Identification of 2-phenylethanol with a rose-like odor from anal sac secretions of the small Indian mongoose (<i>Herpestes auropunctatus</i>)

<p>The small Indian mongoose (<i>Herpestes auropunctatus</i>) is an invasive species in Okinawa and Amami-Oshima, Japan. Major strategies for their eradication have been the use of baited traps, which suffer from decreasing efficiency with declining populations and the bycatch of native animals. To address these concerns, mongoose-specific lures are required. In this study, we aimed to identify species- and/or sex-specific compounds from anal sac secretions of small Indian mongooses. Volatile compounds emitted from male and female mongoose anal sac secretions were analyzed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition to several fatty acids, 2-phenylethanol was identified as a minor compound, which is uncommon in mammalian secretions but a dominant odorant in roses. Female samples emitted higher levels of 2-phenylethanol than male samples did. These findings indicate that 2-phenylethanol is a female-specific volatile compound of anal sac secretions in small Indian mongooses, and it may be useful as an ingredient of mongoose-specific scent lures.</p> <p>2-Phenylethanol is an indicator of female anal sac secretions in small Indian mongooses.</p

Near-Infrared Photochemoimmunotherapy by Photoactivatable Bifunctional Antibody–Drug Conjugates Targeting Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Positive Cancer

Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a new class of molecular targeted cancer therapy based on antibody–photoabsorber conjugates and NIR light irradiation. Recent studies have shown effective tumor control, including that of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive cancer, by selective molecular targeting with NIR-PIT. However, the depth of NIR light penetration limits its use. Trastuzumab emtansine (T–DM1) is an antibody–drug conjugate consisting of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab linked to the cytotoxic agent maytansinoid DM1. Here, we developed bifunctional antibody–drug–photoabsorber conjugates, T–DM1–IR700, that can work as both NIR-PIT and chemoimmunotherapy agents. We evaluated the feasibility of T–DM1–IR700-mediated NIR light irradiation by comparing the in vitro and in vivo cytotoxic efficacy of trastuzumab–IR700 (T–IR700)-mediated NIR light irradiation in HER2-expressing cells. T–IR700 and T–DM1–IR700 showed almost identical binding to HER2 in vitro and in vivo. Owing to the presence of internalized DM1 in the target cells, NIR-PIT using T–DM1–IR700 tended to induce greater cytotoxicity than that of NIR-PIT using T–IR700 in vitro. In vivo NIR-PIT using T–DM1–IR700 did not show a superior antitumor effect to NIR-PIT using T–IR700 in subcutaneous small-tumor models, which could receive sufficient NIR light. In contrast, NIR-PIT using T–DM1–IR700 tended to reduce the tumor volume and showed significant prolonged survival compared to NIR-PIT using T–IR700 in large-tumor models that could not receive sufficient NIR light. We successfully developed a T–DM1–IR700 conjugate that has a similar immunoreactivity to the parental antibody with increased cytotoxicity due to DM1 and potential as a new NIR-PIT agent for targeting tumors that are large and inaccessible to sufficient NIR light irradiation to activate the photoabsorber IR700

The four CT scanners used in assessments and their respective scanning data.

<p>kVp, kilovolts peak; FOV, field of view; AEC, automatic exposure control (actual range in this study: 25–30 mAs).</p

Effects of wall thickness on airway dimension measurement.

<p>Average of measured values (SD).</p><p>Measured values of Ai, WA%, and wall thickness (WT) for various wall thickness using airway phantom B (actual luminal area: 7.07 mm²) scanned by Aquilion 64 (120 mAs, 0.5-mm slice thickness, 350-mm FOV, and lung reconstruction algorithm FC56).</p

The mean values of CT density (HU) in the phantom materials mimicking lung parenchyma and the mean values of maximum CT density in the tube walls.

<p>Average of measured values (SD).</p

Schema describing the method of airway dimension measurement.

<p>A: Using sequential CT slices which included a section of the target tube, the center (solid) line of the tube was calculated by linking the center points of sections on each slice. B: Images were constructed perpendicular to the center line.</p

Effects of phantom angles on errors of airway dimension measurement.

<p>Percent errors from actual value (SD).</p><p>Errors of WA% in acrylic resin tubes embedded in acrylic foam at various angles using Aquilion 64 (120 mAs, 0.5-mm slice thickness, 350-mm FOV, lung reconstruction algorithm FC56).</p

Effects of CT scanner and FOV on errors of airway dimension measurement.

<p>Comparison of errors WA% and luminal area (Ai) in acrylic resin tubes embedded in acrylic foam among four CT scanners under varying FOV (A: 200 mm, B: 350 mm). The images were reconstructed by the lung algorithm. The definition of error is shown in the legend to <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0076381#pone-0076381-g003" target="_blank">Figure 3</a>.</p

Effects of scanning conditions on errors of airway dimension measurement.

<p>A: Effects of field of view (FOV) and slice thickness on errors for wall area percentage (WA%) in acrylic resin tubes surrounded by acrylic foam that were scanned using Aquilion 64 (120 mAs and lung algorithm FC56). B: Effects of the reconstruction algorithm on the errors of WA% in acrylic resin tubes surrounded by acrylic foam that were scanned using Aquilion 64 (120 mAs, 0.5-mm slice thickness, 350-mm FOV). FC13: body algorithm, FC51: lung algorithm, FC56: lung algorithm (FC51) with beam-hardening correction. *: failure to measure. The error of airway dimensions was defined as follows: Error (%) = (CT measurement − actual value)/actual value×100.</p

Effects of phantom composition on errors of airway dimension measurement.

<p>Percentage error of wall area (WA%) and luminal area (Ai) for the phantom scanned using Aquilion 64 (120 mAs, 0.5-mm slice thickness, 350-mm FOV, lung reconstruction algorithm FC56). A: Comparison of errors of WA% and Ai for acrylic resin tubes among materials simulating lung parenchyma, phenol resin (0.32 g/cm³), acrylic foam (0.10 g/cm³), and air. B: Comparison of errors for WA% and Ai among tube materials, fluorocarbon polymers (2.1 g/cm³), acrylic resin (1.2 g/cm³), and polyethylene (0.9 g/cm³) embedded in acrylic foam.</p