Stereodivergent synthesis and relative stereostructure of the C1-C13 fragment of symbiodinolide

Four possible diastereomers of the C1-C13 fragment of symbiodinolide, which were proposed by the stereostructural analysis of the degraded product, were synthesized in a stereodivergent and stereoselective manner. The key transformations were aldol reaction of methyl acetoacetate with the aldehyde, diastereoselective reduction of the resulting β-hydroxy ketone, and the stereoinversion at the C6 position. Comparison of the (1)H NMR data between the four synthetic products and the degraded product revealed the relative stereostructure of the C1-C13 fragment of symbiodinolide

シガケン ナガハマシ ホウゲン ノ ソザイ タイグウ ケイシキ ニ カンスル キジュツテキ ケンキュウ

The isomerization of n-hexadecane over Pt–WO3 catalysts supported on TiO2–SiO2 synthesized by glycothermal reaction with various Si/Ti molar ratios was examined. The catalyst performance depended on Si/Ti molar ratio and WO3 loading. The characterization of the catalysts by XRD, XAFS, UV-vis and so on revealed that with increasing the WO3 loading, the structure of surface W species changed from monomeric species to polytungstate species, which is considered to significantly affect the isomerization selectivity of the catalysts

Study about the Efficacy of Metformin to Immune Function in Cancer Patients

A study to evaluate the effect of metformin on the immune system was commenced in July 2014. Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for type 2 diabetes, and previous studies have reported that metformin has an anti-tumor effect. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of metformin on the immune system in human cancer patients in vivo. The primary outcome parameter will be the rate change in the population of CD8＋ T cells, which produce multiple cytokines

Integral role of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in nondiabetic atherosclerosis

An advanced glycation end products (AGE)/a receptor for AGE (RAGE) axis plays a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular remodeling. This study was conducted to clarify the role of RAGE in nondiabetic atherosclerosis. We used the aortic and coronary atherosclerotic lesions of Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits prone to myocardial infarction (WHHLMI) at 1 to 14 months. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the significant expression of RAGE as early as at 1 month with the stronger expression at 3 and 7 months, which was remarkably diminished at 14 months. RAGE expression was concordant with AGE accumulation. The major original sources of RAGE expression were macrophages and smooth muscle cells in addition to endothelial cells, and RAGE expression was distributed in the areas of phospholipid products, a component of oxidized LDL and nitrotyrosine. The concentrations of serum AGE did not alter significantly with aging. These findings suggested the expression of RAGE was induced by hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress independent of diabetes in WHHLMI rabbits. Additionally, our in vitro study showed that silencing of RAGE tended to attenuate oxidized-LDL-triggered PAI-1 expression in human cultured macrophages, as well as oxidized-LDL-induced tissue factor expression in peritoneal macrophages, suggesting a possible role of RAGE in prothrombogenic molecular regulation. In conclusion, the present study provides in vivo evidence that RAGE plays an integral role in the initiation and progression of nondiabetic atherosclerosis, suggesting that RAGE may be a novel target for treating not only diabetic but also nondiabetic vascular complications

CrkL directs ASAP1 to peripheral focal adhesions

Searching for proteins in platelets that can interact with the N-terminal SH3 domain of CrkL (using a combination of a pull-down assay followed by mass spectrometry), we have found that human platelets express an ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf)-specific GTPase-activating protein (GAP), ASAP1, as a CrkL-binding protein. In spreading platelets, most endogenous ASAP1 is localized at peripheral focal adhesions. To determine the physiologic significance of the CrkL-ASAP1 association, we overexpressed CrkL, ASAP1, or both in combination in COS7 cells. Unlike endogenous ASAP1 in platelets, overexpressed ASAP1 showed diffuse cytoplasmic distribution. However, when co-expressed with wild-type CrkL, both endogenous and expressed ASAP1 accumulated at CrkL-induced focal adhesions. An SH2-mutated CrkL, which cannot localize at focal adhesions, failed to recruit ASAP1 into focal adhesions. Thus, CrkL appears to be a lynchpin between ASAP1 and peripheral focal adhesions

Emerging concepts in biomarker discovery; The US-Japan workshop on immunological molecular markers in oncology

Supported by the Office of International Affairs, National Cancer Institute (NCI), the "US-Japan Workshop on Immunological Biomarkers in Oncology" was held in March 2009. The workshop was related to a task force launched by the International Society for the Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify strategies for biomarker discovery and validation in the field of biotherapy. The effort will culminate on October 28th 2009 in the "iSBTc-FDA-NCI Workshop on Prognostic and Predictive Immunologic Biomarkers in Cancer", which will be held in Washington DC in association with the Annual Meeting. The purposes of the US-Japan workshop were a) to discuss novel approaches to enhance the discovery of predictive and/or prognostic markers in cancer immunotherapy; b) to define the state of the science in biomarker discovery and validation. The participation of Japanese and US scientists provided the opportunity to identify shared or discordant themes across the distinct immune genetic background and the diverse prevalence of disease between the two Nations

Spallation reaction study for fission products in nuclear waste: Cross section measurements for 137

Spallation reactions for the long-lived fission products 137Cs, 90Sr and 107Pd have been studied for the purpose of nuclear waste transmutation. The cross sections on the proton- and deuteron-induced spallation were obtained in inverse kinematics at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. Both the target and energy dependences of cross sections have been investigated systematically. and the cross-section differences between the proton and deuteron are found to be larger for lighter fragments. The experimental data are compared with the SPACS semi-empirical parameterization and the PHITS calculations including both the intra-nuclear cascade and evaporation processes

Effect of Mn content on physical properties of CeOx–MnOy support and BaO–CeOx–MnOy catalysts for direct NO decomposition

A series of manganese–cerium mixed oxides were prepared by a glycothermal method, and the NO decomposition activities of the Ba-loaded Ce–Mn oxides were examined. Among the catalysts examined, the highest NO conversion was obtained on the BaO/Ce–Mn oxide catalyst with a Mn/(Ce+Mn) ratio of 0.25. The X-ray diffraction and Raman analyses indicated the formation of Ce–Mn oxide solid solutions with a cubic fluorite structure. The electron spin resonance analysis indicated the presence of paramagnetic Mn2+ species in the composite catalysts. Incorporation of Mn2+ in the fluorite structure of CeO2 causes an increase in the concentration of oxygen vacancies, which play an important role in the NO decomposition activity of the catalysts. The catalysts were also characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reduction techniques. Based on the results obtained, the relationship between the physical properties of the catalysts and their NO decomposition activities was discussed