Involvement of Cannabinoid Receptors and Adenosine A2B Receptor in Enhanced Migration of Lung Cancer A549 Cells Induced by γ-Ray Irradiation.

Residual cancer cells after radiation therapy may acquire malignant phenotypes such as enhanced motility and migration ability, and therefore it is important to identify targets for preventing radiation-induced malignancy in order to increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy. G-Protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) such as adenosine A2B receptor and cannabinoid receptors (CB1, CB2, and GPR55) may be involved, as they are known to have roles in proliferation, invasion, migration and tumor growth. In this study, we investigated the involvement of A2B and cannabinoid receptors in γ-radiation-induced enhancement of cell migration and actin remodeling, as well as the involvement of cannabinoid receptors in cell migration enhancement via activation of A2B receptor in human lung cancer A549 cells. Antagonists or knockdown of A2B, CB1, CB2, or GPR55 receptor suppressed γ-radiation-induced cell migration and actin remodeling. Furthermore, BAY60-6583 (an A2B receptor-specific agonist) enhanced cell migration and actin remodeling in A549 cells, and this enhancement was suppressed by antagonists or knockdown of CB2 or GPR55, though not CB1 receptor. Our results indicate that A2B receptors and cannabinoid CB1, CB2, and GPR55 receptors all contribute to γ-radiation-induced acquisition of malignant phenotypes, and in particular that interactions of A2B receptor and cannabinoid CB2 and GPR55 receptors play a role in promoting cell migration and actin remodeling. A2B receptor-cannabinoid receptor pathways may be promising targets for blocking the appearance of malignant phenotypes during radiotherapy of lung cancer.

The preoperative M2BPGi score predicts operative difficulty and the incidence of postoperative complications in laparoscopic liver resection.

BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis or cirrhosis frequently makes parenchymal transection more difficult, but the difficulty score of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR), including the IWATE criteria, does not include a factor related to liver fibrosis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate M2BPGi as a predictor of the difficulty of parenchymal transection and the incidence of postoperative complications in LLR. METHODS: Data from 54 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial liver resection (LLR-P) and 24 patients who underwent laparoscopic anatomical liver resection between 2017 and 2019 in our institution were retrospectively analyzed. All cases were classified according to M2BPGi scores, and reserve liver function, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications were compared among these groups. RESULTS: Sixteen cases (29.6%) were M2BPGi negative (cut-off index < 1.0), 25 cases (46.3%) were 1+ (1.0 ≤ cut-off index < 3.0), and 13 cases (24.1%) were 2+ (cut-off index ≥ 3.0). M2BPGi-positive cases had significantly worse hepatic reserve function (K-ICG: 0.16 vs 0.14 vs 0.08, p < 0.0001). Intraoperative bleeding was significantly greater in M2BPGi-positive cases [50 ml vs 150 ml vs 200 ml, M2BPGi (-) or (1+) vs M2BPGi (2+), p = 0.045]. Postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ II) were significantly more frequent in M2BPGi-positive cases [0% vs 4% vs 33%, M2BPGi (-) or (1+) vs M2BPGi (2+), p = 0.001]. CONCLUSION: M2BPGi could predict surgical difficulty and complications in LLR-P. In particular, it might be better not to select M2BPGi (2+) cases as teaching cases because of the massive bleeding during parenchymal transection.

Integration of alkyl-substituted bipyridyl benzenedithiolato platinum(II) complexes with cadmium(II) ion via selective dative bond formation.

The presence of lone pairs on the Pt and S atoms of [Pt(Bdt)(DTBbpy)] (1) (Bdt = 1,2-benzenedithiolato and DTBbpy = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine) and [Pt(Bdt)(C13bpy)] (2) (C13bpy = 4,4'-ditridecyl-2,2'-bipyridine) led to selective dative bond formation with Cd(II). Complexes 1 and 2 show no binding interaction with Zn(II), while they bind selectively with Cd(II) to give a twisted trinuclear complex, [Cd{Pt(Bdt)(DTBbpy)}2(ClO4)(H2O)](ClO4) (3), and a shuttlecock-shaped tetranuclear complex, [Cd{Pt(Bdt)(C13bpy)}3(H2O)](ClO4)2·CH2Cl2 (4), respectively, depending upon the alkyl groups substituted on the 2,2'-bipyridine. The two platinum moieties in 3 are connected to the seven-coordinated Cd atom through Pt → Cd (2.7331(7) and 2.7936(7) Å) and S → Cd (2.690(3), 2.940(3), and 3.067(3) Å) dative bonds, while the three moieties in 4 are connected to the tetrahedral Cd atom only by S → Cd (2.552(4) Å) dative bonds. These structural variations found in 3 and 4 are caused not only by steric hindrance of the t-Bu groups but also by the microsegregation effect derived from the tridecyl chains. The three platinum moieties in 4 align so as to form a parallel orientation of their dipole moments, in contrast to the twisted arrangement found in 3. The dative bonds formed in 3 and 4 are commonly stable in the solid state and in less coordinative solvents such as dichloromethane, while dissociation behavior of platinum moieties with Cd(II) was observed in more coordinative THF. UV-vis and NMR spectroscopy unsealed the characteristic association/dissociation properties depending on the coordination abilities of solvents. Finally, the present study revealed that the formation of dative bonds between the platinum moieties with Cd(II) plays important roles not only in stabilizing the ground states, which leads to blue shifts in both absorption and emission energies, but also in electronic interactions between the moieties, which are revealed by electrochemical studies.

Environmental Distribution and Drug Susceptibility of Achromobacter Xylosoxidans Isolated from Outdoor and Indoor Environments.

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an environmental bacterium with multi-drug resistance. We isolated Achromobacter xylosoxidans and investigated its susceptibility to 13 drugs. Seventy-eight water samples were collected from rivers and ponds, and 11 samples were swabbed from residential sinks and baths. Nine strains of Achromobacter xylosoxidans were isolated from the 89 samples. Five strains, including 2 that were sampled from residential homes, showed high resistance to multiple aminoglycosides. This indicated that Achromobacter xylosoxidans is widely distributed in various outdoor and indoor environments. Moreover, since these highly resistant bacteria were present in indoor environments, caution should be taken for elderly people living at home. Furthermore, a careful assessment should be made for diagnosing and treating compromised hosts.

Self-association and columnar liquid crystalline phase of cationic alkyl-substituted-bipyridine benzenedithiolato gold(III) complexes.

The introduction of a Au(III) ion into a mesogenic core, [M(Bdt)(Cnbpy)](+) (Bdt = 1,2-benzenedithiolato and Cnbpy = 4,4'-di-alkyl-2,2'-bipyridine (n = 13 (4,4'-di-tridecyl-2,2'-bipyridine (C13bpy)) and 8,10 (4,4'-di-(3-octyltridecyl)-2,2'-bipyridine (C8,10bpy)))), leads to the formation of ionic molecular assemblies in crystalline and mesophases. Successive syntheses of precursor complexes, [AuCl2(Cnbpy)]PF6 (n = 13 (1) and 8,10 (2)), followed by the target complexes, [Au(Bdt)(Cnbpy)]PF6 (n = 13 (3) and 8,10 (4)), were achieved. The crystallographic analysis of 3 revealed that the central cationic cores form a characteristic one-dimensional columnar structure, which is an essential property for the formation of columnar structures in the liquid crystalline phase. The central cores of the [Au(Bdt)(C13bpy)](+) cations in 3 stack alternatively so as to cancel out their dipole moments and the counteranions lie between the cationic columns. Furthermore, the introduction of the branched alkyl tails in 4 induces the formation of a rectangular columnar liquid crystalline phase (Col(r)) with C2/m symmetry, and it melts to an isotropic liquid at 69 °C. The Col(r) phase of 4 is partially similar in its liquid crystalline structure to the neutral [Pt(Bdt)(C8,10bpy)] liquid crystal in a hexagonal columnar phase reported previously, while complex 4 shows a lower clearing point than that of the Pt analogue. Based on these results, the present study demonstrates the designability of the liquid crystalline structures of the [M(Bdt)(C8,10bpy)] skeleton together with their assembled structures and physico-chemical properties.