The discovery of Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) and its significance for cell biology,life sciences and clinical medicine

It has been more than 25 years since HGF was discovered as a mitogen of hepatocytes. HGF is produced by stromal cells, and stimulates epithelial cell proliferation, motility, morphogenesis and angiogenesis in various organs via tyrosine phosphorylation of its receptor, c-Met. In fetal stages, HGF-neutralization, or c-Met gene destruction, leads to hypoplasia of many organs, indicating that HGF signals are essential for organ development. Endogenous HGF is required for self-repair of injured livers, kidneys, lungs and so on. In addition, HGF exerts protective effects on epithelial and non-epithelial organs (including the heart and brain) via anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory signals. During organ diseases, plasma HGF levels significantly increased, while anti-HGF antibody infusion accelerated tissue destruction in rodents. Thus, endogenous HGF is required for minimization of diseases, while insufficient production of HGF leads to organ failure. This is the reason why HGF supplementation produces therapeutic outcomes under pathological conditions. Moreover, emerging studies delineated key roles of HGF during tumor metastasis, while HGF-antagonism leads to anti-tumor outcomes. Taken together, HGF-based molecules, including HGF-variants, HGF-fragments and c-Met-binders are available as regenerative or anti-tumor drugs. Molecular analysis of the HGF-c-Met system could provide bridges between basic biology and clinical medicine.     

石墨炔与锡烯层状体系的形变势和电声耦合及载流子传输理论研究

我们对sp + sp²杂化的碳同素异形体—石墨炔,以及锡烯等层状体系的电子结构、形变势、电声耦合和电荷输运性质进行了回顾。有些二维石墨炔具有类似石墨烯的狄拉克锥,同时石墨炔电子结构可通过将其沿不同方向裁剪成不同宽度一维纳米带来调节。采用玻尔兹曼输运方程和形变势近似,结合第一性原理计算,我们预测石墨炔电荷载流子室温迁移率可达10⁴–10⁵ cm²·V^-1·s^-1,尤其6, 6, 12-石墨炔,因有两个狄拉克锥及比石墨烯弱的电声耦合,其室温迁移率甚至能高于石墨烯。因此具有独特电子结构和高迁移率的石墨炔能成为继石墨烯之后未来的纳米电子器件材料。此外我们着重分析了形变势方法的适用性：密度泛函微扰理论和瓦尼尔插值技术能精确计算任意波矢和模式的声子对载流子散射,该方法在石墨烯和石墨炔上的运用表明二维平面碳材料中对载流子输运起主导作用的是长波长纵声学声子散射,因而形变势方法是适用的;但通过对锡烯等二维非平面buckling结构的材料声子散射和迁移率的计算,发现此类不具备σ_h对称性的材料有较强的面外声子散射和横声学声子谷间散射,使得常用的形变势失效。     

Pain in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A Questionnaire Study

Objective: This study aimed to reveal the chronic pain prevalence in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients and identify the clinical characteristics of these patients with chronic pain. The pain status was also investigated in SMA patients with chronic pain. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2018 and December 2018. SMA type II and type III patients in Japan were mailed a survey questionnaire. The survey items were chronic pain prevalence, clinical characteristics, and motor function. Patients with chronic pain also answered questions on various pain status parameters: pain intensity, frequency, duration, location using body map, and factors that exacerbated and relieved pain. Results: The questionnaire recovery rate was 61.1%. Sixty-four type II (mean age 17.3 ± 11.7 years) and 22 type III (mean age 44.9 ± 21.6 years) patients were eligible for inclusion. The prevalence of chronic pain in type II and III patients was 40.6% and 40.9%, respectively. Type II patients with chronic pain were more likely to report the inability to sit without manual support than those without pain (p = 0.03). Pain intensity in SMA patients was mild, but pain usually occurred daily, for prolonged durations, most often in the neck, back, and lower extremities. Sitting and high physical activity exacerbated pain the most. Conclusion: The percentage of patients with SMA with chronic pain was high, at above 40%. Moreover, the pain experienced by patients with SMA was low in intensity but frequent and most common in the lower extremities.     

Minimum standards of clinical practice for physical therapists working in intensive care units in Japan

Objective: Early mobilization and rehabilitation has become common and expectations for physical therapists working in intensive care units have increased in Japan. The objective of this study was to establish consensus-based minimum clinical practice standards for physical therapists working in intensive care units in Japan. It also aimed to make an international comparison of minimum clinical practice standards in this area. Methods: In total, 54 experienced physical therapists gave informed consent and participated in this study. A modified Delphi method with questionnaires was used over three rounds. Participants rated 272 items as “essential/unknown/non-essential”. Consensus was considered to be reached on items that over 70% of physical therapists rated as “essential” to clinical practice in the intensive care unit. Results: Of the 272 items in the first round, 188 were deemed essential. In round 2, 11 of the 62 items that failed to reach consensus in round 1 were additionally deemed essential. No item was added to the “essential” consensus in round 3. In total, 199 items were therefore deemed essential as a minimum standard of clinical practice. Participants agreed that 42 items were not essential and failed to reach agreement on 31 others. Identified 199 items were different from those in the UK and Australia due to national laws, cultural and historical backgrounds. Conclusions: This is the first study to develop a consensus-based minimum clinical practice standard for physical therapists working in intensive care units in Japan.     

Revisiting Alkane Hydroxylation with m-CPBA (m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid) Catalyzed by Nickel(II) Complexes

Mechanistic studies are performed on the alkane hydroxylation with m-CPBA (m-chloroperbenzoic acid) catalyzed by nickel(II) complexes, Ni^II(L). In the oxidation of cycloalkanes, Ni^II(TPA) acts as an efficient catalyst with a high yield and a high alcohol selectivity. In the oxidation of adamantane, the tertiary carbon is predominantly oxidized. The reaction rate shows first-order dependence on [substrate] and [Ni^II(L)] but is independent on [m-CPBA]; v_obs=k₂[substrate][Ni^II(L)]. The reaction exhibited a relatively large kinetic deuterium isotope effect (KIE) of 6.7, demonstrating that the hydrogen atom abstraction is involved in the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle. Furthermore, Ni^II(L) supported by related tetradentate ligands exhibit apparently different catalytic activity, suggesting contribution of the Ni^II(L) in the catalytic cycle. Based on the kinetic analysis and the significant effects of O₂ and CCl₄ on the product distribution pattern, possible contributions of (L)Ni^II−O^. and the aroyloxyl radical as the reactive oxidants are discussed.     

One-year Ocular Safety Observation of Workers and Estimations of Microorganism Inactivation Efficacy in the Room Irradiated with 222-nm Far Ultraviolet-C Lamps

Two krypton-chloride germicidal excimer lamp units (Care222 TRT-104C11-UI-U3, USHIO Inc.) were installed in the examination room of an ophthalmology department. The irradiation dose was set not to exceed the former (i.e., before 2022) threshold limit value (TLV) (22 mJ cm⁻²/8 h) recommended by the ACGIH. Section 1: The eyes and lids of the six ophthalmologists (5 wore glasses for myopic correction) who worked in the room for a mean stay of 6.7 h week⁻¹ were prospectively observed for 12 months. Slitlamp examinations revealed neither acute adverse events such as corneal erosion, conjunctival hyperemia, and lid skin erythema nor chronic adverse events such as pterygium, cataract, or lid tumor. The visual acuity, refractive error, and corneal endothelial cell density remained unchanged during the study. Section 2: The irradiation of samples placed on the table or floor using the same fixtures in the room (5–7.5 mJ cm⁻²) was associated with >99% inhibition of φX174 phage and >90% inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus. In conclusion, no acute or chronic health effects in human participants was observed in a clinical setting of full-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation by 222-nm lamp units, and high efficacy in deactivation of microorganisms was determined in the same setting.