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Vanillin (4-hydoxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) is the main component of the extract of vanilla bean. The natural vanilla scent is a mixture of approximately 200 different odorant compounds in addition to vanillin. The natural extraction of vanillin (from the orchid Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla tahitiensis and Vanilla pompon) represents only 1% of the worldwide production and since this process is expensive and very long, the rest of the production of vanillin is synthesized. Many biotechnological approaches can be used for the synthesis of vanillin from lignin, phenolic stilbenes, isoeugenol, eugenol, guaicol, etc., with the disadvantage of harming the environment since these processes use strong oxidizing agents and toxic solvents. Thus, eco-friendly alternatives on the production of vanillin are very desirable and thus, under current investigation. Porous coordination polymers (PCPs) are a new class of highly crystalline materials that recently have been used for catalysis. HKUST-1 (Cu3(BTC)2(H2O)3, BTC = 1,3,5-benzene-tricarboxylate) is a very well known PCP which has been extensively studied as a heterogeneous catalyst. Here, we report a synthetic strategy for the production of vanillin by the oxidation of trans-ferulic acid using HKUST-1 as a catalyst.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C31H45BrO5·CH2Cl2, prepared in six steps from diosgenin, confirmed that the configurations of the stereogenic centers, positions 20S and 25R, remain unchanged during the reaction. The six-membered A, B and C rings have chair conformations. The five-membered ring D has an envelope conformation (with the methyl-substituted C atom fused to ring C as the flap) and the six-membered dihydro-pyran ring E adopts a twist-boat conformation. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, the latter involving the dichloro-methane solvent mol-ecule, forming a three-dimensional supra-molecular network.

A new family of polyanionic poly(alkyl aryl-ether) metallodendrimers decorated with four and eight cobaltabisdicarbollide units have been obtained in high yield by the ring-opening reaction of cyclic oxonium [3,3'-Co(8-(C(2)H(4)O)(2)-1,2-C(2)B(9)H(10))(1',2'-C(2)B(9)H(11))] with alkoxides formed by deprotonation of terminal alcohols in the α,α'-bis[3,5-bis(hydroxymehyl)phenoxy]-p-xylene, α,α'-bis[3,5-bis(hydroxymehyl)phenoxy]-m-xylene, α,α'-bis[3,5-bis-[3,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)phenoxy]methylen]phenoxy]-p-xylene, and α,α,'-bis[3,5-bis-[3,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)phenoxy]methylen]phenoxy]-m-xylene dendrimers. The crystal structure of the precursor α,α'-bis[3,5-bis(chloromethyl)phenoxy]-p-xylene is also described. Final products are fully characterized by FTIR, NMR, UV-vis spectroscopies and elemental analysis. For metallodendrimers, the UV-vis absorptions have been a good tool for estimating the experimental number of cobaltabisdicarbollide units peripherally attached to the dendrimeric structure and consequently to corroborate the complete functionalization of the dendrimers.

A detailed analysis of the course of the reaction of steroid sapogenins with NaNO(2) and BF(3).Et(2)O in acetic acid is presented and some evidences on the involved mechanism are provided. Two new products of the studied reaction were isolated and unambiguously characterized with the aid of NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction.

It's well known that physical growth and intellectual activity is influenced by nutritional status. With the purpose of evaluate the fasting effects on the cognitive functions, anthropometric state and cognitive functions (logic and school work performance), under fasting and post-breakfast condition were assessed in a group of 68 school children age 9 and 10 years, who studied in a private school (1998-1999). Logic reasoning was measured with Raven test and attention, precision, velocity and fatigue with the Lepez test. The main of the children (80%) were well-nourished and 20% had showed overweight. At breakfast condition all subjects were over 50 percentil for Raven test. Consumption of breakfast influence on logic reasoning (p < 0.001) and school work performance (p < 0.01). It is concluded that in these well nourished children, breakfast consumption improved cognitive performance.

A total of 249 persons living in the northwest part of Ecuador with a clinical diagnosis of malaria confirmed by thick blood films were treated with chloroquine and primaquine according to the therapeutical system in force in the National Service for Eradication of Malaria. New clinical assessment and thick blood film were applied after 4 days in P. falciparum (n = 120) cases and after 8 days in P. vivax (n = 129) cases; patients were questioned about the compliance or non-compliance with the treatment, and the reasons for their acting in either way were studied. EPI-INFO 6.04 and SPSS PC 7.0 packages served to process the information: "kind adjustment test" (bondad de ajuste) abd factorial analysis of correspondences were used. The patient who daily took his/her pills for the number of days indicated, at the established intervals and at the right time was defined as a patient complying with the drug therapy. For every 3 patients complying with treatment, there were 2 who did not; non-compliance was not significantly related to age, sex, educational level, ethnic group, urban or rural setting or level of income, but learning about seriousness of the infection did help to compliance with the therapy. The reasons for non-compliance were mainly associated with drugs (side effects/reluctancy to take drugs), with the fact of forgetting to take them and of "getting cured quickly". The profile of the patient who did not comply with treatment corresponded to male, teenager, mixed race, poor and rural setting.

Previous studies have suggested that increased dietary calcium is associated with a decreased occurrence of pregnancy-induced hypertension. In this study 106 young healthy nulliparous women, residing in Quito, Ecuador, were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. From 24 weeks gestation until delivery they received either 2 g of elemental calcium per day or a placebo. Calcium supplementation was associated with a significantly decreased risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension, with 4.1% developing pregnancy-induced hypertension in the treatment group versus 27.9% in the placebo group. Treatment was associated with a decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over the course of pregnancy. In addition, there was a small but significant increase in serum ionized calcium levels in the calcium-supplemented group during the treatment period.