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Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) typically presents as a predominant ground-glass opacity (GGO) in the upper lobes. We report a case of a patient with PCP that mimicked organizing pneumonia or nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, showing peripheral predominant consolidation with traction bronchiectasis and peribronchovascular thickening in the lower lobes on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Pneumocystis jirovecii was detected in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and no other pathogens were isolated. After confirmation of a high plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-RNA titer and a low CD4+ cell count, the patient was diagnosed with PCP associated with HIV infection. The peripheral predominant consolidation was successfully resolved after treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. To the best of our knowledge, no previous case of PCP presenting with peripheral predominant consolidation, traction bronchiectasis, or peribronchovascular thickening has been reported. Physicians should consider PCP as a differential diagnosis even in cases suspected as organizing pneumonia or nonspecific interstitial pneumonia on HRCT., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Fujishima et al.)

Practicing walking in a safety suspension device allows patients to move freely and without excessive reliance on a therapist, which requires correcting errors and may facilitate motor learning. This opens the possibility that patients with subacute stroke may improve their walking ability more rapidly. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that overground gait training in a safety suspension device will result in achieving faster supervision-level walking than gait training without the suspension device. Twenty-seven patients with stroke admitted to the rehabilitation ward with functional ambulation categories (FAC) score of 2 at admission were randomly allocated to safety suspension-device group (SS group) or conventional assisted-gait training group (control group). In addition to regular physical therapy, each group underwent additional gait training for 60 min a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. We counted the days until reaching a FAC score of 3 and assessed the probability using Cox regression models. The median days required to reach a FAC score of 3 were 7 days for the SS group and 17.5 days for the control group, which was significantly different between the groups ( P  < 0.05). The SS group had a higher probability of reaching a FAC score of 3 after adjusting for age and admission motor impairment (hazard ratio = 3.61, 95% confidence interval = 1.40-9.33, P  < 0.01). The gait training with a safety suspension device accelerates reaching the supervision-level walking during inpatient rehabilitation. We speculate that a safety suspension device facilitated learning by allowing errors to be experienced and correct in a safe environment., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

A bichalconoid, globunoid A (1) and three biflavanones, globunoids B-D (2-4), previously undescribed, were isolated from the stems of Knema globularia, along with fourteen known analogues 5-18. The chemical structures of 1-4 were elucidated by the comprehensive spectroscopic analysis including UV, IR, HRESIMS, and NMR; the absolute configurations were determined based on their NOESY data, DP4+ statistical analysis, and ECD calculation. Up to now, compounds 2 and 3 represent the first 3,3″-linked biflavanone structures. Among the isolated compounds, 2, 3, and 2,3-dihydrocalodenin B (6) potently inhibited α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities, with IC 50 values in the range 1.1-7.5 μM. Furthermore, the most active compound 6 was found to be a non-competitive inhibitor against these two enzymes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Five coumarins were isolated from the heartwood of Mansonia gagei , which included two newly discovered compounds, namely 11-hydroxypopulene E ( 1 ) and mansorin D ( 2 ), along with three previously identified compounds. The structures were determined through the utilisation of comprehensive spectroscopic data, ECD calculations, and a thorough comparison with existing literature data. The α -glucosidase inhibitory activities of all isolated compounds were assessed in yeast. Out of the compounds tested, compound 2 exhibited the most significant activity, displaying a percentage inhibition of 34.33% at a concentration of 200 μM.

A mild, scalable (kg) metal-free electrochemical decarboxylation of alkyl carboxylic acids to olefins is disclosed. Numerous applications are presented wherein this transformation can simplify alkene synthesis and provide alternative synthetic access to valuable olefins from simple carboxylic acid feedstocks. This robust method relies on alternating polarity to maintain the quality of the electrode surface and local pH, providing a deeper understanding of the Hofer-Moest process with unprecedented chemoselectivity., (© 2023 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Nine undescribed sesquiterpenoids, along with ten known compounds, were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Mansonia gagei heartwood. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic data analysis (FTIR, 1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS), and their absolute configurations were established by ECD calculation. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase from yeast. The results showed that mansonone U, mansonialactam, heliclactone and mansonone S exhibited exceptionally potent activities when compared to the positive control, acarbose, with IC 50 values of 12.38 ± 0.71, 0.20 ± 0.05, 13.12 ± 2.85, and 12.05 ± 1.91 μM, respectively. Among them, mansonialactam possessed the most potent inhibitory activity against yeast α-glucosidase, and it showed an uncompetitive inhibition mode., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Attentional focus strategies eliciting external focus of attention effectively enhance drop jump (DJ) performance, however, their effects vary depending on the words used for the instructions. We aimed to examine the effects of different words on DJ performance using instructions eliciting external focus to minimize contact time (CT) or maximize jump height (JH). Twenty collegiate athletes performed DJs from a 30-cm platform after receiving one of the four instructions: two instructions (COND 1 and 2) about minimizing CT, and two instructions (COND 3 and 4) about maximizing JH. The reactive strength index (RSI), CT, JH, relative peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), and leg stiffness (k vert ) were compared between conditions using repeated-measures analysis of variance. There was no significant main effect of conditions on the RSI, relative peak vGRF, and k vert (p > 0.05). CT was significantly shorter under CONDs 1 and 2 than COND 3 (p < 0.05); JH was significantly higher under COND 3 than CONDs 1 and 2 (p < 0.05), and under COND 4 than COND 1 (p < 0.05). When using attentional focus strategies in DJ, it is necessary to use different words and purposes according to the players' tasks., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © Academy of Physical Education in Katowice.)

The Kolbe reaction forms carbon-carbon bonds through electrochemical decarboxylative coupling. Despite more than a century of study, the reaction has seen limited applications owing to extremely poor chemoselectivity and reliance on precious metal electrodes. In this work, we present a simple solution to this long-standing challenge: Switching the potential waveform from classical direct current to rapid alternating polarity renders various functional groups compatible and enables the reaction on sustainable carbon-based electrodes (amorphous carbon). This breakthrough enabled access to valuable molecules that range from useful unnatural amino acids to promising polymer building blocks from readily available carboxylic acids, including biomass-derived acids. Preliminary mechanistic studies implicate the role of waveform in modulating the local pH around the electrodes and the crucial role of acetone as an unconventional reaction solvent for Kolbe reaction.

Background: Plyometric training, such as single-leg jumps, may be one of the most effective ways to improve a child's jumping and sprinting ability. However, few studies on age-related changes in single-legged jumping ability seem to exist. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine age-related changes in double- and single-leg jump performance., Methods: A total of 143 untrained boys aged 7-15 years performed double-leg counter-movement jump (CMJ) and rebound jump (RJ) and single-leg CMJ (SCMJ) and RJ (SRJ). Jump height (JH), peak vertical ground reaction force (PvGRF), and relative vertical ground reaction force (RvGRF) during CMJ and SCMJ, and RJ-Index, JH, ground contact time (CT), PvGRF, and RvGRF during RJ and SRJ were recorded, and one-way analysis of variance was used to examine differences between age group., Results: JH, PvGRF, and RvGRF of CMJ and SCMJ increased with age with a similar trend (P<0.001). RJ-Index, JH, and PvGRF of RJ and SRJ also increased with age (P<0.001). CT of RJ did not change with age, but SRJ became longer with age (P<0.001). The RvGRF of RJ increased with age (P<0.001), but the RvGRF of SRJ did not change., Conclusions: These results suggest that age-related changes in CMJ among boys aged 7-15 years have similar trends for double- and single-leg jumps. However, age-related changes of RJ differed between double- and single-leg jumps, suggesting that differences in adaptation of relative force exertion may occur.

Abstract: Furuhashi, Y, Hioki, Y, Yoshimoto, S, and Hayashi, R. The effect of neutral, internal, and external focus on drop jump performance: is drop jump performance affected by plyometric training experience? J Strength Cond XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Providing an external focus of attention through verbal instructions can improve the drop jump (DJ) performance, which differs based on the skill level of athletes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of change of focus of attention on the performance of DJs in experienced and inexperienced athletes. Thirty-eight male collegiate athletes divided into the experienced group (E group: age, 21.5 ± 1.4 years; height, 173.4 ± 5.7 cm; and body mass, 65.7 ± 6.2 kg) and the inexperienced group (I group: age, 21.9 ± 1.5 years; height, 172.8 ± 5.1 cm; and body mass, 68.7 ± 5.5 kg) performed 2 trials of DJs after listening to instructions designed to evoke a neutral, internal, or external focus of attention. Contact time (CT), jump height (JH), reactive strength index (RSI), and leg-spring stiffness (k vert ) were recorded during DJ and compared between the 2 groups using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. In the E group, the neutral condition was associated with a significantly higher RSI, JH, and k vert than the internal and external conditions ( p < 0.05). In the I group, the external condition was associated with significantly higher RSI and k vert and shorter CT than other conditions ( p < 0.05). Therefore, this suggests that attentional focus strategies need to be selected depending on DJ experience: A neutral focus may be preferable for athletes experienced in DJs, whereas an external focus may be more suitable for athletes with lesser DJ experience., (Copyright © 2021 National Strength and Conditioning Association.)

Cross-coupling between two similar or identical functional groups to form a new C-C bond is a powerful tool to rapidly assemble complex molecules from readily available building units, as seen with olefin cross-metathesis or various types of cross-electrophile coupling 1,2 . The Kolbe electrolysis involves the oxidative electrochemical decarboxylation of alkyl carboxylic acids to their corresponding radical species followed by recombination to generate a new C-C bond 3-12 . As one of the oldest known Csp 3 -Csp 3 bond-forming reactions, it holds incredible promise for organic synthesis, yet its use has been almost non-existent. From the perspective of synthesis design, this transformation could allow one to agnostically execute syntheses without regard to polarity or neighbouring functionality just by coupling ubiquitous carboxylates 13 . In practice, this promise is undermined by the strongly oxidative electrolytic protocol used traditionally since the nineteenth century 5 , thereby severely limiting its scope. Here, we show how a mildly reductive Ni-electrocatalytic system can couple two different carboxylates by means of in situ generated redox-active esters, termed doubly decarboxylative cross-coupling. This operationally simple method can be used to heterocouple primary, secondary and even certain tertiary redox-active esters, thereby opening up a powerful new approach for synthesis. The reaction, which cannot be mimicked using stoichiometric metal reductants or photochemical conditions, tolerates a range of functional groups, is scalable and is used for the synthesis of 32 known compounds, reducing overall step counts by 73%., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is a key enzyme that acts downstream of cyclooxygenase and plays a major role in inflammation by converting prostaglandin (PG) H 2 to PGE 2 . The present study investigated the effect of genetic deletion of mPGES-1 on the development of immunologic responses to experimental colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS), a well-established model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)., Methods: Colitis was induced in mice lacking mPGES-1 (mPGES-1 -/- mice) and wild-type (WT) mice by administering DSS for 7 days. Colitis was assessed by body weight loss, diarrhea, fecal bleeding, and histological features. The colonic expression of mPGES-1 was determined by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The impact of mPGES-1 deficiency on T cell immunity was determined by flow cytometry and T cell depletion in vivo., Results: After administration of DSS, mPGES-1 -/- mice exhibited more severe weight loss, diarrhea, and fecal bleeding than WT mice. Histological analysis further showed significant exacerbation of colonic inflammation in mPGES-1 -/- mice. In WT mice, the colonic expression of mPGES-1 was highly induced on both mRNA and protein levels and colonic PGE 2 increased significantly after DSS administration. Additionally, mPGES-1 protein was localized in the colonic mucosal epithelium and infiltrated inflammatory cells in underlying connective tissues and the lamina propria. The abnormalities consistent with colitis in mPGES-1 -/- mice were associated with higher expression of colonic T-helper (Th)17 and Th1 cytokines, including interleukin 17A and interferon-γ. Furthermore, lack of mPGES-1 increased the numbers of Th17 and Th1 cells in the lamina propria mononuclear cells within the colon, even though the number of suppressive regulatory T cells also increased. CD4 + T cell depletion effectively reduced symptoms of colitis as well as colonic expression of Th17 and Th1 cytokines in mPGES-1 -/- mice, suggesting the requirement of CD4 + T cells in the exacerbation of DSS-induced colitis under mPGES-1 deficiency., Conclusions: These results demonstrate that mPGES-1 is the main enzyme responsible for colonic PGE 2 production and deficiency of mPGES-1 facilitates the development of colitis by affecting the development of colonic T cell-mediated immunity. mPGES-1 might therefore impact both the intestinal inflammation and T cell-mediated immunity associated with IBD., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In this study, three new garcinoic acid dimers, δ,δ-bigarcinoic acid ( 1 ), δ,δ-bi- O -garcinoic acid ( 2 ), and γ,δ-bi- O -garcinoic acid ( 3 ), and a new benzophenone derivative, (8 E )-4-geranyl-3,5-dihydroxybenzophenone ( 4 ), as well as seven known compounds ( 5 - 11 ) were isolated from the seeds of Garcinia kola . The structures of the new compounds were elucidated using MALDI-TOF-MS and spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D NMR and electronic circular dichroism spectra. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against two oral pathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus sobrinus . Among them, 4 and δ-garcinoic acid ( 6 ) exhibited antimicrobial activity against both of these microorganisms (MICs of 31.3-62.5 μM for P. gingivalis and 15.6-31.3 μM for S. sobrinus ). These results indicate that some chemical constituents in G. kola seeds have potential application in the prevention of oral diseases.