3,4-Dimethoxybenzenepropanamine

Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome Affecting 3 Families.[Pubmed:28384775]

JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Jul 1;143(7):656-662.

Importance: Superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) is an increasingly recognized cause of hearing loss and vestibular symptoms, but the etiology of this condition remains unknown. Objective: To describe 7 cases of SCDS across 3 families. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective case series included 7 patients from 3 different families treated at a neurotology clinic at a tertiary academic medical center from 2010 to 2014. Patients were referred by other otolaryngologists or were self-referred. Each patient demonstrated unilateral or bilateral SCDS or near dehiscence. Interventions: Clinical evaluation involved body mass index calculation, audiometry, cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing, electrocochleography, and multiplanar computed tomographic (CT) scan of the temporal bones. Zygosity testing was performed on twin siblings. Main Outcomes and Measures: The diagnosis of SCDS was made if bone was absent over the superior semicircular canal on 2 consecutive CT images, in addition to 1 physiologic sign consistent with labyrinthine dehiscence. Near dehiscence was defined as absent bone on only 1 CT image but with symptoms and at least 1 physiologic sign of labyrinthine dehiscence. Results: A total of 7 patients (5 female and 2 male; age range, 8-49 years) from 3 families underwent evaluation. Family A consisted of 3 adult first-degree relatives, of whom 2 were diagnosed with SCDS and 1 with near dehiscence. Family B included a mother and her child, both of whom were diagnosed with unilateral SCDS. Family C consisted of adult monozygotic twins, each of whom was diagnosed with unilateral SCDS. For all cases, dehiscence was located at the arcuate eminence. Obesity alone did not explain the occurrence of SCDS because 5 of the 7 cases had a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) less than 30.0. Conclusions and Relevance: Superior canal dehiscence syndrome is a rare, often unrecognized condition. This report of 3 multiplex families with SCDS provides evidence in support of a potential genetic contribution to the etiology. Symptomatic first-degree relatives of patients diagnosed with SCDS should be offered evaluation to improve detection of this disorder.

Vitamin D reduces the inflammatory response by Porphyromonas gingivalis infection by modulating human beta-defensin-3 in human gingival epithelium and periodontal ligament cells.[Pubmed:28384529]

Int Immunopharmacol. 2017 Jun;47:106-117.

Periodontitis is a multifactorial polymicrobial infection characterized by a destructive inflammatory process. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a Gram-negative black-pigmented anaerobe, is a major pathogen in the initiation and progression of periodontitis; it produces several virulence factors that stimulate human gingival epithelium (HGE) cells and human periodontal ligament (HPL) cells to produce various inflammatory mediators. A variety of substances, such as vitamin D, have growth-inhibitory effects on some bacterial pathogens and have shown chemo-preventive and anti-inflammatory activity. We used a model with HGE and HPL cells infected with P. gingivalis to determine the influence of vitamin D on P. gingivalis growth and adhesion and the immunomodulatory effect on TNF-alpha, IL-8, IL-12 and human-beta-defensin 3 production. Our results demonstrated, firstly, the lack of any cytotoxic effect on the HGE and HPL cells when treated with vitamin D; in addition, vitamin D inhibited P. gingivalis adhesion and infectivity in HGE and HPL cells. Our study then showed that vitamin D reduced TNF-alpha, IL-8, IL-12 production in P. gingivalis-infected HGE and HPL cells. In contrast, a significant upregulation of the human-beta-defensin 3 expression in HGE and HPL cells induced by P. gingivalis was demonstrated. Our results indicate that vitamin D specifically enhances the production of the human-beta-defensin 3 antimicrobial peptide and exerts an inhibitory effect on the pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus suggesting that vitamin D may offer possible therapeutic applications for periodontitis.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling of 2-Hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3-dione analogues as inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase associated ribonuclease H and polymerase.[Pubmed:28384548]

Eur J Med Chem. 2017 Jun 16;133:85-96.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) associated ribonuclease H (RNase H) remains the only virally encoded enzymatic function not clinically validated as an antiviral target. 2-Hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3-dione (HID) is known to confer active site directed inhibition of divalent metal-dependent enzymatic functions, such as HIV RNase H, integrase (IN) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase. We report herein the synthesis and biochemical evaluation of a few C-5, C-6 or C-7 substituted HID subtypes as HIV RNase H inhibitors. Our data indicate that while some of these subtypes inhibited both the RNase H and polymerase (pol) functions of RT, potent and selective RNase H inhibition was achieved with subtypes 8-9 as exemplified with compounds 8c and 9c.