One‐way endobronchial valves (EBV) insertion to reduce pulmonary air trapping has been used as therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, local inflammation may result and can contribute to worsening of clinical status in these patients. We hypothesized that combined EBV insertion and intrabronchial administration of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) would decrease the inflammatory process, thus mitigating EBV complications in severe COPD patients. This initial study sought to investigate the safety of this approach. For this purpose, a phase I, prospective, patient‐blinded, randomized, placebo‐controlled design was used. Heterogeneous advanced emphysema (Global Initiative for Chronic Lung Disease [GOLD] III or IV) patients randomly received either allogeneic bone marrow‐derived MSCs (108 cells, EBV+MSC) or 0.9% saline solution (EBV) (n = 5 per group), bronchoscopically, just before insertion of one‐way EBVs. Patients were evaluated 1, 7, 30, and 90 days after therapy. All patients completed the study protocol and 90‐day follow‐up. MSC delivery did not result in acute administration‐related toxicity, serious adverse events, or death. No significant between‐group differences were observed in overall number of adverse events, frequency of COPD exacerbations, or worsening of disease. Additionally, there were no significant differences in blood tests, lung function, or radiological outcomes. However, quality‐of‐life indicators were higher in EBV + MSC compared with EBV. EBV + MSC patients presented decreased levels of circulating C‐reactive protein at 30 and 90 days, as well as BODE (Body mass index, airway Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise index) and MMRC (Modified Medical Research Council) scores. Thus, combined use of EBV and MSCs appears to be safe in patients with severe COPD, providing a basis for subsequent investigations using MSCs as concomitant therapy. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:962–969

New anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs are urgently needed to battle drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and to shorten the current 6–12-month treatment regimen. In this work, we have continued the efforts to develop chalcone-based anti-TB compounds by using an in silico design and QSAR-driven approach. Initially, we developed SAR rules and binary QSAR models using literature data for targeted design of new chalcone-like compounds with anti-TB activity. Using these models, we prioritized 33 compounds for synthesis and biological evaluation. As a result, 10 chalcones-like compounds (4, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17–20, and 23) were found to exhibit nanomolar activity against replicating micobacteria, low micromolar activity against nonreplicating bacteria, and nanomolar and micromolar against rifampin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH) monoresistant strains (rRMP and rINH) (<1 µM and <10 µM, respectively). The series also show low activity against commensal bacteria and generally show good selectivity toward M. tuberculosis, with very low cytotoxicity against Vero cells (SI = 11–545). Our results suggest that our designed chalcone-like compounds, due to their high potency and selectivity, are promising anti-TB agents.

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Beta‐parvalbumins from different fish species have been identified as the main elicitors of IgE‐mediated reactions in fish‐allergic individuals. Here, we report for the first time the NMR determination of the structure and dynamics of the major Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) allergen Gad m 1 and compare them with other known parvalbumins. Although the Gad m 1 structure and accessibility of putative IgE epitopes are similar to parvalbumins in mackerel and carp, the charge distribution at the putative epitopes is different. The determination of the Gad m 1 structure contributes to a better understanding of cross‐reactivity among fish parvalbumins. In addition, the high‐pressure NMR and temperature variation experiments revealed the important contribution of the AB motif and other regions to the protein folding. This structural information could assist the future identification of hot spots for targeted mutations to develop hypoallergenic Ca2+‐free forms for potential use in immunotherapy. Proteins 2014; 82:3032–3042. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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The interest for novel chalcone-based materials in nonlinear optics is dependent on strong second harmonic generation in organic systems.

This study reports a simple, reusable, and recoverable niobium-based heterogeneous catalysts for Biginelli multicomponent reactions. Different methods of catalysts preparation were investigated. For this purpose, HY-340 (Nb 2 O 5 • nH 2 O) and Nb 2 O 5 were chemically and/or thermally treated and investigated as catalysts for dihydropyrimidinones (DHPMs) production. The catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed desorption of NH 3 , adsorption/desorption of N 2 at −196 °C, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The characterization results showed that niobium oxides have the potential to be used as catalysts because of high crystallinity and large surface area. Among the tested catalysts, Nb 2 O 5 chemically treated (Nb 2 O 5 /T) showed the best catalytic performance. In the absence of solvents, 94% yield of DHPMs was achieved. Also, Nb 2 O 5 /T can be reused three times without a significant yield decrease. Additionally, a feasible reaction pathway was suggested based on the Knoevenagel mechanism for DHPM synthesis using niobium-based catalysts.

This paper presents an extensive study of a new neolignane analogue using experimental and theoretical approach and brings highlights in solid state characterization and electronic properties.