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New chiral 1-(arylamino)imidazo[2,1- a ]isoindole-2,5-dione derivatives were obtained in good to excellent yields via the cyclocondensation of 2-formylbenzoic acid and various α-amino acid arylhydrazides using water as the solvent in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant and under simple and minimum manipulation, without purification. The reaction is totally diastereoselective and gives access to the nitrogenated tricyclic core with a relative trans stereochemistry.

The present paper describes the synthesis of new palladium-oxazoline complexes in one step with good to high yields (68-95%). The oxazolines were prepared from enantiomerically pure α-aminoalcohols. The structures of the synthesized palladium complexes were confirmed by NMR, FTIR, TOFMS, UV-visible spectroscopic analysis and X-ray diffraction. The optical properties of the complexes were evaluated by the determination of the gap energy values (E g) ranging between 2.34 and 3.21 eV. Their catalytic activities were tested for the degradation of Eriochrome Blue Black B (a model of azo dyes) in the presence of an ecological oxidant (H2O2). The efficiency of the decolorization has been confirmed via UV-visible spectroscopic analysis and the factors affecting the degradation phenomenon have been studied. The removal of the Eriochrome reached high yields. We have found that the complex 9 promoted 84% of color elimination within 5 min (C 0 = 30 mg/L, T = 22 °C, pH 7, H2O2 = 0.5 mL) and the energetic parameters have been also determined.

This paper describes the synthesis of new enantiomerically pure 2-cyanoethyl-oxazolines in one step starting from a wide range of amino alcohols and 4-ethoxy-4-iminobutanenitrile with high to good yields (73-96%) via an appropriate procedure which can be used for a selective synthesis of mono-oxazolines. A simple operation as well as a practical separation is additional eco-friendly attributes of this method. All the synthesized compounds were identified and characterized with their physicochemical features and their spectral data ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and TOFMS ES(+)). Among the prepared mono-oxazolines, the mono-oxazoline (3a) [3-[(4S)-4-benzyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazol-2-yl] propanenitrile] was tested to detect some biological activities. This compound was studied in vitro given the various types of pharmacological properties characterizing these compounds such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and analgesic activities. The antioxidant activity and mechanism of (3a) were identified using various in vitro antioxidant assays including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), and superoxide anion radicals (O2(-)) scavenging activity. In addition, compared to Quercetin, the tested synthetic product reveals a relatively-strong antiradical activity towards the DPPH (activity percentage of 81.22%) free radicals and significantly decreased the reactive oxygen species such as (O2(-)) formation evaluated by the non-enzymatic (nitroblue tetrazolium/riboflavine) and the enzymatic (xanthine/xanthine oxidase) systems. Related activity values were, respectively, 66% and 60.30%. The oxazoline (3a) showed a high ability to reduce the O2(-) generation and proved to be a very potent radical scavenger. On the other hand, the analgesic property of the 3[(4S)-benzyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazol-2-yl] propanenitrile (3a) was demonstrated. The subcutaneous administration of (3a) produced a significant reduction in the number of abdominal constrictions amounting to 73.81% in the acetic acid writhing test in mice. In addition to these advances, the oxazoline (3a) has been investigated as an antimicrobial agent. Our results showed that this molecule exhibited various levels of antibacterial effect against all the tested bacterial strains., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To prospectively define fetal density in the second half of pregnancy by using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and to compare estimates of fetal weight based on ultrasonography (US) and MR imaging with actual birth weight., Materials and Methods: Written informed consent was obtained for this ethics committee-approved study. In this cross-sectional study between March 2011 and May 2012, fetal density was calculated as actual birth weight at delivery divided by fetal body volume at MR imaging in 188 fetuses between 20 weeks and 2 days and 42 weeks and 1 day of gestational age. Regression analysis was used to investigate the effect of variables, including sex, on fetal density. The US estimate of fetal weight was performed according to Hadlock et al, and the MR estimate of fetal weight was calculated based on the equation developed by Baker et al. US and MR estimates of fetal weight were compared with actual birth weights by using regression analysis., Results: Median fetal density was equal to 1.04 (range, 0.95-1.18). Fetal density was significantly associated with gestational age at delivery but not with fetal sex. In 26.6% of fetuses, the US estimate of fetal weight had a relative error of more than 10%, while a similar relative error for the MR estimate of fetal weight occurred in only 1.1% of fetuses. The limits of agreement were narrower with the MR estimate of fetal weight compared with the US estimate of fetal weight., Conclusion: In the second half of pregnancy, fetal density varies with gestational age. Fetal weight estimates by using fetal MR imaging are better than those by using prenatal US.

The new anti-inflammatory agents 6-methyl-3-isopropyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazin-4(3H)-one 1,1-dioxide 6a and its analogues 6b-f were synthesized from L-valine. All compounds were characterized by physical, chemical and spectral studies. Preliminary pharmacological evaluation of the resulting products showed that compounds 6a-f (5-20 mg/kg, i.p.) are active anti-inflammatory agents in carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema assay in albino rats, and their effects are comparable to that of piroxicam (5 mg/kg, i.p.), used as a reference drug. The nature of the substituents on the sulfonamide nitrogen and those on position three had a pronounced effect on the anti-inflammatory activity. Studies of structure-activity relationships have led to selection of compound 2,6-dimethyl-3-isopropyl-1,2-benzothiazin-3,4-diol 1,1-dioxide 6 f which exhibited the most potent activity (61.7% inhibition at 5 mg/kg, i.p. and ED(50)=4.5 mg/kg, i.p.). Comparison of the gastrointestinal safety of compounds 6a-f with that of piroxicam showed a far better tolerability for our products. This comparison was based on the ulcer index and the pH of gastric content.

We monitored the expression of glycan-binding sites on a panel of 10 biotinylated neoglycoconjugates by means of quantitative computer-assisted microscopy to further study the molecular mechanisms in the extensive infiltration of the surrounding brain parenchyma by most astrocytic tumors. Three distinct histological compartments were analyzed for each of the 108 astrocytic tumors (15 pilocytic astrocytomas (WHO grade I), 25 astrocytomas (WHO grade II), 30 anaplastic astrocytomas (WHO grade III), and 38 glioblastomas (WHO grade IV) included in our series. These compartments were tumors (nonperivascular tumor astrocytes), perivascular tumor astrocytes, and blood vessel walls. Clear differences were observed between the pilocytic and the diffuse astrocytic tumors. Furthermore, malignant progression in the latter category was paralleled by a decrease in cells' ability to bind distinct sugar epitopes, especially the D-GalNAc(alpha1-3)-D-GalNAc-beta1-R determinant of the Forssman pentasaccharide in tumors, the alpha-L-fucose in perivascular tumor areas, and the beta-D-glucose in tumor vessel walls. Markedly, the level of binding site expression for alpha-D-mannose decreased in the tumors, the perivascular tumor areas, and the vessel walls. These glycohistochemical results imply the functional relevance of protein-carbohydrate interactions in this tumor system.

Using computer-assisted microscopy, the present work aimed to quantitatively characterize the level of the histochemically detectable expression of galectin-3 and galectin-3-binding sites in sections of a series of 84 astrocytic tumours (including 22 grade II, 21 grade III and 41 grade IV specimens) and seven non-tumoural specimens used as controls. The presence of galectin-3 and reactive sites for this lectin were monitored by means of a specific polyclonal anti-galectin-3 antibody (aGal3) and biotinylated galectin-3 (Gal3), respectively. The pattern of expression of galectin-3-binding sites is compared to the pattern of expression of laminin (a potential galectin-3 ligand) revealed using a biotinylated anti-laminin antibody (aLam). Three variables quantitatively characterizing histochemical staining reactions were evaluated by means of computer-assisted microscopy for each of the 3 probes under study (aGal3, Gal3 and aLam). The labelling index (LI) is the percentage of tissue area specifically stained by a histochemical probe. The mean optical density (MOD) denotes staining intensity. The concentration heterogeneity (CH) feature expresses the concentrational spread of individual fields. The data obtained in the present study show that: (i) white matter of a non-tumoural brain expresses galectin-3 (and also galectin-3-binding sites); (ii) the level of galectin-3 expression significantly decreases in the majority of tumour astrocytes from low to high grade astrocytic tumours; while (iii) some tumour cell clones expressing high amounts of galectin-3 emerged with increasing levels of malignancy; and (iv) the level of accessible galectin-3-binding sites was apparently not heavily modified in the course of malignancy progression. In conclusion, the results obtained in the present study show that human astrocytic tumours are very heterogenous in their galectin-3 levels of expression. If high levels of galectin-3 determine the invasiveness potential of a tumour cell, then within a heterogenous tumour the presence of even a small, but actively proliferating number of tumour cell clones expressing high levels of galectin-3 can be expected to lead to tumour invasiveness.