The off-the-shelf reagent PPN+Cl- and PPN-manganese carbonylates PPN+Mn(CO)4L- (L = CO, PPh3) are good catalysts for the coupling reactions of CO2 with neat epoxides without the use of organic ...solvents to afford cyclic carbonates. PPN salts with weak nucleophilic anions such as PPN+BF4 - and PPN+OTf- are, however, inactive for the coupling reactions.
Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) binds steroids in the blood but is also present in the extravascular compartments of some tissues. Mice expressing a human SHBG transgene in the liver have human ...SHBG in their blood. In these animals, human SHBG accumulates within the stromal matrix of the endometrium and epididymis. This is remarkable because these tissues do not express the transgene. Human SHBG administered intravenously to wild-type mice in the presence of estradiol is rapidly sequestered within the endometrial stroma, and this prompted us to search for SHBG interacting proteins. Yeast two-hybrid screens revealed that fibulin-1D and fibulin-2 interact with the amino-terminal laminin G domain of SHBG. These interactions were verified in GST-pull down assays in which human SHBG bound the carboxyl-terminal domains of fibulin-1D and fibulin-2 in a steroid-dependent manner, with estradiol being the most effective ligand, and were enhanced by reducing the N-glycosylation of human SHBG. Like human SHBG, fibulin-1 and fibulin-2 concentrate within the endometrial stroma. In addition, SHBG co-immunoprecipitates with these fibulins in a proestrus uterine extract. These matrix-associated proteins may therefore sequester plasma SHBG within uterine stroma where it can control sex-steroid access to target cells. Given the interplay between fibulins and numerous proteins within the basal lamina, interactions between SHBG and matrix proteins may exert novel biological effects.
Apoptosis is one of the causes of cell death in cervical cancer following radiotherapy (S. S. Liu et al ., Eur. J. Cancer, 37: 1104–1110, 2001). By studying the gene expression profile with cDNA ...apoptotic array, the p73 gene was found overexpressed in radiosensitive cervical cancers when compared with radioresistant ones. To investigate the
role of the p73 gene in relation to clinical assessment of radiosensitivity in cervical cancer based on the findings of residual tumor cells
in cervical biopsies after completion of radiotherapy, we studied the protein expression of p73 in 59 cervical cancers after
radiotherapy and 68 normal cervices using immunohistochemistry. The expression of p73 was found to be significantly increased
in cancer samples and, more importantly, in those samples sensitive to radiotherapy ( P < 0.001). The overexpression of p73 actually predicted a better prognosis in cervical cancer patients ( P < 0.001). To investigate the possible involvement of p73 downstream genes, the protein expressions of p21 and Bax were studied. The expression of p21, but not Bax, was found to be
positively correlated with the expression of p73 ( P = 0.001). Furthermore, the epigenetic regulation of p73 expression via DNA methylation was also investigated in 103 cervical cancers and 124 normals. Hypermethylation of p73 gene was observed in 38.8% of cervical cancers, and it was significantly associated with reduced or absent p73 expression
( P < 0.001). Reactivation of p73 expression in two cervical cancer cell lines by demethylation treatment supported the role
of methylation in the regulation of p73 expression. Our findings suggested that p73 expression was related to the radiosensitivity
of cervical cancer cells and may play an important role in the regulation of cellular radiosensitivity.
Conventional and phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were used to evaluate the morphology and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow dynamics at craniocervical junction in adolescent idiopathic ...scoliosis (AIS).
To determine the morphology of cerebellar tonsil, foramen magnum, and dynamic flow of CSF at the craniocervical junction in AIS patients versus normal controls and their correlation with somatosensory cortical evoked potentials (SSEP).
Previous studies have documented obstructed CSF flow in patients with Chiari I malformation. Low-lying cerebellar tonsils and syringomyelia are also observed in AIS patients. We sought to investigate whether disturbed CSF flow is also evident in AIS subjects at the foramen magnum level and its association with level of cerebellar tonsils and dimensions of foramen magnum.
Conventional and phase-contrast MR were performed in 105 adolescent girls (69 AIS subjects and 36 age-matched controls). Measurements of cerebellar tonsillar level related to the basion-opsithion (BO) line, anteroposterior (AP), transverse (TS) diameter, and area of foramen magnum, and peak velocity of CSF flow in both the anterior and posterior subarachnoid space through foramen magnum were obtained. Correlations were made among different parameters and SSEP findings.
A total of 42% of subjects in the AIS group had the cerebellar tonsillar tip positioned 1 mm below the BO line. The cerebellar tonsillar level in AIS subjects was significantly lower than the median tonsillar level in normal controls (P < 0.01). The AP diameter and area of foramen magnum were significantly larger in AIS subjects when compared with normal controls (P < 0.05), but the peak CSF velocities through foramen magnum showed no significant difference (P > 0.05).
Peak CSF velocities through foramen magnum were not significantly different in AIS subjects despite the presence of low-lying cerebellar tonsils. This might be explained by the compensatory effect of larger foramen magnum in AIS subjects.
To determine whether the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) predicts arrhythmia recurrence after direct current ...cardioversion (DCCV).
The numbers of circulating CD34+/KDR+ EPCs were determined with flow cytometry in 51 consecutive patients with persistent AF the mean age: 67 +/- 1.3 years, male (65%) prior to DCCV and were compared with that of age- and sex-matched controls, and cohorts of patients with coronary artery disease and ischaemic stroke. The AF recurrence rate at 1 year was also determined. The EPCs in patients with persistent AF, patients with coronary artery disease, and patients with ischaemic stroke were significantly lower than that of the age- and sex-matched controls (P < 0.01). One year after successful DCCV, patients with high EPC count (50th to 100th percentile) had a higher recurrence rate of AF when compared with those with low EPC count (less than 50th percentile) (73 vs. 40%, P = 0.02). Cox regression analysis revealed the high EPC count was the only independent predictors for the AF recurrence (HR: 2.29, P = 0.047).
The number of EPCs is reduced in patients with persistent AF and predicts the recurrence of AF after successful DCCV.
We conducted a prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized trial to investigate the effect of ketorolac trometamol (KT) administered intravenously as premedication in colonoscopy.
One ...hundred and forty patients undergoing colonoscopy were randomized to receive either 60 mg of KT (KT group (KTG), n=70) or placebo (normal saline group (NSG), n=70) intravenously as premedication 30 min prior to procedure. Patient-controlled sedation (PCS) was used as the mode of sedation. Outcome measures included patient self-assessed pain score in a 10-cm unscaled visual analog scale (VAS), endoscopist assessment of patient pain score in VAS, patient's willingness to repeat colonoscopy, administered and demanded doses of PCS, patient satisfaction score in VAS, and hemodynamic changes during and after the procedure.
The mean patient self-assessed pain score (SD) during procedure was significantly lower in KTG than NSG: 5.08 (2.74) vs 6.62 (2.45); p=0.001. The mean endoscopist assessment of patient pain score (SD) was significantly lower in KTG than NSG as well: 3.99 (2.80) vs 5.28 (2.71); p=0.006. More patients in KTG were willing to repeat procedure as compared with NSG (80.0%vs 57.1%; p=0.004). No significant difference was found in the administered and demanded doses of PCS, mean satisfactory scores and hemodynamic changes in both groups. No serious complication related to intravenous (IV) KT was noted.
Premedication with IV KT (Toradol) improves pain control during colonoscopy with no associated serious complications.
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