Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is a gasotransmitter that regulates cardiovascular functions. The present study aimed to examine the hypothesis that chronic treatment with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, an H(2)S donor) is able to prevent left-ventricular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Four-week-old SHR were treated with NaHS (10, 30, and 90 micromol x kg(-1) x day(-1)), a combination...

One of the most efficient methods (high yield, controlled stereochemistry, diverse functionality) to construct rings from smaller fragments is via cycloaddition reactions. The reverse reaction, namely splitting of a ring into smaller fragments is termed a cycloreversion reaction is also an important synthetic tool. (For example, in the present experiment it is the cracking of cyclopentadiene di...

The surface functionalization of conjugated polymers such as the poly(alkoxythiophenes) poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT) provides a potential means for systematically tailoring their physical properties. We previously reported the synthesis of an alkene-functionalized 3,4-propylenedioxy-thiophene (ProDOT) derivative that could be readily mo...

BACKGROUND Estrogen increases endothelium-dependent vasodilation in postmenopausal women. However, use of progestins in combination with estrogen may counter beneficial effects of estrogen on endothelium. We investigated the effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) on estrogen-induced increase in endothelium-dependent vasodilation in postmenopausal women. METHODS AND RESULTS Postmenopausal...

Acenes such as pentacene have been widely studied over the last decade because of their highly promising potential as organic semiconductors, and have found use in devices such as photovoltaics and field-effect transistors. Nonetheless, the locked s-cis diene units within acenes are an Achilles' heal, in that many acenes readily dimerize and react with oxygen. As a possible alternative, we have...

In the title compound, [Fe(C(5)H(5))(C(14)H(10)NO(3))], one cyclo-penta-diene ring is substituted and one is unsubstituted. The two rings are almost parallel and are eclipsed and ordered. The conjugated substituent is slightly twisted with respect to the cyclo-penta-diene ring. The crystal structure contains four inter-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonds in the range 3.324 (3)-3.539 (3) Å and one π(...

Ascorbate at concentrations of 60-100 microM inhibits the modification of freshly prepared low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by macrophages. With 'moderately oxidized' LDL (produced by prolonged storage in a refrigerator), however, ascorbate does not inhibit LDL modification by macrophages and actually modifies the LDL itself in the absence of macrophages [Stait and Leake (1994) FEBS Lett. 341, 263...