37 research outputs found
4-Carbomethoxybenzaldehyde as a highly sensitive pre-column fluorescence derivatization reagent for 9,10-phenanthrenequinone.
9,10-Phenanthrenequinone (PQ) is harmful environmental pollutant that is detected in airborne particulates. The measurement of PQ in the air should be necessary to evaluate the potential adverse effects of PQ on human health. We have recently developed a determination method for PQ based on the fluorescence derivatization of PQ using benzaldehyde and ammonium acetate as a reagent. In this study, in order to obtain more sensitive and selective fluorescence derivatization reaction, we measured the fluorescence of the reaction mixture of PQ with 21 kinds of aromatic aldehydes in the presence of ammonium acetate. Among the tested aldehydes, 4-carbomethoxybenzaldehyde was found to be the best reagent in regard to fluorescence intensity and emission wavelength maximum. Based on the fluorescence derivatization with 4-carbomethoxybenzaldehyde, a highly sensitive chromatographic method was developed for the determination of PQ with the detection limit (S/N=3) of 1.2 fmol/injection
Use of vonoprazan for management of systemic sclerosisârelated gastroesophageal reflux disease
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) can significantly reduce a patient\u27s quality of life. GERD in SSc is occasionally resistant to conventional anti-acid treatment. Vonoprazan is an H+/K+-ATPase blocker that is approved in Japan for treatment of GERD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of vonoprazan in SSc-related GERD. The frequency scale for symptoms of GERD (FSSG) scores were collected before and after vono-prazan treatment in 15 SSc patients with GERD. Additionally, endoscopic esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed in select patients. Conventional proton pump inhibitors or hista-mine-2 receptor antagonists had been previously administered in 93% (14/15) of the patients. Although the baseline esophago-gastroduodenoscopy examination did not show severe erosion in the majority of patients,the mean total FSSG score before vonoprazan treatment was notably high (25.2±10.7) compared to a normal score of <8. After vonoprazan treatment, the FSSG score decreased to 9.6±7.0. The mean improvement rate of the total FSSG, acid reflux and dysmotility scores were 60.8±21.2% (P=0.0004), 67.3±24.8% (P<0.0001) and 55.4±26.0% (P=0.0022), respectively.These results suggest that vonoprazan may be a potentially effective treatment for GERD in patients with SSc
Significance of serum palmitoleic acid levels in inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohnâs disease (CD), are chronic intestinal diseases of unknown etiology that present with variable disease extents and outcomes. The use of biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of IBDs is considered beneficial. Palmitoleic acid (PO) is an adipose tissue-derived mono-unsaturated free fatty acid that potentially serves as a lipokine in metabolic and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of PO levels in the serum of patients with UC and CD. The study included patients with UC (nâ=â22), patients with CD (nâ=â35), and controls (nâ=â22). The levels of serum PO were analyzed using gas chromatography. The association of serum PO levels with the clinical features and disease outcomes in IBD was examined. Serum PO levels were significantly higher in patients with CD than in controls, whereas no difference in these levels was observed between patients with UC and controls. Serum PO levels were significantly associated with the CD activity index. Additionally, high serum PO levels were associated with an increased risk of surgical intervention requirement during follow-up. In a pilot study with a few patients, high PO levels were observed in the mesenteric tissue in the active disease site of patients with CD (nâ=â7) compared with those with colon cancer (nâ=â6). Elevated serum PO levels might serve as a marker for local inflammation and prognosis in patients with CD
An ERP study on the quantitative relation between conflict and response inhibition
This study examined the hypothesis (Jones, Cho, Nystrom, Cohen, & Braver, 2002) that the amount of conflict raised by incongruent stimuli in a flanker task affects subsequent response inhibition, using eventrelated potentials. Eleven participants responded selectively with their hands to the stimuli that consisted of a target arrow neighbored by congruent or incongruent distractor arrows. The amount of conflict was manipulated by varying the number of incongruent distractors (i.e. the stimuli included two incongruent distractor arrows for small-conflict condition or four incongruent distractor arrows for large-conflict). The results showed the response times were longer for the large-conflict incongruent stimuli, followed by the small conflict, and then the congruent, suggesting more conflict in large-conflict stimuli. The response times (RTs) in congruent condition became longer when the conflict has been occurred in the preceding trial. But the RTs were almost the same regardless of whether the preceding trial was small-conflict or large-conflict trial. The latency of lateralized readiness potential which can be a measure of response preparation, for congruent condition also showed the delay by presence of conflict in preceding trial, but was not sensitive to the amount of conflict. P300 latency for congruent condition became longer after the conflict trial. These findings suggest that (1) there was no ERP evidence suggesting the quantitative relation between conflict and response inhibition, and (2) response inhibition triggered by conflict detection could contribute to the prolongation of the evaluation time for the stimuli
4-Carbomethoxybenzaldehyde as a highly sensitive pre-column fluorescence derivatization reagent for 9,10-phenanthrenequinone.
Concentration of stromal cellâderived factorâ1 (SDFâ1/CXCL12) in the follicular fluid is associated with blastocyst development
Abstract Purpose To study the association between stromal cellâderived factorâ1 (SDFâ1/CXCL12) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in individual human ovarian follicles and IVF outcomes. Methods Concentrations of SDFâ1 and VEGF in 261 follicular fluid samples were measured with enzymeâlinked immunosorbent assay. IVF outcome parameters were included in fertilization rate, cleavage rate, embryo morphology on day 3, and blastocyst morphology on day 5. Results The follicular concentration of SDFâ1 and VEGF was not significantly associated with fertilization and cleavage outcome, and embryo morphology. The rates of full blastocysts and goodâquality blastocysts were significantly higher in follicles with an SDFâ1 concentration of 275â350Â pg/mL than in the follicles with SDFâ1 concentrations of <200 and â„350Â pg/mL (PÂ <Â 0.05). The follicular concentration of VEGF was not associated with the blastocyst morphology. Conclusion Our findings showed that follicular concentration of SDFâ1, and not VEGF, may be a valuable biochemical marker of blastocyst development
Effect of illness duration on cognitive function of OCD: a neuropsychological and functional neuroimaging study
Characteristics and Risk Factors of Delayed Perforation in Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Early Gastric Cancer
(1) Background: Delayed perforation after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer is a relatively uncommon and serious complication that sometimes requires emergency surgery. This study aimed to determine the clinicopathological features, risk factors, and appropriate management strategies for delayed perforation. (2) Methods: This study included 735 patients with 791 lesions who underwent ESD for early gastric cancer at a single institution between July 2009 and June 2019. We retrospectively compared the clinical features of patients with and without delayed perforations. (3) Results: The incidence of delayed perforations was 0.91%. The identified risk factors included a postoperative stomach condition and histopathological ulceration. A comparison between delayed and intraoperative perforations revealed a postoperative stomach condition as a characteristic risk factor for delayed perforation. Patients with delayed perforation who avoided emergency surgery tended to exhibit an earlier onset of symptoms such as abdominal pain and fever. No peritoneal seeding following delayed perforation was observed for any patient. (4) Conclusions: A postoperative stomach condition and histopathological ulceration were risk factors for delayed perforation. Delayed perforation is a significant complication that requires careful monitoring after gastric ESD for early gastric cancer, particularly in patients with postoperative gastric conditions
Construction of a Humanized Artificial VHH Library Reproducing Structural Features of Camelid VHHs for Therapeutics
A variable domain of heavy chain antibody (VHH) has different binding properties than conventional antibodies. Conventional antibodies prefer binding to the convex portion of the antigen, whereas VHHs prefer epitopes, such as crevices and clefts on the antigen. Therefore, developing candidates with the binding characteristics of camelid VHHs is important. Thus, To this end, a synthetic VHH library that reproduces the structural properties of camelid VHHs was constructed. First, the characteristics of VHHs were classified according to the paratope formation based on crystal structure analyses of the complex structures of VHHs and antigens. Then, we classified 330 complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) structures of VHHs from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) into three loop structures: Upright, Half-Roll, and Roll. Moreover, these structures depended on the number of amino acid residues within CDR3. Furthermore, in the Upright loops, several amino acid residues in the FR2 are involved in the paratope formation, along with CDR3, suggesting that the FR2 design in the synthetic library is important. A humanized synthetic VHH library, comprising two sub-libraries, Upright and Roll, was constructed and named PharmaLogical. A validation study confirmed that our PharmaLogical library reproduces VHHs with the characteristics of the paratope formation of the camelid VHHs, and shows good performance in VHH screening