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The application of iron oxide quantum dots (IOQDs) in this study led to the development of a straightforward, easy, and selective approach for cytosine sensing. To examine the capability of IOQDs in detecting nucleobases, attempts have been made to gain insight into the characteristics of IOQDs, including UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis, infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and powder‐XRD. We introduced IOQDs with a mean particle size distribution of 5.71 ± 0.08 nm for detecting cytosine by harnessing a turn‐on fluorescence phenomenon. The fostering fluorescence response of IOQDs was triggered in the presence of cytosine. In comparison, the presence of other nucleobases did not further induce the fluorescence signal of IOQDs. It was concluded that the hydrogen bonding bridging the carboxylate and hydroxyl groups on the surface of QDs with the amine groups of cytosine results in the elevation of IOQDs fluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a series of Al complexes bearing amidates, thioamidates, ureidates, and thioureidates were synthesized and their catalytic activity for ε-caprolactone (CL) polymerization was evaluated. SPr-Al exhibited a higher catalytic activity than OPr-Al (3.2 times as high for CL polymerization; [CL] : [SPr-Al] : [BnOH] = 100 : 0.5 : 2; [SPr-Al] = 10 mM, conv. = 93% after 14 min at 25 °C), and USCl-Al exhibited a higher catalytic activity than UCl-Al (4.6 times as high for CL polymerization; [CL] : [USCl-Al] : [BnOH] = 100 : 0.5 : 2; [USCl-Al] = 10 mM, conv. = 90% after 15 min at 25 °C). Regardless of whether aluminum amidates or ureidates were present, thioligands improved the polymerization rate of aluminum catalysts. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the eight-membered ring [SPr-AlOMe2]2 decomposed into the four-membered ring SPr-AlOMe2. However, [OPr-AlOMe2]2 did not decompose because of its strong bridging Al–O bond. The overall activation energy required for CL polymerization was lower when using [SPr-AlOMe2]2 (18.1 kcal mol−1) as a catalyst than when using [OPr-AlOMe2]2 (23.9 kcal mol−1). This is because the TS2a transition state of SPr-AlOMe2 had a more open coordination geometry with a small N–Al–S angle (72.91°) than did TS3c of [OPr-AlOMe2]2, the crowded highest-energy transition state of [OPr-AlOMe2]2 with a larger N–Al–O angle (99.63°). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyphyllin G, a pennogenyl saponin extracted from Paris polyphylla, has been shown to possess antitumor effects. In this study, we demonstrated that doxycycline, an antibiotic medicine, could significantly enhance the sensitivities of osteosarcoma cell lines to polyphyllin G. As the cells were pretreated with doxycycline at non‐toxic concentrations and then co‐exposed to polyphyllin G, this combination could induce a rapid cell death distinct from apoptosis. The non‐apoptotic cell death was characterized by a loss of integrity of plasma membrane without externalization of phosphatidyl serine. Furthermore, this combined treatment resulted in suppression of cell viability and colony‐forming ability, and increased the level of γ‐H2A.X, a critical marker for DNA damage, in osteosarcoma cell lines. When examining the underlying mechanism, it was revealed combination of polyphyllin G and doxycycline triggered an enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and up‐regulated mitochondrial oxidative stress within 0.5 h. Co‐administration of the ROS inhibitor NAC reversed the suppressed cell viability and colony‐forming ability, and abolished the increased level of γ‐H2A.X in the cells with the combined treatment, indicating that the enhanced ROS was involved in the anti‐proliferative effect of the combined treatment. Overall, the results demonstrated that doxycycline may function as chemosensitizers by inducing an acute and lethal ROS production to enhance cytotoxic of polyphyllin G in osteosarcoma cell lines, and the combined use of drugs may provide an alternative thinking for the development of new therapeutic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carvacrol is a monoterpenoid phenol that has excellent antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities. It can also improve wound healing. However, few studies have explored its antitumor effect on osteosarcoma. In this report, we tried to determine the potential efficacy of carvacrol against osteosarcoma cell lines. Our data revealed that carvacrol exposure inhibited the proliferation of osteosarcoma HOS and U-2 OS cells. In addition, carvacrol exposure enhanced the levels of cleaved PARP and caspase 3 and increased annexin V-positive cells, indicating that carvacrol exposure triggers apoptosis in osteosarcoma cell lines. Furthermore, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were enhanced after carvacrol exposure and cotreatment with NAC, the ROS scavenger, decreased the levels of cleaved PARP and caspase 3, suggesting the involvement of ROS in carvacrol-induced apoptosis. Importantly, we found that carvacrol exposure triggered several protein expressions related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, including GRP78/Bip, IRE1a, PERK, and CHOP, in HOS and U-2 OS cells, indicating that carvacrol exposure could result in ER stress in these cell lines. Cotreatment with the ER stress inhibitor 4-PBA increased the levels of cleaved PARP and caspase 3 and further suppressed cellular proliferation in carvacrol-exposed osteosarcoma cell lines. Overall, the results indicate that induced ER stress can protect cells from apoptosis, but increased ROS contributes to apoptosis in carvacrol-treated cells. In this report, we first demonstrate the role of ER stress in carvacrol-induced apoptosis and suggest that ER stress could be targeted to enhance the antitumor activity of carvacrol in osteosarcoma cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, guaiacolate derivatives‐containing tetranuclear sodium catalysts were synthesized, and their catalytic activity in l‐lactide (LA) polymerization was evaluated. Using LBF‐Na (sodium complex bearing 2,3‐dihydro‐2,2‐dimethyl‐7‐benzofuranolate) as a catalyst, the polymerization of LA was studied in various solvents. LBF‐Na polymerized LA in dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, and toluene, and the catalytic activity of LBF‐Na was similar in these solvents. Among the sodium complexes, LOH‐Na (sodium complex bearing guaiacolate) exhibited higher catalytic activity (5 min, conversion = 93%; MnGPC = 7200) than the other tetranuclear sodium complexes. Furthermore, LOH‐Na exhibited an "immortal" property after 20 equivalents of benzyl alcohol loading during LA polymerization and good controllability in polylactide production. Thus, guaiacolate ligands increase the catalytic activity of sodium catalysts in LA polymerization in both coordinating and halogen‐containing solvents and under the condition of extra alcohol loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayer color filter array (CFA) images are captured by a single-chip image sensor covered with a Bayer CFA pattern which has been widely used in modern digital cameras. In the past two decades, many compression methods have been proposed to compress Bayer CFA images. These compression methods can be roughly divided into the compression-first-based (CF-based) scheme and the demosaicing-first-based (DF-based) scheme. However, in the literature, no review article for the two compression schemes and their compression performance is reported. In this article, the related CF-based and DF-based compression works are reviewed first. Then, the testing Bayer CFA images created from the Kodak, IMAX, screen content images, videos, and classical image datasets are compressed on the Joint Photographic Experts Group-2000 (JPEG-2000) and the newly released Versatile Video Coding (VVC) platform VTM-16.2. In terms of the commonly used objective quality, perceptual quality metrics, the perceptual effect, and the quality–bitrate tradeoff metric, the compression performance comparison of the CF-based compression methods, in particular the reversible color transform-based compression methods and the DF-based compression methods, is reported and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantially to increase the efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), it has been fabricated with the polymer gel electrolytes (PGEs) by replacing the liquid electrolytes (LEs). Poly (ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) has been synthesized as a crystalline solid biopolymer of about 74% yield using different 6‐membered ring phenolate Al complexes. As prepared PCL was blended with LE used in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to prepare high polydispersity index (PDI) PGE. The prepared PGE shows cross‐linking between carboxyl and hydroxyl groups and interacts with iodide ions to form a chelate complex structure. The PGE was well‐characterized using various analytical tools to demonstrate its structural and surface morphology. The fabricated DSSCs using PGE showed high ionic conductivity (7.76 × 10−4 S cm−1), good tri‐iodide diffusion (2.052 × 10−6 Cm2 S−1), and a highly stable incident photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency (PCE; 5.92%) under solar light illumination (85 mW cm−2). Besides found PGE has improved long‐term stability up to 15 days, and these results proved that the prepared PGE is superior compared to other reported PGEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of many computer vision and pattern recognition applications depends on matching local features on two or more images. Because the initial correspondence set—i.e., the set of the initial feature pairs—is often contaminated by mismatches, removing mismatches is a necessary task prior to image matching. In this paper, we first propose a fast geometry histogram-based (GH-based) mismatch removal strategy to construct a reduced correspondence set C r e d u c e d , G H from the initial correspondence set C i n i . Next, we propose an effective cooperative random sample consensus (COOSAC) method for remote sensing image matching. COOSAC consists of a RANSAC, called R A N S A C i n i working on C i n i , and a tiny RANSAC, called R A N S A C t i n y , G H working on a randomly selected subset of C r e d u c e d , G H . In R A N S A C t i n y , G H , an iterative area constraint-based sampling strategy is proposed to estimate the model solution of C t i n y , G H until the specified confidence level is reached, and then R A N S A C i n i utilizes the estimated model solution of C t i n y , G H to calculate the inlier rate of C i n i . COOSAC repeats the above cooperation between R A N S A C t i n y , G H and R A N S A C i n i until the specified confidence level is reached, reporting the resultant model solution of C i n i . For convenience, our image matching method is called the GH-COOSAC method. Based on several testing datasets, thorough experimental results demonstrate that the proposed GH-COOSAC method achieves lower computational cost and higher matching accuracy benefits when compared with the state-of-the-art image matching methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic inflammation is a potent contributor to increased seizure susceptibility. However, information regarding the effects of systemic inflammation on cerebral vascular integrity that influence neuron excitability is scarce. Necroptosis is closely associated with inflammation in various neurological diseases. In this study, necroptosis was hypothesized to be involved in the mechanism underlying sepsis-associated neuronal excitability in the cerebrovascular components (e.g., endothelia cells).Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce systemic inflammation. Kainic acid intraperitoneal injection was used to measure the susceptibility of the mice to seizure. The pharmacological inhibitors C87 and GSK872 were used to block the signaling of TNFα receptors and necroptosis. In order to determine the features of the sepsis-associated response in the cerebral vasculature and CNS, brain tissues of mice were obtained for assays of the necroptosis-related protein expression, and for immunofluorescence staining to identify morphological changes in the endothelia and glia. In addition, microdialysis assay was used to assess the changes in extracellular potassium and glutamate levels in the brain.Results: Some noteworthy findings, such as increased seizure susceptibility and brain endothelial necroptosis, Kir4.1 dysfunction, and microglia activation were observed in mice following LPS injection. C87 treatment, a TNFα receptor inhibitor, showed considerable attenuation of increased kainic acid-induced seizure susceptibility, endothelial cell necroptosis, microglia activation and restoration of Kir4.1 protein expression in LPS-treated mice. Treatment with GSK872, a RIP3 inhibitor, such as C87, showed similar effects on these changes following LPS injection.Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that TNFα-mediated necroptosis induced cerebrovascular endothelial damage, neuroinflammation and astrocyte Kir4.1 dysregulation, which may coalesce to contribute to the increased seizure susceptibility in LPS-treated mice. Pharmacologic inhibition targeting this necroptosis pathway may provide a promising therapeutic approach to the reduction of sepsis-associated brain endothelia cell injury, astrocyte ion channel dysfunction, and subsequent neuronal excitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Involvement in cervical ligamentum flavum is a rare manifestation of the calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease. Only few cases of this condition have been reported. We revealed eighteen cases of CPPD in cervical ligamentum flavum that diagnosed at a single medical center. In our case series, clinical characteristics and magnetic resonance imaging findings of patients are described.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts and imaging studies of the eighteen patients with pseudogout attack of the cervical ligamentum flavum. In addition, we discussed the differences between this disease and ossification of ligamentum flavum in image manifestations.Results: There were fourteen men and four women aged between 59 and 87 years. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were the most common comorbidities. Myelopathy and neck pain were presented in most patients. C4-5 and C5-6 were attacked most frequently, and multiple- rather than single-level involvement could be observed in our series. "Acute on chronic phenomenon" was a specific magnetic resonance image finding in patients whose symptom durations were between 2 to 5 months. Compared to ossification of ligamentum flavum, calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition had different image signs, including morphology, side of the involved ligament, no continuity with the lamina, acute on chronic phenomenon, and presence of retro-odontoid mass.Conclusions: Nodular calcifications in cervical ligamentum flavum raise highly suspicion for calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition and must be diagnosed by histological examination and polarized light microscopy. This disease is different from ossification of ligamentum flavum, and it could be recognized by specific image features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the healthcare utilization, economic burden, and long-term neurological complications and mortality of an adult population with Japanese encephalitis (JE). Methods: This study utilized two nationwide datasets in Taiwan: the Notifiable Disease Dataset of confirmed cases from the Centers for Disease Control to identify JE patients, and the National Health Insurance Research Database to obtain patients' healthcare utilization. Survival analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors associated with the all-cause mortality of patients. Results: This study included 352 adult cases with JE (aged≥20 years). The mean age of JE patients was 45 years. Stroke (event rate: 3.49/100 person-years) was the most common neurological complication, followed by epilepsy/convulsions (3.13/100 person-years), encephalopathy/delirium (2.20/100 person-years), and parkinsonism (1.97/100 person-years). Among the 336 hospitalized patients at JE diagnosis, 58.33% required intensive care. Among 79 patients who died following JE diagnosis, 48.84% of death events occurred within the year of diagnosis. The medical costs increased considerably at JE diagnosis and subsequent-year costs remained significantly higher than the costs before diagnosis (p<0.05). Having a four-dose JE vaccination (i.e., born after 1976) versus no JE vaccination history (i.e., born before 1963) was significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.221 [95% confidence interval: 0.067, 0.725]). Comorbid diabetes and incident epilepsy/convulsion events significantly increased the mortality risk by 2.47- and 1.85-fold, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion: A considerable medical burden associated with JE was observed in affected adults, even in the years following JE diagnosis. Vaccination should be considered to prevent this sporadic, but lethal, viral infection. Author summary: The epidemiology of adulthood Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains limited, and data on the economic burden associated with JE is lacking. This study is the first to comprehensively examine the healthcare burden (i.e., healthcare utilization and costs, neurological complications, all-cause mortality) of an adult population with JE, utilizing a nationwide cohort of JE-infected adults with up to 16 years of follow-up. In the first 6 months following JE diagnosis, a higher rate of neurological disorders was found, compared to the years after the diagnosis, with stroke being the most common neurological complication, followed by epilepsy/convulsions. The healthcare utilization of JE patients was higher in the first 6 months after the diagnosis compared to the years following the diagnosis. Medical costs increased considerably at JE diagnosis and subsequent-year costs after diagnosis remained higher than the cost before diagnosis. Having comorbid diabetes or incident epilepsy/convulsion events was a significant risk factor for mortality of adults with JE. Being born after 1976 in Taiwan, and thus likely receiving a four-dose schedule of vaccination, was associated with reduced mortality. Therefore, special attention is required for JE patients with comorbid diabetes or incident epilepsy/convulsion events, and JE vaccination should be considered to prevent this sporadic but lethal viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbodicarbene (CDC), unique carbenic entities bearing two lone pairs of electrons are well‐known for their strong Lewis basicity. We demonstrate herein, upon introducing a weak Brønsted acid benzyl alcohol (BnOH) as a co‐modulator, CDC is remolded into a Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP)‐like reactivity. DFT calculation and experimental evidence show BnOH loosely interacting with the binding pocket of CDC via H‐bonding and π‐π stacking. Four distinct reactions in nature were deployed to demonstrate the viability of proof‐of‐concept as synergistic FLP/Modulator (CDC/BnOH), demonstrating enhanced catalytic reactivity in cyclotrimerization of isocyanate, polymerization process for L‐lactide (LA), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and dehydrosilylation of alcohols. Importantly, the catalytic reactivity of carbodicarbene is uniquely distinct from conventional NHC which relies on only single chemical feature of nucleophilicity. This finding also provides a new spin in diversifying FLP reactivity with co‐modulator or co‐catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbodicarbene (CDC), unique carbenic entities bearing two lone pairs of electrons are well‐known for their strong Lewis basicity. We demonstrate herein, upon introducing a weak Brønsted acid benzyl alcohol (BnOH) as a co‐modulator, CDC is remolded into a Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP)‐like reactivity. DFT calculation and experimental evidence show BnOH loosely interacting with the binding pocket of CDC via H‐bonding and π‐π stacking. Four distinct reactions in nature were deployed to demonstrate the viability of proof‐of‐concept as synergistic FLP/Modulator (CDC/BnOH), demonstrating enhanced catalytic reactivity in cyclotrimerization of isocyanate, polymerization process for L‐lactide (LA), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and dehydrosilylation of alcohols. Importantly, the catalytic reactivity of carbodicarbene is uniquely distinct from conventional NHC which relies on only single chemical feature of nucleophilicity. This finding also provides a new spin in diversifying FLP reactivity with co‐modulator or co‐catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: To estimate preference‐based measures of health‐related quality of life associated with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in type 2 diabetes patients. Materials and Methods: Individuals with EuroQol‐5 dimensions‐3 levels data were identified from Taiwan's National Health Interview Survey in 2009 and 2013. Status of diabetes, comorbidities, complications and treatments were ascertained through data linkage to Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Multivariable ordinary least squares, Tobit and median regression analyses were used to estimate the coefficients that represented independent impacts of patients' characteristics on health‐related quality of life. Results: The mean health utility score for 2,104 participants was 0.838. Being female, aging, divorced/widowed, never worked or underweight, or having a lower monthly household income, injectable glucose‐lowering therapy, comorbid connective tissue disease or depression were associated with lower health utilities. Having an amputation led to the largest reduction by 0.288 in health utilities, followed by debilitating stroke (0.266), heart failure (0.237), other coronary heart disease (0.185), kidney dialysis/transplant (0.148), coronary revascularizations (0.093), transient ischemic attack/stroke (0.078), diabetic neuropathy (0.062), polyneuropathy (0.055) and other neuropathy (0.043). Conclusions: Major vascular complications, connective tissue disease and depression are associated with considerably worse health‐related quality of life. These health utility estimates can facilitate health economic evaluations to determine cost‐effective strategies for diabetes management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are became more popular as a new type of solar cell because of their environmental friendliness and low cost. Their large-scale application still requires overcoming the problems of volatilization and loss of liquid electrolytes, which leads to a reduction in the lifetime of the cell. In this paper, Polylactic acid (PLA) with a different Polydispersity index (PDI) is first synthesized via the Aluminium ring-opening method and then stirred with liquid electrolyte for 24 h to form polymer gel electrolyte (PGE). The PGE is then characterized using various analytical tools. Results show a strong interaction between hydroxyl and carboxylate groups of PEG and PLA to form a chelating structure (egg-box model).The polymer gel electrolyte exhibit high ionic conductivity (7.60 × 10–4 S cm−1). The fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells configuration (Glass/FTO/TiO2/MK-2 dye/PGE/Pt/FTO/glass) shows a photocurrent conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.64% under a solar light illumination of 85 mW cm-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the water state in Nafion is not only crucial for operating a proton-exchange membrane (PEM)-based fuel cell, but also intimately related to the elucidation of the proton transport mechanism in a PEM. Although many studies have been published on this subject, some controversies and ambiguities remain unresolved. In this work, we design three different types of Nafion samples by substituting protons with lithium or sodium cations. We also pay special attention to the preparation of samples for carrying out broad-range variable temperature solid state NMR experiments so that no membrane dehydration occurs during the long experimental time at low temperatures. With these precautions and improvements, clear and largely straightforward information could be obtained to ensure minimal ambiguity and complexity in the interpretation of the experimental data. Our results show that about 40–60% of water remains unfrozen at −70 °C, depending on the type of the substituting cation. Both the 1H and 2H spectral and relaxation results indicate that water freezing starts from the center of the nanopores inside Nafion and increases gradually as the temperature decreases. The protons remain dissociated with sulfonate groups even at the lowest temperature we reached (−70 °C), whereas both lithium and sodium are associated with sulfonate groups at most temperatures below 0 °C. The experimental data also suggest that besides frozen and unfrozen water, there is broad distribution of water state and dynamics in Nafion as the temperature is lowered from above zero down to −70 °C. The effect of the size of the substituting cation significantly affects the properties of supercooled water by modifying the cation–water interaction and impeding the rotation of sulfonate groups. These novel results not only help us in establishing a better understanding of the water state in Nafion and its performance as a proton exchange mebrane, but also provide insights into water freezing, antifreeze and supercooling in other nanoscopic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three titanium (Ti) compounds bearing 2,6‐bis(o‐hydroxyalkyl)pyridine ligands were synthesized, and used in vitro cytotoxicity against triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA‐MB‐231 cells was studied. The results of in vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes against TNBC cells revealed that (HLMeTi‐O)4 (IC50 = 0.91 μM) exerted a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of TNBC cells. Thus, titanium alkoxide complexes as nonplatinum complex could be used for structural optimization for treating breast cancer cells in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butein is a flavonoid isolated from various medicinal plants. It is known to have different biological activities including anti‐inflammation, anti‐adipogenesis, and anti‐angiogenesis. In the study, we demonstrated the anti‐proliferative effect of butein in human osteosarcoma U‐2 OS cells. Our data showed that butein significantly suppressed the viability and colony formation ability of U‐2 OS cells. Further experiments revealed butein exposure resulted in a cell cycle arrest at S and G2/M phase in U‐2 OS cells. Importantly, we found that butein activated the tumor suppressor p53, and trigged a p53‐dependent senescence in U‐2 OS cells. Knockdown of p53 suppressed the senescence and rescued the viability in butein‐treated U‐2 OS cells. Furthermore, we observed that butein exposure significantly enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in U‐2 OS cells. Co‐administration of the ROS inhibitor NAC largely abolished the up‐regulated p53 protein level, and rescued the suppressed viability and colony formation ability in butein‐exposed U‐2 OS cells. Taken together, our data proposed the increased ROS by butein exposure activated p53, and the activated p53 was involved in the anti‐proliferative effect of butein via inducing senescence in U‐2 OS cells. This report suggests that butein is a promising candidate for cancer therapy against osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a series of sodium complexes with amidate ligands, including sulfonamide, acylamide, and aryl carbamate, were synthesized. These sodium complexes were used as catalysts to study the L-lactide (LA) polymerization in high polar solvent (dimethyl sulfoxide: tetrahydrofuran = 1:4). Among these sodium complexes, CTolOMe-Na (5) exhibited the highest catalytic activity (10 s, conversion > 99% with the ratio [LA]:[CTolOMe-Na (5)]:[BnOH] = 800:1:120, [CTolOMe-Na (5)] = 1.25 mM at 0 °C) and controllability (Đ = 1.10). To prove that CTolOMe-Na (5) can polymerize LA with special initiators in polar solvent, 1,4-benzenedimethanol and pentaerythritol were used as initiators in LA polymerization. The polymerization results revealed that end-chain-modified poly(lactides) with a precise molar mass (MnGPC: 3000–8800) and narrow dispersity (1.04–1.28) can be synthesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We conduct a cost-utility analysis of inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO) versus chemotherapy as the standard of care (SOC) for adults with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Methods: A Markov model incorporating transition probabilities between health states was applied to simulate disease progression. The model inputs, including overall survival, progression-free survival, and utility parameters, were obtained from the INO-VATE ALL trial and literatures. The Taiwan Cancer Registry Database and the Health and Welfare Database were utilized to identify the patient cohort and medical costs from the perspective of National Health Insurance Administration. The lifetime medical costs (in 2017 US dollars), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, and associated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were the main study outcomes.Results: The lifetime medical costs for INO and SOC were $176,795 and $69,496, and the QALYs gained were 2.25 and 0.84, respectively. The ICER for INO versus SOC was $76,044 per QALY gained, which is slightly more than three times Taiwan's gross domestic product per capita (i.e., $73,224). Favorable economic results for INO versus SOC were found with an increased time horizon for model simulation, less discounting for the future benefit, and higher stem cell transplantation (SCT) rate after INO treatment; and among patients aged less than 55 years, with no SCT history, or in the first salvage treatment.Conclusions: INO versus SOC has higher costs but is more effective. The use of INO is favorable for patients in the early treatment course and when more future benefit associated with INO is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Developing country-specific unit-cost catalogs is a key area for advancing economic research to improve medical and policy decisions. However, little is known about how health care costs vary by type 2 diabetes (T2D) complications across time in Asian countries. We sought to quantify the economic burden of various T2D complications in Taiwan.Research Design and Methods: A nationwide, population-based, longitudinal study was conducted to analyze 802,429 adults with newly diagnosed T2D identified during 1999-2010 and followed up until death or 31 December 2013. Annual health care costs associated with T2D complications were estimated, with multivariable generalized estimating equation models adjusted for individual characteristics.Results: The mean annual health care cost was $281 and $298 (2017 U.S. dollars) for a male and female, respectively, diagnosed with T2D at age <50 years, with diabetes duration of <5 years, and without comorbidities, antidiabetic treatments, and complications. Depression was the costliest comorbidity, increasing costs by 64-82%. Antidiabetic treatments increased costs by 72-126%. For nonfatal complications, costs increased from 36% (retinopathy) to 202% (stroke) in the event year and from 13% (retinopathy or neuropathy) to 49% (heart failure) in subsequent years. Costs for the five leading costly nonfatal subtype complications increased by 201-599% (end-stage renal disease with dialysis), 37-376% (hemorrhagic/ischemic stroke), and 13-279% (upper-/lower-extremity amputation). For fatal complications, costs increased by 1,784-2,001% and 1,285-1,584% for cardiovascular and other-cause deaths, respectively.Conclusions: The cost estimates from this study are crucial for parameterizing diabetes economic simulation models to quantify the economic impact of clinical outcomes and determine cost-effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betulin is a lupane type pentacyclic triterpenoid, and commonly found in the bark of birch trees. It displays various pharmacological properties, such as antibacterial, anti‐inflammation, antitumor, and antiviral. In this report, we attempted to investigate the anti‐proliferative and pro‐apoptotic effects of betulin on osteosarcoma cell lines. Our results revealed that betulin significantly decreased cell viability and colony formation in osteosarcoma cell lines. Dose‐dependent induction of Annexin V positive cells, activated caspase 8, activated caspase 9, activated caspase 3, and the cleavage of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase were observed after the treatment with betulin, indicating betulin induces apoptosis in osteosarcoma cell lines. mTOR has been identified as a key modulator of autophagy in response to different stresses. In this study, we found that the treatment with betulin suppressed the activation of mTOR, and increased the level of LC 3‐II, the autophagy marker, in osteosarcoma cell lines. Co‐administration of the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine significantly rescued the cell viability and the clonogenic activity in betulin‐treated osteosarcoma cell lines. Our data showed that betulin induced autophagy, and the up‐regulated autophagy positively contributed to the apoptosis. Taken together, our findings suggested that betulin may serve as a promising anti‐proliferative agent for treating osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of zinc complexes, [LXZnEt] (1–5) and [LXZn2(OAc)3] (6–9), associated with NNO‐tridentate Schiff base ligands (2‐(((2‐((cyclohexyl[methyl]amino)methyl)phenyl)imino)methyl)phenolate (CAP) derivatives), were synthesized, and their activity toward ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of L‐lactide (LA) and the reaction of CO2 with cyclohexene oxide were also investigated. All of [LXZnEt] revealed excellent catalytic activity to ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of LA in the presence of benzyl alcohol. Among them, [LHZnEt] (1) showed the highest activity with 82% conversation within 45 s. In contrast, [LXZn2(OAc)3] (6–9) were inactive in ROP of L‐lactide. In addition, all of these Zn complexes demonstrated moderate activity in the reaction of CO2 with cyclohexene oxide in the presence of Bu4NCl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the incidence, rationales, and associated factors of inappropriate urinary catheter use among hospitalized older patients by gender. A longitudinal study of 321 patients with urinary catheter was conducted. Demographic factors, present health factors, urinary catheter factors, and indications of catheter use were collected. A total of 53.7% of urinary catheter-days were inappropriate. For both men and women, there was no significant difference in the incidence and common rationales of inappropriate use. Women, however, have another associated factor with inappropriate use. More tailored alternatives are needed for women to increase comfort to avoid inappropriate catheter use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palladacycle complex [LsPdOAc]2 bearing 2‐phenyl benzothiazole was synthesized and characterized by NMR and X‐ray crystallography. [LsPdOAc]2 was used as a catalyst in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling reaction of 4‐bromotoluene with phenylboronic acid, which resulted in a conversion of >90% with 5 mol% of the Pd complex within 10 min at 60°C. The palladacycle complex [LsPdOAc]2 bearing 2‐phenyl benzothiazole was used as a catalyst in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling reaction. In a case of 4‐bomotoluene and phenylboronic acid with Cs2CO3 as a base in a 1:1 mixture solvent (3 mL) of DMF + H2O at 60 °C after 10 min, the conversion is 90 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of five-membered ring aluminum complexes bearing thiol-Schiff base ligands were synthesized, and their application in the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) was investigated. The complexes exhibited dramatically higher catalytic activity than the six-membered ring S2AlMe2 complex (approximately 4- to 10-fold higher) and the five-membered ring L5-PhAlMe2 complex (approximately 7- to 19-fold higher). Moreover, a shorter induction period was observed when the five-membered ring aluminum complexes bearing thiol-Schiff base ligands were used compared with the other types of aluminum complexes bearing Schiff base ligands. The electron-withdrawing groups enhanced the catalytic activity of the Al complexes compared with the electron donating groups. The thiol-Schiff base ligand and the five-membered ring aluminum catalysis had a synergistic effect that was stronger than the combination of their individual effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

POU-homeodomain transcription factor POU3F2 is a critical transcription factor that participates in neuronal differentiation. However, little is known about its downstream mediators. Here genome-wide analyses of a human neuronal differentiation cell model, NT2D1, suggested neurotrophin-3 (NTF3), a key mediator of neuronal development during the early neurogenic period, as a putative regulatory target of POU3F2. Western blot, cDNA microarray, and real-time quantitative PCR analyses showed that POU3F2 and NTF3 were upregulated during neuronal differentiation. Next-generation-sequence-based POU3F2 chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing and genome-wide in silico prediction demonstrated that POU3F2 binds to the NTF3 promoter during neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, unidirectional deletion or mutation of the binding site of POU3F2 in the NTF3 promoter decreased promoter-driven luciferase activity, indicating that POU3F2 is a positive regulator of NTF3 promoter activity. While NTF3 knockdown resulted in decreased viability and differentiation of NT2D1 cells, and POU3F2 knockdown downregulated NTF3 expression, recombinant NTF3 significantly rescued viable neuronal cells from NTF3- or POU3F2-knockdown cell cultures. Moreover, immunostaining showed colocalization of POU3F2 and NTF3 in developing mouse neurons. Thus, our data suggest that NTF3 is a novel target gene of POU3F2 and that the POU3F2/NTF3 pathway plays a role in the process of neuronal differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of known complex [Cp2Fe2 (μ-SEt)2(CH3CN)2](BF4) 2 (1(BF4) 2) with 2 equiv of 1,4-bis(isocyanomethyl)benzene (1,4-CNCH2C6H4CH2NC; L1) or 4,4'-diisocyanophenyl ether (4,4'-CNC6H4OC6H4NC; L2) result in the formation of two new-type diisocyanide complexes [Cp2Fe2 (μ-SEt)2(1,4-CNCH2C6H4CH2NC)2](BF4) 2 (2a(BF4) 2) or [Cp2Fe2 (μ-SEt)2(4,4'-CNC6H4OC6H4NC)2](BF4) 2(2b(BF4) 2), respectively. The new-type 24-membered ring tetranuclear iron-thiolate-aryldiisocyanide metallocyclophane complex [Cp4Fe4 (μ-SEt)4(μ-1,4-CNCH2C6H4CH2NC)2](BF4) 4 (3a(BF4) 4) has been synthesized by using a self-assembly reaction between equimolar amounts of 1(BF4) 2 and 1,4-bis(isocyanomethyl)benzene or by a stepwise route involving mixing a 1:1 molar ratio of complexes 1(BF4) 2 and 2a(BF4) 2. A similar approach was used through the application of equal molar ratio of complexes 1(BF4) 2 and 2b(BF4) 2 to give a 30-membered ring tetranuclear iron-thiolate-aryldiisocyanide metallocyclophane complex [Cp4Fe4 (μ-SEt)4(4,4'-CNC6H4OC6H4NC)2][BF4 ]4 (3b(BF4)4). The spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of four iron-sulfur core complexes were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of bidentate ligands were examined to improve the catalytic activity of l-lactide ( LA) polymerization by using n-butyl lithium and BnOH. For LA polymerization, n-butyl lithium with tetraisopropyl methylenebis(phosphonate) ( L8 ) showed the greatest catalytic activity but with poor controllability of the polymer molecular weight. The polydispersity indices ( PDIs) could be improved without BnOH addition, but Mn GPC was much different from the Mn Cal . 1H NMR spectra confirmed that the cyclized PLA was obtained, thus implying that active chain-end mechanisms were operative in LA polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone using structurally related aluminum complexes as pre-catalysts showed inconsistent trends in the total conversion time. We propose that an induction period for Al complexes for conversion to real catalytic species, Al alkoxide, should be considered because the total conversion time consists of both an induction period and polymer propagation time. Herein, the polymerization rate of a series of Al complexes bearing ketimine ligands was investigated. The catalytic results indicated complexes with more steric hindrance with an electron-withdrawing group on the ligands, or the fact that less chelating ligands demonstrated greater propagation activity. The opposite trend for these structural effects was observed on the measurement of induction periods. These features on ligands of aluminum complexes are responsible for facilitating the conversion process to Al alkoxides. The overall catalytic performance should consider both the induction period and the propagation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucose mobilization and utilization in the periphery and central nervous system are important during exercise and are responsible for exercise efficacy. Magnesium (Mg) is involved in energy production and plays a role in exercise performance. This study aimed to explore the effects of Mg on the dynamic changes in glucose and lactate levels in the muscle, blood and brain of exercising rats using a combination of auto-blood sampling and microdialysis. Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with saline or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4, 90 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min before treadmill exercise (20 m/min for 60 min). Our results indicated that the muscle, blood, and brain glucose levels immediately increased during exercise, and then gradually decreased to near basal levels in the recovery periods of both groups. These glucose levels were significantly enhanced to approximately two-fold (P<0.05) in the Mg group. Lactate levels in the muscle, blood, and brain rapidly and significantly increased in both groups during exercise, and brain lactate levels in the Mg group further elevated (P<0.05) than those in the control group during exercise. Lactate levels significantly decreased after exercise in both groups. In conclusion, Mg enhanced glucose availability in the peripheral and central systems, and increased lactate clearance in the muscle during exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hinokitiol is a tropolone-related compound isolated from the heartwood of cupressaceous plants. It is known to exhibit various biological functions including antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities. In the study, we investigated the antitumor activities of hinokitiol against human osteosarcoma cells. The results revealed that hinokitiol treatment inhibited cell viability of human osteosarcoma U-2 OS and MG-63 cells in the MTT assay. Further study revealed that hinokitiol exposure caused cell cycle arrest at the S phase and a DNA damage response with the induction of γ-H2AX foci in both osteosarcoma cell lines. In U-2 OS cells with wild-type tumor suppressor p53, we found that hinokitiol exposure induced p53 expression and cellular senescence, and knockdown of p53 suppressed the senescence. However, in MG-63 cells with mutated p53, a high percentage of cells underwent apoptosis with cleaved-PARP expression and Annexin V staining after hinokitiol treatment. In addition, up-regulated autophagy was observed both in hinokitiol-exposed U-2 OS and MG-63 cells. As the autophagy was suppressed through the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, hinokitiol-induced senescence in U-2 OS cells was significantly enhanced accompanying more abundant p53 expression. In MG-63 cells, co-treatment of chloroquine increased hinokitiol-induced apoptosis and decreased cell viability of the treated cells. Our data revealed that hinokitiol treatment could result in different cell responses, senescence or apoptosis in osteosarcoma cell lines, and suppression of autophagy could promote these effects. We hypothesize that the analysis of p53 status and co-administration of autophagy inhibitors might provide more precise and efficacious therapies in hinokitiol-related trials for treating osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of ligands were tested to meliorate the catalytic activity of ε-caprolactone (CL) and l-lactide (LA) polymerization by Sn(Oct) and BnOH. There are seven ligands (methyl 2-(dibenzylamino)acetate (MDBAA), di(1 H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane, benzanide, 8-aminoquinoline, 2-bromo-1-phenylethanone, 2,6-di- tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, and dipyridine) were found to be useful in increasing the polymerization rate for CL polymerization. For LA polymerization, there are only two ligands (8-aminoquinoline and p-thiocresol) effectively raised the polymerization rate. Moreover, the kinetic study reveals a first-order dependency on [CL] and second-order dependency on [LA], indicating different polymerization mechanisms in Sn(Oct) catalytic system. The mechanistic study also explains that MDBAA could potentially modify the framework of the catalytic intermediate and produce the hydrogen, thereby increasing the rate of CL polymerization. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study synthesized a series of titanium iminophenoxide complexes and investigated their suitability as catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide ( L-LA) and ε-caprolactone (CL). Complexes with bidentate ligands demonstrate higher catalytic activity than their tridentate counterparts since the third coordination atom needs to contend with L-LA and CL. Differences in the geometric framework of bidentate ligands also influence the catalytic activity. Type II ligands ( N, N-trans form of Ti complex) prevent the coordination of monomers to Ti thereby decreasing the initiation rate. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multispectral and multiresolution image fusion is important for many multimedia and remote sensing applications, such as video surveillance, medical imaging, and satellite imaging. For the commercial satellite 'IKONOS,' spatial resolutions of high-resolution panchromatic (PAN) and low-resolution multispectral (MS) satellite images are 1 m and 4 m, respectively. To cope with color distortion and blocking artifacts in fused images, in this study, a multispectral and multiresolution image fusion approach using PSO is proposed. The pixels of fused images in the training set are classified into several categories based on the characteristics of low-resolution MS images. Then, the smooth parameters of spatial and spectral responses between the high-resolution PAN and low-resolution MS images are determined by PSO. All the pixels within each category are normalized by its own smooth parameter so that color distortion and blocking artifacts can be greatly reduced. Based on the experimental results obtained in this study, the overall visual quality of the fused images by the proposed approach is better than that by three comparison approaches, whereas the correlation coefficients, γ, for the fused images by the proposed approach are greater than that by three comparison approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the synthesis of the biocatalyst, magnesium 2,6-di- tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxide (Mg(BHT)2) complex, and the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL). The complex demonstrates high catalytic activity and controllable of molecular weight for the ROP of CL in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature, even when polymerization was performed under air. Before this study, the polymerization of CL had never been performed using a magnesium catalyst under air at room temperature. Various forms of alcohols with different purposes were also used as initiators with Mg(BHT)2. The results show that the magnesium complex acts as a perfect catalyst because of its high catalytic activity and control ability without any cytotoxicity in the polymerization of CL, making it suitable for biomedical applications. In addition, nanoparticle formation, cytotoxicity, and phototoxicity of tri-2-hydroxyethyl ester [Ce6-(CH2CH2OPCL)3] were also studied in this article and Ce6-(CH2CH2OPCL)3 formed nanoparticle can act as a nanophotosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel magnesium and zinc aminophenoxide complexes were successfully synthesized and one zinc complex was characterized by X-ray crystallography. They were also investigated as initiators for the ring opening polymerization of l-lactide. The complexes are effective in forming polylactides with good conversions. The nature and steric bulk of the ligands coordinated to the central metal ions enormously influenced the polymer properties. Among all the complexes, the zinc aminophenoxide complexes as initiators produced polymers with good molecular weight control and relatively narrow PDIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Licochalcone A, a flavonoid extracted from licorice root, has been shown to exhibit broad anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anticancer, and antioxidative bioactivity. In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of Licochalcone A against human osteosarcoma cell lines. The data showed that Licochalcone A significantly suppressed cell viability in MTT assay and colony formation assay in osteosarcoma cell lines. Exposure to Licochalcone A blocked cell cycle progression at the G2/M transition and induced extrinsic apoptotic pathway in osteosarcoma cell lines. Furthermore, we found the Licochalcone A exposure resulted in rapid ATM and Chk2 activation, and high levels of nuclear foci of phosphorylated Chk2 at Thr 68 site in osteosarcoma cell lines. In addition, Licochalcone A exposure significantly induced autophagy in osteosarcoma cell lines. When Licochalcone A-induced autophagy was blocked by the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, the expression of activated caspase-3 and Annexin V positive cells were reduced, and cell viability was rescued in Licochalcone A-treated osteosarcoma cell lines. These data indicate that the activation of ATM-Chk2 checkpoint pathway and autophagy may contribute to Licochalcone A-induced anti-proliferating effect in osteosarcoma cell lines. Our findings display the possibility that Licochalcone A may serve as a potential therapeutic agent against osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]