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Background Pomalidomide in combination with dexamethasone has demonstrated positive results in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), but no data are available in China. We conducted a multicenter, single-arm trial to examine the efficacy and safety of bioequivalent generic pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone in Chinese RRMM patients. Methods Adult (≥ 18 years of age) RRMM patients who progressed after at least two previous treatments, including bortezomib and lenalidomide, were eligible. Pomalidomide was given orally at 4 mg/day on days 1 to 21 of a 28-day cycle. Dexamethasone was given at 40 mg/day (either orally or intravenously; 20 mg/day at 75 years or older) on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of each cycle. Treatment continued until disease progression or intolerable adverse events (AEs). The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). Results Seventy-four patients were enrolled between February 2017 and February 2019. All patients had progressed within 60 days of their last therapy. 74.3% of the patients were resistant to lenalidomide, 31.1% had renal insufficiency and 33.8% had high-risk cytogenetic RRMM. The median follow-up duration was 33.0 months (range 31.1–34.8 months). The ORR was 37.8% in the overall analysis, 32.7% in lenalidomide-refractory patients, 36.0% in patients with high-risk cytogenetics and 34.8% in RRMM patients with renal impairment. The median progression-free survival was 5.7 months (95% CI 3.7–8.8 months). The median overall survival was 24.3 months (95% CI 14.4–41.1 months). The most common grade 3 and 4 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were neutropenia (63.5%), leukopenia (37.8%), thrombocytopenia (28.4%), and anemia (31.1%). Pulmonary infection (27.0%) was the most frequent grade 3 and 4 nonhematologic TEAE. No previously unreported AEs were observed. No venous thromboembolism was reported. Conclusions Pomalidomide in combination with low-dose dexamethasone is effective and safe in Chinese RRMM patients. Trial registration The study is registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) (ChiCTR-OIC-17013234, first registered on 03/11/2017).

A new luminescent, cationic, heteroleptic, four-coordinate Cu(I)– N-heterocyclic carbene complex [Cu(Br-Pyim)(POP)](PF6) is successfully prepared and characterized, where Br-Pyim and POP are 1-(6-bromopyridin-2-yl)imidazole-3-benzyl-2-ylidene and bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl]ether, respectively. Its detailed structure is determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. It exists as a crystalline powder at room temperature and exhibits bright yellow-green emission. The use of the Cu(I)– N-heterocyclic carbene complex as a catalyst for amination reactions is also investigated and is found to be very efficient for the amination of 2- N-heteroaryl chlorides with pyrazoles, giving the desired substituted 1-(2- N-heteroaryl)-1 H-pyrazoles in good yields.

Using organic solvent in traditional polymer filtration membrane is easy to cause environ-mental pollution.The silk was uniformly grafted with polyacrylonitrile using zinc chloride aqueous sol-ution as the solvent. The nano-TiO2 was blended into the mixture and the casting solution was pre-pared. The TiO2 blended silk fibroin grafted PAN (SF-g-PAN/TiO2) filtration membrane was pre-pared using water as the coagulation bath. The membrane was characterized by scanning electron micr-oscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The hydrophilic, anti-fouling and mechanical properties of SF-g-PAN membranes with different TiO2contents were studied. The rejection performance of dyes with different molecular weight by the SF-g-PAN/TiO2 membrane was investigated. The results show that the mechanical properties of the SF-g-PAN/TiO2 filtration membranes increase firstly and then dec-rease with the increase of TiO2 content. When the content of TiO2 is 1%(mass fraction), the mech-anical and hydrophilic properties of the SF-g-PAN/TiO2 membrane are the best; the rejection of the dyes whose molecular weight is more than 660 is greater than 96%, with the flux of 80 L/(m2·h) at 0.10 MPa.

In order to explore the impacts of the land use conversion from a

Background: Doxycycline was demonstrated in a retrospective study to be associated with greater survival in patients with light chain amyloidosis. Therefore, we prospectively compared the efficacy of bortezomib-cyclophosphamide-dexamethasone (CyBorD) and CyBorD combined with doxycycline for cardiac light chain amyloidosis. Methods: This was a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Patients with Mayo 2004 stage II to III light chain amyloidosis were included. Patients were randomized to doxycycline 100 mg twice daily along with 9 cycles of CyBorD (doxycycline group) or to 9 cycles of CyBorD alone (control group). The primary outcome was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS). PFS was defined as the time from randomization to death, hematologic progression, or organ progression (heart, kidney or liver). Hematologic progression was defined on the basis of a substantial increase in free light chain. An increase in either NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide) or cardiac troponin was the main criterion for defining cardiac progression. Cardiac PFS, defined as the time from randomization to cardiac progression or death, was compared between groups in an exploratory analysis. The corresponding treatment hazard ratio was estimated with a Cox regression model. Results: One hundred forty patients underwent randomization, with 70 in each group. The median age was 61 years (range, 33–78 years) with a male:female ratio of 1.75:1. Stage II disease was present in 34 (48.6%) and 33 (47.1%) patients in the doxycycline and control groups, respectively. After a median follow-up duration of 24.4 months, 32 of 70 (45.7%) patients in the doxycycline group and 30 of 70 (42.9%) patients in the control group experienced progression. PFS was not significantly different between groups (hazard ratio, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.59–1.60]; P =0.91). Cardiac progression occurred in 29 of 70 (41.4%) patients in the doxycycline group and 26 of 70 (37.1%) patients in the control group. The death rates for both groups by the end of follow-up was the same, 25 of 70 (35.7%). No significant differences were observed for either cardiac PFS (hazard ratio, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.54–1.55]; P =0.74) or overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.60–1.81]; P =0.89). Conclusions: Our trial demonstrated that doxycycline combined with CyBorD failed to prolong PFS or cardiac PFS compared with CyBorD alone in cardiac light chain amyloidosis. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03401372.

With the rapid development of electronic technology, soil heavy metal contamination caused by electronic waste dismantling activities has attracted the attention of many researchers. To investigate the contamination status and spatial distribution of Cd in soil-crop systems around an e-waste dismantling area, 171 pairs of soil and crop samples were collected for analysis. The concentrations of cadmium in root vegetable soil, leaf vegetable soil, solanaceous vegetable soil, and orchard soil were (1.292±0.647), (1.010±0.201), (0.921±0.125), and (0.861±0.135) mg·kg

3-Amino-4-morpholino-1H-indazol-1-yl(3-fluorophenyl)methanone was synthesised by condensation of 3-fluorobenzoic acid with 4-morpholino-1H-indazol-3-amine, which was prepared from 2,6-difluorobenzonitrile by amination with morpholine and then cyclisation with hydrazine hydrate. The molecular structure was tested by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Preliminary biological tests showed that the compound possesses distinct inhibition on the proliferation of A549, BGC-823 and HepG-2 cancer cell lines.

Two water-soluble monophosphine [PPh3 and 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl(Sphos)]-palladacycles containing hydroxymethyl groups 2–3 were prepared by cyclopalladation and chloride bridge-splitting reactions. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, ESI–MS and NMR. In addition, single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that they have one-dimensional lamellar structures involving intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions. The use of these palladacycles as catalysts for amination and Suzuki coupling of aryl chlorides in water was investigated. Complex 3 was found to be very efficient for these coupling reactions. Additionally, it was also successfully used in Suzuki coupling of (hydroxymethyl)phenylboronic acid for the synthesis of substituted 2-N-heterocyclic biarylmethanols.

Two new triphenylphosphine-cyclopalladated ferrocenylpyrazine complexes containing chlorine/iodine anion 2–3 have been easily prepared from the bridge-splitting reaction of the palladacyclic dimer 1 and anion exchange reaction, respectively. They were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and 1H NMR. Additionally, the structures of these two complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis and C–H···N hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions were found in the their crystal structures. These complexes displayed good activity in the coupling of terminal alkynes with arylboronic acids under atmospheric conditions. This method provided the corresponding arylalkynes with good to excellent yields.

The visible-light-mediated oxydifluoromethylation of olefinic amides with difluoromethyl sulfones has been explored. This method allows for an efficient and practical synthesis of a variety of CF2H-containing benzoxazines and oxazolines bearing various functional groups under mild conditions.

Urban soil is an important part of the urban ecosystem, which is strongly correlated with human health and life quality. In this study, Lin'an city was chosen as a typical small city to study the spatial variation and distribution of heavy metals in urban soils and their pollution characteristics using multivariate analysis, geostatistics, and GIS techniques. A total of 62 soil samples were collected from the study areas. The results indicated that the average concentrations of soil Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, and Cd were 439.42, 42.23, 196.80, 62.55, 63.65, and 0.22 mg·kg

A total of 90 soil samples were collected from the study area. The spatial variation of soil heavy metals and their spatial distribution characteristics were studied. The results indicated that the mean soil concentrations of five heavy metals including Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni were 0.38, 35.13, 121.38, 35.40 and 28.13 mg·kg

We report a case of intractable circulatory failure event in a hypertensive patient during laparoscopy hepatectomy and analyze the diagnosis and treatment by multidisciplinary physicians. This case suggests that both surgeons and anesthesiologists should give attention to oral angiotensin II receptor antagonist during the preoperative period to avoid refractory hypotension. In addition, the use of EV1000 hemodynamic monitoring system in intensive care provides more convenience for clinical liquid management.

Two 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl (Sphos) adducts of cyclopalladated arylpyrazine complexes have been synthesized and characterized. Additionally, the structures of both complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. These palladacycles are fluorescent in CH2Cl2 at room temperature. They have been applied to the double Suzuki coupling of N-heteroaryl halides with 1,4-benzenediboronic acid, giving the desired products in good yields.

Two pyrazine ligands 1–2 and their NHC-palladacycles 3–10 have been synthesized and fully characterized. Additionally, the detailed structures of 5–7 and 9 have been determined by X-ray diffraction and intermolecular π⋯π and C–H⋯X (Cl, N) interactions were found in their crystal structures. These palladacycles are fluorescent in both the solid state and solution at room temperature.

Calcium silicate particles containing mesoporous SiO2 (CaSiO3@SiO2) on the surface was grafted onto polypropylene non-woven fabric. First, polyacrylic acid grafted PP non-woven (PP-g-AA) was prepared by UV irradiation graft and sodium polyacrylate PP non-woven (PP-g-COONa) was synthesized after neutralization by NaOH. Then calcium silicate grafted PP non-woven (PP-g-CaSiO3) was synthesized by dipping PP-g-COONa in Na2SiO3 solution and crosslinking by CaCl2. After modification by hydrochloric acid solution, PP non-woven grafted calcium silicate containing mesoporous SiO2 (PP-g-CaSiO3@SiO2) was obtained and characterized by SEM, FTIR, DSC, BET and XRD. The PP-g-CaSiO3@SiO2 was prepared simply without using any organic solvent, and can be used in the fields of organic adsorption, separation, drug release, tissue engineering and catalysis.

A simple and practical approach to oxindole derivatives via organoselenium-induced radical cyclizations of N-arylacrylamides has been developed. This method provides a convenient access to a variety of selenium-containing oxindoles in good to excellent yields under relatively mild reaction conditions. As one of its notable features, the radical process allows for the direct formation of a Se-C bond and the construction of a oxindole ring in one reaction.

Background: In order to improve the clinical treatment level of urinary system injury, it is necessary to build up an animal model of urinary system wound, which is not only analogous to real clinical practice, but also simple and practical. Methods: We have developed the third generation of firearm fragment wound generator based on the first and the second producer. The best explosive charge of the blank cartridge was selected by gradient powder loading experiments. The firearm fragment injuries were made to the bulbous urethra of 10 New Zealand male rabbits. One week preoperatively and 2, 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, all the animals underwent urethroscopy and urethrography. At 2, 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, two animals were randomly selected and killed, and the urethra was cut off for pathological examination. Results: The shooting distance of the third generation of firearm fragment wound generator is 2 cm. The best explosive charge of the blank cartridge is 1 g of nitrocotton. All rabbits survived the procedures and stayed alive until they were killed. Injuries were limited to bulbous urethra and distal urethra. Round damaged areas, 1-1.5 cm in length, on the ventral wall were observed. Ureteroscopy results showed that canal diameter gradually shrank by over 50% in 9 rabbits. The rate of success was 90%. Urethrography result noted that a 1-1.3 cm stricture was formed at the bulbous urethra. Histology results of injured stricture urethra showed that fibrous connective tissue hyperplasia and hyaline degeneration caused further stricture in the canal. Conclusions: The third generation of firearm fragment wound generator imitates the bullet firing process and is more accurate and repeatable. The corresponding rabbit model of traumatic complex urethral stricture simulates the real complex clinical conditions. This animal model provides a standardized platform for clinical researches on treating traumatic injuries to the urinary system.

【Introduction 】There is ongoing unmet need for effective therapies in Mayo 2004 stage II-III amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis patients, who undergo early death due to cardiac dysfunction. Lately, in vitro studies demonstrated that doxycycline could induce disruption of fibril formation in transgenic mouse model of AL amyloidosis. Matched case-control study of standard chemotherapy with or without doxycycline confirmed higher hematological response, cardiac responses and superior survival with doxycycline in AL patients. However, the possible advantage of doxycycline on lower early mortality and better long-term survival has not been evaluated in a randomized controlled clinical trial. We designed a randomized unblinded controlled study to investigate the efficacy and safety of co-administration of oral doxycycline with bortezomib-cyclophosphamide-dexamethasone (BCD) regimen in treatment-naïve AL amyloidosis patients with Mayo 2004 stage II-III disease. 【Methods 】The randomized unblinded controlled study took place in 12 hospitals in China. Eligible participants were adults with a confirmed diagnosis of AL amyloidosis, whose Mayo 2004 stage were II or III. Enrolled patients were randomly allocated to receive either doxycycline combined with BCD or BCD alone as initial treatment. We chose stratified blocked randomization (block size of 4) to ensure Mayo stage II and III were evenly distributed between doxycycline group and control group. For both two groups, patients will receive 1.3mg/m2of subcutaneous bortezomib and 40mg of oral or intravenous dexamethasone on days 1, 8, 15 and 22, and 300mg/m2oral or intravenous cyclophosphamide on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 35-day cycle. This process was repeated for 9 cycles. Doxycycline was given orally 100mg twice daily for the experimental group. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, adverse events, hematological response, organ response and safety of treatment. This trial has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT03401372) and recruitment and follow-up are ongoing. We planned to enroll a total of 140 participants. 【Results 】Between April 21st, 2018 and June 30th, 2019, 111 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive doxycycline plus BCD (n=56) or BCD alone (n=55) (Figure 1). The baseline characteristics were shown in Table 1. The median age was 61 (range, 41-78) years with a male: female ratio of 1.64:1. Mayo 2004 stage II disease was present in 28 patients in the control group and 29 patients in the doxycycline group. Mayo 2004 stage III disease was present in 27 patients in the control group and 27 patients in the doxycycline group. The median cTnI was 0.10 (range, 0-1.92) μg/L, NT-proBNP 3647 (range, 271-20507) pg/mL, and dFLC 205.30 (50.28-791.90) mg/L, with no significant difference between either group. Organ involvement included the heart (100%), kidney (61.3%), liver (14.4%), peripheral nerves (10.8%) and gastrointestinal tract (5.4%). The percentage of hepatic involvement and 24-hour urine protein were higher in the doxycycline group. The median duration of doxycycline was 5.9 months. Only one patient discontinued doxycycline due to toxicity (Grade 2 rash). Till now, the median follow-up time was 6.1 months and no patients were lost to follow-up. Fourteen patients have completed 9 cycles of chemotherapy. In total, 22 patients died and disease progression occurred in 3 patients. Two patients discontinued treatment due to withdrawal of consent and one of them proceeded to autologous stem cell transplantation. Three patients discontinued study drug owing to unacceptable diarrhea and received second-line treatment based on ixazomib or melphalan afterwards. The grade 3/4 adverse effects were developed in 8 patients (1 infection, 1 mucositis and 6 diarrhea) in the control group and 6 patients (1 infection, 1 arrhythmia, 1 kidney dysfunction and 3 diarrhea) in the doxycycline group. 【Conclusions 】Our data suggested that addition of doxycycline to standard bortezomib-based chemotherapy was an tolerable regimen for treating patients with AL amyloidosis. If this protocol could significantly improve survival and organ response needs to be confirmed with further follow-up. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A Cu+-CP based on the tetranuclear unit {[(HSQPA)(2)Cu-4(bipy)4(]).2H(2)O}n.2nH(2)O has been constructed through Cu2+ salt, 2-(sulfonylquinlium-8-yloxy)phthalic acid (H3(S)QPA), and 4,4'-bipyridine (bipy). This Cu+-CP combined with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the cocatalyst is an effective catalyst for aerobic oxidation of alcohols and the synthesis of benzoxazoles and can be recycled at least four times without losing its catalytic activity.

Two new two-dimensional (2D) lanthanide-organic frameworks based on H2btca and oxalate mixed ligands, namely, {Ln(Hbtca)(C2O4)(H2O)2]·(H2O)}n (Ln = Sm 1, Ho 2; H2btca = benzotriazole-5-carboxylic acid), were obtained by the solvothermal reaction of H2btca, ammonium oxalate and corresponding lanthanide nitrate. Compounds 1–2 are isostructural and both exhibit 2D layers with uncoordinated 1H-benzotriazole moieties, which are further self-assembled to form a three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular structure through hydrogen bonds. TGA and variable-temperature PXRD studies indicate desolvated 1 has excellent thermal stability, which is a new potential metal–organic scaffold for solid-phase organic chemistry. Furthermore, the luminescence properties of 1–2 are investigated at room temperature in the solid state.

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-sepsis effects of physcion 8-O-β-glucopyranoside (POG) isolated from Rumex japonicas and explore its possible pharmacological mechanisms. POG was extracted from R. japonicas by bioactivity-guided isolation with the anti-sepsis agents. Survival analysis in septic mouse induced by LPS and heat-killed Escherichia coli were used to evaluate the protective effect of POG (40 mg·kg-1, i.p.) on sepsis. Cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS (100 ng·mL-1) were determined by ELISA. In addition, the proteins expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 were determined by Western blotting assay. Our results demonstrated that POG (40 mg·kg-1, i.p.) possessed significant protective activity on the endotoxemic mice. The POG treatment (20, 40, and 80 μg·mL-1) significantly decreased the TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 induced by LPS (P < 0.01) in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the TLR4 and TLR2 proteins were also down-regulated by POG at 20 (P < 0.01), 40 (P < 0.01), and 80 μg·mL-1 (P < 0.01). The present study demonstrated that the POG extracted from R. japonicas possessed significant anti-sepsis effect on endotoxemic mice, and can be developed as a novel drug for treating sepsis in the future.

To explore the feasibility of preparing ureteral acellular matrix (UAM) using perfusion systems.Using the luminal structure of the ureter, the UAM was prepared by perfusing canine ureter with SDS, TritonX-100, or both. The residual nuclei in the UAM were evaluated using HE staining, DAPI staining, DNA quantification, and agarose gel electrophoresis. The three-dimensional ultrastructure and the bioactive components were evaluated by Masson's trichrome staining, Alcian Blue staining, collagen quantification, GAG quantification, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and toxicity detection.HE staining and DAPI staining showed the absence of obvious nuclear materials in the combined group, which was further confirmed by DNA quantification and agarose gel electrophoresis. Masson's trichrome staining, Alcian Blue staining, collagen quantification and GAG quantification all verified that the ultrastructure and the bioactive components were well preserved in the combined group. SEM showed a large amount of porous structure on the surface of the UAM prepared by combined perfusion, and toxicity assay confirmed that the prepared UAM was nontoxic.Perfusion of canine ureter with SDS and TritonX-100 is feasible to prepare UAM for ureteral reconstruction.

As the endoscopic technique is widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the incidence of ureteral injuries increases annually. The classical surgical therapies are not always satisfactory. With the constant development of the tissue engineering technology in the field of urinary reconstruction, the ureteral reconstruction has become possible technology. In this study, a novel perfusion-decellularized protocol, which combined a perfusion system with the commonly used physical and chemical methods, was used to prepare the decellularized ureters for ureteral reconstruction and the urinary tract-derived cells (UDCs) were seeded on the surface of the perfusion-decellularized ureters (PDUs) in order to observe the cells survival, adhesion, proliferation and distribution. The data of H&E staining, DAPI staining, and the agarose gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the cellular components of PDUs were removed, and the decellularized time was shorter than previous study. In addition, compared with the native ureters, the DNA content of the PDUs was significantly decreased just two percent residue (P

The study is aimed to evaluate the differentiation potential of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) into urothelial lineage, and to assess possibility of constructing ureteral grafts using the differentiated hADSCs and a novel polylactic acid (PLA)/collagen scaffolds. HADSCs were indirectly cocultured with urothelial cells in a transwell coculture system for urothelial differentiation. After 14 days coculturing, differentiation was evaluated by detecting urothelial lineage markers (cytokeratin-18 and uroplakin 2) in mRNA and protein level. Then the differentiated hADSCs were seeded onto PLA/collagen ureteral scaffolds and cultured in vitro for 1 week. The biocompatibility of the scaffolds was tested by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and MTT analysis. At last, the cell/scafflod grafts were subcutaneously implanted into 4-week-old female athymic mice for 14 days. The results demonstrated that the hADSCs could be efficiently induced into urothelial lineage by indirect coculture. The differentiated cells seeded onto the PLA/collagen ureteral scaffolds survived up to 7 days and maintained proliferation in vitro, which indicated that the scaffolds displayed good biocompatibility. In vivo study showed that the differentiated cells in the grafts survived, formed multiple layers on the scaffolds and expressed urothelial lineage markers. In conclusion, hADSCs may serve as an alternative cell resource in cell-based tissue engineering for ureteral reconstruction. These cells could be employed to construct a model of ureteral engineering grafts and be effectively applied in vivo, which could be a new strategy on ureteral replacement with applicable potential in clinical research. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 100A:2612–2622, 2012.

Three N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) adducts of cyclopalladated ferrocenylchloropyrimidine, 2–4 [PdCl{[(η5-C5H5)]Fe[(η5-C5H3)-N2C4H2-Cl]}(NHCs)] have been prepared by reaction of the chloride-bridged palladacyclic dimer 1 [PdCl{[(η5-C5H5)]Fe[(η5-C5H3)-N2C4H2-Cl]}]2 with the corresponding imidazolium salts. These complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ESI–MS and NMR. The use of these complexes as catalysts for the Sonogashira reaction was examined. Complex 4 proved to be an efficient catalyst for the Sonogashira reaction of aryl bromides and some activated aryl chlorides under copper- and amine-free conditions. Typically, using 0.1–2 mol % of catalyst in the presence of 1.5 equivalents of CsOAc as base in dimethylacetamide at 120 °C provided coupling products in good yields.

N-4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinylimidazole 1 and its hydroxyethyl derivative 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl)imidazolium chloride 2 have been synthesized and characterized. The attempted synthesis of bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)palladium complexes via the direct reaction of 2 with Pd(OAc)2 results in the unexpected formation of a bis(N-arylimidazole) palladium complex 3. Additionally, the analogous bis(N-methylimidazole) palladium complex 4 has also been synthesized by the above method. Compounds 1–4 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and 1H NMR. Additionally, their crystal structures have been determined by X-ray diffraction. Complexes 3 and 4 were found to be efficient catalysts for the Suzuki reaction.

A tissue-engineered ureteral scaffold was constructed with composited poly L-lactic acid (PLLA)-collagen endoluminal stent and uroepithelial cells (UECs) using a new seeding system. The electrospun PLLA-collagen nanofibrous mesh was seeded efficiently with human ureteral epithelial cells using a modified centrifugal seeding device. The cellular nanofibrous mesh was then wound around a spiral endoluminal stent to form a cellular composited PLLA-collagen ureteral scaffold. The cellular ureteral scaffold was subcutaneously implanted into nude mice. Cell attachment, distribution, and viability in vitro were investigated along with the cell fate in vivo. (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay showed that scaffolds seeded with centrifugal method had higher cellular activity than scaffolds seeded with static method (p0.05), and the metabolic activity per cell had no significant differences between the two methods (p0.05). Histologic analysis showed that the entrapped UECs remained in the scaffolds after 2 wk of implantation. The results of the study indicated that the composited PLLA-collagen endoluminal stent could serve as alternative cell carrier for tissue engineering ureter. In addition, the new modified centrifugal seeding system allowed rapid homogeneous distribution of cells onto the nanofibrous mesh, which will be useful to ureteral reconstruction.

In this study, we have fabricated an artificial ureter by transplantation of in vitro-expanded urothelial cells onto an in vivo-prefabricated capsular stent using tissue engineering methods. Spiral poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) stents were transplanted into the subcutaneous of Wistar rats for a period of 1, 2 or 3 weeks to induce the formation of connective tissue capsules on their surfaces. The capsular PLLA stents were then decellularized and further recellularized with bladder epithelial cells to fabricate artificial ureters. The results showed that the entrapped cells in all capsules remained continuously proliferation and lined up in continuous layers. In addition, the urothelial cells on the capsular stents with an embedding period of 2 or 3 weeks showed higher proliferative viability compared with the cells on the stents with an embedding time of 1 week (P < 0.05). The results of the study indicated that the prefabricated capsular stents could serve as alternative cell carriers for tissue engineered ureters, especially with embedding time from 2 to 3 weeks.

Autologous urothelial cells (UCs) provide a cell source for urinary tissue engineering because they can be used safely due to their lack of immunogenicity. However, these cells cannot be harvested under the following circumstances: malignancy, infection and organ loss, etc. Human adipose-derived stem cells (HADSCs) possess the traits of high differentiation potential and ease of isolation, representing a promising resource for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, HADSCs have been poorly investigated in urology and the optimal approaches to induce HADSCs into urothelium are still under investigation. In this study, we hypothesized that the change of microenvironment by a conditioned medium was essential for the transdifferentiation of HADSCs into UCs. We then used a conditioned medium derived from urothelium to alternate the microenvironment of HADSCs. After 14 days of culture in a conditioned medium, about 25-50% HADSCs changed their morphology into polygonal epithelium-like shapes. In addition, these cells expressed up-regulating of urothelial lineage-specific markers (uroplakin 2and cytokeratin-18) and down-regulating of mesenchymal marker (vimentin) in RNA and protein level, respectively, which confirmed that HADSCs were induced into urothelial lineage cells. We also measured the growth factors in the conditioned medium in order to analyze the molecular mechanisms regulating transdifferentiation. We observed that the expression levels of PDGF-BB and VEGF were significantly higher than those of the control group after 14 days induction, suggesting they were abundantly secreted into the medium during the culturing period. In conclusion, HADSCs showed in vitro the upregulation of markers for differentiation towards urothelial cells by culturing in an urothelial-conditioned medium, which provides an alternative cell source for potential use in urinary tract tissue engineering.

A series of ferrocenyl palladacycles with polydentate ligands were conveniently prepared by the Suzuki coupling reactions of a halide-containing ferrocenyl palladacycle [PdCl({(η5-C5H5)}Fe{(η5-C5H3)N2C4H2Cl})(PPh3)] (1) andarylboronic acids without additional palladium catalysis. In the absence of additional base, amination also occurred in high yield. This new protocol was successfully applied to the Suzuki coupling reactions of the analogous halide-containing palladacycle [PdCl({(η5-C5H5)}Fe{(η5-C5H3)NC5H3Br})(PPh3)] (15) and Buchwald–Hartwig amination of the analogous complex [PdCl({(η5-C5H5)}Fe{(η5-C5H3)NC5H3Br})(DCPAB)] (32), where DCPAB = 2-dicyclohexylphosphanyl-2′-(N,N-dimethylamino)biphenyl. The halide-containing palladacycles act as efficient catalysts and substrates in the coupling reactions. 37 new examples have been fully characterized by elemental analysis, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy, and ESI-MS. Additionally, the molecular structures of eight compounds were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and many types of intermolecular C–H···Cl (O, N, π) interactions and π–π interactions were found in the crystal structures of these palladacycles.

Two new tri-p-tolylphosphine-cyclopalladated ferrocenylpyrimidine complexes 1 and 2 have been prepared in good yields by reaction of the corresponding chloride-bridged palladacyclic dimers 1a and 2a with tri-p-tolylphosphine. Complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR, and ESI–MS. Additionally, their crystal structures have been determined by X-ray diffraction, and intermolecular C–H···Cl hydrogen bonds were found in their crystals. Complex 1 was found to be a palladacycle cocrystallization adduct with {PdCl2[P(C6H4-p-Me)3]2}. These complexes were found to be efficient catalysts for the Suzuki reaction.

In this study, the feasibility and the effect of a new biodegradable drug-eluting urethral stents for the treatment of urethral stricture in a rabbit model were evaluated, and the biocompatibility properties of the new biodegradable drug-eluting urethral stents in the rabbit urethral assessed. A total of 34 male New Zealand White rabbits with urethral strictures were used, and equally divided into two groups: with drug stents and drug-free stents. The urethral strictures were made by using a self-control explosion device as the control. Stents were surgically implanted into the stenotic urethras of rabbits under direct vision. Reparative effects, including biocompatibility assessment, were evaluated by urethroscopy, retrograde urethrography, and histology at different intervals at weeks 4, 8, and 12. Although retrograde urethrography and urodynamic results at 12 weeks showed no comparable differences among the three groups, urethroscopic and histological follow-up indicated that the drug stents had minimized the stent-related inflammatory responses, urothelial hyperplasia, and scar formation compared with the drug-free stents. The new biodegradable paclitaxel-eluting stents were more biocompatible and effective for treating urethral strictures in the rabbit model than the drug-free stents.

A modified poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane with higher flux and flux recovery rate was prepared by γ-radiation induced grafting of acrylic acid (AA). The influence of radiation dose and monomer concentration on the grafting degree was investigated. The results indicated that the grafting degree increased in the lower monomer volume fraction until the monomer volume fraction exceeded 20%. The grafting degree increased with the increase of radiation dose. Structural and morphological of the original and grafted membrane surface were characterized by FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that acrylic acid was grafted onto PVDF hollow fiber membrane and the grafted membrane was more hydrophilic than original PVDF. There was a slight increase of breaking strength and yield stress with the increase of the grafting degree of AA. The pure water flux increased initially but decreased subsequently with the raise of grafting degree. When the grafting degree was 4.4%, the maximum pure water flux reached 1946.3 L/m 2 x h, 1.79 times of original membrane. The pure water flux, flux recovery rate and rejection ratio for bovine serum albumin could improve simultaneously in a low grafting degree (

To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of photoselective laser vaporization of the prostate (PVP) in the treatment of patients with acute urinary retention (AUR) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Forty-two patients (mean age 72 +/- 5 years, range 65-89) with AUR because of BPH were treated with a prospective trial of PVP with the potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser. The treatment outcome was evaluated with subjective and objective tests at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after PVP using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), disease-specific quality of life (QoL) score, postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume, and maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax). The International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire and a self-designed ejaculatory questionnaire were completed at different follow-up times to determine patient satisfaction and changes in sexual function.After preliminary urine drainage and adequate preoperative preparation, PVP was performed and bladder outlet obstruction was effectively relieved. The mean prostate volume was 62.5 +/- 11.7 cc, and the mean residual volume with retention was 650 mL (range 240-1200 mL). Mean operative time was 28.6 +/- 5.7 minutes. Mean catheterization duration was 5.6 days (range 3-14 d). There was significant subjective improvement of symptoms and objective improvement in urinary flow rates at 12 months. The mean IPSS and QoL score decreased significantly (P0.05). Mean PVR volume also decreased. The mean Qmax was 16.2 +/- 4.6 mL/sec after treatment. Only two patients had recurrent urinary retention during follow-up. There were no intraoperative or postoperative adverse events.The early clinical results suggest that the PVP is a promising safe, effective, and less-invasive treatment with minimal morbidity for patients with urine retention secondary to BPH.

To prevent terrorism during anti-terror war, we developed a reproducible animal model for the induction of a urethral stricture in a war wound rabbit, and to evaluate the feasibility and effect of using a biodegradable urethral stent in the prophylaxis and treatment of urethral strictures in a war wound (or traumatic) rabbit urethral model. The urethral stricture rabbit model was successfully performed by a self-control explosion destructor. New biodegradable urethral stents were placed in the urethras of 20 war wound (traumatic) rabbits, but no stent was used in the 8 rabbits which formed the control group. Follow-up investigation included assessment of procedure success, stent changes, urethrascopy and retrograde urethrography, and histological findings were obtained after sacrifice at 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks after stent placement. The urethral stricture model owing to a war wound (trauma) was tested by tissue reactions and urethroscopy. The length of the urethral strictures was 5-10 mm; the coarctation of the urethral lumen was more than 50%. Biodegradable stent placement was technically successful in 20 rabbits. Urethral specimens obtained from the 4 week stent placement group showed diminished inflammatory cell infiltration and decreased thickness of the papillary projections of the epithelium. There was a strong tendency towards regression of the papillary projections and regeneration of urethral mucosa epithelium in the 8 week group. In particular, the injured urethra has recovered completely in the biodegradable stent groups compared with the control group at 12 weeks. The biodegradable urethral stent seems feasible for treating and preventing urethral strictures owing to a war wound (or traumatic) urethra. There are distinct advantages in terms of safe, effective and less-invasive treatment for the reconstruction of post-traumatic urethral strictures.