We aimed to clarify changes in serotypes and genotypes mediating β-lactam and macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from Japanese children who had invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) after the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced into Japan; 341 participating general hospitals conducted IPD surveillance during April 2010-March 2013. A total of 300 pn...

About 50-70% of breast cancers are estrogen receptor α (ERα) positive and most of them are sensitive to endocrine therapy including tamoxifen. However, one third of these patients will eventually develop resistance and relapse. We found that the expression of miR-15a and miR-16 were significantly decreased in tamoxifen resistant ER positive breast cancer cell lines. Exogenous expression of miR-...

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as critical players in multiple cancers and lncRNAs are tightly linked to cancer progression. However, only little amount of lncRNAs have been identified to participate in the molecular mechanisms of the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we found that lncRNA-AK058003 is down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues a...

The novel 1-(2-fluorovinyl)-4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid derivatives Z-15a-c, E-15a-c, Z-16a-c, and E-16a-c, conformationally restricted analogues of fleroxacin (5), were synthesized, and their in vitro antibacterial activity was evaluated. A dehydrosulfenylation of a 2-fluoro-2-[(4-methoxyphenyl)sulfinyl]ethyl group was employed as a key step for the construction of a 2-fluorovinyl group at t...

A Pyrenophora teres f. teres cross between isolates 0-1 and 15A was used to evaluate the genetics of avirulence associated with barley lines Canadian Lake Shore (CLS), Tifang, and Prato. 15A is avirulent on Tifang and CLS, but virulent on Prato. Conversely, 0-1 is avirulent on Prato, but virulent on Tifang and CLS. Avirulence:virulence on Tifang and CLS segregated 1:1, whereas avirulence:virule...

The design and synthesis of a small library of pyrrolidine iminocyclitol inhibitors with a structural similarity to 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-arabitol (DAB-1) is reported. This library was specifically designed to gain a better insight into the mechanism of inhibition of glycosidases by polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines or iminocyclitols. Pyrrolidine-3,4-diol 15a and pyrrolidine-3,4-diol diacetate 15...

After the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, the incidence of pneumococcal infections due to meropenem-resistant serotype 15A-ST63 strains increased in Japan. By using whole-genome sequencing and comparing sequences with those of clones from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, we clarified the traits of the serotype 15A-ST63 clone. Our analysis revealed that the mer...

The lungs undergo changes that are adaptive for high elevation in certain animal species. In chickens, animals bred at high elevations (e.g., Tibet chickens) are better able to hatch and survive under high-altitude conditions. In addition, lowland chicken breeds undergo physiological effects and suffer greater mortality when they are exposed to hypoxic conditions during embryonic development. A...

The serotonin transporter (SERT) is a key regulatory molecule in serotonergic transmission implicated in numerous biological processes relevant to human disorders. Recently, it was shown that SERT expression is controlled by miR-16 in mouse brain. Here, we show that SERT expression is regulated additionally by miR-15a as well as miR-16 in human and rat tissues. This post-transcriptional regulat...

Treatment of chemo-resistant ovarian cancer (OvCa) remains clinically challenging and there is a pressing need to identify novel therapeutic strategies. Here we report that multiple mechanisms that promote OvCa progression and chemo-resistance could be inhibited by ectopic expression of miR-15a and miR-16. Significant correlations between low expression of miR-16, high expression of BMI1 and sh...