Quinolizidines. XXVI. : A Synthesis of (±)-Deplancheine

A formal racemic synthesis of the Alstonia and Aspidosperma alkaloid deplacheine (12) has been achieved in the form of the synthesis of the tetracyclic methyl ketone 11 through the ""3-acetylpyridine route."" The route started with an initial quaternization of the ketal 5 with 2-(3-indolyl)ethyl bromide and proceeded through the intermediates 7 and 8

The safety for drinking of hot spring hydrogen water

The safety for drinking of hot spring hydrogen water was examined for 27 healthy women. The research method was the crossover comparison examination of hot spring hydrogen water and tap water for four weeks. The blood cell count, liver function, kidney function, plasma lipids, and electrolytes were measured before and after drinking. Mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration significantly decreased after drinking of hot spring hydrogen water and tap water. The plasma total protein, blood urea nitrogen, and total cholesterol significantly decreased after drinking the hot spring hydrogen water. Other data showed no significant changes. These results suggested that the drinking of hot spring hydrogen water was almost safe

Comprehensive Prospective Analysis of the Factors Contributing to Aspiration Pneumonia Following Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in Patients with Early Gastric Neoplasms

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become the first-line treatment for early gastric neoplasms; however, a subset of patients treated by this method develop aspiration pneumonia. We conducted a comprehensive prospective analysis of the factors contributing to post-ESD aspiration pneumonia in early gastric neoplasms in this study, with special focus on whether pre-treatment oral care can prevent aspiration pneumonia. Sixty-one patients who underwent ESD for gastric neoplasms were randomly assigned to the oral care or control groups. ESD was performed under deep sedation. Of 60 patients whose data were available for analysis, 5 (8.3%) experienced pneumonia confirmed either by chest radiography or computed tomography. Although no difference in the rate of pneumonia was found between the control and oral care groups, the post-oral care bacteria count was significantly higher in the saliva of patients who developed pneumonia compared to those without pneumonia. In addition, the presence of vascular brain diseases and the dose of meperidine were also significantly associated with the occurrence of pneumonia. These results suggest that the number of oral bacteria as well as pre-existing vascular brain diseases and high-dose narcotics can affect the incidence of post-ESD pneumonia

Quality control of photosystem II: direct imaging of the changes in the thylakoid structure and distribution of FtsH proteases in spinach chloroplasts under light stress

　Under light stress, the reaction center-binding protein D1 of PSII is photo-oxidatively damaged and removed from PSII complexes by proteases located in the chloroplast. A protease considered to be responsible for degradation of the damaged D1 protein is the metalloprotease FtsH. We showed previously that the active hexameric FtsH protease is abundant at the grana margin and the grana end membranes, and this homo-complex removes the photodamaged D1 protein in the grana. Here, we showed a change in the distribution of FtsH in spinach thylakoids during excessive illumination by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunogold labeling of FtsH. The change in distribution of the protease was accompanied by structural changes to the thylakoids, which we detected using spinach leaves by TEM after chemical fixation of the samples. Quantitative analyses showed several characteristic changes in the structure of the thylakoids, including shrinkage of the grana, outward bending of the marginal portions of the thylakoids and an increase in the height of the grana stacks under excessive illumination. The increase in the height of the grana stacks may include swelling of the thylakoids and an increase in the partition gaps between the thylakoids. These data strongly suggest that excessive illumination induces partial unstacking of the thylakoids, which enables FtsH to access easily the photodamaged D1 protein. Finally three-dimensional tomography of the grana was recorded to observe the effect of light stress on the overall structure of the thylakoids

Short lingual osteotomy without fixation: a new strategy for mandibular osteotomy known as “physiological positioning”

We describe the strategy of physiological positioning, which we regard as a new alternative treatment to conventional orthognathic operations, and treated 18 patients with skeletal mandibular prognathism using it. The positions of SNB, FMA, and Me were measured postoperatively to assess skeletal stability, changes in the angle and perpendicular length of the upper and lower central incisors were measured to assess dental stability, and we confirmed that both skeletal and dental stability were excellent. The width to which the jaw could be opened recovered early, and we saw only one case of disorder of the temporomandibular joint. Short lingual osteotomy with physiological positioning is an effective new approach to the treatment of deformities of the mandible

X-linked hypomyelination with spondylometaphyseal dysplasia (H-SMD) associated with mutations in AIFM1

An X-linked condition characterized by the combination of hypomyelinating leukodystrophy and spondylometaphyseal dysplasia (H-SMD) has been observed in only four families, with linkage to Xq25-27, and recent genetic characterization in two families with a common AIFM1 mutation. In our study, 12 patients (6 families) with H-SMD were identified and underwent comprehensive assessment accompanied by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Pedigree analysis in all families was consistent with X-linked recessive inheritance. Presentation typically occurred between 12 and 36 months. In addition to the two disease-defining features of spondylometaphyseal dysplasia and hypomyelination on MRI, common clinical signs and symptoms included motor deterioration, spasticity, tremor, ataxia, dysarthria, cognitive defects, pulmonary hypertension, nystagmus, and vision loss due to retinopathy. The course of the disease was slowly progressive. All patients had maternally inherited or de novo mutations in or near exon 7 of AIFM1, within a region of 70 bp, including synonymous and intronic changes. AIFM1 mutations have previously been associated with neurologic presentations as varied as intellectual disability, hearing loss, neuropathy, and striatal necrosis, while AIFM1 mutations in this small region present with a distinct phenotype implicating bone. Analysis of cell lines derived from four patients identified significant reductions in AIFM1 mRNA and protein levels in osteoblasts. We hypothesize that AIFM1 functions in bone metabolism and myelination and is responsible for the unique phenotype in this condition.</p