Enantiomerically pure cis-and trans-5-alkyl-l-benzoyl-2-(tert-butyl)-~~-methylimidazolidin-4-ones (1, 2, 11, 15, 16) and trans-2-(terf-butyl)-3-methyl-5-phenylimidazolidin-4-one (20). readily available from (S)-alanine, (S)-valine, (S)-methionine, and (R)-phenylglycine are deprotonated to chiral enolates (cf. 3, 4, 12, 21). Diastereoselective alkylation of these enolates to 5,5-dialkyl-or 5-alkyl-5-arylimidazolidinones (5, 6, 9, 10, 13a-d, 17, 18, 22) and hydrolysis give a-alkyl-a-amino acids such as (R)and (S)-a-methyldopa (7 and 8a, resp.), (S)-amethylvaline (14) and (R)-a-methyl-methionine (19). The configuration of the products is proved by chemical correlation and by NOE 'H-NMR measurements (see 23, 24). In the overall process, a simple, enantiomerically pure a-amino acid can be a-alkylated with retention or with inversion of configuration through pivalaldehyde acetal derivatives. Since no chiral auxiliary is required, the process is coined 'self-reproduction of a center of chirality'. The method is compared with other a-alkylations of amino acids occurring without racemization. The importance of enantiomerically pure, a-branched a-amino acids as synthetic intermediates and for the preparation of bio~ogicdl~y active compounds is discussed.In [l], we have shown that simple amino acids such as (S)-alanine, (S)-valine, (R)-phenylglycine, (S)-phenylalanine, and (S)-methionine can be converted selectively to imidazolidinones such as 1 and 2 of either cis-or trans-configuration. We now show that these imidazolidinones are deprotonated to synthetically useful chiral enolates.A) Reactions of the Chiral Imidazolidinone Enolates with Electrophiles. -As a first example, the preparation of ( R ) -or (S)-a -methyldopa ( =I 2-amino-2-methyl-3-(3,4-di-hydroxypheny1)propionic acid) from (S)-alanine is described (Scheme I). Solutions of the imidazolidinones (1 or 2) in THF were treated at dry-ice temperature with a slight excess of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA). Bright orange-red-colored solutions of the enantiomeric enolates (3, 4) were formed, which were combined with 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl bromide. Rapid decolorization indicated the progress of the alkylation step furnishing the enantiomeric 5,5-disubstituted imidazolidinones (5, 6, ca. 60 YO). We did not detect more than one diastereoisomer by HPLC of the crude products. Within experimental error, the two isomers 5 and 6 had identical physical properties such as melting points, IR, and NMR spectra, but an opposite sense of specific rotation.The heterocyclic ring and the phenolic methyl-ether groups of the enantiomer 6 were cleaved by heating for 4 hours in 6~ HC1 at 180" in a sealed tube. Isolation of the a-methyldopa thus produced caused considerable problems due to the known [2a] sen-') 2,Part of the projected Ph. D. theses of J.

Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibody seroprevalence rates and antibody levels related to age and gender were studied. The samples (n ‫؍‬ 742) were collected during a nonepidemic period and analyzed by quantitative enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). Seroprevalence to C. pneumoniae was found to increase sharply in young children, and in the 15-to 19-year-old group it reached levels as high as 70 and 60% for IgG and IgA, respectively. After adolescence, seroprevalence showed a transient decrease and then continued to increase, although less dramatically than in early childhood. In the elderly the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies reached 75 and 100% in women and men, respectively. The corresponding rates of IgA antibodies were 73 and 100%. When a randomly selected subgroup of samples (n ‫؍‬ 66) was analyzed in parallel by a microimmunofluorescence test and an EIA for C. pneumoniae IgA antibodies, similar seroprevalence rates were obtained (36 versus 35%). Seroprevalence to M. pneumoniae was already found to increase very sharply in 2-to 4-year-old children, reaching 16% for IgG and 8% for IgA. Seroprevalence to M. pneumoniae also continued to increase in adolescence, but in contrast to that to C. pneumoniae, the increase leveled off at about 40 to 50% in adulthood. In subjects aged over 65 years, prevalence did not exceed 60% for IgG or 35% for IgA. The seroprevalence patterns as well as the medians and variations of levels of C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae IgG antibodies were similar to those of corresponding IgA antibodies. Compared to IgG antibodies, IgA antibodies do not seem to be of additional value in the diagnosis of infections caused by these pathogens when single serum specimens are studied.

Chiral enolates of imidazolidinones and oxazolidinones from the title amino acids react with carbonyl compounds to afford the corresponding alcohols in excellent yields (see Scheme 5). Furthermore, the addition to aldehydes proceeds with high diastereoselectivity to give, after acid hydrolysis, threo‐α‐amino‐β‐hydroxy acids of high enantiomeric purity. Some of the threo‐α‐amino‐β‐hydroxy acids prepared in this work are the proteinogenic (S)‐threonine (26), the naturally occurring (S)‐3‐phenylserine (28), and (S)‐3‐hydroxyleucine (27) as well as the unnatural (S)‐4,4,4‐trifluorothreonine (30) and (S)‐3‐(4‐pyridyl)serine (31). The N‐methylamide of (2S,3R,4R,6E)‐3‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐(methylamino)‐6‐octenoic acid (32), the unique amino acid in the immunosuppressive cyclosporine, was prepared by the new method. This report presents also information suggesting that both steric and stereoelectronic effects are responsible for the good stereoselectivities observed.

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We measured the activity of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in the cerebrospinal fluid of 3 patients with tuberculous meningitis, 38 with viral meningitis, 15 with bacterial meningitis, 5 with malignant lymphoma, 11 with cerebrovascular diseases and 13 with miscellaneous neurological disorders. The highest ADA activities were observed in patients with tuberculous meningitis (median 21.3 U/l, range 20.0-23.0) and lymphoma (13.0 U/l, range 4.0-25.0). The sensitivity of the test for diagnosing tuberculous meningitis was 100% and the specificity 99% when a cut-off value of 20.0 U/l was used. We conclude that determination of ADA in cerebrospinal fluid is useful for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis, but that high activity also can be seen in some other CNS disorders, e.g. lymphoma with meningeal involvement.