A naringin‐containing soft contact lens (NCSC) was prepared as an antibacterial platform for long‐term wearable soft contact lens. The NCSC showed sustained release of naringin for about a period of 1 month without changing the surface morphology. The effluent solution from NCSC exhibited very low cytotoxicity and high antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. In the intraocular eye drop experiments of effluent solution from NCSC, it had no difference with the control group and showed unstimulated status without any cell damage or side effect. The NCSC showed smoother surface with reduced contamination by P. aeruginosa after wearing of 3 consecutive weeks whereas the control soft contact lens showed extremely high contamination, indicating the effective antibacterial effect of NCSC upon extended wearing.

Calcium mobilization is necessary for cell movement during embryonic development, lymphocyte synapse formation, wound healing, and cancer cell metastasis. Depletion of calcium in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum using inositol triphosphate (IP3) or thapsigargin (TG) is known to induce oligomerization and cytoskeleton-mediated translocation of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) to the plasma membrane, where it interacts with the calcium release-activated calcium channel Orai1 to mediate calcium influx; this process is referred to as store-operated calcium entry (SOCE). Furthermore, aberrant STIM1 or SOCE regulation is associated with cancer cell motility and metastasis. The p21-activated kinases (PAKs), which are downstream effectors of GTPases, reportedly regulate cytoskeletal organization, protrusive activity, and cell migration. Although cytoskeletal remodeling apparently contributes to calcium mobilization via SOCE, and vice versa, the mechanisms by which they regulate each other remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize whether PAK1 modulates calcium mobilization and STIM1 localization. Our data demonstrate that PAK1 interacts with STIM1 in vitro and that this interaction was enhanced by treatment with a nascent adhesion inducer, such as phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu). Under basal conditions, both proteins appeared to primarily colocalize in the cytosol, whereas treatment with PDBu induced their colocalization to vinculin-positive peripheral adhesions. Downregulation of PAK1 activity via chemical inhibitors or by PAK1 shDNA expression impaired STIM1-mediated calcium mobilization via SOCE. Based on these findings, we propose that PAK1 interacts with STIM1 to regulate calcium mobilization and the formation of cellular adhesions.

Naphthoquinone is found in the core structure of many natural compounds, most notably the K vitamins. Numerous molecules with the 1,4-naphthoquinone moiety are known to display distinct biological activities including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activities. Vitamin K2 and doxorubicin, which are used to treat bleeding and lymphoma respectively, belong to this class of chemicals. Although the exact mechanism of action of these molecules is still under investigation, it may include interactions with DNA, inhibition of topoisomerase II, and production of ROS, all of which contribute individually or in combination to DNA damage and cell death. Based on our previous study, 3 novel naphthoquinone derivatives were synthesized and their anti-proliferative activity against HCT116 colon cancer cells was assessed using FACS and Caspase assays. Using this analysis, we found that the production of ROS by naphthoquinones played a critical role in the induction of apoptosis, since pre-treatment of the cells with antioxidant NAC decreased the cytotoxicity level of these compounds.

This paper describes the thermally enhanced in-plane alignment and other properties of liquid crystalline (LC) copolymers ( 1 , 2 , and 3 ) consisting of a methacrylate with a 2-styrylpyridine side group as a photocyclodimerizable group and a methacrylate with a methoxy biphenyl side group as a mesogenic group. 1 H NMR spectroscopy indicated that the contents of the photoreactive monomer unit in copolymers 1 , 2 , and 3 were 0.65, 0.46 and 0.19 (mole fraction), respectively. The copolymers in the film showed a transmittance of 92% at wavelengths > 450 nm, even at 100 °C, as well as thermal stability up to approximately 360 °C. Copolymers 1 and 2 gave a nematic texture at 155 and 150 °C, respectively, while copolymer 3 showed a smectic texture at 130 °C. The copolymer films aligned parallel to the linearly polarized UV(LPUV) light after LPUV light irradiation and subsequent thermal annealing. The respective in-plane order parameters of copolymers 1 , 2 , and 3 in the film at 315 nm were 0.65 at 0.001 J/cm 2 , 0.59 at 0.01 J/cm 2 , and 0.48 at 0.025 J/cm 2 by the same treatment in the LC temperature ranges. This suggests that the photoreactive LC copolymers not only have high optical transparency and good thermal stability but also have controllable, high in-plane alignment with the contents of the photoreactive monomer unit.

Donor-pi-acceptor (D-pi-A) type chromophore-based polymers were newly synthesized. These polymers exhibited absorption peak due to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) in a visible range as well as absorption peak due to carbonyl group in both solution and film state by measuring UV visible spectra. The addition of Eu3+ ion into the polymers induced red-shift in absorption due to ICT and the color changes from yellow to red in the solution and film were observed by naked eyes. The contents of crosslinking agent influenced the features and solubility of the polymers. In addition, the contents of crosslinking agent and the Eu3+ ion addition improved film-forming ability.

Anti cancer agent 5-FU (Fluoro Uracil) is a prodrug that can be metabolized and then activated to interfere with RNA and DNA homeostasis. However, the majority of administered 5-FU is known to be catabolized in vivo in the liver where Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is abundantly expressed to degrade 5-FU. The biological factors that correlate with the response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy have been proposed to include uridine phosphorylase (UPP), thymidine phosphorylase (TPP), p53 and microsatellite instability. Among these, the expression of UPP is known to be controlled by cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL1 and IFN-gamma. Our preliminary study using a DNA microarray technique showed that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) markedly induced the expression of UPP1 at the transcription level. In the present study, we investigated whether bFGF could modulate the expression of UPP1 in osteo-lineage cells and examined the sensitivity of these cells to 5-FU mediated apoptosis.

A new methacrylate monomer,2 with 4-styrylpyridine unit as a photocyclodimerizable group, biphenylene unit as a mesogenic group, and two hexylene groups as flexible spacers, was synthesized. Radical polymerization of2 provided the corresponding polymer,1. The intrinsic viscosity of1 in TFA at 25 °C was 0.25 dL/g. The polymer showed a smectic texture with a layer period of 34.48 Å at 240 °C. Also, it was found that the biphenylene unit of the polymer gave rise to an in-plane alignment after LPUV light irradiation at room temperature and subsequent annealing at the LC temperature of 250 °C while the 4-styrylpyridine unit in the same side chain of the polymer resulted in a high out-ofplane order by the same treatment, being due to the separating ability of the flexible hexylene group between the two mesogenic units.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVCommunication to the...Communication to the EditorNEXTCombinatorially Responsive, Polarity-Indicative, Charge Transfer Dye-Based Polymer Gels for Odor Visualization in VOC Sensor ArrayHyeryun Kim and Giseop Kwak*View Author Information Department of Polymer Science, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Buk-ku, Daegu 702-701, Korea* Corresponding author: Tel +82-53-950-7558; Fax +82-53-950-6623; e-mail [email protected]Cite this: Macromolecules 2009, 42, 4, 902–904Publication Date (Web):January 27, 2009Publication History Received21 November 2008Revised13 January 2009Published online27 January 2009Published inissue 24 February 2009https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ma802593bhttps://doi.org/10.1021/ma802593brapid-communicationACS PublicationsCopyright © 2009 American Chemical SocietyRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views1146Altmetric-Citations16LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-AlertscloseSupporting Info (1)»Supporting Information Supporting Information SUBJECTS:Polymers,Quantum mechanics,Sensors,Solvents,Volatile organic compounds Get e-Alerts

A new pyran-based CTD monomer, allyl 2-(2,6-bis((E)-4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-4H-pyran-4-ylidene)-2-cyanoacetate (2), was successfully synthesized by Knoevenagel reaction. Copolymerization of 2 with styrene (St), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and acrylonitrile (AN) afforded copolymers with different polarity, P(St-co-2), P(MMA-co-2), and P(AN-co-2), respectively. IR and UV-vis absorption spectra revealed that 2 is incorporated into the copolymers. The 2 in the copolymers exhibited absorption and fluorescence properties which are completely different from 2. All these copolymers showed significant blue shifts in emission relative to 2. Also, their lambda(max,abs) and lambda(max,em) increased with an increase in dielectric constant (epsilon) of the polymer matrix in order PAN (epsilon = 5.5) > PMMA (3.3) > PSt (2.5). The copolymers in DMF showed blue shifts in emission along with aggregation by addition of methanol while copolymers in 1,4-dioxane showed a red shift. The fluorescence intensity of P(St-co-2) and P(MMA-co-2) decreased by aggregation while that of P(AN-co-2) increased.

Purmorphamine is a purine analog and it affects osteogenesis, in part, through the modulation of Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway. However, the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. Previously, we identified two purmorphamine derivatives that modulate the expression of osteogenic markers including Runx2, Dlx2 and Hes1. However, the extents of osteogenesis varied depending on the assay employed, and this necessitates the identification of reliable markers. Here, we report that the expression of osteocalcin was most sensitive to the treatment of purmorphamine derivatives among genes we analyzed by RT-PCR. Purmorphamine derivatives differentially modulated the expression of early and late osteogenic markers; alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin gene respectively. In addition, the expression of osteocalcin is also modulated differentially by purmorphamine derivatives over time. Although JNK activity is reported to be necessary for osteocalcin expression, its requirement varied among purmorphamine derivatives. Also the overall cytotoxic response to purmorphamine derivatives appeared slightly different.

Three different cyclic amine dyes, 9-(2-chlorophenyl)-9H-carbazole (CPCz; C18H12ClN), 10-(2-chlorophenyl)-10H-phenoxazine (CPPo; C18H12ClNO), and 10-(2-chlorophenyl)-10H-phenothiazine (CPPt; C18H12ClNS), were synthesized to systematically investigate their optical properties and electronic band structures with molecular microstructure. By the insertion of oxygen or sulfur atom into carbazole moiety, the absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed bathochromic shift, and the Stoke's shift was increased. Ionization potential of CPCz was measured as 5.75eV, on the other hand, CPPo and CPPt showed their ionization potentials of 5.37 and 5.39eV, respectively. The minute difference in chemical structure such as insertion of oxygen or sulfur atom caused huge change of optical property and electronic band structure.

The loci of the Pim and Runx gene families have been identified as targets for viral insertions in CD2-myc mice. Synergistic cooperation between Pim and RUNX was also found in the CD2-Runx2 transgenic mouse lymphoma model. RUNX genes have come to prominence recently because of their roles as essential regulators of cell fate in development. Paradoxically, they appear to function either as tumor-suppressor genes or dominant oncogenes according to the cellular context. However, the molecular mechanism of the ambiguous roles played by this family of transcription factors in cancer has remained largely uninvestigated. Here we demonstrate that Pim-1 phosphorylates four Ser/Thr residues within the Runt domain and stabilizes RUNX3 protein. In addition, Pim-1 markedly altered the cellular localization of RUNX3 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Our results demonstrate that the subcellular localization of RUNX3 is altered by phosphorylation. We propose that RUNX family members may behave as oncogenes if mislocalized to a cellular micro-compartment.

During embryonic and cancer development, the Hedgehog family of proteins, including Sonic Hedgehog, play an important role by relieving the inhibition of Smo by Ptc, thus activating the Smo signaling cascade. Recently, a purine compound, purmorphamine, has been reported to target the Hedgehog signaling pathway by interacting with Smo. Interestingly, both Sonic Hedgehog and purmorphamine were found to promote the osteogenic differentiation of mouse chondroprogenitor cells. However, there is insufficient information as to how the activation of this seemingly unrelated signaling pathway, either by Sonic Hedgehog or purmorphamine, contributes to osteogenesis. Using alkaline phosphatase assays, we screened 125 purmorphamine derivatives from the Korea Chemical Bank for effects on the differentiation of preosteoblast C2C12 cells. Here, we report that two purine derivatives modulate ALP activity as well as the expression of genes whose expression is known or suggested to be involved in osteogenesis.

Glucocorticoids including Dexamethasone (DEX) are often used to control inflammatory responses but whose long term use at high dose can impair the bone growth. However, its underlying mechanisms associated with the osteopathogenesis remains poorly characterized. In differentiation media containing ITS1 and/or BMP4, ATDC5 chondroprogenitor cells go through early chondrogenic differentiation process to exhibit cellular condensation and nodule formation. In this study employing Alcian blue staining, mouse Illumina microarray and RT-PCR techniques, we attempted (1) to investigate whether DEX can influence on early chondrogenic step, and (2) to characterize differential expression of genes that may contribute to the side effect. Our data show that DEX could interfere with early condensation process and induce the expression of genes belonging to integrin and notch signaling pathways. Based on recent reports demonstrating the cooperation of both signaling pathways in cell adhesion, we propose that DEX may modulate the differentiation of chondroprogenitor cells by influencing Notch and integrin signaling activities.

Five different types of 2D–π–A (vinylcyanoacetate)pyran derivatives, each having two donor (2D) and one acceptor (A) groups showed significantly large Stokes shifts. Their fluorescence bands shifted to longer wavelengths with an increase in solvent dielectric constant. The π-conjugated moiety, such as a carbazolyl group, as an electron donor did not impart red-emission saturation. A locked ring structure of the electron donor group led to narrowing of the full width at half maximum (fwhm) and to increased dipole moment in the ground state; in addition, bulky donor groups resulted in molecular stability and restrained electronic perturbation on the excited state. An EL device based on the dyes displayed bright and saturated red light with a high luminance of about 2000cd/m2 at a current density of 160mA/cm2 at 16V.

Ordered processes of proliferation, differentiation and maturation of mesenchymal stem cells are required for chondrogenesis and the development of long bones. In vertebrate, Hedgehog (Hh) proteins are known to be involved in many key developmental processes such as chondrogenesis and bone development. However, molecular mechanism governing these processes, especially at the early stage, remains poorly characterized. We employed a mouse Illumina chip array to examine temporal expression patterns of cellular genes that are critically regulated by SHH in mouse chondroprogenitor cell line- ATDC5. The data from the DNA chip assay and RT-PCR analysis suggests that SHH controls the expression of a set of genes involved in FGF signaling and remodeling of extracellular matrix.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins include structural and nonstructural proteins, both of which serve as biological modulators of cell function by interacting directly with cells or by controlling the activity of growth factors and proteases. Recent studies indicate that retinoic acid (RA) and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (BMP4) have concerted effect on bone formation. However, its underlying mechanism, especially with respect to their effect on the dynamic of ECM gene expression, remains poorly defined. To address this question, the changes in the gene expression of ECM associated protein in C2C12 preosteoblasts upon stimulation by BMP4 and/or RA were analyzed. Following stimulation with each or both reagents for 2, 12 and 48 hours, the expression of ECM genes were analyzed by mouse MAC array and the results were validated by RT-PCR. With the exception of Hapln2 whose expression was increased only during early stages of differentiation. BMP4 and RA had a synergistic effect on the expression of many genes for ECM proteins and ECM structural proteins such as Egf19, Ltbp2, Ogn and Matn2 during 48 hour window. Among 8 ECM associated genes analyzed, Egf19 and Matn2 appeared to be induced primarily by BMP4 and to a lesser extent by RA. Our study demonstrates that BMP4 and RA can synergestically induce the differentiation of C2C12 preosteoblasts and modulate the gene expression of a subset of ECM associated proteins.

AIM:To examine patient need for family and paid caregivers during hospitalization and determine factors related to caregiver use and the economic burden for paid caregivers.BACKGROUND:Provision of nursing care is influenced by the characteristics of the society and its health care system. An influencing factor in Korea is the involvement of family caregivers in inpatient care. Korean society has preserved the strong tradition of family bonds and filial responsibility for caregiving. However, the ability of Korean families to assist hospitalized family members has decreased as the society becomes more industrialized.DESIGN:A cross-sectional study design was used, employing data from the Seoul Citizens' Health Survey, a community-based interview survey with 3,203 inpatients in Seoul, conducted in 2001.METHODS:Distributions of caregivers and related factors were explored by employing univariate comparisons and multivariate logistic regression analyses.RESULTS:During hospitalization, 87% of patients needed caregivers. A greater need for caregivers was found in children, women giving birth and patients with disability, longer length of stay and discharge from general hospitals. Family members were the primary caregivers while 3% of inpatients used private paid caregivers. Having paid caregivers was associated with being female, older, high household income, disability, longer stay and discharge from general hospitals. The average daily expense for paid caregiver was 38.5 US dollars (USD) and 73% of patients perceived it as burdensome.CONCLUSIONS:The demonstrated need for caregivers may suggest that patients rely on family and paid caregivers in receiving assistance and care during hospitalization. Therefore, implementation of policies to relieve the burden of caregivers is necessary at both institutional and national levels. Nursing services need to be redesigned in response to changing needs and expectations of patients and their family members.

RUNX3 has been suggested to be a tumor suppressor of gastric cancer. The gastric mucosa of the Runx3-null mouse develops hyperplasia due to enhanced proliferation and suppressed apoptosis accompanied by a decreased sensitivity to transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1). It is known that TGF-beta1 induces cell growth arrest by activating CDKN1A (p21(WAF1)(/Cip1)), which encodes a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, and this signaling cascade is considered to be a tumor suppressor pathway. However, the lineage-specific transcription factor that cooperates with SMADs to induce p21 expression is not known. Here we show that RUNX3 is required for the TGF-beta-dependent induction of p21 expression in stomach epithelial cells. Overexpression of RUNX3 potentiates TGF-beta-dependent endogenous p21 induction. In cooperation with SMADs, RUNX3 synergistically activates the p21 promoter. In contrast, RUNX3-R122C, a mutation identified in a gastric cancer patient, abolished the ability to activate the p21 promoter or cooperate with SMADs. Furthermore, areas in mouse and human gastric epithelium where RUNX3 is expressed coincided with those where p21 is expressed. Our results suggest that at least part of the tumor suppressor activity of RUNX3 is associated with its ability to induce p21 expression.