Improved preparation of sulfur substituted 3-vinylpyrrole and its application to the syntheses of chuangxinmycin derivatives.

Sulfur substituted 3-vinylpyrrole 10 was prepared from 3-thio-acetylpyrrole 9 by alkylation with alkyl halide in the presence of propylene oxide. Functionalized 4-alkylthioindoles were made by Diels-Alder reaction of the 3-vinylpyrrole 10 with dienophiles. Chuangxinmycin analogues were synthesized by using some of the functionalized 4-alkylthioindoles as key intermediates.

Laparoscopic repair of colonic perforation associated with colonoscopy: use of passing sutures and endoscopic linear stapler.

Laparoscopic surgery recently has been conducted to repair colonic perforation that is associated with colonoscopy. The authors describe their laparoscopic repair of perforation using passing sutures and an endoscopic linear stapler. One 12-mm and several 5-mm trocars were inserted in the lower abdomen under general anesthesia. Observing with a laparoscope, passing sutures were threaded transversely through all layers of the margin of defect and pulled up with forceps to hold the margin straight, along which the defect was stapled with an endoscopic linear stapler. The authors applied this method for five patients, where the perforation occurred in the sigmoid colon or in the cecum (perforation size ranging from 10 mm to 50 mm). Perforation was successfully repaired in all patients, with no complications because of perforation or the procedures. The current method is beneficial because the perforated lesion is safely and easily closed and postoperative colonic stenosis is avoided.

Laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy with intracorporeal hand-sewn anastomosis.

To prevent stapled stenosis after laparoscopic local gastric resection by using autosuturing devices, we developed a technique for laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy with intracorporeal hand-sewn anastomosis. We describe this procedure and present two case reports. The intracorporeal hand-sewn anastomotic technique is an important advance in the field of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.

Pathogenicity of murine cytomegalovirus for newborn mice: analysis with the attenuated mutants.

Mutants (ts21, rev21, and rec21w) of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) with reduced ability to kill newborn mice have been isolated from the Smith strain (wild type; wt). The postulated mutations for these mutants are as follows; a mutation(s) responsible for temperature sensitivity (ts); a mutation(s) responsible for attenuation (att); a mutation(s) which modifies temperature sensitivity (mts); and a mutation(s) responsible for modified growth characteristics (mgc). Genotypes of the mutants have been proposed from their phenotypes; ts21 (ts, att, mts+, mgc+); rev21 (ts, att, mts, mgc+) or (ts+, att, mts+, mgc); and rec21w (ts+, att, mts+, mgc+). Inoculation of 2.0 x 10(4) plaque forming units (PFU) of wt intraperitoneally into mice resulted in lethal infection accompanying intraperitoneal hemorrhage and pathognomonic changes in the target organs. Such changes were less in rec21w-infected mice than in wt-infected mice, and almost absent in ts21- and rev21-infected mice, on the sixth day after inoculation. The lesser damage to the organs correlated with poor growth of these viruses in the corresponding organs. On the other hand, in the case of rec21w-infected mice, virus titer in the target organs was almost equivalent to that of wt-infected mice. The growth characteristic of rec21w in the liver was also similar to that of wt. Nevertheless, damage to the organs by rec21w was less than that by wt. Comparison of the phenotypic characteristics between rec21w and wt demonstrated that att affects the ability of MCMV to induce the organ damage without affecting viral growth. Similar comparison between ts21 and rec21w revealed that ts affects the growth of MCMV in most organs.

Independent existence of mutations responsible for temperature sensitivity and attenuation in a mutant of murine cytomegalovirus.

A temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant of murine cytomegalovirus, ts21, lacks pathogenicity for suckling mice. Revertants (rev21) of ts21 which could replicate at nonpermissive temperature remained attenuated, suggesting the presence of a temperature-independent factor(s) for the attenuation. Coinfection of ts21 with its parental wild-type (wt) generated recombinant-type progenies (rec21w) which lacked temperature sensitivity and were still attenuated. The results indicate that ts21 harbors at least two mutations and the mutation(s) in pathogenicity exists independently of the ts mutation(s).

Effect of Chlorella vulgaris extracts on murine cytomegalovirus infections.

The host-mediated antiviral effect of Chlorella vulgaris extracts (CVE) was evaluated in ICR mice against murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. Mice treated with 10 mg of CVE on days 3 and 1 before virus challenge survived lethal infection. The protective effect of CVE was shown by a decrease in the infectious viruses replicated in the target organs of CVE-treated ICR mice. CVE also protected mice from histopathological damage to the target organs due to MCMV infection. Both the serum interferon (IFN) level and 2'5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase activity were elevated in CVE-treated and MCMV-infected mice, and were higher than those in the control mice. The natural killer (NK) activity of spleen cells, which is otherwise deteriorated by lethal MCMV infection, was remarkably augmented in CVE-treated mice. Neither virocidal nor virostatic activity of CVE on MCMV was seen in vitro. Thus, CVE-induced resistance against MCMV seems to be host-mediated. The protective effect correlated with the augmentation of NK activity of the spleen cells and serum IFN activity, which inhibited replication of MCMV in the target organs and subsequently saved the mice from death.