Quantitative evaluation of the biological activity of various brassinosteroids using spiral root induction in rice seeds.

Spiral roots are induced in germinated rice seeds through treatment with nanomolar brassinosteroids (BRs) but not with other plant hormones. Here, we determined the minimum effective concentration (MEC) of various BRs to induce spiral roots in germinated rice seeds. The reciprocal logarithm of MEC, pMEC, was used as the BL-like activity index, which was linearly correlated with the reciprocal logarithm of a 50% effective dose (pED) as evaluated in the rice lamina inclination assay.

Preemptive Embolization of the Lumbar Arteries and Inferior Mesenteric Artery to Prevent Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Enlargement Associated with Type 2 Endoleak Following Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of preemptive embolization (PE) of the lumbar arteries (LAs) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) (PELI) for preventing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) enlargement associated with type 2 endoleak (T2EL).

Material And Methods: Patients who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) between January 2015 and December 2020 were classified into the control (without PE), IMA (PE of a patent IMA with a diameter ≥2.5 mm), and PELI (PE of patent LAs with a diameter ≥2 mm and IMA) groups.

Predictors of Linkage to an Opioid Treatment Program and Methadone Treatment Retention following Hospital Discharge in a Safety-Net Setting.

: Methadone is increasingly initiated during hospitalization for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). However, little is known about which factors are associated with linkage to opioid treatment programs (OTP) and retention in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) following hospital discharge. This is a retrospective study of adults with OUD hospitalized in an urban, safety-net hospital referred by inpatient clinicians to an onsite OTP for post-discharge MMT follow-up from October 2017 to July 2019.

Scope and limitations of absolute configuration determination of allenic natural products using the CCC stretching VCD signal.

The allene functional group in natural products isolated so far exists in a non-racemic form, but its axial chirality is difficult to elucidate. Allenes exhibit a characteristic antisymmetric CCC stretching mode at around 1950 cm, and their VCD properties have not been studied in detail. This work, for the first time, applied VCD spectroscopy to allenic natural products and allenic molecules with other asymmetric centers focusing on the antisymmetric CCC stretching mode.

Provision of fertility services to women in same-sex relationships at Catholic and non-Catholic clinics in the United States.

Introduction: This study addressed deficient information on the provision of infertility care in obstetrics and gynecology clinics. We additionally evaluated the availability of these services based on clinic affiliations or stated sexual orientation.

Methodology: We performed a national cross-sectional "mystery caller" survey of 293 general obstetrics and gynecology clinics in 2017-2018.

Structure modification of nonsteroidal brassinolide-like compound, NSBR1.

Brassinolide (BL) is a possible plant growth regulator in agriculture, but the presence of a steroid skeleton hampers the field application of BL in agriculture because of its high synthetic cost. We discovered NSBR1 as the first nonsteroidal BL-like compound using in silico technology. Searching for more potent BL-like compounds, we modified the structure of NSBR1 with respect to 2 benzene rings and the piperazine ring.

Immersion optical clearing of adipose tissue in rats: ex vivo and in vivo studies.

Optical clearing (OC) of adipose tissue has not been studied enough, although it can be promising in medical applications, including surgery and cosmetology, for example, to visualize blood vessels or increase the permeability of tissues to laser beams. The main objective of this work is to develop technology for OC of abdominal adipose tissue in vivo using hyperosmotic optical clearing agents (OCAs). The maximum OC effect (77%) was observed for ex vivo rat adipose tissue samples exposed to OCA on fructose basis for 90 minutes.

Potential UV-Protective Effect of Freestanding Biodegradable Nanosheet-Based Sunscreen Preparations in -Deficient Mice.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disorder. As patients with XP are deficient in nucleotide excision repair, they show severe photosensitivity symptoms. Although skin protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is essential to improve the life expectancy of such patients, the optimal protective effect is not achieved even with sunscreen application, owing to the low usability of the preparations.

5,11-Diazadibenzo[hi,qr]tetracene: Synthesis, Properties, and Reactivity toward Nucleophilic Reagents.

5,11-Diazadibenzo[hi,qr]tetracene was synthesized as a new nitrogen-substituted polycyclic heteroaromatic compound by Pd-catalyzed cycloisomerization of an alkyne precursor followed by oxidative cyclization with bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodobenzene. The substitution of imine-type nitrogen atoms significantly enhanced its electron-accepting character and facilitated the direct nucleophilic addition of arylamines under strongly basic conditions to afford the desired amino-substituted products. The introduction of amino groups induced a remarkable red-shift in their absorption spectra; the tetrasubstituted product exhibited intense near-infrared absorbing property.

Visualization of Thermal Transport within and between Carbon Nanotubes.

Despite the excellent thermal properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the thermal characteristics of macroscopic CNT assemblies are poor. This is probably due to the presence of numerous nontrivial intertube boundaries. Currently, clarity on the inherent difference between intra- and inter-CNT thermal conductivities is not well-established.

Plasma concentration of amitriptyline and metabolites after resuscitation from cardiopulmonary arrest following an overdose: A case report.

It may need to pay attention to the sustention of moderate cardiotoxicity and delayed elevation of plasma 10-hydroxynortriptyline level in severe amitriptyline overdose case.

[Spleen Infarction after Direct Aortic Access for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement;Report of a Case].

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR) in the treatment of patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) has evolved on the basis of evidence from clinical trials. A 84-year-old woman with a complaint of dyspnea was diagnosed with severe AS. A preoperative computed tomography (CT) revealed huge mural thrombus at descending aorta, therefore we planned direct aortic access for TAVR to avoid embolism.

Risk Factors for Mortality and Pre-ICU Fluid Balance Among Critically Ill Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Objective: To examine if fluid balance surrounding pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients was associated with mortality, ventilator-free days, and intensive care unit (ICU)-free days. To explore other population-specific factors associated with poor outcome.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of HSCT patients admitted to 2 quaternary PICUs, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital from January 2009 to December 2014.

Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema After Atrial Septal Defect Closure Through Right-Sided Minithoracotomy.

We describe a patient with reexpanded pulmonary edema after atrial septal defect closure through a right-sided minithoracotomy. After reexpansion of the right lung after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, a large amount of serous slight-hemorrhagic bronchial secretions spilled out from the right bronchus. Positive pressure ventilation and differential ventilation were used.

Discovery of a nonsteroidal brassinolide-like compound, NSBR1.

Fourteen compounds screened from 5 million compounds were submitted to bioassay to find brassinolide (BL) agonists/antagonists against . Of these, two -benzoyl-'-phenylpiperazine (NBNPP)-type compounds showed antagonistic activity; however, none showed agonistic activity against . The substituents at the benzoyl moiety of NBNPP were changed to OH groups to derive -(3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl)-'-(4-butanoyl-2-fluorophenyl)pyrazine, which was named NSBR1.

Flatbed epi relief-contrast cellular monitoring system for stable cell culture.

Consistent cell preparation is a fundamental preliminary step for understanding complex cellular mechanisms in various cell-based research fields, including basic cell biology, cancer research, and tissue engineering. However, certain elusive factors, such as cellular de-differentiation and contamination with mycoplasma or other types of cells, have compromised the reproducibility and reliability of cell-based approaches. Here, we propose an epi relief-contrast cellular monitoring system (eRC-CMS) that allows images of cells in a typical culture plate to be acquired, stored, and analysed for daily cell quality control.

Favorable Clinical Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Japanese Patients - First Report From the Post-Approval K-TAVI Registry.

Background: Very limited data exist on the outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) since Japanese marketing approval of the first TAVI device.

Methods and results: The Kyoto University-related hospital Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (K-TAVI) registry includes prospectively collected data from 6 participating hospitals in Japan. We included 302 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI using the SAPIEN XT balloon-expandable valve via transfemoral (TF; n=203, 67%) or transapical (TA; n=99, 33%) approach between October 2013 and September 2015.

In silico exploration for agonists/antagonists of brassinolide.

Brassinolide (BL) is a plant steroid hormone that is necessary for stem elongation and cell division. To date more than 70 steroidal BL-like compounds, which are collectively named as brassinosteroids, have been identified. However, non-steroidal compounds that mimic BL have not been reported yet, which can be used as plant growth regulators.

Successful surgical aortic valve replacement for prosthetic valve infective endocarditis following transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

An 80-year-old male underwent a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe senile aortic stenosis. Six weeks after the surgery, he was readmitted to our institution because of a high-grade fever. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed thickening of all three leaflets of the aortic prosthesis and mobile mass on the leaflet, and was identified from his blood culture.

Role of P-glycoprotein in regulating cilnidipine distribution to intact and ischemic brain.

Cilnidipine is reported to show antihypertensive and neuroprotective actions in a rat brain ischemia model, but is barely distributed to normal brain, suggesting that its uptake into normal brain is inhibited by efflux transporter(s), such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Here, we investigated whether P-gp regulates the brain distribution of cilnidipine. Intracellular accumulation of cilnidipine was decreased in P-gp-overexpressing porcine kidney epithelial cells (LLC-GA5-COL150 cells) compared with control LLC-PK1 cells and the decrease was markedly inhibited by verapamil, a P-gp inhibitor.

Direct visualization and quantitative analysis of water diffusion in complex biological tissues using CARS microscopy.

To date, it has not been possible to measure microscopic diffusive water movements in epithelia and in the interstitial space of complex tissues and organs. Diffusive water movements are essential for life because they convey physiologically important small molecules, e.g.

The dual pathway inhibitor rigosertib is effective in direct patient tumor xenografts of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

The dual pathway inhibitor rigosertib inhibits phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway activation as well as polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) activity across a broad spectrum of cancer cell lines. The importance of PIK3CA alterations in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) has raised interest in exploring agents targeting PI3K, the product of PIK3CA. The genetic and molecular basis of rigosertib treatment response was investigated in a panel of 16 HNSCC cell lines, and direct patient tumor xenografts from eight patients with HNSCC [four HPV-serotype16 (HPV16)-positive].

A patient tumor transplant model of squamous cell cancer identifies PI3K inhibitors as candidate therapeutics in defined molecular bins.

Targeted therapy development in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is challenging given the rarity of activating mutations. Additionally, HNSCC incidence is increasing related to human papillomavirus (HPV). We sought to develop an in vivo model derived from patients reflecting the evolving HNSCC epidemiologic landscape, and use it to identify new therapies.