Multiple cardiac thrombi and thromboembolism in a heparin-induced thrombocytopenia antibody-positive patient with heart failure.

A 49-year-old Japanese man presented with orthopnea and edema in both legs. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure with triple-vessel coronary artery disease. Low antithrombin and left ventricular systolic dysfunction were possible causes of his hypercoagulable state.

Palladium- or iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution of guanidines: convenient and direct modification of guanidines.

As a convenient and direct functionalization of guanidines, the transition metal-catalyzed allylic substitution of guanidines was studied. The guanidine derivatives bearing two electron-withdrawing substituents acted as reactive nucleophiles in the allylic substitution to give the monoallylated products. The double allylic substitution was achieved by using tri-Boc-guanidine bearing three electron-withdrawing substituents as a nucleophile to give the diallylated products.

Progression of non-culprit coronary artery atherosclerosis after acute myocardial infarction in comparison with stable angina pectoris.

Aim: We previously found, using a mouse model, that activation of proinflammatory cytokines after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) augments neointimal hyperplasia of a remote artery. The present study assessed the progression of luminal narrowing of non-culprit coronary arteries (NCCA) in patients following AMI.

Methods: The study group comprised 21 AMI patients successfully treated with bare-metal stents and 16 stable angina (SA) patients treated with sirolimus-eluting stents.

Toward general access to the aspidosperma-type terpenoid indole alkaloids: synthesis of the key 3,3-disubstituted piperidones through enantioselective intramolecular heck-type reaction of chloroformamides.

An enantioselective intramolecular Heck-type reaction of chloroformamides has been developed for the synthesis of 3,3-disubstituted piperidones. The desired piperidone was formed in the presence of a palladium catalyst, an optically active phosphoramidite ligand, K3PO4 and Ag3PO4. The obtained piperidone was converted to epieburnamonine.

The N-terminal region of an entomopoxvirus fusolin is essential for the enhancement of peroral infection, whereas the C-terminal region is eliminated in digestive juice.

The spindles of Anomala cuprea entomopoxvirus (AncuEPV), which are composed of glycoprotein fusolin, are known to enhance the peroral infectivity of AncuEPV itself and of nucleopolyhedroviruses. This has been demonstrated to involve the disruption of intestinal peritrophic membrane (PM), composed of chitin matrix, glycosaminoglycans, and proteins. To identify essential and nonessential regions for this enhancement activity, AncuEPV fusolin and its deletion mutants were expressed in Sf21 cells using a baculovirus system, and their enhancement abilities were analyzed.

Study of cysteinyl leukotriene-1 receptor in rat renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major cause of renal transplant dysfunction. Recent studies of I/R injury have focused on the function of neutrophils, the mechanisms of action of inflammatory cytokines, and oxygen free radicals, as well as other mediators. However, few reports address the cysteinyl leukotriene-1 receptor (CysLT1R), an important mediator of bronchial asthma in human beings.

Auto-tandem catalysis in the synthesis of substituted quinolines from aldimines and electron-rich olefins: cascade Povarov-hydrogen-transfer reaction.

We demonstrated a catalytic cascade inverse electron demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (Povarov reaction) and hydrogen-transfer process. The reaction of electron-rich olefins and excess amount of imines in the presence of acid catalysts under appropriate conditions affords substituted quinolines in a single operation. In the cascade process, the catalysts, such as Tf2NH, TfOH, and Lewis acids, catalyze two mechanistically distinct reactions (auto-tandem catalysis).

Attempt to detect natural anticancer compounds--protein binding through precursor ion scan and MS/MS measurements.

A 2'-succinyltaxol-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate was prepared as an antigen to produce an anti-taxol monoclonal antibody by immunizing mice. Formation of a linkage between hapten and protein is usually confirmed by the UV or fluorescamine method. However, it was difficult to confirm the binding of 2'-succinyltaxol to BSA by these methods owing to the similar UV absorption maxima of 2'-succinyltaxol (273 nm) and BSA (280 nm).

Re-evaluation of heterogeneity in HLA-B*510101 associated with Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, uveitis and skin lesions. Etiology and pathogenesis of BD are not fully elucidated, but the association with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B51 or B*5101 has been repeatedly reported. Previous studies have shown that there are few sequence variations in the protein-coding region of B51, while there is a report on many variations in the 5'-flanking region and intron.

Cross-sectional growth changes in skeletal and soft tissue cephalometric landmarks of children.

In order to provide standard values for craniofacial growth of normal children, we evaluated the growth changes of skeletal and soft tissue cephalometric landmarks from lateral cephalograms of 180 Japanese children. They were divided into three groups: primary dentition, mixed dentition, and permanent dentition. Specific skeletal angles and distances showed significant gender differences with increasing age.

Precision measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters with KamLAND.

The KamLAND experiment has determined a precise value for the neutrino oscillation parameter Deltam21(2) and stringent constraints on theta12. The exposure to nuclear reactor antineutrinos is increased almost fourfold over previous results to 2.44 x 10(32) proton yr due to longer livetime and an enlarged fiducial volume.

Enantioselective synthesis of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles through Pd-catalyzed cyanoamidation.

The first enantioselective cyanoamidation of olefins provides quick access to a variety of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles. The combination of Pd(dba)2, an optically active phosphoramidite, and N, N-dimethylpropylene urea (DMPU) in decalin were found to be the best conditions.

Concise synthesis of the CDE ring system of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids using carbophilic Lewis acid-catalyzed hydroamidation and oxidative Friedel-Crafts cyclization.

A concise synthesis of the CDE ring system of the tetrahydroisoquinoline antitumor alkaloids such as saframycins, renieramycins, and ecteinascidins has been developed. Both Au(I)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamidation of alkynylamide and NBS-mediated oxidative Friedel-Crafts cyclization of the resulting 2-ketopiperazine were utilized as key reactions.

Indium(III)-catalyzed tandem reaction with alkynylbenzaldehydes and alkynylanilines to heteroaromatic compounds.

Starting from ortho-alkynylbenzaldehydes and ortho-alkynylanilines, In(OTf)3-catalyzed synthesis of ring-condensed heteroaromatic compounds was developed via a domino intramolecular nucleophilic attack/intermolecular cycloaddition/dehydration reaction.

Chicken leptin receptor is functional in activating JAK-STATpathway in vitro.

Leptin is a cytokine-like hormone that regulates food intake and energy homeostasis via its interaction with the leptin receptor (LEPR) located in the target tissues. Leptin-dependent signal transduction pathways have been well characterised in mammals but less is known about them in other vertebrates. In birds, although the existence of the LEPR has been confirmed, the identity of the natural ligand for the LEPR is controversial and the signalling cascade is not fully understood either.

Increased levels of serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 in haemodialysis patients with dialysis-related amyloidosis.

Background: It is recognized that matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) is abundantly expressed in active rheumatoid synovium, and that serum level of MMP-3 is a useful marker for diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and for evaluation of prognosis in joint destruction. Little is known about serum MMP-3 levels in haemodialysis (HD) patients, and thus, the association between serum MMP-3 and dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) has yet to be elucidated.

Methods: Serum levels of MMP-3 were measured by enzyme immunoassay in 150 HD patients, 90 without DRA and 60 with DRA, before HD.

Characteristics of trunk lean motion during walking in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: Trunk lean motion on the frontal plane shifts the pressure across the medial-lateral cartilage of the stance limb's knee. The purpose of this study was to investigate trunk lean motion during walking in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Materials And Methods: The study involved five healthy normal controls and 12 patients with symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (six with unilateral and six with bilateral).

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the choroid plexus. Case report.

The authors report a case of inflammatory pseudotumor that developed in the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricle. The patient was a 73-year-old man who had undergone surgery for rectal cancer at another hospital 5 years earlier. He was referred to the authors' department, with his chief symptoms consisting of disorientation, right hemiparesis, and gait disorder that had gradually developed during the preceding month.

Polymorphism of IFN-gamma gene and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Purpose: Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is a key cytokine in inflammatory disorders. Elevated aqueous and serum levels of IFN-gamma levels have been reported to be elevated in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. The aim of this study was to determine the IFN-gamma gene polymorphisms in VKH disease.

Large decrease in acute aquatic toxicity of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in hard water and seawater by adding adsorbent.

LAS (Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate) shows relatively high aquatic toxicity in hard freshwater or seawater. In this paper, we studied the effect of adsorbent on the aquatic toxicity of LAS in hard freshwater and seawater. Daphnia magna and Artemia salina were used for acute aquatic toxicity test in freshwater and seawater, respectively.

Comparison of the efficacy of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination in Japanese and Caucasian asthmatics.

Introduction: The effect of ethnicity on the efficacy of salmeterol (S)+fluticasone propionate (FP) has not been examined in Japanese and Caucasian asthmatics. In this study, the efficacy of combination treatment with S and FP from a single inhaler (SFC) was compared with concurrent treatment with S and FP administration from separate inhalers (S+FP) in Japanese and Caucasian asthmatics.

Methods: This was a randomised, double-blind, crossover study in male and female Japanese (n=18) and Caucasian (n=17) asthmatics (50-100% predicted FEV(1); >35% reversibility in sGaw).