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Ventricular preexcitation is a depolarization of the ventricles that occurs before the conventional sequence, and the electrocardiogram is the specific test for diagnosis. A Kent bundle is the paradigm of ventricular preexcitation, and it is associated with short PR, wide QRS and delta wave. This finding is not always very evident, as it can have different degrees of pre-eccitazione; therefore great diagnostic care must be taken in this field. If not properly identified, the pattern of ventricular preexcitation may lead to an incorrect diagnosis. The methodology of precision electrocardiology is able to confront all these aspects.

Wound healing is a physiological process that involves several successive and often overlapping phases that lead to the restoration of the integrity of the skin after an injury, accident or surgery: Haemostasis and inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. The interruption or slowing down of these processes can cause abnormal or impaired wound healing. There are now numerous data and clinical studies that highlight the role of estrogens on normal cutaneous homeostasis and wound healing. In postmenopausal women, for example, the reduced rate of wound healing processes has been clearly related to estrogen deficiency, especially in relation to inflammation and re-granulation, while treatment with exogenous estrogens can reverse these effects. We report here the complex role of estrogens and estrogenic derivatives in wound healing process, with a focus on their therapeutic use, and which strategies have been explored to find substances with poor systemic effects. © 2020 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

The 12-lead standard electrocardiogram (ECG) is a 10 second recording of human myocytes electrical activity. Filters and oversampling are necessary in order to acquire a smooth signal without distortion. ECG recordings may display ongoing arrhythmias, and some leads may be helpful in formulating the diagnosis. Advanced modalities of baseline ECG recording can be used to extract additional information with significant prognostic value. Ambulatory ECG (AECG) recording is a long-term and low-cost external recording obtained with 1 to 12 leads lasting from 24 to 30 days. For patient comfort, longer AECG recordings use fewer leads.

Electrocardiography (ECG) in all its forms, from 12-lead ECG to long-term monitoring, is considered, an old and increasingly irrelevant test in this high technology era. This article reviews the clinical utility of this tool and argues that the obsolescence is due to an increasing inability to read electrocardiographic tracings. The usual interpretative pitfalls are discussed and a logical approach is proposed with illustrative examples. Finally, the concept of precision ECG is presented and its meaning reviewed.

Electrocardiographic algorithms are particularly useful to differentiate, in the presence of a wide complex tachycardia, between supraventricular aberrancy and ventricular tachycardias (VT). There are numerous limitations to the sensitivity and specificity of these algorithms including the presence of accessory pathways, use of antiarrhythmic drugs, congenital heart diseases, electrolytes impairments, and artificial pacing. Once the diagnosis of VT has been reached, other algorithms can help in localizing the origin of the ventricular arrhythmia. These approaches are also limited by the anatomic structure of where the arrhythmia originates. This article illustrates the difficulties in applying common algorithms in many clinical circumstances.

Polymorphic wide QRS complex tachycardia is defined as a tachyarrhythmia showing variable and frequently alternating morphologies of the QRS complex with irregular R-R intervals. It may present with a specific and reproducible pattern including torsade de pointes and bidirectional ventricular tachycardia or with a nonspecific and very irregular pattern, different from ventricular fibrillation. Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia is a challenging diagnosis and is associated with a high risk for sudden cardiac death. Although rare, preexcited atrial fibrillation over multiple accessory pathways can also generate a polymorphic wide QRS complex tachycardia mimicking polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

The D and L amino acid mediated enantioselective intramolecular aldol reaction of 4-((1-methyl-2,6-dioxo-cyclohexyl)methyl)-pent-4-enal 1 leading, after dehydration, to (-)-(R) and (+)-(S) 4a-methyl-3-methylene-5-oxo-2,3,4,4a,5,6,7,8-octahydro-naphthalene-1-carbaldehyde 2 was explored. It was found that (-)-(R) carbaldehyde 2 is enantioselectively formed in the presence of l-amino acids while (+)-(S) carbaldehyde 2 is enantioselectively formed in the presence of d-amino acids. (-)-(R) Carbaldehyde 2 was then transformed into (+)-22. The absolute configuration and relative stereochemistry of the latter was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of p-iodobenzoate (+)-23.

The prolonged elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the main risk factor associated with Glaucoma. As a consequence, the current available pharmacological strategies for the treatment of this pathology (e. g. Prostaglandin F2alpha analogues, adrenergic beta blockers and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors) are essentially aimed to reduce IOP level. Unfortunately all these medical treatments are associated with relevant side effects or have significant percentage of non-responders, with the result that more than 50% of the patients failed to control the glaucoma progression. With the aim to develop novel lead compounds, without the important drawbacks of the existing drugs, we envisaged that the dual interaction with serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) and adrenergic alpha1 (α1) receptor could be a potential approach for ocular antihypertensive. This hypothesis is substantiate by the well-established effect of the two receptor systems on aqueous humour dynamic. In this work we briefly describe the discovery of the novel class of selective 5-HT2A receptor ligands (I) with balanced affinity for adrenergic α1 receptors. The general synthetic pathway used for the preparation of this class of compounds and the binding assay results of some representative products are showed. Moreover, we demonstrate the in vivo IOP reduction efficacy of one 3,4-dihydropyrazino[1,2-b]indazol-1(2H)-one derivative, by means of an ocular hypertensive rabbit model (carbomer model).

(+)-2-Deoxyoryzalexin S (1), the nominal enantiomer of a diterpenoid isolated in Chile from Calceolaria species, was regio- and diastereoselectively synthesized from (+)-podocarpic acid. (+)-2-Deoxyoryzalexin S (1) was characterized also as its acetyl derivative, (+)-2, whose structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Surprisingly, comparison of the data recorded for (+)-1 and (+)-2 and those reported in the literature for the Calceolaria isolated diterpenoid 1 and its derivative (-)-2 showed some differences, suggesting that the latter do not possess the proposed structures.

The direct HPLC resolution of four structurally related compounds, the Wieland-Miescher ketone, the C(5) acetale homologue and their C(1) dioxolane derivatives, was studied on commercially available polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) cellulose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (Chiralcel OD-H), native b-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond I), and acetylated, carboxymethylated and permethylated b-cyclodextrins. The retention, resolution and elution sequence of the enantiomeric couples were compared using different mobile phases. Baseline enantioseparation of all examined compounds was achieved only on the carboxymethyl-derivatized-cyclodextrin stationary phase, that appeared the more effective chiral selector for this class of compounds. Native, acetylated- and permethylated-cyclodextrin CSPs exhibited specific selectivity providing in general partial resolution of the compounds under investigation. On Chiralcel OD-H only two enantiomeric couples were fully separated. Elution orders depended on CPSs. To optimize chiral separation conditions the influence of mobile phase composition on column retention and selectivity was also investigated.

Protic ionic liquids (PIL) were prepared from a super-strong base 1,7-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and super-strong acids, trifluoromethane sulfonic acid (TfOH), and (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)-(nonafluorobutylsulfonyl)imide, (IM14H), ([DBUH][TfO] and [DBUH][IM14], respectively; the latter for the first time) and their chemical and physical properties and structural features have been explored using a synergy of experimental and computational tools. The short range order in neat DBU, as well as the long range structural correlations induced by charge correlation and hydrogen bonding interactions in the ionic liquids, have been explored under ambient conditions, where these compounds are proposed for a variety of applications. Similar to other [DBUH]-based PILs, the probed ones behave as good ionic liquids. Molecular dynamics-rationalised X-ray diffraction patterns show the major role played by hydrogen bonding in affecting morphology in these systems. Additionally, we find further evidence for the existence of fluorous domains in [DBUH][IM14], thus potentially extending the range of applications for these PILs.

High resolution, total neutron and X-ray scattering data have been used in synergy with Molecular Dynamics simulations to access atomistic scale insight into the structure of anisole and 2,3,5-trimethylanisole, two aromatic compounds bearing an electron-donating methoxy group. A detailed description is provided for the main interactions occurring in these systems, including π-π stacking and weak hydrogen bonding correlations: C H⋯O and C H⋯π. The existence of preferential orientations of the first shell coordinating molecules and the specific nature of the interactions involving the π cloud and the polar methoxy group have been reported and discussed.

Estimating long-term modifications of the sea surface temperature (SST) is crucial for evaluating the current state of the oceans and to correctly assess the impact of climate change at regional scales. In this work, we analyze SST variations within the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Northeastern Atlantic box (west of the Strait of Gibraltar) over the last 37 years, by using a satellite-based dataset from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS). We found a mean warming trend of 0.041 ± 0.006 ∘ C/year over the whole Mediterranean Sea from 1982 to 2018. The trend has an uneven spatial pattern, with values increasing from 0.036 ± 0.006 ∘ C/year in the western basin to 0.048 ± 0.006 ∘ C/year in the Levantine−Aegean basin. The Northeastern Atlantic box and the Mediterranean show a similar trend until the late 1990s. Afterwards, the Mediterranean SST continues to increase, whereas the Northeastern Atlantic box shows no significant trend, until ~2015. The observed change in the Mediterranean Sea affects not only the mean trend but also the amplitude of the Mediterranean seasonal signal, with consistent relative increase and decrease of summer and winter mean values, respectively, over the period considered. The analysis of SST changes occurred during the “satellite era” is further complemented by reconstructions also based on direct in situ SST measurements, i.e., the Extended Reconstructed SST (ERSST) and the Hadley Centre Sea Ice and Sea Surface Temperature dataset (HadISST), which go back to the 19th century. The analysis of these longer time series, covering the last 165 years, indicates that the increasing Mediterranean trend, observed during the CMEMS operational period, is consistent with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), as it closely follows the last increasing period of AMO. This coincidence occurs at least until 2007, when the apparent onset of the decreasing phase of AMO is not seen in the Mediterranean SST evolution.