Anticoagulant activity of immobilized thrombomodulin

Bovine lung thrombomodulin was partially purified, and immobilized on agarose gel (Sepharose 4B). Immobilized thrombomodulin inhibited the procoagulant activity of thrombin, and enhanced the thrombin-catalyzed protein C activation. The plasma recalcification time test showed that immobilized thrombomodulin prolonged plasma clotting time. It is suggested that the immobilization of thrombomodulin will provide an antithrombogenic biomaterial able to convert thrombin from a procoagulant to an anticoagulant enzyme.     

Structure of an anti-plasmin inhibitor, eckol, isolated from the brown alga Ecklonia kurome Okamura and inhibitory activities of its derivatives on plasma plasmin inhibitors

Eckol (1), a novel phlorotannin with a dibenzo-1,4-dioxin skeleton, has been isolated from the brown alga Ecklonia kurome Okamura as a potent and specific anti-plasmin inhibitor. Its structure has been elucidated based on the spectral data, in particular, by means of negative nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE), and finally established as 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenoxy)-2,4,7,9-tetrahydroxydibenzo-1,4-dio xin by X-ray analysis. Some partially methoxylated derivatives of eckol were prepared by methylation with diazomethane and also by selective dimethylation of eckol permethylate (1b) to establish the structural requirements for inhibitory activities on alpha 2-macroglobulin and alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor, the main plasmin inhibitors in plasma.     

Stimulatory effect of red light on starch accumulation in a marine green alga,chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161

A marine green alga,Chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161 was cultivated under illumination of red and white lights. The growth rate under red light illumination was almost the same as that in the basic conditions under white light illumination, but red light-grown cells accumulated almost twice as much starch as white light-grown cells. Although there was a slight decrease in carbonic anhydrase activity, red light-illuminated cells had almost 2.3 times the fructose-l,6-diphos-phatase activity of white light-illuminated cells. Red light might stimulate starch accumulation by increasing the amounts of enzymes related to carbon fixation through the phytochrome system. Cells grown under red light degraded 1.6 times as much starch and produced 1.7 times as much hydrogen and 1.6 times as much ethanol compared with cells grown under white light during 12 h of dark anaerobic fermentation.     

Rhodium-catalyzed arylative cyclization of alkynones induced by addition of arylboronic acids

Alkynones react with arylboronic acids in the presence of a rhodium(I) catalyst to afford four- and five-membered-ring cyclic alcohols equipped with a tetrasubstituted exocyclic olefin. The cyclic allylic alcohol skeleton is constructed by the carbon-carbon bond formation between the carbonyl group and an alkenylrhodium(I) intermediate formed by the regioselective addition of an arylrhodium(I) species across the carbon-carbon triple bond.     

Polymer-Supported dicyanoketene acetal as a pi-acid catalyst: monothioacetalization and carbon-carbon bond formation of acetals

Polymeric dicyanoketene acetals (DCKA) were synthesized by copolymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene or ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. These novel polymers could be used successfully as recyclable pi-acid catalysts in monothioacetalization or carbon-carbon bond forming reaction of acetals.     

Evaluation of the radioactivity in concrete from accelerator facilities

For evaluation of radioactivity induced in the concrete samples from accelerator facilities, the residual radioactivity in concrete sample, collected from seven accelerator facilities, was determined by γ-ray spectrometry. The tritium was extracted by the heating method using an IR furnace, and measured with a liquid scintillation counter. It was found that the major radioisotopes activated mainly by neutrons in the concrete samples were ¹⁵²Eu, ⁶⁰Co, ¹³⁴Cs and ³H. The concentrations of radioactivities induced by thermal neutron capture are the highest at a depth of 10 cm in the concrete wall. The correlation between tritium, ⁶⁰Co and ¹⁵²Eu activity was investigated by measuring many concrete samples for seven accelerator facilities. The results indicate that their activities are strongly correlated with each other. So it would also be concluded that the total activity in shielding concrete could be estimated on the basis of the activities of ⁶⁰Co and ¹⁵²Eu.     

Novel ring transformation reactions of xanthine derivatives

The novel ring transformation reactions were found in the reactions of 1,3,7,9-tetra-alkyl-8,9-dihydroxanthines and acetylenic compounds. The reaction of the dihydroxanthine with DMAD gave a propellane type compound and with methyl propiolate afforded the similar type compound and a pyrimido[4,5-b]diazepine derivative. The mechanism of these reactions was also discussed.