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Efficient immune responses against viral infection are determined by sufficient activation of nucleic acid sensor–mediated innate immunity1,2. Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remains an ongoing global pandemic. It is an urgent challenge to clarify the innate recognition mechanism to control this virus. Here we show that retinoic acid–inducible gene-I (RIG-I) sufficiently restrains SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells in a type I/III interferon (IFN)-independent manner. RIG-I recognizes the 3′ untranslated region of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome via the helicase domains, but not the C-terminal domain. This new mode of RIG-I recognition does not stimulate its ATPase, thereby aborting the activation of the conventional mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein-dependent pathways, which is in accordance with lack of cytokine induction. Nevertheless, the interaction of RIG-I with the viral genome directly abrogates viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase mediation of the first step of replication. Consistently, genetic ablation of RIG-I allows lung cells to produce viral particles that expressed the viral spike protein. By contrast, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity was restored by all-transretinoic acid treatment through upregulation of RIG-I protein expression in primary lung cells derived from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thus, our findings demonstrate the distinctive role of RIG-I as a restraining factor in the early phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung cells.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the antiviral effectivity of potassium peroxymonosulfate (RUBYSTA®, KYORIN) against five epidemic keratoconjunctivitis-related types of Human adenovirus Din vitro.Methods: Five types of Human adenovirus D(8, 37, 53, 54 and 56) were incubated with 1% potassium peroxymonosulfate, 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) or alcohol-based disinfectant for 30 s or 1 min. These solutions were subjected to measurements of viral titres by infection assays in A549 cells. At day 6 post-infection, both, supernatants and cells, were collected and the viral genome was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.Results: Treatments with 1% potassium peroxymonosulfate led to significant reduction in all tested Human adenovirus Dtypes comparable to disinfecting effects by 0.1% NaClO. Overall, potassium peroxymonosulfate demonstrated sufficient inactivation of the major epidemic keratoconjunctivitis-causing Human adenovirus Dto be considered for disinfection and prevention purposes in ophthalmological clinics and hospitals.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that potassium peroxymonosulfate is a promising disinfectant for the prevention of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis nosocomial infections in ophthalmological clinics.

Silicon (Si) nanocrystals with diameters of 2–5 nm were produced through non-equilibrium condensation of Si vapor. Electron diffraction analysis indicated that the nanocrystals formed a bcc structure with eight atoms per primitive cell (BC-8). The optical bandgap energy of the nanocrystals was about 1.6 eV, and photoluminescence was observed in the region of the bandgap energy. The obtained energy is compared with a theoretically predicted value of the BC-8 Si crystal of the present size.

Introduction: Prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) may be a good biomarker of inflammation and useful in monitoring diseases, without the necessity of invasive sampling. To see whether inflammation in muscles occurs during physical exercise, the influence of physical exercise on urinary PGE-MUM levels was analyzed in high school boys belonging to a soccer club.Materials and methods: Void urine samples were obtained before and after physical exercises 1 (mild exercise) and 2 (repeated mild exercise). To avoid the influence of a change in urinary volume, PGE-MUM values (ng/mL) were corrected by the concentration of urinary creatinine (mg/dL) and expressed as PGE-MUM·Cr (µg/g creatinine). Urinary total protein·Cr (µg/g creatinine) and L-type fatty acid-binding protein·Cr (µg/g creatinine) (L-FABP·Cr) were compared with PGE-MUM·Cr.Results: The PGE-MUM·Cr level increased significantly immediately after playing soccer (regular ‘mild’ exercise) in exercise study 1 or running (repeated mild exercise) in exercise study 2, but declined the next morning. PGE-MUM (ng/mL) levels in both exercises strongly correlated (Spearman correlation coefficient, ρ = 0.728; 0.480, respectively) with urinary creatinine (mg/dL) thought to be derived from muscle exercise.Conclusion: The early increase in the PGE-MUM·Cr level just after physical exercise may reflect muscle damage and inflammation caused by the exercise.

The effect of the offset bias voltage on the threshold voltage of the hole injection into the organic-semiconductor (OS) layer was examined in detail in the accumulated charge measurement (ACM) for the n-type Si/SiO2/OS/Ag (OS = zinc phthalocyanine [ZnPc] or metal-free phthalocyanine [H2Pc]) capacitor. The threshold highly depends on the offset bias voltages, when the OS layer is in the hole-depletion regime. On the contrary, the threshold was nearly constant when the OS layer operated in the hole-accumulation regime. The hole injection barrier of the Ag/OS interface was obtained by the threshold in the accumulation regime. The obtained values were 0.41 and 0.05 eV for H2Pc/Ag and ZnPc/Ag interfaces, respectively. The study revealed that accurate estimation of the injection barrier is possible by examining the offset voltage dependence in the ACM.

The charge-injection barrier from metal electrodes to thin-film pentacene is investigated using accumulated charge measurements. When a gold electrode is deposited on a pentacene film, the interface forms a Schottky contact with a hole-injection barrier of 0.2 eV. However, interfacial carrier motion is reversible between charge injection and discharge. The result suggests that the reported electrical hysteresis in typical pentacene transistors is caused by carrier traps that are localized primarily in the SiO2/pentacene interface. The Ag/pentacene junction has a large barrier height of 0.5 eV. The barrier height is significantly reduced, and an Ohmic contact is realized by using molybdenum oxide (MoO3) as a buffer layer.

AbstractSubtotal tumour resection is used to treat infants with congenital cardiac fibroma and medication-resistant ventricular arrhythmias; however, complete elimination of arrhythmogenic substrates has been unclear. A 4-month-old male infant with congenital cardiac fibroma and ventricular fibrillation underwent subtotal tumour resection and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation. Five years later, angiography revealed impending compression of the left coronary artery. Elimination of the arrhythmogenic substrate was confirmed and the device was removed successfully.

AbstractSubtotal tumour resection is used to treat infants with congenital cardiac fibroma and medication-resistant ventricular arrhythmias; however, complete elimination of arrhythmogenic substrates has been unclear. A 4-month-old male infant with congenital cardiac fibroma and ventricular fibrillation underwent subtotal tumour resection and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation. Five years later, angiography revealed impending compression of the left coronary artery. Elimination of the arrhythmogenic substrate was confirmed and the device was removed successfully.

First-line imatinib treatment can be successfully discontinued in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia after deep molecular response has been sustained for at least 2 years. We investigated the safety and efficacy of discontinuing second-line or subsequent dasatinib after at least 1 year of deep molecular response.

This study focused on the measurement of the actual charging state of ambient aerosol particles, which is important for understanding the intricate process of adverse health effects caused by particulate matter (PM). The net electrostatic charging state of PM2.5collected on filter media was measured in this study. The Faraday cage method and surface potential measurements were used in this study. The results showed that the polarities of the net charging state measured using these two methods were in agreement for 42 out of 48 samples (87.5%), and 36 samples (75%) were negatively charged. The filters were not significantly charged by friction between the filters and air not containing PM. Charge addition to or leakage from the filters was not observed over a two-month storage period. Net charging state of PM2.5collected on the filters was concluded to be negative in most cases, based on data’s support of the assumption that aerosol charging state is not altered by the process of PM collection using filter.

Extralobar pulmonary sequestration (EPS) is frequently asymptomatic and detected incidentally. We herein report a pediatric case of EPS that manifested as hemorrhagic infarction. A five-year-old male with previously normal X-ray films was referred to our hospital due to acute onset of right flank pain and a non-productive cough. The initial diagnosis was infection of an EPS; however, the symptoms persisted despite the administration of antibiotics. A CT-angiogram revealed interruption of the blood flow to the sequestrum, and a definitive diagnosis as hemorrhagic infarction of a pulmonary sequestration was made. During surgery, an aberrant artery was revealed to derive from the intercostal artery and the sequestrum was resected safely. In cases of infarction of EPS, early surgical resection should be considered, because progressed adhesion can complicate dissection from surrounding organs and the detection of the feeding vessels.

This is the first report of a coronary artery with an anomalous origin from the proper sinus resulting in ischemic events in a child. Transthoracic echocardiogram, computed tomogram, and coronary angiogram revealed that, although the left main coronary trunk originated from the left sinus, its ostium was displaced horizontally and was located near the commissure between the left and noncoronary valve cusps. Moreover, it was associated with an acute take off angle and an intramural segment, which are known contributing features for ischemia in cases of anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the wrong sinus. Surgical intervention, involving the unroofing procedure, was employed successfully to eliminate the ischemic events. At the latest follow up, no chest pain was reported and the transthoracic echocardiogram showed no stenosis of the neo‐ostium. Even in a coronary artery that originates from the proper sinus, an abnormal ostial location could be associated with an acute takeoff angle and an intramural segment. This finding is extremely rare but entails the risk of ischemia and sudden death.

Neonatal electrocardiographic screening is used to screen infants with prolonged QT intervals, as previously shown in whites. However, this procedure needs to be confirmed in other ethnic groups.

In case of composite cranial defect including the dura mater, the cranial bone, and the scalp, the fascial component of the anterolateral thigh flap can be used for dural reconstruction. However, the advantages and applications of the fascial component depending on the type of defect have not been thoroughly discussed. We made the algorithm for reconstruction of composite cranial defects using the fascial component of free anterolateral thigh flaps.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is used to separate the component of the glutathione protected gold clusters up to Au160core size and compare the size with the mobility data from PAGE. Both electrospray mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy were systematically applied to analyze Au−glutathione clusters thus isolated. We have found a linear relationship between the mobility of the gold cluster compounds to the logarithm of the number of gold atoms of the core. Better fitting to the logarithm of the number of thiolate molecules adsorbed on the gold core was found and was expressed by a simple equation that bears conformation of ligand and charge density of clusters. Hence the mobility of the metallic clusters was correlated to the component of the ligand of the cluster.

A quality superlattice made of hydrophilic Au nanoparticles was grown at an air/water interface over several days or a week; during this period, it is possible for a self-correcting process to take place, which revealed both narrow angle and wide angle electron diffraction, indicating that there were both translational and orientational ordering in a superlattice. The model structure of this superlattice was constructed on the basis of a truncated octahedral shape at an atomic level. The ordering misfit angle was derived from the analysis of the crescent pattern in a wide-angle diffraction region.

Photoinitiated hydrosilylation was used to attach acrylic acid to the surface of photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles, thereby producing water-dispersible, propionic-acid-terminated particles. From transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations, the average diameters of the synthesized nanocrystals were 1.9−2.4 nm. It is likely that smaller particles (<1.5 nm) were also present but could not be imaged. As the nanocrystal size decreased, both the optical absorption edge and photoluminescence (PL) emission peak blue-shifted, whereas the photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectrum changed very little and showed a sharp onset indicative of direct interband absorption at . After prolonged ultrasonication in water, the Si nanoparticles showed strong blue PL. This can tentatively be attributed to the formation of radiative centers related to incomplete oxidation of the nanocrystals. The silicon nanocrystals could be transferred into water or methanol by dialysis without inducing this oxidation. The PA-terminated Si nanoparticles were stably dispersed in acrylic acid, water, and methanol and showed essentially the same optical properties in all three solvents. The approach used here provides a general means of producing water-dispersible silicon nanocrystals with size-dependent photoluminescence tunable over a wide range of the visible spectrum.

Silicon nanoparticles ranging from 2 to 16 nm were synthesized by a facile wet chemical route, in which SiO amorphous powder was annealed at 1000 °C, etched in hydrofluoric acid, and surface modified by alkene. After alkyl-termination of the particle surfaces, size selective precipitation technique was applied to separate the nanoparticles into uniform sized fractions. Transmission electron microscopy showed well-dispersed and highly crystalline silicon nanoparticles after the treatment by alkene. Visible room-temperature photoluminescence in the range 800−500 nm was observed from these nanoparticles. The photoluminescence intensity has significantly been enhanced by the surface functionalization. Moreover, the PL peak energy of the size-selected nanoparticles shifted to blue as the size decreased due to quantum confinement effect. The experimental result was also compared with the theoretical predictions and was found to follow the general trend of the model calculations.

Hypothyroid status is believed to cause various metabolic changes in infants. However, it is interesting that even severely hypothyroid neonates, detected during mass neonatal screening, rarely show bradycardia, hypothermia, or inactivity. To study cardiac functions of screen-detected neonates with congenital hypothyroidism (CH), we recorded the electrocardiograms (ECG) of 53 screen-detected CH neonates before levothyroxine (LT4) replacement therapy, and 15 age-matched normal neonates for controls. The 53 CH neonates were divided into two groups according to initial serum thyroid hormone levels: a mildly hypothyroid group (n= 37), serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) less than 100 μIU/mL and free thyroxine (FT4) 0.6 ng/dl or more; and a severely hypothyroid group (n= 16), TSH 100 μIU/mL or more and FT4 less than 0.6 ng/dL. TSH, FT4, and other blood chemicals were measured on an autoanalyzer (Hitachi 7170). After blood sampling, the ECG was recorded during induced sleep by oral administration of triclofos sodium syrup. ECG parameters, including HR, PR, QRS, QT time and corrected QT time (QTc) were automatically obtained, using an auto-ECG analyzing system. The following results were obtained. No CH patients showed abnormal ECG findings. There was no significant difference of the mean heart rates (HRs) between the mildly hypothyroid (147.5 ± 16.3 beats per minute) and the control group (148.3 ± 12.1 beats per minute). The mean HR in the severely hypothyroid group (134.0 ± 17.9 beats per minute, p= 0.007) was significantly low compared with the normal control group. However, all values were within normal ranges. QTc in the severely hypothyroid group (0.414 ± 0.015, p= 0.033) was significantly shorter than in the control group (0.440 ± 0.052). No statistical differences of PR, QRS, and QT time were noted among the three groups. All ECG parameters were within normal ranges. HR positively correlated with FT4and log (FT4), and negatively with TSH and log (TSH). From these results we conclude that the deficiency of thyroid hormones does not affect ECG findings of congenitally hypothyroid neonates. This may be consistent with the unexpectedly mild signs and symptoms of screen-detected hypothyroid neonates.

In contrast to the atrial septal defect (ASD) as a congenital interatrial shunt, the extracardiac interatrial tunnel is extremely rare. We report the first percutaneous closure of this entity during closure of a secundum ASD after careful investigation of ischemic risk in a 15-year-old girl. The extracardiac interatrial tunnel could entail interatrial shunt, and, if misidentified as an ASD, could result in lethal procedural complications during surgical or catheter interventions. In our case, the tunnel was also morphologically similar to the cardiac arterial/venous system. Therefore, careful investigation of its potential relationship with coronary circulation was required before its closure.

Ethoxy-terminated silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) were prepared by a simple ball milling method of bulk Si in ethanol. Size (diameter) and band-gap energy (Eg) were 2.6 ± 0.3 nm and 2.1 eV by TEM and absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The main surface termination was found to be Si–OC2H5by attenuated total reflection IR spectroscopy. Exciton population dynamics of Si QDs was investigated by femtosecond near-IR transient absorption spectroscopy. Intensity-dependent exciton dynamics revealed that the multiple excitons generated by high photon flux were captured to the trapping sites immediately before Auger recombination.

The present study examined the effects of group size and percentage of the subjects starting with majority behavior upon the process of achieving behavioral uniformity. Four groups of 12 and five groups of 24 subjects were formed. The starting points at the beginning of the experiments were set to 50%, 67%, and 83%. Each subject was given a B5 size card having different colors on the front and the back and showed either side of the cards to others. Subjects shared the goal of achieving uniformity by selecting one of two color options. Analysis indicated that group size did not affect time to complete unanimity and a logistic function was found between the transition probability and the rate of diffusion. According to a Markov model, subjects do not react to the past history of the group. We found that the transition probability was dependent upon not only the percentage of individuals at a given moment but also the initial value in the beginning. This means that the transition probability was influenced by past history.

A simple silver staining technique was applied to serial ultrathin sections of Vicia faba root tip meristems to investigate the structural organization of the nucleoli. The procedure consists of three steps: hydrophilic Lowicryl resin embedding, preparation of ribbons of serial ultrathin sections, and silver impregnation. This technique provided good contrast for a filamentous structure, previously called the "nucleolonema", in nucleoli at the light microscope level. Silver appears to react with some acidic proteins involved with ribosomal RNA transcription, since the major constituents of the nucleolonema are believed to be active rRNA transcriptional units. Tracing the nucleolonema through serial ultrathin sections strongly suggests that the nucleolonema is meandering and partly coiling within the nucleolus. The present technique permits identification of the nucleolonema in other plant species and investigation of its three-dimensional structural organization.

A new staining technique has been evaluated for detecting heterochromatic segments accompanying nucleolus organizing regions (NORs). This technique essentially consists of C-banding followed by acridine orange staining. When the technique was applied to five species of plants, the NOR-associated heterochromatic segments (NOR H-segments) were differentiated from other segments of the chromosomes as regions emitting yellowish green fluorescence. An incubation of at least 30 min in hot 2 × SSC was required to make the NOR H-segments emit yellowish green fluorescence in Nothoicordum fragrans. Fluorescence on other heterocnromatic segments varied from reddish orange to bright yellow; euchromatic segments emitted orange or yellowish orange fluorescence. The technique permits identification of NOR H-segments throughout mitosis based on the characteristic fluorescent color.

A simple silver staining technique for use at the electron microscopic level, consisting only of treatment with aqueous silver nitrate at high temperature for a prolonged time, was applied to thin sections of root tip meristems of Vicia faba. This technique contrasted the fibrillar component and the granular component in interphase nucleoli as a reflection of the degree of packing. In contrast, silver impregnation was scarcely discerned in chromosomes. A comparison of silver staining and conventional double staining showed that the fibrillar centres did not always respond positively to silver. During the course from metaphase to late anaphase the nucleolus organizing secondary constriction was always seen as a heavily impregnated region and the electron density of the cytoplasm increased, probably due to dispersed nucleolar material. An argyrophilic substance began to accumulate on chromosomes in late anaphase. In the beginning of telophase a uniformly impregnated nucleolus was formed at the secondary constriction. It is concluded from these results that argyrophilic substance is associated with RNA-containing structures rather than DNA-containing structures. The silver staining technique presented here is very convenient and favourable, especially for plant cells, to detect specifically the nucleolus organizing region and to survey the nucleolar material during mitosis at the electron microscopic level.

We show that aqueous inks containing Au nanocrystals that were slightly modified with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA, IUPAC name: sulfanylsuccinic acid) turn into conductive films after being cured in room-temperature air. Because of the highly hydrophilic nature of MSA, the nanoparticles maintain good dispersion in water. The conductive film exhibits an electrical resistivity in the order of 10−5Ω cm, and its temperature coefficient in the range from 290 to 20 K was 7 × 10−5K−1without any post-treatments such as annealing, light irradiation, or solution-immersing processes.

A Si nanoparticle surface was etched in an aqueous HF solution under monochromatic light irradiation in the infrared-to-visible region. The average size of the nanoparticles was controlled by changing the photon energy of the irradiating light. After prolonged photoetching, the size distribution of the nanoparticles was narrowed significantly. The correlation between the photon energy and the final size of the nanoparticles indicated that the band gap energy change due to the quantum size effect played an important role in controlling nanoparticle size.

Micrometer-sized three-dimensional superlattices were fabricated by assembling Au nanocrystals modified with mercaptosuccinic acid in aqueous suspensions. Each superlattice formed a single crystal arrangement with a hexagonal close-packed structure where $a=5.1$ nm. The superlattices were densely deposited on a glass substrate and their electrical properties were investigated. The superlattice-assembled film showed ohmic behavior in the temperature range from 20 to 285 K. The absolute value of the resistivity was in the semiconductor region, but the resistivity slightly decreased as the temperature decreased. The temperature coefficient of the film was one order of magnitude smaller than that of bulk Au.

Si nanowires of diameters 5–20 nm and nanoparticles of ∼4 nm were synthesized by a simple arc-discharge method in water. The TEM analysis reveals that the growth direction of the observed Si nanowires is parallel to the 111 crystal planes.

Several coronary artery Zscore models have been developed. However, a Zscore model derived by the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method has not been established.

Porous Si films were formed on electrically insulative, semiconductive, and conductive substrates by depositing aqueous and nonaqueous Si nanoparticle inks. In this study, we focused on whether the Si ink deposition resulted in the formation of uniform porous Si films on various substrates. As a result of the experiments, we found that the inks showing better substrate wettabilities did not necessarily result in more uniform film formation on the substrates. This implies that the ink-solvent wettability and the nanoparticle-substrate interactions play important roles in the uniform film formation. As one of the interactions, we discussed the influence of van der Waals interactions by calculating the Hamaker constants. The calculation results indicated that the uniform film formation was hampered when the nanoparticle surface had a repulsive van der Waals interaction with the substrate.

IMPORTANCE: Few studies with sufficient statistical power have shown the association of the z score of the coronary arterial internal diameter with coronary events (CE) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) with coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association of the z score with time-dependent CE occurrence in patients with KD with CAA. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter, collaborative retrospective cohort study of 44 participating institutions included 1006 patients with KD younger than 19 years who received a coronary angiography between 1992 and 2011. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The time-dependent occurrence of CE, including thrombosis, stenosis, obstruction, acute ischemic events, and coronary interventions, was analyzed for small (z score, &lt;5), medium (z score, ≥5 to &lt;10; actual internal diameter, &lt;8 mm), and large (z score, ≥10 or ≥8 mm) CAA by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify risk factors for CE after adjusting for age, sex, size, morphology, number of CAA, resistance to initial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy, and antithrombotic medications. RESULTS: Of 1006 patients, 714 (71%) were male, 341 (34%) received a diagnosis before age 1 year, 501 (50%) received a diagnosis between age 1 and 5 years, and 157 (16%) received a diagnosis at age 5 years or older. The 10-year event-free survival rate for CE was 100%, 94%, and 52% in men (P &lt; .001) and 100%, 100%, and 75% in women (P &lt; .001) for small, medium, and large CAA, respectively. The CE-free rate was 100%, 96%, and 79% in patients who were not resistant to IVIG therapy (P &lt; .001) and 100%, 96%, and 51% in patients who were resistant to IVIG therapy (P &lt; .001), respectively. Cox regression analysis revealed that large CAA (hazard ratio, 8.9; 95% CI, 5.1–15.4), male sex (hazard ratio, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7–4.8), and resistance to IVIG therapy (hazard ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.4–3.6) were significantly associated with CE. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Classification using the internal diameter z score is useful for assessing the severity of CAA in relation to the time-dependent occurrence of CE and associated factors in patients with KD. Careful management of CE is necessary for all patients with KD with CAA, especially men and IVIG-resistant patients with a large CAA.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction

Two-dimensional (2D) superlattices of mercaptosuccinic acid-modified gold nanoparticles were constructed at an air/water interface in the presence of 4-pyridinecarboxylic acid (PyC). Hydrogen-bonding interaction caused the incorporation of PyC into the surface-functionalized gold nanoparticles, suggesting that the interparticle spacing in the superlattices is controllable with an intercalating molecule.

The self-assembly of gold nanoparticles at gas/suspension interface was strongly affected by the presence of organic vapor in the gas phase. Nonpolar organic molecules in the gas phase induced spherical assembly of gold nanoparticles, while polar organic molecules favored the formation of irregular aggregates at the gas/suspension interfaces.

Surface modified nanometer-sized silver particles with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) are crystallized in the size range of few micron-meter. The esterification of carboxylic acid of MSA on the surface of particles is performed with n-butanol, enabling phase transfer from water to organic phase. The yield of esterification was found to be more than 90%.

Optical absorption properties of Au nanoparticle crystals are studied in the near infrared-to-near ultraviolet region. Although sparsely deposited Au nanoparticles show a small absorption peak at 2.4 eV, the Au nanoparticle crystals show a significantly stronger peak at 1.9 eV. Altering the temperature from room temperature to 77 K brings about very little difference in the intensity and width of the absorption peak. A qualitative model of the electronic polarizability is introduced to explain the observed peak shift as a result of assembling the nanoparticles into the 3D lattices.

Gold nanorods were electrochemically prepared in aqueous micellar solutions consisting of a supporting electrolyte surfactant and a hydrophobic cosurfactant. With the selection of cosurfactant, the nanorods grew to be submicrometers in length with very high aspect ratios. The growth axial direction of the rod was revealed to be [110], the direction normal to high-energy surfaces, by electron diffraction measurements.

Surface modified nanometer-sized gold particles with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) are crystallized in the size range of a few micrometer. Two dimensional superlattice was also generated in the same system. The transmission electron microscope images of these superstructures and the reflectance spectrum are reported in comparison with that of bulk sample.

A myxobacterium, Stigmatella aurantiaca,requires light for the efficient formation of its fuiting body. Isoeugenitin was isolated from a culture of the fungus as a regulatory substance that induces morphological development in S. aurantiaca.At a concentration of about 1–40 μm, the compound induced development of stalks on which myxospore-containing sporangia are formed without light irradiation.

It has been proposed that imatinib can be discontinued without molecular relapse at least in some CML patients. But little is known about whether the assumption could be exploitable for the second-generation ABL-tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Here we conducted a prospective, multicenter clinical trial to assess whether dasatinib can be discontinued without occurrence of molecular relapse in CML patients in complete molecular response (CMR).In our Dasatinib Discontinuation (DADI) trial (Japan Primary Registries Network #UMIN000005130, http://rctportal.niph.go.jp/), main eligibility criteria for pre-registration were; CML patients in chronic phase, 15 years and older, undergoing dasatinib treatment used as a second-line therapy after confirmation of resistance or intolerance to imatinib treatment. Previous treatments with interferon-α (IFN-α) or nilotinib were allowed. In this trial, CMR was defined as “No detectable BCR-ABL transcript determined by international scale (IS)-based RQ-PCR at a single central laboratory (BML Inc., Tokyo, Japan, which obtains conversion factor (CF) 0.87).” Patients in CMR status confirmed by RQ-PCR at the central laboratory were pre-registered before the full enrollment for the discontinuation. The pre-registration period was between April 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012. The levels of BCR-ABL transcripts were monitored every 3 months throughout the pre-registration period during the dasatinib treatment. Patients with sustained CMR for one-year duration were then enrolled for the dasatinib-discontinuation stage. In order to detect molecular relapse after the dasatinib-discontinuation, RQ-PCR was performed monthly for the first 12 months, and then every 3 months for the subsequent follow-up. Molecular relapse was defined as positivity of BCR-ABL transcript by RQ-PCR even at one analysis point. Dasatinib was immediately reintroduced in patients who showed molecular relapse during the discontinuation period. After the relapse, RQ-PCR monitoring was performed 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the reintroduction of dasatinib. Primary endpoint of this study was “Molecular relapse-free survival (MoRFS) rate at 6 months after discontinuation of dasatinib.” Total follow-up duration was set to be 36 months after the discontinuation. In addition to the molecular assessment of the BCR-ABL transcript level, increase of large granular lymphocytes (LGL) in the peripheral blood, in combination with flow cytometry analysis, was also investigated.In total, 88 patients were pre-registered at 41 participating institutions in Japan. Among them, a total of 63 patients who maintained stable CMR for one year after pre-registration were enrolled for the dasatinib-discontinuation stage. All of these 63 patients (42 male, 21 female) had been treated with imatinib before the start of the dasatinib treatments. Among these 63, 14 were imatinib-resistant, and 35 were imatinib-intolerant. Other previous treatments were; IFN-α (n=12), nilotinib (n=4), IFN-α and nilotinib (n=1). Median age was 59.5 years (range 24-84). Sokal scores were; low 70%, intermediate 15%, and high 15%. In this interim analysis with a data cut-off date of 31 July 2013, 27 patients out of 88 pre-registered patients were over the observation period of 6 months after the dasatinib-discontinuation. Among 27, 12 patients achieved 6 months-sustained CMR after dasatinib-discontinuation. The estimated MoRFS at 6 months determined by Kaplan-Meier method was 44 % (95%CI 26-62). Reintroduction of dasatinib to the relapsed patients showed rapid molecular responses in all of them. Among the 15 patients who lost CMR after dasatinib-discontinuation, 13 patients were available for the evaluation of reintroduction to CMR. 12 out of 13 patients (92%) returned to CMR again within 3 months (7 patients at 1 month, and 5 patients at 3 months) after the reintroduction, and all these patients have sustained CMR up to now. The remaining one patient out of 13 also showed a marked reduction of the BCR-ABL transcript level at 3 months.Dasatinib could be safely discontinued in a proportion of CML patients with stable CMR for at least one year, provided that frequent molecular monitoring is performed. Patients who lost CMR after dasatinib-discontinuation still maintained good sensitivity to the reintroduction of dasatinib.Nakamae: Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau, Travel/accommodations/meeting expenses, Travel/accommodations/meeting expenses Other; BMS.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau, Travel/accommodations/meeting expenses Other. Hino:Chugai Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding, Travel/accommodations/meeting expenses Other. Kimura:Bristol-Myers: Honoraria, Research Funding.

It has been proposed that imatinib can be discontinued without molecular relapse at least in some CML patients. But little is known about whether the assumption could be exploitable for the second-generation ABL-tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Here we conducted a prospective, multicenter clinical trial to assess whether dasatinib can be discontinued without occurrence of molecular relapse in CML patients in complete molecular response (CMR).

Micrometer-sized three-dimensional superlattices with different lattice constants were fabricated by assembling Au nanocrystals modified with mercaptosuccinic acid in aqueous suspensions. The refractive index of the superlattices was varied between 2.3 and 3.3 by altering the size of the component nanocrystals between 3.11 and 4.68 nm. As a result, the metal content of the superlattices varied between 23 and 36%. The correlation between nanocrystal size and the optical permittivity estimated from the refractive index was explained using the Maxwell--Garnett theory.

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The fibrillar centres (FCs) in the nucleoli of Allium cepa usually contained compact dense chromatin, which was always surrounded with light fibrous material (LFM). Distribution of 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in the FCs was examined by in situ hybridization at the light and electron microscopic levels and the results were compared with those obtained by immunogold labelling with anti‐DNA antibodies. Anti‐DNA antibodies heavily labelled the dense chromatin of the FCs but scarcely labelled the LFM. However, electron microscopic in situ hybridization using the 18S rDNA probe showed that the label in the dense chromatin was extremely weak compared with that obtained by the anti‐DNA antibody labelling: the specific label with anti‐DNA antibodies of the dense chromatin was about 15 times as much as that of the LFM, whereas the specific label with in situ hybridization in the dense chromatin was only about 1.7 times higher than in the LFM. These results suggest that the rDNA encoding rRNA is preferentially released from the dense chromatin and that non‐transcribed intergenic spacers remain in the dense chromatin as the anchoring sites of rDNA.