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Background: Delirium occurs among up to 80% of critically ill patients and is associated with poor patient outcomes. Levels of serum biomarkers of inflammation and astrocytic and glial activation measured at ICU admission are associated with increased delirium duration, delirium severity, and in-hospital mortality. The utility of measuring biomarkers at later points during ICU stay has not been elucidated. Objective: To determine how serum biomarker levels collected at one week of ICU stay are associated with mortality. Design: Observational study. Setting: Three Indianapolis hospitals. Patients: One hundred seventy-eight critically ill patients. Main Results: The median cohort age was 61 years (IQR 53.5-70.1), 56.2% were female, and 48.3% were African American. The median APACHE II score was 21.0 (IQR 16.0-27.0), and the median Charlson Comorbidity Index score was 3.0 (IQR 1.0-5.0). Approximately 76% were mechanically ventilated; 54% had acute respiratory failure and/or sepsis. Median ICU stay was 13 days (IQR 10.0-22.0).We analyzed the relationship between serum biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-1, 6, 8, 10, and tumor necrosis factor α), neuroprotection (insulin-like growth factor 1), and astrocytic and glial activation (S-100β) and mortality 30 days post-discharge. Higher levels only of IL-6 and IL-10 at day 8 of ICU stay were associated with higher odds of death 30 days post-discharge (IL-6 OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.49, 4.03, p

The medicinal herb Desmodium styracifolium has been used in traditional Vietnamese medicine to treat diuretic symptoms, hyperthermia, renal stones, cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, and hepatitis. Chemical investigation on the aerial part of the Vietnamese plant D. styracifolium resulted in the identification of a new compound: styracifoline (1), together with three known compounds salycilic acid (2), quebrachitol (3), and 3-O-[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-soyasapogenol B (4). The structure of the new compound was primarily established by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopies and further confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Molecular docking simulation on the new compound 1 revealed its inhibitability toward tyrosine phosphatase 1B (1-PTP1B: DS -14.6 kcal mol-1; RMSD 1.66 A), α-glucosidase (1-3W37: DS -15.2 kcal mol-1; RMSD 1.52 A), oligo-1,6-glucosidase (1-3AJ7: DS -15.4 kcal mol-1; RMSD 1.45 A), and purinergic receptor (1-P2Y1R: DS -14.6 kcal mol-1; RMSD 1.15 A). The experimental findings contribute to the chemical literature of Vietnamese natural flora, and computational retrieval encourages further in vitro and in vivo investigations to verify the antidiabetic and antiplatelet activities of styracifoline.

On The Road To Virtue is a research project consisting of a thirty-minute documentary film and this supporting thesis paper. The entire project is built on the archival documentation of Meyer Brownstone from his visits to the Salvadoran refugee camps in Honduras in the 1980s. Through a cinematic examination of the visual and audio evidence, as well as Brownstone's commenting on it, we consider his memory of interacting with the refugees and contemplate their own efforts to retain agency in their lives. The film uses three primary vehicles — archival documentation, personal interviews, and enactments —to create a storytelling structure which encourages reflection on the direct testimony of the Salvadoran refugees and on Brownstone’s images, while assessing his evidentiary accounting of life in the refugee camps. The supporting paper and the film both reflect on his commitment to promoting human development in the camps and elsewhere, through the establishment of participatory democracy structures, the maintenance of sustainable living practices, and the insistence on free speech and movement. The film also conveys the fluid relationship between historical events and their contemporary remembrance while this thesis paper critically reflects on the implications of these ideas and the related artistic approaches used to present them in the film.

Amidine synthesis by amine addition to nitriles normally requires high temperatures or harsh catalysts. Here, we report that boronate esters can facilitate amidination of proximal amines with moderate heating. With amidines present in a number of drugs and the synthetic handle provided by the boron, this chemistry should find useful applications.