Chemistry

Certain bacteria, such as the Pseudomonas family produce a range of cyclic lipodepsipeptides (CLPs),
which have a range of antimicrobial activities. Previously it was determined that these molecules are selfassembling
into supramolecular structures in non-polar solvents such as chloroform. If this occurs in the cell
membrane, it could be related to their anti-bacterial behavior. In this study the structure of viscosin and other
CLP’s produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 and their self-assembling properties in chloroform
are analyzed.

Carbohydrates are found in almost every food source, yet they are much more. In medicinal chemistry, polysaccharides are often analyzed. In this work, a fast and easy applicable method is proposed based on the TOCSY matching approach (Gheysen et al.). The TOCSY matching approach is expanded with automatic processing and a qualitative comparison method. This is tested on a monosaccharide mixture, honey and capillary polysaccharides.

Carbohydrates are found in almost every food source, yet they are much more. In medicinal chemistry, polysaccharides are often analyzed. In this work, a fast and easy applicable method is proposed based on the TOCSY matching approach (Gheysen et al.). The TOCSY matching approach is expanded with automatic processing and a qualitative comparison method. This is tested on a monosaccharide mixture, honey and capillary polysaccharides.

Process discovery has seen a rise in popularity in the last decade for both researchers and businesses. Recent developments mainly focused on the power and the functionalities of the discovery algorithm. While continuous improvement of these functional aspects is very important, non-functional aspects such as visualization and usability are often overlooked. However, these aspects are considered valuable for end-users and play an important part in the experience of these end-users when working with a process discovery tool. A questionnaire has been sent out to give end-users the opportunity to voice their opinion on available process discovery tools and about the state of process discovery as a domain in general. The results of 66 respondents are presented and compared with the answers of 63 respondents that were contacted through one particular software vendor's employee and customer base (i.e., Celonis).

The development and application of a continuous flow method for the rapid determination of inorganic and organic phosphorus in waters is proposed. The flow-injection (FI) system includes a simple ultraviolet photoreactor for the on-line photodegradation of organophosphorus compounds in the presence of peroxydisulphate, and an external decomposition unit for hydrolysing condensed phosphates with 0.5 mol l −1 hydrochloric acid. The fluorimetrically monitored product is thiochrome, which is formed by the oxidation of thiamine by phosphomolybdic acid. The FI configuration designed allows two injections to be performed for each sample; the first, without irradiation, corresponds to inorganic phosphorus and the second, with irradiation, total phosphorus (inorganic plus organic). Calibration graphs are linear up to 350 ng P ml −1 and the detection limit is 0.3 ng P ml −1. The results obtained with this FI system were in good agreement with those obtained by a batch spectrophotometric method [1].

Objective: This study compared once-daily dexmethylphenidate extended release (D-MPH-ER) 20 mg/day and placebo over 12 hours in children ages 6 to 12 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a laboratory classroom setting. Method: All of the children were stabilized for Q2 weeks on a total dose (nearest equivalent) MPH 40 mg/day or immediaterelease D-MPH 20 mg/day before screening. After a practice day, they received 6 days of D-MPH-ER 20 mg/day or placebo at home, returning on day 7 for one dose. Subjects were evaluated at predose and postdose hours 0.5,

Objective: Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a severe iatrogenic complication of treatment with antipsychotic medication. The purpose of this report is to examine the published cases of NMS in children and adolescents receiving atypical antipsychotic medication and review early warning symptoms, risk factors, and treatment in this population. Method: An extensive review of the literature from 1990 to 2008 was conducted via computerized searches (PubMed and Ovid) to identify case reports. Descriptive statistics were employed to describe our findings. Results: There were 23 episodes in 20 subjects, with ages ranging from 11 to 18 years. Increased creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was the most common finding (100%), followed by fever (78%), tachycardia (74%), rigidity (70%), and altered mental status (61%). The number of NMS symptoms ranged from 1 to 11 (mean 4.7 AE 2.4) and positive laboratory findings ranged from 1 to 4 (2.2 AE 1). The duration of NMS (mean 6.1 AE 6.4 days) was one third of the duration associated with typical antipsychotics. Patients treated with bromocriptine had a shorter duration of illness, whereas the same was not true for those receiving dantrolene. In all cases, the NMS symptoms eventually resolved and there were no reported deaths or permanent sequelae. Conclusions: NMS is a serious condition. Symptom presentation related to atypical agents differs from that seen with older antipsychotic medications.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of two long-acting formulations of methylphenidate (MPH) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-age children. Methods: Children 6-12 years of age diagnosed with ADHD and stabilized on MPH (20-40 mg/day) participated in a five-way, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind, crossover study conducted in a laboratory classroom setting. Children alternately received single doses of extended-release MPH (ER-MPH) 20 and 40 mg, modified-release MPH (OROS-MPH) 18 and 36 mg, and placebo over 6 consecutive weeks. Efficacy was assessed using SKAMP rating subscales and written math tests. Data were examined using between-treatment comparisons of area under the curve (AUC) for change from predose values during hours 0-4, 0-8, 8-12, and 0-12. Safety was assessed. Results: Fifty-three children completed the study. For all efficacy measures, improvements from predose were significantly greater with ER-MPH 40 mg than with OROS-MPH 36 mg in terms of AUC 0-4 (p Յ 0.005), AUC 0-8 (p Յ 0.006), and AUC 0-12 (p Յ 0.035). For most measures, ER-MPH 20 mg was equivalent to both doses of OROS-MPH in AUC 0-4 , AUC 0-8 , and AUC 0-12. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: The efficacy of ER-MPH 20 mg is similar to that of OROS-MPH 18 and 36 mg during the first 8 hours postdose. Statistically greater benefits are observed with ER-MPH 40 mg than with OROS-MPH 36 mg and persist through hour 8. Active treatments show comparable efficacy from 8 to 12 hours postdose. Both doses of each MPH formulation are well tolerated.