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Background: Rituximab (RTX) is being used for both induction and maintenance of anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) ‐associated vasculitis. However, the efficacy of RTX for the granulomatous findings of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) has not been demonstrated as clearly as its vasculitic manifestations. Case summary: A 46‐year‐old man was diagnosed in 2019 with GPA with constitutional symptoms, bilateral mastoiditis, prostatic necrosis, nodules in both lungs, pauci‐immune necrotizing glomerulonephritis and high level of PR3‐ANCA. He reached clinical remission after induction with high‐dose corticosteroids and intravenous cyclophosphamide pulses at the 3rd month. Two months following the second cycle of RTX as maintenance, he developed multiple cranial mass lesions, and excisional biopsy revealed necrotizing vasculitis with granuloma formation. Remission was achieved with long‐term high‐dose corticosteroid therapy after surgical excision. Conclusion: We observed a relapse of GPA with intracranial granulomatous lesions in a patient under RTX maintenance. Limited efficacy of RTX should be considered for mainly granulomatous manifestations in patients with GPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum dots (QDs) are significant fluorescent materials for energy transfer studies with phthalocyanines (Pcs) and phthalocyanine (Pc)‐like biomolecules (such as chlorophylls). Carbon‐based QDs, especially, have been used in numerous studies concerning energy transfer with chlorophylls, but the numbers of studies concerning energy transfer between phthalocyanines and carbon‐based QDs are limited. In this study, peripherally, hydroxythioethyl terminal group substituted metal‐free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) were noncovalently (electrostatic and/or π–π interaction) attached to carbon QDs containing boron and nitrogen to form QD‐Pc nanoconjugates. The QD‐Pc conjugates were characterized using different spectroscopic techniques (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy). The absorption and fluorescence properties of QD‐Pc structures in solution were studied. It was found that the quantum yields of the QDs slightly decreased from 30% to 25% upon doping the QDs with heteroatoms B and N. Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency was calculated as 33% for BCN‐QD/ZnPc. For the other conjugates, almost no energy transfer from QDs to Pc cores was observed. It was shown that the energy transfer between QDs to Pc cores was completely different from the energy transfer between QDs and photosynthetic pigments, and therefore we concluded that heteroatom doping in the QD structure and the existence of zinc metal in the phthalocyanine structure is obligatory for an efficient energy transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the contrary, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines induce the production of antibodies against only the spike protein, and anti-spike antibodies did not promote antibody-mediated enhancement by the infection of monocytes and macrophages. Keywords: autoimmunity; biodistribution; mRNA; nucleic acid-based vaccines; vaccine; viral infection EN autoimmunity biodistribution mRNA nucleic acid-based vaccines vaccine viral infection 1 3 3 11/29/22 20221201 NES 221201 We read with interest the letter by Polykretis,1 which summarized some basic immunological principles in relation to COVID-19 vaccines. Nucleic acid-based vaccines mimic the viral infection itself, but since these vaccines cannot replicate, the induction of viral protein synthesis by their nucleic acid sequence is limited in terms of duration and involved tissues. [Extracted from the article]

A novel photocatalyst, nano‐sized zinc and cobalt phthalocyanines (MPc), are anchored on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers in the presence or absence of TiO2 and the process was realized with an innovative solution blow spinning (SBS) method for the first time. Novel nanofiber composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy techniques. According to the SEM micrographs, the immobilization of nano‐Pcs on the surface of PAN nanofibers was uniform and does not involve agglomeration. The MPc/PAN composite yielded nearly complete degradation of methylene blue (MB) of a highly photocatalytic nature. It was also found that the presence of TiO2 on MPc/PAN composite have no effect on photodegradation of MB. Also, the recycling of new photocatalysts required as little change as possible owing to their macroscopic structure and their flexible nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the emergence of a novel coronavirus named SARS‐CoV‐2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) was initially characterized by fever, sore throat, cough, and dyspnea, mainly manifestations of respiratory system. However, other manifestations such as headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell were added to the clinical spectrum, during the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The reports on the neurological findings are increasing rapidly and headache seems to be the leader on the symptom list. Headache was reported in 11%‐34% of the hospitalized COVID‐19 patients, but clinical features of these headaches were totally missing in available publications. According to our initial experience, significant features of headache presentation in the symptomatic COVID‐19 patients were new‐onset, moderate‐severe, bilateral headache with pulsating or pressing quality in the temporoparietal, forehead or periorbital region. The most striking features of the headache were sudden to gradual onset and poor response to common analgesics, or high relapse rate, that was limited to the active phase of the COVID‐19. Symptomatic COVID‐19 patients, around 6%‐10%, also reported headache as a presenting symptom. The possible pathophysiological mechanisms of headache include activation of peripheral trigeminal nerve endings by the SARS‐CoV‐2 directly or through the vasculopathy and/or increased circulating pro‐inflammatory cytokines and hypoxia. We concluded that as a common non‐respiratory symptom of COVID‐19, headache should not be overlooked, and its characteristics should be recorded with scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells might one day play a vital role in realizing low‐cost and environmentally benign photovoltaic devices. In this work, a BHJ solar cell was designed, based on a hexadeca‐substituted phthalocyanine (FcPc) with ferrocenyl linked to the phthalocyanine ring. Next, we sought to obtain more quantitative information about the usability of this newly synthesized compound as a donor material in BHJ solar cells. Thus, BHJs with the structure of indium tin oxide/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/FcPc:[6,6]‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend/LiF/Al were fabricated and characterized. The effect of blend ratio (0.5–2.0) on the BHJ solar cell parameters was also investigated. Interesting results were obtained in FcPc and the PCBM blend‐based BHJ solar cell under optimized conditions. Our results presented here demonstrate that BHJ devices employing FcPc as a donor has great potential for the development of highly efficient non‐poly(3‐hexylthiophen‐2,5‐diyl) photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, we describe 3 cases of pentalogy of Cantrell diagnosed prenatally with sonography. All 3 fetuses had an omphalocele and ectopia cordis; 2 of them also had craniorachischisis, in which the open cranial defect (anencephaly or exencephaly) is continuous with the completely open spine (spinal dysraphism). The association of the pentalogy of Cantrell with exencephaly is rare, and to our knowledge, the association of this syndrome with craniorachischisis has not been reported previously. In addition, 2 of our cases had clubfoot, and 1 of them also had clubhand, neither of which has been reported previously in association with the pentalogy of Cantrell. Finally, polyhydramnios, which occurred in 2 of our cases, has been reported to occur in association with that syndrome in only 1 previous case. We believe that sonographers should be aware that these anomalies may occur simultaneously with the classic anomalies of the pentalogy of Cantrell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hexadeca‐substituted metal‐free and zinc(II) phthalocyanines carrying alkoxy substituents on non‐peripheral(α) and 4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl‐ethynyl groups on peripheral(β) positions have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The complexes show Q band beyond 800 nm. Zinc phthalocyanine forms an intermolecular zinc‐nitrogen coordination and self assembles to a chain‐like coordination polymer and the coordination chains stack together in an elongated honeycomb‐like fashion in the crystal lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two novel phthalonitrile derivatives were firstly prepared starting from 4-nitrophthalonitrile: substitution of the nitro group with 3-mercaptopropionic acid and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid gave two precursors, namely, 4-(carboxyethylsulphanyl) phthalonitrile and 4-(carboxyphenylsulphanyl)phthalonitrile. Zinc( ii), copper( ii) and cobalt( ii) metallophthalocyanines bearing four carboxylic acid groups on the periphery were prepared by cyclotetramerisation of the new precursors in the presence of the corresponding divalent metal salts. The new compounds were characterised by elemental analyses, infrared, ultraviolet-visible, mass and proton nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. All these newly synthesised water-soluble metallophthalocyanine derivatives were supported on cationic cotton fabrics in the presence of ammonia solution and sodium hydroxide and the dyeing effectiveness, levelness and fastness of these novel dyed fabrics were investigated. These novel dyed fabrics are considered to be useful in the textile industry and also in optical and catalytic applications, especially for air-purifying materials in air conditioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies the association of common Mediterranean fever (MEFV) variations with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a group of Turkish patients. The study covered 193 patients with AS and 103 matched healthy control subjects genotyped with four MEFV variations and HLA-B27 using genomic DNA. Associations of the variations with the patients' clinical laboratory features are analyzed. The results showed familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)-related MEFV variations are associated with AS and may contribute to AS pathogenesis.

A pyrazinedinitrile derivative carrying dimethylaminoethylsulphanyl groups at positions 5 and 6 was synthesised from 2-dimethylaminoethanethiol hydrochloride and 2,3-dicarbonitrile-5,6-dichloropyrazine. The dicarbonitrile gave magnesium azaphthalocyanine (MgAzaPc) when reacted with magnesium propoxide in propanol. The conversion of the MgAzaPc to a metal-free derivative was achieved by treatment with trifluoroacetic acid. Incorporation of transition metal ions into the inner core of azaphthalocyanine was accomplished by treatment of the metal-free derivative with metal acetates, i.e. Zn(OAc)2, Co(OAc)2. These azaphthalocyanines were converted into water-soluble quaternised products by reaction with methyl iodide. Aggregation phenomena were followed for magnesium azaphthalocyanine with quaternisable dimethylamino substituents within a specific range of pH. The compounds were characterised by Fourier transform–infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, mass and ultraviolet–visible spectral data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Al‐Ani et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15779 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15940 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, [Zn(C(32)H(40)N(8)S(8))], the Zn(II) ion is coordinated by four N atoms in a slightly distorted square-planar environment. In addition, there is a Zn⋯S contact involving a symmetry-related S atom which, when considered, forms a pseudo-square-pyramidal coordination with respect to the Zn(II) ion. Three of the ethyl groups are disordered over two sites with occupancy ratios of 0.841 (10):0.159 (10), 0.802 (10):0.198 (10) and 0.457 (13):0.543 (13). Weak intra-molecular C-H⋯N and C-H⋯S inter-actions contribute to the stability of the mol-ecular conformation. Inter-molecular C-H⋯S contacts, weak C-H⋯π inter-actions and π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-centriod distances = 3.832 (4) and 3.850 (5) Å] contribute to the stabilization of the crystal structure.

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is associated with more than 70 missense mutations in the MEFV gene. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) for the MEFV gene in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) obtained from patients with FMF during attacks of acute abdominal inflammation as well as during asymptomatic periods., Methods: We studied 16 patients with FMF during an attack of acute peritonitis and 17 otherwise healthy individuals who were undergoing surgery because of acute appendicitis. Blood samples were collected from both groups of patients during both acute inflammatory and asymptomatic periods. Relative levels of MEFV mRNA in PBLs were detected with real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using LightCycler, with 2 sets of primers for the MEFV gene (exons 7-10 and exons 2-3) and with primers for CIAS1 and PSTPIP1 genes. Expression levels were compared with beta(2)-microglobulin as an internal control., Results: MEFV expression was reduced in FMF patients during asymptomatic periods as compared with the non-FMF controls (P < 0.001). We observed a further decrease in MEFV expression in FMF patients during periods of inflammation (P = 0.01). Reduced levels of MEFV mRNA were also noted during the preoperative period as compared with asymptomatic periods in control patients with acute appendicitis (P = 0.01). CIAS1 expression in PBLs from patients with FMF was also found to be lower than that in the control patients. However, CIAS1 expression did not change with acute inflammation., Conclusion: This study confirmed that reduced expression of the MEFV gene is associated with inflammation and that it may be one of the pathogenic mechanisms of the attacks of inflammation in FMF patients, along with disease-associated variations in pyrin.

Objective: To investigate the effect of infliximab on the frequency of uveitis attacks and the visual prognosis in male patients with Behçet's disease in whom uveitis was resistant to combination therapy with corticosteroids, azathioprine, and cyclosporine., Methods: The study group comprised patients who were receiving combination therapy but experienced at least 2 attacks of posterior uveitis/panuveitis or retinal vasculitis during the 6-month period prior to enrollment. Infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg) were administered at weeks 0, 2, 6, and 14. Weeks 0-22 were defined as the infusion period, and weeks 23-54 were defined as the observation period. Patients continued to receive azathioprine and corticosteroids, but cyclosporine was discontinued after the screening visit. The primary outcome measures were the absence of uveitis attacks during the infusion period (remission), and the absence of uveitis attacks throughout the study period (sustained remission)., Results: Thirteen patients were enrolled in the study. Thirty-two uveitis attacks involving the posterior segment occurred during the previous-treatment period. During the infusion period, 4 patients (30.8%) remained attack-free, and 9 patients had a total of 13 uveitis attacks. Ten of these attacks (76.9%) occurred at either week 14 or week 22. One of 13 patients fulfilled the definition of sustained remission, and the remaining 12 patients had a total of 36 uveitis attacks during the observation period. The mean number of uveitis attacks and daily corticosteroid doses were significantly lower during the infusion period than during the previous-treatment period or the observation period. Although potential visual acuity was regained following infliximab infusion, this beneficial effect was not preserved until week 54. None of the patients experienced a serious adverse event., Conclusion: The results of this trial suggest that infliximab is effective in suppressing the occurrence of uveitis attacks, has a corticosteroid-sparing effect, and has favorable implications for the visual prognosis of patients with resistant Behçet's uveitis.

Objective: Behçet's disease is generally considered to be a multifactorial disease with important genetic and environmental components. A strong association between an HLA class I antigen, HLA-B51, and Behçet's disease has long been known. However, analysis of multicase families has suggested a substantial contribution of non-HLA loci. The aim of this study was to perform a whole-genome linkage analysis for identification of other susceptibility loci for Behçet's disease in multicase families., Methods: The study group comprised a total of 193 individuals (90 male, 103 female) from 28 multicase families of Turkish origin; 83 of the subjects (50 males, 33 females) fulfilled the International Study Group criteria for Behçet's disease. Three hundred ninety-five highly informative microsatellite markers spanning the genome were genotyped using fluorescent polymerase chain reaction primers and a fully automated electrophoresis platform. After the first analysis, 33 additional markers that were located close to the peak linkage areas were genotyped in all individuals. Nonparametric multipoint linkage analysis was carried out using GeneHunter version 2.1 software., Results: Evidence for linkage (P < or = 0.05) was obtained in 16 chromosome regions: 1p36, 4p15, 5q12, 5q23, 6p22-24, 6q16, 6q25-26, 7p21, 10q24, 12p12-13, 12q13, 16q12, 16q21-23, 17p13, 20q12-13, and Xq26-28. After the addition of further markers, the maximum nonparametric linkage score increased from 3.5 to 3.94 at 12p12-13 (D12S77; P = 0.0002) and from 3.07 to 3.70 at 6p22-24 (D6S285; P = 0.0005)., Conclusion: This study is the first systematic genome screen in Behçet's disease and provides evidence of linkage to several non-HLA susceptibility loci in a cohort of Turkish multicase families. This represents the first step toward the identification of novel Behçet's disease susceptibility genes.

Objective: In the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial (ELNT), 90 patients with lupus nephritis were randomly assigned to a high-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (IV CYC) regimen (6 monthly pulses and 2 quarterly pulses with escalating doses) or a low-dose IV CYC regimen (6 pulses of 500 mg given at intervals of 2 weeks), each of which was followed by azathioprine (AZA). After a median followup of 41 months, a difference in efficacy between the 2 regimens was not observed. The present analysis was undertaken to extend the followup and to identify prognostic factors., Methods: Renal function was prospectively assessed quarterly in all 90 patients except 5 who were lost to followup. Survival curves were derived using the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: After a median followup of 73 months, there was no significant difference in the cumulative probability of end-stage renal disease or doubling of the serum creatinine level in patients who received the low-dose IV CYC regimen versus those who received the high-dose regimen. At long-term followup, 18 patients (8 receiving low-dose and 10 receiving high-dose treatment) had developed permanent renal impairment and were classified as having poor long-term renal outcome. We demonstrated by multivariate analysis that early response to therapy at 6 months (defined as a decrease in serum creatinine level and proteinuria <1 g/24 hours) was the best predictor of good long-term renal outcome., Conclusion: Long-term followup of patients from the ELNT confirms that, in lupus nephritis, a remission-inducing regimen of low-dose IV CYC followed by AZA achieves clinical results comparable with those obtained with a high-dose regimen. Early response to therapy is predictive of good long-term renal outcome.

Objective: Glomerulonephritis is a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that is usually treated with an extended course of intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide (CYC). Given the side effects of this regimen, we evaluated the efficacy and the toxicity of a course of low-dose IV CYC prescribed as a remission-inducing treatment, followed by azathioprine (AZA) as a remission-maintaining treatment., Methods: In this multicenter, prospective clinical trial (the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial [ELNT]), we randomly assigned 90 SLE patients with proliferative glomerulonephritis to a high-dose IV CYC regimen (6 monthly pulses and 2 quarterly pulses; doses increased according to the white blood cell count nadir) or a low-dose IV CYC regimen (6 fortnightly pulses at a fixed dose of 500 mg), each of which was followed by AZA. Intent-to-treat analyses were performed., Results: Followup continued for a median of 41.3 months in the low-dose group and 41 months in the high-dose group. Sixteen percent of those in the low-dose group and 20% of those in the high-dose group experienced treatment failure (not statistically significant by Kaplan-Meier analysis). Levels of serum creatinine, albumin, C3, 24-hour urinary protein, and the disease activity scores significantly improved in both groups during the first year of followup. Renal remission was achieved in 71% of the low-dose group and 54% of the high-dose group (not statistically significant). Renal flares were noted in 27% of the low-dose group and 29% of the high-dose group. Although episodes of severe infection were more than twice as frequent in the high-dose group, the difference was not statistically significant., Conclusion: The data from the ELNT indicate that in European SLE patients with proliferative lupus nephritis, a remission-inducing regimen of low-dose IV CYC (cumulative dose 3 gm) followed by AZA achieves clinical results comparable to those obtained with a high-dose regimen.