cis-{2,6-Bis[(di-tert-butyl-phosphan-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-hexyl-κ(3) P,C (1),P'}chloridopalladium(II).

The Pd(II) atom in the title compound, [Pd(C24H49P2)Cl], has a distorted square-planar CClP2 coordination geometry with the P,C,P'-tridentate ligand forming two five-membered metallacycles. The cyclo-hexane ring is aligned with the Pd(II) coordination plane due to C-H activation in an equatorial position, giving a tri-equatorial conformation of the cyclo-hexyl ring.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis, Crohn's disease and HLA-B27 in black South African women.

Crohn's disease is rare in South African black people and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is also rare in black patients with IBD, from South Africa. The presence of HLA-B27 is generally associated with seronegative spondylo-arthropathies and correlates with the occurrence of ankylosing spondylitis, recurrent mouth ulcers and uveitis, in patients with IBD. We describe two women with the combination of Crohn's disease, PSC and HLA-B27 from our cohort of the last 5 years of three black patients with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease, PSC and HLA-B27 respectively, occur rarely in black South Africans and their concurrent presence in two black women suggests a pathogenetic link of HLA-B27 between Crohn's disease and PSC in this population. Female gender might be an additional determinant in this setting.

Racemic tricarbon-yl(η-7-meth-oxy-flavan)chromium(0).

IN THE TITLE COMPOUND [SYSTEMATIC NAME: tricarbonyl(η(6)-7-methoxy-2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran)chromium(0)], [Cr(C(16)H(16)O(2))(CO)(3)], the Cr(CO)(3) unit is coordinated by the phenyl-ene ring of the flavan ligand, exhibiting a three-legged piano-stool conformation, with a point to plane distance of 1.750 (1) Å. The phenyl ring is twisted away from the fused ring system by 36.49 (5)° (r.m.s. deviation = 0.027 Å; fitted atoms are the C(6) ring and the attached fused-ring C and O atoms). The dihydro-pyran ring displays a distorted envelope configuration by displacement of the phenyl-bearing and the adjacent ring C atoms from the fused-ring system plane by 0.356 (2) and 0.402 (2) Å, respectively.

Racemic tricarbonyl[(4a,5,6,7,8,8a-η)-2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran]chromium(0).

The title compound, [Cr(C(15)H(14)O)(CO)(3)], displays a distorted envelope configuration of the dihydro-pyrane ring. The dihedral angle between the phenyl and phenyl-ene rings is 50.63 (4)°. The Cr(0) atom is coordinated by three CO groups and the phenyl-ene ring of the flavan ligand in an η(6) mode, with a common arene-to-metal distance.

Management of life-threatening haemoptysis in an area of high tuberculosis incidence.

BACKGROUND: Emergency admissions with life-threatening haemoptysis in an area of high tuberculosis (TB) incidence at the University of Stellenbosch and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, South Africa. It is unclear if lung resection is regularly indicated to prevent recurrence following bronchial artery embolisation (BAE). OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate risk factors for recurrence as selection criteria for surgery following embolisation: lack of complete cessation of haemoptysis, need for blood transfusion, presence of aspergilloma and absence of active TB. DESIGN: Prospective interventional study with 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Within a 7-month period, 101 consecutive patients were admitted. Seven were excluded and 12 died shortly after admission. Haemoptysis ceased on medical treatment alone within 24 h in 21 of the remaining 82 patients. Their 1-year mortality was 10%. Eleven of 61 patients referred for emergency embolisation died before discharge. Of the 50 patients remaining at risk of recurrence, 38 (76%) were at low risk and 12 (24%) at high risk. Five of these patients (10% of those at risk) underwent surgery. Patients at low risk and operated patients had an uneventful course over 1 year, but two deaths occurred among the seven inoperable patients at high risk. CONCLUSION: Lung resection surgery following successful BAE for life-threatening haemoptysis can safely be avoided in patients at low risk of recurrence.

Tricarbon-yl(η-4',7-dimethoxy-iso-flavone)chromium(0).

The metal atom of the Cr(CO)(3) unit of the title compound, [Cr(C(17)H(14)O(4))(CO)(3)], is coordinated to the methoxy-phenyl ring of the isoflavone ligand; the Cr(CO)(3) unit exhibits a three-legged piano-stool conformation. The aromatic ring of the methoxy-phenyl group is twisted by 42.49 (9)° with respect to the γ-pyrone ring. In the fused-ring, the dihedral angle between the phenyl-ene and γ-pyrone rings is 3.08 (13)°.

Tricarbon-yl(η-flavone)chromium(0).

In the title compound, [Cr(C(15)H(10)O(2))(CO)(3)], the Cr(CO)(3) unit exhibits a three-legged piano-stool conformation. The chromium metal centre is coordinated by the phenyl ring of the flavone ligand [Cr-(phenyl centroid) distance = 1.709 (1) Å]. The ligand is approximately planar, the dihedral angles between the γ-pyrone ring and the phenyl ring and between the γ-pyrone and the phenyl-ene ring being 2.91 (5) and 3.90 (5)°, respectively. The mol-ecular packing shows π-π stacking between the flavone ligands of neighbouring mol-ecules.

Tetra-kis(µ-2-methyl-benzoato)bis-[(2-methyl-benzoic acid)copper(II)].

In the title centrosymmetric dinuclear compound, [Cu(2)(C(8)H(7)O(2))(4)(C(8)H(8)O(2))(2)], four o-toluate anions form a cage around two Cu atoms in a syn-syn configuration. Two more o-toluic acid mol-ecules are apically bonded to the Cu atoms, which show a square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The acid H atoms are hydrogen bonded to the cage carboxyl O atoms [O⋯O = 2.660 (2) Å]. The mol-ecular packing forms a puckered pseudo-hexa-gonal close-packed layer in the (h00) plane, with soft inter-molecular H⋯H contacts (2.46-2.58 Å).

Tetra-kis(µ-4-ethyl-benzoato-κO:O')-bis-[(4-ethyl-benzoic acid-κO)copper(II)].

The molecule of the title compound, [Cu(2)(C(9)H(9)O(2))(4)(C(9)H(10)O(2))(2)], lies on a center of inversion. It consists of four bridging ethyl-benzoate ligands, forming a cage around two Cu atoms in a syn-syn configuration, and two monodentate ethyl-benzoic acid ligands bonded apically to the square-planar Cu atoms. The Cu⋯Cu distance is 2.6047 (5) Å.

Incidence of heat-labile enterotoxin-producing Escherichia coli detected by means of polymerase chain reaction amplification.

Diarrhoea can be caused by many different organisms, some of which are notoriously difficult to identify. One of these is enterotoxin-producing Escherichia coli. Recently a new diagnostic technique that uses polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification was developed for detection of the 'A' subunit of the labile enterotoxin-producing E. coli gene. This technique was used to evaluate the incidence of heat-labile (LT+) enterotoxin-producing E. coli in the causation of diarrhoea. The results from this study showed that LT+ E. coli is a cause of diarrhoea in the western Cape and that 5.3% of non-diagnosed diarrhoea patients in Tygerberg Hospital were infected with this pathogen. This represented less than 1% of the total number of cases of diarrhoea investigated in this hospital. The peak coincides with the wetter months in this locality and the infection rate is lower than that reported in most other countries. Given the low incidence of occurrence of this organism we do not recommend routine implementation of the diagnostic procedure. However, this test may be useful at times, e.g. to ascertain the source of a diarrhoea epidemic.