Extracellular vesicles expressing CEACAM proteins in the urine of bladder cancer patients.

Early detection and long-term monitoring are important for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Urine cytology and existing markers have insufficient diagnostic performance. Here, we examined medium-sized extracellular vesicles (EVs) in urine to identify specific markers for UCB and evaluated their usefulness as diagnostic material.

Stepwise Evolution of a Klebsiella pneumoniae Clone within a Host Leading to Increased Multidrug Resistance.

Five -positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (KpWEA1, KpWEA2, KpWEA3, KpWEA4-1, and KpWEA4-2) were consecutively obtained from a patient with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia who was continuously administered antimicrobials. Compared with KpWEA1 and KpWEA2, KpWEA3 showed decreased susceptibility to antimicrobials, and KpWEA4-1 and KpWEA4-2 (isolated from a single specimen) showed further-elevated multidrug-resistance (MDR) phenotypes. This study aims to clarify the clonality of the five isolates and their evolutionary processes leading to MDR by comparison of these complete genomes.

Within-host evolution of a Klebsiella pneumoniae clone: selected mutations associated with the alteration of outer membrane protein expression conferred multidrug resistance.

Background: A patient repeatedly developed bacteraemia despite the continuous use of antibiotics. We obtained two Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from the patient's blood on Days 72 and 105 after hospitalization. Each of the two isolates belonged to ST45, but while the first isolate was susceptible to most antibiotics, the second one was resistant to multiple drugs including carbapenems.

Chemical acetylation of mitochondrial transcription factor A occurs on specific lysine residues and affects its ability to change global DNA topology.

Chemical acetylation is postulated to occur in mitochondria. Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM or mtTFA), a mitochondrial transcription initiation factor as well as the major mitochondrial nucleoid protein coating the entire mitochondrial genome, is proposed to be acetylated in animals and cultured cells. This study investigated the properties of human TFAM, in conjunction with the mechanism and effects of TFAM acetylation in vitro.

Preliminary evaluation of an improved enzymatic assay method for measuring potassium concentrations in serum.

Background: K(+) has important physiological functions. K(+) concentrations in serum are generally determined using ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), though measurement using reagents in aqueous medium is also useful.

Methods: K(+) concentrations were measured using recombinant inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), which was activated only by K(+) and NH4(+).

Highly sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography assay for the detection of Tamm-Horsfall protein in human urine.

Background: Tamm-Horsfall protein (also known as uromodulin) is the most abundant urinary protein in healthy individuals. Since initially characterized by Tamm and Horsfall, the amount of urinary excretion and structural mutations of Tamm-Horsfall protein is associated with kidney diseases. However, currently available assays for Tamm-Horsfall protein, which are mainly enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based, suffer from poor reproducibility and might give false negative results.

Development of an assay of seven biochemical items, HbA1c, and hematocrit using a small amount of blood collected from the fingertip.

Background: Lifestyle-related diseases in Japan account for 30% of the entire medical expenditure of the country and cause 60% of all deaths. For the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, medical examination by laboratory tests on metabolic syndrome is important.

Methods: To undertake examination by collection of blood from a fingertip, we developed the "Well Kit".