シベリア亜寒帯林における樹冠と林床の植生指数

Clinical characteristic of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and trauma. (DOC 45 kb

Metabolites from <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>, an Endophytic Fungus Associated with <i>Melia azedarach</i>, and Their Antifungal, Antifeedant, and Toxic Activities

Thirty-nine fungal metabolites <b>1</b>–<b>39</b>, including two new alkaloids, 12β-hydroxy-13α-methoxyverruculogen TR-2 (<b>6</b>) and 3-hydroxyfumiquinazoline A (<b>16</b>), were isolated from the fermentation broth of <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> LN-4, an endophytic fungus isolated from the stem bark of <i>Melia azedarach</i>. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis (mass spectrometry and one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments) and by comparison of their NMR data with those reported in the literature. These isolated compounds were evaluated for in vitro antifungal activities against some phytopathogenic fungi, toxicity against brine shrimps, and antifeedant activities against armyworm larvae (<i>Mythimna separata</i> Walker). Among them, sixteen compounds showed potent antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungi (<i>Botrytis cinerea</i>, <i>Alternaria solani</i>,<i> Alternaria alternata</i>, <i>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</i>, <i>Fusarium solani</i>,<i> Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>niveum</i>,<i> Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>vasinfectum</i>, and <i>Gibberella saubinettii</i>), and four of them, 12β-hydroxy-13α-methoxyverruculogen TR-2 (<b>6</b>), fumitremorgin B (<b>7</b>), verruculogen (<b>8</b>), and helvolic acid (<b>39</b>), exhibited antifungal activities with MIC values of 6.25–50 μg/mL, which were comparable to the two positive controls carbendazim and hymexazol. In addition, of eighteen that exerted moderate lethality toward brine shrimps, compounds <b>7</b> and <b>8</b> both showed significant toxicities with median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values of 13.6 and 15.8 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, among nine metabolites that were found to possess antifeedant activity against armyworm larvae, compounds <b>7</b> and <b>8</b> gave the best activity with antifeedant indexes (AFI) of 50.0% and 55.0%, respectively. Structure–activity relationships of the metabolites were also discussed

Comparative Method To Quantify Dielectric Constant at Nanoscale Using Atomic Force Microscopy

We propose a comparative method to measure the quasi-static dielectric constant of relatively thick dielectric films (approximately 500 nm or thicker) with comparatively low dielectric permittivity (1 < ε_r < 10) at nanoscale by using the force spectroscopy technique of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Based on the relevance of analytical expression of the force spectroscopy on the dielectric susceptibility, the dielectric constant could be estimated by comparing with a reference sample of comparable dielectric permittivity. The validity of the approach was verified by good agreement between the reported values in the literature and the experimental results obtained on different materials, such as muscovite mica, SiO₂ film, poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and polystyrene (PS). The comparative scheme avoids the complex simulation involving irregular shape of AFM tips, providing a facile approach for quantitative analysis of dielectric properties of a number of materials at the nanometer scale

Dihydroindeno[2,1‑<i>c</i>]fluorene-Based Imide Dyes: Synthesis, Structures, Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties

A new kind of imide dyes based on dihydroindeno­[2,1-<i>c</i>]­fluorene have been developed. Consequently, a series of the organic dyes were conveniently and efficiently synthesized. The single crystal structure showed the dihydroindeno­[2,1-<i>c</i>]­fluorene core was almost planar, and the dye molecule could pack into herringbone-like structure in the solid state. It was found that the imide dyes all showed strong fluorescence emissions in tetrahydrofuran, and they also exhibited obvious red shifts with the increase of the π-conjugation system and the enhancement of the electronic-donating effect. Moreover, the electrochemical cyclic voltammograms of the imide dyes displayed irreversible redoxes in the film state. The electronic structures of aryl substituted imide dyes were also studied by the density functional theory (DFT), which gave a further explanation for their electrochemical behaviors

Dihydroindeno[2,1‑<i>c</i>]fluorene-Based Imide Dyes: Synthesis, Structures, Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties

A new kind of imide dyes based on dihydroindeno­[2,1-<i>c</i>]­fluorene have been developed. Consequently, a series of the organic dyes were conveniently and efficiently synthesized. The single crystal structure showed the dihydroindeno­[2,1-<i>c</i>]­fluorene core was almost planar, and the dye molecule could pack into herringbone-like structure in the solid state. It was found that the imide dyes all showed strong fluorescence emissions in tetrahydrofuran, and they also exhibited obvious red shifts with the increase of the π-conjugation system and the enhancement of the electronic-donating effect. Moreover, the electrochemical cyclic voltammograms of the imide dyes displayed irreversible redoxes in the film state. The electronic structures of aryl substituted imide dyes were also studied by the density functional theory (DFT), which gave a further explanation for their electrochemical behaviors

Cytotoxicity of nPANI.

<p>(A) Morphology of macrophages under phase-contrast microscope (20× objective, inset: 40×) treated with nPANI at different concentrations. (B) Cell viability of macrophages treated with nPANI at different concentrations for different time periods. (C) ROS production by macrophages after being incubated with nPANI at different concentrations for 6 hours. (D) Effect of 6 hours incubation of nPANI on the mitochondrial membrane potential of macrophages. All data were expressed by mean ± S.E.M. of six measurements and each experiment was performed in triplicate. * and *** denote <i>p</i><0.05 and 0.001 versus the corresponding control.</p

An integrated risk predictor for pulmonary nodules

<div><p>It is estimated that over 1.5 million lung nodules are detected annually in the United States. Most of these are benign but frequently undergo invasive and costly procedures to rule out malignancy. A risk predictor that can accurately differentiate benign and malignant lung nodules could be used to more efficiently route benign lung nodules to non-invasive observation by CT surveillance and route malignant lung nodules to invasive procedures. The majority of risk predictors developed to date are based exclusively on clinical risk factors, imaging technology or molecular markers. Assessed here are the relative performances of previously reported clinical risk factors and proteomic molecular markers for assessing cancer risk in lung nodules. From this analysis an integrated model incorporating clinical risk factors and proteomic molecular markers is developed and its performance assessed on a subset of 222 lung nodules, between 8mm and 20mm in diameter, collected in a previously reported prospective study. In this analysis it is found that the molecular marker is most predictive. However, the integration of clinical and molecular markers is superior to both clinical and molecular markers separately.</p><p>Clinical Trial Registration: Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01752101" target="_blank">NCT01752101</a>).</p></div

The effects of nPANI on the expressions of caspase-3 and activated caspase-3 expressions in macrophages.

<p>(A) Representative Western blots of the caspase-3 and β-actin expressions. (B) The relative levels were analyzed by determining the ratio of the activated caspase-3/β-actin. The values are the means ±S.E.M. of three replicates. ** and *** denote <i>p</i><0.01 and 0.001 versus the control, respectively.</p

Characterization of nPANI.

<p>(A) The scanning electron microscope image of nPANI. Scale bar is 500 nm. (B) UV-vis absorption spectra of nPANI aqueous solutions at pH 2.0, pH 7.0, and pH 12.0. Ultra DI-water was used as a background solution. (C) FTIR spectrum of nPANI. KBr was used as a background.</p

Comparison of five clinical risk factors and the proteomic ratio LG3BP/C163A.

<p>Comparison of five clinical risk factors and the proteomic ratio LG3BP/C163A.</p