Increased proportion of medium chain fatty acids in nystatin-resistant yeast mutants

Fatty acid composition of phospholipids and steryl esters from four nystatin-resistant mutants ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae was compared to that from the wild strain. All the mutant strains which produce several ergosterol intermediates incorporated two-to three-fold as much medium chain fatty acids, especially 14:0 and 14:1 in phospholipids, and 12:0, 14:0 and 14:1 in steryl esters as the wild strain did. The increase in the relative amount of medium chain fatty acids in these mutants was found at all the growth temperatures and the growth phases examined, and in all the phospholipid species.     

Inhibitory effects of an antiestrogen, toremifene, on the phorbol ester-induced adhesive capacity of breast carcinoma cells

Previous studies have revealed that protein kinase C (PKC) is responsible for malignant progression. In the present study, we investigated the potent inhibitory effects of an antiestrogen, toremifene, on PKC-mediated cellular adhesion. A phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), significantly enhanced alpha2beta1 integrin-dependent adhesion of MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells. This PMA-induced adhesion was partially inhibited by incubating cells with toremifene prior to PMA exposure in a time- and dose-dependent manner. FACS analysis demonstrated that the PMA-induced alpha2beta1-dependent cellular adhesion was accompanied with elevated expression of alpha2beta1+integrin subunit on the cell surface. However, toremifene did not affect the elevated expression levels of these integrins but rather the avidity of alpha2beta1 integrin. We concluded that toremifene inhibited cellular adhesion activated by PMA, probably through mechanism which inhibits PKC.     

A case of recurrent breast cancer responding to combination therapy with mitoxantrone (MIT), 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)

The patient was a 50-year-old woman who had undergone left standard radical mastectomy who had undergone left standard radical mastectomy on June 1, 1986. She showed multiple liver metastases with elevation of CEA level in July, 1991, and 5'-DFUR plus MPA combination therapy was started. The daily dosages were: 800 mg/body and 1,200 mg/body, respectively. After intra-arterial infusion of pirarubicin and Lipiodol, bilateral oophorectomy was performed and an implantable reservoir for intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy was implanted via the proper hepatic artery. Then she was treated by arterial-infusion of mitoxantrone 10mg/body intermittently every two weeks. The metastatic foci responded to this therapy and her CEA level decreased.     

Thermal cycle behavior of plasma sprayed La2O3, Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 coatings

The effects of La₂O₃ addition on thermal conductivity, phase stability and thermal cycle life of Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ plasma sprayed coatings were investigated. Although low thermal conductivity as well as high resistance to sintering was achieved by La₂O₃ addition, it tended to also result in lower phase stability and thermal cycle life of the coatings. Optimization of the composition and structure of the coatings improved these properties, and the optimized coatings showed prolonged thermal cycle life.     

Biodegradable polymers based on renewable resources VIII. Environmental and enzymatic degradability of copolycarbonates containing 1,4 : 3,6‐dianhydrohexitols

Environmental and enzymatic degradations were investigated on a series of copolycarbonates consisting of equimolar amounts of 1,4 : 3,6‐dianhydrohexitols (1,4 : 3,6‐dianhydro‐D ‐glucitol (1a) and 1,4 : 3,6‐dianhydro‐D ‐mannitol (1b)) and alkylene diols (1,4‐butanediol, 1,6‐hexanediol, 1,8‐octanediol, and 1,10‐decanediol) or oligo(ethylene glycol)s (di‐, tri‐, and tetraethylene glycols). Fourteen different copolycarbonates with number average molecular weights in the range of 1.1–4.2 × 10⁴ were prepared by solution polycondensation as described in our previous article. Biodegradability of the copolycarbonates was assessed by soil burial degradation tests in composted soil at 27 °C and by enzymatic degradation tests in a phosphate buffer solution at 37 °C. In general, biodegradability of the copolycarbonates increased with increasing chain lengths of the methylene groups of alkylene diols or of the oxyethylene groups of the oligo(ethylene glycol)s. SEM observations of the film surfaces of polymers recovered from soil burial indicated that the copolycarbonates were degraded by microorganisms in soil. In enzymatic degradation, the copolycarbonates containing alkylene diol components showed high degradability with Pseudomonas sp. lipase, whereas the copolycarbonates containing oligo(ethylene glycol) components were not degraded at all. The enzymatic degradability of the copolycarbonates is discussed with reference to the geometrical structure around the carbonate linkages and the microstructure and hydrophobicity of the polymer chains. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1679–1687, 2005     

Thermal conductivity and thermal cycle life of La2O3 and HfO2 doped ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings produced by EB-PVD

The effects of La₂O₃ and HfO₂ addition on thermal conductivity and thermal cycle life of EB-PVD YSZ coatings were investigated. La₂O₃ and HfO₂ were selected as additives, because they significantly suppress the sintering of YSZ. The developed coating showed low thermal conductivity as well as high resistance to sintering. Burner rig tests confirmed that the developed coating have a superior thermal insulating effect and have a longer life than that of a coating with conventional composition.     

Biodegradable polymers based on renewable resources. V. Synthesis and biodegradation behavior of poly(ester amide)s composed of 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐D‐glucitol, α‐amino acid,and aliphatic dicarboxylic acid units

A series of poly(ester amide)s were synthesized by solution polycondensations of various combinations of p‐toluenesulfonic acid salts of O,O′‐bis(α‐aminoacyl)‐1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐D ‐glucitol and bis(p‐nitrophenyl) esters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids with the methylene chain lengths of 4–10. The p‐toluenesulfonic acid salts were obtained by the reactions of 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐D ‐glucitol with alanine, glycine, and glycylglycine, respectively, in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid. The polycondensations were carried out in N‐methylpyrrolidone at 40°C in the presence of triethylamine, giving poly(ester amide)s having number‐average molecular weights up to 3.8 × 10⁴. Their structures were confirmed by FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy. Most of these poly(ester amide)s are amorphous, except those containing sebacic acid and glycine or glycylglycine units, which are semicrystalline. All these poly(ester amide)s are soluble in a variety of polar solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol, m‐cresol, pyridine, and trifluoroacetic acid. Soil burial degradation tests, BOD measurements in an activated sludge, and enzymatic degradation tests using Porcine pancreas lipase and papain indicated that these poly(ester amide)s are biodegradable, and that their biodegradability markedly depends on the molecular structure. The poly(ester amide)s were, in general, degraded more slowly than the corresponding polyesters having the same aliphatic dicarboxylic acid units, both in composted soil and in an activated sludge. In the enzymatic degradation, some poly(ester amide)s containing dicarboxylic acid components with shorter methylene chain lengths were degraded more readily than the corresponding polyesters with Porcine pancreas lipase, whereas most of the poly(ester amide)s were degraded more rapidly than the corresponding polyesters with papain. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2721–2734, 2001