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Wallace E. Lambert (1922–2009).

On August 23, 2009, psychology lost an innovative researcher with the passing, at 86, of Wallace E. Lambert. A professor of psychology at McGill University from 1954 until 1990, Wallace (“Wally”) Lambert was among the founders of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. His highly productive career included contributions to social and cross-cultural psychology (intergroup attitudes, child-rearing values, and psychological consequences of living in multicultural societies), language education (the French immersion program), and bilingualism (measurement of language dominance, attitudes and motivation in second-language learning, and social, cognitive, and neuropsychological consequences of bilingualism). Indeed, because of the scope and influence of his work, Wally Lambert is widely considered the father of the psychological study of bilingualism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Steroidogenesis in bovine granulosa cells: the effect of short-term changes in dietary intake

The nutritional status of a cow is a key factor in the regulation of both follicle growth and oocyte quality. In this study, the effect of diets designed to increase circulating insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations on steroid production by granulosa cells in vitro was examined to analyse the mechanisms through which these changes occur. Hereford x Friesian heifers (n = 24) were offered maintenance or twice maintenance diets during the experimental period (17 days). Circulating concentrations of FSH did not differ between the two dietary groups, whereas insulin and IGF-I concentrations showed significant diet x day of oestrous cycle interactions. Ovaries were collected on day 3 of the first follicle wave after synchronization of oestrus. Granulosa cells were isolated from small (1-4 mm) and medium-sized (4-8 mm) follicles and cultured in the presence of long R3-IGF-I or bFSH or both. After 4 days in culture, granulosa cells isolated from small follicles, but not medium-sized follicles, collected from cattle offered the twice maintenance diet secreted significantly higher (P < 0.05) amounts of oestradiol compared with granulosa cells collected from cattle offered the maintenance diet. The effect was apparent in either the presence or absence of FSH and long R3-IGF-I. This nutritional effect on aromatase activity in granulosa cells was not apparent after day 6 of culture. There was no effect of diet on progesterone production by granulosa cells after 4 or 6 days of culture. These results support the hypothesis that dietary-induced changes in circulating insulin and IGF-I concentrations have a direct effect on the steroidogenic potential of bovine granulosa cells from small follicles. The dietary-induced increases in aromatase activity in small follicles combined with the increased concentration of metabolic hormones are possible mechanisms through which short-term changes in nutrition may affect follicle dynamics.     

The 802.11n MIMO-OFDM Standard for Wireless LAN and Beyond

An overview is given of the new IEEE 802.11n standard. This is the first wireless LAN standard based on MIMO-OFDM, a technique pioneered by Airgo Networks to give a significant performance increase in both range and rate relative to conventional wireless LAN. Performance results show that net user throughputs over 100 Mbps are achievable, which is about four times larger than the maximum achievable throughput using IEEE 802.11a/g. For the same throughput, MIMO-OFDM achieves a range that is about 3 times larger than non-MIMO systems. This significant improvement in range-rate performance makes MIMO-OFDM the ideal solution not only for wireless LAN, but also for home entertainment networks and 4G networks. Richard van Nee received the M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Twente University in Enschede, the Netherlands, in 1990. In May 1995, he received the PhD degree from Delft University of Technology. From 1995 to 2000, he worked for Lucent Technologies Bell Labs on wireless LAN transmission techniques. He was one of the original proposers of the CCK and OFDM modulation techniques which were adopted by the IEEE 802.11b and IEEE802.11a wireless LAN standards. In 2001, he cofounded Airgo Networks that developed the first MIMO-OFDM modem for wireless LAN and which techniques form the basis of the IEEE 802.11n standard. Together with Ramjee Prasad, he wrote a book on OFDM, entitled ‘OFDM for Mobile Multimedia Communications.’ In 2002 he received the Dutch Veder award for his contributions to standardization of wireless communications.     

A security analysis of the Internet Chess Club

The Internet Chess Club (ICC) is a popular online chess server that started its existence in the early 1990s as the Internet chess server. Although the ICC Web site assures its users that the security protocol employed between the client and the server protects sensitive information, the authors show that this isn't true. This article examines two security aspects of the ICC. In moving from a free service to a commercial one, ICC's administrators introduced several enhancements to the original system, including time-stamping, a network security protocol, and online payments.