This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of a generic tacrolimus (Tacrobell TCB) compared to the original tacrolimus (Prograf PGF) in kidney transplant recipients. In this ...retrospective observational study, we analyzed the data from 444 patients who took TCB as a first-line immunosuppressive drug and 245 patients who took PGF. The 5-year graft survival rate was 92% for patients in the PGF group and 97% for patients in the TCB group, respectively. Cox proportional hazards for a one-sided, noninferiority model showed noninferiority (upper confidence interval CI limit of the hazard ratio HR<1.2) for TCB compared to PGF (HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0-1.14). The 5-year patient survival rate was 96% for patients in the PGF group and 97% for patients in the TCB group. Cox proportional hazards for a one-sided, noninferiority model showed noninferiority (upper confidence interval limit of the HR<2.0) for TCB compared to PGF (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0-1.95). The 5-year acute rejection-free graft survival rate was not significantly different between the groups (TCB 67%, PGF 68.8%;
=0.6286). The incidence of adverse events including adverse cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events, malignancies, new-onset diabetes after transplantation, and infection events did not differ significantly between the two groups. We conclude that TCB is a comparable alternative to the original tacrolimus as a first-line immunosuppressive drug. Producers of generics should support further study of their products after approval to assure physicians of their efficacy and safety.
The acetone extract of the roots of Rhodiola sachalinensis has furnished six phenolic compounds which exhibited significant scavenging effects against DPPH free radical. The structures of these ...compounds were identified and determined as gallic acid (1), (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (2), kaempferol (3), kaempferol 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (4), herbacetin 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, (5) and rhodiolinin (6) by physico-chemical and spectral evidences.
A
bstract
We report the first measurement of the inclusive
e
+
e
−
→
b
b
¯
→
D
s
±
X
and
e
+
e
−
→
b
b
¯
→ D
0
/
D
¯
0
X
cross sections in the energy range from 10
.
63 to 11
.
02 GeV. Based on these ...results, we determine
σ
(
e
+
e
−
→
B
s
0
B
¯
s
0
X
) and
σ
(
e
+
e
−
→
B
B
¯
X
) in the same energy range. We measure the fraction of
B
s
0
events at Υ(10860) to be
f
s
= (
22.0
−
2.1
+
2.0
)%. We determine also the ratio of the
B
s
0
inclusive branching fractions
B
(
B
s
0
→ D
0
/
D
¯
0
X
)
/
B
(
B
s
0
→
D
s
±
X
) = 0
.
416 ± 0
.
018 ± 0
.
092. The results are obtained using the data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy
e
+
e
−
collider.
BACKGROUND: The adiponectin gene is known to modulate adiponectin concentrations and diabetes mellitus development. OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether adiponectin gene variants contribute to circulating ...adiponectin, insulin resistance (IR), or cardiovascular disease risk factors. DESIGN: Nondiabetic subjects n = 902; Formula: see text ± SE age: 42.5 ± 0.53 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m²): 24.7 ± 0.11 were genotyped for 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 45Trightwards arrowG and 276Grightwards arrowT. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, and BMI, subjects with the G allele for the SNP 276 had significantly higher concentrations of triacylglycerol and small dense LDL (sdLDL) and smaller LDL particle size than did T/T subjects. G/G subjects at SNP 276 had significantly lower plasma adiponectin and higher homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of IR and urinary prostaglandin F2alpha than did T/T subjects. In the SNP 45-276 haplotype test, we also observed that subjects with the X/X haplotype had significantly higher plasma adiponectin after adjustment than did TG/TG or TG/X haplotype subjects. In the highest BMI group (BMI >/= 26), T/T subjects had lower HOMA-IR (P = 0.011) and higher plasma adiponectin (P = 0.026) at SNP 276 than did G/G or G/T subjects. These patterns were also seen for adiponectin in haplotype groups. However, no significant genotype effect for SNP 45Trightwards arrowG was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The 276Grightwards arrowT polymorphism of the adiponectin gene modulates circulating adiponectin and IR, particularly in obese states. G allele carriers also have higher oxidative stress, higher sdLDL concentrations, and smaller LDL particle size. Therefore, the presence of the G allele in the adiponectin gene at SNP 276 could be a significant contributor to higher cardiovascular disease risk in Koreans, independent of common environmental factors.
Bistable 2rotaxanes display controllable switching properties in solution, on surfaces, and in devices. These phenomena are based on the electrochemically and electrically driven mechanical shuttling ...motion of the ring-shaped component, cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+) (denoted as the ring), between a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) unit and a 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) ring system located along a dumbbell component. When the ring is encircling the TTF unit, this co-conformation of the rotaxane is the most stable and thus designated the ground-state co-conformer (GSCC), whereas the other co-conformation with the ring surrounding the DNP ring system is less favored and so designated the metastable-state co-conformer (MSCC). We report here the structure and properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of a bistable 2rotaxane on Au (111) surfaces as a function of surface coverage based on atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) studies with a force field optimized from DFT calculations and we report several experiments that validate the predictions. On the basis of both the total energy per rotaxane and the calculated stress that is parallel to the surface, we find that the optimal packing density of the SAM corresponds to a surface coverage of 115 Å2/molecule (one molecule per 4 × 4 grid of surface Au atoms) for both the GSCC and MSCC, and that the former is more stable than the latter by 14 kcal/mol at the optimum packing density. We find that the SAM retains hexagonal packing, except for the case at twice the optimum packing density (65 Å2/molecule, the 3 × 3 grid). For the GSCC and MSCC, investigated at the optimum coverage, the tilt of the ring with respect to the normal is θ = 39° and 61°, respectively, while the tilt angle of the entire rotaxane is ψ = 41° and 46°, respectively. Although the tilt angle of the ring decreases with decreasing surface coverage, the tilt angle of the rotaxane has a maximum at 144 Å2/molecule (the 4 × 5 grid/molecule) of 50° and 51° for the GSCC and MSCC, respectively. The hexafluorophosphate counterions (PF6 -) stay localized around the ring during the 2 ns MD simulation. On the basis of the calculated density profile, we find that the thickness of the SAM is 40.5 Å at the optimum coverage for the GSCC and 40.0 Å for MSCC, and that the thicknesses become less with decreasing surface coverage. The calculated surface tension at the optimal packing density is 45 and 65 dyn/cm for the GSCC and MSCC, respectively. This difference suggests that the water contact angle for the GSCC is larger than for the MSCC, a prediction that is verified by experiments on Langmuir−Blodgett monolayers of amphiphilic 2rotaxanes.
Fluorinated polyimides have attracted much attention as potential materials for optical waveguide fabrication due to their high thermal stability, humidity resistance, as well as low optical loss in ...the wavelength region of optical communications. For the fabrication of optical waveguide structures, reactive ion etching (RIE) has been widely used. According to our study, the highest etch rate obtained with vertical profile for RIE of fluorinated polyimides with O
2 plasma was 300
nm/min. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching of Ultradel® 9020D fluorinated polyimide has been conducted to obtain waveguide channels with higher etch rate and more vertical profile than is possible with RIE. The etch rate and the etch profile have been investigated as a function of ICP power, r.f. chuck power, O
2 flow rate, and chamber pressure. Etch rates of 1700
nm/min to 2200
nm/min with vertical profile and smooth sidewall were obtained by ICP etching at an ICP power of 500
W, r.f. chuck power of 150
W to 350
W, chamber pressure of 5
mTorr and O
2 flow rate of 40
sccm. Under these conditions there was no appreciable change in the etch rate with chamber pressure in the range 5–20
mTorr.
Abstract We report the first measurement of the inclusive e + e − → b b ¯ $$ b\overline{b} $$ → D s ± $$ {D}_s^{\pm } $$ X and e + e − → b b ¯ $$ b\overline{b} $$ → D 0 / D ¯ 0 $$ {\overline{D}}^0 $$ ...X cross sections in the energy range from 10.63 to 11.02 GeV. Based on these results, we determine σ(e + e − → B s 0 B ¯ s 0 $$ {B}_s^0{\overline{B}}_s^0 $$ X) and σ(e + e − → B B ¯ $$ B\overline{B} $$ X) in the same energy range. We measure the fraction of B s 0 $$ {B}_s^0 $$ events at Υ(10860) to be f s = ( 22.0 − 2.1 + 2.0 $$ {22.0}_{-2.1}^{+2.0} $$ )%. We determine also the ratio of the B s 0 $$ {B}_s^0 $$ inclusive branching fractions B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ ( B s 0 $$ {B}_s^0 $$ → D 0 / D ¯ 0 $$ {\overline{D}}^0 $$ X)/ B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ ( B s 0 $$ {B}_s^0 $$ → D s ± $$ {D}_s^{\pm } $$ X) = 0.416 ± 0.018 ± 0.092. The results are obtained using the data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e + e − collider.
Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is known to have stem/progenitor cells. We earlier showed that novel progenitors could be isolated from cryopreserved human UCB with high efficiency. The multipotent ...progenitor cells were induced to differentiate into neural-lineage cells under the appropriate condition. In this study, we confirmed these neurally induced progenitor cells (NPCs), containing higher quantities of nerve growth factor, promoted functional recovery in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI). Sprague-Dawley rats with SCI achieved a modest improvement in locomotor rating scale until 10 weeks after transplantation of the NPCs. SCI rats treated with NPCs also showed somatosensory-evoked potentials were recovered, and grafted cells especially exhibited oligodendrocytic phenotype around the necrotic cavity. These findings suggest that UCB-NPCs might be a therapeutic resource to repair damaged spinal cords.
In the present study, we isolated Lactobacillus fermentum IM12 from human gut microbiota, which strongly inhibited interleukin (IL)-6 expression and STAT3 activation in lipopolysaccharide ...(LPS)-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages, and examined its anti-inflammatory effect in mice with carrageenan-induced hind-paw oedema (CIE) or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis (TIC). Oral administration of IM12 (0.2×10
, 1×10
or 5×10
cfu/mouse, once a day for 3 days) in mice with CIE significantly suppressed the increase of oedema volume and thickness, as well as myeloperoxidase activity and IL-6, IL-17, NO, and prostaglandin E2 levels in the carrageenan-stimulated paw. Treatment with IM12 (1×10
cfu/mouse, once a day for 3 days) in mice with TIC significantly suppressed colon shortening, and myeloperoxidase activity and IL-6 and IL-17 levels. Treatment with IM12 in mice with CIE or TIC also suppressed the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, as well as activation of nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Furthermore, IM12 significantly inhibited the expression of iNOS, and COX-2, as well as activation of NF-κB in LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. The inflammatory effect of heat-inactivated IM12 was significantly different to that of live IM12 in mice with TIC, although anti-inflammatory effect of IM12 was reduced by heat treatment. Based on these findings, IM12 may attenuate inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB-STAT3 signalling pathway.
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