Endoscopic Observation of Tissue by Narrowband Illumination

We propose a new illumination method for a medical endoscope: narrow band imaging (NBI), in which the spectral bandwidth of the filtered light is narrowed. To confirm how the spectral specifications of the filtered light influence a reproduced image, an experiment was conducted observing the endoscopic images of the back mucosa of a human tongue. In addition, the effect of NBI on endoscopic images was investigated through preliminary clinical tests in colonoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. It has been shown that NBI can enhance the capillary pattern and the crypt pattern on the mucosa. These patterns are useful features for diagnosing an early cancer.     

Analysis of Spectral Reflectance Using Normalization Method from Endoscopic Spectroscopy System

Objective assessment of gastrointestinal mucosal color is extremely important in the endoscopic diagnosis of digestive tract disease. In this paper, we propose a method to clarify the spectral characteristics of gastric and colon cancer. A large number of spectral reflectance data of mucous membrane are measured by the endoscopic spectroscopy system (ESS) in the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan and the Department of Internal Medicine, Self-Defense Force Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. We assume that early cancer appears primarily in the spectral data of short wavelength, because it is usually present in a superficial cell where short wavelength light is scattered more strongly than long wavelength light. To identify the features in the short wavelength components, the spectral reflectance was divided by the reflectance of a long wavelength. We investigated the possibility of distinguishing early cancer from normal spectral data through statistical analysis, employing the projection axis as the mean difference between them. Early cancer and normal spectral data were projected on the projection axis, and the Student’s T-test was applied to evaluate the mean of the distribution between these data.     

A fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric analysis of crown ether complexes [1]

Analyses of crown ether complexes of alkali metal ions and characterization of the complexes formed inm-nitrobenzyl alcohol have been carried out by fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry. By using m-nitrobenzyl alcohol as a matrix for measurements, the stoichiometry of the complexes was assessed on the basis of the observed FAB peaks. In addition, the formation of crown ether-alkali metal complexes at a 2 : 1 molar ratio was enhanced by increasing the ionic radius of the metal ion in agreement with previous observations. On these grounds, FAB mass spectrometry may provide a rapid means for investigation of the complexation behavior of crown ethers and the stoichiometry of the complexes.     

Ru3(CO)12-catalyzed silylation of benzylic C-H bonds in arylpyridines and arylpyrazoles with hydrosilanes via C-H bond cleavage

Ruthenium-catalyzed silylation of sp3 C-H bonds at a benzylic position with hydrosilanes gave benzylsilanes. For this silylation reaction, Ru3(CO)12 complex showed high catalytic activity. This silylation proceeded at the methyl C-H bond selectively. For this silylation reaction, pyridyl and pyrazolyl groups, and the imino group in hydrazones, can function as a directing group. Several hydrosilanes involving triethyl-, dimethylphenyl-, tert-butyldimethyl-, and triphenylsilanes can be used as a silylating reagent. Coordination of an sp2 nitrogen atom to the ruthenium complex is important for achieving this silylation reaction.     

Hydroxylation of ionized aromatics including carboxylic acid or amine using recombinant Streptomyces lividans cells expressing modified biphenyl dioxygenase genes

The bphA1(2072)A2A3A4 gene cluster codes for a shuffled biphenyl dioxygenase holoenzyme with broad substrate specificity. These bphA1(2072)A2A3A4 genes were expressed in the actinomycetes Streptomyces lividans using a thiostrepton-inducible promoter P_tipA. Biotransformation experiments of various aromatics including carboxylic acid or amine in their molecular structure, such as 1-naphthoic acid, 2-(1-naphthyl)acetic acid, diphenylamine, and 1-benzyl-4-piperidone, were performed using the recombinant S. lividans cells. These ionized aromatics were converted to the corresponding 1,2-dihydrodiol, mono- or tri-hydroxy forms in 48 h. The structure of the converted products was determined by their EI-MS, ¹H- and ¹³C NMR analysis, and several products were found to be novel compounds.     

Preparation of substituted benzoyltrimethylsilanes by the palladium-catalyzed silylation of substituted benzoyl chlorides with hexamethyldisilane

A direct preparative route to benzoyltrimethylsilane has been found by the reaction of benzoyl chloride with hexamethyldisilane in the presence of a specified palladium(II) complex as catalyst.     

Highly efficient and selective epoxidation of alkenes by photochemical oxygenation sensitized by a ruthenium(II) porphyrin with water as both electron and oxygen donor

Visible light irradiation of a reaction mixture of carbonyl-coordinated tetra(2,4,6-trimethyl)phenylporphyrinatoruthenium(II) (Ru(II)TMP(CO)) as a photosensitizer, hexachloroplatinate(IV) as an electron acceptor, and an alkene in alkaline aqueous acetonitrile induces selective epoxidation of the alkene with high quantum yield (Phi = 0.6, selectivity = 94.4% for cyclohexene and Phi = 0.4, selectivity = 99.7% for norbornene) under degassed conditions. The oxygen atom of the epoxide was confirmed to come from a water molecule by an experiment with H(2)(18)O. cis-Stilbene was converted into its epoxide, cis-stilbeneoxide, without forming trans-stilbeneoxide. trans-Stilbene, however, did not exhibit any reactivity. Under neutral conditions, an efficient buildup of the cation radical of Ru(II)TMP(CO) was observed at the early stage of the photoreaction, while an addition of hydroxide ion caused a rapid reaction with the cation radical to promote the reaction with reversion to the starting Ru(II)TMP(CO). A possible involvement of a higher oxidized state of Ru such as Ru(IV), Ru(V), Ru(VI) through a dismutation of the Ru(III) species was excluded by an experiment with Ru(VI)TMP(O)(2). Decarbonylation of the Ru complex was also proven to be invalid. A reaction mechanism involving an electron transfer from the excited triplet state of Ru(II)TMP(CO) to hexachloroplatinate(IV) and subsequent formation of OH(-)-coordinated Ru(III) species, leading to an oxo-ruthenium complex as the key intermediate of the photochemical epoxidation, was postulated.     

Stepwise delivery of two methoxy groups of arylaldehyde acetals across the phenyl ring. Vacant site-controlled palladium catalysis

A new catalytic cyclization of o-alkynylbenzaldehyde acetals 1 to the functionalized indenes 2 was found to be strictly controlled by the number of triphenylphosphine ligands on the Pd catalyst. Only complexes with three available coordination sites on Pd catalyze this reaction. Mechanistic study suggests that pi-coordination of Pd to the benzene ring is a key step controlled by the number of vacant coordination sites.     

A first photochemical bis-germylation of C60 with digermirane

[reaction: see text]In the photochemical bis-germylation of C60 with 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-digermirane (1), a cycloadduct (2) is obtained in high yield for the first time. Spectroscopic analysis and theoretical investigation confirm that 2 (which has C1 symmetry) results from 1,4-cycloaddition. Control experiments and laser flash photolysis experiments suggest that an exciplex intermediate is responsible for the formation of 2. The redox properties of 2 were examined by differential pulse voltammetry.