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This study examined the method for quantitative assessment of lumbar segmental stability (LSS) using a Pressure Biofeedback Unit (PBU). The subjects were 10 healthy men with no history of low back pain. The task movement consisted of placing the PBU under the lumbar region in the dorsal supine position and instructing the subject to raise and lower the right leg 10 times. This task movement was performed under two conditions: the transversus abdominis muscle (TrA) were not contracted (CON), and TrA were contracted (abdominal draw-in maneuver: ADIM). As an index of LSS, the coefficient of variation (CV) of PBU pressure change during two tasks. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to determine the level of muscle activity (%EMGmax) of the transversus abdominis-obliquus internus (TrA-OI) muscles. The results that CV values of PBU were significantly lower in the ADIM than in the CON. Moreover, TrA-OI muscle activity was significantly higher in the ADIM, with a muscle activity level of around 30%EMGmax. Based on these results, the method used in this study could be used to quantify LSS. In addition, LSS did not require excessive contraction of the TrA, which could be achieved by maintaining contraction at a relatively low effort level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We present a case of a 62-year-old man who underwent total hip arthroplasty for treatment of pathologic femoral neck fracture associated with adefovir dipivoxil-induced osteomalacia. He had a 13-month history of bone pain involving his shoulders, hips, and knee. He received adefovir dipivoxil for treatment of lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus infection for 5 years before the occurrence of femoral neck fracture. Orthopedic surgeons should be aware of osteomalacia and pathological hip fracture caused by drug-induced renal dysfunction, which results in Fanconi’s syndrome. Virtual slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1600344696739249

Abstract Background The Hedgehog signaling pathway functions as an organizer in embryonic development. Recent studies have demonstrated constitutive activation of Hedgehog pathway in various types of malignancies. However, it remains unclear how Hedgehog pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. To explore the involvement of aberrant Hedgehog pathway in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma, we investigated the expression and activation of Hedgehog pathway in osteosarcoma and examined the effect of SMOOTHENED (SMO) inhibition. Results To evaluate the expression of genes of Hedgehog pathway, we performed real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry using osteosarcoma cell lines and osteosarcoma biopsy specimens. To evaluate the effect of SMO inhibition, we did cell viability, colony formation, cell cycle in vitro and xenograft model in vivo. Real-time PCR revealed that osteosarcoma cell lines over-expressed Sonic hedgehog, Indian hedgehog, PTCH1, SMO, and GLI. Real-time PCR revealed over-expression of SMO, PTCH1, and GLI2 in osteosarcoma biopsy specimens. These findings showed that Hedgehog pathway is activated in osteosarcomas. Inhibition of SMO by cyclopamine, a specific inhibitor of SMO, slowed the growth of osteosarcoma in vitro. Cell cycle analysis revealed that cyclopamine promoted G1 arrest. Cyclopamine reduced the expression of accelerators of the cell cycle including cyclin D1, cyclin E1, SKP2, and pRb. On the other hand, p21cip1 wprotein was up-regulated by cyclopamine treatment. In addition, knockdown of SMO by SMO shRNA prevents osteosarcoma growth in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions These findings suggest that inactivation of SMO may be a useful approach to the treatment of patients with osteosarcoma.

Background: Nature therapies are gaining attention as non-pharmacological treatments for depressive and anxiety disorders, but research on their effectiveness in patients is limited. This study investigates the mood-improving effects of visual stimulation with natural environmental images in patients with depressive and anxiety disorders., Methods: We conducted a randomized crossover comparison trial involving 60 right-handed adult participants with depressive or anxiety disorders and receiving outpatient treatment. Visual stimuli of natural environments consisted of green-themed nature images, while the control stimuli featured urban scenes dominated by buildings. The stimulation lasted for 3 min, during which orbital prefrontal brain activity was measured using a 2-channel Near-infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) system, and heart rate variability was assessed using fingertip accelerated plethysmography., Results: Mood enhancement effects were observed in both the depressive and anxiety disorder groups following visual stimulation with nature images. In the depression group, orbital prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin concentration significantly increased after visual stimulation with nature images, while there were no significant changes in the anxiety group. However, in the anxiety group, a correlation was found between reduced orbital prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin in response to nature images and increased mood-enhancement. Furthermore, the severity of depressive symptoms did not significantly affect the intervention effects, whereas heightened anxiety symptoms was associated with a smaller mood enhancement effect., Discussion: Our study demonstrates the benefits of nature image stimulation for patients with depressive and anxiety disorders. Differential orbital prefrontal brain activity impacts notwithstanding, both conditions exhibited mood enhancement, affirming the value of nature image stimulation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest C.C. is the author of CleverLand: The Psychology of How Nature Nurtures. The other authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: It can be difficult to differentiate psychiatric disorders from depressive states, with little knowledge on how to differentiate them. This study aimed to evaluate changes in brain activity during cognitive and emotional tasks in patients with depressive state to help with differential diagnoses., Methods: Sixty-two patients with depressive states [17 with adjustment disorder (AD), 27 with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 18 with bipolar disorder (BD)] and 34 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. We used a verbal fluency task (VFT) and emotional word tasks with happy and threat words. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured the relative change in oxygenated hemoglobin in the frontotemporal areas., Results: During the VFT, patients with AD or MDD showed significantly reduced activation in the bilateral frontotemporal region (all p < 0.01), whereas patients with BD demonstrated significantly reduced activation in the right frontotemporal areas compared to HC (p < 0.01). During the emotional words task with happy words, patients with MDD showed significantly increased activity in the frontopolar area compared to HC (p = 0.023). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that MDD or BD was significantly associated with brain activity during the happy word task. In distinguishing MDD or BD from HC, the happy words task performed equally well, with an area under the curve of 0.70., Limitations: All study patients were taking psychotropic drugs., Conclusions: Brain activation in response to a combination of cognitive or emotional stimuli could assist in distinguishing patients with depressive states from healthy controls., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Early prediction of high depressive symptoms is crucial for selective intervention and the minimization of functional impairment. Recent cross-sectional studies indicated decision-making deficits in depression, which may be an important contributor to the disorder. Our goal was to test whether description- and experience-based decision making, two major neuroeconomic paradigms of decision-making under uncertainty, predict future depressive symptoms in young adults., Methods: One hundred young adults performed two decision-making tasks, one description-based, in which subjects chose between two gambling options given explicitly stated rewards and their probabilities, and the other experience-based, in which subjects were shown rewards but had to learn the probability of those rewards (or cue-outcome contingencies) via trial-and-error experience. We evaluated subjects' depressive symptoms with BDI-II at baseline (T1) and half a year later (T2)., Results: Comparing subjects with low versus high levels of depressive symptoms at T2 showed that the latter performed worse on the experience- but not description-based task at T1. Computational modeling of the decision-making process suggested that subjects with high levels of depressive symptoms had a more concave utility function, indicating enhanced risk aversion. Furthermore, a more concave utility function at T1 increased the odds of high depressive symptoms at T2, even after controlling depressive symptoms at T1, perceived stress at T2, and several covariates (OR = 0.251, 95% CI [0.085, 0.741])., Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate a prospective link between experience-based decision-making and depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that enhanced risk aversion in experience-based decision-making may be an important contributor to the development of depressive symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Psychiatric disorders such as depressive and anxiety disorders are associated with altered decision-making under risk. Recent advances in neuroeconomics and computational psychiatry have further discomposed risk-based decision-making into distinct cognitive computational constructs and showed that there may be disorder-specific alterations in these constructs. As a result, it has been suggested these cognitive computational constructs may serve as useful behavioral biomarkers for these disorders. However, to date, little is known about what psychological or behavioral interventions can help to reverse and manage the altered cognitive computational constructs underlying risk-based decision-making. In the present study, we set out to investigate whether recalling positive autobiographical memories may affect risk-based decision-making in healthy volunteers using a description-based task. Specifically, based on theories of behavioral economics, we dissected risk preference into two cognitive computational constructs, utility sensitivity and probability weighting. We found that compared to recalling neutral memories, retrieving positive autobiographical memories increased utility sensitivity (Cohen's d = 0.447), indicating reduced risk aversion. Meanwhile, we also tested the influence of memory retrieval on probability weighting, the effect, however, was unreliable and requires further in-depth investigation. Of clinical relevance, the change in risk aversion after recalling positive memories was in the opposite direction compared to those reported in psychiatric disorders. These results argue for the potential therapeutic effect of positive autobiographical memory retrieval for the amendment of altered risk-based decision-making in psychiatric disorders., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Shimizu, Mochizuki, Chen, Hagiwara, Matsumoto, Oda, Hirotsu, Okabe, Matsubara and Nakagawa.)

The thiol-ate nickel complexes {2-[({2-[(2-amino-ethyl-κ N )(meth-yl)amino-κ N ]eth-yl}imino-κ N )meth-yl]benzene-thiol-ato-κ S }nickel(II) chloride, [Ni(C 12 H 18 N 3 S)]Cl ( 1 ), and [2-({[2-(piperazin-1-yl-κ 2 N 1 , N 4 )eth-yl]imino-κ N }meth-yl)benzene-thiol-ato-κ S ]nickel(II) hexa-fluoro-phosphate di-chloro-methane monosolvate, [Ni(C 13 H 18 N 3 S)]PF 6 ·CH 2 Cl 2 ( 2 ), were synthesized by the reactions of 2-( tert -butyl-thio)-benzaldehyde, tri-amines, and nickel(II) salts. Both complexes have a nickel ion surrounded by an N , N ', N '', S -tetra-dentate ligand, forming a square-planar geometry. The terminal N , N -chelating moiety is N , N -di-alkyl-ethane-1,2-di-amine for 1 and 1-alkyl-piperazine for 2 . The N-Ni-N bite angle in the terminal N , N -chelate ring in 2 [76.05 (10)°] is much smaller than that in 1 [86.16 (6)°]. Cyclic voltammograms of 1 and 2 in aqueous media indicated that the reduction and oxidation potentials of 2 are more positive than those of 1 . The smaller bite angle of the terminal piperazine chelate in 2 reduces the electron-donating ability of the tetra-dentate ligand, resulting in a positive shift of the redox potentials. Both complexes exhibit catalytic activity for proton reduction, and the piperazine moiety in 2 is effective in reducing the overpotential., (© Hirotsu et al. 2022.)

Both depressive and anxiety disorders have been associated with excessive risk avoidant behaviors, which are considered an important contributor to the maintenance and recurrence of these disorders. However, given the high comorbidity between the two disorders, their independent association with risk preference remains unclear. Furthermore, due to the involvement of multiple cognitive computational factors in the decision-making tasks employed so far, the precise underlying mechanisms of risk preference are unknown. In the present study, we set out to investigate the common versus unique cognitive computational mechanisms of risk preference in depression and anxiety using a reward-based decision-making task and computational modeling based on economic theories. Specifically, in model-based analysis, we decomposed risk preference into utility sensitivity (a power function) and probability weighting (the one-parameter Prelec weighting function). Multiple linear regression incorporating depression (BDI-II) and anxiety (STAI state anxiety) simultaneously indicated that only depression was associated with one such risk preference parameter, probability weighting. As the symptoms of depression increased, subjects' tendency to overweight small probabilities and underweight large probabilities decreased. Neither depression nor anxiety was associated with utility sensitivity. These associations remained even after controlling covariates or excluding anxiety-relevant items from the depression scale. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess risk preference due to a concave utility function and nonlinear probability weighting separately for depression and anxiety using computational modeling. Our results provide a mechanistic account of risk avoidance and may improve our understanding of decision-making deficits in depression and anxiety., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hagiwara, Mochizuki, Chen, Lei, Hirotsu, Matsubara and Nakagawa.)

Recent studies show that even a brief bout of aerobic exercise may enhance creative thinking. However, few studies have investigated the effect of exercise conducted in natural settings. Here, in a crossover randomized controlled trial, we investigated the effect of a common daily activity, stair-climbing, on creative thinking. As experimental intervention, subjects were asked to walk downstairs from the fourth to the first floor and back at their usual pace. As control intervention, they walked the same path but using the elevator instead. Compared to using the elevator, stair-climbing enhanced subsequent divergent but not convergent thinking in that it increased originality on the Alternate Use Test ( d = 0.486). Subjects on average generated 61% more original uses after stair-climbing. This is the first study to investigate the effect of stair-climbing on creative thinking. Our findings suggest that stair-climbing may be a useful strategy for enhancing divergent thinking in everyday life., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Matsumoto, Chen, Hagiwara, Shimizu, Hirotsu, Oda, Lei, Takao, Fujii, Higuchi and Nakagawa.)

The beneficial effects of regular physical activity (PA) on cognitive functions have received much attention. Recent research suggests that regular PA may also enhance creative thinking, an indispensable cognitive factor for invention and innovation. However, at what intensity regular PA brings the most benefits to creative thinking remains uninvestigated. Furthermore, whether the levels of regular PA affect the acute PA effects on creative thinking is also unclear. In the present study, using a previous dataset that investigated the effects of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on creative thinking in healthy Japanese young adults (22.98 ± 1.95 years old) in the year 2020, we tested the association between different intensities of regular PA (i.e., vigorous, moderate, and walking) and creative thinking with the cross-sectional baseline data using multiple linear regression. We also investigated whether regular PA levels were associated with the acute aerobic exercise intervention effects on creative thinking. The results showed that cross-sectionally, the regular PAs were differentially associated with divergent but not convergent thinking. Specifically, whereas the amount of vigorous-intensity PA was positively associated with fluency and flexibility, the amount of walking was positively associated with novelty on the alternate uses test (AUT) measuring divergent thinking. Importantly, the explained variances of fluency, flexibility, and novelty were 20.3% ( p = 0.040), 18.8% ( p = 0.055), and 20.1% ( p = 0.043), respectively. None of the regular PAs predicted convergent thinking (i.e., an insight problem-solving task), nor were they associated with the acute aerobic exercise intervention effects on divergent and convergent thinking. These findings suggest that engaging in regular vigorous-intensity PA and walking may be useful strategies to enhance different aspects of divergent thinking in daily life.

It has been recently suggested that contact with nature improves mood via reducing the activity of the prefrontal cortex. However, the specific regions within the prefrontal cortex that underlie this effect remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify the specific regions involved in the mood-improving effect of viewing images of nature using a 52-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, we focused on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), two regions associated with affective processing and control. In a randomized controlled crossover experiment, we assigned thirty young adults to view images of nature and built environments for three minutes each in a counterbalanced order. During image viewing, participants wore a fNIRS probe cap and had their oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) measured. Immediately following each image viewing, participants indicated their mood in terms of comfortableness, relaxation, and vigor. Results showed that viewing images of nature significantly increased comfortableness and relaxation but not vigor compared to viewing images of built environments, with a large effect size. Meanwhile, the concentration of oxy-Hb in only the right OFC and none of the other regions significantly decreased while viewing the images of nature compared to built environments, with a medium effect size. We speculate that viewing images of nature improves mood by reducing the activity of or calming the OFC. Since the OFC is hyperactive in patients with depression and anxiety at rest, contact with nature might have therapeutic effects for them.

Abundant evidence shows that various forms of physical exercise, even conducted briefly, may improve cognitive functions. However, the effect of physical exercise on creative thinking remains under-investigated, and the role of mood in this effect remains unclear. In the present study, we set out to investigate the effect of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on divergent and convergent thinking and whether this effect depends on the post-exercise mood. Forty healthy young adults were randomly assigned to receive a 15-min exercise or control intervention, before and after which they conducted an alternate use test measuring divergent thinking and an insight problem-solving task measuring convergent thinking. It was found that exercise enhanced divergent thinking in that it increased flexibility and fluency. Importantly, these effects were not mediated by the post-exercise mood in terms of pleasure and vigor. In contrast, the effect on convergent thinking depended on subjects' mood after exercise: subjects reporting high vigor tended to solve more insight problems that were unsolved previously, while those reporting low vigor became less capable of solving previously unsolved problems. These findings suggest that aerobic exercise may affect both divergent and convergent thinking, with the former being mood-independent and the latter mood-dependent. If these findings can be replicated with more rigorous studies, engaging in a bout of mood, particularly vigor-enhancing aerobic exercise, may be considered a useful strategy for gaining insights into previously unsolved problems.

The neurobiological literature implicates chronic stress induced decision-making deficits as a major contributor to depression and anxiety. Given that females are twice as likely to suffer from these disorders, we hypothesized the existence of sex difference in the effects of chronic stress on decision-making. Here employing a decision-making paradigm that relies on reinforcement learning of probabilistic predictive relationships, we show female volunteers with a high level of perceived stress in the past month are more likely to make suboptimal choices than males. Computational characterizations of this sex difference suggest that while under high stress, females and males differ in their weighting but not learning of the expected uncertainty in the predictive relationships. These findings provide a mechanistic account of the sex difference in decision-making under chronic stress and may have important implications for the epidemiology of sex difference in depression and anxiety.

When making decisions, people tend to overweigh the impact of losses compared to gains, a phenomenon known as loss aversion (LA). A moderate amount of LA may be adaptive as it is necessary for protecting oneself from danger. However, excessive LA may leave people few opportunities and ultimately lead to suboptimal outcomes. Despite frequent reports of elevated LA in specific populations such as patients with depression, little is known about what psychological characteristics are associated with the tendency of LA. Based on the neurobiological studies of LA, we hypothesized that positive psychological wellbeing may be negatively associated with people's tendency of LA. In the present study, we set out to test this hypothesis in a sample of young adults. We evaluated LA using a decision-making task in which subjects were asked to decide whether to accept or reject a series of coin-toss gambles. Our results revealed that individuals with more advanced personal growth as assessed by the Ryff's Psychological Well-being Inventory showed reduced LA. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating an association between positive psychological wellbeing and LA. These findings suggest that personal growth might be employed as interventional targets for correcting excessive LA in vulnerable populations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Koan, Nakagawa, Chen, Matsubara, Lei, Hagiwara, Hirotsu, Yamagata and Nakagawa.)

The beneficial effect of physical activity (PA) on the brain has been well established. Both acute and regular PA can boost a range of cognitive functions and enhance mood and mental health. Notably, the effect of acute PA on the brain and cognitive functions is generally found to be dose-dependent, in terms of both the amount and intensity of the exercise episode. In contrast, in the case of regular PA, the literature has primarily focused on the amount of exercise, and limited studies have assessed the influence of the exercise intensity. Since PA in higher intensity causes more extensive, more powerful, and longer-lasting neurobiological changes, it may prove more beneficial to cognitive functions and mental health. In the present study, we set out to test this hypothesis by employing a battery of questionnaires and laboratory tests with a sample of young adults. We found that more frequent vigorous- and moderate-intensity PA rather than walking (considered low to moderate intensity) was associated with better cognitive and mental health measures. Meanwhile, compared with no moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) at all, as few as 1~2 days per week (lasting at least 10 min each time) of MVPA was associated with a variety of benefits, particularly related to coping with challenging situations. In light of the neurobiological literature, the present study speaks to the value of moderate- to vigorous- rather than low-intensity PA in enhancing cognitive functions and mental health.

Background: Avulsion fracture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle is a very rare phenomenon. There are no reports of avulsion fractures associated with multiple ligament injuries before closure of the growth plate. The authors present a case of avulsion fracture of the insertion of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle associated with posterior cruciate ligament injury and an avulsion fracture of the medial collateral ligament at the femoral attachment., Case Presentation: A 15-year-old Japanese boy was injured by contact with another player while playing soccer. He was immediately admitted to the authors' hospital with knee pain. Radiography and computed tomography revealed an avulsion fracture of the medial collateral ligament at the femoral attachment and an avulsion fracture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle. In examination under anesthesia, the Lachman test was negative and posterior drawer test was positive. Fixation of the avulsion fractures of the medial collateral ligament and medial head of the gastrocnemius was performed 9 days after the injury. After fixation, valgus instability at full extension had disappeared. The knee was immobilized in a brace for 2 weeks postoperatively. One year postoperatively, the posterior drawer test was slightly positive; however, our patient was able to ambulate without pain and returned to sports without feeling instability in his knee., Conclusion: A rare case of avulsion fracture of the gastrocnemius muscle combined with multiple ligament injuries before closure of the growth plate is described. A satisfactory result was obtained by fixation of the avulsed bone fragments of the gastrocnemius muscle and medial collateral ligament. The authors believe that avulsion fracture of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle associated with posterior cruciate ligament injury should be repaired.

Complexation properties of U-shaped ligands, L 1 and L 2 , which are Schiff bases of 5,5'-(9,9-dimethylxanthene-4,5-diyl)bis(salicylaldehyde) (H 2 xansal) with 3-amino-1-propanol or 2-hydroxybenzylamine, respectively, were investigated to construct polynuclear manganese complexes. In these ligands, two O,N,O-Schiff bases are bridged by a xanthene backbone. The reactions of H 4 L 1 or H 4 L 2 with manganese salts afforded tetra- and dinuclear manganese complexes, including the tetramanganese(ii,ii,iii,iii) complex [Mn 4 (L 1 ) 2 (μ-OAc) 2 ] with a Mn 4 O 6 core exhibiting an incomplete double-cubane structure. In the Mn 4 O 6 core, phenolate and alkoxide O atoms bridge the manganese ions. Deprotonated 3-hydroxypropyl groups were crucial to the assembly of four manganese ions because the phenolate-bridged dimanganese(iii,iii) complex [Mn 2 (H 2 L 1 ) 2 ] 2+ was obtained in the absence of a base, and H 4 L 2 , which has 2-hydroxybenzyl groups instead of 3-hydroxypropyl groups in H 4 L 1 , afforded the cyclic dimanganese(iv,iv) complex [Mn 2 (L 2 ) 2 ]. We disclosed that [Mn 4 (L 1 ) 2 (μ-OAc) 2 ] was converted to the oxo-bridged tetramanganese(iii,iii,iii,iii) complex [Mn 4 (L 1 )(HL 1 )(μ 3 -O)(μ-OAc) 2 ] + by treating with NH 4 PF 6 or NH 4 BF 4 : a triply bridging alkoxide was protonated and replaced by an oxide ligand. The cyclic voltammograms of [Mn 4 (L 1 )(HL 1 )(μ 3 -O)(μ-OAc) 2 ] + suggested that the reverse reaction forming [Mn 4 (L 1 ) 2 (μ-OAc) 2 ] occurred in the electrochemical processes and was assisted by protonation.

Light-induced CO release from newly synthesized N,C,S-pincer iron(III) carbonyl complexes with two phosphorus ligands- trans-[Fe(L-κ 3 N,C,S)(CO)(PR 2 R') 2 ]PF 6 ([1]PF 6 , R = Me, R' = Ph; [2]PF 6 , R = R' = Me; [3]PF 6 , R = R' = OEt)-were investigated. All the iron(III) carbonyl complexes were stable in solution and showed light-inducible CO release under ambient conditions. Studies on the wavelength dependence of photoreaction revealed that the phosphite complex [3]PF 6 exhibited the most extended photosensitivity including all visible and a part of near-IR light (390-800 nm wavelengths). The phosphine complexes [1]PF 6 and [2]PF 6 showed sensitivity to only the higher-energy region of visible light (390-450 nm). Quantum-chemical calculations and spectroscopic data suggested that all complexes [1]PF 6 -[3]PF 6 have dπ-dπ excitation modes to depopulate Fe-C(carbonyl) bonding and potentially induce the CO release by irradiation of light in the near-IR region, although moderately weakened Fe-C(carbonyl) bonding due to stronger π-backbonding by the phosphite ligand rendered the excitation effective on the CO release exclusively in [3]PF 6 .

Although literature evidence suggests deficits in social and non-social cognition in patients with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ), the difference in neural correlates of the impairments between the two disorders has not been elucidated. We examined brain function in response to a non-social cognition and a social cognition task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in 13 patients with ASD, 15 patients with SCZ, and 18 healthy subjects. We assessed the brain function of participants using a verbal fluency task and an emotional facial recognition task. The patients with ASD showed significantly reduced brain activation in the left frontotemporal area during both tasks compared to healthy subjects. The patients with ASD with larger score in 'attention to detail' in the autism spectrum quotient showed lower activation of the left frontotemporal area during the two tasks. The patients with SCZ showed significantly reduced activation, compared to healthy subjects, and greater activation, compared to patients with ASD, in the area during the verbal fluency task. The patients with SCZ with more severe symptoms had lower brain activation during the task in this area. Our results suggest that two distinct areas are involved in the distinctive brain pathophysiology relevant to cognitive processing in patients with ASD and SCZ.

Patients with later-life depression (LLD) show abnormal gray matter (GM) volume, white matter (WM) integrity and functional connectivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), but it remains unclear whether these abnormalities persist over time. We examined whether structural and functional abnormalities in these two regions are present within the same subjects during depressed vs. remitted phases. Sixteen patients with LLD and 30 healthy subjects were studied over a period of 1.5 years. Brain images obtained with a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system were analyzed by voxel-based morphometry of the GM volume, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state functional MRI were used to assess ACC-pSTG connectivity. Patients with LLD in the depressed and remitted phases showed significantly smaller GM volume in the left ACC and left pSTG than healthy subjects. Both patients with LLD in the depressed and remitted phases had significantly higher diffusivities in the WM tract of the left ACC-pSTG than healthy subjects. Remitted patients with LLD showed lower functional ACC-pSTG connectivity compared to healthy subjects. No difference was found in the two regions between depressed and remitted patients in GM volume, structural or functional connectivity. Functional ACC-pSTG connectivity was positively correlated with lower global function during remission. Our preliminary data show that structural and functional abnormalities of the ACC and pSTG occur during LLD remission. Our findings tentatively reveal the brain pathophysiology involved in LLD and may aid in developing neuroanatomical biomarkers for this condition.

Aim: Given that different hospitals achieve different outcomes, optimal evaluation of treatment outcomes in the local community requires evaluation of many institutions in that area. We carried out a prospective multicenter cohort study in Kagoshima Prefecture to identify factors that contribute to deterioration in activities of daily living performance and patient mortality 1 year after surgical treatment of hip fractures., Methods: We prospectively enrolled 387 patients who underwent surgery for hip fractures in 33 registered facilities within a 6-month period from February to July 2007. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors that contribute to deterioration in activities of daily living performance and death within 1 year after surgery., Results: An increased risk of Barthel Index (BI) deterioration was associated with increased age (P for trend = 0.003), worse pre-injury BI (P for trend = 0.021), trochanteric fractures (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.31-3.27), worse BI at discharge (P for trend < 0.001) and postoperatively developed cognitive impairment (OR 6.34, 95% CI 2.15-18.7). The OR for BI deterioration in patients with newly-diagnosed disease after discharge was approximately 9.16 (95% CI 4.03-20.8). No factors except age and sex were statistically significant as the preoperative indicators of mortality risk. Only BI at discharge was a significant determinant of mortality risk (P for trend = 0.013) after adjusting for the effects of age and sex., Conclusions: Patients with poor activities of daily living performance at the time of hospital discharge were likely to show poor functional recovery and a high 1-year postoperative mortality. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 391-401., (© 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding small RNAs. Exosomes carry extracellular miRNAs in plasma and other body fluids. Levels of plasma miRNAs show disease-specific changes. Thus, miRNAs are expected to be new biomarkers in many diseases. However, the method of analysis of plasma miRNAs is not well established. In this study, we tested the influences of high speed centrifugation and membrane filtration on results from plasma miRNA analysis using reverse transcriptase-based quantitative polymerase chain reac- tion (RT-qPCR). We studied plasma from 12 normal subjects. The level of plasma miR-451 did not change significantly after high speed centrifugation and filtration, rather showed slight increment, 1.543 ± 0.263 fold (mean±SD, N=3). The levels of plasma miR-126 and miR-223 decreased with high speed centrifugation and filtration, (0.038 ± 0.008 fold and 0.041 ± 0.003 fold, respectively). Our data suggested that removing platelets and cellular debris from plasma with high speed centrifugation and/or filtration is essential for stand- ardization of plasma miRNA analysis. [Original].

Allograft bone is a widely used as a convenient tool for reconstructing massive bone defects in orthopedic surgery. However, allografts are associated with the risk of viral disease transmission. One of the viruses transmitted in this manner is human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), which is found worldwide but is unevenly distributed. The southwestern parts of Japan are a highly endemic for HTLV-1. We investigated the HTLV-1 seroprevalence in candidate allograft donors at the regional bone bank in Kagoshima, Japan during its first 5 years of service. Between 2008 and 2012, we collected 282 femoral heads at the Kagoshima regional bone bank from living donors with osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Among the 282 candidate donors, 32 donors (11.3 %) were seropositive for anti-HTLV-1 antibody; notably, this prevalence is higher than that reported for blood donors in this area. Additionally, to determine if HTLV-1 genes are detectable after processing, we examined the bone marrow of the femoral heads from seropositive donors by conducting PCR assays. Our results confirm the existence of viral genes following the heat treatment processing of the femoral heads. Therefore, it is important to inactivate a virus completely by heat-treatment. Together, our findings highlight the importance of HTLV-1 screening at bone banks, particularly in HTLV-1-endemic areas such as southwest Japan., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this study.

Iron(iii) carbonyl complexes are stabilized by a pincer ligand containing pyridine-N, phenyl-C and thiolate-S donors and two axial phosphine ligands. The N,C,S-pincer iron(iii) carbonyl complexes show CO-releasing properties induced by visible light.

Dioxolene cobalt complexes, [Co(L)(TPA)]PF6 () and [Co(L)(Me3TPA)]PF6 (), were synthesized using a catechol with anthracene and boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY), H2L, and tris(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amine (TPA) or tris[(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)methyl]amine (Me3TPA) and characterised by UV-vis absorption, IR and NMR spectroscopy. Complexes and are a low-spin cobalt(iii) catecholate form and a high-spin cobalt(ii) semiquinonate form, respectively, in CH3CN at room temperature. The effect of the spin states of the dioxolene-cobalt centre on fluorescence was investigated in CH3CN at room temperature. The fluorescence intensity of was clearly lower than that of , although both complexes showed weaker fluorescence compared with that of H2L. The difference in the intensity between and is mainly due to the enhancement of nonradiative decay processes based on the stronger metal-ligand interactions for the cobalt(iii) catecholate form of compared with the cobalt(ii) semiquinonate form of .

Background: To effectively treat orthopaedic infections by methicillin-resistant strains, an early diagnosis is necessary. Bacterial cultures and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been used to define methicillin-resistant staphylococci. However, even when patients display clinical signs of infections, bacterial culture and real-time PCR often cannot confirm infection. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the utility of real-time PCR for the mecA gene detection following centrifugation of human samples with suspected orthopaedic infections., Results: In addition to the conventional real-time PCR method, we performed real-time PCR following centrifugation of the sample at 4,830×g for 10 min in a modified real-time PCR (M-PCR) method. We suspended cultured methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and generated standard dilution series for in vitro experiments. The in vitro detection sensitivity of the M-PCR method was approximately 5.06 times higher than that of the conventional real-time PCR method. We performed bacterial culture, pathological examination, real-time PCR, and M-PCR to examine the infectious fluids and tissues obtained from 36 surgical patients at our hospital. Of these, 20 patients who had undergone primary total hip arthroplasty were enrolled as negative controls. In addition, 15 patients were examined who were clinically confirmed to have an infection, including periprosthetic joint infection (eight patients), pyogenic spondylitis (two patients), infectious pseudoarthrosis (two patients), and after spine surgery (three patients). In one sample from a patient who developed infectious pseudoarthrosis and two samples from surgical site infections after spine surgery, the mecA gene was detected only by the M-PCR method. In one patient with infectious pseudoarthrosis, one patient with infection after arthroplasty, and two patients with purulent spondylitis, the detection sensitivity of the M-PCR method was increased compared with PCR (clinical sample average: 411.6 times)., Conclusions: These findings suggest that the M-PCR method is useful to detect methicillin-resistant strains infections. In addition, the centrifugation process only takes 10 min longer than conventional real-time PCR methods. We believe that the M-PCR method could be clinically useful to detect orthopaedic infections caused by methicillin-resistant strains.

Dibenzothienyl Schiff bases, DBT-NN and DBT-NP, were derived from condensation of 4-formyldibenzothiophene with N,N-dimethylethylenediamine and 2-(diphenylphosphino)ethylamine, respectively. A photochemical reaction of [Fe(CO)5] with DBT-NN produced diiron complexes, [Fe2(μ-DBT-NN)(CO)6] (1) and [{Fe(μ-BPT-NN-κ(3)S,C,N)(CO)2}Fe(CO)3] (2). Complex 1 has π coordination of a Schiff base C=N bond and an N,N-chelate, while 2 has an S,C,N-tridentate ligand having an uncoordinated dimethylamino group. The corresponding reaction with DBT-NP produced a diiron complex of an S,C,N,P-tetradentate ligand, [{Fe(μ-BPT-NP-κ(4)S,C,N,P)(CO)}Fe(CO)3] (3), which has an N,P-chelate, via the DBT-NP complex [Fe(DBT-NP-κP)(CO)4] (4). Reactions of 2 and 3 with one equivalent of PMe2Ph gave the monosubstituted complexes [{Fe(μ-BPT-NN-κ(3)S,C,N)(CO)2}Fe(CO)2(PMe2Ph)] (5) and [{Fe(μ-BPT-NP-κ(4)S,C,N,P)(CO)}Fe(CO)2(PMe2Ph)] (6), respectively. The corresponding reactions with an excess of PMe2Ph produced mononuclear complexes, trans-[Fe(BPT-NN-κ(3)S,C,N)(CO)(PMe2Ph)2] (7) and [Fe(BPT-NP-κ(4)S,C,N,P)(CO)(PMe2Ph)] (8), respectively. Complexes 1-3 and 5-8 were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Complexes 2, 3, 5 and 6 have similar dinuclear structures with different carbonyl/phosphine substitution patterns. Cyclic voltammograms of 2, 3 and 5 showed two one-electron reduction processes, and more negative potentials were observed for 6. The shift of the redox potentials are rationalized by the electron-donating character of the phosphine ligands, which suggests that the reduction occurs at the asymmetrically bridged diiron core.

The anthracene-functionalized cobalt complexes [Co(L)(TPA)]PF6 (1) and [Co(L)(Me(n)TPA)]PF6 (2, n = 1; 3, n = 2; 4, n = 3) were synthesized by the combination of 9-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)anthracene (H2L) and tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) or its derivatives (Me(n)TPA, n = 1, 2, 3). Characterization of complexes 1-4 was performed by UV-vis absorption, IR, (1)H NMR, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. In the solid state, the variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data showed that complex 1 is low-spin cobalt(III) catecholate (Co(III)(LS)-Cat), while complex 4 is high-spin cobalt(II) semiquinonate (Co(II)(HS)-SQ) in the range 4.5-400 K. The susceptibility data of complexes 2 and 3 suggested valence tautomerism between the Co(III)(LS)-Cat and Co(II)(HS)-SQ forms. Light-induced valence tautomerism was observed in complexes 2 and 3 at 5 K by photo-irradiation. In solution, the temperature dependence of (1)H NMR spectra of 1 and 2 showed an equilibrium between their geometrical isomers.

Objectives/hypothesis: The role of fungi in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is still controversial. The present study was conducted to detect and identify fungal species from the nasal polyp tissues of eosinophilic and noneosinophilic CRS, and to determine the role of fungal antigens in cytokine production., Study Design: Prospective study., Methods: Thirty-five specimens of nasal polyps were collected from patients with CRS and examined for fungus using culture, histology, and polymerase chain reaction analysis. The secretion of 14 cytokines stimulated by fungal extracts using dispersed nasal polyp cells (DNPCs) was determined by multiplex immunoassay., Results: There was no microbiological growth (including fungus) in the cultures of homogenized nasal polyps. Furthermore, Grocott methanamine silver staining for all nasal polyps showed no fungal bodies. Sixteen of 35 samples of the nasal polyps showed amplification of fungal DNA. In none of the mucosa of the sphenoid sinus was fungal DNA detected. The number of eosinophils in the nasal polyps in which fungal DNA was detected was significantly higher than in the nasal polyps in which fungal DNA was not detected (P < .01). The extract of fungus enhanced the secretion of eosinophil-associated cytokines such as interleukine (IL)-5, IL-13, IL-17A, and RANTES (regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted), and proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor from DNPCs., Conclusions: The present study offers direct evidence supporting that fungal elements modify the inflammatory response in the nasal polyps of eosinophilic CRS., (© 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Experimental data support a mechanism for N≡N bond cleavage within a series of group 5 bimetallic dinitrogen complexes of general formula, {Cp*M[N((i)Pr)C(R)N((i)Pr)]}2(μ-N2) (Cp* = η(5)-C5Me5) (M = Nb, Ta), that proceeds in solution through an intramolecular "end-on-bridged" (μ-η(1):η(1)-N2) to "side-on-bridged" (μ-η(2):η(2)-N2) isomerization process to quantitatively provide the corresponding bimetallic bis(μ-nitrido) complexes, {Cp*M[N((i)Pr)C(R)N((i)Pr)](μ-N)}2. It is further demonstrated that subtle changes in the steric and electronic features of the distal R-substituent, where R = Me, Ph and NMe2, can serve to modulate the magnitude of the free energy barrier height for N≡N bond cleavage as assessed by kinetic studies and experimentally derived activation parameters. The origin of the contrasting kinetic stability of the first-row congener, {Cp*V[N((i)Pr)C(Me)N((i)Pr)]}2(μ-η(1):η(1)-N2) toward N≡N bond cleavage is rationalized in terms of a ground-state electronic structure that favors a significantly less-reduced μ-N2 fragment.

Objectives/hypothesis: Japanese patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), differing from European and U.S. patients, are suggested to show two distinct phenotypes: Th2-polarized and Th1-shifted immunity. The purpose of this study was to conduct clinical subgrouping of CRSwNP based on inflammatory cell infiltration, which was evaluated and supported by clinical backgrounds and immunological characteristics., Study Design: A cross-sectional study., Methods: One hundred thirty Japanese patients with CRSwNP were classified by the infiltration of eosinophils and neutrophils in nasal polyps. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in 42 patients., Results: The patients were classified into three groups: 1) 42 patients with eosinophilic type, 2) 27 patients with neutrophilic type, and 3) 61 patients with noneosinophilic nonneutrophilic type. Both the number of serum eosinophils and the recurrence rates were significantly higher in the eosinophilic group compared to the other two groups. The IgE value was significantly higher in the eosinophilic group, followed by the noneosinophilic nonneutrophilic and neutrophilic groups. Both the symptomatic and CT scores were significantly greater in the eosinophilic group than in the neutrophilic group. The expressions of eotaxin, IL-17A, MUC5AC, and CD68 were greater in the eosinophilic group than in the other two groups., Conclusion: The eosinophilic CRSwNP phenotype is clinically characterized by serum eosinophilia, atopy, extensive disease, and poor prognosis compared to the neutrophilic and the noneosinophilic nonneutrophilic groups. We clearly demonstrated that all three subgroups of CRSwNP had characteristic differences in those inflammatory markers, which allows for pathophysiologically meaningful differentiations with likely therapeutic consequences., (Copyright © 2013 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

A new bis(N2O2) ligand, L(4-), in which two tripodal diamine-bis(phenolate) moieties are bridged by a xanthene backbone, was prepared. The reaction of H4L with 2 equiv. of [Ti(O(i)Pr)4] produced C2 and Cs symmetrical isomers of the dititanium(IV,IV) complex [Ti2(L)(O(i)Pr)4]. The isolated C2 isomer was slowly converted to the Cs isomer via Ti-N bond cleavage to form a 3 : 2 mixture in equilibrium. A similar dimanganese(III,III) complex [Mn2(L)(OMe)2(MeOH)2] was synthesized from a 1 : 2 mixture of H4L and manganese(II) perchlorate in the presence of triethylamine. An X-ray analysis of [Mn2(L)(OMe)2(MeOH)2] revealed that two Mn-N2O4 octahedrons are connected by intramolecular hydrogen bonds as well as a xanthene bridge to form a C2 symmetrical structure. The dimanganese(III,III) complex further reacted with manganese(II) acetate to form the mixed-valence trimanganese(III,II,III) complex [Mn3(L)(μ-OMe)2(μ-OAc)2]. Electrochemical data of the trimanganese(III,II,III) complex indicated that the xanthene-bridged dimanganese(III,III) unit effectively binds a Mn(II) ion in solution.

A π-radical ligand (9-[4-(6-oxo-1,5-dimethylverdazyl)phenyl]-10-[5-(2,2'-bipyridyl)ethynyl]anthracene, L1) with a photo-excited high-spin quartet state (S = 3/2) and its iron(II) complex [Fe(L1){H(2)B(Pz)(2)}(2)] (1) {H(2)B(Pz)(2)(-) = dihydrobis(1-pyrazolyl)borate} were synthesized as a candidate for a new strategy for spin-crossover compounds exhibiting light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST), which is via the photo-excited high-spin state of the π-conjugated aromatic system. Control compounds, ligand L2 and [Fe(L2){H(2)B(Pz)(2)}(2)] (2), in which the verdazyl radical moiety in L1 was removed, were also synthesized. The photo-excited quartet state of the π-radical ligand L1 was confirmed by the time-resolved ESR technique. Temperature dependence of the magnetic behaviors of 1 and 2 were investigated from 5 K to 350 K, showing spin-crossover transition at T(c) = 222 K and at T(c) = 162 K for complexes 1 and 2, respectively. The transition enthalpies and entropies were determined to be ΔH = 8.09 kJ mol(-1) and ΔS = 36.4 J K(-1) mol(-1) for 1 and to be ΔH = 22.39 kJ mol(-1) and ΔS = 138 J K(-1) mol(-1) for 2. LIESST phenomena were also observed below ca. 50 K for both complexes. The effects of the attachment of radical moiety are discussed based on the results.

In the title compound, [Ni(3)(C(10)H(22)N(2)S(2))(2)](ClO(4))(2), the complex cation consists of a nickel(II) ion and two [Ni(C(10)H(22)N(2)S(2))] units with an N(2)S(2) tetra-dentate ligand, 3,3'-[1,2-ethane-diylbis(methyl-imino)]bis-(1-propane-thiol-ate). The central Ni(II) ion is located on a crystallographic inversion centre and is bound to the four S atoms of the two [Ni(C(10)H(22)N(2)S(2))] units to form a linear sulfur-bridged trimetallic moiety. The dihedral angle between the central NiS(4) plane and the terminal NiN(2)S(2) plane is 145.71 (5)°. In the [Ni(C(10)H(22)N(2)S(2))] unit, the two methyl groups on the chelating N atoms are cis to each other, and the two six-membered N,S-chelate rings adopt a chair conformation. The Ni-S bond lengths and the S-Ni-S bite angles in the central NiS(4) group are similar to those in the [Ni(C(10)H(22)N(2)S(2))] unit.

The reaction of manganese(II) acetate with a xanthene-bridged bis[3-(salicylideneamino)-1-propanol] ligand, H(4)L, afforded the tetramanganese(II,II,III,III) complex [Mn(4)(L)(2)(μ-OAc)(2)], which has an incomplete double-cubane structure. The corresponding reaction using manganese(II) chloride in the presence of a base gave the tetramanganese(III,III,III,III) complex [Mn(4)(L)(2)Cl(3)(μ(4)-Cl)(OH(2))], in which four Mn ions are bridged by a Cl(-) ion. A pair of L ligands has a propensity to incorporate four Mn ions, the arrangement and oxidation states of which are dependent on the coexistent anions.

Interchange between the nickel +2 and +3 oxidation states precisely controls the reversible rearrangement of the tris(2-pyridylthio)methanide (tptm) ligand in the organometallic nickel(II) complex [{Ni(μ-Br)-(tptm)}(2)] (2). Oxidation of 2 first gives the corresponding Ni(III) complex [{Ni(μ-Br)(tptm)}(2)][PF(6)](2) (4). However, in solution the tptm ligand in 4 slowly undergoes a rearrangement, in which the N and S atoms of one of the pyridylthiolate arms exchange Ni and C bonding partners, thereby resulting in an "N,S-confused" isomer of tptm in the product, [NiBr(bpttpm)]PF(6) (5; bpttpm= bis(2-pyridylthio)(2-thiopyridinium)-methyl). Reduction of 5 reverses this ligand rearrangement and 2 is reformed quantitatively. The individual steps involved in these unusual ligand rearrangements were investigated by a number of methods, including voltammetric analysis, and a mechanism for this process is proposed. X-ray crystal structure determinations of the key compounds 2, 4 and 5 have been obtained.

Conclusion: We found no significant differences in the bacterial features of the maxillary sinuses between eosinophilic and neutrophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps., Objectives: Since neutrophilic CRS is often influenced by a predisposition to bacterial infection, and eosinophilic CRS is likely to be developed by allergic antigens, differences in the microbiology between the two pathologies of CRS can be expected. The present study was designed to investigate the bacterial findings from the maxillary sinus in eosinophilic and neutrophilic CRS., Methods: Seventy patients with CRS with nasal polyps were divided into eosinophilic and neutrophilic types based on histopathological observations of the nasal polyps. The specimens for bacterial culture were obtained from the maxillary sinus during endoscopic sinus surgery., Results: In all, 29 and 41 patients were classified as having eosinophilic and neutrophilic CRS with nasal polyps, respectively. The isolation rate of bacteria showed no significant difference between eosinophilic (90%) and neutrophilic CRS (98%). Aerobic bacteria were found in 25 patients (86%) with eosinophilic CRS, which was not significantly different from that in neutrophilic CRS (40 patients, 98%). The isolation rate for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria showed no significant differences.

The Hedgehog pathway functions as an organizer in embryonic development. Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog pathway has been reported in various types of malignant tumours. The GLI2 transcription factor is a key mediator of Hedgehog pathway but its contribution to neoplasia is poorly understood. To establish the role of GLI2 in osteosarcoma, we examined its expression by real-time PCR using biopsy tissues. To examine the function of GLI2, we evaluated the growth of osteosarcoma cells and their cell cycle after GLI2 knockdown. To study the effect of GLI2 activation, we examined mesenchymal stem cell growth and the cell cycle after forced expression of GLI2. We found that GLI2 was aberrantly over-expressed in human osteosarcoma biopsy specimens. GLI2 knockdown by RNA interferences prevented osteosarcoma growth and anchorage-independent growth. Knockdown of GLI2 promoted the arrest of osteosarcoma cells in G(1) phase and was accompanied by reduced protein expression of the cell cycle accelerators cyclin D1, SKP2 and phosphorylated Rb. On the other hand, knockdown of GLI2 increased the expression of p21(cip1) . In addition, over-expression of GLI2 promoted mesenchymal stem cell proliferation and accelerated their cell cycle progression. Finally, evaluation of mouse xenograft models showed that GLI2 knockdown inhibited the growth of osteosarcoma in nude mice. Our findings suggest that inhibition of GLI2 may represent an effective therapeutic approach for patients with osteosarcoma., (Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A thermal reaction of 6-(4''-dibenzothienyl)-2,2'-bipyridine (bpyDBT) with [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] produced a sulfur-bridged triruthenium complex via double carbon-sulfur bond cleavage and CO insertion, while a diiron(I,I) complex containing a thiametallacycle was obtained by a photochemical reaction of bpyDBT with [Fe(CO)(5)].