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A layered dysprosium–dianthracene framework shows photo-switchable structures and emission colors, which enables the manipulation of MOF-based heterostructured crystals for applications in rewritable photonic barcodes and fatigue-resistant photoactuators.

The punch tool is a swift and practical instrument in the facial pigmented melanocytic nevus. However, few studies have evaluated the efficacy of the method for facial pigmented nevus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the practicability and effectiveness of removing facial pigmented nevus by punch biopsy technique. This was an observational study of patients with facial pigmented nevus in the Hospital of Plastic Surgery, Weifang Medical University. The ages of patients ranged from 15 to 36 years (average, 25 y). The outcome evaluations included Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score, esthetic appearance, and patient satisfaction. Following standard procedures, preoperative surgical excision was performed with safety margins. Anatomopathologic analysis of the surgical specimen was used as the gold standard to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosis by punch biopsy. From January 2019 to January 2020, this punch technique was carried out on 96 patients (151 pigmented nevus) with 35 melanocytic nevus on the forehead, 39 on the cheek, 21 on the eyelid, and 45 on the nose, whereas 11 were on nasolabial folds. The diameters of pigmented nevus are 0.5 to 10 mm on the face. All patients were evaluated at a follow-up visit ranging from 6 to 20 months (average, 11±1.5 mo) and healed with no complication. The histopathological examinations of the skin lesions showed benign outcomes. The mean Vancouver Scar Scale were 1.1±0.4. Ideal cosmetic and functional outcomes were achieved in 94 patients (97.9%). All patients achieved complete satisfaction except 2 patients with partial satisfaction. No recurrences and complications were recorded. This study demonstrated that the punch technique is an effective method to remove facial pigmented melanocytic nevus with acceptable functional and esthetic outcomes without relapse.

BackgroundNeuroblastoma (NB) places a substantial health burden on families worldwide. This study aimed to develop an immune checkpoint-based signature (ICS) based on the expression of immune checkpoints to better assess patient survival risk and potentially guide patient selection for immunotherapy of NB.MethodsImmunohistochemistry integrated with digital pathology was used to determine the expression levels of 9 immune checkpoints in 212 tumor tissues used as the discovery set. The GSE85047 dataset (n=272) was used as a validation set in this study. In the discovery set, the ICS was constructed using a random forest algorithm and confirmed in the validation set to predict overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). Kaplan-Meier curves with a log-rank test were drawn to compare the survival differences. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to calculate the area under the curve (AUC).ResultsSeven immune checkpoints, including PD-L1, B7-H3, IDO1, VISTA, T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing-3 (TIM-3), inducible costimulatory molecule (ICOS) and costimulatory molecule 40 (OX40), were identified as abnormally expressed in NB in the discovery set. OX40, B7-H3, ICOS and TIM-3 were eventually selected for the ICS model in the discovery set, and 89 patients with high risk had an inferior OS (HR 15.91, 95% CI 8.87 to 28.55, pConclusionsWe propose an ICS that significantly differentiates between low-risk and high-risk patients, which might add prognostic value to age and provide clues for immunotherapy in NB.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two methods to intervene in adolescent smoking in Taiwan and evaluate quitting behavior 6 months later. Methods: A total of ...

To explore the possible mechanism of Yunaconitine poisoning by studying the changes of urine metabolic profile in rats chronically poisoned by Yunaconitine via non-targeted metabolomics.A rat model of Yunaconitine poisoning was established, and a metabolomics method based on UPLC-QTOF-MS technology was used to obtain the urine metabolic profile. Principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), variable importance in projection (VIP) value greater than 1, fold change (FC) value greater than 3 or less than 0.33 andSixteen potential biomarkers includingYunaconitine may cause neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and cardiotoxicity by affecting amino acid and glucose metabolism.

Researches using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have applied different regional measurements to study the intrinsic brain activity (IBA) of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Most previous studies have only examined the static characteristics of IBA in patients with PD, neglecting the dynamic features. We sought to explore the concordance between the dynamics of different rs-fMRI regional indices. This study included 31 healthy controls (HCs) and 57 PD patients to calculate the volume-wise (across voxels) and voxel-wise (across periods) concordance using a sliding time window approach. This allowed us to compare the concordance of dynamic alterations in frequently used metrics such as degree centrality (DC), global signal connectivity (GSC), voxel-mirrored heterotopic connectivity (VMHC), the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), and regional homogeneity (ReHo). We analyzed the changes of concordance indices in the PD patients and investigated the relationship between aberrant concordance values and clinical/neuropsychological assessments in the PD patients. We found that, compared with the HCs, the PD patients had lower volume concordance in the whole brain and lower voxel-wise concordance in the posterior cerebellar lobe, cerebellar tonsils, superior temporal gyrus, and supplementary motor region. We also found negative correlations between these concordance alterations and patients’ age. The exploratory results contribute to a better understanding of IBA alterations and pathophysiological mechanisms in PD.

Background Routine laboratory investigations are not rapidly available to assist clinicians in the diagnosis of pediatric acute infections. Our objective was to evaluate some common blood parameters and use them for the differential diagnosis of childhood infections. Methods This retrospective study was conducted between October 2019 and September 2020 at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, China. We performed blood tests in patients infected with DNA viruses (n = 402), RNA viruses (n = 602), gram-positive organisms (G+; n = 421), gram-negative organisms (G−; n = 613), or Mycoplasma pneumoniae (n = 387), as well as in children without infection (n = 277). The diagnostic utility of blood parameters to diagnose various infections was evaluated by logistic regression analysis. Results The most common G+ organism, G− organism, and virus were Streptococcus pneumoniae (39.7%), Salmonella typhimurium (18.9%), and influenza A virus (40.2%), respectively. The value of logit (P) = 0.003 × C-reactive protein (CRP) − 0.011 × hemoglobin (HGB) + 0.001 × platelets (PLT) was significantly different between the control, RNA virus, DNA virus, M. pneumoniae, G− organism, and G+ organism groups (2.46 [95% CI, 2.41–2.52], 2.60 [2.58–2.62], 2.70 [2.67–2.72], 2.78 [2.76–2.81], 2.88 [2.85–2.91], and 2.97 [2.93–3.00], respectively; p = 0.00 for all). The logistic regression‐based model showed significantly greater accuracy than the best single discriminatory marker for each group (logit [Pinfection] vs. CRP, 0.90 vs. 0.84, respectively; logit [PRNA] vs. lymphocytes, 0.83 vs. 0.77, respectively; p = 0.00). The area under curve values were 0.72 (0.70–0.74) for HGB and 0.81 (0.79–0.82) for logit (Pvirus/bacteria) to diagnose bacterial infections, whereas they were 0.72 (0.68–0.74) for eosinophils and 0.80 (0.78–0.82) for logit (Pvirus/bacteria) to diagnose viral infections. Logit (Pvirus/bacteria) < −0.45 discriminated bacterial from viral infection with 78.9% specificity and 70.7% sensitivity. Conclusions The combination of CRP, HGB, PLT, eosinophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte counts can distinguish between the infectious pathogens in children.

To investigate the status of infections caused by respiratory pathogens and the patterns of infections caused by pathogens in different seasons, age groups and stages of pneumoconiosis so as to explore the pathogen spectrum of respiratory tract infections in pneumoconiosis patients.The sputum samples of 376 pneumoconiosis patients admitted to an occupational disease hospital in Chengdu between January, 2017 and October, 2019 were collected. Clinical information of the patients was collected and lab tests were conducted to check for 23 kinds of common respiratory viruses, bacteria and fungi in the sputum. The relationship between seasons, ages, and different stages of pneumoconiosis and the pathogen detection rate was analyzed.In the 376 sputum samples, the detection rates of pathogens, viruses, bacteria and fungi were 42.29% (159/376), 32.98% (124/376), 9.57% (36/376) and 6.12% (23/376), respectively. The six pathogens with the highest detection rates were parainfluenza virus, rhinovirus, influenza virus,The pathogen spectrum of respiratory tract infections in patients with pneumoconiosis is complicated and the proportion of viral infection is high. However, the severity of the infection is not associated with age, seasonal, or pneumoconiosis staging differences.

To explore the differences in the features and impact on quality of life (QOL) of nonmotor symptoms (NMS) of the tremor dominant (TD) and non-tremor dominant (NTD) subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD) and elucidate the characteristic NMS and determinants of QOL for the subtypes.This cross-sectional study included 77 patients with PD. The NMS questionnaire was used to assess the range and prevalence of NMS. The modified Hoehn and Yahr staging and the unified PD rating scale (UPDRS) were used to assess symptom severity. Cognitive abilities were investigated using the mini-mental status examination (MMSE). Emotional state was assessed using the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and QOL was evaluated using the Parkinson's disease questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39).Overall, 39 (50.65%) patients were classified as the TD subtype, and 38 (49.35%) were classified as the NTD subtype. Patients with NTD subtype presented a significantly higher number of NMS total scores (P = 0.007) and significantly higher score in the cognition domain of PDQ-39 (P = 0.021) than patients with TD subtype. Patients with NTD subtype had significantly higher NMS prevalence than patients with TD subtype with constipation (P = 0.021), incomplete bowel emptying (P = 0.050), anxiety (P = 0.030), daytime sleepiness (P = 0.017) and intense vivid dreams (P = 0.016). The predictors for the NTD subtype were intense vivid dreams (P = 0.012), anxiety (P = 0.030) and constipation (P = 0.044). The UPDRS, NMS total, and MMSE scores were the determinants of QOL in patients with PD (P 0.05).The NMS is a prominent manifestation of PD. Patients with the NTD subtype had a higher prevalence of NMS than those with the TD subtype and intense vivid dreams, anxiety and constipation were characteristic of the NTD subtype. NMS is one of the important factors that determine the QOL of patients with PD especially those with the NTD subtype.ZIELSETZUNG: Die Unterschiede der Charakteristika und die Auswirkung auf die Lebensqualität (QOL) von nichtmotorischen Symptomen (NMS) der tremordominanten (TD) und nichttremordominanten (NTD) Subtypen des M. Parkinson sollten untersucht sowie die charakteristischen NMS und Determinanten der QOL für die Subtypen beleuchtet werden.Diese Querschnittsstudie schloss 77 Patienten mit M. Parkinson ein. Der NMS-Fragebogen wurde verwendet, um die Bandbreite und Prävalenz von NMS zu erfassen. Die modifizierte Stadieneinteilung nach Hoehn und Yahr sowie die Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) wurden zur Beurteilung der Symptomschwere verwendet. Die kognitiven Fähigkeiten wurden mit dem Mini-Mental-Status-Test (MMSE) untersucht. Der emotionale Zustand wurde mit der Hamilton-Depressionsskala (HAMD) sowie der Hamilton-Angstskala (HAMA) beurteilt, und die Lebensqualität wurde mit dem Parkinson-Fragebogen-39 (PDQ-39) bewertet.Insgesamt wurden 39 (50,65%) Patienten als TD-Subtyp und 38 (49,35%) als NTD-Subtyp klassifiziert. Patienten mit dem NTD-Subtyp wiesen eine signifikant höhere Anzahl von NMS-Gesamtscores (P = 0,007) und einen signifikant höheren Score im Bereich Kognition des PDQ-39 (P = 0,021) auf als Patienten mit dem TD-Subtyp. Patienten mit dem NTD-Subtyp hatten eine signifikant höhere NMS-Prävalenz als Patienten mit dem TD-Subtyp mit Verstopfung (P = 0,021), unvollständiger Darmentleerung (P = 0,050), Angstzuständen (P = 0,030), Tagesschläfrigkeit (P = 0,017) und intensiven, lebhaften Träumen (P = 0,016). Die Prädiktoren für den NTD-Subtyp waren intensive lebhafte Träume (P = 0,012), Ängstlichkeit (P = 0,030) und Verstopfung (P = 0,044). Die UPDRS-, NMS-Gesamt- und MMSE-Scores waren die Determinanten der Lebensqualität bei Patienten mit M. Parkinson (P 0,05).Die NMS ist eine prominente Manifestation des M. Parkinson. Patienten mit dem NTD-Subtyp hatten eine höhere Prävalenz von NMS als Patienten mit dem TD-Subtyp. Intensive lebhafte Träume, Angstzustände und Verstopfung waren charakteristisch für den NTD-Subtyp. NMS ist einer der wichtigen Faktoren für die Lebensqualität von Patienten mit M. Parkinson, insbesondere bei Patienten mit dem NTD-Subtyp.

A lithium ion capacitor (LIC) is a hybrid energy storage device that combines the energy storage mechanism of lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors and presents their complementary features. However, imbalances of the capacity and kinetics between cathode and anode still remain challenges. Herein, to address the issue of low capacity in the cathode, we constructed a morning glory like porous material crimped from an opening sandwich structure consisting of a hard carbon inner layer and soft carbon outer layer, by coating graphene oxide containing flaky phenolic resin with coal tar pitch followed by carbonization and activation. Both the hard@soft carbon integrated design and the reduced graphene oxide network cocontributed to a favorable electrical conductivity and a developed microporosity. To deal with the sluggish kinetics limitation of the anode, a structure-optimized MnO@C electrode prepared by pore creation of CO2 from an MnCO3@polydopamine precursor was chosen due to its excellent rate performa...

Background Individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) display cognitive dysfunction. However, few studies have investigated how facial and musical emotion recognition are affected in individuals with PD. Objective To explore the relationship between facial and musical emotion recognition and executive functions in Chinese individuals with PD. Methods We showed 40 Chinese individuals with PD and 40 Chinese healthy controls 24 black-and-white portraits and 24 musical excerpts that were designed to express happiness, sadness, fear, and anger. Then, we used four tests to assess the participants' executive functions, including the Trail Making Test (TMT), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), semantic Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), and Digit Span Test (DST). Results The PD group showed significant impairment in recognizing anger from facial expressions, although their emotion recognition from musical excerpts was similar to that of the control group. Recognition of an angry face was significantly correlated to scores on the TMT and DST. Recognition of happy music was significantly correlated to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, whereas recognition of angry music was significantly correlated to musical knowledge background. Recognition of happy, sad, or angry music was significantly correlated to tests of executive function, whereas recognition of fearful music was not. Conclusions The PD group showed impaired recognition of angry faces, which may be related to executive dysfunction. However, the PD group did not show any difficulties in recognizing emotions in music. This dissociation indicates that the mechanisms underlying the recognition of emotions in faces and music are partly independent.

The development of efficient electrode catalysts is of great significance for the evolution of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this work, Fe, N, and S co-doped porous carbon nanosheets (Fe–N–S/C) are synthesized by high-temperature sulfuration from Fe and N co-doped carbon (Fe–N/C). Fe–N–S/C not only exhibits superior oxygen reduction activity than Pt/C (20%) with a half-wave potential of 0.86 V, but also exhibits remarkable biocompatibility while facilitating electron transfer between microorganism and electrode. Satisfactorily, the MFCs with Fe–N–S/C as the catalysts for both cathode and anode show outstanding performance with a maximum power density of 923 ± 21 mW m−2 and favorable durability after 30 days of operation. Furthermore, 16srDNA results confirm that Fe–N–S/C effectively promotes the growth of functional colonies in anode biofilms, leading to high-efficient electricity production. The development of bifunctional electrode materials in this study can improve the performance of MFCs and facilitate their practical application.

Objective: To study the effects of intensive hemoperfusion on the toxin clearance, target organ function and oxidative stress in patient with paraquat poisoning. Methods: A total of 56 patients with paraquat poisoning who were treated in the People’s Hospital of Hanchuan between November 2013 and January 2017 were reviewed and divided into the control group (n=30) and the intensive hemoperfusion group (n=26). Control group received conventional therapy, and intensive hemoperfusion group received conventional therapy combined with intensive hemoperfusion. The differences in paraquat clearance effect, target organ function and oxidative stress response were compared between the two groups. Results: Serum paraquat level in intensive hemoperfusion group was lower than that in control group, and the paraquat clearance rate was higher than that of control group. Serum pulmonary fibrosis indexes PⅠCP, CⅣ and HA levels in intensive hemoperfusion group were lower than those in control group; serum liver function indexes ALP, STB and ALT levels were lower than those in control group; serum oxidative stress index GSH-Px level was higher than that in control group whereas MDA level was lower than that in control group. Conclusion: Intensive hemoperfusion can significantly improve the paraquat clearance rate, protect the important organ function and suppress the systemic oxidative stress response in patient with paraquat poisoning.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been known to be involved in multiple diverse diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). The present study aims at exploring the biological role of lncRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in OA and the underlying mechanism. Results showed that the expression of PVT1 was upregulated in OA chondrocytes compared with normal chondrocytes, silencing PVT1 inhibited the apoptosis of OA chondrocytes, and overexpression of PVT1 promoted the apoptosis of normal chondrocytes. To further investigate the underlying mechanism, miR-488-3p was predicted to be a targeted microRNA of PVT1. Different methods, including MS2 RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), luciferase activity, and anti-AGO2 RIP, were performed to detect the interaction between PVT1 and miR-488-3p, which suggested that PVT1 negatively regulated miR-488-3p in OA chondrocytes. Moreover, PVT1 promoted the apoptosis of OA and normal chondrocytes through miR-488-3p. Collectively, this study revealed that lncRNA PVT1 regulated the apoptosis of chondrocytes by acting as a sponge for miR-488-3p in OA. PVT1 may be considered a new therapeutic target for the treatment of OA.

A screening tool can greatly facilitate the identification of individuals with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD). Currently, the REM sleep behaviour disorder screening questionnaire (RBDSQ) is widely used, but its diagnostic accuracy has varied across previous studies. The aim of the present study was to systematically assess the diagnostic performance of the RBDSQ. We comprehensively searched for studies that evaluated the diagnostic performance of the RBDSQ. A bivariate mixed-effects model was used to summarize the diagnostic accuracy of the RBDSQ. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the study design and the different populations included in the studies. Ten studies were included. Using a cutoff value of 5, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.91 (95% CI 0.85-0.95), 0.77 (95% CI 0.66-0.85), 4.00 (95% CI 2.60-6.10), 0.12 (95% CI 0.07-0.19), and 34 (95% CI 16-71), respectively. A subgroup analysis revealed that the RBDSQ had excellent diagnostic accuracy for RBD screening in the general population. However, its performance in specific patient populations, especially patients with Parkinson's disease, was less satisfactory. In conclusion, the RBDSQ is an effective diagnostic screening tool for RBD in the general population, but its performance in subjects with specific neurological disorders requires more comprehensive assessments.

Different Mn-substitution amounts of La0.8K0.2Co1-yMnyO3(y = 0–0.5)catalyst were prepared using the sol-gel method to study the effect of SO2 on the catalytic combustion of soot. The TPO results show that the La0.8K0.2Co0.7Mn0.3O3 catalyst has the best catalytic performance. After presulfurization (500 ppm SO2, 3 h, 300 °C), the catalytic performance weakens with higher Ti (310 °C) and Tm (386 °C), increasing by 34 °C and 31 °C. In this paper, the oxygen absorbed from the gas phase and further incorporation of oxygen atoms into a lattice classified as three kinds of oxygen species, O2−, O− and O2−. The results of XPS indicate that there are sulfates on the surface of the catalysts and the catalytic performance of catalysts presulfured weakens mainly due to the decrease of available oxygen source (O2− and O2−). However, the oxidation of soot is attributed to the reaction between soot and O2− in the surface active site of catalyst. Meanwhile, soot and SO2 may have a competitive relationship in reacting with O2−. These results have significance to research the relation of catalyst poisoning and active oxygen with the aim of improving the stability of perovskite-based catalyst.

An aging society exerts considerable influence on the health of the elderly. Studies indicate that regular physical activity can reduce the incidence of chronic diseases, promote senior citizens' mental health and cognitive functioning, and enhance quality of life. It shows decrease government expenditures on Medicare and welfare. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between perceived environment and a senior citizen's physical activity behavior intention. The study applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB) proposed by Ajzen (1991) to investigate senior citizens over the age of 65 in Taiwan. To distribute questionnaires, it uses the quota purposive sampling method. The study distributes 330 questionnaires and collects 326 valid questionnaires. Model verification of the data uses partial least squares (PLS) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (Fs/QCA). The results show that the model in this study has highly explanatory and has predictive power specificity. Environmental accessibility has significant influences on the physical activity behavior attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control of senior citizens. The results suggest that in Taiwanese communities there is either increase accessibility to exercise facilities or an increased number of facilities for the improvement of senior citizens' health.

The acceptance sampling plan and process capability index (PCI) are critical decision tools for quality control. Recently, numerous research papers have examined the acceptance sampling plan in combination with the PCI. However, most of these papers have not considered the aspect of rectifying inspections. In this paper, we propose a quality cost model of repetitive sampling to develop a rectifying acceptance sampling plan based on the one-sided PCI. This proposed model minimizes the total quality cost (TQC) of sentencing one lot, including inspection cost, internal failure cost, and external failure cost. In addition, sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the behavior of relevant parameters against TQC. To demonstrate the advantages of the proposed methodology, a comparison is implemented with the existing rectifying sampling plan in terms of TQC and average outgoing quality limit. This comparison reveals that our proposed methodology exhibits superior performance.

The paper tries to illustrate the huge changes which have happened in the country of the Northeast of China by following a foreign writer’s footsteps. In the book, The Manchuria, the writer tells what he has seen, what he has heard and what he has thought about in the northeastern part of China. The changes the country of Northeast China are becoming more and more prominent in many aspects. Some changes belong to many group and personal efforts, other changes deserve concern. Based on the book, The Manchuria, the paper studies them from the background of globalization for the warnings and some strategies that are to be figured out. China is going on the way to becoming a more powerful country and the countryside is going to play an important role in it. The tradition of China’s country is to mingle in the background of globalization with some original characteristics, preventing the countryside from being marginalized, the New Countryside with a Chinese characteristic is the best policy.

BackgroundThe study’s purpose was to examine the effectiveness of different reminder strategies on first-time free mammography screening among middle-aged women in Taiwan.MethodsA quasi-experimental design with random assignment was adopted to divide the participants into three Reminder Strategies groups (mail reminder, telephone reminder, and combined mail and telephone reminders) and one control group. This study recruited 240 eligible middle-aged women, and 205 of them completed the study. Upon the completion of data collection, mail reminders were provided to women of the first group; telephone reminders were provided to the second group; mail followed by telephone reminders were provided to the third group, and the usual postcards were provided to the control group 1 month after the interventions. Two follow-up assessments were conducted 1 and 3 months after the intervention to collect mammography-screening behaviors from all groups.ResultsThe findings showed that, compared to the control group, more participants in the intervention groups underwent mammography screening after receiving reminder interventions. Telephone contact as reminder was found to have the most significant influence among the interventions (OR = 5.0556; 95% CI = 2.0422–13.5722).ConclusionsGovernment and healthcare providers are recommended to consider adopting the telephone reminder strategy to encourage women to undergo their first-time mammography screening.

A practical and highly efficient azo-compound-mediated/ promoted radical cyanoalkylation of activated alkenes by copper catalysis was developed, which allowed for general synthesis of oxindoles bearing various nitrile moieties, especially the rarely reported 3° nitrile moiety via cascade radical addition/C(sp2)–H cyclization. This protocol demonstrates that DIAD served for a new promoter instead of usual Ag salts or bases in the C(sp3)–H functionalization of acetonitrile for the first time. The use of readily available AIBN and beyond as the radical sources, and inexpensive copper as the catalyst, as well as the simplicity of operation and handling, make this protocol an attractive access to therapeutically important cyano-substituted oxindoles.

A novel and practical DIAD-promoted oxidative cyanomethylation of alkenes with acetonitrile by copper catalysis was developed, in which oxindoles bearing a nitrile moiety at the 3-position were synthesized efficiently via dual C–H bond cleavage of an arene and acetonitrile. This protocol demonstrated that DIAD served as a new promoter instead of commonly encountered AgF or base for the Csp3–H functionalization of acetonitrile for the first time.

A practical copper-catalysed oxidative radical alkylarylation of activated alkenes using AIBN (azobisisobutyronitrile) and related reagents has been developed. This has allowed the general incorporation of nitrile moieties into oxindoles by a cascade addition/C(sp2)–H cyclization process. This protocol demonstrates for the first time that DIAD (diisopropyl azodicarboxylate) can act as a new activator for the C(sp3)–H functionalization of acetonitrile instead of the usual Ag salts. The use of an inexpensive copper salt as the catalyst, the general access to primary and tertiary nitriles, as well as the air- and moisture-tolerant reaction conditions make this protocol a highly attractive approach to cyano-containing oxindoles.

Tattoo removal is increasingly required as the number of, particularly young, people acquiring tattoos is increasing. A 21-year-old man is reported who underwent attempted removal of large dragon tattoo utilizing a tattoo machine that injected a phenol-containing solution. At the end of the 3-h procedure, he collapsed and died. At autopsy, large areas of white skin discoloration with focal necrosis and sloughing were present overlying areas of previous tattooing. Histological examination showed collections of eosinophilic fluid with a minimal chronic inflammatory infiltrate in better preserved areas, with focal areas of dermal necrosis. Toxicology was positive for phenol in cardiac blood and liver tissue. There were no underlying organic disease or injuries present which could have caused or contributed to death. This idiosyncratic method of tattoo removal involving subcutaneous injection of phenol had resulted in death most likely from cardiotoxicity.