Identification of novel benzimidazole derivatives as highly potent AMPK activators with anti-diabetic profiles.

Diabetes is a global healthcare problem that affects more than 400 million people worldwide. Treatment for type 1 and 2 diabetes is expected by targeting adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase, AMPK, a well-known master regulator of glucose. Many pharmaceutical companies have tried to identify AMPK activators but few direct AMPK activators with high potency for the ß2-AMPK isoform, which is important for glucose homeostasis, have been found. In addition, their chemical structure is limited to benzimidazole or indole derivatives bearing an aromatic substituent at the C5 position of the core structure. We describe herein our efforts to identify novel benzimidazole derivatives that directly activate the ß2-AMPK isoform. Our newly designed activator 14d bearing a 1-amino indanyl moiety at the C5 position of the core exhibited high in vitro potency and good pharmacokinetic profiles. A single oral dosing of 14d showed dose-dependent activation of AMPK and blood-glucose-lowering effects was observed in a diabetic animal model. In addition, chronic AMPK activation with 14d led to dose-dependent reduction in HbA1c of the animal model.

Calcitonin levels by ECLIA correlate well with RIA values in higher range but are affected by sex, TgAb, and renal function in lower range.

Calcitonin (CT) is a marker for both initial diagnosis and monitoring of patients with residual or recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). In Japan, serum CT had been measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) until recently. Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) became commercially available in 2014, and this technique is now the only method used to examine CT concentration. The purposes of this study were to investigate the correlations between the CT concentration measured with ECLIA (ECLIA-CT) and RIA (RIA-CT) and to explore the clinical characteristics of patients with elevated ECLIA-CT. CT concentrations of 348 sera samples from 334 patients with various thyroid disorders including nine MTC were measured using both assays. The correlation analysis revealed an excellent correlation between ECLIA-CT and RIA-CT among the cases with CT level >150 pg/mL by both assays (rs = 0.991, p < 0.001). However, 63% of all samples exhibited undetectable ECLIA-CT, while their RIA-CTs were measured between 15 and 152 pg/mL. The ECLIA-CTs in all patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for non-MTC showed low concentrations. High ECLIA-CT was observed in patients with MTC or pancreas neuroendocrine tumor. ECLIA-CT was also increased in 14 other male patients with non-MTC, including four with renal failure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male sex, negative TgAb, and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate were independent factors to predict detectable ECLIA-CT (≥0.500 pg/mL). These results indicate that ECLIA-CT correlates well with RIA-CT in higher range and is affected by sex, TgAb, and renal function.

Discovery of a potent orally bioavailable retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-gamma-t (RORγt) inhibitor, S18-000003.

The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-gamma-t (RORγt) is the master transcription factor responsible for regulating the development and function of T-helper 17 (Th17) cells, which are related to the pathology of several autoimmune disorders. Therefore, RORγt is an attractive drug target for such Th17-mediated autoimmune diseases. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of lead compound 1 yielded a novel series of RORγt inhibitors, represented by compound 6. Detailed SAR optimization, informed by X-ray cocrystal structure analysis, led to the discovery of a potent orally bioavailable RORγt inhibitor 25, which inhibited IL-17 production in the skin of IL-23-treated mice by oral administration.

Coordination polymer structure and revisited hydrogen evolution catalytic mechanism for amorphous molybdenum sulfide.

Molybdenum sulfides are very attractive noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water. The atomic structure and identity of the catalytically active sites have been well established for crystalline molybdenum disulfide (c-MoS2) but not for amorphous molybdenum sulfide (a-MoSx), which exhibits significantly higher HER activity compared to its crystalline counterpart. Here we show that HER-active a-MoSx, prepared either as nanoparticles or as films, is a molecular-based coordination polymer consisting of discrete [Mo3S13](2-) building blocks. Of the three terminal disulfide (S2(2-)) ligands within these clusters, two are shared to form the polymer chain. The third one remains free and generates molybdenum hydride moieties as the active site under H2 evolution conditions. Such a molecular structure therefore provides a basis for revisiting the mechanism of a-MoSx catalytic activity, as well as explaining some of its special properties such as reductive activation and corrosion. Our findings open up new avenues for the rational optimization of this HER electrocatalyst as an alternative to platinum.

Disulfide-Bridged (Mo3S11) Cluster Polymer: Molecular Dynamics and Application as Electrode Material for a Rechargeable Magnesium Battery.

Exploring novel electrode materials is critical for the development of a next-generation rechargeable magnesium battery with high volumetric capacity. Here, we showed that a distinct amorphous molybdenum sulfide, being a coordination polymer of disulfide-bridged (Mo3S11) clusters, has great potential as a rechargeable magnesium battery cathode. This material provided good reversible capacity, attributed to its unique structure with high flexibility and capability of deformation upon Mg insertion. Free-terminal disulfide moiety may act as the active site for reversible insertion and extraction of magnesium.

Conformational variation of the translocon enhancing chaperone SecDF.

The Sec translocon facilitates transportation of newly synthesized polypeptides from the cytoplasm to the lumen/periplasm across the phospholipid membrane. Although the polypeptide-conducting machinery is formed by the SecYEG-SecA complex in bacteria, its transportation efficiency is markedly enhanced by SecDF. A previous study suggested that SecDF assumes at least two conformations differing by a 120° rotation in the spatial orientation of the P1 head subdomain to the rigid base, and that the conformational dynamics plays a critical role in polypeptide translocation. Here we addressed this hypothesis by analyzing the 3D structure of SecDF using electron tomography and single particle reconstruction. Reconstruction of wt SecDF showed two major conformations; one resembles the crystal structure of full-length SecDF (F-form structure), while the other is similar to the hypothetical structural variant based on the crystal structure of the isolated P1 domain (I-form structure). The transmembrane domain of the I-form structure has a scissor like cleft open to the periplasmic side. We also report the structure of a double cysteine mutant designed to constrain SecDF to the I-form. This reconstruction has a protrusion at the periplasmic end that nicely fits the orientation of P1 in the I-from. These results provide firm evidence for the occurrence of the I-form in solution and support the proposed F- to I-transition of wt SecDF during polypeptide translocation.

Polytype and stacking faults in the Li2CoSiO4 Li-ion battery cathode.

Atomic-resolution imaging of the crystal defects of cathode materials is crucial to understand their formation and the correlation between the structure, electrical properties, and electrode performance in rechargeable batteries. The polytype, a stable form of varied crystal structure with uniform chemical composition, holds promise to engineer electronic band structure in nanoscale homojunctions.1-3 Analyzing the exact sites of atoms and the chemistry of the boundary in polytypes would advance our understanding of their formation and properties. Herein, the polytype and stacking faults in the lithium cobalt silicates are observed directly by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The atomic-scale imaging allows clarification that the polytype is formed by stacking of two different close-packed crystal planes in three-dimensional space. The formation of the polytype was induced by Li-Co cation exchange, the transformation of one phase to the other, and their stacking. This finding provides insight into intrinsic structural defects in an important Li2 CoSiO4 Li-ion battery cathode.

Evaluation of the relation between patient characteristics and the state of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with gynecologic cancer receiving paclitaxel and carboplatin.

PURPOSE: An antiemetic regimen for patients taking paclitaxel and carboplatin (TC) includes dexamethasone (20 mg) to protect against hypersensitivity. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), however, is difficult to adequately control in patients receiving TC. In the present study, we retrospectively investigated risk factors for CINV in patients receiving TC with this antiemetic regimen based on a questionnaire. METHODS: Eligible patients were diagnosed with gynecologic cancer and receiving paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2)) intravenously for 3 h and carboplatin (area under the curve 5 mg/mL per min) on day 1 every 3 weeks in our institution, and treated with granisetron (3 mg) and dexamethasone (20 mg) for antiemesis. Data of nausea and vomiting assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version4.0 were collected from the medical records. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire including items such as age and hyperemesis. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate univariate and independent multivariate associations with items on nausea of grade 2 or greater and vomiting of grade 1 or greater. RESULTS: On univariate logistic analysis, no item was significantly associated with nausea of grade 2 or greater. Hypertension and hyperemesis gravidarum and adjuvant chemotherapy were significantly associated with delayed vomiting of grade 1 or greater. Multivariate analysis was performed with delayed vomiting of grade 1 or greater as an endpoint, and the resulting independent items were hypertension and hyperemesis gravidarum. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that the risk factor for delayed vomiting of grade 1 or higher was a history of hyperemesis gravidarum in patients receiving conventional TC with dexamethasone (20 mg) and granisetron. Therefore, in patients with this risk factor, criteria of major organizations should be followed first.

Asymmetric total synthesis of vindorosine, vindoline, and key vinblastine analogues.

Concise asymmetric total syntheses of vindoline (1) and vindorosine (2) are detailed based on a unique intramolecular [4 + 2]/[3 + 2] cycloaddition cascade of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles inspired by the natural product structures. A chiral substituent on the tether linking the dienophile and oxadiazole was used to control the facial selectivity of the initiating Diels-Alder reaction and set the absolute stereochemistry of the remaining six stereocenters in the cascade cycloadduct. This key reaction introduced three rings and four C-C bonds central to the pentacyclic ring system setting all six stereocenters and introducing essentially all the functionality found in the natural products in a single step. Implementation of the approach for the synthesis of 1 and 2 required the development of a ring expansion reaction to provide a 6-membered ring suitably functionalized for introduction of the Δ(6,7)-double bond found in the core structure of the natural products. Two unique approaches were developed that defined our use of a protected hydroxymethyl group as the substituent that controls the stereochemical course of the cycloaddition cascade. In the course of these studies, several analogues of vindoline were prepared containing deep-seated structural changes presently accessible only by total synthesis. These analogues, bearing key modifications at C6-C8, were incorporated into vinblastine analogues and used to probe the unusual importance (100-fold) and define the potential role of the vinblastine Δ(6,7)-double bond.

Asymmetric total synthesis of vindoline.

A concise asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-vindoline (1) is detailed based on a tandem intramolecular [4+2]/[3+2] cycloaddition cascade of a 1,3,4-oxadiazole inspired by the natural product structure, in which the tether linking the initiating dienophile and oxadiazole bears a chiral substituent that controls the facial selectivity of the initiating Diels-Alder reaction and sets absolute stereochemistry of the remaining six stereocenters in the cascade cycloadduct. This key reaction introduces three rings and four C-C bonds central to the pentacyclic ring system setting all six stereocenters and introducing essentially all the functionality found in the natural product in a single step. Implementation of the approach also required the development of a unique ring expansion reaction to provide a six-membered ring suitably functionalized for introduction of the Delta (6, 7)-double bond found in the core structure of vindoline and defined our use of a protected hydroxymethyl group as the substituent used to control the stereochemical course of the cycloaddition cascade.

Rapid synthesis of defective and composition-controlled metal chalcogenide nanosheets by supercritical hydrothermal processing.

This study presents a simple one-pot synthesis method to achieve few-layered and defective Mo(S,Se)2 and (Mo,W)S2 by using supercritical water with organic reducing agents from simple and less-toxic precursors. This synthesis process is expected to be suitable for preparing other various kinds of TMD solid solutions.

A novel RORγt inhibitor is a potential therapeutic agent for the topical treatment of psoriasis with low risk of thymic aberrations.

BACKGROUND: Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt) has critical roles in the development, maintenance and function of interleukin (IL)-17-producing cells and is a highly attractive target for the treatment of IL-17-mediated autoimmune disease, particularly psoriasis. On the other hand, RORγt is also critical for controlling apoptosis during thymopoiesis, and genetic RORγt ablation or systematic RORγt inhibition cause progressive thymic aberrations leading to T cell lymphomas. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether topical administration of our novel RORγt inhibitor, S18-000003 has therapeutic potential for psoriasis with low risk of thymic aberrations. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of topical S18-000003 on psoriasis-like skin inflammation and influence on the thymus in a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced K14.Stat3C mouse psoriasis model. RESULTS: S18-000003 markedly inhibited the development of psoriatic skin inflammation via suppression of the IL-17 pathway. In the skin, S18-000003 suppressed all subsets of IL-17-producing cells that we previously identified in this psoriasis model: Th17 cells, Tc17 cells, dermal γδ T cells, TCR- cells that probably included innate lymphoid cells, and CD4-CD8- double-negative αß T cells. Notably, neither reduction of CD4+CD8+ double-positive thymocytes nor dysregulation of cell cycling was observed in S18-000003-treated mice, even at a high dose. CONCLUSION: Our topically administered RORγt inhibitor is a potential therapeutic agent for psoriasis with low risk of thymic lymphoma.

Characterization of de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a translocation of c-myc and immunoglobulin genes.

The characteristics of de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with translocation of c-myc and immunoglobulin (Ig) genes (c-myc/Ig DLBCL), were investigated in 13 cases of c-myc/Ig DLBCL. Immunohistochemistry revealed five cases were positive for CD10 and BCL6 expression (CD10(+)/BCL6(+)), five cases of CD10(-)/BCL6(+)/MUM1(-), one case of CD10(-)/BCL6(+)/MUM1(+) and two cases of CD10(-)/BCL6(-)/MUM1(+) expression, indicating 10 cases of germinal center B-cell DLBCL and three cases of non-germinal center B-cell DLBCL. Ongoing mutation of the Ig heavy chain gene variable region (IgH-V) was found in two cases with CD10 and BCL6 expression and one case showing CD10(-)/BCL6(+)/MUM1(-) expression. These three cases of ongoing mutation of the IgH-V gene did not express BCL2, unlike those without ongoing mutation. These results suggest a heterogeneous immunophenotype and genotype for c-myc/Ig DLBCL, with CD10(-)/BCL6(+)/MUM1(-) cases the most frequent.

Assembly of protein complexes restricts diffusion of Wnt3a proteins.

Members of the Wnt protein family play roles in many aspects of embryogenesis and homeostasis. Despite their biological significance, characteristics of Wnt proteins still remain unclear, mainly due to their insolubility after the removal of serum. Here we examine Wnt proteins in serum-containing media by using analytical ultracentrifugation with a fluorescence detection system. This analysis reveals that Wnt3a assembles into high-molecular-weight complexes that become dissociable by interaction with the extracellular domain of the Frizzled8 receptor or secreted Wnt-binding protein sFRP2. Cross-linking and single-particle analyses of Wnt3a fractionated by gel filtration chromatography show the homo-trimer to be the smallest form of the assembled Wnt3a complexes. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and immunohistochemistry reveal that the assembly of Wnt3a complexes restricted their diffusion and signaling range in Xenopus laevis embryos. Thus, we propose that the Wnt diffusion range can be controlled by a balance between the assembly of Wnt complexes and their dissociation.

Inversion domain boundaries in MoSe2 layers.

Structural defects, including point defects, dislocation and planar defects, significantly affect the physical and chemical properties of low-dimensional materials, such as layered compounds. In particular, inversion domain boundary is an intrinsic defect surrounded by a 60° grain boundary, which significantly influences electronic transport properties. We study atomic structures of the inversion domain grain boundaries (IDBs) in layered transition metal dichalcogenides (MoSe2 and MoS2) obtained by an exfoliation method, based on the aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy observation and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The atomic-scale observation shows that the grain boundaries consist of two different types of 4-fold ring point shared and 8-fold ring edge shared chains. The results of DFT calculations indicate that the inversion domain grain boundary behaves as a metallic one-dimensional chain embedded in the semiconducting MoSe2 matrix with the occurrence of a new state within the band gap.

Candidate synthetic lethality partners to PARP inhibitors in the treatment of ovarian clear cell cancer.

Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are new types of personalized treatment of relapsed platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer harboring BRCA1/2 mutations. Ovarian clear cell cancer (CCC), a subset of ovarian cancer, often appears as low-stage disease with a higher incidence among Japanese. Advanced CCC is highly aggressive with poor patient outcome. The aim of the present study was to determine the potential synthetic lethality gene pairs for PARP inhibitions in patients with CCC through virtual and biological screenings as well as clinical studies. We conducted a literature review for putative PARP sensitivity genes that are associated with the CCC pathophysiology. Previous studies identified a variety of putative target genes from several pathways associated with DNA damage repair, chromatin remodeling complex, PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling, Notch signaling, cell cycle checkpoint signaling, BRCA-associated complex and Fanconi's anemia susceptibility genes that could be used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for PARP inhibition. BRCA1/2, ATM, ATR, BARD1, CCNE1, CHEK1, CKS1B, DNMT1, ERBB2, FGFR2, MRE11A, MYC, NOTCH1 and PTEN were considered as candidate genes for synthetic lethality gene partners for PARP interactions. When considering the biological background underlying PARP inhibition, we hypothesized that PARP inhibitors would be a novel synthetic lethal therapeutic approach for CCC tumors harboring homologous recombination deficiency and activating oncogene mutations. The results showed that the majority of CCC tumors appear to have indicators of DNA repair dysfunction similar to those in BRCA-mutation carriers, suggesting the possible utility of PARP inhibitors in a subset of CCC.

Case Report of Successful Childbearing after Conservative Surgery for Cervical Mullerian Adenosarcoma.

Mullerian adenosarcoma (MA) is a rare tumor variant with low malignancy potential and is reported to account for 8% of all uterine sarcomas. Cervical MAs are reported to occur in relatively younger patients with the mean age of 27 years, while those in the uterine corpus generally present in postmenopausal women. Due to the rarity of cervical MAs, optimal management for these patients (especially younger women) is still under exploration. Here, we describe a case of cervical MA in a woman of reproductive age who was treated by fertility-preserving surgery and successfully delivered a child 18 months later.

Exfoliated MoS2 and MoSe2 Nanosheets by a Supercritical Fluid Process for a Hybrid Mg-Li-Ion Battery.

The ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets of layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted great interest as an important class of materials for fundamental research and technological applications. Solution-phase processes are highly desirable to produce a large amount of TMD nanosheets for applications in energy conversion and energy storage such as catalysis, electronics, rechargeable batteries, and capacitors. Here, we report a rapid exfoliation by supercritical fluid processing for the production of MoS2 and MoSe2 nanosheets. Atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark-field imaging reveals high-quality exfoliated MoS2 and MoSe2 nanosheets with hexagonal structures, which retain their 2H stacking sequence. The obtained nanosheets were tested for their electrochemical performance in a hybrid Mg-Li-ion battery as a proof of functionality. The MoS2 and MoSe2 nanosheets exhibited the specific capacities of 81 and 55 mA h g-1, respectively, at a current rate of 20 mA g-1.

CD5+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma consists of germline cases and hypermutated cases in the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene variable region.

CD5+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has recently been identified as a subgroup with different clinical characteristics from CD5- DLBCL and as having a poorer outcome than CD5- DLBCL. Data regarding differences in gene alteration between CD5+ and CD5- DLBCL have accumulated. In this article, we report an analysis of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene variable region (VH) gene in 35 cases of CD5+ DLBCL and compare these cases with those with the germline of the VH gene (GL-VH) and those with a somatically hypermutated VH gene (HM-VH). When the CD5+ DLBCL cases were subdivided with a cutoff value of 98% homology in the VH gene, there were 7 cases (20%) of GL-VH and 28 cases (80%) of HM-VH. The proportion of GL-VH cases in CD5+ DLBCL was more than that in CD5 DLBCL. Although we found no significant difference in pretreatment clinical parameters between the GL-VH and HM-VH subgroups, there was a tendency for the GL-VH subgroup to show lower incidences of elevation of lactate dehydrogenase and >1 site of extranodal involvement compared to the HM-VH subgroup. The overall survival curve of the HM-VH subgroup showed a rapid decline followed by a plateau, whereas that of the GL-VH subgroup declined constantly after 5 years, suggesting that GL-VH disease may not be curable by standard therapies. These findings suggest that CD5+ DLBCL with GL-VH shares clinical features with mantle cell lymphoma, the cellular origin of which has been considered to be pre-germinal center B-cells. We therefore propose that analysis of the VH gene is important for predicting the clinical course of CD5+ DLBCL.

Synthesis, characterization and observation of antisite defects in LiNiPO4 nanomaterials.

Structural studies of high voltage cathode materials are necessary to understand their chemistry to improve the electrochemical performance for applications in lithium ion batteries. LiNiPO4 nanorods and nanoplates are synthesized via a one pot synthesis using supercritical fluid process at 450 °C for 10 min. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that LiNiPO4 phase is well crystallized, phase purity supported by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and elemental mapping by scanning electron transmission electron microscopy (STEM). For the first time, we have carried out direct visualization of atom-by-atom structural observation of LiNiPO4 nanomaterials using high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) and annular bright-field (ABF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis. The Rietveld refinement analysis was performed to find out the percentage of antisite defects presents in LiNiPO4 nanoplates and about 11% of antisite defects were found. Here, we provide the direct evidence for the presence of Ni atoms in Li sites and Li in Ni sites as an antisite defects are provided for understanding of electrochemical behavior of high voltage Li ion battery cathode materials.