Solubilization of single-walled carbon nanotubes by entanglements between them and hyperbranched phenolic polymer

金沢大学理工研究域物質化学系Hyperbranched phenolic polymer (HBP) was prepared by Lewis acid-catalyzed polycondensation of bifunctional phenolic monomer with trifunctional phenolic monomer. By choosing an appropriate Lewis acid, HBP was successfully obtained. By using physical adsorption of HBP on a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) surface, solubilization of SWCNTs was examined. SWCNTs were soluble with extended branches of HBP in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution, while they were insoluble in a linear phenolic polymer. In the presence of shrinking branches of HBP in tetrahydrofuran, SWCNTs were hardly soluble. Entanglements between extended branches of HBP and SWCNT in DMF solution resulted in high solubility of SWCNTs. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Defection-selective solubilization and chemically-responsive solubility switching of single-walled carbon nanotubes with cucurbit[7]uril

金沢大学理工研究域物質化学系Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were suspended in aqueous media with cucurbit[7]uril (CB7), while SWCNTs were insoluble with cucurbit[5]uril (CB5). Moreover, defection-selective solubilization of SWCNTs with CB7 was demonstrated. © The Royal Society of Chemistry

Adenovirus vector-mediated assay system for hepatitis C virus replication

The efficient delivery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA subgenomic replicon into cells is useful for basic and pharmaceutical studies. The adenovirus (Ad) vector is a convenient and efficient tool for the transduction of foreign genes into cells in vitro and in vivo. However, an Ad vector expressing the HCV replicon has never been developed. In the present study, we developed Ad vector containing an RNA polymerase (pol) I-dependent expression cassette and a tetracycline-controllable RNA pol I-dependent expression system. We prepared a hybrid promoter from the tetracycline-responsive element and the RNA pol I promoter. Ad vector particles coding the hybrid promoter-driven HCV replicon could be amplified, and interferon, an inhibitor of HCV replication, reduced HCV replication in cells transduced with the Ad vector coding HCV replicon. This is the first report of the development of an Ad vector-mediated HCV replicon system

SUMOylation of DNA topoisomerase IIα regulates histone H3 kinase Haspin and H3 phosphorylation in mitosis

DNA topoisomerase II (TOP2) plays a pivotal role in faithful chromosome separation through its strand-passaging activity that resolves tangled genomic DNA during mitosis. Additionally, TOP2 controls progression of mitosis by activating cell cycle checkpoints. Recent work showed that the enzymatically inert C-terminal domain (CTD) of TOP2 and its posttranslational modification are critical to this checkpoint regulation. However, the molecular mechanism has not yet been determined. By using Xenopus laevis egg extract, we found that SUMOylation of DNA topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) CTD regulates the localization of the histone H3 kinase Haspin and phosphorylation of histone H3 at threonine 3 at the centromere, two steps known to be involved in the recruitment of the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) to kinetochores in mitosis. Robust centromeric Haspin localization requires SUMOylated TOP2A CTD binding activity through SUMO-interaction motifs and the phosphorylation of Haspin. We propose a novel mechanism through which the TOP2 CTD regulates the CPC via direct interaction with Haspin at mitotic centromeres

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Gastroprotective Effect of Enteral Nutrition Formula in Mice Injected Subcutaneously with Indomethacin

We have previously shown that two enteral nutrition formulas suppressed gastric lesions induced by the oral administration of indomethacin (IND) in mice. However, the mechanism of their protective effect is unknown. In this study, the effect of the two enteral nutrition formulas on gastric lesions induced by subcutaneous IND injection was investigated, with the objective of exploring the possibility that they may interact directly with IND in the gastrointestinal tract. Ten-week-old, male, ICR mice were fasted, then orally given either purified water, Mermed® One, or 2-fold diluted Terumeal® 2.0α as enteral nutrition formula (25 mL/kg). IND was injected subcutaneously at 20 mg/kg after 30 min, and the stomach was removed 6 h later and fixed in formalin. The number and area of lesions in the stomachs of mice given enteral nutrition formula was reduced to 56–89% and 34–61%, respectively, compared with the mice given purified water. The time courses of plasma IND concentrations were comparable among the three groups. These results suggested that the effect of these enteral nutrition formulas on gastric lesions did not originate from their direct interaction with IND in the gastrointestinal tract or their effect on the disposition of IND