AL-12182, a novel 11-oxa prostaglandin analog with topical ocular hypotensive activity in the monkey

A series of 11-oxa prostaglandin analogs was evaluated for FP receptor binding and activation. Several compounds having aryloxy-terminated lower chains were found to be potent agonists. Topical ocular dosing of AL-12182, the isopropyl ester prodrug of the potent agonist 13, lowered intraocular pressure in the monkey by 40% accompanied by minimal conjunctival hyperemia in the rabbit. AL-12182 was synthesized on multigram scale starting with D-sorbitol.     

Unusual presentation of choriocarcinoma

Background  

Choriocarcinoma is an aggressive neoplasm arising in the body of the uterus. The disease normally spreads to lung and brain.     

Differential expression level of cytokeratin 8 in cells of the bovine nucleus pulposus complicates the search for specific intervertebral disc cell markers

Introduction  

Development of cell therapies for repairing the intervertebral disc is limited by the lack of a source of healthy human disc cells. Stem cells, particularly mesenchymal stem cells, are seen as a potential source but differentiation strategies are limited by the lack of specific markers that can distinguish disc cells from articular chondrocytes.     

Novel benzodifuran analogs as potent 5-HT2A receptor agonists with ocular hypotensive activity

A series of 8-substituted benzodifuran analogs was prepared and evaluated for 5-HT(2A) receptor binding and activation. Several compounds containing ether and ester functionality were found to be potent agonists. Topical ocular administration of 5, 18, and 25 effectively reduced intra-ocular pressure in the hypertensive cynomolgus monkey eye in the range of 25-37%.     

Frequent Seizures Are Associated with a Network of Gray Matter Atrophy in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with or without Hippocampal Sclerosis

Objective

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) have diffuse subtle gray matter (GM) atrophy detectable by MRI quantification analyses. However, it is not clear whether the etiology and seizure frequency are associated with this atrophy. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of GM atrophy and the influence of seizure frequency in patients with TLE and either normal MRI (TLE-NL) or MRI signs of HS (TLE-HS).

Methods

We evaluated a group of 172 consecutive patients with unilateral TLE-HS or TLE-NL as defined by hippocampal volumetry and signal quantification (122 TLE-HS and 50 TLE-NL) plus a group of 82 healthy individuals. Voxel-based morphometry was performed with VBM8/SPM8 in 3T MRIs. Patients with up to three complex partial seizures and no generalized tonic-clonic seizures in the previous year were considered to have infrequent seizures. Those who did not fulfill these criteria were considered to have frequent seizures.

Results

Patients with TLE-HS had more pronounced GM atrophy, including the ipsilateral mesial temporal structures, temporal lobe, bilateral thalami and pre/post-central gyri. Patients with TLE-NL had more subtle GM atrophy, including the ipsilateral orbitofrontal cortex, bilateral thalami and pre/post-central gyri. Both TLE-HS and TLE-NL showed increased GM volume in the contralateral pons. TLE-HS patients with frequent seizures had more pronounced GM atrophy in extra-temporal regions than TLE-HS with infrequent seizures. Patients with TLE-NL and infrequent seizures had no detectable GM atrophy. In both TLE-HS and TLE-NL, the duration of epilepsy correlated with GM atrophy in extra-hippocampal regions.

Conclusion

Although a diffuse network GM atrophy occurs in both TLE-HS and TLE-NL, this is strikingly more evident in TLE-HS and in patients with frequent seizures. These findings suggest that neocortical atrophy in TLE is related to the ongoing seizures and epilepsy duration, while thalamic atrophy is more probably related to the original epileptogenic process.     

Comparative leaf micromorphology and anatomy of the dragon tree group of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dracaena</Emphasis> (Asparagaceae) and their taxonomic implications

Micromorphological features of the leaf epidermis and the inner structure of leaf tissues of eight arborescent taxa of the genus Dracaena were analysed using light and scanning electron microscopy. The plants are xeromorphic or mesomorphic. Their leaves are isobilateral and amphistomatic, and the stomata are anomocytic and tetracytic. The mesophyll in all the species is divided into an outer chlorenchyma and a central region with colourless water-storage cells, chlorophyll cells and vascular bundles. Water-storage cells have wall bands and reticulate thickenings on the walls. The article describes and illustrates several new quantitative and qualitative leaf characters of the dragon tree group. Our findings can be used to identify the dragon tree group leaves, while the shape of epidermal cells and stomata types may be useful in the identification and classification of fragments of fossil leaves. We conclude that D. ombet and D. schizantha are not two distinct species, but should be treated as subspecies of D. ombet. Leaf characters, especially stomata depth on adaxial epidermis, height of adaxial epidermal cells and the presence and thickness of hypodermal fibre bundles markedly differ between geographical groups: Macaronesian species (D. draco and D. tamaranae), the species found in East Africa and Arabian Peninsula (D. ombet subsp. ombet, D. ombet subsp. schizantha, D. serrulata and D. cinnabari) and Southeast Asian species (D. kaweesakii and D. jayniana).     

Two-dimensional electrophoresis patterns of total proteins,esterases and acid phosphatases from pollen,seeds and leaves of three cultivars of Helianthus annuus L

Total proteins, esterases and acid phosphatases from pollen, seeds and leaves of three sunflower cultivars were separated by 2-D electrophoresis. The characteristic peptides for each cultivar were identified. The seeds and pollen of the cultivar Wielkopolski contained 45 and 37 characteristic peptides, respectively, while the seeds and pollen of Coril contained 73 and 35 characteristic peptides. The cultivar Frankasol had the lowest total number of stained peptides in seeds and pollen, and the number of the characteristic peptides was only 61 and 25, respectively. Analyses of esterases and acid phosphatases from young leaves and pollen led to identification of isoenzymes characteristic of the three cultivars. Only for Frankasol no specific acid phosphatase was observed, both in leaves and in pollen.