Total synthesis of the (S)-stereoisomer of telomestatin (1) was accomplished. (S)-Telomestatin exhibited potency four times that of the natural product, (R)-telomestatin, which was the most potent telomerase inhibitor previously reported. In the circular dichroism spectral analysis of the complexes possessing randomly structured single-stranded d[TTAGGG](4) oligonucleotide, (S)-telomestatin, like (R)-telomestatin, induced an antiparallel G-quadruplex structure. The melting temperature (T(m)) value of the (S)-isomer complex was greater than that of the (R)-telomestatin complex. Therefore, it is concluded that the stereochemistry of the thiazoline of telomestatin is important to the binding ability of a G-quadruplex binder, and (S)-telomestatin as a G-quadruplex binder is more potent than the natural product.
Emotion sensing using physiological signals in real-life situations can be practically valuable. Previous studies have developed wearable devices that record autonomic nervous system activity, which reflects emotional arousal. However, no study determined whether emotional valence can be assessed using wearable devices. To this end, we developed a wearable device to record facial electromyography (EMG) from the corrugator supercilii (CS) and zygomatic major (ZM) muscles. To validate the device, in Experiment 1, we used a traditional wired device and our wearable device, to record participants’ facial EMG while they were viewing emotional films. Participants viewed the films again and continuously rated their recalled subjective valence during the first viewing. The facial EMG signals recorded using both wired and wearable devices showed that CS and ZM activities were, respectively, negatively and positively correlated with continuous valence ratings. In Experiment 2, we used the wearable device to record participants’ facial EMG while they were playing Wii Bowling games and assessed their cued-recall continuous valence ratings. CS and ZM activities were correlated negatively and positively, respectively, with continuous valence ratings. These data suggest the possibility that facial EMG signals recorded by a wearable device can be used to assess subjective emotional valence in future naturalistic studies.
SummaryCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) evokes activation of a systemic inflammatory response. Sivelestat has been used clinically to treat acute lung injury associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome. This prospective, doubleblind, randomized study was designed to evaluate the effects of sivelestat in the perioperative period of elective pediatric open-heart surgery with CPB. Twenty-six consecutive pediatric patients weighing between 5 and 10 kg and undergoing open-heart surgery with CPB were divided into a sivelestat group (n = 13) and a control group (n = 13). The patients in the sivelestat group were administered a continuous intravenous infusion of 0.2 mg/kg/hour of sivelestat, and the patients in the control group were administered the same volume of 0.9% saline from the initiation of CPB to 24 hours after surgery. Blood samples were drawn for the measurement of cytokines, polymorphonuclear elastase (PMN-E), white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NC), and C-reactive protein (CRP). There were no significant differences in cytokine data between the two groups. The peak PMN-E and WBC levels were significantly increased in the control group (P = 0.049, P = 0.039). The WBC and NC levels immediately after surgery in the control group were significantly greater than those in the sivelestat group (P = 0.049, P = 0.044). The peak CRP level in the control group was significantly greater than the sivelestat group (P = 0.04), and the CRP level on postoperative day 4 in the control group was significantly greater than in the sivelestat group (P = 0.014). This study showed that sivelestat attenuates the perioperative inflammatory response in pediatric heart surgery with CPB. (Int Heart J 2013; 54: 149-153)
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.