Tissue-specific Physical and Biological Microenvironments Modulate the Behavior of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The mechanisms controlling the aggressiveness and survival of cervical SCC cells remain unclear. We investigated how the physical and biological microenvironments regulate the growth, apoptosis and invasiveness of cervical cancer cells. Dynamic flow and air exposure were evaluated as physical microenvironmental factors, and stromal fibroblasts were evaluated as a biological microenvironmental factor.

Collagen Vitrigel Membrane-Coated Nylon Line Prevents Stenosis After Conization of the Cervix Uteri.

Cervical stenosis is a postoperative complication of conization for uterine cervical malignancy, but a standard method of preventing this complication has yet to be established. Collagen vitrigel is a collagen-based biomaterial that has antifibrotic and epithelization promoting actions. We evaluated the antistenotic effect of an indwelling collagen vitrigel membrane-coated nylon line (CVNL) after cervical conization in rabbits.

Cellular and physical microenvironments regulate the aggressiveness and sunitinib chemosensitivity of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most predominant type of kidney cancer in adults and is responsible for approximately 85% of clinical cases. The tumor-specific microenvironment includes both cellular and physical factors, and it regulates the homeostasis and function of cancer cells. Perirenal adipose tissue and tumor-associated macrophages are the major cellular components of the RCC microenvironment.

Mesenchymal cells and fluid flow stimulation synergistically regulate the kinetics of corneal epithelial cells at the air-liquid interface.

Purpose: In vivo microenvironments are critical to tissue homeostasis and wound healing, and the cornea is regulated by a specific microenvironment complex that consists of cell-cell interactions, air-liquid interfaces, and fluid flow stimulation. In this study, we aimed to clarify the effects of and the correlations among these three component factors on the cell kinetics of corneal epithelial cells.

Methods: Human corneal epithelial-transformed (HCE-T) cells were cocultured with either primary rat corneal fibroblasts or NIH 3T3 fibroblasts.

Versatile Gap Mode Plasmon under ATR Geometry towards Single Molecule Raman, Laser Trapping and Photocatalytic Reactions.

We have investigated various aspects of a gap mode plasmon to establish it as an analytical tool. First, markedly large (10 - 10) enhancement factors for the Raman scattering intensity from a thiophenol (TP) monolayer sandwiched by Ag films on a prism and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained under attenuated total reflection (ATR) geometry. Second, AgNPs with a radius of ∼20 nm were optically trapped and immobilized on TP-covered Ag films under a gap mode resonance with extremely weak laser power density of ∼1 μW/μm at 532 nm.

Echolucency of the carotid artery is associated with short-term plaque progression and positive remodeling in the culprit coronary artery in AMI survivors.

Background: Rapid plaque progression and positive remodeling are recognized as vulnerable coronary plaque characteristics. This study examined whether serial carotid ultrasonography might be of value for assessment of coronary plaque progression and positive remodeling, measured by serial intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), in survivors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: Thirty-nine patients with AMI had repeated examinations by IVUS of culprit coronary arteries and echolucency of the coronary artery on admission (1st test) and 6 months later (2nd test).

High levels of stromal cell-derived factor-1α predict secondary cardiac events in stable patients with a history of myocardial infarction.

Background: We recently showed that stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1α, a pro-inflammatory mediator, is produced in infarcted myocardium and is associated with left ventricular (LV) adverse remodeling and progressive dysfunction following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The current study examined whether SDF-1α levels in the peripheral vein can provide prognostic information of outcomes in stable patients with a history of MI.

Methods: Plasma levels of SDF-1α in the peripheral vein were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 192 stable patients with a history of MI.

The critical importance of gap modes in surface enhanced Raman scattering.

For efficient utilization of surface plasmons in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), we investigated the gap modes in flocculates of metal nanoparticles (MNPs), and between MNPs and metal substrates under an external and an attenuated total reflection (ATR) geometry. First, the adsorbed state of thiol molecules and counter ions trapped in solutions were elucidated using flocculation-SERS, in which closely adjacent nanoparticles are formed by using interactions between MNPs and target species. Second, we obtained a pronounced enhancement of 10(5)-10(8) at a nanogap between gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and various metal substrates even with a large damping under an external geometry.

The evaluation of the discriminant ability of multiclass SVM in a study of hand motion recognition by using SEMG.

Electromyogram (EMG) is a kind of biological signal that is generated because of excitement of muscle according to the motor instruction from a brain. We have been experimentally developing the hand motion recognition system by using 4 channels forearm EMG signals. In our system, in order to classify measured EMG SVM (Support Vector Machine) that has higher discriminability is used.

Closely adjacent gold nanoparticles linked by chemisorption of neutral rhodamine 123 molecules providing enormous SERS intensity.

Addition of neutral R123 molecules (10(-7) M) to an as-prepared gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) suspension generated flocculates that are a small number of closely adjacent particles. Formation of AuNP flocculates was evidenced by the coupled localized plasmon peak at 720-750 nm. The AuNP flocculates provided pronounced SERS spectra of adsorbed neutral R123 molecules (SERS-A) as anticipated by FDTD (Finite Difference Time Domain) simulations.

Electromagnetic and chemical interaction between Ag nanoparticles and adsorbed rhodamine molecules in surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

The critical importance of the junction between touching or closely adjacent Ag nanoparticles associated with single-molecule sensitivity (SMS) in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was confirmed via the following observations: (1) an additional peak is observed in elastic scattering only for the SERS-active state, which originated from absorption of adsorbates, (2) local- and far-field evaluation using a finite difference time domain method could reproduce this extra peak and anticipate the significantly enhanced field even inside the adsorbates sitting at the junction through an increased coupling of the localized surface plasmons, and (3) in addition to enhanced fluorescence of adsorbed dye, an inelastic scattering peak was observed and attributed to the metal surface electron. Concerning the chemical enhancement in SERS, Cl- anions activate the Ag-Cl-R6G (rhodamine) samples by inducing intrinsic electronic interaction between Ag and R6G molecules. This electronic interaction is irreversibly quenched by the addition of thiosulfate anions which dissolve Ag+ cations while the electromagnetic (EM) effect remains intact.

Single molecule sensitivity in SERS: importance of junction of adjacent Ag nanoparticles.

An enormous SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) signal from dye and adenine on hot or blinking silver nanoparticles is extinguished by duration of measurement possibly due to thermal diffusion or desorption of adsorbed molecules. Simultaneously, the elastic scattering peak at ca. 630 nm disappears.

Pd-catalyzed C3-selective allylation of indoles with allyl alcohols promoted by triethylborane.

Under palladium catalysis, Et3B nicely promotes allyl alcohols to undergo C3-selective allylation of indoles and tryptophan; the yields range 75-95%.

Pharmacological characteristics of KP-102 (GHRP-2), a potent growth hormone-releasing peptide.

KP-102 (D-alanyl-3-(2-naphthyl)-D-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-tryptophyl-D-phenylalanyl-L-lysinamide dihydrochloride, growth hormone-releasing peptide-2, GHRP-2, pralmorelin, CAS 158861-67-7), is a potent synthetic growth hormone (GH) secretagogue. In the present study, the pharmacological characteristics of the GH-releasing property of KP-102 were investigated by means of in vivo and in vitro experiments. In conscious rats, the GH-releasing activity of KP-102 was more potent than that of exogenously injected GH-releasing hormone (GHRH).

Attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy of carboxyl terminated self-assembled monolayers on gold.

A new recipe for surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) active island Au films with improved adhesion in aqueous solution, low resistivity, and enhancement of the infrared (IR) absorption of about 300 was developed. The Au films prepared were utilized in studies of the ionization of self-assembled monolayers of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid in Na2SO4 aqueous solutions by attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption (ATR-SEIRA) spectroscopy. It was found that the carboxyl end groups of the self-assembled monolayer turn into carboxylate anions on going from anodic to cathodic potentials or from acidic to alkaline pH.

Pd.Et3B-catalyzed alkylation of amines with allylic alcohols.

A combination of catalytic amounts of Pd (0.05 mmol) and Et3B (0.3 mmol) promotes allylic alkylation of primary and secondary aromatic and aliphatic amines (1.

Single-molecule imaging and spectroscopy using fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

We extended single molecule fluorescence imaging and time-resolved fluorometry from the green to the violet-excitation regime to find feasibility of detecting and identifying fluorescent analogs of nucleic-acid bases at the single-molecule level. Using violet excitation, we observed fluorescent spotsfrom single complexes composed of a nucleotide analogue and the Klenow fragmentof DNA polymerase I. Also, we implemented Raman imaging and spectroscopy of adenine molecules adsorbed on Ag colloidal nanoparticles to find feasibility of identifying nucleic-acid bases at the single-molecule level.

Highly efficient and aberration-corrected spectrometer for advanced Raman spectroscopy.

We designed an asymmetric Czerny-Turner-type spectrometer with a spectral resolution of approximately 1 cm(-1) and a focal length of 500 mm (F/4.1) to improve the aberration properties: (1) coma aberration was corrected by use of a particular incident angle for a condensing mirror based onShafer's equation, (2) astigmatism was corrected by use of a toroidal condensing mirror, (3) the optimum distance was found between a grating and condensing mirror so that the centered light and marginal light at the detector possess the same incident angles to the condensing mirror (the aberration is therefore excellently corrected over the whole detector surfaces), and (4) these optimal configurations are ensured in a wide wavelength between 400 and 800 nm by use of gratings with different grooves. Then the spectrometer was constructed, and the excellent optical properties were confirmed with aligned fiber images and Raman spectra from copper phthalocyanine.

Spectroscopy with scanning near-field optical microscopy using photon tunnelling mode.

We have demonstrated Raman spectroscopy using scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). Photon tunnelling mode was employed, in which the sample is illuminated using an attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration and the evanescent wave perturbed by the sample is picked up by a sharpened optical fibre probe. By this experimental arrangement Raman scattering from the optical fibre probe was greatly reduced, therefore we were able to excite the sample using more intense laser light compared to the illumination mode SNOM.

Novel selective inhibitors for human topoisomerase I, BM2419-1 and -2 derived from saintopin.

Compounds BM2419-1 and -2 were isolated from a culture broth of a fungus Paecilomyces sp. BM2419. It was shown that these novel compounds were artifacts derived from saintopin, a dual inhibitor of topoisomerase I and II by independent processes.

Application of attenuated total reflection surface-plasmon-polariton Raman spectroscopy to gold and copper.

An attenuated total reflection (ATR) method to excite the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) was applied to gold and copper to improve the sensitivity level of classical Raman spectroscopy. Reflectivity and Raman band intensity from copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) adsorbates on these metals were measured in an Otto configuration as a function of the angle of incidence and gap size at various excitation wavelengths. The SPP's on gold and copper were most efficiently excited at a wavelength of 632.