Hierarchically porous BEA stannosilicates as unique catalysts for bulky ketone conversion and continuous operation

Pore size limitations typically limit the applicability of Lewis acidic zeolites, such as titano- and stanno-silicates, to catalytic processes based on small-to-mid sized substrates, and increase their rates of deactivation, prohibiting further exploitation. Herein, we demonstrate that tin-containing zeolites possessing modified hierarchical BEA matrices can be prepared. These hierarchical stannosilicates are able to mediate the catalytic conversion of bulky ketone substrates, a pertaining challenge in the field that purely microporous analogues are unable to mediate. Deactivation studies in the continuous regime also demonstrate the exceptional stability of hierarchical Sn-Beta compared to purely microporous Sn-Beta, with <20% loss of activity observed over 700 h on stream. In contrast, the purely microporous analogue lost ±70% activity in only 200 h. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a stannosilicate with a beneficial hierarchical BEA framework has been prepared, and the first evidence of cyclododecanone valorisation with stannosilicate catalysts

Supplementary Material for: Reduced DEFA5 expression and STAT3 activation underlie the submucosal invasion of early gastric cancers

Introduction Submucosal invasion is a core hallmark of early gastric cancer (EGC) with poor prognosis. However, the molecular mechanism of the progression from intramucosal gastric cancer (IMGC) to early submucosal-invasive gastric cancer (SMGC) is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to identify genes and pathways involved in the submucosal invasion in EGC using comprehensive gene expression analysis. Methods Gene expression profiling was performed for eight cases of IMGC and eight cases of early SMGC with submucosal invasion ≥ 500 μm. To validate the findings of gene expression analysis and to examine the gene expression pattern in tissues, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed for 50 cases of IMGC and SMGC each. Results Gene expression analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of small intestine-specific genes were significantly decreased in SMGC. Among them, defensin alpha 5 (DEFA5) was the most downregulated gene in SMGC, which was further validated in SMGC tissues by IHC staining. Gene set enrichment analysis showed a strong association between SMGC, the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and the upregulation of STAT3-activating cytokines. The expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was significant in the nucleus of tumor cells in SMGC tissues but not in areas expressing DEFA5. Conclusion The results of this study strongly suggest that the downregulation of DEFA5 and the activation of STAT3 play a significant role in the submucosal invasion of EGC

Supplementary Material for: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-Related Disorders of Systemic Sclerosis Based on the Analysis of 66 Patients

<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-related disorders of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients have not been adequately investigated. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Sixty-six SSc patients (5 males and 61 females; 56.6 ± 14.6 years old) who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy were analyzed on the basis of 16 background factors. They were additionally compared with 116 matched non-SSc subjects controlling age, sex, and use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). <b><i>Results:</i></b> The mean disease duration of 66 patients was 5.1 ± 8.1 years, and their breakdown was as follows: 53 (80.3%) with GERD, 38 (57.6%) with GERD-related symptoms, and 20 (30.3%) with reflux esophagitis (RE; LA-A: 10, LA-B: 5, LA-C: 4, LA-D: 1). Use of PPI (<i>p</i> = 0.0455), complication of interstitial lung disease (<i>p</i> = 0.0242), and history of cyclophosphamide therapy (<i>p</i> = 0.0184) denoted significant association with GERD-related symptoms. Older age (<i>p</i> = 0.0211) was significantly associated with RE. None of GERD-related disorders showed any difference between 37 diffuse cutaneous SSc and 29 limited cutaneous SSc patients. The matched analysis indicated that SSc patients had higher prevalence of GERD (<i>p </i>< 0.0001), GERD-related symptoms (<i>p</i> = 0.0034), and RE (<i>p </i>= 0.0002). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> SSc patients tend to have worse GERD symptoms and severer RE. However, most SSc-associated factors did not show significant association with GERD-related disorders, indicating the difficulty in predicting GERD-related disorders among SSc patients