Atmosphere- and Solvent-Controlled Coupling and Acetylation of Phenols Induced by Visible Light.

A tunable coupling or acetylation of phenol derivatives with diacetyl was enabled through the switch of the atmosphere and solvent induced by visible light under metal-free conditions. Symmetric and asymmetric diphenols or binaphthols were obtained under oxygen in water or 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol, whereas phenol acetates were formed under argon in the presence of diacetyl and acetic acid. The possibility to control the chemo- and regioselectivities enriches the synthetic versatility of photoreactions.

Catalyst-free photo-reductions of aromatic olefins and carbonyl compounds.

We describe herein a catalyst-free, traditional reductant-free strategy for the direct photoinduced hydrogenation or deuteration of aromatic olefins, ketones, and aldehydes with simple bases as the only additives. A broad range of substrates were demonstrated with high yields and deuterium incorporations. Mechanistic experiments indicate a radical mechanism.

Clinical study on the feasibility of new thrombus markers in predicting massive cerebral infarction.

Objective: This study investigated the diagnostic performance of the thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-α2 plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), tissue plasminogen activator-plasminogen activator inhibitor complex (t-PAIC), and thrombomodulin (TM) in the early identification of massive cerebral infarction. Method: A total of 423 patients with cerebral infarction confirmed by imaging examination were divided into the massive cerebral infarction (MCI) group and the non-massive cerebral infarction (NMCI) group. TAT, PIC, t-PAIC, and TM were measured immediately after admission. The diagnostic performance was analyzed by the receiver characteristic operating curve (ROC). Result: The median plasma concentrations of TAT, PIC, and t-PAIC in patients with MCI at early onset were 5.10 ng/ml, 1.11 µg/ml, and 8.80 ng/ml, respectively, which were higher than those in patients with NMCI (2.20 ng/ml, 0.59 µg/ml, and 7.35 ng/ml), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). TAT was shown to be an independent risk factor for the development of massive cerebral infarction by a multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR = 1.138). A ROC curve analysis showed that PIC had the best performance in identifying MCI at an early stage (AUC = 82.8%), with a sensitivity of 80.7% and a specificity of 76.2% when the PIC concentration was ≥0.8 µg/ml; TAT had the highest specificity in identifying MCI, with a specificity of 80.6% when the TAT concentration was ≥3.97 ng/ml. Conclusion: The detection of PIC, TAT, t-PAIC, and TM is a comprehensive assessment of vascular endothelial damage and activation of the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems and has diagnostic value for early identification of patients with MCI, which, together with its ease of detection, can be used as a plasma marker for early identification of large vessel occlusion.

Cloning, in vitro expression, and bioactivity of interleukin-18 isolated from a domestic porcine breed found in Henan.

To evaluate the effects of recombinant porcine interleukin-18 (rpIL-18) on the replication of viruses in host cells and proliferation of lymphocytes, porcine IL-18 (pIL-18) isolated from a domestic big-white porcine breed found in the Henan province (HN) was cloned using a reverse transcriptase-PCR. The cloned HN pIL-18 contained an ORF of 579 base pairs encoding a 192-amino-acid precursor protein. The amino acid sequence of HN pIL-18 was compared with all the other pIL-18 amino acid sequences and varied by at least one amino acid to the consensus of all the others available. HN pIL-18 mature protein gene was inserted into a prokaryotic vector pGEX-4T-1 and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The expression of glutathione-S-transferase-pIL18 fusion protein was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis. The rpIL-18 induced in vitro proliferation of concanavalin-A-stimulated porcine splenocytes, as revealed by the MTT assay. We studied the antiviral activities of the rpIL-18 on the replication of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), and porcine parvovirus (PPV) cultured in two homologous cell lines. The results suggested that rpIL-18 can stimulate the proliferation of lymphocytes and inhibit viral pathogens infecting the porcine population.