Publications by authors named "Hirata D"

Flowering is initiated in response to environmental cues, with the photoperiod and ambient temperature being the main ones. The regulatory pathways underlying floral transition are well studied in but remain largely unknown in legumes. Here, we first applied an in silico approach to infer the regulatory inputs of four -like genes of the narrow-leafed lupin .

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Coenzyme Q (CoQ), a component of the electron transport chain, participates in aerobic respiration to produce ATP. Little is known about the relationship between CoQ and ethanol fermentation. Herein, we revealed that the deficiency or the addition of CoQ in sake yeast led to an increase or a decrease, respectively, in ethanol production rate at the early stage of fermentation.

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Magnetic nanoparticles modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (FeO@TEOS) and bovine serum albumin (FeO@TEOS@BSA) were evaluated as sorbent in albumin depletion from human serum samples by magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction. Characterization studies were carried out by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and scanning electron microscopy. Both nanoparticles also showed high thermal stability and pH-dependent surface charges.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Detection and diagnosis of colon polyps are crucial for preventing colorectal cancer, and AI technologies can improve colonoscopy effectiveness through computer-aided detection (CADe) and diagnosis (CADx) systems.
  • - The REAL-Colon dataset offers a large collection of 2.7 million native video frames from real-world colonoscopy, featuring 350,000 expert-annotated bounding boxes, which provide a more realistic dataset compared to existing down-sampled images.
  • - This dataset includes comprehensive patient and procedural data, promoting transparency and enabling researchers to develop and benchmark more accurate AI algorithms for improved colonoscopy outcomes.
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Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a rare mesenchymal tumor. Some papers have reported that colonoscopy could be used to treat PEComa with a predominantly pedunculated polyp, whereas surgical intervention is often required for cases with submucosal-type tumors. These findings suggest that the morphology of PEComa changes dramatically with disease progression.

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Alcohol fermentation comprises two phases: phase 1, alcohol fermentation occurs while yeast cells proliferate; phase 2, growth stops and alcohol fermentation continues. We categorized genes related to proliferation in low ethanol (phase 1) and viability in high ethanol (phase 2) as Alcohol Growth Ability (AGA) and Alcohol Viability (ALV), respectively. Although genes required for phase 1 are examined in budding yeast, those for phase 2 are unknown.

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Microtubule organization and reorganization during the cell cycle are achieved by regulation of the number, distribution and activity of microtubule-organizing centres (MTOCs). In fission yeast, the Mto1/2 complex determines the activity and distribution of cytoplasmic MTOCs. Upon mitosis, cytoplasmic microtubule nucleation ceases; inactivation of the Mto1/2 complex is triggered by Mto2 hyperphosphorylation.

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Objectives: We investigated the correlation between surgical outcomes and postoperative urinary continence recovery in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Methods: Patients who underwent RARP in our institution (n = 195) were included in this study. Preserved urethral length (PUL) was assessed during the procedure.

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  • The study examines the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Siberian ibex to understand the genetic relationships and divergence times within the species, highlighting the role of maternal lineage in biodiversity.
  • Researchers collected 58 samples from Xinjiang, China, finding two main lineages in the mtDNA: the Southern lineage, and the Northern lineage, which has further subdivisions related to geographic origins.
  • The analysis indicates significant genetic differentiation among the clades, with important divergence events occurring over millions of years, underscoring the need for comprehensive sampling and further genomic studies in alpine mammals.
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  • Upon examination of the papilla, fresh blood was noted, but the source of bleeding wasn't visible with standard white-light imaging.
  • We transitioned to texture- and color-enhancement imaging, which helped us locate a visible vessel as the source of the bleed.
  • Successful endoscopic hemostasis was performed using a hemostatic clip to stop the bleeding.
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Modification of the genetic background and, in some cases, the introduction of targeted mutations can play a critical role in producing trait characteristics during the breeding of crops, livestock, and microorganisms. However, the question of how similar trait characteristics emerge when the same target mutation is introduced into different genetic backgrounds is unclear. In a previous study, we performed genome editing of , , , and on the standard sake yeast strain Kyokai No.

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Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is an essential component of the electron transport system in aerobic organisms. CoQ has ten isoprene units in its quinone structure and is especially valuable as a food supplement. However, the CoQ biosynthetic pathway has not been fully elucidated, including synthesis of the p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHB) precursor to form a quinone backbone.

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  • Sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) are potential precursors to colorectal cancer, and selectively removing them could decrease healthcare costs, yet distinguishing them from hyperplastic polyps (HPs) during colonoscopy is difficult.* -
  • A multicenter study involved expert endoscopists using magnifying colonoscopy to differentiate SSLs from HPs, with findings showing a sensitivity of 79.8% overall and 82.4% for those diagnosed with high confidence.* -
  • Despite the expertise involved, accurately diagnosing SSLs is challenging, leading to a recommendation that all JNET type 1 lesions that are 6 mm or larger should be removed to avoid missing a significant number of SSLs.*
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The present study consists of developing an enzymatic process for the production of wax esters (lauryl stearate and cetyl stearate) by esterification in a heptane medium. Lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) immobilized via interfacial activation on silica particles from rice husks functionalized with triethoxy(octyl)silane (TLL-Octyl-SiO ) was used as biocatalyst. Maximum immobilized protein loading of around 22 mg g (that corresponds to an immobilization yield of ≈55%) of support was observed using an initial protein loading of 40 mg g of Octyl-SiO .

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Personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) are compact and lightweight compared to automobiles; hence, human dynamic behavior affects a vehicle's postural stability. In this study, the dynamic behaviors of drivers of inverted pendulum vehicles (IPV) under manual and automatic driving were investigated. One particular feature of applying automatic driving to IPV is constant posture stabilization control.

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Nanocrystal preparation using bead milling is an important technology to enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, there are safety concerns regarding the metal contaminants generated during bead milling. We have previously reported optimized bead-milling parameters that could minimize metal contamination and demonstrated comparable performance to NanoCrystal, a world-leading contamination-free technology.

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Background: The endocytoscope with ultra-high magnification (x 520) allows us to observe the cellular structure of the colon epithelium during colonoscopy, known as virtual histopathology. We hypothesized that the endocytoscope could directly observe colorectal histopathological specimens and store them as endocyto-pathological images by the endoscopists without a microscope, potentially saving the burden on histopathologists.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of endocyto-pathological images taken by an endoscopist as adequate materials for histopathological diagnosis.

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The provision of endoscopic training was significantly disrupted during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It is difficult to provide training on endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) due to the complexity of the procedure and the shortage of local trainers. We have designed and conducted a simulation training course with telementoring, incorporating the concept of rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP).

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Objectives: Balloon enteroscopy (BE)-assisted endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-related procedures to resolve acute cholangitis (AC) in patients with surgically altered anatomy (SAA) are limited. There is a lack of evidence on whether the timing of BE-assisted ERCP affects clinical outcomes in patients with AC. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of short-type single-balloon enteroscopy (short SBE)-assisted ERCP in patients with SAA and AC.

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Background And Aims: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is technically challenging to perform in patients with surgically altered anatomy (SAA). For these patients, endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) is one of the good indications. The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify and evaluate evidence of the efficacy and safety of EUS-BD in patients with SAA.

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Objectives: Since carbonized clots and tissue (debris) tend to adhere firmly to the tip of the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) knife as the procedure proceeds, manual removing the firm debris is often challenging and time-consuming. Recently, effective ultrasonic cleaning for other medical devices has been reported. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether ultrasonic cleaning is effective in removing the debris on the insulation-tipped diathermic (IT) knife-2.

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In this review we have focused on the preparation of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) from lipases, as these are among the most used enzyme in bioprocesses. This immobilization method is considered very attractive due to preparation simplicity, non-use of supports and the possibility of using crude enzyme extracts. CLEAs provide lipase stabilization under extreme temperature or pH conditions or in the presence of organic solvents, in addition to preventing enzyme leaching in aqueous medium.

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Endophytes often inhabit plant tissues and cause no disease symptoms. Lasiodiplodia is generally considered a pathogenic fungus, but such a genus is capable of producing high-value bioactive molecules, such as enzymes, secondary metabolites including antimicrobials. Therefore, Lasiodiplodia sp.

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