Comparison of the Efficacy of Romosozumab and Teriparatide for the Management of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures.

OBJECTIVE: Romosozumab is increasingly employed to manage osteoporosis. However, no studies have analyzed its effects on recent osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of romosozumab compared with teriparatide in managing OVCFs. METHODS: The electronic medical records of postmenopausal patients with recent OVCFs who were administered romosozumab or teriparatide for one year from March 2018 to August 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. We compared the 2 groups for demographics, radiological outcomes (compression ratio, Cobb angle, and bone mineral density [BMD]), and clinical outcomes (Numerical Rating Scale [NRS] for back pain). RESULTS: Fifty-five patients with OVCFs, 32 patients treated with romosozumab and 23 with teriparatide, were included in this study. The change of BMD (g/cm2) values was significantly higher (p = 0.016) in the romosozumab (0.04 ± 0.06) than in the teriparatide group (0.00 ± 0.08) in the femur total. Furthermore, in subgroup analysis, the change of BMD (g/cm2) values in the lumbar spine was significantly higher (p = 0.016) in the romosozumab (0.12 ± 0.06) than in the teriparatide group (0.07 ± 0.06) in the lumbar spine. The decrease in NRS was significantly higher (p = 0.013) in the romosozumab (6.6 ± 2.0) than in the teriparatide group (5.5 ± 2.1). However, there was no significant difference in radiologic outcomes between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that romosozumab may be more effective than teriparatide in treating OVCFs in postmenopausal females, particularly in improving BMD and reducing back pain as measured by NRS.

Efficacy of an interdental brush in cleaning artificial plaque on a 3D-printed model base.

BACKGROUND: Among interdental cleaning aids (ICAs), interdental brushes (IDBs) are in the spotlight because they can effectively remove plaque from interdental surfaces. Guidance on the correct use of ICAs, such as IDBs, is required to prevent dental plaque accumulation. Since it is impossible to confirm the interdental proximal surface unless extracted, it is difficult to conduct quantitative experiments. This study presented an efficient way to evaluate IDBs by realizing dental structures and embrasures using a Dental computer-aided design (CAD) software and a 3D printer. METHODS: Two different sizes of embrasure (0.7 and 1.2 mm) crown models were prepared with CAD software and a 3D printer. To evaluate the cleaning efficacy of IDBs of each size (0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.5 mm diameters), the 9th cycle of brush move was performed where artificial plaque was spread and a digital camera was used to record the process. The pixels and percentage of cleaning from the recorded digital images were analyzed. RESULTS: The plateau was formed after the 5th brushing cycle under all conditions-after the 5th cycle, the cleaning efficacy of the two crown models was 69.3-86.4% and 49.8-75.4%. In these results, the optimal diameters for the IDB were 1.2 and 1.5 mm for embrasure sizes of 0.7 and 1.2 mm, respectively. Moreover, the cleaning efficacy was the highest at 86.4% and 75.4% after the 9th cycle. CONCLUSIONS: The 3D-printed model base for the human oral embrasure structure is an adequate model to test artificial plaque removal using IDB. The use of IDBs for more than five cycles does not support the conventional idea that a greater number of IDB brushing moves is more effective in a statistically substantial manner.

Highly Selective Room-Temperature Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Bromo-2-sulfonyloxypyridines for Unsymmetrical Diarylpyridines.

A new and mild synthetic approach has been developed for the synthesis of pharmaceutically important unsymmetrical diarylpyridines via chemoselective Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions of bromo-2-sulfonyloxypyridines. Most reactions allow for facile access to aryl-2-sulfonyloxypyridines at room temperature in yields of 5-99% with excellent chemoselectivity in the presence of Pd(OAc)2 (2.0 mol %) and Ad2BnP (2.4 mol %). The second arylation of the remaining tosyl or triflyl group in the monoarylpyridine derivatives obtained was successfully accomplished for the synthesis of unsymmetrical 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5-, and 2,6-diarylpyridine derivatives. Furthermore, a one-pot synthesis of unsymmetrical diarylpyridines starting from bromo-2-sulfonyloxypyridine was accomplished to demonstrate the practical convenience. Finally, with this method, an antibacterial agent, a topoisomerase inhibitor, and etoricoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, were successfully synthesized from the corresponding bromo-2-hydroxypyridines in overall yields of 80, 86, and 49%, respectively.

Chan-Lam coupling reaction of sulfamoyl azides with arylboronic acids for synthesis of unsymmetrical N-arylsulfamides.

An efficient method was developed for the synthesis of unsymmetrical N-arylsulfamides using sulfamoyl azides and arylboronic acids in the presence of 10 mol% of copper chloride as the catalyst. The reaction was facilitated in MeOH in an open flask at room temperature. Unlike the coupling of sulfamides and boronic acids, the use of sulfamoyl azides was found to be beneficial with respect to the yield and reaction time.

Simultaneous activation of mitophagy and autophagy by staurosporine protects against dopaminergic neuronal cell death.

Abnormal autophagy is frequently observed during dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it is not yet firmly established whether active autophagy is beneficial or pathogenic with respect to dopaminergic cell loss. Staurosporine, a common inducer of apoptosis, is often used in mechanistic studies of dopaminergic cell death. Here we report that staurosporine activates both autophagy and mitophagy simultaneously during dopaminergic neuronal cell death, and evaluate the physiological significance of these processes during cell death. First, staurosporine treatment resulted in induction of autophagy in more than 75% of apoptotic cells. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy by bafilomycin A1 decreased significantly cell viability. In addition, staurosporine treatment resulted in activation of the PINK1-Parkin mitophagy pathway, of which deficit underlies some familial cases of PD, in the dopaminergic neuronal cell line, SN4741. The genetic blockade of this pathway by PINK1 null mutation also dramatically increased staurosporine-induced cell death. Taken together, our data suggest that staurosporine induces both mitophagy and autophagy, and that these pathways exert a significant neuroprotective effect, rather than a contribution to autophagic cell death. This model system may therefore be useful for elucidating the mechanisms underlying crosstalk between autophagy, mitophagy, and cell death in dopaminergic neurons.