Bucillamine prevents cisplatin-induced ototoxicity through induction of glutathione and antioxidant genes.

Bucillamine is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This study investigated the protective effects of bucillamine against cisplatin-induced damage in auditory cells, the organ of Corti from postnatal rats (P2) and adult Balb/C mice. Cisplatin increases the catalytic activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8 proteases and the production of free radicals, which were significantly suppressed by pretreatment with bucillamine. Bucillamine induces the intranuclear translocation of Nrf2 and thereby increases the expression of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) and glutathione synthetase (GSS), which further induces intracellular antioxidant glutathione (GSH), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2). However, knockdown studies of HO-1 and SOD2 suggest that the protective effect of bucillamine against cisplatin is independent of the enzymatic activity of HO-1 and SOD. Furthermore, pretreatment with bucillamine protects sensory hair cells on organ of Corti explants from cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity concomitantly with inhibition of caspase-3 activation. The auditory-brainstem-evoked response of cisplatin-injected mice shows marked increases in hearing threshold shifts, which was markedly suppressed by pretreatment with bucillamine in vivo. Taken together, bucillamine protects sensory hair cells from cisplatin through a scavenging effect on itself, as well as the induction of intracellular GSH

Current Status of Image-Enhanced Endoscopy for Early Identification of Esophageal Neoplasms

Advanced esophageal cancer is known to have a poor prognosis. The early detection of esophageal neoplasms, including esophageal dysplasia and early esophageal cancer, is highly important for the accurate treatment of the disease. However, esophageal dysplasia and early esophageal cancer are usually subtle and can be easily missed. In addition to the early detection, proper pretreatment evaluation of the depth of invasion of esophageal cancer is very important for curative treatment. The progression of non-invasive diagnosis via image-enhanced endoscopy techniques has been shown to aid the early detection and estimate the depth of invasion of early esophageal cancer and, as a result, may provide additional opportunities for curative treatment. Here, we review the advancement of image-enhanced endoscopy-related technologies and their role in the early identification of esophageal neoplasms

Ultrafast Charge Transfer in Atomically Thin MoS2/WS2 Heterostructures

Van der Waals heterostructures have recently emerged as a new class of materials, where quantum coupling between stacked atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) layers, including graphene, hexagonal-boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides (MX2), give rise to fascinating new phenomena. MX2 heterostructures are particularly exciting for novel optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications, because 2D MX2 monolayers can have an optical bandgap in the near-infrared to visible spectral range and exhibit extremely strong light-matter interactions. Theory predicts that many stacked MX2 heterostructures form type-II semiconductor heterojunctions that facilitate efficient electron-hole separation for light detection and harvesting. Here we report the first experimental observation of ultrafast charge transfer in photo-excited MoS2/WS2 heterostructures using both photoluminescence mapping and femtosecond (fs) pump-probe spectroscopy. We show that hole transfer from the MoS2 layer to the WS2 layer takes place within 50 fs after optical excitation, a remarkable rate for van der Waals coupled 2D layers. Such ultrafast charge transfer in van der Waals heterostructures can enable novel 2D devices for optoelectronics and light harvesting

mtCO1-based population structure and genetic diversity of Pacific oyster *Crassostrea gigas* populations acquired from two farms in South Korea

Since the early 1990s in South Korea, climatic and anthropogenic factors have incurred the reduction of the wild seeds of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, which raised concerns about losing genetic diversity and accelerating genetic deterioration. We assessed the genetic diversity of C. gigas populations from two farms (Tongyeong and Gadeokdo) on the southern coast, where about 80% of the cultivated oysters in Korea are produced. Tongyeong showed slightly higher diversity than Gadeokdo, but both populations had a similar genetic structure characterized by low nucleotide diversity. Comparative haplotype analyses provided data supporting genetic features of the populations that include (1) weak genotype-locality relationship, (2) low levels of gene flow between populations, and (3) possible seasonal fluctuation of genetic variation within a population. Furthermore, the highly alike haplotype network patterns were observed between the wild and farm populations as well as among the populations in neighboring countries, which suggests that the genetic structure is conserved between wild and hatchery populations, and geographic proximity has minimal influence on the genetic composition

catena-Poly[[dichloridocopper(II)]-μ-4,4′-bis­(benzimidazol-1-yl)biphen­yl]

In the title compound, [CuCl2(C26H18N4)]n, the Cu(II) ion is four-coordinated by two N atoms from two 4,4′-bis­(benzo­imidazol-1-yl)biphenyl ligands and two chloride anions, in a slightly distorted tetra­hedral environment. The biphenyl ligand acts as a linear bidentate ligand, connecting the metal atoms into an infinite chain parallel to [101]. In the biphenyl ligand, the two benzene rings make a dihedral angle of 33.19 (7)°