Mechanisms of enzymatic and biomimetic oxygenations of organic sulfur compounds

Thesis--University of Tsukuba, D.Sc.(A), no. 141, 1982. 3. 2

A Simple Synthetic Route for the Preparation of Tetramethylglycolide from Lactic Acid

Poly(tetramethylglycolide), a chemical recyclable polymer, is currently attracting a lot of interest as a substitute for poly(L-lactic acid). We report here a simple and convenient route for the synthesis of tetramethylglycolide (TMG) from lactic acid. This method involves three steps: (1) one-step protection of lactic acid by cyclic acetalization employing acetone; (2) α-methylation of the obtained 2,2,5-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one; and (3) one-pot synthesis of TMG including the hydrolysis of 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one. We found significant advantages of the incorporation of existing reactions in the synthesis of TMG

Low visual information-processing speed and attention are predictors of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students

Background: Fatigue is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is known to be associated with reduced academic performance. Recently, we demonstrated that fatigue was correlated with decreased cognitive function in these students. However, no studies have identified cognitive predictors of fatigue. Therefore, we attempted to determine independent cognitive predictors of fatigue in these students.Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study. One hundred and forty-two elementary and junior high school students without fatigue participated. They completed a variety of paper-and-pencil tests, including list learning and list recall tests, kana pick-out test, semantic fluency test, figure copying test, digit span forward test, and symbol digit modalities test. The participants also completed computerized cognitive tests (tasks A to E on the modified advanced trail making test). These cognitive tests were used to evaluate motor-and information-processing speed, immediate and delayed memory function, auditory and visual attention, divided and switching attention, retrieval of learned material, and spatial construction. One year after the tests, a questionnaire about fatigue (Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale) was administered to all the participants.Results: After the follow-up period, we confirmed 40 cases of fatigue among 118 students. In multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grades and gender, poorer performance on visual information-processing speed and attention tasks was associated with increased risk of fatigue.Conclusions: Reduced visual information-processing speed and poor attention are independent predictors of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students

Oral delivery of Lactococcus lactis that secretes bioactive heme oxygenase-1 alleviates development of acute colitis in mice

Background: Mucosal delivery of therapeutic proteins using genetically modified strains of lactic acid bacteria (gmLAB) is being investigated as a new therapeutic strategy. Methods: We developed a strain of gmLAB, Lactococcus lactis NZ9000 (NZ-HO), which secretes the anti-inflammatory molecule recombinant mouse heme oxygenase-1 (rmHO-1). The effects of short-term continuous oral dosing with NZ-HO were evaluated in mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis as a model of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Results: We identified the secretion of rmHO-1 by NZ-HO. rmHO-1 was biologically active as determined with spectroscopy. Viable NZ-HO was directly delivered to the colon via oral administration, and rmHO-1 was secreted onto the colonic mucosa in mice. Acute colitis in mice was induced by free drinking of 3 % DSS in water and was accompanied by an increase in the disease activity index score and histopathological changes. Daily oral administration of NZ-HO significantly improved these colitis-associated symptoms. In addition, NZ-HO significantly increased production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 alpha and IL-6 in the colon compared to a vector control strain. Conclusions: Oral administration of NZ-HO alleviates DSS-induced acute colitis in mice. Our results suggest that NZ-HO may be a useful mucosal therapeutic agent for treating IBD.ArticleMICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES. 14:189 (2015)journal articl

Poly(tetramethyl glycolide) from Renewable Carbon, a Racemization-Free and Controlled Depolymerizable Polyester

Racemization-free and depolymerization-controllable poly(tetramethyl glycolide) (PTMG) was synthesized from renewable resources: D/L-lactic acids and pyruvic acid. PTMG overcomes the undesirable properties of poly(lactic acid) such as low heat-resistance and racemization causing the decrease in crystallinity. PTMG was shown to have a higher melting point than 200 °C and to be a superior recyclable material capable of being depolymerized controllably into cyclic dimer tetramethyl glycolide (TMG) or methacrylic acid (MA) by using specific catalysts. PTMG can be reversibly synthesized from the depolymerized TMG. Moreover, biomass-based poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was prepared from the recovered MA

Observation of daytime changes in boundary layer on a clear and weak-wind summer day in western suburban of Tokyo

Temperature, relative humidity, and wind conditions were observed on a clear, hot, summer day on 6 August 2019, 07:30–15:30 local time (LT), near the surface and in the boundary layer at the Minami-Osawa Campus of Tokyo Metropolitan University in the western suburb of Tokyo, Japan. Vertical wind profiles were obtained by pilot-balloon observations (PBOs) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) observations. PBOs and surface wind observations revealed a southerly wind in the lower boundary layer from 11:00 LT, which became stronger during 12:30– 15:30 LT. Temperature plateaued at 11:00–13:00 LT near the surface, whereas a sharp peak was observed by the UAV in the surface boundary layer at 11:00 LT. Water-vapor mixing ratios were higher in the afternoon than in the morning, with heavy cloud cover after 14:30 LT. Comparison with PBO data indicated that wind-speed estimations based on UAV flight-attitude information are problematic

Brachytherapy in Japan

This study aimed to assess the current state of brachytherapy (BT) resources, practices and resident education in Japan. A nationwide survey was undertaken encompassing 177 establishments facilitating BT in 2022. Questionnaires were disseminated to each BT center, and feedback through online channels or postal correspondence was obtained. The questionnaire response rate was 90% (159/177), and every prefecture had a response in at least one center. The number of centers in each prefecture ranged from 0.6 to 3.6 (median: 1.3) per million population. The annual number of patients in each center ranged from 0 to 272 (median: 31). While most prefectures provided intracavitary (IC) BT for gynecological cancers and interstitial (IS) BT for prostate cancer, only one-third of the prefectures provided IS BT for cancer sites other than the prostate. The institutional image-guided BT implementation rate was 71%. IC and IS BT was performed for 15.4% of IC BT cases of gynecological cancer. Only 47% of the BT training centers answered that they could provide adequate training in BT for residents. The most common reason for this finding was the insufficient number of patients in each center. The results show that, although BT has achieved uniformity in terms of facility penetration, new technologies are not yet widespread enough. Furthermore, IS BT, which requires advanced skills, is limited to a few BT centers, and considerable number of BT training centers do not have sufficient caseloads to provide the necessary experience for their residents

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor of the Stomach with Narrow Stalk-Like Based, Uneven Protruding Appearance Presenting with Severe Acute Anemia despite Small Size

We report the case of a 56-year-old woman who had a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) of the stomach. She was admitted to our hospital for epigastric pain, nausea, and severe acute anemia (hemoglobin level 4.3 g/dl). Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a narrow stalk-like based, hemorrhagic and uneven protruding lesion in the lesser curvature of the gastric upper corpus. Although the tumor was less than 2 cm in diameter and was probably a benign GIST according to histology, laparoscopy-assisted local resection was needed because the patient had continuous severe anemia and epigastric pain. Histological assessment showed that the elongated spindle-like tumor cells originated from the intrinsic muscle layer, and was shown with growth to the mucosal side, cropping out to the surface in most areas of the protruding lesion. Only a small part of the tumor was within nontumoral gastric mucosa. Most of the tumor cells demonstrated immunoreactivity for KIT and CD34 in the cytoplasm but not for αSMA, S100, and desmin. Mitotic activity (0/50 high power field) and the labeling index for MIB-1 (about 1%) were low. The GIST of the stomach described in this report was a rare case with a narrow stalk-like based, uneven protruding mass presenting with severe acute anemia despite small size