The distribution of monolignol glucosides coincides with lignification during the formation of compression wood in Pinus thunbergii.

The distributions of monolignol glucosides (MLGs) in compression and opposite woods of Pinus thunbergii were assessed using cryo-time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to investigate their involvement in lignification. p-Glucocoumaryl alcohol (PG) was identified in the region of the differentiating xylem adjacent to the cambial zone only in compression wood, whereas coniferin (CF) was similarly localized in both compression and opposite woods. Their distribution from the phloem to the xylem was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using serial tangential sections.

Recurrence of mucinous prostate cancer in rectal wall due to needle-track seeding from previous transrectal prostate biopsy.

Introduction: Needle-track seeding of prostate cancer into the rectal wall following transrectal prostate biopsy is exceedingly rare. We report a case of mucinous prostate cancer recurrence in the rectal wall due to biopsy needle seeding, discovered after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Case Presentation: A 67-year-old man underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy for mucinous prostate cancer (clinical stage T2cN0M0, Gleason score of 4 + 4, and initial prostate-specific antigen level of 8.

A case of retrocaval ureter with robot-assisted ureteral reconstruction.

Introduction: Retrocaval ureter is a rare congenital anomaly that causes ureteral obstruction. Because of the rarity of retrocaval ureter, only a few cases of open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted surgery have been reported. We herein report a case of retrocaval ureter that was successfully reconstructed with robot-assisted surgery.

Niraparib in Japanese patients with heavily pretreated, homologous recombination-deficient ovarian cancer: final results of a multicenter phase 2 study.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of niraparib in Japanese women with heavily pretreated ovarian cancer.

Methods: This was the follow-up analysis of a phase 2, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study in Japanese women with homologous recombination-deficient, platinum-sensitive, relapsed, high-grade serous epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who had completed 3-4 lines of chemotherapy and were poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor naïve. Participants received niraparib (starting dose, 300 mg) once daily in continuous 28-day cycles until objective disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal.

Microscopic distribution of taxanes in freeze-fixed stems of .

Introduction: species contain the anticancer alkaloid paclitaxel, as well as other taxanes similar in structure and potentially in effect to paclitaxel. Tissue-specific distribution patterns and seasonal variations of taxanes in some species have been reported; however, it is still under-presented for the taxanes in .

Methods: The radial distributions of eight taxanes in the transverse surface of freeze-fixed stems from the late summer and the spring seasons were investigated by cryo-time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (cryo-TOF-SIMS/SEM) visualization and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) quantitative analysis.

Investigating the timing and site of recurrence for ovarian clear cell carcinoma: Analysis of the JGOG/GCIG trial-JGOG 3017-A3.

Background: This study was conducted to determine the optimal monitoring after initial treatment of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) using data from patients enrolled in the Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (JGOG) 3017 study. The JGOG study evaluated the efficacy of an irinotecan and cisplatin combination regimen compared with that of a paclitaxel and carboplatin regimen for OCCC patients who underwent primary surgery.

Methods: Yielding 619 total patients in this study, to analyze progression-free and overall survival, the hazards over time were estimated using kernel smoothing curves to identify the peak of event occurrence.

High-risk pathogenic germline variants in blood relatives of BRCA1/2 negative probands.

Background: Tailored, preventive cancer care requires the identification of pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) among potentially at-risk blood relatives (BRs). Cascade testing is carried out for BRs of probands who are positive for PGVs of an inherited cancer but not for negative probands. This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of PGVs for BRs of PGV-negative probands.

Prognostic impact of the number of resected pelvic nodes in endometrial cancer: Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group Study JGOG2043 post hoc analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the number of resected pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) affects the prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC) patients at post-operative risk of recurrence.

Methods: JGOG2043 was a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of three chemotherapeutic regimens as adjuvant therapy in EC patients with post-operative recurrent risk. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 250 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone in JGOG2043.

Bonding of Lignin and Coniferyl Alcohol by a Redox Shuttle of Low-Molecular-Weight Lignols in Enzymatic Oxidative Dehydrogenative Polymerization.

Lignin is an aromatic polymer that constitutes plant cell walls. The polymerization of lignin proceeds by radical coupling, and this process requires radicalization of the phenolic end of lignin by enzymes. However, due to the steric hindrance between enzymes, lignin, and polysaccharides, the direct oxidation of the phenolic end of lignin by the enzyme would be difficult, and the details of the growth of lignin are still unknown.

Large transverse thermoelectric effect induced by the mixed-dimensionality of Fermi surfaces.

Transverse thermoelectric effect, the conversion of longitudinal heat current into transverse electric current, or vice versa, offers a promising energy harvesting technology. Materials with axis-dependent conduction polarity, known as p × n-type conductors or goniopolar materials, are potential candidate, because the non-zero transverse elements of thermopower tensor appear under rotational operation, though the availability is highly limited. Here, we report that a ternary metal LaPtB with unique crystal structure exhibits axis-dependent thermopower polarity, which is driven by mixed-dimensional Fermi surfaces consisting of quasi-one-dimensional hole sheet with out-of-plane velocity and quasi-two-dimensional electron sheets with in-plane velocity.

Current treatment strategies for ovarian cancer in the East Asian Gynecologic Oncology Trial Group (EAGOT).

Ovarian cancer, notable for its severe prognosis among gynecologic cancers, has seen substantial progress in treatment approaches recently. Enhanced protocols in chemotherapy and the introduction of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for maintenance therapy have markedly improved outcomes for patients with specific genetic profiles, such as those positive for BRCA mutations or exhibiting homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Additionally, the method of intraperitoneal chemotherapy administration has emerged as a valuable alternative to traditional transvenous routes, showing promise for wider clinical adoption.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of hospital treatment volume and survival outcomes in endometrial cancer in Japan.

Objective: Hospital treatment volume affects survival in patients with endometrial cancer; notably, initial treatment at high-volume centers improves survival outcomes. Our study assessed the effect of hospital treatment volume on cost-effectiveness and survival outcomes in patients with endometrial cancer in Japan.

Methods: A decision-analytic model was evaluated using the following variables and their impact on cost-effectiveness: 1) hospital treatment volume (low-, intermediate-, and high-volume centers) and 2) postoperative recurrent risk factors based on pathological findings (high- and intermediate-risk or low-risk).

A first-in-human phase I study of TAS-117, an allosteric AKT inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: TAS-117 is a highly potent and selective, oral, allosteric pan-AKT inhibitor under development for advanced/metastatic solid tumors. The safety, clinical pharmacology, pharmacogenomics and efficacy were investigated.

Methods: This phase I, open-label, non-randomized, dose-escalating, first-in-human study enrolled patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors and comprised three phases (dose escalation phase [DEP], regimen modification phase [RMP], and safety assessment phase [SAP]).

Adhesion-clutch between DCC and netrin-1 mediates netrin-1-induced axonal haptotaxis.

The growth cone, a motile structure located at the tip of growing axons, senses extracellular guidance cues and translates them into directional forces that drive axon outgrowth and guidance. Axon guidance directed by chemical cues on the extracellular adhesive substrate is termed haptotaxis. Recent studies reported that netrin-1 on the substrate functions as a haptotactic axon guidance cue.

Field-induced compensation of magnetic exchange as the possible origin of reentrant superconductivity in UTe.

The potential spin-triplet heavy-fermion superconductor UTe exhibits signatures of multiple distinct superconducting phases. For field aligned along the b axis, a metamagnetic transition occurs at μH ≈ 35 T. It is associated with magnetic fluctuations that may be beneficial for the field-reinforced superconductivity surviving up to H.

Longitudinal Spin Fluctuations Driving Field-Reinforced Superconductivity in UTe_{2}.

Our measurements of ^{125}Te NMR relaxations reveal an enhancement of electronic spin fluctuations above μ_{0}H^{*}∼15  T, leading to their divergence in the vicinity of the metamagnetic transition at μ_{0}H_{m}≈35  T, below which field-reinforced superconductivity appears when a magnetic field (H) is applied along the crystallographic b axis. The NMR data evidence that these fluctuations are dominantly longitudinal, providing a key to understanding the peculiar superconducting phase diagram in H∥b, where such fluctuations enhance the pairing interactions.

Impact of COVID-19 on gynecological cancer incidence: a large cohort study in Japan.

Background: The influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the number of newly diagnosed gynecological cancers has not been extensively investigated in Japan. This study determined the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of gynecological cancer.

Methods: Using the Japanese Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologic Oncology registry database, the distribution of the number of patients based on clinical staging or tumor-node-metastasis classifications before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was analyzed to compare the trends.

Single-cell trapping and retrieval in open microfluidics.

Among various single-cell analysis platforms, hydrodynamic cell trapping systems remain relevant because of their versatility. Among those, deterministic hydrodynamic cell-trapping systems have received significant interest; however, their applications are limited because trapped cells are kept within the closed microchannel, thus prohibiting access to external cell-picking devices. In this study, we develop a hydrodynamic cell-trapping system in an open microfluidics architecture to allow external access to trapped cells.

A thermally driven rotaxane-catenane interconversion with a dynamic bis(hindered amino) disulfide.

We have developed a versatile and simple synthetic method to produce a [3]catenane. Heating a rotaxane with bis(hindered amino) disulfide groups at both ends spontaneously and selectively produces the [3]catenane. The successful polymerization of the obtained [3]catenane provides a platform for the synthesis of various interlocking polymers.