A Physico-chemical Study of Elastomeric Polyurethans

Polyurethan prepolymers prepared by the reaction of polypropylene glycol (PPG) with tolylene diisocyanate (TDI) are cross-linked with trimethylol propane (TMP) to afford elastomeric polyurethans. Although the reaction rate of TDI with PPG increases remarkably with TDI/PPG molar ratio (R), the reaction does not follow a simple second-order mechanism. The curing of the prepolymers with TMP is influenced greatly by R, by the time (t) of prepolymer formation, and also by the amount of TMP. On the other hand, the effects of other curing agents, temperature and inorganic fillers upon the curing are examined

Reconstitution of Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cell Niches in Culture

SummarySpermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) reside in specific niches within seminiferous tubules. These niches are thought to secrete chemotactic factors for SSCs, because SSCs migrate to them upon transplantation. However, the identity of these chemotactic molecules remains unknown. Here, we established a testis feeder cell culture system and used it to identify SSC chemotactic factors. When seeded on testis cells from infertile mice, SSCs migrated beneath the Sertoli cells and formed colonies with a cobblestone appearance that were very similar to those produced by hematopoietic stem cells. Cultured cells maintained SSC activity and fertility for at least 5 months. Cobblestone colony formation depended on GDNF and CXCL12, and dominant-negative GDNF receptor transfection or CXCL12 receptor deficiency reduced SSC colonization. Moreover, GDNF upregulated CXCL12 receptor expression, and CXCL12 transfection in Sertoli cells increased homing efficiency. Overall, our findings identify GDNF and CXCL12 as SSC chemotactic factors in vitro and in vivo

Drug retention rates and relevant risk factors for drug discontinuation due to adverse events in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving anticytokine therapy with different target molecules

Objective: To compare reasons for discontinuation and drug retention rates per reason among anticytokine therapies, infliximab, etanercept and tocilizumab, and the risk of discontinuation of biological agents due to adverse events (AE) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method: This prospective cohort study included Japanese RA patients who started infliximab (n=412, 636.0 patientyears (PY)), etanercept (n=442, 765.3 PY), or tocilizumab (n=168, 206.5 PY) as the first biological therapy after their enrolment in the Registry of Japanese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients for Long-term Safety (REAL) database. Drug retention rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. To compare risks of drug discontinuation due to AE for patients treated with these biological agents, the Cox proportional hazard model was applied. Results: The authors found significant differences among the three therapeutic groups in demography, clinical status, comorbidities and usage of concomitant drugs. Development of AE was the most frequent reason for discontinuation of biological agents in the etanercept and tocilizumab groups, and the second most frequent reason in the infliximab group. Discontinuation due to good control was observed most frequently in the infliximab group. Compared with etanercept, the use of infliximab (HR 1.69; 95% CI 1.14 to 2.51) and tocilizumab (HR 1.98; 95% CI 1.04 to 3.76) was significantly associated with a higher risk of discontinuation of biological agents due to AE. Conclusions: Reasons for discontinuation are significantly different among biological agents. The use of infliximab and tocilizumab was significantly associated with treatment discontinuation due to AE compared with etanercept

Formation of η²‑Coordinated Dihydropyridine–Ruthenium(II) Complexes by Hydride Transfer from Ruthenium(II) to Pyridinium Cations

Reactions between various pyridinium cations with and without a −CF₃ substituent at the 3-position and [Ru­(tpy)­(bpy)­H]⁺ (tpy = 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine and bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) were investigated in detail. The corresponding 1,4-dihydropyridines coordinating to a Ru­(II) complex in η² mode through a CC bond were quantitatively formed at the initial stage. The only exception observed was in the case of the 1-benzylpyridinium cation, where a mixture of two adducts with 1,4-dihydropyridine and 1,2-dihydropyridine was formed in the ratio 96:4. Cleavage of the Ru–(CC) bond proceeded at a slower rate in all reactions, giving the corresponding dihydropyridine and [Ru­(tpy)­(bpy)­(NCCH₃)]²⁺ when acetonitrile was used as a solvent. Kinetic activation parameters for the adduct formation indicated that the 1,4-regioselectivities were induced by formation of sterically constrained structures

Correction: Multiple Analyses of G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Expression in the Development of Gefitinib-Resistance in Transforming Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044368.]

Head-to-head comparison of the safety of tocilizumab and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA) in clinical practice: Results from the registry of Japanese RA patients on biologics for long-term safety (REAL) registry

Introduction: The objective of this study was to directly compare the safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) and TNF inhibitors (TNFIs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in clinical practice. Methods: This prospective cohort study included RA patients starting TCZ [TCZ group, n = 302, 224.68 patient-years (PY)] or TNFIs [TNFI group, n = 304, 231.01 PY] from 2008 to 2011 in the registry of Japanese RA patients on biologics for long-term safety registry. We assessed types and incidence rates (IRs) of serious adverse events (SAEs) and serious infections (SIs) during the first year of treatment. Risks of the biologics for SAEs or SIs were calculated using the Cox regression hazard analysis. Results: Patients in the TCZ group had longer disease duration (P <0.001), higher disease activity (P = 0.019) and more frequently used concomitant corticosteroids (P <0.001) than those in the TNFI group. The crude IR (/100 PY) of SIs [TCZ 10.68 vs. TNFI 3.03; IR ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]), 3.53 (1.52 to 8.18)], but not SAEs [21.36 vs. 14.72; 1.45 (0.94 to 2.25)], was significantly higher in the TCZ group compared with the TNFI group. However, after adjusting for covariates using the Cox regression hazard analysis, treatment with TCZ was not associated with higher risk for SAEs [hazard ratio (HR) 1.28, 95% CI 0.75 to 2.19] or SIs (HR 2.23, 95% CI 0.93 to 5.37). Conclusions: The adjusted risks for SAEs and SIs were not significantly different between TCZ and TNFIs, indicating an influence of clinical characteristics of the patients on the safety profile of the biologics in clinical practice

Multiple Analyses of G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Expression in the Development of Gefitinib-Resistance in Transforming Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

<div><p>There is increasing evidence that functional crosstalk between GPCRs and EGFR contributes to the progression of colon, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate and head and neck tumors. In this study, we performed multiple analyses of GPCR expression in a gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line, H1975, which harbors an L858R/T790M mutation. To determine the expression profile of mRNAs encoding 384 GPCRs in normal human lung fibroblast (NHLF) and H1975 cells, a GPCR-specific microarray analysis was performed. A heat-map of the microarray revealed considerable differences in the expression of GPCRs between NHLF and H1975 cells. From the GPCR expression list, we selected some GPCR agonists/antagonist to investigate whether the respective ligands could affect the growth of H1975 cells. Among them, treatment with either a selective antagonist of adenosine A2a receptors, which were highly expressed in H1975 cell and another gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells, HCC827GR cells or “small interfering RNA” (siRNA) targeting adenosine A2a receptors produced a significant decrease in cell viability of both H1975 and HCC827GR cells. Among up-regulated GPCRs in H1975 cells, Gs-, Gi- and Gq-coupled GPCRs were expressed almost equally. Among down-regulated GPCRs, Gi-coupled GPCRs were dominantly expressed in H1975 cells. The present results suggest that multilayered crosstalk between GPCRs and EGFR may play an important role in orchestrating downstream signaling molecules that are implicated in the development of gefitinib-resistant NSCLC.</p> </div

G-coupled GPCR that were up-regulated in H1975 compared to NHLF (2≧fold change).

<p>G-coupled GPCR that were up-regulated in H1975 compared to NHLF (2≧fold change).</p