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With the combination of the N -heterocyclic carbene-PdCl 2 -1-methylimidazole complex and Cu 2 O, we succeeded in the first example of double direct C-H bond arylation reactions between thiophenes and aryl chlorides, giving the desired 2,5-diarylated thiophenes in moderate to high yields under suitable conditions, consistent with the density functional theory calculations.

This study presents a Ni-photoredox method for indole N-arylation, broadening the range of substrates to include indoles with unprotected C3-positions and base-sensitive groups. Through detailed mechanistic inquiries, a Ni(I/III) mechanism was uncovered, distinct from those commonly proposed for Ni-catalyzed amine, thiol, and alcohol arylation, as well as from the Ni(0/II/III) cycle identified for amide arylation under almost identical conditions. The key finding is the formation of a Ni(I) intermediate bearing the indole nucleophile as a ligand prior to oxidative addition, which is rare for Ni-photoredox carbon-heteroatom coupling and has a profound impact on the reaction kinetics and scope. The pre-coordination of indole renders a more electron-rich Ni(I) intermediate, which broadens the scope by enabling fast reactivity even with challenging electron-rich aryl bromide substrates. Thus, this work highlights the often-overlooked influence of X-type ligands on Ni oxidative addition rates and illustrates yet another mechanistic divergence in Ni-photoredox C-heteroatom couplings., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Limited research exists regarding the effectiveness of electroencephalogram (EEG) neurofeedback training for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and co-occurring attention deficits (ADs), despite the increasing prevalence of these dual conditions. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining the impact of neurofeedback training on the attention levels of children with CP and AD., Methods: Nineteen children with both CP and co-occurring ADs were randomly assigned to either a neurofeedback or control group. The neurofeedback group received 20 sessions of training, lasting approximately 1 h per day, twice a week. Theta/beta ratios of the quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) recordings were measured pre-training and post-training in the resting state. The Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-3rd Version (TVPS-3) and the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) were measured at pre- and post-training., Results: The neurofeedback group showed both decreased theta/beta ratios compared with control group (p = 0.04) at post-training and a within-group improvement during training (p = 0.02). Additionally, the neurofeedback group had a trend of decreased omission rates of the CPT (p = 0.08) and the visual sequential memory and the visual closure subscores in the TVPS-3, compared with the control group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively)., Conclusions: The results suggested that children with CP and co-occurring AD may benefit from neurofeedback training in their attention level. Further research is needed to explore long-term effects and expand its application in this population., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have been shown to have altered neural gating of respiratory sensations (NGRS) using respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREP); however, corresponding neural oscillatory activities remain unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate altered NGRS in individuals with GAD using both time and time-frequency analysis. Nineteen individuals with GAD and 28 healthy controls were recruited. Paired inspiratory occlusions were delivered to elicit cortical neural activations measured from electroencephalography. The GAD group showed smaller N1 amplitudes to the first stimulus (S1), lower evoked gamma and larger evoked beta oscillations compared to controls. Both groups showed larger N1, P3, beta power and theta power in response to S1 compared to S2, suggesting a neural gating phenomenon. These findings suggest that N1, gamma and beta frequency oscillations may be indicators for altered respiratory sensation in GAD populations and that the N1, P3, beta and theta oscillations can reflect the neural gating of respiratory sensations., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neural gating of respiratory sensations (NGRS) characterises the brain's ability to filter out repetitive respiratory sensory stimuli. This mechanism plays a crucial role in the neural processing of respiratory stimuli. However, whether ageing affects NGRS in healthy adults is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to measure the effect of age on NGRS as well as the corresponding S1 and S2 components of the respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs)., Methods: Three age groups of healthy adults participated in this study: a young group (YG; age 20-39 years), a middle-aged group (MG; age 40-59 years) and an old group (OG; age ≥60 years). NGRS was measured by the RREPs in the electroencephalogram in response to short-paired respiratory occlusion stimuli (S1 and S2). The S2/S1 ratio of the RREP N1 amplitude (the negative deflection of the RREP at ∼85-135 ms) was used to characterise NGRS., Results: The results showed a significantly smaller N1 S2/S1 ratio in the YG than in the MG (p=0.01) and OG (p=0.03). Further analysis showed that the S1 N1 amplitude was larger for the YG compared with the MG (p=0.03) and OG (p=0.007). Moreover, age was significantly correlated with the N1 S2/S1 ratio (r=0.43), with higher age relating to higher N1 S2/S1 ratios., Conclusions: The greater N1 S2/S1 ratios observed in older adults suggest that ageing has a negative impact on the NGRS. This might contribute to increased experiences of respiratory sensations such as dyspnoea in ageing adults., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (Copyright ©The authors 2024.)