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Introduction: Although urological surgeons often diagnose cases of simultaneous double cancers of the urinary tract in our clinical practice, few reports have shown that treatment strategies achieve both anticancer effects and preservation of renal function for simultaneous contralateral renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma. Although there are many options for the treatment of renal cancer, such as immunotherapy and - drugs, and many surgical procedures, such as laparoscopic surgery and robot-assisted surgery, no treatment strategy has been established for double cancer of the bilateral urinary tracts. We encountered a case in which contralateral renal surgery was performed under a precise preoperative plan; as a result, the introduction of dialysis could be avoided, and the anticancer effect could be maintained., Case Presentation: A 73-year-old man was diagnosed with contralateral left renal cell carcinoma and right ureteral cancer. Initially, the patient underwent laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy for right ureteral urothelial carcinoma. Subsequently, robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for left renal cell carcinoma was performed after treatment with the molecular-targeted agent, pazopanib. Even after partial nephrectomy, renal function was maintained, and dialysis was avoided., Conclusion: In cases of simultaneous renal cell carcinoma and contralateral ureteral cancer, it is possible to preserve both anticancer effects and renal function using careful treatment strategies., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

There is an abundance of woody biomass in Japan. However, its economic feasibility is limited. There have been several discussions on whether generation of heat or electrical power is more suitable for woody biomass. In this study, we clarified the feasibility of generating heat and electricity from the viewpoint of biomass unit price and biomass productivity based on actual operation data for the first time. It was determined that heat production is feasible for a small-scale biomass energy use of 2,660 t/year or more. Electrical power generation is feasible only for a large-scale biomass energy use of 13,100 t/year or more, but it allows use of woody biomass with a higher unit price., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

P2X 3 receptor is an ATP-gated ion channel, mainly localized on peripheral sensory neurons. Currently, several clinical trials are being conducted with P2X 3 receptor antagonists for the treatment of chronic pain or cough. To identify a P2X 3 lead compound, we reexamined the HTS evaluation compounds and selected dioxotriazine derivatives from which we identified a hit compound. As a result of the hit-to-lead SAR, we obtained lead compound 1 which had a moderate inhibitory effect on P2X 3 receptors (IC 50 , 128 nM). Further improvement of the potency and PK profiles of this lead compound finally led to the selected compound 74 (P2X 3 IC 50 , 16.1 nM; P2X 2/3 IC 50 , 2931 nM), which demonstrated a strong analgesic effect against allodynia on oral administration in the rat partial sciatic nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain (ED 50 , 3.1 mg/kg)., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The P2X3 receptor is an attractive target for the treatment of pain and chronic coughing, and thus P2X3 antagonists have been developed as new therapeutic drugs. We previously reported selective P2X3 receptor antagonists by derivatization of hit compound 1. As a result, we identified hit compound 3, the structure of which was similar to hit compound 1. On the basis of SAR studies of hit compound 1, we modified hit compound 3 and compound 42 was identified as having analgesic efficacy by oral administration., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of neutrophil dynamics and function in exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and the effect of molecular hydrogen (H₂) intake on these parameters. Nine healthy and active young men performed H₂ and placebo bath trial in a crossover design. They carried out downhill running (-8% slope) for 30 min at a speed corresponding to 75~85% of peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak). Subsequently, they repeated bathing for 20 min per day for one week. Degree of muscle soreness (visual analogue scale: VAS), peripheral leukocyte counts, neutrophil dynamics and function, muscle damage, and inflammation markers were measured. Plasma interleukin (IL)-6 concentration was significantly correlated with peripheral neutrophil count, VAS, and serum creatine kinase activity, respectively, after downhill running. Peripheral neutrophil count and serum myoglobin concentration were also significantly correlated. Conversely, there were no effects of H₂ bath. These results suggest that IL-6 may be involved in the mobilization of neutrophils into the peripheral blood and subsequent EIMD and DOMS after downhill running; however, it is not likely that H₂ bath is effective for the inflammatory process that was centered on neutrophils after downhill running.

The P2X3 receptor is primarily expressed in the peripheral sensory nerves, and therefore, antagonists of this receptor may be useful for the treatment of chronic pain. Pyrrolinone derivatives have been identified as a novel class of P2X3 receptor antagonists. A lead structure with moderate activity was discovered through a high-throughput screening assay. A structure-activity study led to the discovery of several P2X3 receptor antagonists. Compound 34 showed potent and specific antagonistic activity and analgesic efficacy., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, which may be beneficial to athletes performing high-intensity exercise. This study investigated the effects of carbohydrate and green tea coingestion on sprint cycling performance and associated oxidative stress and immunoendocrine responses to exercise. In a crossover design, 9 well-trained male cyclists completed 3 sets of 8 repetitions of 100-m uphill sprint cycling while ingesting green tea and carbohydrate (TEA) (22 mg/kg body mass catechins, 6 mg/kg body mass caffeine, 230 mg/kg glucose, and 110 mg/kg fructose) or carbohydrate only (CHO) (230 mg/kg body mass glucose and 110 mg/kg body mass fructose) during each 10-min recovery period between sets. Blood samples were collected before exercise, 10 min after exercise, and 14 h after exercise. There was no effect of acute TEA ingestion on cycling sprint performance (p = 0.29), although TEA maintained postexercise testosterone and lymphocyte concentrations, which decreased significantly in the CHO group (p < 0.001). While there was a trend for lower postexercise neutrophil count with TEA (p = 0.05), there were no significant differences between TEA and CHO for circulating cytokines (p > 0.20), markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity (p > 0.17), adiponectin concentration (p = 0.60), or muscle damage markers (p > 0.64). While acute green tea ingestion prevents the postexercise decrease in testosterone and lymphocytes, it does not appear to benefit cycling sprint performance or reduce markers of oxidation and inflammation when compared with carbohydrate alone.

Polyfunctional silanes were designed to promote the formation of a stable multisilane layer on the silica surface. The hydrolytic stability of polyfunctional silanes at the interface between silica and polymeric resin was investigated using conventional tensile testing. The specimens were immersed in boiling water and a decrease was observed in the tensile bonding strength of polymeric resin against the silane-treated silica surface as the immersion time increased. The failure mechanism changes from cohesive failure of the matrix resin to failure of the interface. The time necessary to start the interfacial failure is dependent on the silane concentration in the treating solution and the number of silicone functional groups within the silane molecules. The silane with two silicone functional groups is more stable at the interface between silica and polymeric resin than those which have mono- or trisilicone functional groups.

The relationship between the structure of monomers with amide groups and their adhesiveness to tooth was investigated. The monomers used were methacrylamide (MA), p-methacryloxybenzamide (p-MBA), and 3,5-dimethacryloxybenzamide (3,5-DMBA). MA was commercially available. p-MBA and 3,5-DMBA were prepared from the reaction of methacryloyl chloride with p-hydroxybenzamide or 3,5-dihydroxybenzamide, respectively, in acetonitrile. The bovine enamel and dentin were etched with 10% citric acid -3% FeCl3 solution. The monomers were dissolved in MMA, and TBB-O was used as a polymerization initiator. The test samples were immersed in 37 degrees C water for 1 day, 1 month, or 3 months. Then the tensile bond strengths were measured. The bond strengths to enamel were almost the same, irrespective of the kinds of monomers after 1 day immersion. Although the bond strengths of MA (1.0%) and 3,5-DMBA (3.0%) decreased after 1 month immersion, those of MA (0.5%) and p-MBA (0.5%) did not decrease after 3 months immersion. There was no relationship between the bond strengths to enamel and the bending strengths of the resins. The bond strengths of 3,5-DMBA (1.0%) and 3,5-DMBA (3.0%) to dentin were about 5-7 MPa. The bond strengths of MA (0.5%) or MA (1.0%) decreased after 3 months or 1 month immersion, respectively. The bond strength of p-MBA (0.5%) did not decrease after 3 months immersion.