Are one’s attachment avoidance toward a particular person and his/her placement of this particular person in the attachment hierarchy inversely overlapping? Four bifactor-analysis studies

Do one’s hierarchical preference for attachment support from a particular person over other people (attachment hierarchy) and his/her discomfort with closeness and uneasiness about being dependent on that particular person (attachment avoidance) inversely overlap? These two constructs have been distinctly conceptualized. Attachment hierarchy has been regarded as a normative characteristic of attachment relationships, while attachment avoidance has been considered to reflect an individual difference of relationship quality. Employing bifactor analyses, we demonstrated a unidimensional general factor of these two concepts in four studies exploring Czech young adults’ relationships with mother, father, friends, and romantic partner (Study 1); U.S. young adults’ relationships with a romantic partner (Study 2); Czech adolescents’ relationships with mother, father, and friends (Study 3); and Japanese young adults’ relationships with mother, father, and romantic partner (Study 4). These convergent results provide the replicable and generalizable evidence that one’s attachment avoidance toward a particular person and her/his placement of that particular person in the attachment hierarchy are inversely overlapping

Roles of Phosphatidic Acid in Virus RNA Replication

Eukaryotic positive-strand RNA [(+)RNA] viruses are intracellular obligate parasites replicate using the membrane-bound replicase complexes that contain multiple viral and host components. To replicate, (+)RNA viruses exploit host resources and modify host metabolism and membrane organization. Phospholipase D (PLD) is a phosphatidylcholine- and phosphatidylethanolamine-hydrolyzing enzyme that catalyzes the production of phosphatidic acid (PA), a lipid second messenger that modulates diverse intracellular signaling in various organisms. PA is normally present in small amounts (less than 1% of total phospholipids), but rapidly and transiently accumulates in lipid bilayers in response to different environmental cues such as biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. However, the precise functions of PLD and PA remain unknown. Here, we report the roles of PLD and PA in genomic RNA replication of a plant (+)RNA virus, Red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV). We found that RCNMV RNA replication complexes formed in Nicotiana benthamiana contained PLDα and PLDβ. Gene-silencing and pharmacological inhibition approaches showed that PLDs and PLDs-derived PA are required for viral RNA replication. Consistent with this, exogenous application of PA enhanced viral RNA replication in plant cells and plant-derived cell-free extracts. We also found that a viral auxiliary replication protein bound to PA in vitro, and that the amount of PA increased in RCNMV-infected plant leaves. Together, our findings suggest that RCNMV hijacks host PA-producing enzymes to replicate

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SHEAR ELASTIC MODULUS AND PASSIVE FORCE IN POSTERIOR SHOULDER CAPSULES: A CADAVERIC STUDY

Although shear wave elastography (SWE) has been used to indirectly measure passive force in muscle tissues, it is unknown whether SWE can be utilized to evaluate passive force in capsule tissues. This study investigated the relationship between the shear elastic modulus and passive force in posterior shoulder capsules using SWE. Four middle and four inferior posterior shoulder capsules were dissected from four fresh-frozen cadavers. Passive force (0-400 g in 25-g increments) was applied to each capsule, and elasticity was measured simultaneously using SWE. The relationship between elasticity and passive capsule force was highly linear for all tested capsules (coefficients of determination range: 0.853-0.963). SWE is a valid and useful method of evaluating indirectly and noninvasively the passive force of the posterior shoulder capsules

Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer : experimental and clinical aspects

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Therefore, an appropriate prevention strategy should be urgently established. Chemoprevention involves the use of oral agents to suppress the development of cancer. Recent progress in the molecular analysis of colorectal cancer has revealed many candidate molecules for chemoprevention. Many new agents targeting these molecules have also been developed. These agents are largely classified into three categories : 1) Signal transduction modulators including epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor inhibitors, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies, and inhibitors of oncogene products. 2) Epigenetic modulators including peroxisome proliferative activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonists, estrogen receptor (ER)-β , and histone deacetylase inhibitors. 3) Anti-inflammatory modulators including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, EP 1-4, and NF-kB. Of these agents, some actually proceeded to human clinical trials, and have been shown to be active chemopreventive agents

Thin-film and single-crystal transistors based on a trifluoromethyl-substituted alternating (thiophene/phenylene)-co-oligomer

We demonstrated the performance of thin-film transistors (TFTs) and single-crystal field-effect transistors (FETs) based on a trifluoromethyl-substituted alternating (thiophene/phenylene)-co-oligomer (AC5-CF3), 1,4-bis(5'-(4 ''-trifluoromethylphenyl)thiophene-2'-yl) benzene. An FET with a fine AC5-CF3 single-crystal demonstrated field-effect mobility as high as 3.1 cm(2) V-1 s(-1). This value implies that AC5-CF3 must be a useful n-type organic semiconducting material. The performance of AC5-CF3 TFTs depended on the substrate temperatures at which AC5-CF3 thin films were deposited. From the viewpoint of mobility, threshold voltage and sub-threshold slope, we obtained the highest performance at the substrate temperature of 100 degrees C. This was because a higher substrate temperature for deposition enlarged the size of grains in AC-CF3 thin films and improved the characteristics of grain boundaries. However, 120 degrees C depositions of AC5-CF3 induced deep valley-like cracks in the thin films, probably because of the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion for AC5-CF3 thin films and silicon wafer substrates, resulting in effects such as worsening mobility. AC5-CF3 TFTs prepared at 100 degrees C deposition showed no channel length dependence of the field-effect mobility, and their average field-effect mobility was 0.55 +/- 0.05 cm(2) V-1 s(-1).ArticleOrganic Electronics. 11(9):1549-1554 (2010)journal articl

SENSITIVITY OF THE MEIOTIC STAGE OF PORCINE OOCYTES TO HYPERTHERMIA

The present study was conducted to clarify the meiotic stage of porcine oocytes having the highest sensitivity to hyperthermia during in vitro maturation by evaluating the meiotic competence and DNA damage. Oocytes were exposed to 41 °C for 12 h at various intervals during 48 h of maturation culture. When the oocytes were exposed to 41 °C from 12 to 24 h of the maturation culture, the proportion of oocytes reaching metaphase II (MII) decreased as compared to the control oocytes cultured at 38.5 °C (P < 0.05). Moreover, the proportions of DNA fragmentation in all oocytes exposed to 41 °C in each culture period after 12 h from the start of maturation culture were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than for the control oocytes. When the meiotic stage of oocytes cultured at 38.5 °C between 12 and 24 h was examined, the majority of oocytes remained at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage at 12 h and approximately half of the oocytes reached metaphase I (MI) at 24 h. These results indicate that the meiotic stage of porcine oocytes having the highest sensitivity to hyperthermia during in vitro maturation is a transition period from the GV stage to the MI stage

Fused thiophene-split oligothiophenes with high ionization potentials for OTFTs

Fused thiophene-split oligothiophenes were synthesized by Suzuki coupling. The relationship between the structure of these fused thiophene-split oligothiophenes and DH-6T (α,ω-dihexylsexithiophene) and their performance in OTFTs was discussed. The realignment of HTTfTTTH (2,5-bis-(5′-hexyl-[2,2′]bithiophenyl-5-yl)-thieno[3,2-b] thiophene) molecule on the substrate after annealing was revealed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. A similar but novel compound, TTfTTT (2,5-bis-[2,2′]bithiophenyl-5-yl-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene), was also prepared and evaluated as an organic transistor material. Air stabilities of these three compounds in OTFT devices were affected mainly by chemical properties, but also by the ionization potentials (Ip) of these materials. Among the three compounds, HTTfTTTH had a higher Ip because the thiophene sequence was split by fused thiophene and the best air stability, due to the end-capping of its active α-positions by hexyl substitution.ArticleSynthetic Metals. 159(17-18):1890-1895 (2009)journal articl

Sorafenib as a secondary treatment

Background and Aim: Currently, there is no molecular‐targeted agent that has demonstrated evidence of efficacy in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u‐HCC) who have developed resistance to treatment with lenvatinib (LEN). In this real‐world study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect and safety of sorafenib (SOR) in patients with u‐HCC after progression on treatment with LEN. Methods (Patients) and Results: A total of 13 patients with u‐HCC (12 males and 1 female), who were treated with SOR after progression on LEN, were enrolled in this retrospective study. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated via contrast‐enhanced computerized tomography at 8 weeks after the initiation of SOR therapy according to modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST) and RECIST. According to mRECIST, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 15.3% (2/13) and 69.2% (9/13), respectively. According to RECIST, the ORR and DCR were 0% (0/13) and 69.2% (9/13), respectively. The median progression‐free survival was 4.1 months. The median albumin‐bilirubin scores did not deteriorate significantly at 4, 6, and 8 weeks after initiation of SOR, compared with the scores at the baseline. The most frequent grade 1 or 2 adverse events (AEs) were palmar–plantar erythrodysesthesia, fatigue, diarrhea, and hypertension. There was no incidence of grade 3 AEs. Conclusion: Treatment with SOR may be effective for u‐HCC after failure on LEN and may not worsen the liver reserve