New organic activators for the enantioselective reduction of aromatic imines with trichlorosilane

N-Picolinoyl-(2S)-(diphenylhydroxymethyl)pyrrolidine was found to work as an organic activator in the reduction of aromatic imines to the corresponding amines by Cl3SiH. The highest selectivity was 80% ee. These are the first data showing that N-formyl group is not always essential as N-protecting group of pyrrolidine derivatives for the reduction of imines by Cl3SiH

Staging the tumor and staging the host: A two centre, two country comparison of systemic inflammatory responses of patients undergoing resection of primary operable colorectal cancer

Background: How systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores such as the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) and neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR) differ across populations of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown. The present study examined the mGPS and NLR in patients from United Kingdom (UK) and Japan. Methods: Patients undergoing resection of TNM I-III CRC in two centres in the UK and Japan were included. Differences in clinicopathological characteristics and mGPS (0-CRP≤10 mg/L, 1-CRP>10 mg/L, 2-CRP>10 mg/L, albumin<35 g/L) and NLR (≤5/>5) were examined. Results: Patients from UK (n = 581) were more likely to be female, high ASA and BMI, present as an emergency (all P < 0.01) and have higher T stage compared to those from Japan (n = 559). After controlling for differences in tumor and host characteristics, patients from Japan were less likely to be systemically inflamed (OR: mGPS: 0.37, 95%CI 0.27–0.50, P < 0.001; NLR: 0.53, 95%CI 0.35–0.79, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Systemic inflammatory responses differ between populations with colorectal cancer. Given their prognostic value, reporting of systemic inflammation-based scores should be incorporated into future studies reporting patient outcomes. Summary: Although the systemic inflammatory response is recognised as a prognostic factor in patients with colorectal cancer, it is not clear how these may differ between distinct geographical populations. The present study examines differences in the prevalence of elevated systemic inflammatory responses (modified Glasgow Prognostic Score and neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio) between two populations undergoing resection of colorectal cancer in the United Kingdom and Japan

Impact of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake on the Use of Tidal Flats: A Case Study in Inner Tokyo Bay

Coastal areas have recently been revaluated to understand the relationship between ecosystem services and humans. However, devastation from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan might have limited the use of ecosystem services. Thus, we investigate the effects of the earthquake and tsunami on the use of tidal flats. We used questionnaires to evaluate changes in the number and anxiety of users for each type of use of the Sanbanze tidal flat in the innermost part of Tokyo Bay. We also conducted a field survey to verify the trends. We found that clamming and walking or jogging were the most common uses in the surveyed area. However, clamming activity decreased after the earthquake as indicated by field observation (73% decrease in spring long holiday season) and questionnaires (64%). Other clamming ground in Tokyo Bay also showed a similar decrease (62%). Many visitors were anxious about the damaged infrastructure. Compared to other types of use such as swimming or total tourism in the tourism statistics, the recovery phase was slower for clamming using the data of other locations. Considering these evidence, the innermost part of Tokyo Bay can be classified as an earthquake-devastated area, from the view point of ecosystem services. Key Words： behavioral change, tourism industry, Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, marine leisure use, shellfish gathering, marine ecosystem servicesOpenAcces

大腸癌患者における術前血清インターロイキン6 が全身性炎症反応に与える影響についての検討

背景：全身性炎症反応は担癌患者における免疫応答を反映し，予後と関連することが報告されている．目的：血清インターロイキン6（IL-6）と臨床背景因子，とりわけ全身炎症性反応との関連について大腸癌患者を対象として検討すること．方法：大腸癌患者20 人の術前IL-6 濃度を測定し，L 群（低IL-6 群，11 人；IL-6＜10 pg/ml）とH 群（高IL-6 群，9 人；IL-6 ≥ 10 pg/ml）の2 群に分けて臨床背景因子との関連について検討した．結果：血清C-reactive protein（CRP）値＞1.0 mg/dl（P＝0.038），血沈；9±7 versus 31±24（mm/ hr , P＝0.031）が2 群間で有意差を認めたが，血小板数・血清アルブミン値・Glasgow Prognostic Score・好中球リンパ比に2 群間で有意差は認めなかった．2 群間の生存曲線による解析は，H 群はL 群に比べて予後不良の傾向を認めたが，統計学的な有意差は認められなかった．結論：高IL-6 血症は大腸癌術前患者における高CRP 値，血沈の亢進といった全身性炎症反応と相関し，予後との関連を示唆するものであった．Purpose：To investigate the relationship between preoperative serum interleukin-6（IL-6）level and clinical characteristics, including systemic inflammatory response（SIR）related characteristics, in colorectal cancer（CRC）patients undergoing surgery. Patients and methods：Twenty CRC patients who had undergone curative surgery were divided into two groups as follows：Group A（n＝9）；patients with low serum IL-6 level（＜10 pg/ml）and Group B（n＝11）；patients with high serum IL-6 level（≥ 10 pg/ml）. Chi squared test and Mann-Whitney test were performed to compare the clinical characteristics of two groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log rank test were used to compare the two groups in relation to overall survival. Results：Among a lot of clinical characteristics, there were significant differences between the two groups in serum C-reactive protein（CRP）level（0.2±0.1 versus 2.9 ±4.9 mg/dl, mean± SD, P＝0.016）and erythrocyte sedimentation rate（ESR）（9±7 versus 31±24 mm/hr, mean ± SD, P＝0.031）. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in overall survival. Conclusion：There is a close relationship between preoperative serum IL-6 level and SIR related clinical characteristics such as serum CRP level and ESR in CRC patients

Factors associated with good self-rated health of non-disabled elderly living alone in Japan: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Self-rated health (SRH) is reported as a reliable predictor of disability and mortality in the aged population and has been studied worldwide to enhance the quality of life of the elderly. Nowadays, the elderly living alone, a particular population at great risk of suffering physical and mental health problems, is increasing rapidly in Japan and could potentially make up the majority of the aged population. However, few data are available pertaining to SRH of this population. Given the fact that sufficient healthcare is provided to the disabled elderly whereas there is little support for non-disabled elderly, we designed this population-based survey to investigate SRH of non-disabled elderly living alone and to identify the factors associated with good SRH with the purpose of aiding health promotion for the elderly.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in a metropolitan suburb in Japan. Questionnaires pertaining to SRH and physical conditions, lifestyle factors, psychological status, and social activities, were distributed in October 2005 to individuals aged ≥ 65 years and living alone. Response rate was 75.1%. Among these respondents, a total of 600 male and 2587 female respondents were identified as non-disabled elderly living alone and became our subjects. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with good SRH and sex-specific effect was tested by stepwise logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Good SRH was reported by 69.8% of men and 73.8% of women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that good SRH correlated with, in odds ratio sequence, "can go out alone to distant places", no depression, no weight loss, absence of self-rated chronic disease, good chewing ability, and good visual ability in men; whereas with "can go out alone to distant places", absence of self-rated chronic disease, no weight loss, no depression, no risk of falling, independent IADL, good chewing ability, good visual ability, and social integration (attend) in women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>For the non-disabled elderly living alone, sex-appropriate support should be considered by health promotion systems from the view point of SRH. Overall, the ability to go out alone to distant places is crucial to SRH of both men and women.</p

Precision measurement of the electric quadrupole moment of 31Al and determination of the effective proton charge in the sd-shell

he electric quadrupole coupling constant of the 31Al ground state is measured to be nu_Q = |eQV_{zz}/h| = 2196(21)kHz using two different beta-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques. For the first time, a direct comparison is made between the continuous rf technique and the adiabatic fast passage method. The obtained coupling constants of both methods are in excellent agreement with each other and a precise value for the quadrupole moment of 31Al has been deduced: |Q(31Al)| = 134.0(16) mb. Comparison of this value with large-scale shell-model calculations in the sd and sdpf valence spaces suggests that the 31Al ground state is dominated by normal sd-shell configurations with a possible small contribution of intruder states. The obtained value for |Q(31Al)| and a compilation of measured quadrupole moments of odd-Z even-N isotopes in comparison with shell-model calculations shows that the proton effective charge e_p=1.1 e provides a much better description of the nuclear properties in the sd-shell than the adopted value e_p=1.3 e

Selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α modulator K-877 efficiently activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α pathway and improves lipid metabolism in mice

Aims/IntroductionPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) is a therapeutic target for hyperlipidemia. K-877 is a new selective PPARα modulator (SPPARMα) that activates PPARα transcriptional activity. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of K-877 on lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo compared with those of classical PPARα agonists.Materials and MethodsTo compare the effects of K-877 on PPARα transcriptional activity with those of the classical PPARα agonists Wy14643 (Wy) and fenofibrate (Feno), the cell-based PPARα transactivation luciferase assay was carried out. WT and Ppara−/− mice were fed with a moderate-fat (MF) diet for 6 days, and methionine–choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks containing Feno or K-877.ResultsIn luciferase assays, K-877 activated PPARα transcriptional activity more efficiently than the classical PPARα agonists Feno and Wy. After being fed MF diet containing 0.001% K-877 or 0.2% Feno for 6 days, mice in the K-877 group showed significant increases in the expression of Ppara and its target genes, leading to marked reductions in plasma triglyceride levels compared with those observed in Feno-treated animals. These K-877 effects were blunted in Ppara−/− mice, confirming that K-877 activates PPARα. In further experiments, K-877 (0.00025%) and Feno (0.1%) equally improved the pathology of MCD diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, with increased expression of hepatic fatty acid oxidation genes.ConclusionsThe present data show that K-877 is an attractive PPARα-modulating drug and can efficiently reduce plasma triglyceride levels, thereby alleviating the dysregulation of lipid metabolism

Octacosanol and policosanol prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders by activating brown adipose tissue and improving liver metabolism

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is an attractive therapeutic target for treating obesity and metabolic diseases. Octacosanol is the main component of policosanol, a mixture of very long chain aliphatic alcohols obtained from plants. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of octacosanol and policosanol on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Mice were fed on chow, or HFD, with or without octacosanol or policosanol treatment for four weeks. HFD-fed mice showed significantly higher body weight and body fat compared with chow-fed mice. However, mice fed on HFD treated with octacosanol or policosanol (HFDo/p) showed lower body weight gain, body fat gain, insulin resistance and hepatic lipid content. Lower body fat gain after octacosanol or policosanol was associated with increased BAT activity, reduced expression of genes involved in lipogenesis and cholesterol uptake in the liver, and amelioration of white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation. Moreover, octacosanol and policosanol significantly increased the expression of Ffar4, a gene encoding polyunsaturated fatty acid receptor, which activates BAT thermogenesis. Together, these results suggest that octacosanol and policosanol ameliorate diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders by increasing BAT activity and improving hepatic lipid metabolism. Thus, these lipids represent promising therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders