ABO-incompatible living-donor pediatric kidney transplantation in Japan

The Japanese ABO-Incompatible Transplantation Committee officially collected and analyzed data on pediatric ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplantation in July 2012. The age of a child was defined a

Aldose Reductase Inhibition Prevents Metaplasia of Airway Epithelial Cells

BACKGROUND: Goblet cell metaplasia that causes mucus hypersecretion and obstruction in the airway lumen could be life threatening in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Inflammatory cytokines such as IL-13 mediate the transformation of airway ciliary epithelial cells to mucin-secreting goblet cells in acute as well as chronic airway inflammatory diseases. However, no effective and specific pharmacologic treatment is currently available. Here, we investigated the mechanisms by which aldose reductase (AR) regulates the mucus cell metaplasia in vitro and in vivo. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: Metaplasia in primary human small airway epithelial cells (SAEC) was induced by a Th2 cytokine, IL-13, without or with AR inhibitor, fidarestat. After 48 h of incubation with IL-13 a large number of SAEC were transformed into goblet cells as determined by periodic acid-schiff (PAS)-staining and immunohistochemistry using antibodies against Mucin5AC. Further, IL-13 significantly increased the expression of Mucin5AC at mRNA and protein levels. These changes were significantly prevented by treatment of the SAEC with AR inhibitor. AR inhibition also decreased IL-13-induced expression of Muc5AC, Muc5B, and SPDEF, and phosphorylation of JAK-1, ERK1/2 and STAT-6. In a mouse model of ragweed pollen extract (RWE)-induced allergic asthma treatment with fidarestat prevented the expression of IL-13, phosphorylation of STAT-6 and transformation of epithelial cells to goblet cells in the lung. Additionally, while the AR-null mice were resistant, wild-type mice showed goblet cell metaplasia after challenge with RWE. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that exposure of SAEC to IL-13 caused goblet cell metaplasia, which was significantly prevented by AR inhibition. Administration of fidarestat to mice prevented RWE-induced goblet cell metaplasia and AR null mice were largely resistant to allergen induced changes in the lung. Thus our results indicate that AR inhibitors such as fidarestat could be developed as therapeutic agents to prevent goblet cell metaplasia in asthma and related pathologies

Bootstrap method in harmonic oscillator

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Application of Bootstrap to θ\theta-term

Recently, novel numerical computation on quantum mechanics by using a bootstrap method was proposed by Han, Hartnoll, and Kruthoff. We consider whether this method works in systems with a $\theta$-term, where the standard Monte-Carlo computation may fail due to the sign problem. As a starting point, we study quantum mechanics of a charged particle on a circle in which a constant gauge potential is a counterpart of a $\theta$-term. We find that it is hard to determine physical quantities as functions of $\theta$ such as $E(\theta)$, except at $\theta=0$ and $\pi$. On the other hand, the correlations among observables for energy eigenstates are correctly reproduced for any $\theta$. Our results suggest that the bootstrap method may work not perfectly but sufficiently well, even if a $\theta$-term exists in the system.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures.v3: matches published version in PRD, appendix on the details of the numerical bootstrap was adde

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric methylation of fluoroalkylated pyruvates with dimethylzinc

The catalytic asymmetric methylation of fluoroalkylated pyruvates is shown with dimethylzinc as a methylating reagent in the presence of a copper catalyst bearing a chiral phosphine ligand. This is the first catalytic asymmetric methylation to synthesize various α-fluoroalkylated tertiary alcohols with CF3, CF2H, CF2Br, and n-CnF2n+1 (n = 2, 3, 8) groups in good-to-high yields and enantioselectivities. Axial backbones and substituents on phosphorus atoms of chiral phosphine ligands critically influence the enantioselectivity. Moreover, the methylation of simple perfluoroalkylated ketones is found to be facilitated by only chiral phosphines without copper

Effective Photosensitization in Excited-State Equilibrium: Brilliant Luminescence of Tb-III Coordination Polymers Through Ancillary Ligand Modifications

Molecular photosensitizers provide efficient light-absorbing abilities for photo-functional materials. Herein, effective photosensitization in excited-state equilibrium is demonstrated using five Tb-III coordination polymers. The coordination polymers are composed of Tb-III ions (emission center), hexafluoroacetylacetonato (photosensitizer ligands), and phosphine oxide-based bridges (ancillary ligands). The two types of ligand combinations induces a rigid coordination structure via intermolecular interactions, resulting in high thermal stability (with decomposition temperatures above 300 degrees C). Excited-triplet-state lifetimes of photosensitizer ligands (tau=120-1320 mu s) are strongly dependent on the structure of the ancillary ligands. The photosensitizer with a long excited-triplet-state lifetime (tau >= 1120 mu s) controls the excited state equilibrium between the photosensitizer and Tb-III, allowing the construction of Tb-III coordination polymer with high Tb-III emission quantum yield (>= 70 %)

Plant growth acceleration using a transparent Eu3+-painted UV-to-red conversion film

The stimulation of photosynthesis is a strategy for achieving sustainable plant production. Red light is useful for plant growth because it is absorbed by chlorophyll pigments, which initiate natural photosynthetic processes. Ultraviolet (UV)-to-red wavelength-converting materials are promising candidates for eco-friendly plant cultures that do not require electric power. In this study, transparent films equipped with a UV-to-red wavelength-converting luminophore, the Eu3+ complex, were prepared on commercially available plastic films for plant growth experiments. The present Eu3+-based films absorb UV light and exhibit strong red luminescence under sunlight. Eu3+-painted films provide significant growth acceleration with size increment and biomass production for vegetal crops and trees in a northern region. The plants cultured with Eu3+-painted films had a 1.2-fold height and 1.4-fold total body biomass than those cultures without the Eu3+ luminophores. The present film can promote the plant production in fields of agriculture and forestry