Kinetic characteristics of chimeric channelrhodopsins implicate the molecular identity involved in desensitization.

Channelrhodopsin (ChR)-1 and ChR2 were the first-identified members of ChRs which are a growing subfamily of microbial-type rhodopsins. Light absorption drives the generation of a photocurrent in cell membranes expressing ChR2. However, the photocurrent amplitude attenuates and becomes steady-state during prolonged irradiation.

Association of C-Type Lectin Mincle with FcεRIβγ Subunits Leads to Functional Activation of RBL-2H3 Cells through Syk.

Macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle) interacts with the γ-subunit of high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRIγ) and activates Syk by recognizing its specific ligand, trehalose-6,6'-dimycolate, a glycolipid produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It has been suggested that mast cells participate in the immune defense against pathogenic microbes including M. tuberculosis, although the functions are still uncertain.

Nattokinase, profibrinolytic enzyme, effectively shrinks the nasal polyp tissue and decreases viscosity of mucus.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is often comorbid with asthma and resistant to therapeutic interventions. We recently reported that excessive fibrin deposition caused by impairment of fibrinolysis might play pivotal role in forming nasal polyp. Nattokinase (NK), a serine protease produced by Bacillus subtilis, has been reported to be a strong fibrinolytic enzyme.

Alternative Formation of Red-Shifted Channelrhodopsins: Noncovalent Incorporation with Retinal-Based Enamine-Type Schiff Bases and Mutated Channelopsin.

Red-shifted channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are attractive for optogenetic tools. We developed a new type of red-shifted ChRs that utilized noncovalent incorporation of retinal and 3,4-dehydroretinal-based enamine-type Schiff bases and mutated channelopsin, C1C2-K296G. These ChRs exhibited absorption maxima that were shifted 10-30 nm toward longer wavelengths than that of C1C2-ChR regenerated with all-trans-retinal.

Telomere Length in Leukocyte DNA in Gastric Cancer Patients and its Association with Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis.

Background/aim: Telomere shortening in leukocytes has been thought to be associated with reduced immune response capacity and increased chromosome instability. Several studies indicate that telomere length in the peripheral blood leukocyte DNA can predict clinical outcome of several cancers. We evaluated the potential association between telomere shortening in the leukocyte DNA and clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) in Japanese patients.

Evaluations of primary lesions by endoscopy clearly distinguishes prognosis in patients with gastric cancer who receive chemotherapy.

Background: Chemotherapy may improve outcomes in gastric cancer (GC), especially for the patients with advanced stage. To explore useful predictive factor for GC performing chemotherapy, we compared the tumor responses assessed using computed tomography (CT) with endoscopy based criteria.

Methods: 192 GC patients performing chemotherapy were retrospectively studied.

Telomere length in the gastric mucosa after Helicobacter pylori eradication and its potential role in the gastric carcinogenesis.

The molecular mechanisms of gastric carcinogenesis after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication remain unclear. We examined the telomere length of gastric mucosa samples after successful H.

Characterization of human telomere RNA G-quadruplex structures in vitro and in living cells using 19F NMR spectroscopy.

Human telomeric RNA has been identified as a key component of the telomere machinery. Recently, the growing evidence suggests that the telomeric RNA forms G-quadruplex structures to play an important role in telomere protection and regulation. In the present studies, we developed a 19F NMR spectroscopy method to investigate the telomeric RNA G-quadruplex structures in vitro and in living cells.

Unusual Topological RNA Architecture with an Eight-Stranded Helical Fragment Containing A-, G-, and U-Tetrads.

Human telomeric RNA performs various cellular functions such as telomere length regulation, heterochromatin formation, and chromosome end protection. Using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance, circular dichroism, and gel electrophoresis, we observed an unusual topological structure formed by human telomere RNA r(GUUAGGGU). Our results showed that every set of four strands formed a parallel G-quadruplex as symmetry-related units containing four G-tetrads, two U-tetrads, and one A-tetrad.

Thermodynamics and Photodynamics of a Monoprotonated Porphyrin Directly Stabilized by Hydrogen Bonding with Polar Protic Solvents.

Addition of 1 equiv of TFA to an acetone solution containing dodecaphenylporphyrin (H DPP) in the presence of 10 % MeOH (v/v) resulted in selective formation of a monoprotonated form (H DPP ), in sharp contrast to protonation of H DPP directly affording a diprotonated form (H DPP ) in acetone in the absence of MeOH. The crucial role of MeOH for selective H DPP formation was interpreted as hydrogen-bonding stabilization of H DPP , since a MeOH molecule was found to form hydrogen bonds with an NH proton of H DPP in the crystal. The selectivity of H DPP formation was evaluated by the formation yield of H DPP , which increased when elevating the portion of MeOH (0-10 %) in acetone with saturation behavior, suggesting that H DPP is stabilized by hydrogen bonding with MeOH even in solution, together with the thermodynamic parameters determined from a van't Hoff plot based on the spectroscopic titration.

Evaluation of gefitinib efficacy according to body mass index, body surface area, and body weight in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: In patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated, advanced, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), common gefitinib-sensitive EGFR mutations that predict a greater response to therapy include the exon 19 deletion and L858R point mutation. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether body surface area (BSA), body weight (BW), and body mass index (BMI) affect gefitinib efficacy in such patients.

Methods: The medical charts of 138 consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC harboring sensitive EGFR mutations, who underwent gefitinib treatment, were reviewed.

A Study of the Strength of a Template Molecule-A Functional Monomer Interaction That Affects the Performance of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers and Its Application to Chiral Amplification.

A novel type of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), N-benzoyl-(S)-valine anilide-imprinted polymer (IP-2), was prepared using hydrogen-bonding interactions as a main force in the pre-polymerization step. The performance of the IP-2 was evaluated via batch procedure and compared with a (S)-valine anilide-imprinted polymer (IP-1) that was prepared using an ionic interaction that is stronger than hydrogen bonding. Although both polymers showed a preferential adsorbability for (S)-amino acid derivatives, different performances were observed in terms of adsorbability and enantioselectivity.

Mitochondrial Cardiomyopathy with a Unique Tc-MIBI/I-BMIPP Mismatch Pattern.

A 42-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to chest pain, diabetes mellitus, and sensorineural hearing loss. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed diffuse left ventricular hypokinesis. He was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease and a c.

A dramatic synergistic effect of a flexible achiral linker on a rigid chiral cis-1,2-diamine bifunctional organocatalyst.

The combination of a "rigid" chiral bicyclic cis-1,2-diamine skeleton with steric bulkiness and a "flexible" achiral linker was newly designed as a bifunctional organocatalyst framework and it showed excellent catalytic activity of up to 0.05 mol%, accompanied by the reversal of enantioselection depending on the position of the linker, in an amine-thiourea organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael reaction.

Development of an in vitro immunobiotic evaluation system against rotavirus infection in bovine intestinal epitheliocytes.

The bovine intestinal epithelial cell line (BIE cells) expresses the Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and is able to mount an antiviral immune response after the stimulation with poly(I:C). In the present study, we aimed to further characterise the antiviral defence mechanisms in BIE cells by evaluating the innate immune response triggered by rotavirus (RV) infection. In addition, we attempted to determine whether immunobiotic bifidobacteria are able to confer protection of BIE cells against RV infection by beneficially modulating the antiviral immune response.

An N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Nickel Half-Sandwich Complex as a Precatalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Aryl/Heteroaryl Halides with Aryl/Heteroarylboronic Acids.

A nickel half-sandwich complex supported by our original NHC ligand was developed as a robust precatalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. The addition of PPh was a crucial element in the suppression of side reactions and in accelerating the cross-coupling reaction. By employing the optimal conditions, aryl-aryl, heteroaryl-aryl, and heteroaryl-heteroaryl couplings were achieved.

Acid-Base Properties of a Freebase Form of a Quadruply Ring-Fused Porphyrin-Stepwise Protonation Induced by Rigid Ring-Fused Structure.

We report herein unique stepwise protonation at inner imino-nitrogen atoms of a freebase derivative of a quadruply fused porphyrin (HQFP), which has been newly synthesized. HQFP has been revealed to have the two inner NH protons on the two nonfused pyrroles by X-ray diffraction analysis and H NMR spectroscopy. The first protonation at one of the two imino-nitrogen atoms of the fused pyrroles smoothly proceeds with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in CHCl and the equilibrium constant (K) of the protonation has been determined to be (1.

Cognitive Dysfunction and Malnutrition Are Independent Predictor of Dysphagia in Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Congestive Heart Failure.

Early detection and intervention for dysphagia is important in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, previous studies have focused on how many patients with dysphagia develop CHF. Studies focusing on the comorbidity of dysphagia in patients with CHF are rare.

Correction: Characteristics and reactivity of ruthenium-oxo complexes.

Correction for 'Characteristics and reactivity of ruthenium-oxo complexes' by Tomoya Ishizuka et al., Dalton Trans., 2016, 45, 16727-16750.

A Chimera Na+-Pump Rhodopsin as an Effective Optogenetic Silencer.

With the progress of optogenetics, the activities of genetically identified neurons can be optically silenced to determine whether the neurons in question are necessary for the network performance of the behavioral expression. This logical induction is expected to be improved by the application of the Na+ pump rhodopsins (NaRs), which hyperpolarize the membrane potential with negligible influence on the ionic/pH balance. Here, we made several chimeric NaRs between two NaRs, KR2 and IaNaR from Krokinobacter eikastus and Indibacter alkaliphilus, respectively.

A Ruthenium(III)-Oxyl Complex Bearing Strong Radical Character.

Proton-coupled electron-transfer oxidation of a Ru -OH complex, having an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, gives a Ru -O species, which has an electronically equivalent structure of the Ru =O species, in an acidic aqueous solution. The Ru -O complex was characterized by spectroscopic methods and DFT calculations. The oxidation state of the Ru center was shown to be close to +3; the Ru-O bond showed a lower-energy Raman scattering at 732 cm and the Ru-O bond length was estimated to be 1.

The effect of consuming small volumes of beer on gastric motility and the involvement of gene polymorphisms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of consuming small amounts of beer or a nonalcoholic beer taste beverage (non-beer) on gastric emptying and the polymorphisms in alcohol metabolism-related enzyme-encoding genes. Twenty male healthy volunteers were questioned regarding their alcohol consumption status, and body measurement was performed. The genetic polymorphisms in ADH1B (rs1229984, Arg47His) and ALDH2 (rs671 Glu487Lys) were analyzed.

Blockade of the K channel Kir6.2 by memantine represents a novel mechanism relevant to Alzheimer's disease therapy.

Here, we report a novel target of the drug memantine, ATP-sensitive K (K) channels, potentially relevant to memory improvement. We confirmed that memantine antagonizes memory impairment in Alzheimer's model APP23 mice. Memantine increased CaMKII activity in the APP23 mouse hippocampus, and memantine-induced enhancement of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and CaMKII activity was totally abolished by treatment with pinacidil, a specific opener of K channels.