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HemoCD, which is composed of an iron(II)porphyrin such as 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphinatoiron(II) (Fe(II)TPPS) and a cyclodextrin (CD) dimer having a pyridine linker, represents a synthetic hemoglobin (Hb) model compound that exhibits reversible oxygen (O 2 ) binding ability in aqueous solution at an ambient temperature. Therefore, hemoCD has the potential to be used as a totally synthetic artificial oxygen carrier. In this article, we describe the improvements of hemoCD related to its synthesis and O 2 /CO selectivity. The synthesis procedure of the CD dimer of hemoCD was re-examined, and the CD dimer was successively synthesized from inexpensive β-CD with a 38% yield (three-steps), which enabled us to obtain the CD dimer in gram-quantities. The O 2 /CO selectivity of hemoCD was also markedly improved using an iron(II)porphyrin having a carboxylate group at the distal site of hemoCD., (© 2017 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The matricellular protein, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is thought to be involved in cell competition. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of SPARC in cancerization of oral squamous epithelium. Clinical specimens from 57 pre- and early cancerous lesion, 66 invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and controls were immunostained with SPARC. Clinical features and SPARC expression were evaluated. Furthermore, effects of SPARC knockdown and overexpression were examined in oral cancer and keratinocyte cell lines. Leukoplakia, carcinoma in situ, and early invasive SCC had more SPARC-positive cells than normal mucous epithelium. However, there were no significant differences between leukoplakia, carcinoma in situ, and early SCC, and there were no correlations between SPARC immunoreactivity and prognosis of invasive oral SCCs. Cell proliferation was down-regulated by SPARC siRNA, and enhanced by SPARC transformed keratinocytes. But SPARC overexpression did not enhance cell migration activity. SPARC is induced by dysplastic cells in the early stage of cancerization, and may improve survival capability, but is not involved in malignancy. SPARC may act to escape from elimination by cell competition.

Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (thrombomodulin α [TM-α]) has been marketed as a novel anticoagulant for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in Japan since 2008. Postmarketing surveillance (PMS) has been conducted since its approval. As effectiveness and safety were not previously determined in pediatric patients, this study evaluated PMS data and examined the usefulness of TM-α in treating pediatric DIC. After excluding newborn infants, data for 210 pediatric patients were analyzed and compared to 3786 adult patients. The day after the last TM-α administration, DIC had resolved in 58.5% of the patients. At 28 days after the last TM-α administration, the survival rate was 71.6%. Nineteen episodes of adverse drug reactions were observed in 11 patients but no significant differences were noted for effectiveness and safety. Although this study was limited by its retrospective design, including selection biases and no limitation on concomitant use of other anticoagulants, TM-α appears to be useful for the treatment of DIC in both pediatric and adult patients., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

Mucinous cystadenoma of the salivary gland is a very rare disease, and only a few cases have been reported. We report here 2 cases of mucinous cystadenoma in the upper lip. The first case was a 57-year-old man and the second was a 42-year-old woman. The tumors were painless nodules with a smooth-surfaced mucosa, and surgical excisions were performed. Histologically, the tumors were surrounded by a fibrous capsule and were composed of multiple cysts lined with columnar epithelial cells. The tumor cells contain mucous substances that reacted with periodic acid-Schiff base and Alcian blue. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor cells expressed cytokeratin (AE1/3 and CK7), but their immunoreactivity with MIB-1 (Ki-67) was less than 3%. They had negative immunoreactivity for neuroectoderm markers, S-100 protein, and myoepithelial markers, p63, α-smooth muscle actin, and calponin, except for the accompanying myoepithelial-like cells. No recurrences were noted after surgery at 7 years and 1 year, respectively., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

A novel flow injection photometric method was developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater. This method is based on a cobalt(II)-catalyzed oxidative coupling of 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone (MBTH) with N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-3,5-dimethoxyaniline (DAOS) as a modified Trinder's reagent to produce intensely colored dye (λ(max)=530nm) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide at pH 8.4. In this method, 1,2-dihydroxy-3,5-benzenedisulfonic acid (Tiron) acted as an activator for the cobalt(II)-catalyzed reaction and effectively increased the peak height for hydrogen peroxide. The linear calibration graphs were obtained in the hydrogen peroxide concentration range 5×10(-8) to 2.2×10(-6)mol dm(-3) at a sampling rate of 20h(-1). The relative standard deviations for ten determinations of 2.2×10(-6) and 2×10(-7)mol dm(-3) hydrogen peroxide were 1.1% and 3.7%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater samples and the analytical results agreed fairly well with the results obtained by different two reference methods; peroxidase method and hydrogen peroxide electrode method., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the uptake of (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) by positron emission tomography-computerized tomography (PET-CT) and glucose metabolism/hypoxia markers in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)., Study Design: Thirty-six patients with OSCC (tongue [n = 23], buccal mucosa [n = 7], and floor of the mouth [n = 6]) were assessed and underwent incisional biopsy and subsequently received FDG-PET-CT. Expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), glucose transporter protein 1 (GLUT-1), hexokinase-II (HK-II), and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) were immunohistochemically quantified, and FDG uptake was evaluated by the maximum standardized uptake values (SUV(max)) at the primary tumor site., Results: FDG uptake was found to be significantly correlated with the T classification of OSCC but not with other clinicopathologic characteristics, such as the N classification, clinical type, and histologic grade of malignancy. In the early-stage (T1 and T2) tumor, FDG uptake was significantly associated with the expression levels of GLUT-1, HK II, and HIF-1α, and the expression levels of GLUT-1 and HK-II significantly correlated with HIF-1α expression levels. However, there were no correlations between the expression levels of these molecules and SUV(max) in the late-stage (T3 and T4) tumor., Conclusions: FDG uptake was significantly associated with the expression levels of glucose metabolism-related molecules, such as GLUT-1, HK II, and HIF-1α, especially in early-stage tumors., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nuclear reprogramming of differentiated cells can be induced by oocyte factors. Despite numerous attempts, these factors and mechanisms responsible for successful reprogramming remain elusive. Here, we identify one such factor, necessary for the development of nuclear transfer embryos, using porcine oocyte extracts in which some reprogramming events are recapitulated. After incubating somatic nuclei in oocyte extracts from the metaphase II stage, the oocyte proteins that were specifically and abundantly incorporated into the nuclei were identified by mass spectrometry. Among 25 identified proteins, we especially focused on a multifunctional protein, DJ-1. DJ-1 is present at a high concentration in oocytes from the germinal vesicle stage until embryos at the four-cell stage. Inhibition of DJ-1 function compromises the development of nuclear transfer embryos but not that of fertilized embryos. Microarray analysis of nuclear transfer embryos in which DJ-1 function is inhibited shows perturbed expression of P53 pathway components. In addition, embryonic arrest of nuclear transfer embryos injected with anti-DJ-1 antibody is rescued by P53 inhibition. We conclude that DJ-1 is an oocyte factor that is required for development of nuclear transfer embryos. This study presents a means for identifying natural reprogramming factors in mammalian oocytes and a unique insight into the mechanisms underlying reprogramming by nuclear transfer.

Plasma membranes can be reversibly permeabilized by Streptolysin O. The permeabilized cells can be reprogrammed and partially dedifferentiated in the cell-free system from egg extracts. However, the permeabilizing activity of Streptolysin O is not stable, and therefore it is difficult to control its activity. An alternative method for reversible permeabilization is useful for establishing a cell-free system. Here, we used a nonionic detergent, digitonin, for permeabilization. A low concentration of digitonin induced reversible permeabilization of the plasma membrane in bovine, mouse, and porcine somatic cells. The permeabilized cells were treated with Xenopus laevis egg extracts. The treated cells showed exchange of nuclear proteins from extracts such as incorporation of Xenopus-specific histone B4 and Lamin LIII into nuclei. After resealing of the membrane, the cells showed upregulation of OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG expression. Our results suggest that reversible permeabilization with digitonin can be used to induce nuclear reprogramming and to activate pluripotent genes by a cell-free system.