Radiative pumping in a strongly coupled microcavity filled with a neat molecular film showing excimer emission.

Strong light-matter interactions have attracted much attention as a means to control the physical/chemical properties of organic semiconducting materials with light-matter hybrids called polaritons. To unveil the processes under strong coupling, studies on the dynamics of polaritons are of particular importance. While highly condensed molecular materials with large dipole density are ideal to achieve strong coupling, the emission properties of such films often become a mixture of monomeric and excimeric components, making the role of excimers unclear. Here, we use amorphous neat films of a new bis(phenylethynyl anthracene) derivative showing only excimer emission and investigate the excited-state dynamics of a series of strongly coupled microcavities, with each cavity being characterised by a different exciton-photon detuning. A time-resolved photoluminescence study shows that the excimer radiatively pumps the lower polariton in the relaxation process and the decay profile reflects the density of states. The delayed emission derived from triplet-triplet annihilation is not sensitive to the cavity environment, possibly due to the rapid excimer formation. Our results highlight the importance of controlling intermolecular interactions towards rational design of organic exciton-polariton devices, whose performance depends on efficient polariton relaxation pathways.

Pentraxin 3 is an adipose tissue-related serum marker for pancreatic cancer cachexia predicting subsequent muscle mass and visceral fat loss.

Cancer cachexia, a paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by ongoing skeletal muscle mass loss, is accompanied by adipose tissue loss and strongly affects chemotherapy endurance. Our aim was to detect a serum marker reflecting pancreatic cancer cachexia and predicting subsequent loss of muscle mass and adipose tissue, focusing on adipose tissue-secreted proteins. Murine-derived pancreatic cancer cells were orthotopically injected into the mouse pancreatic tail. After 3 weeks, RNA sequencing of perigonadal fat and orthotopic tumors was carried out. We analyzed stocked sera and clinical data of metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who received chemotherapy. Perigonadal fat weight/body weight decreased in mice with orthotopic tumors compared to those without tumors. By RNA sequencing and real-time PCR validation, pentraxin 3 (PTX3) was identified as a secreted protein-encoded gene whose expression was significantly higher in the perigonadal fat of mice with orthotopic tumors than in that of mice without orthotopic tumors and was least expressed in orthotopic tumors. Serum PTX3 levels correlated with PTX3 mRNA levels in perigonadal fat and were higher in mice with orthotopic tumors than in those without tumors. In 84 patients diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer, patients with high serum PTX3 levels showed a greater visceral fat loss/month and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) decrease/month than those with low serum PTX3 levels. High serum PTX3 was an independent risk factor for visceral fat loss, decreased SMI, and poor prognosis. High serum PTX3 in pancreatic cancer patients predicts visceral fat and muscle mass loss and major clinical outcomes of cancer cachexia.

Hepatic Stellate Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Promote Tumor Growth Via Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Production.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although the tumor microenvironment plays an important role in tumor growth, it is not fully understood what role hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironment. METHODS: A high-fat diet after streptozotocin was administered to HSC-specific Atg7-deficient (GFAP-Atg7 knockout [KO]) or growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)-deficient (GFAP-GDF15KO) mice. LX-2 cells, a human HSC cell line, were cultured with human hepatoma cells. RESULTS: In the steatohepatitis-based tumorigenesis model, GFAP-Atg7KO mice formed fewer and smaller liver tumors than their wild-type littermates. Mixed culture of LX-2 cells and hepatoma cells promoted LX-2 cell autophagy and hepatoma cell proliferation, which were attenuated by Atg7 KO in LX-2 cells. Hepatoma cell xenograft tumors grew rapidly in the presence of LX-2 cells, but Atg7 KO in LX-2 cells abolished this growth. RNA-sequencing revealed that LX-2 cells cultured with HepG2 cells highly expressed GDF15, which was abolished by Atg7 KO in LX-2 cells. GDF15 KO LX-2 cells did not show a growth-promoting effect on hepatoma cells either in vitro or in the xenograft model. GDF15 deficiency in HSCs reduced liver tumor size caused by the steatohepatitis-based tumorigenesis model. GDF15 was highly expressed and GDF15-positive nonparenchymal cells were more abundant in human HCC compared with noncancerous parts. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed that GDF15-positive rates in HSCs were higher in HCC than in background liver. Serum GDF15 levels were high in HCC patients and increased with tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS: In the HCC microenvironment, an increase of HSCs that produces GDF15 in an autophagy-dependent manner may be involved in tumor progression.

Osmium Complex-Chromophore Conjugates with Both Singlet-to-Triplet Absorption and Long Triplet Lifetime through Tuning of the Heavy-Atom Effect.

Os(II) complexes showing singlet-to-triplet absorption are of growing interest as a new class of triplet sensitizers that circumvent energy loss during intersystem crossing, and they enable effective utilization of input photon energy in various applications, such as photoredox catalysis, photodynamic therapy, and photon upconversion. However, triplet excited-state lifetimes of Os(II) complexes are often too short (τ < 1 µs) to transfer their energy to neighboring molecules. While the covalent conjugation of chromophores has been known to extend the net excited-state lifetimes through an intramolecular triplet energy transfer (IMET), heavy-atom effects of the central metals on the attached chromophore units have rarely been discussed. Here, we investigate the relationship between the spin-density contribution of the heavy metals and the net triplet excited-state lifetimes for a series of Os(II) and Ru(II) bis(terpyridine) complexes modified with perylene units. Phosphorescence lifetimes of these compounds strongly depend on the lifetimes of the perylenyl group-localized excited states that are shortened by the heavy-atom effect. The degree of heavy-atom effect can be largely circumvented by introducing meta-phenylene bridges, where the perylene unit retains its intrinsic long excited-state lifetime. The thermal activation to the short-lived excited states is suppressed, thanks to sufficient but still small energy losses during the IMET process. Involvement of the metal center was also confirmed by the prolonged lifetime by replacing Os(II) with Ru(II) that possesses a smaller spin-orbit coupling constant. These results indicate the importance of ligand structures that give a minimum heavy-atom effect as well as the sufficient energy gap among the excited states and fast IMET for elongating the triplet excited-state lifetime without sacrificing the excitation energy.

Design Guidelines to Elongate Spin-Lattice Relaxation Times of Porphyrins with Large Triplet Electron Polarization.

The spin-polarized triplet state generated by light irradiation has potential for applications such as triplet dynamic nuclear polarization (triplet-DNP). Recently, we have reported free-base porphyrins as versatile and biocompatible polarizing agents for triplet-DNP. However, the electron polarization of free-base porphyrins is not very high, and the dilemma is that the high polarization of metalloporphyrins is accompanied by a too short spin-lattice relaxation time to be used for triplet-DNP. We report here that the introduction of electron-withdrawing fluorine groups into Zn porphyrins enables a long enough spin-lattice relaxation time (>1 µs) while maintaining a high polarization (Px:Py:Pz = 0:0:1.0) at room temperature. Interestingly, the spin-lattice relaxation time of Zn porphyrin becomes much longer by introducing fluorine substituents, whereas the spin-lattice relaxation time of free-base porphyrin becomes shorter by the fluorine substitution. Theoretical calculations suggest that this is because the introduction of the electron-withdrawing fluorine substituents reduces the spin density on Zn atoms and weakens the spin-orbit interaction.

Discovery of Key TIPS-Naphthalene for Efficient Visible-to-UV Photon Upconversion under Sunlight and Room Light*.

While many studies have been done on triplet-triplet annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC) to produce visible light with high efficiency, the efficient TTA-UC from visible to UV light, despite its importance for a variety of solar and indoor applications, remains a challenging task. Here, we report the highest visible-to-UV TTA-UC efficiency of 20.5 % based on the discovery of an excellent UV emitter, 1,4-bis((triisopropylsilyl)ethynyl)naphthalene (TIPS-Nph). TIPS-Nph is an acceptor with desirable features of high fluorescence quantum yield and high singlet generation efficiency by TTA. TIPS-Nph has a low enough triplet energy level to be sensitized by Ir(C6)2 (acac), a superior donor that does not quench UV emission. The combination of TIPS-Nph and Ir(C6)2 (acac) realizes the efficient UV light production even with weak light sources such as an AM 1.5 solar simulator and room LEDs.

Supramolecular Crowding Can Avoid Oxygen Quenching of Photon Upconversion in Water.

A common challenge in chemistry that deals with photoexcited states is to avoid oxygen quenching. This is crucial for hot research fields such as photon upconversion (UC), in which oxygen-sensitive triplet excited states play pivotal roles. However, methods to avoid oxygen quenching in aqueous media are far more limited despite eagerly anticipated catalytic and biological applications. This work introduces a simple strategy to achieve air-stable triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA)-based UC in water, namely, supramolecular crowding. Amphiphilic cationic acceptor molecules and anions with long alkyl chains co-assemble in water in which hydrophobic donor molecules are molecularly dispersed. Despite the common notion that oxygen molecules diffuse readily across hydrophobic domains in water, more than 80 % of the TTA-UC emission of the obtained hydrophobic co-assemblies is maintained in air-saturated water. This work demonstrates the new promising potential of supramolecular chemistry for photophysical and photochemical functions with oxygen-sensitive species.

Control of Emissive Excited States of Silver(I) Halogenido Coordination Polymers by a Solid Solution Approach.

Luminescent silver(I) halogenido coordination polymers [Ag2X2(PPh3)2(bpy)] n (X = I, Br, Cl) have been prepared. The iodido and bromido complexes exhibit strong blue phosphorescence assignable to the 3π-π*-excited-state of bpy, whereas the chlorido complex shows luminescence thermochromism due to the π-π*-state of bpy and charge transfer from the {Ag2Cl2} core to the bpy π*-orbital. Taking advantage of their structural similarities, we prepared a series of mixed-halogenido silver(I) complexes [Ag2(X xX'(1- x))2(PPh3)2(bpy)] n (X, X' = I, Br, Cl) at varying molar fractions as solid solutions. The mixed-halogenido complexes are as strongly luminescent as their parent complexes. The detailed study of their structure and emissive properties revealed smooth energy migration between the luminescent units and modification of the luminescence properties based on the planarity of bpy.

Cotreatment with lenvatinib and warfarin potassium caused prothrombin time prolongation.

Lenvatinib is approved as a standard systemic therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients; however, experience with lenvatinib in clinical practice is insufficient. We present the case of a patient with advanced HCC whose prothrombin time - international normalized ratio (PT-INR) was elevated after cotreatment with lenvatinib and warfarin potassium. The patient was a 26-year-old man with congenital abnormalities who had to take warfarin potassium because he had a mechanical heart valve. He was diagnosed with unresectable HCC at 24 years old and was treated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and transcatheter arterial infusion. After some interventional radiology treatments, lenvatinib was started. After 4 days of treatment with lenvatinib and warfarin potassium, his PT-INR increased to 4.13, and the treatment had to be stopped. No changes were observed in other Child-Pugh score factors. The elevation in the PT-INR after cotreatment with lenvatinib and warfarin potassium was thought to be caused by pharmacological effects of concurrent use or pharmacological sensitivity to warfarin potassium in this patient with liver dysfunction. The PT-INR must be monitored when lenvatinib is given to advanced HCC patients taking warfarin potassium.

Absolute Method to Certify Quantum Yields of Photon Upconversion via Triplet-Triplet Annihilation.

For the consistent development of the field of photon upconversion via triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA-UC), it is pivotal to know the true quantum yield of TTA-UC emission. Although TTA-UC quantum yields have been determined by common relative measurements using quantum yield standards, there is still a discrepancy between the reported values even for the benchmark sensitizer-emitter pair of platinum(II) octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) and 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA). Here, to resolve this situation, we show a method to obtain the absolute quantum yield of TTA-UC photoluminescence. The difficulty in obtaining absolute TTA-UC quantum yield by the integrating sphere measurement is to accurately calibrate the contribution of reabsorbed upconverted emission by triplet sensitizers. The reabsorption correction is successfully carried out by comparing sensitizer phosphorescence with and without the integrating sphere. An absolute TTA-UC quantum yield of the PtOEP-DPA pair is obtained as 36%, which shows a good agreement with the relative TTA-UC quantum yield. An absolute TTA-UC quantum yield of another red-to-blue TTA-UC pair, platinum(II) meso-tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (PtTPBP) and 2,5,8,11-tetra-tert-butylperylene (TTBP), is obtained as 27%. These absolute TTA-UC quantum yields can be used as certified values to check the measurement setup and sample condition for determining relative TTA-UC quantum yields in each laboratory.

Near-Infrared Optogenetic Genome Engineering Based on Photon-Upconversion Hydrogels.

Photon upconversion (UC) from near-infrared (NIR) light to visible light has enabled optogenetic manipulations in deep tissues. However, materials for NIR optogenetics have been limited to inorganic UC nanoparticles. Herein, NIR-light-triggered optogenetics using biocompatible, organic TTA-UC hydrogels is reported. To achieve triplet sensitization even in highly viscous hydrogel matrices, a NIR-absorbing complex is covalently linked with energy-pooling acceptor chromophores, which significantly elongates the donor triplet lifetime. The donor and acceptor are solubilized in hydrogels formed from biocompatible Pluronic F127 micelles, and heat treatment endows the excited triplets in the hydrogel with remarkable oxygen tolerance. Combined with photoactivatable Cre recombinase technology, NIR-light stimulation successfully performs genome engineering resulting in the formation of dendritic-spine-like structures of hippocampal neurons.

Stimuli-Responsive Dual-Color Photon Upconversion: A Singlet-to-Triplet Absorption Sensitizer in a Soft Luminescent Cyclophane.

Reversible emission color switching of triplet-triplet annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC) is achieved by employing an Os complex sensitizer with singlet-to-triplet (S-T) absorption and an asymmetric luminescent cyclophane with switchable emission characteristics. The cyclophane contains the 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene unit as an emitter and can assemble into two different structures, a stable crystalline phase and a metastable supercooled nematic phase. The two structures exhibit green and yellow fluorescence, respectively, and can be accessed by distinct heating/cooling sequences. The hybridization of the cyclophane with the Os complex allows near-infrared-to-visible TTA-UC. The large anti-Stokes shift is possible by the direct S-T excitation, which dispenses with the use of a conventional sequence of singlet-singlet absorption and intersystem crossing. The TTA-UC emission color is successfully switched between green and yellow by thermal stimulation.

Concentration of Sulfate and Glucuronide Conjugates of Ritodrine in Twin Pregnancy.

Ritodrine, a drug for the treatment of threatened premature labor, is a highly selective beta-2 agonist with the major metabolites of sulfate and glucuronide conjugates. This study investigated the continuous evaluation of the concentration of ritodrine conjugates in relation to the clinical course in twin pregnancy. The subjects were 9 twin-pregnancy mothers who delivered after receiving ritodrine treatment between April 2012 and December 2013. Serum ritodrine sulfate and glucuronide conjugates were deconjugated using their specific enzymes. Ritodrine concentration was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The continuous infusion rate of ritodrine was 2.66±0.67 (0.8-3.54) µg/min/kg, and the average concentration of unchanged ritodrine was 118.8±33.2 (63.8-194.0) ng/mL. During the study period between week 32 and week 36 of gestation, the average ratio of unchanged ritodrine concentration and sulfate ritodrine conjugate concentration for weeks 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 were 1.7, 1.9, 1.5, 1.7, and 1.7 not significant (N.S.), respectively. The average ratio of unchanged ritodrine concentration and glucuronide ritodrine conjugate concentration were 1.8, 2.2, 1.9, 1.8, and 2.1 (N.S.), respectively. No statistical difference was identified in the ratios of unchanged ritodrine concentration and sulfate or glucuronide ritodrine conjugate concentrations. Large individual differences were shown in the concentration of sulfate and glucuronide during the gestational period. No change in the ratio of the formation of ritodrine metabolites was identified as the gestational age progressed.

Near-Infrared-to-Visible Photon Upconversion Sensitized by a Metal Complex with Spin-Forbidden yet Strong S0-T1 Absorption.

Near-infrared (NIR)-to-visible (vis) photon upconversion (UC) is useful for various applications; however, it remains challenging in triplet-triplet annihilation-based UC, mainly due to the energy loss during the S1-to-T1 intersystem crossing (ISC) of molecular sensitizers. In this work, we circumvent this energy loss by employing a sensitizer with direct S0-to-T1 absorption in the NIR region. A mixed solution of an osmium complex having a strong S0-T1 absorption and rubrene emitter upconverts NIR light (λ = 938 nm) to visible light (λ = 570 nm). Sensitizer-doped emitter nanoparticles are prepared by re-precipitation and dispersed into an oxygen-barrier polymer. The obtained composite film shows a stable NIR-to-vis UC emission based on triplet energy migration (TEM), even in air. A high UC quantum yield of 3.1% is observed for this TEM-UC system, expanding the scope of molecular sensitizers for NIR-to-vis UC.

Directional Energy Transfer in Mixed-Metallic Copper(I)-Silver(I) Coordination Polymers with Strong Luminescence.

Strongly luminescent mixed-metallic copper(I)-silver(I) coordination polymers with various Cu/Ag ratio were prepared by utilizing the isomorphous relationship of the luminescent parent homometallic coordination polymers (Φ(em) = 0.65 and 0.72 for the solid Cu and Ag polymers, respectively, at room temperature). The mixed-metallic polymer with the mole fraction of copper even as low as 0.005 exhibits a strong emission (Φ(em) = 0.75) from only the copper sites as the result of the efficient energy migration from the silver to the copper sites. The migration rates between the two sites were evaluated from the dependence of emission decays upon the mole fraction of copper.

Synthesis and properties of the cyano complex of oxo-centered triruthenium core [Ru3(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(pyridine)2(CN)].

The preparation and properties of a new cyano complex containing the Ru3(µ3-O) core, [Ru3(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CN)] (1; py = pyridine), are reported. Complex 1 in CH2Cl2 showed intense absorption bands at 244, 334, and 662 nm, corresponding to a π-π* transition of the ligand, cluster-to-ligand charge transfer, and intracluster transitions, respectively. The cyclic voltammogram of 1 in 0.1 M (n-Bu)4NPF6-CH2Cl2 showed redox waves for the processes Ru3(II,II,III)/Ru3(II,III,III), Ru3(II,III,III)/Ru3(III,III,III), and Ru3(III,III,III)/Ru3(III,III,IV) at E1/2 = -1.49, -0.26, and +1.03 V vs Ag/AgCl, respectively. The first two redox potentials are more negative by ca. 0.2 V in comparison with the corresponding potentials of [Ru3(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(py)3](+). This is in sharp contrast to the positive shifts of the corresponding waves of [Ru3(II,III,III)(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CO)]. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of [Ru3(II,III,III)(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(py)3], [Ru3(II,III,III)(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CN)](-), and [Ru3(II,III,III)(µ3-O)(µ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CO)] showed that the positive charge of the ruthenium is delocalized over the triruthenium cores of the first two and is localized as Ru(II)(CO){Ru(III)(py)}2 in the CO complex. The calculations explain the difference in the π interactions of the two ligands with the triruthenium cores.

A Case of Neglected Posterior Fracture Dislocation of the Shoulder Treated With Greater Tuberosity Osteotomy.

Posterior dislocation of the shoulder joint is a rare condition. It is often misdiagnosed owing to a lack of evident clinical features compared with anterior shoulder dislocation, and inappropriate radiological examination. We present a case of chronic posterior fracture dislocation treated with greater tuberosity osteotomy. A 66-year-old man was injured in a fall while carrying a drone. He was referred to our hospital following 3 months of conservative treatment at a nearby clinic, without reduction of the posterior dislocation. Physical examination revealed a prominent reduction in shoulder joint range of motion and shoulder pain. Radiological examination revealed posterior shoulder dislocation associated with greater tuberosity malunion and a small bone fracture of the posterior portion of the glenoid. Open reduction and internal fixation, including greater tuberosity osteotomy, were performed. Although subluxation of the posterior dislocation persisted postoperatively, the humeral head gradually returned to its centric shoulder joint position owing to rotator cuff force coupling. At 24-month follow-up, the patient showed excellent shoulder results.

The serum tenascin C level is a marker of metabolic disorder-related inflammation affecting pancreatic cancer prognosis.

Obesity is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer development, partly due to the tissue environment of metabolic disorder-related inflammation. We aimed to detect a tissue environment marker triggered by obesity-related metabolic disorders related to pancreatic cancer progression. In murine experiments, Bl6/j mice fed a normal diet (ND) or a high-fat diet (HFD) were orthotopically injected with mPKC1, a murine-derived pancreatic cancer cell line. We used stocked sera from 140 pancreatic cancer patients for analysis and 14 colon polyp patients as a disease control. Compared with ND-fed mice, HFD-fed mice exhibited obesity, larger tumors, and worse prognoses. RNA sequencing of tumors identified tenascin C (TNC) as a candidate obesity-related serum tissue environment marker with elevated expression in tumors of HFD-fed mice. Serum TNC levels were greater in HFD-fed mice than in ND-fed mice. In pancreatic cancer patients, serum TNC levels were greater than those in controls. The TNC-high group had more metabolic disorders and greater CA19-9 levels than did the TNC-low group. There was no relationship between serum TNC levels and disease stage. Among 77 metastatic patients treated with chemotherapy, a high serum TNC concentration was an independent poor prognostic factor. Pancreatic cancer patients with high serum TNC levels experienced progression more rapidly.

Serum growth differentiation factor 15 is a novel biomarker with high predictive capability for liver cancer occurrence in patients with MASLD regardless of liver fibrosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) patients with a Fib-4 index >1.3 are recommended for fibrosis evaluation via elastography or biopsy, a more convenient method identifying high-risk populations requiring follow-up is needed. We explored the utility of serum levels of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), a cell stress-responsive cytokine related to metabolic syndrome, for stratifying the risk of clinical events in MASLD patients. METHODS: Serum GDF15 levels were measured in 518 biopsy-performed MASLD patients, 216 MASLD patients for validation, and 361 health checkup recipients with MASLD. RESULTS: In the biopsy-MASLD cohort, multivariate analysis indicated that the serum GDF15 level was a risk factor for liver cancer, independent of the fibrosis stage or Fib-4 index. Using a GDF15 cutoff of 1.75 ng/mL based on the Youden index, high-GDF15 patients, regardless of fibrosis status, had a higher liver cancer incidence rate. While patients with a Fib-4 index <1.3 or low-GDF15 rarely developed liver cancer, high-GDF15 patients with a Fib-4 index >1.3 developed liver cancer and decompensated liver events at significantly higher rates and had poorer prognoses. In the validation cohort, high-GDF15 patients had significantly higher incidences of liver cancer and decompensated liver events and poorer prognoses than low-GDF15 patients, whether limited to high-Fib-4 patients. Among health checkup recipients with MASLD, 23.0% had a Fib-4 index >1.3, 2.7% had a Fib-4 index >1.3 and >1.75 ng/mL GDF15. CONCLUSIONS: Serum GDF15 is a biomarker for liver cancer with high predictive capability and is useful for identifying MASLD patients requiring regular surveillance.