Biological evaluation of fluorinated p-boronophenylalanine derivatives as a boron carrier

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are quite attractive techniques for treatment and diagnosis of cancer, respectively. In order to develop practical materials utilizing both for BNCT and MRI, fluorinated p-boronophenylalanines and their alcohol derivatives had already been designed and synthesized. In the present paper the cytotoxicity, the incorporated amount into cancer cells, and the tumor cell killing effects of these compounds were elucidated to evaluate their usefulness as a boron carrier.     

Exploration of Pericyte-Derived Factors Implicated in Lung Cancer Brain Metastasis Protection: A Pilot Messenger RNA Sequencing Using the Blood–Brain Barrier In Vitro Model

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology - Metastatic brain tumors have poor prognoses and pose unmet clinical problems for the patients. The blood–brain barrier (BBB) implication is supposed to...     

Discovery of Two Novel Viruses Expands the Diversity of Single-Stranded DNA and Single-Stranded RNA Viruses Infecting a Cosmopolitan Marine Diatom

Recent studies have suggested that diatom viruses are an important factor affecting diatom population dynamics, which in turn are important in considering marine primary productivity. The marine planktonic diatom Chaetoceros tenuissimus Meunier is a cosmopolitan species and often causes blooms off the western coast of Japan. To date, two viruses, C. tenuissimus DNA virus (CtenDNAV) type I and CtenRNAV type I, have been identified that potentially affect C. tenuissimus population dynamics in the natural environment. In this study, we successfully isolated and characterized two additional novel viruses (CtenDNAV type II and CtenRNAV type II). This paper reports the basic characteristics of these new viruses isolated from surface water or sediment from the Hiroshima Bay, Japan. The physiological and morphological characteristics of the two new viruses were similar to those of the previously isolated viruses. However, the amino acid sequences of the structural proteins of CtenDNAV type II and CtenRNAV type II were clearly distinct from those of both type I viruses, with identity scores of 38.3% and 27.6%, respectively. Our results suggest that at least four genetically distinct viruses sharing the same diatom host are present in western Japan and affect the population dynamics of C. tenuissimus. Moreover, the result that CtenRNAV type II lysed multiple diatom species indicates that RNA viruses may affect various diatom populations in the natural environment.     

The floor plate is sufficient for development of the sclerotome and spine without the notochord

Danforth'sshort-tail (Sd) mouse is a semi-dominant mutation affecting the development of the vertebral column. Although the notochord degenerates completely by embryonic day 9.5, the vertebral column exists up to the lumber region, suggesting that the floor plate can substitute for notochord function. We previously established the mutant mouse line, Skt(Gt), through gene trap mutagenesis and identified the novel gene, Skt, which was mapped 0.95cM distal to the Sd locus. Taking advantage of the fact that monitoring notochordal development and genotyping of the Sd locus can be performed using the Skt(Gt) allele, we assessed the development of the vertebra, notochord, somite, floor plate and sclerotome in +-+/+-Skt(Gt), Sd-+/+-+, Sd-Skt(Gt)/+-+, Sd-Skt(Gt)/+-Skt(Gt), Sd-+/Sd-+ and Sd-Skt(Gt)/Sd-Skt(Gt) embryos. In Sd homozygous mutants with a C57BL/6 genetic background, the vertebral column was truncated in the 6th thoracic vertebra, which was more severe than previously reported. The floor plate and sclerotome developed to the level of somite before notochord degeneration and the number of remaining vertebrae corresponded well with the level of development of the floor plate and sclerotome. Defects to the sclerotome and subsequent vertebral development were not due to failure of somitogenesis. Taken together, these results suggest that the notochord induced floor plate development before degeneration, and that the remaining floor plate is sufficient for maintenance of differentiation of the somite into the sclerotome and vertebra in the absence of the notochord.     

Epidemiologic study of clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis and anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibodies in central Japan

Introduction

Several reports have found the onset or activity of inflammatory myopathies to show spatial clustering and seasonal association. We recently detected autoantibodies against melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA-5) in more than 20% of patients with dermatomyositis. Anti-MDA-5 antibodies were associated with the presence of rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease in clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM). The present study aims to assess the growing prevalence of CADM and the geographical incidence of anti-MDA-5-positive patients.

Methods

We reviewed medical charts and examined the presence of anti-MDA-5 antibodies in 95 patients, including 36 CADM patients. Sera were obtained from 1994 through 2011. Statistical analyses were performed to assess whether CADM development and the presence of anti-MDA-5 antibodies were associated with various parameters, including age at disease onset, season of onset, annual positivity, and population of resident city.

Results

Tertiles based on the year when the sera were collected showed increasing tendencies of CADM and anti-MDA-5-positive patients among all of the dermatomyositis patients. From 1994 to 2010, the relative prevalence of CADM and anti-MDA-5 antibody-positive patients significantly increased. Interestingly, the presence of anti-MDA-5 antibodies in 26 patients was inversely associated with the population of their city of residence.

Conclusions

This is the first study to examine the distribution of anti-MDA-5-positive dermatomyositis phenotypes in Japan. Regional differences in the incidences of these phenotypes would suggest that environmental factors contribute to the production of antibodies against MDA-5, which triggers innate antiviral responses.     

Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Pilzflora Dalmatiens

Ohne Zusammenfassung