Identification of a Vitamin-D Receptor Antagonist, MeTC7, which Inhibits the Growth of Xenograft and Transgenic Tumors In Vivo

Vitamin-D receptor (VDR) mRNA is overexpressed in neuroblastoma and carcinomas of lung, pancreas, and ovaries and predicts poor prognoses. VDR antagonists may be able to inhibit tumors that overexpress VDR. However, the current antagonists are arduous to synthesize and are only partial antagonists, limiting their use. Here, we show that the VDR antagonist MeTC7 (5), which can be synthesized from 7-dehydrocholesterol (6) in two steps, inhibits VDR selectively, suppresses the viability of cancer cell-lines, and reduces the growth of the spontaneous transgenic TH-MYCN neuroblastoma and xenografts in vivo. The VDR selectivity of 5 against RXRα and PPAR-γ was confirmed, and docking studies using VDR-LBD indicated that 5 induces major changes in the binding motifs, which potentially result in VDR antagonistic effects. These data highlight the therapeutic benefits of targeting VDR for the treatment of malignancies and demonstrate the creation of selective VDR antagonists that are easy to synthesize

Developing the Kandai style Experiential Learning Program (K-ELP) : From Practical Knowledge to Inquiring a way of living

In this article, the development of the Kandai style ExperientialLearning Program(K-ELP) is described with its background issues, thehistory of its development, and the program constitution. For the pastten years, various criticism towards Japanese higher education,especially its separation from the social needs of educating wellfunctioningstudents in the society, has been increasing. Respondingto this crticism, active learning and cooperative learning have beenbrought into Japanese higher education, but it often remains as merechange of class management without deeper pedagogical transformation.With this analysis, we developed a systematic learning program basedon Dewey’s experiential learning philosophy, which we named Kandaistyle Experiential Learning Program (K-ELP). K-ELP is constituted offour parts, ① Experiential Learning Program, ② Expert Level-upProgram, ③Experimental Life-world Projects, and ④Experiencing LifeProcess. Students go through these four parts step-by-step, startingwith their first year program and contiuning onto various projectsduring seminar activities.本稿は、平成25年-平成27年度関西大学教育研究高度化促進費において課題「プロジェクトアドベンチャーを基盤にした体験教育型研修プログラム開発」として助成を受けた成果を公表するものである。このPDFデータは、著者版であるため、出版社版とはページ数が異なっています

Computer Simulations: Essential Tools for Crystal Growth Studies

This special issue discusses recent advances in computer simulation studies of crystal growth. Crystal growth is a key to innovation in science and technology. Owing to recent progress in computer performance, computer simulation studies of crystal growth have become increasingly important. This special issue covers a variety of simulation methods, including the Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, first-principles, multiscale, and continuum simulation methods, which are used for studies on the fundamentals and applications of crystal growth and related phenomena for different materials, such as hard-sphere systems, ice, organic crystals, semiconductors, and graphene

A New Methodology for Evaluating the Structural Similarity between Different Phases Using a Dimensionality Reduction Technique

A new methodology for definitively evaluating the structural similarity between different phases in an impartial manner is proposed. This methodology utilizes a dimensionality reduction (DR) technique that was developed in the fields of machine learning and statistics. The basis of the proposed methodology is that the structural similarity between different phases can be evaluated by the geometrical similarity of pair and/or angular distribution functions that reflect the atomic-scale structure of each phase. The DR technique is used for the analysis of this geometrical similarity. In this study, the proposed methodology is applied to evaluate the similarity in the atomic-scale structure, as obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, between amorphous CaCO₃ and CaCO₃ crystal phases in the presence or absence of additives, namely, Mg²⁺ ions, Sr²⁺ ions, and water molecules. The results indicate that in the absence of additives, the structure of the amorphous phase is closer to that of vaterite than to those of calcite or aragonite. However, the degree of structural similarity between the amorphous phase and vaterite decreases if Mg²⁺ ions are present. This tendency is also evident when Sr²⁺ ions are present, although these ions do not influence the structure of the amorphous phase as strongly as Mg²⁺ ions. In addition, the results indicate that at a high water concentration, the amorphous phase is separated into small particles by hydrogen-bonded networks of water molecules and the structure of the amorphous phase more closely approaches that of vaterite. The proposed methodology is widely applicable to the evaluation of the structural similarity between different phases for complex multicomponent systems

Advances in Computer Simulation Studies on Crystal Growth

Crystals are indispensable in technology, nature, and our daily lives. For example, cooking uses many kinds of crystallized products, such as salt, sugar, and fat crystals; electronic devices contain semiconductor crystals; living organisms produce mineral crystals to maintain biological processes; and snow and ice crystals play a crucial role in climate change. For these and other topics related to crystals, an especially important area of research is crystal growth. Computer simulations of crystal growth have become increasingly important as a result of rapid increases in available computing power. Computer simulations can analyze and predict various aspects of crystal growth, including molecular-scale growth and nucleation mechanisms, the structure and dynamics of surfaces and interfaces, and pattern formation. This book presents state-of-the-art research and reviews of computer simulation studies on crystal growth for hard-sphere particles, organic molecules, ice, and functional materials. The studies use a variety of simulation methodologies, including molecular simulations, first-principles simulations, continuum simulations, and multiscale simulations. This book will interest graduate students and researchers in crystal growth science and technology and will provide a helpful reference for scientists who want to familiarize themselves with computer simulations of crystal growth

Low- and High-Density Unknown Waters at Ice-Water Interfaces

Experimental confirmation of liquid polymorphs of water, high-density liquid (HDL) and low-density liquid (LDL), is desired for understanding not only the liquid state of matter but also the origin of the mysterious properties of water. However, this remains challenging because the liquid-liquid critical point of water lies in experimentally inaccessible supercooling conditions known as no man's land. Here, we show by in situ optical microscopy that droplets and layers of low- and high-density unknown waters (LDUW and HDUW) appear macroscopically depending upon ice polymorphs at non-equilibrium interfaces between water and ices under experimentally accessible (de)pressurization conditions. These unknown waters were found to have characteristic velocities (about 20 and 100 m/s for LDUW and HDUW, respectively) different from water (about 40 m/s) and quasi-liquid layers (QLLs) (about 2 and 0.2 m/s for droplet and layer forms of QLLs, respectively). Our discoveries provide insight on liquid polymorphism of water

High-Density Liquid Water at a Water-Ice Interface

Because ice surfaces catalyze various key chemical reactions impacting nature and human life, the structure and dynamics of interfacial layers between water vapor and ice have been extensively debated with attention to the quasi-liquid layer. Other interfaces between liquid water and ice remain relatively underexplored, despite their importance and abundance on the Earth and icy extraterrestrial bodies. By in situ optical microscopy, we found that a high-density liquid layer, distinguishable from bulk water, formed at the interface between water and high-pressure ice III or VI, when they were grown or melted in a sapphire anvil cell. The liquid layer showed a bicontinuous pattern, indicating that immiscible waters with distinct structures were separated on the interfaces in a similar manner to liquid-liquid phase separation through spinodal decomposition. Our observations not only provide a novel opportunity to explore ice surfaces but also give insight into the two kinds of structured water