Preparation and facile addition reactions of iminium salts derived from amino ketene silyl acetal and amino silyl enol ether.

While iminium salts generated by the oxidation of amino ketene silyl acetals show intriguing reactivities to give useful γ-oxo-α-amino esters via reactions with silyl enol ethers in good yields, new iminium salts are also prepared by the oxidation of amino silyl enol ethers. They undergo facile addition reaction with various nucleophiles to give α-amino ketone derivatives in good yields.

Impact of Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Beverage Ingestion on Heart Rate Response While Climbing Mountain Fuji at ~3000 m.

We sought to investigate whether carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage ingestion reduced heart rate (HR) in twenty-three healthy young adults while climbing Mount Fuji at a given exercise intensity. Twenty-three healthy adults were randomly divided into two groups: the tap water (11 males [M] and 1 female [F]) and the carbohydrate-electrolyte group (10 M and 1 F). HR and activity energy expenditure (AEE) were recorded every min. The HRs for the first 30 minutes of climbing were not significantly different between the groups [121 ± 2 beats per min (bpm) in the tap water and 116 ± 3 bpm in the carbohydrate-electrolyte]; however, HR significantly increased with climbing in the tap water group (129 ± 2 bpm) but showed no significant increase in the carbohydrate-electrolyte group (121 ± 3 bpm). In addition, body weight changes throughout two days ascending and descending on Mount Fuji were inversely related to changes in resting HR. Further, individual variation of body weight changes was suppressed by carbohydrate-electrolyte drink. Collectively, carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage intake may attenuate an increase in HR at a given AEE while mountaineering at ~3000 m compared with tap water intake.

Flexible heat-flow sensing sheets based on the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect using one-dimensional spin-current conducting films.

Heat-flow sensing is expected to be an important technological component of smart thermal management in the future. Conventionally, the thermoelectric (TE) conversion technique, which is based on the Seebeck effect, has been used to measure a heat flow by converting the flow into electric voltage. However, for ubiquitous heat-flow visualization, thin and flexible sensors with extremely low thermal resistance are highly desired. Recently, another type of TE effect, the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE), has aroused great interest because the LSSE potentially offers favourable features for TE applications such as simple thin-film device structures. Here we demonstrate an LSSE-based flexible TE sheet that is especially suitable for a heat-flow sensing application. This TE sheet contained a Ni0.2Zn0.3Fe2.5O4 film which was formed on a flexible plastic sheet using a spray-coating method known as "ferrite plating". The experimental results suggest that the ferrite-plated film, which has a columnar crystal structure aligned perpendicular to the film plane, functions as a unique one-dimensional spin-current conductor suitable for bendable LSSE-based sensors. This newly developed thin TE sheet may be attached to differently shaped heat sources without obstructing an innate heat flux, paving the way to versatile heat-flow measurements and management.

[Rapid progressive focal myositis of the head and neck region: a case report].

A 46-year-old woman noticed a painful lump in the neck following fluctuating multiple arthralgia in the previous 3 months. The neck nodule grew rapidly, and was associated with an elevation of the serum creatine kinase activity. Under a diagnosis of focal myositis, corticosteroids were introduced, soon resulting in an amelioration of the symptoms. A biopsy from the neck nodule revealed a muscle tissue with scattered foci of densely packed inflammatory cells. Some of the cells had features similar to the granuloma, which were compact collection of cells and partial tendency of the cell fusion. These findings suggest a close relation between some cases focal myositis and granulomatous myopathy.

Effects of tacrolimus on dermatomyositis and polymyositis: a prospective, open, non-randomized study of nine patients and a review of the literature.

Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are often refractory to conventional therapy with corticosteroids sometimes combined with immune-suppressing agents and can lead to severe disability if these treatments are unsuccessful. In this prospective, open, non-randomized study, we examined the efficacy of tacrolimus (FK506), an immunosuppressant, in nine patients with DM (n = 5) or PM (n = 4) who did not respond to previous therapy. Outcomes included compound muscle strength, ambulatory status, and serum creatine kinase activity measured at intervals after starting tacrolimus. At 6 months after the introduction of tacrolimus, all five patients with DM and three patients with PM showed clinical improvements. Patients with a disease duration of <4 years and those with trough level of tacrolimus >5 ng/ml tended to have better outcomes than those with longer disease duration or lower trough levels. There were no side effects other than moderate hypertension and aggravation of diabetes mellitus. Tacrolimus was beneficial in the majority of patients with PM or DM refractory to corticosteroid therapy. It was also effective in four patients who were previously treated with other immunosuppressants or intravenous immunoglobulin combined with corticosteroids. These results warrant further studies as to the efficacy of tacrolimus compared to other immunosuppressing agents.

In situ observations of domain structures and magnetic flux distributions in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites by Lorentz microscopy and electron holography.

Domain structures and magnetic flux distributions in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites are investigated by in situ observations with Lorentz microscopy and electron holography. In situ Lorentz microscopic observation with the magnetic field applied reveals that the domain walls in Mn-Zn ferrite move easily across the grain boundary. On the other hand, each grain of Ni-Zn ferrite is magnetized by domain wall motion inside the grain. By taking a series of holograms with adjustment of the optical axis and astigmatism while the magnetic field is applied, we succeeded in observing the change in magnetic flux distribution quantitatively. Eventually, it is clarified that magnetization rotation does not take place in the magnetization process of Ni-Zn ferrite. The domain wall widths delta in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites are evaluated to be 73 and 58 nm, respectively. Furthermore, through direct observation of the domain structure in Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite with Lorentz microscopy, it is found that the grains with size below 1.5 microm diameter are single domain.

A new insertion sequence IS1452 from Acetobacter pasteurianus.

A new insertion sequence element, IS1452, was found to be associated with inactivation of the alcohol dehydrogenase by insertion in the adhS gene encoding subunit III of the three-component membrane-bound alcohol dehydrogenase complex in Acetobacter pasteurianus. Cloning and sequencing analyses of the mutated subunit III gene locus revealed that IS1452 was inserted at or near the ribosome-binding sequence of adhS. Analysis of transcription using the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene as the reporter indicated that IS1452 abolished transcription of adhS by separating its promoter from the subunit III structural gene. IS1452 was 1411 bp in length and had a terminal inverted repeat of 21 bp. IS1452 contained one long ORF of 416 amino acids rich in basic amino acids. This protein showed homology with a putative transposes, Tra1, of IS701 isolated from the cyanobacterium Calothrix species PCC 7601. Like IS701, IS1452 was found to generate a 4 bp direct repeat at the site of insertion upon transposition. The target site specificity was rather strict, and a CTA(A or G) sequence appeared to be preferentially recognized. Transposition of IS1452 was replicative, since it was accompanied by an increase in the copy number of IS1452. Several strains belonging to the genus Acetobacter also contained IS1452 at varying copy numbers from one to more than ten. These observations suggest that IS1452 is one of the insertion sequences that are responsible for genetic instability leading to deficiencies in various physiological properties in acetic acid bacteria.