HOG1 has an essential role in the stress response, virulence and pathogenicity of Cryptococcus gattii.

Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) is a lethal pathogen that causes the majority of cryptococcosis cases in previously healthy individuals. This pathogen poses an increasing threat to global public health, but the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis have remained to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the role of high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG)1 in the stress reaction and virulence control of C. gattii was characterized by deleting the HOG1 gene using the clinical isolate strain CZ2012, and finally, the virulence and pathogenic traits of the deletion strain were defined. Deletion of the HOG1 gene resulted in notable growth defects under stress conditions (high salt and antifungal drugs), but different traits were observed under oxidative stress conditions (hydrogen peroxide). Similarly, the C. gattii hog1Δ strains (deletion of HOG1) also displayed decreased capsule production and melanin synthesis. Furthermore, mice infected with the hog1Δ strain had longer survival times than those infected with the wild-type strain and the reconstituted strain. The hog1Δ strain recovered from infected organs exhibited significant growth defects in terms of decreased colony count and size. The present results suggested that HOG1 has a significant role in the virulence of C. gattii and these results may help to elucidate the pathogenesis of C. gattii.

Efficacy of two different dosages of levofloxacin in curing Helicobacter pylori infection: A Prospective, Single-Center, randomized clinical trial.

Bismuth + proton pump inhibitor (PPI) + amoxicillin + levofloxacin is one of the bismuth quadruple therapy regimens widely used for the eradication of H. pylori infection. The recommended dosage of levofloxacin is 500 mg once daily or 200 mg twice daily to eradicate H. pylori infection. The aim of the present open-label, randomized control trial was to compare the effectiveness, safety, and compliance of different dosages of levofloxacin used to cure Helicobacter pylori infection. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive esomeprazole, amoxicillin, colloidal bismuth pectin and levofloxacin 500 mg once/day (group A) or levofloxacin 200 mg twice/day (group B) for 14 days. The primary outcome was the eradication rates in the intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) analyses. Overall, 400 patients were enrolled. The eradication rates in group A and group B were 77.5% and 79.5% respectively, in the ITT analysis, and 82.9% and 86.4%, respectively, in the PP analysis. No significant differences were found between two groups in terms of eradication rate, adverse effects or compliance. Oral levofloxacin 200 mg twice daily was similar in efficacy for eradicating H. pylori infection to oral levofloxacin 500 mg once daily but with lower mean total costs.

Total Synthesis of Gelsedilam by Means of a Thiol-Mediated Diastereoselective Conjugate Addition-Aldol Reaction.

The total synthesis of gelsedilam, which features a highly diastereoselective thiol conjugate addition-intramolecular aldol reaction to install the strained and caged [3.2.2] bridged ring system and highly efficient NiCl2 /NaBH4 -mediated four-step transformation in one-pot to construct its five-membered lactam ring is reported. The synthesis requires only 18 linear steps from the known compounds, providing useful strategies for the construction of the intricate ring system in the synthesis of related gelsedine-type alkaloids.

Asymmetric α-amination of 3-substituted oxindoles using chiral bifunctional phosphine catalysts.

A highly enantioselective α-amination of 3-substituted oxindoles with azodicarboxylates catalyzed by amino acids-derived chiral phosphine catalysts is reported. The corresponding products containing a tetrasubstituted carbon center attached to a nitrogen atom at the C-3 position of the oxindole were obtained in high yields and with up to 98% ee.

Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Formal [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Aziridines with 3-Substituted Indoles: Synthesis of Enantioenriched Pyrroloindolines.

A Pd-catalyzed enantiospecific formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition between chiral aziridines and indoles has been developed. With this method, chiral pyrroloindolines in enantiomerically pure forms were constructed in high yields and diastereoselectivities under mild conditions.

Asymmetric Robinson-type annulation reaction between ß-ketoamides and α,ß-unsaturated ketones.

Enantioselective Robinson-type annulation reaction between ß-ketoamide and α,ß-unsaturated ketone was developed by utilizing the amino acid derived primary-secondary diamine catalysts. The less reactive acyclic ß-ketoamides employed as both electrophile and nucleophile are reported in this asymmetric tandem reaction. A number of chiral cyclohexenone derivatives containing an amide group were obtained in high yields and good selectivities.