KGaA, Weinheim.BACKGROUND There is currently no concise systematic review or meta-analysis addressing cardio-metabolic risk factors in women experiencing infertility. OBJECTIVES To determine whether infertile women have higher levels of cardiovascular risk factors compared to fertile women. SEARCH STRATEGY We performed a systematic literature search using Pubmed, EMBASE and CINAHL, Scopus and additional manual and bibliographic searches for relevant articles (end search date of 6th November 2019). SELECTION CRITERIA We selected studies that compared cardio-metabolic risk factors between fertile and infertile women of reproductive age. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS At least two authors independently screened potentially eligible studies. MAIN RESULTS There was an increased presence of several cardio-metabolic risk factors in infertile women compared to fertile women. Infertile women had statistically significant higher BMI, increased TC, LDL-C, and TG compared to fertile women. Fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and MAP were not found to be different between fertile and infertile women. A subgroup analysis revealed that TC, HDL-C, fasting glucose and fasting insulin were increased only in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome compared to fertile women, while BMI, TG and LDL-C were statistically significantly increased in women with any indication of infertility compared to fertile women. CONCLUSIONS Infertile women have a higher level of cardio-metabolic risk factors compared to fertile women. This finding has clinical implications for infertile women in general, and those attempting to conceive through medically assisted reproduction. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Free radical mediated alkylation of alkenes is a challenging and largely unmet goal. Disclosed here is a conceptually novel "polarity umpolung" strategy for radical alkylation of alkenes using a portfolio of easily accessed, difunctional alkylating reagents. This strategy is achieved by substituting inherently nucleophilic alkyl radicals with electrophilic sulfone-bearing surrogates, thus inverting the usual mode of reactivity. Along with alkylation, either an heteroaryl or oximino group is concurrently incorporated into the alkenes by a consecutive docking and migration process, leading to valuable products. The reaction displays a broad functional-group tolerance under mild reaction conditions. The protocol opens new vistas for the late-stage modification of complex natural products and drug molecules containing alkene moieties. © 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.The toddler and preschool years are a time of significant development in both expressive and receptive communication abilities. However, little is known about the neurobiological underpinnings of language development during this period, likely due to difficulties acquiring functional neuroimaging data. Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a motion-tolerant neuroimaging technique that assesses cortical brain activity and can be used in very young children. Here, we use fNIRS during perception of communicative and non-communicative speech and gestures in typically developing 2- and 3-year-olds (Study 1, n=15, n=12 respectively) and in a sample of 2-year-olds with both fNIRS data collected at age 2 and language outcome data at age 3 (study 2, n=18). In Study 1, 2- and 3-year-olds differentiated between communicative and noncommunicative stimuli as well as between speech and gestures in the left lateral frontal region. However, 2-year-olds showed different patterns of activation from 3-year-olds in right medial frontal regions. In Study 2, which included two toddlers identified with early language delays along with 16 typically developing toddlers, neural differentiation of communicative stimuli in the right medial frontal region at age 2 predicted receptive language at age 3. Specifically, after accounting for variance related to verbal ability at age 2, increased neural activation for communicative gestures (versus both communicative speech and noncommunicative gestures) at age 2 predicted higher receptive language scores at age 3. These results are discussed in the context of the underlying mechanisms of toddler language development and use of fNIRS in prediction of language outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Miniaturization and acceleration of synthetic chemistry is an emerging area in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and materials research and development. Herein, we describe the synthesis of iminopyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid derivatives using chiral glutamine, oxo components, and isocyanide building blocks in an unprecedented Ugi-3-component reaction. We used I-DOT, a positive-pressure-based low-volume and non-contact dispensing technology to prepare more than 1000 different derivatives in a fully automated fashion. In general, the reaction is stereoselective, proceeds in good yields, and tolerates a wide variety of functional groups. We exemplify a pipeline of fast and efficient nanomole-scale scouting to millimole-scale synthesis for the discovery of a useful novel reaction with great scope. © 2020 The Authors.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/caspofungin-acetate.html  Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.Dermatophytes are the aetiological factors of a majority of superficial fungal infections. What distinguishes them from other pathogenic filamentous fungi is their unique ability to degrade keratin. The remarkable ability of this group of fungi to survive in different ecosystems results from their morphological and ecological diversity as well as high adaptability to changing environmental conditions. Paradoxically, despite the progress in medicine, the prevalence of dermatophyte infections is increasing from year to year. At the beginning of the third millennium, practical diagnostic and therapeutic options are still very limited. This review focuses on understanding the major problems in this aspect of dermatophyte infections and indicates future strategies and perspectives for novel approaches to identification and drugs for elimination of dermatophytes. Particular importance is placed on development of a strategy for a diagnostic pathway and implementation of rapid and reliable diagnostics methods designed by international teams.