Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Barley yellow mosaic virus.

Complete nucleotide sequences of three strains (I, III, and IV) of Barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) isolated in Japan were determined. The length of the genome was the same among the three strains; RNA1 was 7,642 nt and RNA2 was 3,585 nt. The molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that strain I was most closely related to the Chinese isolate, and these two strains formed one cluster with European isolates. Strains II, III, and IV, and the Korean isolate formed another cluster. Amino acid sequences of each viral gene product were compared among strains. The sequences of the VPg protein showed less identity among almost strains (less than 92%) than the sequences of other proteins (more than 93%). VPg is thought to be involved in interactions with host factors, especially initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) or eIF(iso)4E, and infection. Therefore, the relationship between amino acid substitutions and infection of host plants is analyzed.

Reduced efficacy of topical corticosteroid in preventing cytarabine-induced kerato-conjunctivitis in patients receiving high-dose cytarabine and total body irradiation for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the incidence of kerato-conjunctivitis in patients receiving TBI followed by high-dose cytarabine, and to clarify how effectively topical corticosteroid eye drops prevent kerato-conjunctivitis in these patients. Fifty-three patients who received cytarabine at a dose of 3 g/m2 every 12 h for 4 days after receiving TBI (12 Gy) as a conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were evaluated. For the prophylaxis of kerato-conjunctivitis, all patients received betamethasone sodium phosphate eye drops every 6 h, starting 1 day before the first dose of cytarabine and continuing until 1 day after the last dose of cytarabine or the complete resolution of ocular symptoms. For grading of kerato-conjuncitivitis, the National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria were used. Among the 53 patients, the grades of kerato-conjunctivitis were grade 0 in 13 patients, grade 1 in 6 patients (11.3%), grade 2 in 10 patients (18.9%) and grade 3 in 25 patients (47.2%). These results strongly suggest that topical corticosteroid eye drops could not effectively prevent the development of cytarabine-induced kerato-conjunctivitis in HSCT recipients who receive high-dose cytarabine following TBI. Further investigation into a more effective prophylaxis for cytarabine-induced kerato-conjunctivitis in this setting is required.

Thiazolidinediones with thyroid hormone receptor agonistic activity.

Several thiazolidinedione derivatives (3-7) were designed and synthesized as candidate thyromimetic drugs. Among them, the dihydrogenated compounds, such as 5-2-[[4-(3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)oxy-3,5-diiodophenyl] ethyl]-2,4-thiazolidinedione (6b) and its 3-isopropyl analog (7b), exhibited potent thyroid hormone receptor alpha 1 (TR alpha 1) activation activity.