No abstract

At >18 mos after acute myocardial infarction, the exercise maintenance rate in our patients remains high, and exercise maintenance may be one of the factors contributing to improvement of health-related quality of life and leisure-time objective physical activity level.

We successfully controlled the morphology of hydroxyapatite (HAp) grown in a solution system based on simulated body fluid (SBF). Nanometric low-dimensional forms, such as sheets and needles elongated in the c axis, were produced with phosphate-surplus (or calcium-deficient) HAp in the solution at human body temperature. The nanoneedles were obtained on the seed crystals under gentle growth conditions at pH 6.5; the nanosheets were grown through coalescence of tiny grains or needles at a relatively high growth rate above pH 7.0. On the other hand, micrometric bulky hexagonal shapes and faceted plates of semi-stoichiometric HAp were grown under hydrothermal conditions at pH 7.0 and 7.4, respectively. The variation of the morphology is discussed on the basis of the change of the growth mode of HAp crystals depending on the supersaturated conditions.

No abstract

Paclitaxel (Taxol ® ), an anti-microtubule agent isolated from the trunk bark of the Pacific Yew tree, Taxus brevifolia, 1) shows great promise as an anti-neoplastic agent for a variety of human cancers including breast, ovarian, non small cell lung, head and neck cancers, leukemia, and melanoma. [2][3][4][5][6] Its unique mechanism of action is related to its ability to promote microtubule assembly and inhibit cell replication in the late G2 or M phases of the cell cycle.7) A major problem associated with the administration of paclitaxel is its low solubility in water as well as in most pharmaceutically acceptable solvents. 21,22) and polymer-bound derivatives. 23,24) Although some of the dosage forms can be solubilized to release sufficient quantities of paclitaxel and have shown improved anti-tumor effects in animal models, problems-such as stability-have been observed.25) The use of macromolecules for the targeted delivery of anticancer agents has generated considerable interest regarding enhancing therapeutic efficacy and reducing systemic side effects, and some satisfactory results have been obtained. 26) We previously reported how to prepare carboxymethyldextran (CMDex) and doxorubicin (DXR) conjugates using a peptide linker, and in our evaluation we showed that CMDex with a suitable anionic nature and MW of more than 150 kDa increased retention of the conjugate in blood circulation and increased accumulation of DXR in tumors.27) Furthermore, CMDex-peptide-DXR conjugates containing a gly-gly-phegly spacer were more efficacious in a Walker-256 carcinoma rat model than a free DXR or a conjugate with no spacer. We chose CMDex as a candidate for a paclitaxel carrier since: CMDex is biocompatible; it contains a large number of carboxyl groups for the drug attachment and provides sufficient carrying capacity of the drug; and the resulting CMDex-drug conjugate has a high probability of being water-soluble.In this paper, we examine the synthesis and evaluation of CMDex-paclitaxel conjugates bound with an ester bond and using amino acid linkers, namely, gly, ala, leu, and ile. We also look at how polymeric modification of paclitaxel with CMDex significantly improves water solubility and antitumor activity. The gly linker was introduced into the 2Ј-hydroxyl group to form CMDex-2Ј-gly-paclitaxel and into the 7-hydroxyl group to form CMDex-7-gly-paclitaxel. All other amino acid linkers-ala, leu, and ile-were introduced only into the 2Ј-hydroxyl group of paclitaxel. These were all designed to be water-soluble. The amounts of paclitaxel released from the conjugates during incubation with a buffer and mouse plasma at 37°C were measured by HPLC. We compared this to their in vivo tumor distribution and in vivo anti-tumor effects in a paclitaxel resistant tumor mouse model (colon 26). The tumor and body weights of the mice were monitored after continuous intravenous administration. Paclitaxel was bound via its hydroxyl group to carboxymethyldextran (CMDex, 150 kDa) by means of an amino acid linker; the linker was intr...

A broad-range PCR assay for the detection of bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family was developed in this study. Primers targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene were newly designed and used in this PCR assay. To determine the specificity of the assay, 72 different bacterial species (of 49 genera), 2 fungi, 3 animals, and 4 plants were tested. Results were positive for every tested Vibrioaceae or Enterobacteriaceae strain except Proteus mirabilis. For all other bacterial strains and eukaryotes tested, results were negative. Bacterial DNA for PCR was prepared by a simple procedure with the use of Chelex 100 resin from culture after growth in brain heart infusion medium. To test this PCR assay for the monitoring of the Enterobacteriaceae family, either Escherichia coli or Salmonella Enteritidis was inoculated into various foods as an indicator. Prior to the PCR, the inoculation of 10 to 40 CFU of bacteria per g of food was followed by a 5-h enrichment culture step, and the PCR assay allowed the detection of bacterial cells. When actual examinations of the contamination of 15 noodle foods with Enterobacteriaceae by this PCR assay were conducted, 33% (5 of 15) of the samples tested positive. These results agreed with those of the Petrifilm Enterobacteriaceae Count Plate assay. Including the enrichment culture step, the entire PCR detection process can be completed within 7 h.

Azobenzene (Az) derivatives with a urea headgroup, n-{4-[(4-hexylphenyl)azo]phenoxy}alkylurea (6Azn-urea, n = 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7), were synthesized. The characteristics of mono- and multilayers of a series of 6Azn-urea compounds were investigated by means of surface pressure−area isotherm and compressibility measurements, UV−visible and infrared absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction measurements. Various types of odd−even effects were observed in the spreading behavior and rheological properties in the Langmuir monolayer on the water surface, in the transfer behavior from the water surface to a solid substrate, in the packing state in terms of molecular tilt and Az aggregation in the deposited mono- and multilayers, and in the nature of hydrogen bonding in the multilayers. The carbon parity nature in the 6Azn-urea monolayer should result from the firm fixation at the terminal urea headgroup via intermolecular bifurcated hydrogen bonding, which resembles the situation of self-assembled monolayers attached covalently onto a solid substrate.

'Kurenainoyume' is a new red-fleshed apple cultivar with a gradually increasing cultivation area. However, cork spot-like physiological disorder (CSPD) of the apple skin has become a serious problem over the years. Therefore, the development of strategies to reduce and prevent CSPD is strongly desired by farmers. To this end, we investigated the effectiveness of i) spraying calcium (Ca), boron (B), or both on the tree and ii) preharvest fruit bagging. Ca or B solutions or both did not decrease CSPD incidence. Furthermore, no relationship was detected between CSPD and the Ca/B content of fruit and leaves, demonstrating that the occurrence of CSPD might not be due to a deficiency in these elements. Pre-harvest fruit bagging reduced the development of CSPD depending on the light permeability of the paper bags used. Moreover, CSPD development was positively correlated with sunshine duration. Therefore, to prevent CSPD, fruit should be covered with light-impermeable paper bags at least from mid-July to late-September because the fruit covered for a shorter period developed CSPD. Thus, we propose that pre-harvest fruit bagging with light impermeable paper could be a useful and practical strategy to reduce or prevent CSPD in 'Kurenainoyume'.