Lauber, Sean
Wong, Steven
Cutz, Jean-Claude
Tanaka, Minoru
Barra, Nicole
Lhotak, Sarka
Ashkar, Ali
Richards, Carl Douglas
Oncostatin M is a leukocyte product that has been reported to have anti-proliferative effects directly on melanoma and other cancer cell lines in vitro. However, its function(s) in cancers in vivo appears complex and its roles in cancer growth in lungs are unknown. Here, we show that OSM promotes marked growth of tumour cells in mouse lungs. Local pulmonary administration of adenovirus vector expressing mouse OSM (AdOSM) induced >13-fold increase in lung tumour burden of ectopically delivered B16-F10 melanoma cells in C57BL/6 mice. AdOSM caused increases in tumour size (14 days post-challenge), whereas control vector (Addel70) did not. AdOSM had no such action in C57BL/6 mice deficient in the OSM receptor beta chain (OSMRbeta-/-), indicating that these effects required OSMRbeta expression on non-tumour cells in the recipient mice. AdOSM induced elevated levels of chemokines and inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, elevated arginase-1 mRNA levels (60-fold), and increased arginase-1+immunostaining macrophage numbers in lungs. Adherent BAL cells collected from AdOSM-treated mice expressed elevated arginase-1 activity. In contrast to AdOSM-induced effects, pulmonary over-expression of IL-1beta (AdIL-1beta) induced neutrophil accumulation and iNOS mRNA, but did not modulate tumour burden. AdOSM also increased lung tumour load (>50-fold) upon ectopic administration of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in vivo. However, in vitro, neither recombinant OSM nor AdOSM infection stimulated B16-F10 or LLC cell growth directly. We conclude that pulmonary over-expression of OSM promotes tumour growth, and does so through altering the local lung environment with accumulation of M2 macrophages. =C2=A9 2014 UICC.
Short-lived pivaloylmetals, (H3C)3C-COM, were established as the reactive intermediates arising through thermal heterolytic expulsion of O=CtBu2 from the overcrowded metal alkoxides tBuC(=O)-C(-OM)tBu2 (M=MgX, Li, K). In all three cases, this fission step is counteracted by a faster return process, as shown through the trapping of tBu-COM by O=C(tBu)-C(CD3)3 with formation of the deuterated starting alkoxides. If generated in the absence of trapping agents, all three tBu-COM species dimerize to give the enediolates MO-C(tBu)=C(tBu)-OM along with O=CtBu2 (2 equiv). A common-component rate depression by surplus O=CtBu2 proves the existence of some free tBu-COM (separated from O=CtBu2); but companion intermediates with the traits of an undissociated complex such as tBu-COM & O=CtBu2 had to be postulated. The slow fission step generating tBu-COMgX in THF levels the overall rates of dimerization, ketone addition, and deuterium incorporation. Formed by much faster fission steps, both tBu-COLi and tBu-COK add very rapidly to ketones and dimerize somewhat slower (but still fairly fast, as shown through trapping of the emerging O=CtBu2 by H3CLi or PhCH2K, respectively). At first sight surprisingly, the rapid fission, return, and dimerization steps combine to very slow overall decay rates of the precursor Li and K alkoxides in the absence of trapping agents: A detailed study revealed that the fast fission step, generating tBu-COLi in THF, is followed by a kinetic partitioning that is heavily biased toward return and against the product-forming dimerization. Both tBu-COLi and tBu-COK form tBu-CH=O with HN(SiMe3)3, but only tBu-COK is basic enough for being protonated by the precursor acyloin tBuC(=O)-C(-OH)tBu2.
Salman, Hamida Edan
Balakit, Asim A.
Abdulridha, Ali Ahmed
A new aromatic Schiff base with azo linkage (AS) has been synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, H-1 NMR and C-13 NMR spectroscopic techniques. The new compound (AS) has been evaluated as carbon steel corrosion inhibitor at different concentrations (0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 mM) and different temperatures (303 - 333 K). The corrosion inhibition efficiency was studied by potentiodynamic polarization and weight loss measurements. The effects of concentration and temperature on the inhibition efficiency were studied by potentiodynamic polarization measurements, the results showed that increasing concentration of AS increases the inhibition efficiency while increasing the temperature decreases it, the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency, 93.9% was recorded with 0.08 mM of AS at 313 K in 1 M H2SO4. Weight loss measurements showed that the inhibition efficiency reached 97.1% in the presence of AS (0.08 mM) at 313 K. The adsorption process was found to obey Langmuir isotherm, and the adsorption thermodynamic parameters were studied. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to confirm the results.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a large global health problem, in part because of the long period of coevolution of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and its human host. A major factor that sustains the global epidemic of TB is the lack of a sufficiently effective vaccine. While basic mechanisms of immunity that protect against TB have been identified, attempts to improve immunity to TB by vaccination have been disappointing. This Review discusses the mechanisms used by M. tuberculosis to evade innate and adaptive immunity and that likely limit the efficacy of vaccines developed to date. Despite multiple mechanisms of immune evasion, recent trials have indicated that effective TB vaccines remain an attainable goal. This Review discusses how knowledge from other systems can inform improvements on current vaccine approaches.
Prof. R. Knorr
Dr. G. Böhrer
Dr. B. Schubert and P. Böhrer
Short-lived pivaloylmetals, (H3C)3C-COM, were established as the reactive intermediates arising through thermal heterolytic expulsion of O=CtBu2 from the overcrowded metal alkoxides tBuC(=O)-C(-OM)tBu2 (M=MgX, Li, K). In all three cases, this fission step is counteracted by a faster return process, as shown through the trapping of tBu-COM by O=C(tBu)-C(CD3)3 with formation of the deuterated starting alkoxides. If generated in the absence of trapping agents, all three tBu-COM species “dimerize” to give the enediolates MO-C(tBu)=C(tBu)-OM along with O=CtBu2 (2 equiv). A common-component rate depression by surplus O=CtBu2 proves the existence of some free tBu-COM (separated from O=CtBu2); but companion intermediates with the traits of an undissociated complex such as tBu-COM & O=CtBu2 had to be postulated. The slow fission step generating tBu-COMgX in THF levels the overall rates of dimerization, ketone addition, and deuterium incorporation. Formed by much faster fission steps, both tBu-COLi and tBu-COK add very rapidly to ketones and dimerize somewhat slower (but still fairly fast, as shown through trapping of the emerging O=CtBu2 by H3CLi or PhCH2K, respectively). At first sight surprisingly, the rapid fission, return, and dimerization steps combine to very slow overall decay rates of the precursor Li and K alkoxides in the absence of trapping agents: A detailed study revealed that the fast fission step, generating tBu-COLi in THF, is followed by a kinetic partitioning that is heavily biased toward return and against the product-forming dimerization. Both tBu-COLi and tBu-COK form tBu-CH=O with HN(SiMe3)3, but only tBu-COK is basic enough for being protonated by the precursor acyloin tBuC(=O)-C(-OH)tBu2.
This paper directly tests the winner's curse under the framework of bank cross-border mergers and acquisitions. The hypothesis of winner's curse pre- dicts that bidder returns are inversely related to the level of competition in a given deal and to the uncertainty in the value of the target. We use a novel dataset of rating differences to measure the uncertainty of the target bank value, and find that the returns to the acquirer banks are significantly reduced under more target uncertainty, but no such relation to competitions. We also find that in bank cross-border M&As, acquirer abnormal return will increase with information disclosure, both voluntary and mandatory disclo- sure, of the target country. Also, combined banks create more acquisition synergy if the target country has a higher quality of bank information disclo- sure. And the positive effect is large enough to mitigate the negative effect of target uncertainty. Related analysis indicates that managers of foreign acquirer banks would more accurately estimate target values if target bank disclose more information about their loans and deposits. Results of the paper are consistent with semi-strong stock market efficiency.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse the short-term wealth effects of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in Malaysia. In addition, this study also examines the factors that affect the short-term shareholders' wealth during M&A announcements in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - The short-term wealth effect is measured by the Cumulative Average Abnormal Returns (CAARs). For the purpose of this study, the wealth effects of a sample of 180 target and 196 bidding companies announced in Malaysia during the period from 2001 to 2009 are analyzed. Findings - Results of the study revealed that there are positive market reactions by both target and bidding shareholders towards M&A announcements. However, target shareholders earned significantly higher CAARs than bidding shareholders. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that economic condition surrounding merger announcements, type of acquisition (diversified/related), premium paid and status of bid (successful/failed) affect the short-term wealth effects of target and bidding shareholders during M&A announcements. However, the impact on the target and bidding shareholders are different. Relative size negatively affects bidding shareholders' wealth. Target with higher ROE also earned significantly higher returns. Originality/value - There is high number of announced M&A deals in Malaysia, little is known about the determinants of short-term wealth effects of M&As in emerging market Malaysia, in particular the third M&A wave.
Andonova, Veneta
Rodriguez, Yeny
Sanchez, Ivan Dario
This study looks into the behavior of privately held firms in Colombia that participate in waves of mergers and acquisitions between 1995 and 2008. The study finds evidence in which experienced firms that perform mergers and acquisitions late in waves show stronger performance as measured by their return on assets. The firms that fall prey to the bandwagon effect and perform M&As at the peak of a wave show the weakest performance in munificent industries. The study discusses the rationality behind strategic waiting in environments with lax contract enforcement and limited information about acquisition targets. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A recent ground-breaking publication described hypothalamus-driven programmatic aging. As a Russian proverb goes "everything new is well-forgotten old". In 1958, Dilman proposed that aging and its related diseases are programmed by the hypothalamus. This theory, supported by beautiful experiments, remained unnoticed just to be re-discovered recently. Yet, it does not explain all manifestations of aging. And would organism age without hypothalamus? Do sensing pathways such as MTOR (mechanistic Target of Rapamycin) and IKK-beta play a role of a "molecular hypothalamus" in every cell? Are hypothalamus-driven alterations simply a part of quasi-programmed aging manifested by hyperfunction and secondary signal-resistance? Here are some answers.