Loss of Pax3 causes reduction of melanocytes in the developing mouse cochlea.

Cochlear melanocytes are intermediate cells in the stria vascularis that generate endocochlear potentials required for auditory function. Human PAX3 mutations cause Waardenburg syndrome and abnormalities of skin and retinal melanocytes, manifested as congenital hearing loss (~ 70%) and hypopigmentation of skin, hair and eyes. However, the underlying mechanism of hearing loss remains unclear.

Clinical implications of drug-screening assay for recurrent metastatic hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal receptor 2-negative breast cancer using conditionally reprogrammed cells.

Various new drugs have been developed for treating recurrent hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer. However, directly identifying effective drugs remains difficult. In this study, we elucidated the clinical relevance of cultured cells derived from patients with recurrent HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.

Dual-focus versus conventional magnification endoscopy for the diagnosis of superficial squamous neoplasms in the pharynx and esophagus: a randomized trial.

Background And Study Aims: Conventional magnification narrow-band imaging (CM-NBI) endoscopy has demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for superficial squamous neoplasms in the pharynx and esophagus. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the newly developed dual-focus NBI (DF-NBI) compared with that of CM-NBI.

Patients And Methods: We recruited patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the head and neck, or esophagus, or with a history of SCC.

Microangiopathy triggers, and inducible nitric oxide synthase exacerbates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a representative clinical manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic gastrointestinal tract inflammation. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice have been used to investigate UC pathogenesis, and in this UC model, disturbance and impairment of the mucosal epithelium have been reported to cause colitis. However, how DSS sporadically breaks down the epithelium remains unclear.

Fluoroalkylcopper(I) complexes generated by the carbocupration of tetrafluoroethylene: construction of a tetrafluoroethylene-bridging structure.

We report a copper-mediated synthesis of a variety of 1,2-difunctionalized-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene derivatives via the carbocupration of tetrafluoroethylene. The key synthetic intermediates, 2-aryl-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylcopper complexes, can be easily prepared, stored, and used as fluoroalkylation reagents. The molecular structure was unambiguously determined by X-ray crystallography and NMR analysis.

Photodynamic diagnosis of colitis-associated dysplasia in a mouse model after oral administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid.

Background: Detection of dysplastic lesions in mouse colonic tissue was investigated by accumulation of photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) induced by oral administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), a precursor of PplX.

Materials And Methods: Inflammatory oncogenesis was induced in C57BL/6J-Apc(Min) (Apc(Min/+)) mouse by oral administration of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). After oral administration of 5-ALA, the colonic tissue was observed by autofluorescent stereoscopy and histopathological examination.

Efficacy of zinc-carnosine chelate compound, Polaprezinc, enemas in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Objectives: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing and remitting intestinal inflammatory disorder. Zinc is known to be efficacious for the repair of damaged tissue and has been shown to protect against gastric ulceration. This study focused on Polaprezinc (PZ), N-(3-aminopropionyl)-L-histidinato zinc, which accelerates ulcer healing through actions such as prostaglandin-independent cytoprotection and antioxidative activity.

Palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of tetrafluoroethylene with arylzinc compounds.

Organofluorine compounds are widely used in all aspects of the chemical industry. Although tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is an example of an economical bulk organofluorine feedstock, the use of TFE is mostly limited to the production of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and copolymers with other alkenes. Furthermore, no catalytic transformation of TFE that involves carbon-fluorine bond activation has been reported to date.