Optimized versus conventional trigger threshold for pancreatic phase image acquisition using dual-energy CT at 40-keV: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of optimized trigger threshold on 40-keV pancreatic phase images acquired with a dual-energy CT (DECT) protocol.

Methods: A cohort of 69 consecutive participants (median age, 72 years) undergoing a pancreatic protocol DECT examination between September to December 2021 were prospectively randomized into two protocols: conventional trigger threshold of 100 HU (Group A, n = 34) and optimized trigger threshold of 30 HU (Group B, n = 35). Pancreatic phase image acquisition was performed with fixed delay of 20 s from the trigger threshold.

Appropriate pancreatic phase image acquisition by free-breathing dynamic contrast-enhanced pancreatic MRI using stack-of-stars radial sampling and Compressed SENSE.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of a free-breathing sequence (4D FreeBreathing) combined with Compressed SENSE in dynamic contrast-enhanced pancreatic MRI and compare it with a breath-holding sequence (eTHRIVE).

Method: Patients who underwent pancreatic MRI, either eTHRIVE or 4D FreeBreathing, from April 2022 to November 2023 were included in this retrospective study. Two radiologists, who were unaware of the scan sequence, independently and randomly reviewed the images at the precontrast, pancreatic, portal venous, and equilibrium phases and assigned confidence scores for motion and streaking artifacts, pancreatic sharpness, and overall image quality using a 5-point scale.

Pancreatic cancer detection with dual-energy CT: diagnostic performance of 40 keV and 70 keV virtual monoenergetic images.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of 40 keV and 70 keV virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) generated from dual-energy CT in the detection of pancreatic cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent pancreatic protocol dual-energy CT from January 2019 to August 2022. Four radiologists (1-11 years of experience), who were blinded to the final diagnosis, independently and randomly interpreted 40 keV and 70 keV VMIs and graded the presence or absence of pancreatic cancer.

1.5 µm wavelength NPN-type photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser exceeding 100 mW.

A 1.5 µm laser diode has applications in eye-safe light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and optical communications via photonic integrated circuits. Photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) have lens-free applications in compact optical systems because of narrow beam divergences (<1 degree).

Sustainable pest control inspired by prey-predator ultrasound interactions.

Nocturnal moths evolved ultrasound-triggered escape maneuvers for avoiding predatory bats emitting ultrasonic echolocation calls. Using ultrasound for pest control is not a novel concept, but the technique has not been systemized because of the moths' habituation to sounds and the narrow directionality of conventional ultrasound speakers. Here, we report the use of pulsed ultrasonic white noise, which contributes to achieving ecologically concordant plant protection.

[Effect of Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce for Nitrite Determination in Meat Products].

The diazotization method is used for nitrite determination in meat products. In this method, it is known that the presence of reducing substances such as ascorbic acid and cysteine in the sample interferes with nitrite determination. We speculated that soy sauce, fish sauce and mirin, which are used in meat products, might be the reducing substances, so investigated meat products which contain soy sauce and other ingredients.

Functional Assessment of 12 Rare Allelic Variants Identified in a Population of 4773 Japanese Individuals.

Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) is an important drug-metabolizing enzyme that contributes to the metabolism of approximately 15% of clinically used drugs, including warfarin, which is known for its narrow therapeutic window. Interindividual differences in CYP2C9 enzymatic activity caused by genetic polymorphisms lead to inconsistent treatment responses in patients. Thus, in this study, we characterized the functional differences in CYP2C9 wild-type (CYP2C9.

Heterologous expression of high-activity cytochrome P450 in mammalian cells.

The evaluation of Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymatic activity is essential to estimate drug pharmacokinetics. Numerous CYP allelic variants have been identified; the functional characterisation of these variants is required for their application in precision medicine. Results from heterologous expression systems using mammalian cells can be integrated in in vivo studies; however, other systems such as E.

Development and application of a rapid and sensitive genotyping method for pharmacogene variants using the single-stranded tag hybridization chromatographic printed-array strip (STH-PAS).

Genetic polymorphisms contribute to inter-individual variability in the metabolism of multiple clinical drugs, including warfarin, thiopurines, primaquine, and aminoglycosides. A rapid and sensitive clinical assessment of various genome biomarkers is, therefore, required to predict the individual responsiveness of each patient to these drugs. In this study, we developed a novel genotyping method for the detection of nine pharmacogene variants that are important in the prediction of drug efficiency and toxicity.

Spectral purity and tunability of terahertz quantum cascade laser sources based on intracavity difference-frequency generation.

Terahertz sources based on intracavity difference-frequency generation in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (THz DFG-QCLs) have recently emerged as the first monolithic electrically pumped semiconductor sources capable of operating at room temperature across the 1- to 6-THz range. Despite tremendous progress in power output, which now exceeds 1 mW in pulsed and 10 μW in continuous-wave regimes at room temperature, knowledge of the major figure of merits of these devices for high-precision spectroscopy, such as spectral purity and absolute frequency tunability, is still lacking. By exploiting a metrological grade system comprising a terahertz frequency comb synthesizer, we measure, for the first time, the free-running emission linewidth (LW), the tuning characteristics, and the absolute center frequency of individual emission lines of these sources with an uncertainty of 4 × 10.

Ultra-broadband room-temperature terahertz quantum cascade laser sources based on difference frequency generation.

We present ultra-broadband room temperature monolithic terahertz quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources based on intra-cavity difference frequency generation, emitting continuously more than one octave in frequency between 1.6 and 3.8 THz, with a peak output power of ~200 μW.

Broadband tuning of continuous wave quantum cascade lasers in long wavelength (> 10 μm) range.

Broadband spectral tuning in the long wavelength range (greater than 10 μm) was demonstrated with an external-cavity quantum cascade laser. The tunable wavelength of the laser ranged from 9.5 to 11.

Single-cell heterogeneity in suppression of PC12 differentiation by direct microinjection of a differentiation inhibitor, U0126.

Phenotypic and genomic heterogeneity among single cells in a cell population leads to inaccuracy and obscuration in research about mammalian cell differentiation. In order to address the problems regarding bulk analysis on heterogeneous cell populations, it is necessary to accurately regulate and analyze changes in differentiating cells at the single-cell level. To investigate the single-cell changes in PC12 neuronal differentiation that occur when inhibited by U0126, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), we directly injected the chemical into individual target cells and analyzed the outcomes (neurite outgrowth) at the single-cell level.

Dynamics and regulation of lysine-acetylation during one-cell stage mouse embryos.

Previous studies show that treatment of zygotes with trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), impacts the subsequent development to a blastocyst as well as full-term development. To reveal the dynamics of protein acetylation, with and without TSA treatment during one-cell stage, we examined oocytes and zygotes by immunofluorescence and Western Blot analyses using anti-acetylated lysine and acetylated α-tubulin antibodies. In unfertilized oocytes, lysine acetylation level was extremely low over all but faintly detected in the spindle.

Crystal structure of the parasporin-2 Bacillus thuringiensis toxin that recognizes cancer cells.

Parasporin-2 is a protein toxin that is isolated from parasporal inclusions of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Although B. thuringiensis is generally known as a valuable source of insecticidal toxins, parasporin-2 is not insecticidal, but has a strong cytocidal activity in liver and colon cancer cells.

Haeme-regulated degradation of delta-aminolevulinate synthase 1 in rat liver mitochondria.

Protein turnover, which occurs at various rates, is critical for the homeostasis of cellular protein levels. However, the proteolysis systems that determine the turnover rate of mitochondrial proteins are largely unknown. Delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS) 1, a rate-limiting enzyme in the haeme biosynthesis, is one of the mitochondrial proteins that have a very short lifetime.

Spatial orientation of mitochondrial processing peptidase and a preprotein revealed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP), which is composed of heterodimeric alpha-MPP and beta-MPP subunits. It specifically recognizes mitochondrial preproteins and removes their basic N-terminal signal prepeptides. In order to elucidate the spatial orientation of the preproteins toward MPP, which has been missed by crystal structures of a yeast MPP including a synthetic prepeptide in its acidic proteolytic chamber, we analysed the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between EGFP fused to a yeast aconitase presequence (preEGFP) and regiospecific 7-dietylamino-3-(4'-maleimidyl phenyl)-4-methyl coumarin (CPM)-labelled yeast MPPs.

A protein from a parasitic microorganism, Rickettsia prowazekii, can cleave the signal sequences of proteins targeting mitochondria.

The obligate intracellular parasitic bacteria rickettsiae are more closely related to mitochondria than any other microbes investigated to date. A rickettsial putative peptidase (RPP) was found to resemble the alpha and beta subunits of mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP), which cleaves the transport signal sequences of mitochondrial preproteins. RPP showed completely conserved zinc-binding and catalytic residues compared with beta-MPP but barely contained any of the glycine-rich loop region characteristic of alpha-MPP.

Cytocidal actions of parasporin-2, an anti-tumor crystal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis.

Parasporin-2, a new crystal protein derived from noninsecticidal and nonhemolytic Bacillus thuringiensis, recognizes and kills human liver and colon cancer cells as well as some classes of human cultured cells. Here we report that a potent proteinase K-resistant parasporin-2 toxin shows specific binding to and a variety of cytocidal effects against human hepatocyte cancer cells. Cleavage of the N-terminal region of parasporin-2 was essential for the toxin activity, whereas C-terminal digestion was required for rapid cell injury.

Typical three-domain cry proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis strain A1462 exhibit cytocidal activity on limited human cancer cells.

Bacillus thuringiensis strain A1462 produced two parasporal inclusion proteins with a molecular mass of 88 kDa that were converted to 64-kDa toxins when activated by proteinase K digestion. Both toxins exhibited strong cytocidal activity against two human cancer cell lines, HL60 (myeloid leukemia cells) and HepG2 (liver cancer cells), while low or no toxicities were observed against 11 human and three mammalian cell lines, including four non-cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity of both toxins on susceptible cells was characterized by rapid cell swelling.

Presence of monoamine oxidase type B protein but absence of associated enzyme activity in neurons within the inferior olive nucleus of the rat.

A previous study demonstrated that monoamine oxidase type B (MAOB) mRNA is located in the inferior olive complex (IO). The purpose of the present study was to examine whether neuronal cell bodies within the IO also express MAOB protein and whether they exhibit associated MAOB enzyme activity. Using immunohistochemistry and enzyme histochemistry, we demonstrated that IO neuronal cell bodies were positive for MAOB immunohistochemistry but negative for MAOB enzyme histochemistry.

Immunohistochemical localization of monoamine oxidase type B in pancreatic islets of the rat.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is regarded as a mitochondrial enzyme. This enzyme localizes on the outer membrane of mitochondria. There are two kinds of MAO isozymes, MAO type A (MAOA) and type B (MAOB).

Crystallization of parasporin-2, a Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein with selective cytocidal activity against human cells.

Bacillus thuringiensis is a valuable source of protein toxins that are specifically effective against certain insects and worms but harmless to mammals. In contrast, a protein toxin obtained from B. thuringiensis strain A1547, designated parasporin-2, is not insecticidal but has a strong cytocidal activity against human cells with markedly divergent target specificity.

Recognition and processing of a nuclear-encoded polyprotein precursor by mitochondrial processing peptidase.

The nuclear-encoded protein RPS14 (ribosomal protein S14) of rice mitochondria is synthesized in the cytosol as a polyprotein consisting of a large N-terminal domain comprising preSDHB (succinate dehydrogenase B precursor) and the C-terminal RPS14. After the preSDHB-RPS14 polyprotein is transported into the mitochondrial matrix, the protein is processed into three peptides: the N-terminal prepeptide, the SDHB domain and the C-terminal mature RPS14. Here we report that the general MPP (mitochondrial processing peptidase) plays an essential role in processing of the polyprotein.

Structure of rat monoamine oxidase A and its specific recognitions for substrates and inhibitors.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO), a mitochondrial outer membrane enzyme, catalyzes the degradation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and is the target for anti-depression drug design. Two subtypes of MAO, MAOA and MAOB, are similar in primary sequences but have unique substrate and inhibitor specificities. The structures of human MAOB complexed with various inhibitors were reported early.