Synthesis, stereochemistry and biological activity of some novel long alkyl chain substituted thiazolidin-4-ones and thiazan-4-one from 10-undecenoic acid hydrazide.

The synthesis of four novel compounds, (i) [(11-{[2-(3-nitrophenyl)-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl]amino}-11-oxoundecyl)sulfanyl]acetic acid (4), (ii) N-[5-methyl-2-(3-nitrophenyl)-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl]undec-10-enamide (5), (iii) 2-[(11-{[5-methyl-2-(3-nitrophenyl)-4-oxo-1,3-thiazolidin-3-yl]amino}-11-oxoundecyl)sulfanyl]propanoic acid (6) and (iv) 3-[(11-{[2-(3-nitrophenyl)-4-oxo-1,3-thiazinan-3-yl]amino}-11-oxoundecenyl) sulfanyl]propanoic acid (8) from 10-undecenoic acid hydrazide (1) via m-nitrobenzaldehyde-10-undecenohydrazone (2) using mercaptoacetic acid in (i), 2-mercaptopropionic acid in (ii and iii) and 3-mercaptopropionic acid in (iv) is described. The uncyclized products, ({11-[(2E)-2-(3-nitrobenzylidene)hydrazino]-11-oxo-undecyl}sulfanyl)acetic acid (3) and 3-({11-[(2E)-2-(3-nitrobenzylidene)hydrazino]-11-oxoundecyl}sulfanyl)propanoic acid (7) are also obtained in (i) and (iv), respectively. The hydrazones (2), (3) and (7) exist in two conformers as synperiplanar and antiperiplanar. Structural assignment, stereochemistry and biological assays are discussed.

Curative hepatorenal transplantation in systemic amyloidosis caused by the Glu526Val fibrinogen alpha-chain variant in an English family.

A 53-year-old English woman who had been thought to have systemic monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis was investigated further because of her unusually long 17-year history and a suggestion of renal disease in the family. She was found to have the Glu526Val fibrinogen alpha-chain variant that causes autosomal dominant hereditary systemic amyloidosis. This has not previously been described in a British family. The mutant gene was associated with the same haplotype as in all other reported cases, suggesting a common founder. The patient had already received a renal transplant, but the graft failed within 6 years due to amyloid deposition. Progressive hepatic amyloidosis eventually caused liver failure, although the function of other organs was well preserved. She therefore received hepatic and renal transplants to replace the failed organs and the hepatic source of the amyloidogenic variant fibrinogen. Three years later she is completely well and has no amyloid deposits identifiable by serum amyloid P component scintigraphy. This is the first detailed report of hepatic transplantation for liver failure caused by amyloidosis of any type. The substantial follow-up suggests that fibrinogen alpha-chain amyloidosis is one of the inherited metabolic diseases that can be cured by liver transplantation. The mutation underlying Glu526Val fibrinogen alpha-chain amyloidosis is incompletely penetrant and has a variable phenotype that can clinically mimic AL amyloidosis. Hereditary fibrinogen amyloidosis may be more prevalent than previously suspected and, since AL amyloid is sometimes a diagnosis of exclusion, genotyping for other amyloidogenic proteins is mandatory in all cases in which the amyloid fibrils cannot be positively identified as AL.

Retaining ethnic minority nursing students (REMNS): a multidimensional approach.

The under-representation of minority nurses in the nation is of critical concern for nurse educators. The high attrition rate of minority nursing students, on a local and national level, has not been effectively addressed. Project REMNS (Retaining Ethnic Minority Nursing Students), an innovative, comprehensive project, was designed to increase the retention of minority nursing students at Prairie View A&M University. Pre-clinical nursing students were provided strategies to improve critical thinking, stress management, and reading comprehension skills. This was accomplished by the development and implementation of content relevant computer modules on stress management, nutrition, and critical thinking. Implementation of Project REMNS resulted in an increased number of pre-nursing students admitted and retained in the nursing program.

The development and utilization of a computerized student database.

A computerized student database can provide a comprehensive system for encoding, maintaining, and interpreting student data. This paper describes the development of a student data base at Prairie View University College of Nursing and explores possible uses of the data once collected.

The Nurse Entrance Test (NET): an early predictor of academic success.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a relationship exists between beginning nursing students' Nurse Entrance Test (NET) scores and their academic success within the first year of professional study. The major goal is to identify predictors of academic success so that supportive academic strategies could be implemented for the at-risk student. A statistically significant relationship is found between NET reading comprehension, math and composite scores and nursing grades during the first semester. Test-taking skills, social stressors and learning styles were also significantly related to course performance. Successful students had significantly higher reading, math, and composite scores and lower family and social stress scores than unsuccessful students. NET scores were also predictive of nursing grades, accounting for 10-33% of the variance when entered into a multiple regression equation.