Synthesis, structure, and electrochemical properties of a family of 2-(arylazo)phenolate complexes of ruthenium with unusual C-C coupling and N=Ncleavage

Reaction of 2-(4'-R-phenylazo)-4-methylphenols (R = OCH3, CH3, H, Cl, and NO2) with [Ru(dmso)(4)Cl-2] affords a family of five ruthenium(III) complexes, containing a 2-(arylazo)phenolate ligand forming a six-membered chelate ring and a tetradentate ligand formed from two 2-(arylazo) phenols via an unusual C-C coupling linki.ng the two ortho carbons of the phenyl rings in the arylazo fragment. A similar reaction with 2-(2'-methylphenylazo)-4-methylphenol with [Ru(dmso)(4)Cl-2] has afforded a similar complex, in which one 2-(2'-methylphenylazo)-4-methylphenolate ligand is coordinated forming a six-membered chelate ring, and the other two ligands have undergone the C-C coupling reaction, and the coupled species is coordinated as a tetradentate ligand forming a five-membered N,O-chelate ring, a nine-membered N,N-chelate ring, and another five-membered chelate ring. Reaction of 2-(2',6'-dimethylphenylazo)-4-methylphenol with [Ru(dmso)(4)Cl-2] has afforded a complex in which two 2-(2',6'-dimethylphenylazo)-4-methylphenols are coordinated as bidentate N,O-donors forming five- and six-membered chelate rings, while the third one has undergone cleavage across the N=N bond, and the phenolate fragment, thus generated, remains coordinated to the metal center in the iminosemiquinonate form. Structures of four selected complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The first six complexes are one-electron paramagnetic and show rhombic ESR spectra. The last complex is diamagnetic and shows characteristic H-1 NMR signals. All the complexes show intense charge-transfer transitions in the visible region and a Ru(III)-Ru(IV) oxidation on the positive side of SCE and a Ru(III)-Ru(II) reduction on the negative side.

Syk and Src family kinases regulate C-type lectin receptor 2 (CLEC-2)-mediated clustering of podoplanin and platelet adhesion to lymphatic endothelial cells

The interaction of C-type lectin receptor 2 (CLEC-2) on platelets with Podoplanin on lymphatic endothelial cells initiates platelet signaling events that are necessary for prevention of blood-lymph mixing during development. In the present study, we show that CLEC-2 signaling via Src family and Syk tyrosine kinases promotes platelet adhesion to primary mouse lymphatic endothelial cells at low shear. Using supported lipid bilayers containing mobile Podoplanin, we further show that activation of Src and Syk in platelets promotes clustering of CLEC-2 and Podoplanin. Clusters of CLEC-2-bound Podoplanin migrate rapidly to the center of the platelet to form a single structure. Fluorescence lifetime imaging demonstrates that molecules within these clusters are within 10 nm of one another and that the clusters are disrupted by inhibition of Src and Syk family kinases. CLEC-2 clusters are also seen in platelets adhered to immobilized Podoplanin using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy. These findings provide mechanistic insight by which CLEC-2 signaling promotes adhesion to Podoplanin and regulation of Podoplanin signaling, thereby contributing to lymphatic vasculature development.

MODY 2: Mutation identification and molecular ancestry in a Brazilian family

Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) is a heterogeneous group of genetic diseases characterized by a primary defect in insulin secretion and hyperglycemia, non-ketotic disease, monogenic autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, age at onset less than 25. years, and lack of auto-antibodies. It accounts for 2-5% of all cases of non-type 1 diabetes. MODY subtype 2 is caused by mutations in the glucokinase (GCK) gene. In this study, we sequenced the GCK gene of two volunteers with clinical diagnosis for MODY2 and we were able to identify four mutations including one for a premature stop codon (c.76C>T). Based on these results, we have developed a specific PCR-RFLP assay to detect this mutation and tested 122 related volunteers from the same family. This mutation in the GCK gene was detected in 21 additional subjects who also had the clinical features of this genetic disease. In conclusion, we identified new GCK gene mutations in a Brazilian family of Italian descendance, with one due to a premature stop codon located in the second exon of the gene. We also developed a specific assay that is fast, cheap and reliable to detect this mutation. Finally, we built a molecular ancestry model based on our results for the migration of individuals carrying this genetic mutation from Northern Italy to Brazil. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Magnetocrystalline interactions and oxidation state determination of Mn(2-x)V(1+x)O4 (x=0, 1/3 and 1) magnetorresistive spinel family

Oxidation states of transition metal cations in spinels-type oxides are sometimes extremely difficult to determine by conventional spectroscopic methods. One of the most complex cases occurs when there are different cations, each one with several possible oxidation states, as in the case of the magnetoresistant Mn(2-x)V(1+x)O4 (x=0, 1/3 and 1) spinel-type family. In this contribution we describe the determination of the oxidation state of manganese and vanadium in Mn(2-x)V(1+x)O4 (x=0, 1/3,1) spinel-type compounds by analyzing XANES and high-resolution K beta X-ray fluorescence spectra. The ionic models found are Mn22+V4+O4, Mn5/32+V4/33.5+O4 and Mn2+V23+O4. Combination of the present results with previous data provided a reliable cation distribution model. For these spinels, single magnetic electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) lines are observed at 480 K showing the interaction among the different magnetic ions. The analysis of the EPR parameters show that g-values and relative intensities are highly influenced by the concentration and the high-spin state of Mn2+. EPR broadening linewidth is explained in terms of the bottleneck effect, which is due to the presence of the fast relaxing V3+ ion instead of the weak Mn2+ (S state) coupled to the lattice. The EPR results, at high temperature, are well explained assuming the oxidation states of the magnetic ions obtained by the other spectroscopic techniques. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

2013 Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar: Youth at Risk, Part 2

The youth of Massachusetts are of primary concern to legislators and citizens. This briefing report features three essays by experts — Fern Johnson, Deborah Frank, and Donna Haig Friedman — who focus on three aspects of children in need: children in foster care who need adoption, children who are hungry, and children who are homeless. Each report has further and more detailed suggestions for helping these children in need; below is a summary of the problems we face.

Fructose overconsumption causes dyslipidemia and ectopic lipid deposition in healthy subjects with and without a family history of type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Both nutritional and genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the effects of fructose, a potent stimulator of hepatic de novo lipogenesis, on intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCLs) and insulin sensitivity in healthy offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes (OffT2D)--a subgroup of individuals prone to metabolic disorders. DESIGN: Sixteen male OffT2D and 8 control subjects were studied in a crossover design after either a 7-d isocaloric diet or a hypercaloric high-fructose diet (3.5 g x kg FFM(-1) x d(-1), +35% energy intake). Hepatic and whole-body insulin sensitivity were assessed with a 2-step hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (0.3 and 1.0 mU x kg(-1) x min(-1)), together with 6,6-[2H2]glucose. IHCLs and intramyocellular lipids (IMCLs) were measured by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. RESULTS: The OffT2D group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher IHCLs (+94%), total triacylglycerols (+35%), and lower whole-body insulin sensitivity (-27%) than did the control group. The high-fructose diet significantly increased IHCLs (control: +76%; OffT2D: +79%), IMCLs (control: +47%; OffT2D: +24%), VLDL-triacylglycerols (control: +51%; OffT2D: +110%), and fasting hepatic glucose output (control: +4%; OffT2D: +5%). Furthermore, the effects of fructose on VLDL-triacylglycerols were higher in the OffT2D group (group x diet interaction: P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A 7-d high-fructose diet increased ectopic lipid deposition in liver and muscle and fasting VLDL-triacylglycerols and decreased hepatic insulin sensitivity. Fructose-induced alterations in VLDL-triacylglycerols appeared to be of greater magnitude in the OffT2D group, which suggests that these individuals may be more prone to developing dyslipidemia when challenged by high fructose intakes. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00523562.

Family Preservation Journal, 1999, Volume 4, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: Behavior Problems of Maltreated Children Receiving In-Home Child Welfare Services. Ferol Mennen, William Meezan, Gino Aisenberg, and Jacquelyn McCroskey Measuring Consumer Satisfaction in Family Preservation Services: Identifying Instrument Domains. Stephen A. Kapp and Rebecca H Vela Intensive In-Home Family-Based Services: Reactions from Consumers and Providers Elaine Walton, and Alfred C. Dodini Coordination of Family Preservation Services in a Rural Community: A Case Study. Richard Freer and Kathleen Wells The Effectiveness of Court Mandated Intervention Versus Voluntary Services in Child Protective Services: Abbreviated Version. Loring Jones, Irene Becker, and Krista F alk

Family Preservation Journal, 1997, Volume 2, Issue 1. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: What's Working in Family-Based Services?--or, What's Left to Believe in During a Time of Such Doubt? Roger Friedman The Family Preservation Philosophy and Therapy With Lesbian Clients. Pamela de Santa Parenting Pioneers and Parenting Teams: Strengthening Extended Family Ties in Family Support Programs. Susan Whitelaw Downs Conceptual Bases of the Planning Process in Family Preservation/Family Support State Plans. June Lloyd

Family Preservation Journal, 1997, Volume 2, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: A Model for Family Preservation Case Assessment. Kam-fong Monit Cheung, Patrick Leung and Sharon Alpert Behavioral Outcomes of Home-Based Services for Children and Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disorders. Edwin Morris, Lourdes Suarez, John C. Reid A Multi-Faceted, Intensive Family Preservation Program Evaluation. Michael Raschick Targeting Families to Receive Intensive Family Preservation Services: Assessing the Use of Imminent Risk of Placement as a Service Criterion. Elaine Walton and Ramona W. Denby

Family Preservation Journal, 1998, Volume 3, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: Getting to Know You: Psychoeducational Groups to Counter Social Isolation of Neglectful Mothers. Marianne Berry Intensive Family Preservation in Children's Mental Health: Predictors of Placement. Cathryn C. Potter An Innovative Family Preservation Program in an African American Community: Longitudinal Analysis. Patricia Ciliberti Chipping Away at the Monolith: Dispelling the Myth of Father Noninvolvement in Children's Early Literacy Development. Robert W. Ortiz

Family Preservation Journal, 2001, Volume 5, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: What is Family Preservation and Why Does it Matter? J McCroskey Family Preservation Research: Where We've Been, Where We Should Be Going. Jane Yoo and William Meezan Safety of lntensive In-Home Family Workers. Gwendolyn D. Perry-Burney Family Preservation Services to At-Risk Families: A Macro Case Study. Charles A. Sallee and Alvin L. Sallee

T-cell reprogramming through targeted CD4-coreceptor and T-cell receptor expression on maturing thymocytes by latent Circoviridae family member porcine circovirus type 2 cell infections in the thymus

Although porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-associated diseases have been evaluated for known immune evasion strategies, the pathogenicity of these viruses remained concealed for decades. Surprisingly, the same viruses that cause panzootics in livestock are widespread in young, unaffected animals. Recently, evidence has emerged that circovirus-like viruses are also linked to complex diseases in humans, including children. We detected PCV2 genome-carrying cells in fetal pig thymi. To elucidate virus pathogenicity, we developed a new pig infection model by in vivo transfection of recombinant PCV2 and the immunosuppressant cofactor cyclosporine A. Using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization, we found evidence that PCV2 dictates positive and negative selection of maturing T cells in the thymus. We show for the first time that PCV2-infected cells reside at the corticomedullary junction of the thymus. In diseased animals, we found polyclonal deletion of single positive cells (SPs) that may result from a loss of major histocompatibility complex class-II expression at the corticomedullary junction. The percentage of PCV2 antigen-presenting cells correlated with the degree of viremia and, in turn, the severity of the defect in thymocyte maturation. Moreover, the reversed T-cell receptor/CD4-coreceptor expression dichotomy on thymocytes at the CD4(+)CD8(interm) and CD4SP cell stage is viremia-dependent, resulting in a specific hypo-responsiveness of T-helper cells. We compare our results with the only other better-studied member of Circoviridae, chicken anemia virus. Our data show that PCV2 infection leads to thymocyte selection dysregulation, adding a valuable dimension to our understanding of virus pathogenicity.

Family Preservation Journal, 2002, Volume 6, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: Applying the Strengths Perspective to Increase Safety and Well-Being: Views from Families and Providers. Diane DePanfilis, Joshua Okundaye, Esta Glazer-Semmel, Lisa Kelly, and Joy Swanson Ernst Changing Tides and Changing Focus: Mapping the Challenges and Successes of One State's Implementation Of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Scottye J. Cash, Scott D. Ryan, and Alison Glover Promising Practices to Engage Families and Support Family Preservation. Marianne Berry Implementing Intensive Family Preservation Services: A Case of lnfidelity. Raymond S. Kirk, Kellie Reed-Ashcrafi, and Peter J. Pecora Supporting Families through Short-Term Foster Care: An Essay Review. Anthony Maluccio Failed Child Welfare Policy: An Essay Review. Anthony Maluccio