Cellulose triacetate synthesis via one-pot organocatalytic transesterification and delignification of pretreated bagasse

Cellulose triacetate was synthesised by the transesterification reaction of mild acid-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass with a stable acetylating reagent (isopropenyl acetate, IPA) in an ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, EmimOAc) which enabled the dissolution of lignocellulose as well as the organocatalytic reaction. The homogeneous acetylation of pretreated sugar-cane bagasse was carried out under mild conditions (80 °C, 30 min), and the subsequent reprecipitation processes led to enriched cellulose triacetate with a high degree of substitution (DS; 2.98) and glucose purity (∼90%) along with production of lignin acetate.

Cellulose triacetate was synthesised by the transesterification reaction of mild acid-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass with a stable acetylating reagent in an ionic liquid, EmimOAc, which enabled the dissolution of lignocellulose as well as the organocatalytic reaction.     

Acylated phenylethanoid glycosides,echinacoside and acteoside from Cistanche tubulosa,improve glucose tolerance in mice

Acylated phenylethanoid glycosides, echinacoside (1) and acteoside (2), principal constituents in stems of Cistanche tubulosa (Orobanchaceae), inhibited the increase in postprandial blood glucose levels in starch-loaded mice at doses of 250–500 mg/kg p.o. These compounds (1 and 2) also significantly improved glucose tolerance in starch-loaded mice after 2 weeks of continuous administration at doses of 125 and/or 250 mg/kg/day p.o. without producing significant changes in body weight or food intake. In addition, several constituents from C. tubulosa, including 1 (IC₅₀ = 3.1 μM), 2 (1.2 μM), isoacteoside (3, 4.6 μM), 2′-acetylacteoside (4, 0.071 μM), tubulosides A (5, 8.8 μM) and B (9, 4.0 μM), syringalide A 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (10, 1.1 μM), campneoside I (13, 0.53 μM), and kankanoside J₁ (14, 9.3 μM), demonstrated potent rat lens aldose reductase inhibitory activity. In particular, the potency of compound 4 was similar to that of epalrestat (0.072 μM), a clinical aldose reductase inhibitor.     

Resting heart rate and the risk of death and cardiovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aims/hypothesis

An association between resting heart rate and mortality has been described in the general population and in patients with cardiovascular disease. There are, however, few data exploring this relationship in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The current study addresses this issue.

Methods

The relationship between baseline resting heart rate and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death and major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke) was examined in 11,140 patients who participated in the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) Study.

Results

A higher resting heart rate was associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (fully adjusted HR 1.15 per 10?bpm [95% CI 1.08, 1.21], p?p?=?0.001).

Conclusions/interpretation

Among patients with type 2 diabetes, a higher resting heart rate is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular complications. It remains unclear whether a higher heart rate directly mediates the increased risk or is a marker for other factors that determine a poor outcome.     

Erratum: Association of CRHR1 and CRHR2 with major depressive disorder and panic disorder in a Japanese population

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD) are common and disabling medical disorders with stress and genetic components. Dysregulation of the stress response of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, including the corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) signaling via primary receptors (CRHR1 and CRHR2), is considered to play a major role for onset and recurrence in MDD and PD. To confirm the association of CRHR1 and CRHR2 with MDD and PD, we investigated 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs4076452, rs7209436, rs110402, rs242924, rs242940, and rs173365 for CRHR1 and rs4722999, rs3779250, rs2267710, rs1076292, rs2284217, and rs226771 for CRHR2) in MDD patients (n = 173), PD patients (n = 180), and healthy controls (n = 285). The SNP rs110402 and rs242924 in the CRHR1 gene and the rs3779250 in the CRHR2 gene were associated with MDD. The SNP rs242924 in the CRHR1 gene was also associated with PD. The T–A–T–G–G haplotype consisting of rs7209436 and rs173365 in CRHR1 was positively associated with MDD. The T–A haplotype consisting of rs7209436 and rs110402 in CRHR1 was positively associated with MDD. The C–C haplotype consisting of rs4722999 and rs3779250 in CRHR2 was associated with PD. These results provide support for an association of CRHR1 and CRHR2 with MDD and PD. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Serum cytokeratin 18 as a biomarker for gastric cancer

Cytokeratin 18 (CK18) fragments are released into circulation during epithelial cell death. M30 (reflects caspase-cleaved CK18 fragment) and M65 (reflects total CK18 fragment) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detect circulating CK18 fragments released during caspase-dependent or total cell death, respectively; thus, CK18 has the potential of being a biomarker for epithelial cancers. In the present study, we investigated the serum levels of M30 and M65 in patients with gastric cancer, determined correlation of these levels with clinical features, and evaluated the usefulness of these enzymes as diagnostic and prognostic markers. We enrolled 54 gastric cancer patients and 12 healthy volunteers in this study. We measured the serum levels of M30 and M65 by quantitative ELISA. The levels of M30 and M65 in gastric cancer patients were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers (P = 0.001, P < 0.001). The enzyme levels were elevated with the progress of gastric cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of M30 as a diagnostic marker were 67.5 and 90.9 %, respectively, and those of M65 were 70.1 and 90.9 %, respectively. The serum levels of M30 and M65 in patient with early gastric cancer were elevated in 38.1 and 66.7 %, respectively. Further, increased serum level of M65 is an independent indicator of poor prognosis (P = 0.036). The serum levels of M30 and M65 may be useful biomarkers for gastric cancer as diagnostic markers that can reflect the extent of cancer. Moreover, M65 levels can be used as a prognostic indicator.     

Translucence stereoscopy of interictal magnetoencephalographic epileptiform discharge

Abstract

We have developed a translucence stereoscopy method for displaying the distribution of multiple interictal epileptiform discharges within the intracranial space. The epileptiform discharges, measured using a wholehead magnetoencephalography system, were modeled by a least-squares method to obtain the equivalent current dipoles. The dipoles were located in the stereo pair of in tra,cranial images composed of translucent brain slices at several selected levels. The technique demonstrated clearly the distribution of interictal dipoles within the brain in three patients. Three dimensional understanding of the intracranial distribution of multiple dipoles in one image is valuable in analyzing the intracerebral neurophysiological events in epileptic patients. INeural Res 1998; 20: 572–576]     

An open-label extension study evaluating the safety and efficacy of romiplostim for up to 3.5 years in thrombocytopenic Japanese patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

Long-term use of the thrombopoietin mimetic romiplostim was examined in Japanese patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in this open-label extension. The starting dose of romiplostim was the previous trial dose or 3 μg/kg/week, which was titrated up to 10 μg/kg/week to maintain platelet counts between 50 and 200 × 10(9)/L. As of April 2010, 44 patients had enrolled; 71 % women, median age 55.5 years, with five patients discontinuing romiplostim due to patient request (2), administrative decision (2), or not achieving study-defined platelet response (1). Median treatment duration was 100 weeks; median average weekly dose was 3.8 μg/kg. Twenty-eight patients (64 %) self-injected romiplostim. The most frequent adverse events were nasopharyngitis and headache. Nine patients (20 %) had a total of 14 serious adverse events (0.31/100 patient-weeks); of these, only oral hemorrhage was considered treatment related. Fifty hemorrhagic adverse events were reported in 20 patients (46 %) (1.12/100 patient-weeks). Ninety-six percent of patients had a platelet response (doubling of baseline platelet count and platelet count ≥ 50 × 10(9)/L). Of the 25 patients receiving concurrent ITP therapy at baseline, all reduced or discontinued the therapy. Eight patients (18 %) received rescue medications. Administration of up to 3.5 years of romiplostim increased platelet counts and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with chronic ITP.     

Control of Protein Adsorption to Cyclo Olefin Polymer by the Hofmeister Effect

Cyclo olefin polymer (COP) is an attractive plastic because it has low protein adsorption despite its hydrophobic chemical structure. Here, the adsorption of model proteins to the COP was evaluated in comparison with a representative plastic, polystyrene (PSt), using reflectometry interference spectroscopy (RIfS) technology. The effects of different salts on adsorption were then examined. The adsorption of bovine serum albumin onto COP increased in the presence of kosmotropic salts, whereas adsorption of IgG increased in the presence of chaotropic salts. By contrast, the adsorption of these 2 proteins to PSt was unaffected by these Hofmeister salts. Langmuir–Freundlich model of COP adsorption suggested that the COP surface is more homogeneous for protein binding than the PSt surface. Furthermore, RIfS and sum frequency generation analyses indicated that water molecules bind more weakly to COP than to PSt. Our data propose a novel viewpoint of the way protein binds to COP surface that is different from the way it binds to PSt.