L'incidence des maladies cardiovasculaires (MCV) dans la population âgée et particulièrement chez les femmes postménopausées en surpoids se montre sans cesse grandissante au fil des années. Cette augmentation de la survenue des MCV serait particulièrement due à une diminution d'oestrogène pendant la ménopause, à une redistribution de la masse grasse au niveau abdominal et à une augmentation de la production des radicaux libres au cours du vieillissement. Bien que les femmes postménopausées utilisent souvent des oestrogènes de synthèse pour soulager les symptômes de la ménopause, plusieurs études prospectives ont montré que la thérapie hormonale de substitution (THS) entraînait également une diminution significative des facteurs de risque des MCV et que des effets synergiques sur l'amélioration du profil lipidique étaient aussi observés lorsque la THS était associée à un programme d'exercices aérobies. Cependant, quelques études longitudinales récemment publiées ont montré que la THS entraînait non seulement une augmentation de l'incidence de cancers, mais aussi que celle-ci augmenterait la survenue d'attaques cardiaques et de maladies coronariennes. Les phytoestrogènes semblent être une alternative intéressante à la THS. En effet, plusieurs études longitudinales et in vitro ont montré que les phytoestrogènes diminuaient l'incidence des MCV en améliorant le profil lipidique et en augmentant la résistance des lipoprotéines de faible densité (LDL) à l'oxydation. Cet effet protecteur des phytoestrogènes à l'égard des LDL semble se faire par l'amélioration de l'activité de l'enzyme paraoxonase 1 (PON1) présente à la surface des lipoprotéines de haute densité (HDL). Ainsi, le but de notre étude est d'évaluer l'effet d'une supplémentation en phytoestrogènes associés à l'exercice physique sur les marqueurs du stress oxydatif et l'activité de la PON1 chez les femmes postménopausées présentant un gain pondéral. Pour ce faire, nous avons recruté des femmes âgées entre 50 et 75 ans que nous avons aléatoirement réparties en deux groupes, 25 femmes dans le groupes phytoestrogènes et 25 femmes dans le groupe placebo. Ces sujets devaient prendre des phytoestrogènes (70 mg/jour d'isoflavones) ou le placebo pendant une période de six mois, puis les deux groupes, en plus de ces suppléments, étaient soumis à des séances d'exercices aérobies pendant six mois additionnels. Des prélèvements sanguins étaient effectués au début de l'étude, après 6 mois et à la fin de la période de suivie (12 mois). Un certain nombre de marqueurs sanguins du stress oxydatif étaient mesurés, notamment l'activité antioxydante totale (AAOT) et résiduelle (AoGap), les diènes conjugués, les dialdéhydes maloniques (MDA), mais aussi la vitamine C, la vitamine E, l'activité paraoxonase et la leptine. Nos résultats montrent une augmentation significative de la vitamine C et de l'activité paraoxonase dans les deux groupes au bout des 12 mois de suivi et également une diminution significative de la vitamine E dans les deux groupes à l'issue de la même période. Aucune variation significative n'a été observée lors du dosage des autres variables. Ces résultats suggèrent que les phytoestrogènes n'ont aucun effet sur l'ensemble des marqueurs du stress oxydatif, mais que les variations significatives obtenues lors des dosages des vitamines C et E ainsi que de l'activité paraoxonase seraient dues à une réponse adaptative de l'organisme au stress induit par l'exercice physique. L'absence d'effets des phytoestrogènes pourrait aussi s'expliquer par le haut niveau d'abandons observé tout au long de l'étude ou encore par le fait que la dose prescrite n'est pas nécessairement suffisante pour avoir une influence positive sur les différentes variables étudiées.

The rac- and meso- forms of “all carbon” 1,2-diphosphonium dications with the naphthalene -1,8-diyl backbone were synthesised in good yields and purity by double alkylation of the parent diphosphine (1,2-diphenyl-1,2-diphosphaacenaphthene) using strong alkylating agents. Pure rac- and meso- forms of 1,2-diphosphoniums were obtained diastereospecifically by using methyl triflate and trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate respectively. It was found that the equilibrium between the rac- and meso- forms at room temperature in acetonitrile solutions effectively depends on the anion present. A reaction mechanism which proceeds via a P-pentacoordinated intermediate was proposed for the epimerisation observed between the rac- and meso- forms in the presence of F⁻ donors in the solution. Reactivity of the new 1,2-dications towards a range of compounds (nucleophiles, bases) was examined and a series of new compounds including phosphine-phosphoniums and phosphonium-phosphine oxides were obtained. Cyclic and acyclic compounds belonging to a novel group of phosphine-arsine mixed peri-substituted acenaphthenes were synthesised by introducing arsenic and phosphorus to the acenaphthene ring, using stepwise lithiation and carbon-group 15 element coupling. All new compounds were fully characterised including single crystal X-ray diffraction. The effect of the peri-substitution by phosphorus moieties and mixed arsine-phosphine peri-substitution on the naphthalene ring was studied using the detailed structural data obtained for these systems.

This thesis describes the effect of placing a phosphorus atom in a sterically strained environment with particular emphasis on the geminal disubstitution of two 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl (Mes*) groups on a single phosphorus centre and intramolecular sub-van der Waals interactions between peri-substituted atoms on naphthalene and acenaphthene. Chapter 2 outlines the reactive chemistry of a sterically encumbered phosphinic chloride (Mes*)₂P(=O)Cl, which was shown to have extremely low reactivity at the phosphorus centre. It has however, been demonstrated that synthetically significant transformations are possible. The phosphine oxide (Mes*)₂P(=O)H and a secondary phosphine Mes*(2,4-tBu₂C₆H₃)PH were obtained from the reduction of (Mes*)₂P(=O)Cl with hydridic reagents under forcing conditions. The corresponding phosphinite was acquired from the deprotonation of (Mes*)₂P(=O)H, which furnished very crowded tertiary phosphine oxides (Mes*)₂P(=O)R (R = Me and Et) on reactions with electrophiles. We have been unable to chlorinate or deprotonate Mes*(2,4-tBu₂C₆H₃)PH, however the reaction with elemental sulfur afforded the affiliated phosphine sulfide Mes*(2,4-[supercript(t)]Bu₂C₆H₃)P(=S)H, albeit under forcing conditions. Our computations (B3LYP and M06-2X level) show that strain energies of geminally substituted compounds are extremely high (180 to 250 kJ mol⁻¹), the majority of the strain is stored as boat distortions to the phenyl rings in Mes* substituents. Chapter 3 describes the strain inherent with non-bonding atomic distances shorter than the sum of their van der Waals radii, specifically heteroatom substitution of the peri-positions of naphthalene and acenaphthene. It also documents the importance of amine protecting groups in chlorophosphine chemistry. The preparation of Ace[P(Ph)N(ⁱPr)₂]Br (Ace = acenaphthene-5,6-diyl) and Ace[P(Ph)N(ⁱPr)₂]₂, plus the elucidation of the molecular structures of Mes*P[N(CH₃)₂]₂, Ace[P(Mes)N(ⁱPr)₂]Br (Mes = 2,4,6-tri-methylphenyl) and Ace[P([supercript(t)]Bu)N(Et)₂]Br sufficiently demonstrate the ring distorting characteristics of structurally encumbered molecules. The reaction of Ace[P(Ph)N(ⁱPr)₂]Br and Ace[P(Ph)N(ⁱPr)₂]₂ with a methylating agent was also investigated.

Il y a de nombreuses manières d’aborder l’étude des systèmes dynamiques. De manière générale, on munit un espace initial de structures adaptées et on s’intéresse au comportement moyen des itérés d’une application qui préserve les structures initiales. Les propriétés intéressantes peuvent être par exemple, d’origine topologique, mesurable, algébrique ou encore différentiable. La théorie ergodique est principalement concentrée sur les systèmes dynamiques mesurés. D’autre part, une autre branche de la théorie ergodique s’intéresse à des questions dites de représentation des systèmes dynamiques mesurés.Un des aspects de cette théorie est de lier les systèmes dynamiques mesurés aux systèmes dynamiques topologiques. On s’intéressera plus particulièrement au lien entre les systèmes dynamiques topologiques,mesurés et algébriques. Les nilsystèmes ont pris ces dernières années une nouvelle dimension en théorie ergodique. Ils généralisent très naturellement les translations sur des groupes abéliens compacts, et en particulier, les rotations du cercle. On fera un lien partiel entre les propriétés algébriques et symboliques d’une famille bien choisie de nilsystèmes. On s’intéressera notamment à la notion d’induction pour de tels systèmes / There are many ways to approach the study of dynamical systems. In general, one equips the originalspace with an appropriate structure, and is interested in the average behavior of a map which preservesthis structure. For example, the interesting properties could be of topological, measurable, algebraicor differentiable origin. Ergodic theory is mainly concerned with dynamical systems with an invariantmeasure (measured dynamical system). Another branch of ergodic theory studies questions about therepresentation of measured dynamical systems. One aspect of this theory is to connect measured dynamicalsystems with topological dynamical systems. More specifically, we will be interested in theconnection between topological, measured and algebraic dynamical systems.Recently nilsystems have become important in ergodic theory. They naturally generalize translations ofcompact abelian groups, and in particular circle rotations. We will give a partial connection betweenalgebraic and symbolic properties of a well chosen family of nilsystems. We are particularly interestedin induction of such systems.

Pulsed laser time-resolved ligand-substitution photochemistry for (DTO)W(CO)4, (DTN)W(CO)4, and (NP)Mo(CO)4 (DTO = 2,2,7,7-tetramethyl-3,6-diathiaoctane; DTN = 2,2,8,8- tetramethyl-3,7-diathianonane; NP = l-diethylamino-2- diphenylphosphinoethane) proceeds via initial fission of the W-S and Mo-P bonds, affording Cs and C4v five-coordinate intermediates for DTN and NP but largely Cs for DTO. The rates of reaction of these intermediates, via chelate ring closure and competitive bimolecular interaction with Lewis bases (= L, alkylphosphines and alkyl phosphites) for the Cs intermediates and via bimolecular interaction of L with the C4v intermediates, together with activation parameters for these processes have been determined. The rates of interactions at the Cs intermediates are significantly faster than at the C4v intermediates.

La première partie de la thèse traite de la recherche de biomarqueurs du cancer. Lors de la transcription, il apparaît que certains nucléotides peuvent être remplacés par un autre nucléotide. On s'intéresse alors à la comparaison des probabilités de survenue de ces infidélités de transcription dans des ARNm cancéreux et dans des ARNm sains. Pour cela, une procédure de tests multiples menée sur les positions des séquences de référence de 17 gènes est réalisée via les EST (Expressed Sequence Tag). On constate alors que ces erreurs de transcription sont majoritairement plus fréquentes dans les tissus cancéreux que dans les tissus sains. Ce phénomène conduirait ainsi à la production de protéines dites aberrantes, dont la mesure permettrait par la suite de détecter les patients atteints de formes précoces de cancer. La deuxième partie de la thèse s'attache à l'étude de l'allergie à l'arachide. Afin de diagnostiquer l'allergie à l'arachide et de mesurer la sévérité des symptômes, un TPO (Test de Provocation Orale) est réalisé en clinique. Le protocole consiste à faire ingérer des doses croissantes d'arachide au patient jusqu'à l'apparition de symptômes objectifs. Le TPO pouvant se révéler dangereux pour le patient, des analyses discriminantes de l'allergie à l'arachide, du score du TPO, du score du premier accident et de la dose réactogène sont menées à partir d'un échantillon de 243 patients, recrutés dans deux centres différents, et sur lesquels sont mesurés 6 dosages immunologiques et 30 tests cutanés. Les facteurs issus d'une Analyse Factorielle Multiple sont également utilisés comme prédicteurs. De plus, un algorithme regroupant simultanément en classes des intervalles comprenant les doses réactogènes et sélectionnant des variables explicatives est proposé, afin de mettre ensuite en compétition des règles de classement. La principale conclusion de cette étude est que les mesures de certains anticorps peuvent apporter de l'information sur l'allergie à l'arachide et sa sévérité, en particulier ceux dirigés contre rAra-h1, rAra-h2 et rAra-h3. / The first part of this doctoral dissertation deals with the research of cancer biomarkers. During transcription it was observed that some nucleotides are replaced mistakenly by others. We sought to compare the probabilities of these transcription infidelities in mRNA originating from normal and cancerous tissues. To do this, a multiple testing procedure was performed on the positions of 17 genes by considering their ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tag). The conclusion was reached that the proportions of these transcription errors are mainly increased in cancer tissues as compared to normal ones. This phenomenon would lead to the translation of aberrant proteins, whose detection could help in identifying patients with cancer. The main goals of the second part are the diagnosis of peanut allergy and the prediction of its severity. Diagnosing peanut allergy and evaluating the intensity of the symptoms are currently accomplished with a double blind placebo controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). Patients are given increasing peanut doses until the first clinical reaction appears. Since DBPCFC can result in life-threatening responses, we propose an alternate procedure with the long term goal of replacing invasive allergy tests. Discriminant analyses of peanut allergy, DBPCFC score, the eliciting dose and the first accidental exposure score were performed in 243 allergic patients using 6 immunoassays and 30 skin prick tests. A Multiple Factorial Analysis was performed to use new factors as predictors. We also developed an algorithm for simultaneously clustering eliciting dose values and selecting discriminant variables. Our main conclusion is that antibody measurements provide information on the allergy and its severity, especially those directed against the peanut allergens rAra-h1, rAra-h2 and rAra-h3.

Thesis advisor: Amir H. Hoveyda / Chapter 1. A Review of Catalytic Enantioselective Allylic Substitution (EAS) with Chiral Sulfonate Containing N-heterocyclic Carbenes (NHC). A comprehensive review of enantioselective allylic substitution reactions, which are promoted by a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene metal complex that features a unique sulfonate motif, is provided in this chapter. Reactions are classified into two categories. One class of transformations is catalyzed by a series of easily modifiable sulfonate bearing NHC-Cu complexes, with which a range of nucleophilic organometallic reagents (i.e., organozinc-, aluminum-, magnesium- and boron-based) that carry different carbon-based units are readily utilized in efficient and highly selective C-C bond forming processes. Another set of reactions exclude the use of a copper salt; catalytic amount of a sulfonate containing imidazolinium salt is capable of promoting additions of alkyl Grignard, zinc and aluminum species to easily available allylic electrophiles in a site- and enantioselective fashion. The mechanistic scenarios of both catalytic systems that account for the observed experimental data are discussed in detail. Chapter 2. Cu-Catalyzed Enantioselective Allylic Substitutions with Aryl- and Heteroarylaluminum Reagents. In this chapter, the first examples of EAS reactions of aryl- and heteroaryl-substituted dialkylaluminum reagents to a wide range of trisubstituted allylic phosphates are demonstrated through a facile and selective catalysis rendered possible by an in situ generated sulfonate containing NHC-Cu complex, delivering enantiomerically enriched olefin products that bear an all carbon quaternary stereogenic center. The requisite organometallic species are easily prepared from either the corresponding aryl- and heteroaryl halides, or through efficient and site selective deprotonation at the C-2 position of furan and thiophene; such aluminum entities are readily used in situ without the requirement of purification. Application to small molecule natural product synthesis is also carried out to illustrate the utility of the present protocol. Chapter 3. Cu-Catalyzed Enantioselective Allylic Substitutions with Alkenylaluminum Reagents. This chapter focuses on our research towards construction of enantioenriched tertiary and quaternary stereogenic centers that are substituted with two further functionalizable alkenes. The first combination of the study involves the addition of stereochemically well-defined trisubstituted alkenylaluminum reagents to disubstituted allylic phosphates; the transformation commences with a silyl-directed stereoselective hydroalumination and finishes with an enantioselective Cu-catalyzed EAS promoted by a sulfonate bearing NHC. Such reactions deliver molecules that feature silicon containing trisubstituted olefin adjacent to the tertiary stereogenic center; subsequent conversion of the versatile silicon group to a proton reveals the first set of examples that incorporate pure Z alkene in Cu-catalyzed EAS. The stereoselective and concise synthesis of naturally occurring small molecule nyasol demonstrates the utility of the above method. On a different front, Ni-catalyzed site-selective hydroalumination of terminal alkynes has opened new possibility of introducing 1,1-disubstituted olefins in Cu-catalyzed EAS in the formation of tertiary stereogenic center containing enantioenriched organic building blocks. Such catalytic hydrometallation procedure also allows efficient access to alkenylaluminums that are derived from the conventionally problematic aromatic alkynes. The importance of efficient and selective synthesis of terminal aryl-substituted alkenylaluminum species is showcased in NHC-Cu-catalyzed EAS reactions that construct all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers; a three-step convergent synthesis of natural product bakuchiol in enantiomerically enriched form highlights the potential of the current protocol in chemical synthesis. Chapter 4 Cu-Catalyzed Enantioselective Allylic Substitutions with Alkenylboronic Acid Pinacol Ester Reagents and Applications in Natural Product Synthesis. Within this chapter, we disclose the efficient utilization of alkenylboron reagents in Cu-catalyzed EAS reactions, which lead to highly site and enantioselective formations of molecules that contain both tertiary and quaternary carbon stereogenic centers. Unlike their aluminum-based counterparts, the use of boron-based reagents allows effective delivery of sensitive organic function groups, such as a carbonyl, which would be incompatible in the hydrometallation process with dibal-H. Our efforts accumulate to the first report of incorporation of all carbon quaternary centers that are substituted with unsaturated ester and aldehyde units in the EAS products; such a method facilitates the concise diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of Pummerer's ketone and it's trans isomer. Further development of the above protocol towards the construction of tertiary stereogenic centers requires the design of new chiral sulfonate-containing imidazolinium salts as the ligand precursors and has lead to the employment of a broader range of alkenylboron species, which feature readily functionalizable motifs. Subsequent demonstrations in enantioselective synthesis of a variety of small molecule natural products showcase the utility. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Thesis advisor: Chia-Kuang (Frank) Tsung / Exchange reactions have enabled a new level of control in the rational, stepwise preparation of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials. However, their full potential is limited by a lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which they occur. This dissertation describes our efforts to understand this important class of reactions in two parts. The first reports our use of a linker exchange process to encapsulate guest molecules larger than the limiting pore aperture of the MOF. The concept is demonstrated, along with evidence for guest encapsulation and its relation to a dissociative linker exchange process. The second part describes our development of the first quantitative kinetic method for studying MOF linker exchange reactions and our application of this method to understand the solvent dependence of the reaction of ZIF-8 with imidazole. This project involved the collection of the largest set of rate data available on any MOF linker exchange reaction. The combination of this dataset with small molecule encapsulation experiments allowed us to formulate a mechanistic model that could account for all the observed kinetic and structural data. By comparison with the kinetic behavior of complexes in solution, we were able to fit the kinetic behavior of ZIF-8 into the broader family of coordination compounds. Aside from the specific use that our kinetic data may have in predicting the reactivity of ZIF linker exchange, we hope that the conceptual bridges made between MOFs and related metal−organic compounds can help reveal underlying patterns in behavior and advance the field. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Thesis advisor: Amir H. Hoveyda / Chapter 1 Catalytic Enantioselective Addition of Organoaluminum Reagents Catalytic methods involving the enantioselective addition of both commercially available as well as in situ generated organoaluminum reagents are reviewed. An overview of additions to aldehydes, ketones, and imines is provided as well as the difficulties and limitations of such transformations. Furthermore, additions to unsaturation adjacent to a leaving group to form a new stereogenic center are examined. Finally, conjugate addition reactions wherein an organoaluminum reagent is added to an olefin adjacent to a carbonyl or nitro group are discussed. Chapter 2 Synthesis of Quaternary Carbon Stereogenic Centers through Enantioselective Cu-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution with Alkenylaluminum Reagents A method for the formation of 1,4-diene containing quaternary stereogenic centers through catalytic enantioselective allylic substitution is disclosed. The addition of alkyl- and aryl-substituted alkenylaluminum reagents to trisubstituted allylic phosphates is promoted by 0.5–2.5 mol % of a sulfonate-containing bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene–copper complex. Products containing a quaternary stereogenic center as well as a newly formed terminal olefin are obtained in up to 97% yield and 99:1 er with high site selectivity (>98:2 SN2’:SN2). The requisite nucleophiles are generated in situ through hydroalumination of terminal alkynes. The utility of the method is demonstrated through a concise synthesis of natural product bakuchiol. Chapter 3 A Multicomponent Ni-, Zr-, Cu-Catalyzed Strategy for Enantioselective Synthesis of Alkenyl-Substituted Quaternary Carbons Despite the widespread use of conjugate addition in organic synthesis, few reports pertain to the addition of nucleophiles to acyclic systems and none in which the nucleophile is an alkene. Herein, we report the first examples of enantioselective conjugate addition of alkenylmetal reagents to trisubstituted enones to form all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers. Alkenylaluminum nucleophiles are prepared through a site-selective Ni-catalyzed hydroalumination of terminal alkynes and the requisite E-trisubsituted enones are the products of a regioselective Zr-catalyzed carboalumination/acylation of a terminal alkyne. Products are obtained in up to 97% yield and 99:1 er. A model for enantioselectivity, supported by DFT calculations, is proposed. Chapter 4 Formation of Tertiary Centers through Catalytic Enantioselective Conjugate Addition of Alkenylaluminum Reagents to Acyclic Enones We have developed an enantioselective NHC–Cu catalyzed synthesis of tertiary centers in acyclic systems using in situ generated alkenylaluminum reagents, as current methods typically rely on Rh-catalysis at high temperatures with alkenyl boronic acids in protic solvents. Moreover, most examples include chalcone-derived substrates, which, while more reactive, often preclude further functionalization. With the current method, we are able to couple a variety of alkenyl nucleophiles with α,β-unsaturated ketones. E- or Z-silylalkenylaluminum reagents, derived from hydroalumination of silyl-protected alkynes, lead to products in good yields and high enantioselectivities. Additionally, both the α- and β-alkenylaluminum reagents participate in the reaction. Chapter 5 Development of N-Heterocyclic Carbene–Cu Catalyzed Allylic Substitution of Diboryl Methane to Morita-Baylis-Hillman Derived Allylic Phosphates We have developed a method for the coupling of a geminyl diboron reagent with Morita-Baylis-Hillman derived trisubstituted ester-containing allylic phosphates. With 10 mol % of an in situ generated NHC–Cu complex and 1.5 equivalents of the boron reagent, we are able to form the desired product in high regio- and enantioselectivity with a 2,5-ditert-butyl containing carbene. Simple aryl substituents as well as those containing a halogen or an electron-withdrawing group furnish the desired products in up to 85% yield and 98:2 er. Alkyl-containing substrates are also competent reaction partners, although longer chain aliphatics results in slightly diminished enantioselectivity. We are pursuing the application of this method to the synthesis of α-methylene lactones which can be further functionalized to natural products like tubulin polymerization inhibitor (–)-steganone and glaucoma medication (+)-pilocarpine. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

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