Effects of varicella zoster virus or herpes simplex virus type I infection in vitro on response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to phytohemagglutinin.

Examination was made of the in vitro response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBNMCs) to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) following treatment with varicella zoster virus (VZV) or herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1). Cell proliferation was determined by colorimetric assay using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide. The response to PHA was depressed in all cases by virus infection of PBMNCs prior to PHA treatment. When the infection with the viruses was after PHA treatment, PHA response differed. For VZV infection, the response increased in four out of six samples, but was reduced in the other two. The response to PHA was depressed in all six samples by HSV 1 infection.</p

Cilostazol minimizes venous ischemic injury in diabetic and normal rats

We evaluated the effects of cilostazol on venous infarction produced by a photothrombotic two-vein occlusion (2VO) model in diabetic and control rats. The cerebral blood flow (CBF) between the occluded veins was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry for 4 hours after 2VO. Infarct size and immunohistochemistry were evaluated 24, 48, 96, and 168 hours after 2VO. Cilostazol was administered 1 hour after 2VO, and thereafter at a continuous oral dose of 60 mg/kg per day. Cilostazol reduced the infarct size, and the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive apoptotic and B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax)-positive cells, and improved the CBF in control rats. In diabetic rats, cilostazol reduced the infarct size, and the number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic and Bax-positive cells, 96 and 168 hours after 2VO, but did not improve the CBF 4 hours after 2VO. Cilostazol increased the number of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-positive cells in both strains 48, 96, and 168 hours after 2VO, but did not improve vessel wall thickness or collagen deposits. Cilostazol appeared to limit venous infarcts by improving the penumbral CBF in nondiabetic rats, and inhibited pro-apoptotic changes through Bcl-2 overexpression, without improving the CBF in diabetic rats

Synthesis and photophysical properties of butterfly-shaped dinuclear Pt(II) complex having NHC-based chelate ligands

A butterfly-shaped dinuclear Pt(II) complex having pyridyl-NHC chelate ligands and bridging Me2pz ligands was synthesized. The crystal structure of the Pt2 complex showed short intramolecular Pt?Pt distance (3.129?A) and unique packing structure containing one-dimensional infinite pore that was filled with solvent molecules. The absorbance was proportional to the concentration of Pt2 complex and no significant bands appeared even in high concentration (up to 100?μM). The Pt2 complex showed bluish-green emission (λmax?=?459?nm) in the solid state at 298?K (λex?=?330?nm). TD-DFT calculation revealed that the lowest-energy absorption bands are mainly assigned to the combination of metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) and ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) transitions

Reversible formation and cleavage of Pt→Ag dative bonds in a pre-organized cavity of a luminescent heteropolynuclear platinum(ii) complex

A U-shaped Pt2Ag2 complex [Pt2Ag2(ppy)2(Ph2pz)4] with a pre-organized cavity (ppy = 2-phenylpridinate and Ph2pz = 3,5-diphenylpyrazolate) and related complexes have been prepared. The Pt2Ag2 complexes react with Ag(I) ions to give the corresponding Pt2Ag3 complexes containing Pt→Ag dative bonds. It became obvious that the existence of the C(ipso) atom in the chelate ligand is important as the driving force for forming Pt→Ag dative bonds. However, once the Pt2Ag3 complex is formed, the trapped Ag(I) ion is mainly stabilized by the Pt→Ag dative bonds, which are stronger than the Ag?C(ipso) bond. The trapped Ag(I) ion can be abstracted from the cavity selectively by adding an equivalent amount of chloride ion into the solution of Pt2Ag3 complexes to reproduce the original Pt2Ag2 complexes.Related illustration appears in this issue\u27s inside back cover. The URL is as follows: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7CC90232

Bridging-arylene effects on spectroscopic and photophysical properties of arylborane–dipyrrinato zinc(ii) complexes

Novel bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(ii) derivatives having 4-[bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)boryl]phenyl (ZnBph) or 4-[bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)boryl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenyl groups (ZnBdu) at the 5-position of the dipyrrinato ligands were designed and synthesized.InZnBphwith the smaller dipyrrinate-arylene and arylene-dimesitylboryl dihedral angles, an intramolecular charge transfer arising from the presence of the vacant p orbital on the boron atom participates in the ππ* excited state in character in contrast to the pure ππ* excited state ofZnBdu. The synergistic ππ*/ILCT excited state was weakly fluorescent, and the fluorescence was enhanced upon binding of fluoride to the boron atom

Non-Consensual Sex among Japanese Women in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Large-Scale Nationwide Survey-Based Study

Background: Non-consensual sex including rape and sexual assault has been a global concern and may have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, however the information on this topic is limited. Therefore, our objective was to survey the incidence rate of non-consensual sex among Japanese women aged 15-79 years between April to September 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.Materials and Methods: We utilized the data obtained from a nationwide, cross-sectional internet survey conducted in Japan between August and September 2020. Sampling weights were applied to calculate national estimates, and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with non-consensual sex. Data was extracted from a cross-sectional, web-based, self-administered survey of approximately 2.2 million individuals from the general public, including in men and women.Results: Excluding men and responses with inconsistencies, the final analysis included 12,809 women participants, with 138 (1.1%) reporting experiencing non-consensual sex within a five-month period. Being aged 15–29 years and having a worsened mental or economic status were associated with experiencing non-consensual sex.Conclusions Early intervention to prevent individuals from becoming victims of sexual harm should be extended to economically vulnerable and young women, especially during times of societal upheaval such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Japan should prioritize the implementation of comprehensive education on the concept of sexual consent

Benzene Metabolite 1,2,4-Benzenetriol Induces Halogenated DNA and Tyrosines Representing Halogenative Stress in the HL-60 Human Myeloid Cell Line

Background: Although benzene is known to be myelotoxic and to cause myeloid leukemia in humans, the mechanism has not been elucidated

Symmetry-breaking host–guest assembly in a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular system

Bio-inspired self-assembly is invaluable to create well-defined giant structures from small molecular units. Owing to a large entropy loss in the self-assembly process, highly symmetric structures are typically obtained as thermodynamic products while formation of low symmetric assemblies is still challenging. In this study, we report the symmetry-breaking self-assembly of a defined C1-symmetric supramolecular structure from an Oh-symmetric hydrogen-bonded resorcin[4]arene capsule and C2-symmetric cationic bis-cyclometalated Ir complexes, carrying sterically demanding tertiary butyl (tBu) groups, on the basis of synergistic effects of weak binding forces. The flexible capsule framework shows a large structural change upon guest binding to form a distorted resorcin[4]arene hexameric capsule, providing an asymmetric cavity. Location of the chiral guest inside the anisotropic environment leads to modulation of its Electric Dipole (ED) and Magnetic Dipole (MD) transition moments in the excited state, causing an increased emission quantum yield, longer emission lifetime, and enhancement of the dissymmetry factor (glum) in the circularly polarized luminescence

Encapsulation condition dependent photophysical properties of polypyridyl Ru(ii) complexes within a hydrogen-bonded capsule

Controlling the encapsulation equilibrium is a key strategy to affect host-guest associations. Ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl complex salts suspended in a chloroform solution of resorcin[4]arene afforded a host-guest complex which showed structured emission spectra even in the solution state. In contrast, a host-guest complex obtained through homogeneous encapsulation conditions by using soluble ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl complex salts showed broadened emission spectra which strongly depended on the amount of the host owing to the encapsulation equilibrium. These results demonstrate that a simple modulation of the encapsulation technique is indeed promising and a facile approach to control the photophysical properties of supramolecular complexes