Annulative coupling of vinylboronic esters: aryne-triggered 1,2-metallate rearrangement

A stereoselective annulative coupling of a vinylboronic ester ate-complex with arynes producing cyclic borinic esters has been developed. An annulation reaction that proceeded through the formation of two C-C bonds and a C-B bond was realized by exploiting a 1,2-metallate rearrangement of boronate triggered by the addition of a vinyl group to the strained triple bond of an aryne. The generated aryl anion would then cyclize to a boron atom to complete the annulation cascade. The annulated borinic ester could be converted to boronic acids and their derivatives by oxidation, halogenation, and cross-coupling. Particularly, halogenation and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling proceeded in a site-selective fashion and produced highly substituted alkylboronic acid derivatives

Establishment of an antibody specific for cancer-associated haptoglobin: a possible implication of clinical investigation

We previously found that the serum level of fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hpt) was significantly increased in pancreatic cancer patients. To delineate the mechanism underlying this increase and develop a simple detection method, we set out to generate a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for Fuc-Hpt. After multiple screenings by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a 10-7G mAb was identified as being highly specific for Fuc-Hpt generated in a cell line as well as for Hpt derived from a pancreatic cancer patient. As a result from affinity chromatography with 10-7G mAb, followed by lectin blot and mass spectrometry analyses, it was found that 10-7G mAb predominantly recognized both Fuc-Hpt and prohaptoglobin (proHpt), which was also fucosylated. In immunohistochemical analyses, hepatocytes surrounding metastasized cancer cells were stained by the 10-7G mAb, but neither the original cancer cells themselves nor normal hepatocytes exhibited positive staining, suggesting that metastasized cancer cells promote Fuc-Hpt production in adjacent hepatocytes. Serum level of Fuc-Hpt determined with newly developed ELISA system using the 10-7G mAb, was increased in patients of pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Interestingly, dramatic increases in Fuc-Hpt levels were observed at the stage IV of colorectal cancer. These results indicate that the 10-7G mAb developed is a promising antibody which recognizes Fuc-Hpt and could be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting liver metastasis of cancer.This study was performed as a research program of the Project for Development of Innovative Research on Cancer Therapeutics (P-Direct), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP16H05226

Study on the Fostering of Self-Educability in Technology Education ―A Consideration about Practical Teaching Materials in "Information Technology" Area―

The purpose of this study was to obtain basic information for teaching materials to foster self-educability in Industrial Arts Education. An experimental lesson curriculum was conducted with practical teaching materials using five types of computer software in "Information Technology" Area at Junior High level Technology Education. From the results of the self-educability diagnosis and evaluation test after the lessons, the following conclusions were found in terms of fostering self-educability: (1) The lessons which applied practical teaching materials used in this study can possibly foster self-educability. (2) The experimental lessons which applied five types of practical teaching materials can efficiently enhance self-educability along with the progress of the study plan even though there were some differences in the results of each material. (3) The lessons which applied practical teaching materials used in this study can foster self-educability in both male and female students

ANCA-Negative Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Presenting with Hypertrophic Cranial Pachymeningitis, Abducens Nerve Palsy, and Stenosis of the Internal Carotid Artery

We report a rare case of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) presenting with hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis (HCP), abducens nerve palsy, and stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA). A 59-year-old Japanese man presented with a year history of nasal obstruction and a 2-month history of slight headache. Histopathological examination of the granulomatous mucosa in the ethmoid sinuses resected by endoscopic sinus surgery revealed necrotizing vasculitis with multinucleated giant cells. The patient was diagnosed with the limited form of GPA as a result of the systemic examination. He declined immunosuppressive treatment. Eighteen months after the diagnosis of GPA, he presented with diplopia and severe headache. Though nasal findings indicating GPA were not observed in the nasal cavity, CT scan revealed a lesion of the right sphenoid sinus eroding the bone of the clivus. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the brain showed thickening of the dura mater around the right cavernous sinus and clivus. Magnetic resonance angiography and cerebral angiography revealed narrowing at the C5 portion of the ICA. Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral prednisolone and cyclophosphamide resolved headache and dramatically improved HCP and stenosis of the ICA

Sodium Intake and Incidence of Diabetes Complications in Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes—Analysis of Data from the Japanese Elderly Diabetes Intervention Study (J-EDIT)

This study investigates the associations between sodium intake and diabetes complications in a nationwide cohort of elderly Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes aged 65–85. Data from 912 individuals regarding their dietary intake at baseline is analyzed and assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire based on food groups. Primary outcomes are times to diabetic retinopathy, overt nephropathy, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality during six years. We find that mean sodium intake in quartiles ranges from 2.5 g to 5.9 g/day. After adjustment for confounders, no significant associations are observed between sodium intake quartiles and incidence of diabetes complications and mortality, except for a significant trend for an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy (p = 0.039). Among patients whose vegetable intake was less than the average of 268.7 g, hazard ratios (HRs) for diabetic retinopathy in patients in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of sodium intake compared with the first quartile were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.31–2.41), 2.61 (1.00–6.83), and 3.70 (1.37–10.02), respectively. Findings indicate that high sodium intake under conditions of low vegetable intake is associated with an elevated incidence of diabetic retinopathy in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes