Efficient Synthesis of Novel Biginelli and Hantzsch Products Sourced from Biorenewable Furfurals Using Gluconic Acid Aqueous Solution as the Green Organocatalyst.

The Biginelli reaction provides 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones (DHPMs), whereas the Hantzsch reaction leads to 1,4-dihydropyridines (DHPs) by the one-pot, multicomponent, and operationally simple transformations starting from readily available starting materials. DHPMs and DHPs are well-established heterocyclic moieties in the synthetic organic chemistry literature and have pronounced pharmacological activities. This work reports the synthesis of novel DHPMs and DHPs from carbohydrate-derived 5-substituted-2-furaldehydes by employing gluconic acid aqueous solution (GAAS) as an efficient, inexpensive, and eco-friendly catalyst. The use of urea (or thiourea) as the reagent led to DHPMs, whereas ammonium acetate produced DHPs, selectively, keeping the other two starting materials (i.e., furfurals and ethyl acetoacetate) and the reaction parameters unaltered. Using the general synthetic protocol under optimized reaction conditions (60 °C, 3-6 h, 25 mol % GAAS cat.), all the DHPM and DHP derivatives were obtained in good to excellent isolated yields.

Pulmonary Sequestration Mimicking Symptoms of Ischemic Heart Disease.

Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital abnormality characterized by the presence of a nonfunctional lobe of the lung being separated in both blood flow and function from the rest of the lung. The condition may go unrecognized on prenatal imaging and present during adolescence and young adulthood with cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, and recurrent pneumonia. However, some patients may remain asymptomatic until later adulthood and be diagnosed based on incidental imaging findings. Surgical resection is the recommended treatment for this condition, although controversy exists regarding its use in asymptomatic patients and adults. In this case report, we present a case of a 66-year-old man who presented with progressively worsening dyspnea on exertion and atypical chest pain and underwent an ischemic workup to rule out coronary artery disease. The extensive diagnostic evaluation led to the diagnosis of nonobstructive coronary artery disease and left-sided pulmonary sequestration. The patient subsequently underwent surgical resection of the left lower pulmonary lobe, resulting in a significant improvement in symptoms.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Structured Educational Program on Improving the Knowledge of COVID-19 Among the Vaccine-Reluctant Population in a Block of Jharkhand, India.

Background Low vaccination uptake is a major public health concern and is more prevalent in rural areas. Educational interventions have been proposed as an effective strategy to increase vaccine acceptance. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of an educational program on acquiring knowledge for promoting vaccination uptake among a sample of participants. Methodology This study was conducted in a rural area in the state of Jharkhand, India. The study period was from July 2022 to September 2022. The area was surveyed for COVID-19 vaccination and a total of 510 people did not take any dose or took only the first dose and then skipped the second dose. An educational program was designed in the local language. The knowledge of the sample was assessed before and after a week of intervention with a surveyor-administered questionnaire. The vaccination status before and after the intervention was also recorded. We used the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and binomial test for comparing the categorical variables. Results A total of 178 participants' data were analyzed. The majority of the participants were in the age group of 18-25 years. The pre-intervention score regarding the knowledge of COVID-19 and vaccination was 18.93 ± 5.10 which significantly increased after the intervention to 25.06 ± 4.35 (p <0.0001). The number of individuals receiving vaccination significantly increased. Before the program, 95 participants did not take the vaccine and 83 received the first dose and did not take the second dose. After the program, 17 participants did not take the vaccine, 161 completed the first dose, and 112 completed the second dose (p <0.0001). Conclusions The educational program was successful in improving knowledge and awareness about vaccination, leading to an increase in the number of individuals receiving vaccination. These findings suggest the importance of educational interventions in the local language in promoting vaccination uptake and can be used to design effective public health campaigns to increase vaccine acceptance.