Unexpected angiographic and visual findings after clipping of a carotid-ophthalmic aneurysm

A 56-year-old woman underwent surgery for a ruptured carotid-ophthalmic artery aneurysm. Intraoperative visual inspection confirmed that the ophthalmic artery was left intact. She had no light perception on the operated side right after surgery. Angiography one week after surgery confirmed exclusion of the aneurysm, no filling of the proximal portion of the ophthalmic artery, and a very faint filling of its distal orbital part. She gradually recovered from this deficit and 9 months after surgery she is capable of counting fingers. At this time angiography displayed filling of all the portions of the ophthalmic artery, absence of recruitment of collateral blood supply, and exclusion of the aneurysm as before. Surgical manipulation seems to either have induced vasospasm or thrombosis of the ophthalmic artery. Regression of vasospasm or secondary recanalization of the thrombus without development of collateral blood supply may account for the gradual improvement of vision. A risk of monocular blindness is associated with the surgical treatment of para-clinoid aneurysms. Nevertheless, when it occurs, a perspective of recovery may exist if certain etiologies are involved.

1D to 3D NMR study of microporous alumino-phosphate AlPO(4)-40

From one- to two- and three-dimensional MAS NMR solid-state experiments involving (31)P and (27)Al, we show that the structure of microporous alumino-phosphate AlPO(4)-40 contains at least four times more sites than expected, and we attribute two types of Al(IV) sites. The newly described (27)Al-(31)P MQ-HMQC opens new possibilities of describing details of three-dimensional bounded networks.

Topical Imiquimod Treatment of Lentigo Maligna

Lentigo maligna (LM) is the in situ phase of lentigo maligna melanoma, which may progress to invasive melanoma if left untreated. It mainly occurs on sun-exposed areas of elderly patients. The lesions can be large and conventional surgery can be difficult, particularly on the face. Recent reports indicate that topical imiquimod 5% cream is effective in the treatment of LM. It may be an alternative when surgery or other classical treatments are not possible in elderly patients. We describe an 80-year-old Caucasian woman with a 10-year history of a histologically verified extensive LM of the face. She was treated with imiquimod 5% cream once daily. After four months it showed complete clinical response. One year after the treatment the patient was still free from recurrence.

Glycine methyl ester hydrochloride

The title compound [systematic name: (methoxy­carbonyl­meth­yl)ammonium chloride], crystallizes as a salt, C₃H₈NO₂⁺·Cl⁻, with the charged species inter­acting mutually via strong and highly directional N⁺—H⋯Cl⁻ hydrogen bonds which lead to the formation of a supra­molecular tape running parallel to the c axis. Tapes close pack in the solid state mediated by multipoint recognition synthons based on weak C—H⋯O inter­actions and van der Waals contacts between adjacent methyl groups.

Molecule-like Eu3+-dimers embedded in an extended system exhibit unique photoluminescence properties

Much is known about the photoluminescence of lanthanide-containing systems, particularly amorphous silicates or organic-inorganic hybrids and crystalline metal-organic frameworks. Comparatively, stoichiometric microporous Ln-silicates are poorly studied. Here, we report the exceptional photoluminescence of microporous AV-24, K(7)[Ln(3)Si(12)O(32)] x xH(2)O (Ln(3+) = Sm(3+), Eu(3+), Gd(3+), Tb(3+)), the first silicate possessing Ln(3+)-O-Ln(3+) dimers (inter-Ln distance ca. 3.9 A), i.e., two edge-sharing {LnO(6)} octahedra embedded in a crystalline matrix. It is totally unprecedented that in AV-24 Eu(3+)-O-Eu(3+) dimers behave like discrete entities, i.e., molecules: they (i) have a unique emission signature, with pseudopoint group symmetry (C(i)), different from the symmetry (C(1)) of each individual constituent Eu(3+) ion, and (ii) exhibit the unusually long (5)D(0) lifetime of 10.29 ms (12 K). In accord with the experimental evidence, a molecular orbital model shows that the Eu(3+)-O-Eu(3+) dimers are energetically more stable than the individual metal ions.

Methyl 2-(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl-amino)acetate

The title compound, C(6)H(6)Cl(2)N(4)O(2), was prepared by the nucleophilic substitution of 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine by glycine methyl ester hydro-chloride, and was isolated from the reaction by using flash chromatography. The crystal structure at 150 K reveals the presence two crystallographically independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit which differ in the orientation of the pendant methoxy-carbonyl group. Each mol-ecular unit is engaged in strong and highly directional N-H⋯N hydrogen-bonding inter-actions with a symmetry-related mol-ecule, forming supra-molecular dimers which act as the synthons in the crystal packing.

High-resolution 1H homonuclear dipolar recoupling NMR spectra of biological solids at MAS rates up to 67 kHz

Two-dimensional (1)H homonuclear correlation NMR spectra of solids of biological interest have been recorded at high magnetic fields (14.1 and 18.8 T) and MAS rates up to 67 kHz, using RN(n)(nu) symmetry-based homonuclear recoupling and CRAMPS decoupling; this method affords exceptional spectral resolution and is well suited to probe (1)H-(1)H proximities in powdered solids.

Rye Bs disclose ancestral sequences in cereal genomes with a potential role in gametophyte chromatid segregation

Two sequence families, E3900 and D1100, are amplified on the subtelomeric domain of the long arm of rye B chromosomes, the region that controls its drive mechanism. In this work, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a number of primers spanning E3900 shows that the organization and nucleotide sequence of E3900-related portions are present and highly conserved on rye A chromosomes as well as in other cereals. Quantitative Real-Time PCR estimates two E3900 sequences to be represented in 100-150 copies on Bs and at least as single copies on As. A novel E3900-related sequence, with a deletion that results in a frameshift and subsequently an open reading frame with putative DNA binding motifs, is identified. Expression analysis of E3900 indicates identical transcription levels in leaves from plants with and without Bs, showing that the expression of these sequences must be silenced on Bs and tightly regulated on As in leaves. In contrast, E3900 transcription is upregulated during meiosis exclusively in plants with Bs, maintaining a high level of transcription in the gametophyte. Interestingly, Bs not only influence their own chromatid segregation but also that of the regular chromosome complement of both rye and wheat. There is a drastic increase in frequency of disrupted metaphase and anaphase cells in the first mitosis of pollen grains carrying Bs, which appears to be due to anomalous adherences between sister chromatids. Taken together, this work provides insight into how E3900 sequences are potentially associated with important evolutionary mechanisms involved in basic cellular processes.

Demonstration of serum albumin (ALB) polymorphism in wild rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, by means of isoelectric focusing

Genetic polymorphism of serum albumin was demonstrated by isoelectric focusing in wild rabbit populations from Portugal and England. Gene frequencies were estimated to be (1) ALB*1 = 0.47, ALB*2 = 0.49, ALB*3 = 0.04, in Portugal, and (2) ALB*1 = 0.60 and ALB*2 = 0.40, in England. One hundred Portuguese domestic rabbits of mixed breeds were all of ALB 1 type.