(R)-2-Benzyl-4-methyl­pentyl (R)-2-meth­oxy-2-(1-naphth­yl)propionate

The relative configuration of the alcohol component in the title ester, C27H32O3, has been assigned as (R) from the known configuration of (R)-(−)-2-meth­oxy-2-(1-naphth­yl)propionic acid [(R)-MαNP acid]. In the crystal structure, the C atom of the methyl group of the MαNP acid lies in the extended plane of the naphthyl ring system [methyl C atom deviates from plane by 0.211 (2) Å; r.m.s. deviation of fitted atoms = 0.0187 Å] and a weak intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond links the naphthyl ring system and the meth­oxy group. These structural properties are similar to those of most MαNP acid esters

Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Analyses of Cytoplasmic Blood Plasma Inclusions of Rat Hepatocytes

In the present study, we investigated the histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural characteristics of cytoplasmic blood plasma inclusions that spontaneously occurred in a rat liver. Histologically, a number of cytoplasmic inclusions were observed in the liver of an 8-week-old female SD rat. These inclusions were strongly positive for PAS staining and resistant to diastase digestion. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that these inclusions were positive for albumin and IgG; however, most of them were negative for LAMP-1 and LAMP-2. Ultrastructurally, the inclusions were surrounded by limiting membranes and composed of moderately electron dense, homogenous materials. These characteristics described here represent valuable information for pathological examination in toxicity studies

Conformation and absolute configuration of (1S,2S)-2-(phenyl­selan­yl)cyclo­hexyl (R)-2-meth­oxy-2-(1-naphth­yl)propionate

The relative and absolute configurations of the title compound, C26H28O3Se, were assigned from the known configuration of (R)-(−)-2-meth­oxy-2-(1-naphth­yl)propionic acid used as starting material, and by examination of the Bijvoet (Friedel) pairs, using the anomalous dispersion data collected with Mo Kα radiation at low temperature. The geometry around the carbonyl group exists in the syn conformation, as reflected in torsion angles involving this group, and the stability of the structure is affected by weak bifurcated intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Cellular Injury of Cardiomyocytes during Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene Transfection with Ultrasound-Triggered Bubble Liposome Destruction

We transfected naked HGF plasmid DNA into cultured cardiomyocytes using a sonoporation method consisting of ultrasound-triggered bubble liposome destruction. We examined the effects on transfection efficiency of three concentrations of bubble liposome (1 × 106, 1 × 107, 1 × 108/mL), three concentrations of HGF DNA (60, 120, 180 μg/mL), two insonification times (30, 60 sec), and three incubation times (15, 60, 120 min). We found that low concentrations of bubble liposome and low concentrations of DNA provided the largest amount of the HGF protein expression by the sonoporated cardiomyocytes. Variation of insonification and incubation times did not affect the amount of product. Following insonification, cardiomyocytes showed cellular injury, as determined by a dye exclusion test. The extent of injury was most severe with the highest concentration of bubble liposome. In conclusion, there are some trade-offs between gene transfection efficiency and cellular injury using ultrasound-triggered bubble liposome destruction as a method for gene transfection

Minor Physical Anomalies in Japanese Patients With Schizophrenia

We assessed the prevalence of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) in Japanese patients with schizophrenia (n=313) and normal controls (n=128) using the Waldrop scale. There was a significant difference in the scale scores between the patients with schizophrenia and control subjects (U=17274.5, p=0.02). Patients had significantly more MPAs than controls on the individual scale items of malformed ears (p=0.039), furrowed tongue (p=0.006), high steepled palate (p=0.041) and head circumference which was 1.5 SDs below the average of normal controls (p=0.015). When we defined subjects at or above the median MPA score to be in the high anomaly group, significantly more patients than normal controls were represented in this group (p=0.033). Waldrop scores were not found to be related to age at onset of schizophrenia

Simple noise reduction for DWI

Our purpose in this study was to reduce the noise in order to improve the SNR of Dw images with high b-value by using two correction schemes. This study was performed with use of phantoms made from water and sucrose at different concentrations, which were 10, 30, and 50 weight percent (wt%). In noise reduction for Dw imaging of the phantoms, we compared two correction schemes that are based on the Rician distribution and the Gaussian distribution. The highest error values for each concentration with use of the Rician distribution scheme were 7.3 % for 10 wt%, 2.4 % for 30 wt%, and 0.1 % for 50 wt%. The highest error values for each concentration with use of the Gaussian distribution scheme were 20.3 % for 10 wt%, 11.6 % for 30 wt%, and 3.4 % for 50 wt%. In Dw imaging, the noise reduction makes it possible to apply the correction scheme of Rician distribution