High-resolution infrared and electron-diffraction studies of trimethylenecyclopropane ([3]-radialene).

Combined high-resolution spectroscopic, electron-diffraction, and quantum theoretical methods are particularly advantageous for small molecules of high symmetry and can yield accurate structures that reveal subtle effects of electron delocalization on molecular bonds. The smallest of the radialene compounds, trimethylenecyclopropane, [3]-radialene, has been synthesized and examined by these methods. The first high-resolution infrared spectra have been obtained for this molecule of D3h symmetry, leading to an accurate B0 rotational constant value of 0.1378629(8) cm(-1), within 0.5% of the value obtained from electronic structure calculations (density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP/cc-pVTZ). This result is employed in an analysis of electron-diffraction data to obtain the rz bond lengths (in Å): C-H = 1.072(17), C-C = 1.437(4), and C═C = 1.330(4). The results indicate that the effects of rehybridization and π-electron delocalization affects each result in a shortening of about 0.05 Å for the C-C bond in radialene compared to ethane. The analysis does not lead to an accurate value of the HCH angle; however, from comparisons of theoretical and experimental angles for similar compounds, the theoretical prediction of 117.5° is believed to be reliable to within 2°.

Adherence to the 1997 American Urological Association guidelines for the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVES: To review the published literature in the Journal of Urology (JU) and Urology (UR) particular to the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), to assess whether the recommendations as set forth by the original American Urological Association (AUA) Female Stress Urinary Incontinence Clinical Guidelines Panel were substantially adhered to in the subsequent SUI surgical literature. METHODS: An online search of JU and UR was conducted to collect all articles published between January 1998 and September 2006 reporting on the surgical treatment of female SUI using any technique. Articles were reviewed and abstracted for the various data points specified by the original Guidelines Panel that were recommended as a minimum baseline data set as well as standards of efficacy for future trials. RESULTS: A total of 90 articles (JU = 57, UR = 33) meeting the above criteria were identified and included in this analysis. There were no articles meeting all criteria, but most complied with at least half of the recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Since the publication of the 1997 AUA SUI guidelines, adherence to the recommendations of efficacy for future trials in the articles published in the major U.S. urological journals has been suboptimal. The implications of this for the next AUA SUI Guidelines Panel, whose recommendations are based on the intervening literature since the last Guidelines Panel report, are unclear.

Functional analysis of the host defense peptide Human Beta Defensin-1: new insight into its potential role in cancer.

Although it is known that innate immunity is key for protecting the body against foreign agents such as bacteria, little is known about elements of the innate immune system that have anti-tumor activity. Human Beta Defensin-1 (hBD-1), an important component of the innate immune response, is lost at high frequencies in malignant prostatic tissue, while high levels of expression are maintained in adjacent benign regions. In prostate carcinoma, frequent genetic alterations occur in the 8p22-23 region and several studies indicate there may be multiple tumor suppressor genes present within this region. The high incidence of loss of hBD-1 expression in prostate cancer, along with its chromosomal location of 8p23.2, raised the possibility that it may play a role in tumor suppression. To gain insight as to its function in prostate cancer, hBD-1 was cloned and ectopically expressed in four prostate cancer cell lines. Induction of hBD-1 expression resulted in a decrease in cellular growth in DU145 and PC3 cells. However, hBD-1 has no effect on the growth of androgen receptor (AR) positive LNCaP prostate cancer cells, but was again growth suppressive to PC3 cells with ectopic AR expression (PC3/AR+). hBD-1 also caused rapid induction of cytolysis and caspase-mediated apoptosis in DU145 and PC3 prostate cancer cells. Although the regulation of hBD-1 was not addressed in this study, our preliminary data demonstrated that the pathways involved may include cMYC and PAX2. Data presented here are the first to provide evidence of its potential role in prostate cancer cell death.